The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

047 Fire Magic Written with Feet

It wasn’t just the guild staff who were surprised.

It seems that Juhwan’s voice was heard by those close to the reception desk. The adventurers sitting at the table also started whispering.

“No way, a beast###?”

“It must be a lie. How can such a young child have a beast###? He’s just trying to register his family.”

“Isn’t he a funny guy?”

“### or whatever, it doesn’t seem like there’s a beast.”

“Do they think beasts are just stones rolling around everywhere?”

—

—

“What do they think of adventurers? Registering such a young child as an adventurer.”

“Do they think adventurers are a joke?”

Thinking about the general meaning, the unknown word seems to be ‘trainer’.

Juhwan sighed inwardly. He fully understood the adventurers’ feelings. Honestly, he thought the same. Registering a child who can’t do anything as an adventurer is indeed unreasonable.

‘But considering the future, there’s no other choice. Even if it’s a bit unreasonable, we have to push through.’

If registering with the guild could provide protection, Juhwan was fine. But what about Lizzy and Dorothy?

The lord is someone who wields absolute power within his territory. He learned that even the king can’t interfere recklessly within the lord’s domain. Although this is not Earth, it’s probably quite similar. And Lizzy and Dorothy were commoners of this place. They were from the lowest class of farming families.

If the lord tries to bribe Juhwan with money or status, that would be fortunate.

But what if that’s not the case?

What if the lord doesn’t value wizards and considers them insignificant?

What if he’s a tyrant who thinks it’s natural for others to obey his words?

The lord might do something to Lizzy and Dorothy to get to Juhwan. He might imprison or torture them. Just thinking about it was horrifying.

Even without going that far, if the lord sets his mind to it, things would be simple.

Just by falsely accusing Lizzy and Dorothy and threatening them, Juhwan would easily lose the guild’s protection.

In the end, registering only himself with the guild was meaningless. Everyone had to be protected together.

That’s why he remembered what Gus said and claimed that Dorothy could command the beast.

Juhwan felt a bit pathetic and looked up at the ceiling.

“….”

Maybe he had gone too far.

Gus said there were people who raised beasts, so he thought there would be quite a few cases like that.

But judging by the current reaction, it seems that beasts are very rare among people.

Then commanding a beast would be even rarer.

In Lizzy’s case, he thought they might let it slide as just handling leather.

It was true that the beast was tamed by Dorothy, and he intended to say that she was originally in charge of managing it.

But since she was a child, he thought that might not be enough. So he said she had the ability to command it. He just wanted to choose a more certain way to register.

Juhwan looked at the guild member. There was no other choice. He had to emphasize that he was an excellent wizard and then forcefully push to register the child. If Juhwan really had a rare ability, it might be possible.

Thinking that, he was about to speak when Dorothy raised herself in Juhwan’s arms.

She seemed to be looking for the beast. Dorothy widened her eyes and looked around behind Juhwan.

“Daddy, where’s the beast?”

Seeing that, the guild member spoke with a troubled face.

—

—

“Excuse me, this is problematic. Magical beasts are extremely rare. Beast tamers are even rarer. Magical beasts are originally so violent that they are targets for subjugation, and taming them is extremely difficult. It’s not something that can be done easily.”

The guild member glanced at the surrounding adventurers.

“Well, there are people who sometimes want to register their family members as party members. Becoming an adventurer makes it easier to move to other territories, and there are quite a few small benefits. I fully understand that sentiment. If possible, I would like to register them too, but it’s obviously a lie… Moreover, if there isn’t even a magical beast, it’s even more problematic.”

The guild member spoke without taking a breath, then looked at Dorothy with a sympathetic expression.

No, let’s listen to what others have to say first. The guild member isn’t a door-to-door salesman trying to force a product, so why is he talking so much and so fast?

Juhwan hurriedly spoke before the guild member could open his mouth again.

“The magical beast is here.”

Juhwan lightly touched Dorothy’s front pocket with his finger.

The rabbit ears went up and down above the pocket. They kept twitching.

Dorothy looked down at the pocket in surprise.

“Really? The magical beast is in this pocket?”

“Yes. Oz is the magical beast, Dorothy.”

