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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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The next morning…
Jeong Yoo-shin woke up, his body stiff from the intense training.
“Ha…”
He wriggled around like a worm before finally managing to sit up.
He opened the window, inhaled the fresh summer air, and looked out at the quiet street. It was still early, and there was no one around yet.
He got dressed and went downstairs.
Tarman was bustling around in the dining area.
“You’re awake?”
Tarman bowed his head.
His face looked haggard.
“Yes. Tarman, did you sleep well?”
Tarman scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Yeah, I slept well.”
“Let me know if you’re tired.”
“Haha.”
Tarman gave a weak laugh and continued sweeping the floor.
He went into the kitchen where Anne was busy preparing food.
“Need any help?”
“Oh, you’re awake? It’s fine. I can handle this.”
Anne’s face also looked a bit haggard.
What was going on?
He tilted his head, puzzled. He then left the kitchen and went out to the courtyard.
He stretched and warmed up, taking off his shirt. He sweated easily in the summer heat, and he didn’t have many spare clothes.
‘I need to do laundry.’
Between his training and literacy lessons, he felt like he didn’t have enough time.
He couldn’t ask Anne to do his laundry since she was already managing the kitchen. He was especially embarrassed to ask her to wash his underwear.
‘I’ll have to find time to do my laundry.’
He looked around the courtyard.
Dalmong’s house was on the left, and the storage shed was on the right. There was a small well in the corner as well as a clothesline.
The sight of the house reminded him of Dalmong.
He wondered how Dalmong was doing.
‘Yoo-shin, this is serious.’
He muttered to himself, slapping his cheeks a few times to snap himself out of his reverie. He then started running around the courtyard.
“Ha… Ha…”
He ran at a steady pace and focused on his breathing.
As his body warmed up, his worries vanished.
When he was drenched in sweat, he stopped running and started practicing his swordsmanship.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
His sword sliced through the morning air.
He replayed in his mind his sparring session with Ashur from yesterday, mimicking the movements.
Sweat poured down his body.
When his muscles started to ache, he stopped and caught his breath.
When would he be able to learn advanced techniques like parrying?
A sense of impatience gnawed at him.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
He then repeatedly summoned Sacred Weapon until his magic power was depleted.
“Ha… Ha…”
He knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.
He had pushed his magic to its limits, and his body felt weak.
“Um…”
He turned his head and saw Anne.
“Is breakfast ready?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He wiped himself down with a towel from the clothesline, got dressed, and went inside.
He, Anne, and Tarman sat down at a table.
“I… have something to tell you.”
Anne said hesitantly.
“What is it?”
“The inn… isn’t making any profit.”
“How much of a loss are we talking about?”
Anne began to explain.
He listened patiently, arms crossed.
“…So we’re barely breaking even.”
“So the revenue is steady, but the cost of ingredients is rising, which means the profit margin on food is decreasing. And we’re using the profits from alcohol sales to cover the difference. Is that it?”
“Yes.”
He rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment.
“We’re not compromising on the quality of the food. I don’t know much about cooking or running an inn, but there are some things I want to uphold.”
‘Because this is Dalmong’s inn.’
“It’s okay even if the profits are small. I’ll cover any losses. It’s your first time, so it’s understandable that you’re struggling. Just keep working hard.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Anne and Tarman replied simultaneously.
He decided to ask another question.
A difficult question that touched on their shared trauma.
“…This might be a bit sudden, but how’s Marie doing?”
The priestess of the Earth Mother Goddess.
The girl who had been raped by a goblin and was now pregnant.
She was recovering at the temple, her mind broken by the trauma.
“…She’s doing well. Thanks to Priestess Mion, she was able to… take care of the goblin’s child. The last time I visited her, she seemed to be recovering, but I’ve been busy lately…”
Anne’s voice trailed off.
He saw.
“Don’t reduce your own wages.”
He scratched his head and looked at Tarman.
“Tarman, do you think I’m a sucker?”
“Yes. You’re too generous. What’s left for you after all this?”
‘You two are what’s left.’
He swallowed the words.
Tarman’s eyes were red-rimmed. So were Anne’s.
Silence fell over the table.
A warmth spread through his heart.
“I’m not completely abandoning the inn. I’ll figure something out, so don’t worry.”
He picked up his fork.
“Yes, sir.”
Anne and Tarman’s faces brightened.
They chatted while they ate, then he stood up.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Yes.”
“Take care.”
He left the inn as he was seen off by Anne and Tarman.
He walked against the flow of explorers heading towards the labyrinth and arrived at the temple.
