The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

044 Is That Acorn Still Alone

A child can soften people’s hearts in any situation.

But the bright atmosphere was short-lived. When Joo-hwan hugged Dorothy and put her in the carriage and closed the door, the air around them became heavy again.

Whether it was because of the horned rabbit or because rabbits are naturally good at kicking, the village lady’s injury was severe. She seemed to have half lost consciousness, yet she was weakly sobbing. The carriage was said to be used communally by the village, so the luggage inside must have belonged to the village head’s house. It must have been something they cherished dearly.

While thinking about what to do, the village head’s son hesitated and pushed through the people to come forward. He seemed to be afraid of Joo-hwan. The village head’s son stood at a distance where Joo-hwan couldn’t reach him and bowed his waist.

“I talked with the villagers. Um, the carriage is communal property, but since we don’t use it, you can take it. We’ll also give you all the things inside.”

As soon as the village head’s son finished speaking, the village lady lying on the ground started crying. I thought she was unconscious, but it seemed she wasn’t. I was sure she was half-fainted.

When Joo-hwan looked around at the people, they all turned their heads away. They were probably offering the carriage and things out of fear. They were afraid of retaliation.

Joo-hwan turned around without saying a word. He didn’t particularly intend to retaliate, but he was going to take the carriage by force anyway. If they were giving it, that was good.

When he climbed onto the driver’s seat, the cool air sparkled under the sunlight. Finding it strange, he looked up at the sky and saw small snowflakes falling like cotton. It was the first snow he had seen since coming to this world.

—

Come to think of it, it’s winter, but I haven’t seen snow even once. There wasn’t much snow piled up on the mountain path.

I think I read somewhere that if there’s not enough snow, a winter drought occurs. If that’s the case, with the war and a bit of drought, this place would be a really tough world to live in.

When a family or oneself is starving and suffering, anyone can become a devil. Juhwan realized yesterday and today that he could also become like that. The villagers, worn out by life, might have become selfish just because they wanted to survive.

‘But.’

That’s why he had to harden his heart even more. Anyone living in this world could calmly put others in danger for their own sake. Gus and the villagers clearly showed Juhwan that this world is such a place.

Dorothy’s small face flashed in his mind.

‘It’s the place where that child will live.’

Juhwan, with a heavy heart, shook the reins. The carriage slowly moved forward, leaving the villagers behind.

In case there were any remaining goblins, Lizzy and Dorothy were inside the carriage.

But as they passed through the village, they didn’t see any goblins in good condition. They were all dead or injured. Occasionally, there was a goblin groaning, having been hit by an arrow.

Juhwan let out a light groan. It was really a good thing to have Lizzy and Dorothy inside.

Broken doors, scattered belongings, traces of people being torn apart, women lying dead in a terrible state. The path the carriage took was stained with blood, even on the smallest stones. It was utterly miserable.

As Juhwan slowly drove the carriage, he stopped.

Whether the goblins were looking for people or the fleeing people were looking for cover, several piles of straw were scattered near a partially broken barn.

Juhwan immediately stopped the horse and got off the carriage. Good. If he laid it on the cold, hard floor of the carriage, it would be helpful. Moreover, in the urgency of the situation, he hadn’t thought about it, but the horse had nothing to eat.

Juhwan opened the carriage door and put the straw inside. Lizzy received it from inside and spread it densely on the floor. She seemed happy.

‘She didn’t say it, but she must have been cold.’

He felt very sorry.

He put the remaining straw on top of the carriage.

The roof of the carriage was round, but there was a wooden railing installed on the edge. It seemed to be for loading luggage. Ropes were hanging from various places on the railing.

After tightly tying the straw on the roof, Juhwan turned to get off the carriage.

At that moment, he saw a familiar figure.

It was Gus.

He was limping out from behind a building a little distance away. A goblin was lying far from Gus. Gus was bending down, picking up arrows scattered on the ground.

The culprit of all this. The man who lured the goblins to the cabin, putting Lizzy and Dorothy in danger.

That man lured the goblins not to an unspecified number of villagers, but to a mountain cabin with only one woman. He tried to kill Lizzy and Dorothy. He was an enemy.

There was no one around. No goblins, no people.

Juhwan jumped off the carriage and spoke towards the gap in the driver’s seat.

“Wait a moment.”

It must have sounded very cold. Lizzy, who was organizing the straw, seemed surprised by Juhwan’s voice. He could vaguely see Lizzy hurrying to the driver’s seat from inside the carriage.

—

—

But there is no time to talk at length.

Juhwan lowered his body and ran in the direction where Gus was. He held an axe in his hand.

It took only a moment to reach Gus.

Suddenly, Gus turned his head and saw Juhwan.

