The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

034 It Seems We Picked Up a Strange Rabbit

Dorothy was walking around the house with a basket containing the baby rabbit.

She showed the rabbit to Lizzy, then went back to the bed, put down the basket, and said a lot of things. And for some reason, she picked up the rabbit again and guided it around. This is the kitchen, this is the floor, this is the wall… I don’t understand why she is introducing these things.

But listening to what Dorothy was saying while walking around, it seems the rabbit is becoming the youngest member of this house. At first, she called it “rabbit,” but it soon had a different name.

I don’t know if it’s a name Dorothy gave or a term I haven’t learned yet. Anyway, the baby rabbit got a new name.

‘Really, we won’t be able to eat that rabbit even when it grows up.’

Juhwan smiled as he saw the mottled ochre-colored rabbit and Dorothy running towards him with it.

A big smile was on the child’s face. The sadness from the rabbit running away yesterday seemed to be forgotten after eating meat in the morning and seeing the baby rabbit move. Thank goodness. I was worried about what to do if she cried all day again today.

“Daddy, the rabbit is Dorothy ##.”

Dorothy shouted as she ran.

Wondering what it meant, Juhwan looked at Lizzy, who approached with a wet cloth and hesitated for a moment. She seemed troubled about how to explain.

After thinking for a moment, Lizzy pointed to her belly and said shyly.

“Baby.”

Then she pointed to Dorothy and then to her belly again. After a few times back and forth, the meaning was clear.

“Oh my god.”

Juhwan muttered unconsciously and stared blankly at Lizzy’s belly. His mind went blank.

No way, in that small and slender body… No way, no way, but yes, we did everything. It’s a bit early, but it was bound to happen.

Juhwan knelt down and gently placed his hand on Lizzy’s belly. Afraid to apply any pressure, he touched it very lightly, very lightly.

Dorothy, with wide eyes, suddenly shouted loudly.

“##?”

Lizzy, startled, shook her head vigorously.

“No, no, no, no. Not a baby. ##! It’s a word!”

—

—

Juhwan knelt on the ground and bent forward. He felt powerless in his waist and couldn’t move. It was as if someone had thrown him into the distant sky and then slammed him back down to the ground.

It was shocking before, but somehow it is still shocking now. He was confused about what he was thinking, unsure if he felt relieved or disappointed.

He had thought that having a child was up to the will of heaven. In the world of the secluded cabin with limited information, he didn’t know how to delay pregnancy, and seeing that Lizzy didn’t think about it at all, he thought there might be no way. He also had a subtle desire to have a larger family.

But honestly, he wanted to avoid having a baby right now. He wanted to have one after the environment was a bit more prepared.

He wanted to build a stronger bond with Dorothy and pour more love into her, the love she hadn’t been able to enjoy until now.

Even if she had a sibling, Dorothy would still be lovely, but there would be things only an only child could enjoy.

As long as God allowed, he hoped that period would be as long as possible. The best would be a period long enough for Dorothy to feel it was sufficient.

After that, slowly, in a situation where he, Lizzy, and even Dorothy were waiting, having a child would be the best.

Yes, he definitely thought that way.

But now that he thought it wasn’t the case, he felt somewhat disappointed again.

‘But it was a misunderstanding. She was just trying to explain the word…’

He felt foolish for misunderstanding. Even though he clearly saw that Lizzy was trying to explain the word, he lost his mind at the word “baby.”

Lizzy knelt beside Juhwan. She wiped his forehead and neck with a wet cloth, as if to apologize.

The cloth that had been used to wipe the sweat from chopping wood was now wiping his cold sweat.

Part of that cold sweat was probably tears and embarrassment coming from his body. He felt a bit ashamed.

Dorothy, who seemed to find Lizzy’s diligent wiping amusing, hugged the baby rabbit basket with one hand and extended the other.

“Mom, Dorothy too!”

As she flapped her hand, the basket shook.

Oh no, the baby rabbit might fall. This is no time to be dazed.

Juhwan hurriedly extended his hand. Fortunately, he managed to catch the baby rabbit before it fell.

Being a child, Dorothy’s attention wandered all over the place. Every time, it made the onlookers nervous, but Dorothy didn’t notice at all.