“Oz?”

Dorothy’s eyes widened.

“Oz is my little brother. He’s still a baby, so he can’t be a magical beast, Dad.”

At that point, the guild member seemed to think the atmosphere was strange. He tilted his head and spoke to Dorothy.

“Little girl, can you show this mister what Oz is?”

Dorothy blinked and then peeked into the pocket and spoke to it.

“Oz, will you be a good rabbit? You mustn’t hit people. Understand?”

The tips of the rabbit ears twitched inside the pocket. Dorothy sighed deeply in relief and nodded. Then she spoke to Oz again.

“Oz, you’re a good child, so you have to listen well. You mustn’t hit people. It’s a big problem if people bleed. Understand?”

Of course, the rabbit wouldn’t answer. But in Dorothy’s heart, it seemed Oz gave the correct response. Saying “Good, good,” she took out the horned rabbit. Then she handed it to the guild member.

“Mister, please tell me if Oz hits you.”

“….”

The guild member awkwardly smiled with a peculiar expression.

Oz lay quietly like an ordinary rabbit. Its ears were aligned in a straight line, lying back. It seemed to be on guard. Unlike when playing with Dorothy, the baby rabbit’s body was tense, its limbs huddled close to its body.

“A rabbit…?”

“Yes, Oz is a rabbit. He’s still a baby.”

The guild member quietly looked down at the rabbit.

A few adventurers who were sitting on chairs nearby came over and peeked at Oz.

—

—

“Is it a horned rabbit?”

“No way, it can’t be. Those are really hard to catch.”

“That’s right. They’re incredibly fast. Just getting close is tough.”

“The fur of a horned rabbit is quite valuable, isn’t it? I heard it’s more expensive than most luxury furs.”

People murmured. Oz couldn’t have understood, but he seemed to sense the ominous atmosphere. His ears twitched and moved around as if gathering sounds from all directions.

The guild member cautiously extended his hand forward, careful not to startle the rabbit. He gently touched the rabbit’s forehead and rubbed it, then his eyes widened.

“My goodness, it really has a horn.”

“Yes, Oz has a horn.”

It was Dorothy who answered the guild member. She lifted her head proudly, as if she was proud of something.

Come to think of it, it was Dorothy who first discovered the horn. But being a child, she probably didn’t realize it was a magical beast.

Dorothy’s nose seemed to lift just a little higher.

The guild member lowered his eyebrows apologetically.

“But… I’m sorry. Just having a magical beast and a child playing together isn’t enough. This child is too young. In the future, there will be times when you’ll work with other adventurers, and having a child who knows nothing as a party member could put others in danger.”

I understand. I know well enough that a guild isn’t a playground for children.

But Juhwan also has reasons he can’t back down. To protect his family, he has to be shameless if necessary.

Dorothy’s shoulders drooped in disappointment, even though she probably didn’t understand the guild member’s words. She muttered softly.

“I wanted to do it too.”

She probably didn’t even know what she was talking about or what she was registering for. Juhwan patted the child’s back and spoke.

“If this child can command the magical beast, would that be acceptable? I don’t intend to work with other adventurers until this child can fully pull her weight. We won’t be a burden to other adventurers or the guild.”

“Well, that’s…”

The guild member looked troubled, but then someone’s voice suddenly interrupted.

“If the magical beast follows the child’s command even once, we’ll register her in the party.”

“###!”

The guild member was startled and looked behind Juhwan.

Juhwan and Lizzy naturally turned their gazes as well.

In the middle of the entrance and reception area, a large man was standing. He was almost as burly as Juhwan. There was a long scar on one side of his cheek.

“This is troublesome, ###. You can’t just ignore the rules and do as you please every time.”

It seemed the scarred man was the branch manager here. Should I call him the guild master?

The guild master laughed strangely, completely ignoring the guild member’s complaints.

“Well, it’s fine. If the child can control the magical beast, that’s an incredible talent. We should snatch her up before the nobles do.”

—

—

The words seemed harsh. Dorothy was startled and shrank back. In a small voice, Dorothy whispered to Joo-hwan.

“Daddy, that person is scary. Don’t let him eat Dorothy.”