At that moment, Juhwan kicked off the ground and leaped. His body soared in the air, and he moved his entire shoulder. The axe flew through the air.

Gus jerked his body back.

The axe grazed past Gus, slicing through the air in vain.

Juhwan immediately reached for Gus’s head. He grabbed the hair tied back and pulled it with all his might, throwing him aside.

Age and physical discomfort were decisive. If Gus’s leg had been fine, or if he had been as young as Juhwan, Juhwan wouldn’t have been able to touch a single finger of Gus.

But Gus was old and exhausted overnight. He couldn’t recover from fatigue as quickly as Juhwan. That narrowed the gap in experience and ability.

When Gus fell to the ground, Juhwan stepped on his torso and swung the axe.

Gus seemed to try to say something to Juhwan. But he didn’t listen. There was no need to hear or communicate anything. The only thing that mattered was that he tried to kill his family. If Juhwan couldn’t use fire magic, this would have been revenge for his family’s death. No matter the reason, he couldn’t forgive this man.

With a thud, the axe cut through Gus’s neck. Bright red blood splattered.

Juhwan breathed heavily, recalling the expression on Gus’s face when he first found him. He seemed surprised, but somehow relaxed.

Maybe Gus already knew before Juhwan found him. Maybe he knew the carriage Juhwan was riding was coming. And yet, he pretended not to know, deliberately revealing himself. As a skilled hunter, he could have done that.

“….”

It doesn’t matter. Gus’s intentions don’t matter at all. This is Juhwan’s own issue. Gus tried to kill Lizzy and Dorothy without hesitation. He won’t forgive him.

Juhwan turned his body sharply.

When he returned to the carriage, he saw Lizzy’s face peeking through the gap in the coachman’s seat. She had been waiting for Juhwan to come.

“What happened?”

Lizzy asked anxiously.

Lizzy didn’t know that Gus had tried to kill them. In this village where they couldn’t get close to anyone, Gus was the closest person. In Lizzy and Dorothy’s hearts, Gus was probably a kind person.

Juhwan smiled gently.

“Sorry, there was a goblin.”

“Still?”

“But I killed it. It’s okay.”

Lizzy seemed relieved. She asked if he was hurt and then smiled weakly, saying she was surprised.

Juhwan looked down at the blood on his body and muttered to himself. It’s a good thing the goblin’s blood is red.

After that, almost no one saw them. Maybe Gus had been killing goblins while wandering around, as they occasionally saw goblin corpses hit by arrows.

After a while, they began to see the fence wall in the distance. It was still burning. The blazing flames and the acrid smell made the horse uneasy, shaking its head.

—

—

For a while, they drove the carriage along the burning wall. After a while, they came to a place where the wall was half crumbled as if it had turned to ashes. It seemed that the fire had started at the already collapsed part. But the fire was still there. It seemed that flames were rising not only from the fence but also from the ground. In a world without gasoline, what on earth did Gus do?

Juhwan stopped the carriage away from the fire and picked up a long wooden stick lying nearby.

As he approached the village wall, the intense heat hit him. Even though the fire hadn’t touched him, it felt like he was going to get burned.

Juhwan covered his face and hands with his clothes, leaning back as much as possible, and tapped the remaining wall with the stick. After a few taps, the wall completely crumbled. Although the flames were still there, the intensity of the heat slightly decreased. Indeed, the fire here was smaller than in other places.

“Lizzy, sit here on the driver’s seat.”

Juhwan handed the reins to Lizzy. In case something happened to him or a goblin suddenly appeared and he couldn’t fight, she would have to drive the carriage.

After confirming that there was nothing around, Juhwan took a deep breath.

It would be nice if he could see the amount of magic power left in his body, but he had no idea how much was left. He just felt that it was a bit weak now.

‘I should be able to control the flames.’

Juhwan got as close to the wall as possible and placed his hand on the ground. He imagined burning the entire length of the wall, which was several times the size of the carriage.

He wanted to shout to strengthen his power, but magic didn’t work that way. Even if he put all his strength into his abdomen, nothing but poop would come out.

Juhwan stared at the burning wall, thinking, please burn all the way to this fire.

At that moment, the flames soared into the sky and then burst, leaving a hole in the middle. It seemed as if the fire had disappeared from the inside, just before it exploded.

From behind, Lizzy murmured.

“Oh my god!”

Juhwan also stared blankly ahead. The splendidly burning fire had all disappeared. The fence wood seemed to have turned to ashes in an instant. The fire on almost all the fences in sight was extinguished, much longer than the path Juhwan had wanted.

Dorothy, who had been watching through the gap in the driver’s seat, spoke in a disappointed voice.

“The fire is gone. I thought a big fire would come out of Dad.”

“….”