Spending the whole day with a child might drain all his mental energy. In some ways, it seemed harder than hunting. He wondered if Lizzy was okay.

No, Lizzy was fine. It was he who was mentally exhausted and felt his soul leaving his body.

“….”

On the outside, she might seem weak, but surprisingly, Lizzy might be a strong person. Seeing her smiling brightly made him think so.

When he turned his body towards Dorothy, the child diligently rubbed his forehead with the wet cloth. She was very earnest. But instead of wiping, it was almost like scrubbing. If it were an ordinary person, they would have screamed in pain by now.

Dorothy asked with sparkling eyes.

“Daddy, do you like it?”

“…Yes.”

—

—

“Dorothy likes Daddy too. She likes him a lot.”

“….”

Liz giggled beside her. It seemed like they were talking about whether it was good to wipe, but when did it change to Dorothy liking him?

The baby rabbit basket was placed on the floor. With its big black eyes wide open, the baby rabbit wriggled and looked around.

The wounds had healed a lot, but it still seemed too much to hop around. Although there were no more exposed bones, the new flesh was still sunken compared to other areas.

Dorothy had been wiping the same spot for a while now, but it didn’t seem like she would finish anytime soon. “Ah, it’s hard,” she said, but she kept rubbing his forehead with her small hands. It seemed like the skin would peel off.

Juhwan, who was just staring blankly, cast a healing spell on the baby rabbit. At first, the healing of the wounds was visible every time he cast the spell, but now it wasn’t. It felt like he was healing internal wounds that couldn’t be seen.

Suddenly, Dorothy, who had been watching, spoke as if she had just remembered.

“Daddy, the baby rabbit has #. It’s cute.”

“?”

Not knowing what she meant, he looked at Liz, who tilted her head and made antler shapes with her fingers on her head.

“Horns?”

“Yes, horns. The baby rabbit has them on its head. Here! Here!”

Throwing the wet cloth aside, Dorothy pointed to the baby rabbit’s head. Between its ears, slightly forward on its forehead. On the surface, it was just covered with fluffy fur.

There’s no way a rabbit could have horns. Juhwan thought so, but he placed his hand on the rabbit’s head as if to humor the child.

At first touch, it seemed like there was nothing there.

But as he rubbed and felt the skull with his fingers, he definitely felt a small bump.

Unlike a regular bump, it was pointed. It felt like a horn, just as Dorothy had said.

“….”

What should he do? It seemed like he hadn’t picked up an ordinary rabbit but something strange.

*

He wondered whether he should throw the baby rabbit away or leave it outside, but both Dorothy and Liz were against it. It seemed they had grown attached to it in just a few days.

It didn’t look particularly dangerous to Juhwan either, but was it really okay?

Anyway, on the surface, it was just a rabbit. He checked its teeth and other parts, but except for the horn-like thing, there was nothing different from a regular rabbit.

Its personality was gentle too. After being fed and held for a few days, it even nuzzled its body against Dorothy’s hand like a spoiled child. It might really just be a simple rabbit. Just with a unique skull.

“….”

If Gus were here, he would ask what this was, but he still hadn’t come. He thought Gus would be back in about 3 or 4 days, but it was already the fifth day. Did he go somewhere far?

‘A man with a limp.’

He was much more skilled in the mountains than Juhwan, so there shouldn’t be any problems. But still, he was a bit worried.

Considering Gus’s age and body, this mountain wasn’t entirely safe either.

—

—

After some more time passes, and I confirm how people who use magic are treated in this world, and if I judge that it’s okay to reveal my healing magic, then maybe I can try to heal Gus’s leg.

‘Well, I think he already knows that I can use healing magic.’

When I didn’t know much about the profession of a hunter, I didn’t think he would have noticed my healing magic.

It was midwinter, so I usually wore long-sleeved clothes, and only a part close to my hand was visible. Even if he saw the big scar through the torn sleeve, it would have been just for a moment. Unless he was very perceptive, he would have just seen the scar.

But after spending time with Gus, I thought, ah, he must have noticed. He is someone who can find footprints invisible to my eyes. There’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed.

Thinking of Gus’s slightly blunt face, Juhwan smiled faintly.

Unlike the wound of a small rabbit, a human’s wound might take a long time. An old wound that has already healed might not be completely cured.

