The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

049 Are We Poor Now? We Were Rich Just a Moment Ago

It feels like walking on clouds.

In the distance, he could see the space where the carriage and horses were kept. There was no one at the entrance, but the caretaker must be somewhere inside.

Lizzy suddenly looked up beside her. Her husband’s face was very high up.

—

Feeling her gaze, her husband lowered his head and met her eyes. A gentle smile softened his once stern expression.

At that moment, she suddenly realized.

‘He doesn’t know.’

He has no idea. He doesn’t know the true value of the money they just received. He probably has never been as poor as Lizzy.

When Lizzy said she had become rich, her husband laughed, but he didn’t truly understand what she meant, clearly.

The old man Lizzy’s sister married was a ‘well-off poor farmer’ among the poor.

In the village, most transactions were bartered, but one could still gauge the approximate income.

She heard that her sister’s husband earned about 100 rina a year. This income was earned by all the grown sons working together.

But sometimes it was less or more. Sometimes 120 rina, sometimes 90 rina, it varied.

120 rina is 10 silver coins.

With seven rabbit pelts, they received several times what her sister’s family earned in a year of hard work.

Of course, in the city, prices are high, and to a very rich person, this might not be much money. To the rich or nobles, it would naturally be a trivial amount.

But to a farmer like Lizzy, 49 silver coins were a fortune she might never touch in her lifetime.

Moreover, they didn’t sell the wolf pelt.

Juhwan said it didn’t matter if they sold it, but it was the first thing her husband had hunted. When Lizzy hesitated, Juhwan left it with her.

A wife’s feelings are nothing. He could have ignored them and sold it, but he smiled and told her to do as she pleased.

Lizzy glanced at Juhwan again. Was he angry because they didn’t sell the wolf pelt because of her?

Of course, she knew he wasn’t that kind of person, but it was a huge amount of money. Normally, one would feel regret or anger. Wolf fur is much more expensive than rabbit fur.

But Juhwan’s face still had the same smiling expression. He didn’t even think about the wolf pelt. He was just the same as usual.

Looking down, she saw her small hand enveloped in her husband’s large hand.

She felt she was like that.

Protected by him, she was far from the rough waves of the world. Completely shielded from misfortune.

If this hand ever left her, she would be exposed to the thunderstorm of the world, naked.

Suddenly, she was scared.

Once you taste the sweet world, you can’t breathe in the urine-soaked filth. You can’t go back to living there.

Lizzy looked at Juhwan’s face as he answered Dorothy’s question. Dorothy was just now asking what an adventurer was.

‘Juhwan.’

This man is a sweet poison. He surrounds her with sweetness and delicious things, unwrapping her tightly bound heart. Without him, she couldn’t live.

Even if she were beaten, living day by day on miserable gruel, she couldn’t go back to the time when she thought that was life. If she went back to just surviving, her heart would be too sick to live.

It’s not just about money. The time before she knew his kindness was like a deep, dark underground compared to the light she knows now.

—

“I don’t want to go back to the old days.”

Lizzy tightly held her husband’s large hand.

Please, don’t change.

I don’t know why. I’m so happy now, but I’m much more anxious than when I was unhappy. It feels like the ground beneath my feet is a cloud.

“Lizzy, are you okay?”

It seemed her behavior was strange. Joo-hwan lowered his head to look at Lizzy’s face.

“Mom, does your stomach hurt?”

Dorothy asked with wide eyes.

She answered that it was nothing, that she was fine, but Joo-hwan seemed worried. He tried to lift her up like a child with his remaining arm.

“Hehe, I’m okay.”

When Lizzy smiled, he seemed to be barely reassured.

“Let’s quickly find a place to stay and rest.”

Joo-hwan said kindly and gently squeezed the hand he was holding. The warm body temperature seemed to tell her that the man in front of her was the same person who had always been with her. The consistently kind husband.

As she walked, led by Joo-hwan, Lizzy felt herself deeply reassured.

Yes, this man doesn’t change. Even if he becomes rich, he won’t change. He remains a kind and gentle man.

He still calls Dorothy, who is not his blood, his daughter, and loves her, whom he had to marry out of necessity.

‘There’s no need to be anxious.’

The cloud beneath her feet, which had felt weightless as if she would sink into it, seemed to solidify.

When she came to her senses, she found herself back on solid ground.

[It’s okay to stay happy. No one will take it away. If someone tries to drag you into unhappiness, I’ll knock them all down.]

Joo-hwan’s rugged profile seemed to say that.

*

Maybe there was something on his face. Lizzy kept looking at him.

‘But.’

Every time their eyes met, Lizzy’s sweet smile made him think he might have become handsome. Maybe the magic filling his body was affecting his appearance.