Children take everything literally. Dorothy’s face showed genuine fear, and she was on the verge of tears.

Liz, who was standing nearby, came closer and patted the child’s back.

“It’s okay, Dorothy. He doesn’t really mean it.”

But even Liz’s words didn’t seem to reassure her. Dorothy glanced over Joo-hwan’s shoulder at the Guild Master and whispered to Liz.

“Mom, you have to be careful too. That person’s mouth is huge.”

“….”

Liz covered her mouth and laughed.

The Guild Master approached and deliberately opened his mouth wide, laughing as he spoke.

“Ha ha ha ha! What a delicious-looking child.”

“U…u…eh….”

Dorothy finally began to cry. Joo-hwan held the child close and looked at the Master.

“Stop it. The child is really crying.”

“Ha ha. I’m sorry. But she’s so cute. I find crying children the cutest.”

The Master looked down at Oz, who was sitting on the reception desk, and spoke to Dorothy.

“Alright, little one. Give this beast a command, and I won’t eat you.”

Dorothy buried her face in Joo-hwan’s clothes and peeked at the Master. Then she whispered softly to Oz.

“Oz! That man is bad. He wants to eat Dorothy. Go hit him!”

“….”

Oz did nothing. He just lay there quietly. Well, of course.

Dorothy whispered again.

“Oz! That man is bad, so it’s okay to hit him! Kick him! Hit him hard!”

“….”

Oz still did nothing. He just perked up his ears, looking clueless.

The Master didn’t seem to expect much either. He laughed and suddenly thrust his face in front of Dorothy, baring his teeth as if to eat her, and shouted loudly.

“Roar!”

At that moment, without thinking, a foot shot out. Joo-hwan pulled Liz close with his other arm, holding them both as he delivered a lightning-fast kick.

It seemed his emotions had been stirred. As his foot struck the Master, flames erupted as well.

The Master’s hair was instantly engulfed in flames. It turned out he could produce fire with his feet, not just his hands.

—

—

And in the next moment, Oz, who had been on the reception desk, was suddenly clinging to the master’s back. He bit into the nape of his neck.

“Ahhh!”

With his head on fire and a baby rabbit clinging to his neck, the master rolled on the floor.

The guild office turned into chaos in an instant.

Guild members screamed and ran to the master, and someone shouted to remove the horned rabbit.

Adventurers shouted for the fire mage.

“Oz! Stop! Come here!”

It seemed that Dorothy was scared because things had gotten too big.

As she shouted, trembling, Oz finally let go of the master.

From noble mtl dot come

Then, as if flying into the sky, he ran to Dorothy.

A moment later, someone poured water on the master. It seemed one of the guild members had run to get water. After pouring water once more, the fire on his head was finally extinguished.

The master lay on the floor, groaning in pain.

Suddenly, everything was quiet. Only the master’s groans could be heard.

Juhwan handed Dorothy to Lizzy and hurried to the master’s side.

The guild member who had been in charge of Juhwan’s reception spoke from behind in a slightly trembling voice.

“J-just a moment. Please wait. The master had no ill intentions. He may seem violent, but he’s a good person.”

“We’re not here to fight.”

Juhwan said this and then knelt in front of the master. His face wasn’t injured. Only his hair and the surface were burned.

Juhwan brought his hand close to the master’s head and sent his magic.

Please, let the burn heal completely.

His heart grew anxious.

He didn’t mean to hurt this person. Really, he just got scared and ran out. His body moved on its own.

The distorted skin slowly began to heal. It wouldn’t be fixed all at once. From his experience, it would gradually get better over a few days.

But the immediate pain seemed to have disappeared, and it didn’t seem to hinder movement much. Because his hair was burned, it looked like the wound was big at first glance, but in reality, the skin was only slightly burned. It’s okay. This much will heal in a few days.

The master’s groans stopped, perhaps because the pain had subsided.

The master looked up at Juhwan, breathing a little heavily, and raised his hand.

With a thumbs up, the master said,

“Registration! Party registration, let’s do it right now.”

But no one moved. Neither the guild member in charge of registration nor the adventurers watching stood still.

Anyway, it seemed the master didn’t hold a grudge. That’s a relief.

—

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