Children like flashy things. Juhwan chuckled and tried to stand up, but lost his balance and staggered. He must have used too much strength. He felt dizzy for a moment.

“Juhwan!”

Lizzy’s face turned pale as she ran over. She quickly tried to support him by getting under his side, but the difference in their sizes was too great.

They both wobbled and fell to the ground. Even as they fell, he instinctively pulled her onto his body. With a thud, his right back hit the ground. Dust rose, tickling his nose.

From noble mtl dot come

“Ha.”

Juhwan held Lizzy, who was lying on his stomach, with one arm and swallowed his breath. If she had been crushed under his body… The terrible thought made his face turn pale.

“Juhwan, Juhwan, are you okay? Are you okay?”

Lizzy, who was on top of him, panicked and touched his face, body, and head with her hands.

“I’m okay.”

He was just a little dizzy. He would be fine after a short rest. Juhwan tried to say that, but as he looked at the sky, his vision turned yellow. Ah, he might need a lot of rest. The snowflakes that had been falling lightly had stopped at some point.

—

—

Dad collapsed. It seems like it’s because the fire went out. Even Mom collapsed. Dorothy, who was watching through the gap in the coachman’s seat, stood up abruptly.

“It’s a big deal, Oz.”

Dorothy hurriedly ran and pushed the carriage door with both hands. It’s a bit heavy. But it’s okay. Because Oz is here.

“Oz!”

Go! She tried to say, but Oz was faster. Oz ran from inside the carriage, lightly stepped on Dorothy’s head, and kicked the carriage door.

Bang!

“….”

It won’t open.

There’s no choice. At times like this, Dorothy has to step up. Dorothy pushed the door again with both hands. Oz jumped over Dorothy’s head once more and kicked the door.

Bang!

“….”

It still won’t open. What should I do? What if Dad can’t get up? She was panicking and banging on the door when suddenly, there was a clunk from outside, and the door opened. Lizzy’s mom was standing there with a surprised look on her face.

“Dorothy, are you okay?”

“….U…uh….”

Suddenly, she started crying. She was very scared for a moment. Being alone in the carriage, and Dad collapsing, it was all scary.

“Waaah.”

She wiped her tears with both hands and cried, and Mom hugged Dorothy.

“I’m sorry, Dorothy. I locked the door for a moment because it shouldn’t open while the carriage is moving. In case goblins or bad people appear, we need to run away quickly. If the door opens and you fall out, it would be bad. I’m sorry, were you very scared?”

“I wasn’t scared!”

It wasn’t that she was scared. Dorothy is brave, so she wasn’t scared. She was just worried for a moment. Mom and Dad can’t do without Dorothy’s help. Besides, the ground is cold, so they need to get up quickly. That’s why she was worried.

Lizzy’s mom hurriedly carried Dorothy to where Dad was. Dad, who was lying down earlier, was already sitting up. His face was pale. It’s strange. She felt a sudden fear.

“Dad, are you okay?”

When Dorothy looked up at his face from below, Dad smiled.

“I’m okay.”

Dad closed his eyes and then opened them after a while, making a strange sound as he got up. It’s a word she had never heard before. It seemed similar to the words Dad sometimes said that only he could understand.

Dad walked slowly to the carriage. Somehow, he seemed to be staggering. She was worried.

Usually, Dad would lift Dorothy into the carriage, but today, Mom did. When Dad tried to hold Dorothy’s waist, Mom got angry. She said he needed to rest.

‘Mom gets angry too.’

She was a little surprised. And… she clenched her fists tightly, afraid that Mom might get hit. But Dad didn’t get angry.

When Mom got angry for the second time, the old Dad would have gone crazy with anger.

—

—

But Dad just laughs.

‘That’s strange.’

Since Dad said he didn’t like lying down in the carriage, in the end, Mom and Dad both decided to sit in the front seat. But Dorothy was told to go inside the carriage.

“No! I don’t want to be an acorn alone, Dorothy alone is no good!”

Dorothy doesn’t want to be alone. She wants to be with Mom and Dad. Mom made a slightly troubled expression and said.

“Dorothy, it’s not an acorn, it’s a loner.”

“….”

Dad started laughing. Mom laughs too. It’s a bit strange, but somehow Dorothy also started to laugh.

The three of them decided to sit side by side on the coachman’s seat. Oh, no. Mom, Dad, Dorothy, and Oz and Toto. There are five of them.

But still, being an acorn felt lonelier than being a loner.

Acorn.

Because it’s very lonely to be alone in the mountains. I thought that when I saw an acorn that had fallen in the mountains before. Like an acorn, Dorothy is lonely too.

I wonder if that acorn is still alone. Now Dorothy has Mom and Dad, so she’s not lonely. I felt a little sorry for it.

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