Joo-hwan lightly touched his face with his hand, but, well, he didn’t feel particularly different.

‘Maybe I’ll check my reflection in an axe later.’

When Lizzy and Dorothy weren’t around, he would sneak a look to see if his face had changed.

As they headed to the carriage, they saw the manager feeding another horse in the corner.

The manager noticed Joo-hwan and gave a slight nod with his eyes.

—

“I’ll ride in the front! Because I’m an adventurer!”

It was the moment when an excited Dorothy pointed at the coachman’s seat and shouted.

A ten-year-old boy, whom they had met at the entrance earlier, suddenly appeared from behind the carriage.

“Hehe, sir! Have you finished your guild work?”

“….”

“I was diligently guarding the carriage. I kept a close watch to see if any thieves would come.”

“….”

The boy glanced at Juhwan’s expression and then scratched his head with a smile.

“If you haven’t decided on a lodging yet, shall I guide you to our house?”

Having seen the three adventurers at the entrance earlier, he seemed to know that his lie had been exposed.

The caretaker, carrying a water bucket for the horse, spoke.

“As long as you don’t give that little rascal any money, it’s fine. His house is shabby, but the price is reasonable and the food is delicious. The owners are nice too. The kid is just a bit of a troublemaker.”

Juhwan thanked the caretaker and looked at the boy.

“Alright, let’s go to your house.”

“Haha! Thank you!”

The boy beamed and ran ahead.

“Follow me this way! Just follow me with the carriage.”

Sitting in the coachman’s seat, Lizzy started to drive the horse. The ten-year-old boy ran quickly like a squirrel and looked back.

“Here! This way.”

He raised his hand to guide the way. Lizzy chuckled and said.

“He’s a lively kid. He tells lies, but maybe that’s just right. With that kind of survival instinct, he’ll do well anywhere.”

Lizzy glanced at Dorothy.

Dorothy was playing adventurer.

Oz seemed to be a monster, and Toto seemed to be a party member.

Oz, who was sleeping on Dorothy’s lap, was said to be holding a fire-breathing egg. Why a rabbit laid an egg, and how the egg breathed fire, was unknown.

“It’s not an easy world for men either, but it’s especially hard for girls. When men become adults, they can be independent, but girls can’t decide anything for themselves. In reality, there’s no other way but to get married.”

Lizzy smiled brightly.

“I hope Dorothy lives vigorously like a weed.”

It seemed she was listening to the adult’s conversation while playing. Dorothy shouted loudly.

“Mom! Dorothy is an adventurer! Adventurers can’t be weeds. Weeds can’t go anywhere.”

—

“Ha ha, that’s right.”

Liz quietly laughs. It seems she was reminded of her childhood. There was a slightly bitter expression on her face.

The lodging the boy guided them to was located a little way into a dirty alley.

The center of the village was quite clean, but the alleys beyond it were a different story. There were makeshift buildings and shabby houses, and the streets were cluttered with excrement and garbage scattered everywhere.

The alley wasn’t wide, so every time the carriage rolled, they were anxious about bumping into people.

“This way. Please come in.”

The boy guided the carriage next to a wooden building that was slightly better than the makeshift ones.

It wasn’t a proper stable, and there was no roof, just several wooden posts for tying horses in a small open space. There were feed troughs installed in front of the posts.

There was a peddler’s cart in the corner, possibly belonging to a guest. There was only one horse, and it looked very old. For some reason, the narrow space looked even more shabby because of the peddler’s cart and horse.

They must have looked a bit pathetic.

The boy rubbed his nose awkwardly.

“But the horse feed is good. Our family uses really good ingredients, even if it doesn’t look like it.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just a bit surprised because it’s my first time staying at a place like this.”

He might have hurt the boy’s feelings. As Juhwan got off the carriage and spoke to the boy, the boy grinned.

“Then please try our special meal. My mom’s special meal is really delicious. It’s amazing. And there’s a lot of it.”

The word the boy used seemed to mean a special meal.

As Liz got off the carriage, she whispered in Juhwan’s ear that it was expensive. The way she whispered made it seem like she was planning to eat something cheap.

‘Well, maybe we can have something a bit nicer just for today. I don’t think the food here will be very expensive anyway.’

Juhwan thought so but didn’t say anything and just smiled quietly. He handed the pouch of money they received from the guild to Liz.

“Liz, you keep this.”

From now on, Liz would be in charge of choosing food and items. She was the party’s accountant and manager.

Spending money might seem awkward now, but as they start earning more money, she’ll get used to it quickly. The day when she says, “Let’s eat something expensive and delicious today,” won’t be far off.

