The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

046 Party Registration

Following the gatekeeper’s directions, if you follow the stone-paved road from the village entrance, you will soon reach a large square.

The stone-paved road that fascinated Dorothy expanded greatly and became round as it reached the square.

—

And several large buildings were built around a circular plaza. Between the buildings, there were narrow-looking roads, and along those roads, buildings were lined up again.

The ‘Adventurer’s Guild’ with Santa drawn on it was the largest among the buildings surrounding the plaza.

‘But it’s strange.’

Why is Santa in this world? Wearing a red hat and clothes. And it’s drawn right on the signboard of the Adventurer’s Guild. I really can’t understand the reason. Could it be that Santa was the first guild master of the Adventurer’s Guild or something?

While Juhwan was staring at the signboard, Lizzie slowly drove the carriage closer to the Adventurer’s Guild.

As they arrived in front of the building and stopped the horse, a boy around ten years old came running from somewhere.

“Welcome! Are you a guest going to the guild? It seems like it’s your first time in this village.”

The boy was holding a square wooden box that looked quite large compared to his body. It had handles on both sides, and the boy was struggling to hold it with both hands.

Before Juhwan could get off, the boy quickly placed the wooden box next to the coachman’s seat.

“Sir, please step down here!”

It felt like watching a shoeshine boy from an old movie. The kind that forcibly takes shoes from sitting customers.

The boy continued speaking with a bright smile.

“Sir, shall I take care of your carriage and horse? It would be a big problem if someone stole something. Besides, the horse needs to rest too.”

“….”

No, I’m a bit wary because it seems like you might do that. Juhwan thought as he quietly watched the boy.

The boy wiped his runny nose with his sleeve and grinned.

“If you stay at our place for more than three days, we’ll only charge half the price for horse feed. If you haven’t decided where to stay yet, come to our place. We’ll take good care of you.”

As soon as the boy finished speaking, a skinny man came running close. He grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck. Even though the boy was choking and coughing, the man didn’t let go.

“Hehe, sir, our lodging is much better than this kid’s place.”

Juhwan’s face involuntarily frowned. It seemed like they were competitors, but there was no need to be rough with a child.

The boy struggled to get away from the man, but it was useless. The man didn’t let go of the boy’s clothes.

“Stop it.”

When Juhwan grabbed the man’s wrist, the boy fell to the ground as if he were dropping.

The skinny man glanced around nervously and said a few more words, but when they didn’t work at all, he quietly went somewhere else.

With tears welling up in his eyes, the boy sniffled.

“I’m sorry. Our house is a bit poor… and the lodging is small… My father is too weak to work. He plays at home every day. So my mother works alone and it’s always hard… But the food at our place is really delicious, sir.”

He felt a bit sorry for the boy. He didn’t know what would happen yet, but if the price was the same, staying at this boy’s lodging might be okay. Maybe he should ask about the price later.

“I don’t know yet. Whether I’ll stay here.”

At Juhwan’s words, the boy’s face brightened. The boy repeatedly bowed his head, saying thank you, and held out his hand.

“Sir, I’ll take care of your horse. If I’m guarding it, thieves won’t dare.”

—

—

“Thank you for the offer, but if I end up leaving the village without staying at this boy’s lodging, I would feel bad. Besides, I can’t fully trust this kid yet.

Juhwan hesitated, and three adventurers he had seen at the entrance earlier came out of the adventurer’s guild.

The boy flinched and quickly bowed to Juhwan.

“Sir, I’ll be watching from afar. Don’t worry about the carriage being stolen.”

The boy hurriedly ran off and hid in an alley.

What was that about? Juhwan looked down. The boy didn’t even take the wooden box. He didn’t seem like a scammer or a thief, so what was it?

The three adventurers approached Juhwan and the carriage.

“Hey, isn’t that the guy we saw earlier?”

“Was he an adventurer?”

The men clicked their tongues and looked at the alley where the boy had run off. One of them muttered.

“Running away after seeing us… Even after getting scolded, he still goes around lying.”

Curious about what they were saying, Juhwan looked at the men, and the one who had muttered smirked.

“That kid earlier, didn’t he say his father was injured or dead or something?”

“He said he was playing at home.”

When Juhwan spoke, the men laughed heartily.

“So he changed his story after getting scolded.”

“That kid’s father is fine.”

“He’s an adventurer, that kid’s father. He almost quit, but he still does some adventuring work occasionally.”

“We got tricked when we first came to this village too.”

“That kid will say any lie to attract customers.”

“And he subtly overcharges for beer too.”

One of the adventurers kicked the box next to the carriage. It seemed to contain beer.

Juhwan was a bit surprised. Beer was one thing, but lying about someone being injured or dead? What if those words came true?

“….”