He checked in with the receptionist and entered the orphanage.
“Hello, mister!”
A little girl ran up to him and greeted him.
“Hello.”
“Mister, guess what?”
He sat down, opened his bear-faced bag, and took out his writing utensils.
“Can you not talk to me right now?”
“Aww…”
The little girl’s face crumpled.
‘Seriously…’
“Alright, alright. Don’t cry. What is it?”
“I saw someone who looked just like you yesterday.”
His eyes widened.
“What?!”
“Waaah… Mister, I’m scared.”
“Sorry. I was just surprised. Did he… do anything to you?”
“No. He just looked around the orphanage and then left.”
‘Those bastards. This is getting dangerous.’
A chill ran down his spine at the thought of the barbarians lurking around where he went.
Were they trying to intimidate him?
If so, it was a despicable tactic.
He rubbed his forehead.
“Be careful. They’re dangerous people.”
“Why?”
He couldn’t bring himself to mention rape or “semen-soaking” in front of a child.
“Just be careful. Don’t follow them even if they offer you candy. Okay?”
The little girl tilted her head.
“Aren’t people who give you candy good people?”
“No. They’ll lure you in and steal your liver.”
“Waaah…”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
‘I give up. Kids will be kids.’
He scratched his head as he looked at the crying child.
“Mister! Why are you making her cry?!”
A girl with blue hair intervened.
“I was just telling her to be careful.”
“You could’ve just said that. Why would you say they’ll steal her liver?”
“Sigh… I’m sorry.”
The blue-haired girl hugged the little girl and stroked her hair.
“Sharon, don’t cry.”
She comforted her.
The little girl sniffled and buried her face in the blue-haired girl’s chest.
“Waaah… Lily…”
“There, there. Good girls don’t cry.”
Click.
The door opened, and a stern-looking male cleric entered.
Diego Perez.
The intermediate-rank cleric.
The children immediately started complaining about Mion’s absence.
“Quiet.”
Diego tapped the lectern, and the children fell silent.
“Teacher Mion is unwell and won’t be here today.”
“Really?”
“What happened…”
The children’s worried voices filled the classroom.
“Quiet.”
Diego looked around the classroom.
“She said it’s nothing serious and that she’ll be fine soon, so don’t worry.”
He glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin as he finished speaking.
He saw.
He sighed and opened his textbook.
But he felt a weight in his heart.
He decided to visit Mion later and apologize.
‘A belly massage when we’re not even dating… Shouldn’t we have kissed first?’
Regardless of his thoughts, Diego’s class proceeded smoothly and efficiently.
The children also quickly focused on the lesson.
Despite his stern appearance, Diego was a diligent and caring cleric.
“Excellent. Mr. Skar, you’ve corrected all the mistakes I previously pointed out.”
“Thank you.”
“You can move on to the next book now.”
“Really?”
He was getting tired of the story about the woodcutter and the wind spirit. It was a bit gruesome.
Diego smiled and nodded.
“What’s the next book?”
He asked.
“Let’s keep that a surprise.”
‘This cleric… He knows how to keep people in suspense.’
But he was happy to learn something new.
The class ended at lunchtime, and the children left the classroom.
He packed his writing utensils into his bear-faced bag.
“Thank you for the lesson, Teacher Diego.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Skar.”
“I heard a rumor that a barbarian was seen near the orphanage. Is that true?”
Diego’s eyes widened.
“Is that true?!”
‘You didn’t know?’
“Yes. One of the children said she saw him.”
“I’ll look into it. Do you know the child’s name?”
“Sharon.”
“I see… Is the evil we’ve contained resurfacing?”
Diego muttered as he turned to leave, but Jeong Yoo-shin didn’t hear him.
He left the classroom and went to the temple dining hall, where he got his food and sat down.
The menu was vegetable soup with herbs, rye bread, and watered-down wine.
He took a sip of the soup and then a bite of the bread.
He felt something soft and squishy in his mouth, and a fishy taste filled his senses.
‘What’s this?’
He looked inside the bread and saw a half-chewed fish head.
Ugh.
He covered his mouth.
A fish head inside the bread?
It felt like stepping on a landmine.
Was this an assassination attempt?
He looked around. The other clerics were eating their food without any problems.
“A fish-filled bread! A blessing from the Earth Mother Goddess.”
“Is it a special occasion? Such a rare treat.”
He frowned. He couldn’t bring himself to spit it out, so he pinched his nose, chewed the bread, and washed it down with wine.