He just hoped that day would come a little sooner. He wanted to eat something delicious.

Liz stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide open.

“Guests! Please come in!”

The boy ahead waved his hand, calling Juhwan and his family. But it seemed Liz didn’t hear him. She was staring at the money pouch as if she had seen a monster.

There was no choice. Juhwan picked up Liz, who was frozen like ice, and Dorothy, who was in his other arm, tilted her head.

“Why did mom become a fool?”

“Who knows.”

It was only after a while that Liz seemed to come to her senses and whispered urgently in Juhwan’s ear.

—

“What if it gets stolen!”

“Then there’s nothing we can do. There’s still money left in the account, so it’s fine. Besides, we’ll keep earning money in the future.”

Just like the adventurers who came to subdue the goblins, Juhwan would go around catching monsters in the future. Even if not, there would be other jobs available at the guild. It might not be a lot of money, but they could still make a living.

“Hahaha! Mom, you look silly. Your face looks silly.”

Dorothy laughed heartily and pointed at Lizzy’s face.

Lizzy was just mouthing words without making any sound.

*

The first floor of the inn seemed to be a tavern selling food. There were several tables and chairs made from cut wood.

I thought there wouldn’t be many people, but unexpectedly, there were quite a few.

Most of the customers were wearing shabby clothes.

There were also several people who looked like adventurers.

Maybe people who didn’t stay at this inn came here to eat and drink.

It felt more like a local diner or tavern than an inn.

A large woman was carrying several plates of food stacked on a big tray and walking between the tables when she saw the boy.

“You rascal! Where have you been lying again!”

“Mom! I brought a customer.”

“I know! Your mom has eyes too. Do you even know how much my throat hurts because of you every time!”

The woman shouted as she put the plates on the table and walked briskly towards us.

She walked up to Juhwan with an angry face and without listening to any explanation, she hit the boy on the head with her fist.

Then she bowed her head to Juhwan.

“I’m sorry. Did this rascal sell beer again? Or did he take money for guarding a carriage or horse? Ah, really, I’m going crazy because of him.”

The customers sitting at the table laughed loudly.

“No, we came as customers. This boy guided us from the front of the guild.”

“Oh, really? He only guided you?”

The woman blinked her eyes and asked. She seemed not to believe it.

The boy pouted and grumbled.

“Really, mom, you’re too much. I’ve been working hard to bring customers from dawn till night. And they’re staying guests too!”

He really knew how to talk. From start to finish, he tried to deceive whenever he had the chance.

“Oh dear.”

The woman, flustered, kept patting the boy’s head where she had hit him with her fist. Then she smiled brightly at Juhwan and Lizzy.

—

—

“How long will you be staying?”

“I’m not sure yet. I just registered as an adventurer with the guild….”

“Oh my, then at least a month.”

The woman’s smile grew even bigger.

“What about the room? You have a child, so two beds would be better, right? A room with one bed is 1 Rina for two days, but if it has two beds, there’s a small additional charge. But, oh well, let’s just go with the basic cost. You have a child, and it’s a long-term stay.”

The woman shook her large body and walked to the corner with the stairs.

“The payment is in advance, but if you pay for a month at once, I’ll give you a discount. Originally it’s 15 Rina, but I’ll knock off 3 Rina, so it’s 1 silver coin.”

“Th-that’s expensive!”

Lizzy exclaimed in surprise, and the woman who was climbing the stairs turned around.

“No, no, our place is very cheap. Two beds, we provide lamp oil, and even though there’s no heating, we give you a hot water bottle. If you put it in the bed, it stays warm until morning. Compared to other places, it’s practically half the price. Our place is really cheap.”

Lizzy muttered with a pale face.

“But I heard your sister’s place makes 10 silver coins a year, and just for a month’s rent, it’s 1 silver coin….”

The woman laughed with an “Ah” expression.

“Oh dear, it must be your first time in such a big town. You’ll faint when you hear the food prices. For two people, it’s 1 Rina per meal.”

“Th-that expensive?”

Lizzy was on the verge of fainting with foam at her mouth. Even Joo-hwan was a bit surprised that food was more expensive than the room. He thought it would be the other way around.

The woman laughed loudly and said.

“Haha. Look, our place is practically half-price. The room, the food, the service, it’s all different. If you went to another place first, you’d be sleeping on the street.”

Lizzy clung to Joo-hwan’s clothes and whispered.

“Joo-hwan, let’s sleep in the carriage.”

“….”

Dorothy, with tears in her eyes, said sadly.

“Are we poor now? We were rich just a moment ago.”

“….”

A few steps up, the innkeeper started laughing, holding her belly.

—