More than anything, if you go to that lodging, you’ll get caught right away. Is it because he’s a kid? He doesn’t seem to think ahead.

“Hey, if you go behind this building, there’s a place to park the carriage and horses. There’s a guild person there, so you don’t have to worry about theft. That kid probably said he’d watch the carriage and then ask for coins in return.”

“…Thank you.”

There’s a saying that if you close your eyes in Seoul, they’ll steal your nose. This is exactly that. I need to stay alert.

After the adventurers left, Lizzy, who had been sitting in the driver’s seat, looked back with wide eyes, seemingly surprised.

—

—

Dorothy was peacefully staring at the signboard, unaware of anything.

Watching her, I suddenly realized. Perhaps Dorothy had never seen a colored picture before.

The previous village didn’t even have signboards, let alone shops. There were only houses. There probably weren’t any books either. She was at the age to be looking at picture books, and I felt a bit sorry for her.

When Lizzie drove the carriage behind the building, there was a space to tie up the horses. It was quite spacious.

As we left the carriage in the empty space and tied up the horses, an attendant approached.

“Do you need feed or water for the horses? For 1##, we can feed them until night.”

It was a slightly unfamiliar word, so I wondered what it meant, but I soon remembered.

Lizzie had taught me about the currency units of this world before. What he just mentioned was, yes, a coin. A copper coin.

It was the lowest currency unit, but it was rarely used in the village. Even when a peddler came to the village, most transactions were close to bartering.

So, we had no money. Not a single penny.

I had planned to sell furs to make money when we got here, but I didn’t expect to need it so soon.

‘What should I do?’

Should I make money first?

“….”

Could I sell rabbit fur to the guild? Or should I find another place to sell it? Juhwan sighed slightly and looked at the attendant.

“I don’t have any money right now. Does the guild buy rabbit fur?”

“Of course.”

The attendant smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry. We don’t charge for leaving the carriage here. The price of rabbit fur has gone up a lot recently. I’ll keep an eye on the carriage here, so don’t worry and go inside. And later, when you sell the rabbit fur and have money, please feed the horses here. This is my #income.”

It seemed like he meant extra income. Juhwan replied that he would do so and turned towards the guild office.

*

The inside of the adventurer’s guild was quite large. To the left of the main entrance was a wall covered with papers, and to the right were several tables and chairs.

Rough-looking men occupied the tables. Around the men were weapons and backpacks. They all seemed to be adventurers.

Directly opposite was the reception desk. Several guild members were sitting there, giving it a feeling similar to a bank reception desk.

Only the reception desk on the far right was slightly different in appearance. The space was a bit larger.

‘Is that where they buy goods?’

I hoped the price of rabbit fur was high, as the attendant said. Considering the peddler I met in the previous village, it seemed like it would be quite a high price…

Juhwan looked around the building once more, but there was no one or anything dressed as Santa. He still didn’t know what the signboard was about.

“….”

As Juhwan entered the guild, everyone’s eyes turned to him.

—

—

Lizzy is as calm as usual, but Dorothy seems a bit scared. As the intimidating men’s gazes focused on them, she clung tightly to Joo-hwan’s leg. Dorothy whispered softly.

“Dad, everyone is staring at us.”

“It’s okay. It’s because we’re strangers.”

Joo-hwan lifted the child up. Together with Lizzy, they moved further inside. Joo-hwan first approached the guild member in the center and asked.

“I want to sell rabbit fur. Do I have to join the guild first, or can I sell it directly?”

The guild member’s eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Our adventurer guild does not trade with ordinary people. We only trade with those who have joined the guild. This place is for adventurers. If you have rabbit fur, you can sell it after joining.”

The guild member continued with a friendly smile.

“Are you an adventurer? If you plan to join, we can start the process immediately.”

The guild member glanced at the axe on Joo-hwan’s waist and nodded.

“Is your main weapon an axe? Axes are good. They’re easy to obtain, cheap, and convenient to use. Our guild categorizes adventurers into six ranks. Newcomers start at rank six.”

There was no time to respond. But he roughly understood what was being said. It was probably about adventurer ranks.

Without giving Joo-hwan a chance to speak, the guild member continued.

“Have you paid the poll tax? If not, you can pay it by next winter after joining. Many people join our guild because of the poll tax. Every year, many people fall into debt and become slaves because they can’t pay the poll tax. It’s really a tough world.”

While speaking, the guild member rummaged under the desk and pulled out a few sheets of paper.

“Life is never easy. Many people die right after joining the guild, and many end up badly because they can’t pay the poll tax. If you don’t have enough income to pay the poll tax, well, there’s nothing we can do. The guild is not a charity.”

The guild member looked at Joo-hwan’s backpack with sparkling eyes and dipped a pen in ink.

“First, please tell me your weapon. Should I write down ‘axe’?”