“By the way, Priestess Mion missed the morning prayer again today.”
“Yes. She’s been staying up late, searching for a divine spell in the library, and she seems to have caught a cold. Knight Captain Cain visited yesterday, but he couldn’t see her.”
“That’s unfortunate. I’ll pray for her recovery.”
He stood up.
He wasn’t sure if it was the fish bread or his guilt about Mion, but he had lost his appetite.
He left the dining hall and walked into the temple courtyard.
A group of explorers emerged from the temple.
Two humans.
A dwarf.
And a gnome.
A four-person party.
They looked exhausted, but they were smiling.
“Yes! I finally got the Strength Enhancement imprint!”
A human man with a long sword strapped to his back raised his arms and shouted.
“He he. I’m glad I got the Chant Acceleration imprint.”
A human woman, who seemed to be a mage, said with a smile.
“Sigh. The Wall Climbing imprint. What a waste.”
The dwarf cleric sighed and scratched his head.
The party members chatted excitedly, but one of them remained silent.
The human swordsman spoke to the gnome.
“You got the Heavy Feet imprint, right?”
“…It makes it difficult to run, and it makes your footsteps louder, so it’s a problem for a navigator.”
The gnome nodded dejectedly.
“…It’s alright! You can remove it.”
“That’s right. It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it.”
The party members tried to comfort the gnome.
The gnome’s face brightened slightly.
“You’re right. I was overthinking it. I can just remove it.”
The human swordsman patted the gnome on the shoulder.
“One step at a time. Don’t worry too much. Let’s go eat and get some rest. I’m exhausted.”
“I need a bath. I haven’t washed in a week; I stink.”
The dwarf cleric grumbled.
The party members chatted as they left the temple.
He watched them leave.
He was envious of the Strength Enhancement imprint.
And the Chant Acceleration imprint.
‘I want a good imprint too.’
He smacked his lips.
He was also envious of their camaraderie.
He wished he had good companions.
Reliable allies to explore the dark labyrinth with.
‘Stop.’
He stopped himself from thinking further. It was pointless to dwell on it. He had things to do, after all. He hurried to the Swordsman’s Guild.
“Your face is full of lust.”
Ashur said, his face creased with annoyance.
He felt a pang of guilt.
The long-lived Sword Master was perceptive.
“What do you mean?”
He asked nonchalantly, trying to control his expression.
“Don’t bother. I can see right through you. Focus on your training.”
‘Is he psychic?’
He frowned.
“Here, wear these sandbags again.”
He shuffled over and attached the sandbags to his ankles.
“Run.”
“Yes, sir.”
He ran under the scorching sun.
He was covered in sweat and dust, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his mind was hazy.
“Gasp… Pant…”
He completed his last lap and collapsed on the floor.
He felt like he was going insane.
“There’s that expression. The one that shows you’ve given up.”
Ashur said with a smile.
‘Is he crazy?’
He glared at Ashur, who tossed him a steel training sword.
Thud.
The sword clattered to the floor.
He picked it up with trembling hands and stood up.
“Come at me.”
Ashur’s eyes gleamed.
Their sparring session continued late into the night.
Clang!!!
Clang!!!
Ashur suddenly jumped back, breaking off the spar.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Gasp… Pant…”
He immediately collapsed on the floor.
Ashur looked down at him, and pointed out his mistakes.
He listened attentively despite his exhaustion.
“…By the way…”
“What?”
“A barbarian came looking for me at the Earth Mother Goddess’ orphanage. I feel threatened. What should I do?”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“…”
“It’s late. You should go home.”
Ashur said with a grin.
He stood up unsteadily and left the training ground.
Ashur watched him leave and muttered,
“…Are they returning to the streets? They held themselves back for quite a long time.”
He walked quickly back to the inn.
He opened the door and looked around the empty dining area.
Anne and Tarman must have gone home already.
He ate the snacks left on the counter and went upstairs to his room.
He wiped himself down with a wet towel, changed his clothes, and laid down on the bed.
He closed his eyes with his head resting on his arm.
He was too tired to worry about the barbarians.
The increasingly intense training sessions left him exhausted and mentally drained.
He arrived home safely, so he decided to put them out of his mind.
“Haaa…”
Rustle.
A sound came from under his bed.
His yawn was cut short.
There was something there.
Under his bed.
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T/N – So something happened last time that made the barbarians behave. But after seeing the MC roaming around freely, they’re probably curious.
Also, what’s under the bed?
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
aaah shit whats under that bed boy
My guess is that cleric guy is the reason the barbarians were so well behaved.