But at least, if there is pain, I can probably alleviate it.

If that happens, maybe he will be a little happy. It would be nice if I could repay Gus, who taught me and helped me with various things.

I hope that in the future, on the path Dorothy walks, there will be at least one more adult she can trust and follow, and I hope that one of them is Gus.

In this world where there is not a single relative, I thought it would be nice if Gus could become Dorothy’s grandfather, like Lizzy’s father.

Juhwan started working on building a fence around the house. He sharpened the ends of the bamboo to make it difficult for anyone to climb over, and continued to build a bamboo wall next to the previously made fence.

While he was working for a while, Dorothy came with a small cup of water in her hands.

When the child first brought it, it must have been almost full, but by the time she arrived, the cup was less than half full.

Judging by her wet hands, it was obvious where the water had gone.

“Thank you, Dorothy.”

“Yes!”

Juhwan patted the child’s head once and drank the water. The wooden cup was taken back by the child.

For some reason, when he returned the cup, Dorothy tilted the remaining few drops into her mouth.

There should be plenty of water, so why does she insist on drinking what she brought? Sometimes, the child is incomprehensible.

“Delicious!”

Dorothy smiled brightly and ran back to the house with the cup.

‘Tomorrow, while checking the traps, should I also look for beehives?’

Among the items purchased from the peddler, there was also a little honey. But sweet food seems to be rare. It was a very small amount.

If I find honey, Dorothy and Lizzy will be happy. Maybe I can sell it for a good price too.

‘Let’s try to find it.’

Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to raise bees.

When he lived on Earth, his grandfather raised bees in a clearing near the mountain. Juhwan had never been close, so he didn’t know the details, but it didn’t seem too difficult.

The things I want to do, the things I hope for, keep increasing.

Imagining the faces of Dorothy and Lizzy happy with sweet honey water, Juhwan unknowingly grinned.

—

While taking a break after building the fence, Juhwan practiced a spell to keep the fire on several pieces of wood.

To make sure Gus wouldn’t see him if he came by, Juhwan placed a small piece of wood between himself and the fence.

This way, due to his large build, no one would easily notice him. They would just see Juhwan sitting and resting for a moment while working.

In a world where wizards are rare, conspicuous magic is troublesome. It would be better to have a fire that burns inside without being visible on the outside, so it can be used regularly without drawing attention.

Juhwan imagined the image of lava glowing red inside and sent his magic to the piece of wood on the ground.

The piece of wood showed no change on the outside. There was no smoke either.

Did he do something wrong? Was the firepower insufficient, or was the method of imagining the magic incorrect?

Just as Juhwan sighed and reached out his hand while watching the piece of wood, it suddenly turned red like a fireball and changed color.

Until a moment ago, it was so ordinary that no one would have noticed, but the change happened in an instant. It seemed that the gradual change inside was not visible on the outside. It was a perfect success.

Juhwan poured the water he had prepared next to the fireball in case of a fire. With a sizzling sound, smoke rose. The fireball, which had turned red like lava, quickly turned into black charcoal.

After carefully checking that no embers were left, he resumed the work of building the fence.

As he worked for a while, the sun, which had been high in the sky, had slightly tilted. It was probably around three or four o’clock.

Dorothy ran out of the house with an unusually bright face.

“Dad, it’s time to eat! Rabbit meat!”

As Juhwan approached, the child jumped up like a wingless chicken. When he quickly grabbed Dorothy’s waist and lifted her high, the child laughed loudly. It was nice to see her happy, but sometimes he worried that she might hit her face on the ground if he wasn’t careful.

Juhwan hugged the child to his side with one hand. The child giggled and squirmed. It seemed to be fun.

As Juhwan was about to enter the house, he suddenly turned his gaze.

He felt like he heard a bird’s cry from very far away. It was too far to hear clearly. It was just a simple feeling.

As he quietly looked at the distant sky, a few birds were circling high in the sky. They were so far away that they looked like small dots. There were several peaks between the place where the birds were and this mountain.

‘That’s strange.’

He had never seen birds circling in the sky like that before, and it looked somewhat unfamiliar.

“Dad! Dad! Meat! Meat!”

Dorothy urged him to go inside quickly, shaking her body. Juhwan looked at the birds for a moment and then turned around.

—