Finally, there was a chance to speak.

“I’m a magician.”

“….”

The guild member tilted his head and asked again.

“An axe?”

“I’m a magician.”

“Wh-what?”

The guild member was a noisy person. He stretched his neck over the desk and stared at Joo-hwan, muttering, “I’m really surprised. A magician with that appearance. Really surprised.”

“….”

“Of course, not all magicians have to be thin and frail. Hmm, I see. A magician. That’s rare. But are you really going to join the guild? Magicians can make more money with the nobility.”

The guild member frowned slightly.

—

—

“In our guild, even if it’s a bit disappointing, it’s much more beneficial to go to a noble if you have even a little ability. Ah, but if you only have enough ability to join the guild, no, that’s not it, hmm, hmm, there are sometimes wizards who become adventurers instead of going to nobles.”

The guild member seemed flustered, thinking he had made a mistake, and moved his hands nervously. He seemed worried that Juhwan might get angry. He glanced at Juhwan’s hand and axe.

Well, he wouldn’t get that angry. Before Juhwan could say it was okay, Dorothy spoke up first.

“My dad is an amazing wizard! He can create small fires and kill goblins by hitting them with an axe! It’s amazing.”

The guild member looked at Juhwan’s axe again and nodded as if he understood.

“Right, with an axe. Little one, your father must be very strong.”

“Yes! Dorothy’s dad is very strong! The flames die out suddenly, but he’s very strong!”

“….”

The guild member made a troubled sound and then smiled faintly.

“Children really can’t lie. It’s okay. While I’ve been working here at the guild, I’ve seen a few wizards, but their main weapon was something else. Not all wizards fight with magic. It’s okay. I’ll register you as a wizard for now. It’s really okay. I can just note that you also use an axe.”

It seems the guild member completely misunderstood because of Dorothy. It’s not a big deal, though.

The misunderstanding seemed amusing to Lizzy, who giggled beside them.

But Dorothy, thinking she had boasted properly, puffed out her chest while being held by Juhwan. It seemed that Oz, who had been sleeping in Dorothy’s pocket, woke up from the noise. The pocket wriggled.

At that moment, the guild member at the far right reception desk approached and spoke.

“While you’re joining the guild, I’ll help you sell the rabbit fur. First, I need to check the condition of the leather to set the price.”

It seemed the reception desk at the far right was indeed for purchasing goods. When Juhwan placed the backpack with the rabbit fur on the desk, the purchasing guild member checked inside and exclaimed.

“It’s not just one piece.”

The guild member, who was carefully examining the inside of the rabbit fur, spoke.

“The quality is quite good. Whoever processed the leather has quite a skill. It’s rare to find someone who processes it so meticulously these days.”

“…Thank you.”

Lizzy smiled shyly but proudly. The purchasing guild member seemed slightly surprised.

“Was it done by a woman? This processing is just like the old hunters used to do.”

“I learned from an old hunter.”

“That was a great opportunity. Processing it this way significantly increases the price. It’s not done this way these days because it takes a lot of time and effort.”

The guild member helping with the registration spoke.

“You all are really lucky. Due to the war, fur imports have been blocked. Even nobles are having a hard time getting high-quality fur, so rabbit fur is being used quite a bit now. The price has skyrocketed. And if it’s well-processed? You can name your price.”

From noble mtl dot come

It’s noisy, but I’m grateful for the various information without having to ask. The guild member picked up the pen again and asked.

“Then I’ll register you as a wizard for now.”

“Ah, please wait a moment.”

Juhwan spoke the words he had been pondering on the way here.

—

—

“Is it possible to register with someone else, not just me?”

“Ah, you mean ##? Of course, it’s possible.”

It seems that an adventurer party is called ## here. Juhwan nodded.

“Yes. I want to register as a party.”

“Okay, who would you like to register with?”

Juhwan answered the guild member’s question.

“These two people here.”

“….”

The guild member tilted his head and looked at Lizzy and Dorothy.

“I’m sorry, but the person forming the party needs to have some kind of, well, ability. Most of the time, it’s adventurers who fight together, but if that’s not possible, they at least need to manage the party or handle cooking, something like that.”

The guild member continued with a troubled expression.

“We can’t register someone who does nothing as a party member. It’s a rule.”

Juhwan looked at Lizzy. Lizzy’s eyes were wide open in surprise.

“This one handles leather processing and party management, and this child….”

Juhwan paused, looking at Dorothy. What should he say? At that moment, Oz’s ears popped out from Dorothy’s clothes. Juhwan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“This child can command beasts.”

“Wh-what?”

Almost simultaneously with the guild member’s exclamation, Dorothy shouted loudly.

“Dad, Dorothy had a beast? Where is it?”

“….”

Well, in your pocket?

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