Why Is Santa Here?!
A horse is not like a car.
It’s a living animal.
Juhwan knew that, of course—but he hadn’t really understood it.
Horses eat, poop, and need rest.
And they eat a lot.
They also poop while walking.
Big, round piles.
“….”
Juhwan quietly turned his head away.
In the distance, mountains stretched across the horizon.
Unlike the sharp, triangular mountains of Korea, these looked more like large rolling hills.
Gentle. Endless.
“Dad, why are you looking away?”
“….”
Dorothy’s eyes sparkled.
Right in front of her, the horse was pooping as it walked—but she didn’t care at all.
“Juhwan, you’re really strange.”
Lizzy laughed softly.
Juhwan narrowed his eyes and looked at her.
She looked much more lively than when she lived in the mountains.
Since leaving the village, she seemed like a small bird fluttering its wings.
Even though the scenery barely changed, she reacted to everything as if it were new.
Dorothy was the same.
The two of them chatted endlessly:
“There’s a bird over there!”
“Look, a tree!”
“There’s snow here!”
Juhwan couldn’t understand.
It was just nature stretching endlessly.
What was so exciting?
Then Lizzy looked at him and smiled brightly.
Her breath formed warm mist in the cold air.
“I’m so happy. Except for when I was sold here… this is my first time leaving the village.”
“….”
Juhwan finally understood.
They had been trapped in one place their whole lives.
Even familiar scenery now felt like a picnic in a brand-new world.
He had worried they might feel anxious, leaving behind the small stability they had.
But instead—
“They’re happy.”
That alone made him feel grateful.
Juhwan wrapped his arm around Lizzy’s shoulder.
Dorothy, sitting between them, wriggled and laughed.
Oz and the doll Toto were slightly squished on her lap.
“I’ll make you happy. Let’s be happy.”
Holding both of them tightly, he made that silent promise.
During this journey, Juhwan realized something else.
He wasn’t very good with animals.
In the village, he hadn’t needed to handle horses much.
But now it was clear—
Lizzy was better than him.
Maybe it was her gentle voice.
Horses were easily scared, after all.
They took turns driving the wagon, but gradually, Lizzy held the reins more often.
She secretly smiled every time she did.
Juhwan found it cute.
He wanted to reduce her burden—but she seemed happier having more to do.
Juhwan looked up at the sky.
He kept replaying the language of this world in his mind.
He practiced words, sentence structures—
Trying to understand everything.
Then suddenly, he laughed.
“I really worked hard.”
He studied like crazy—so much it felt like his brain would burn out.
If his past self saw him now, he wouldn’t believe it.
“I feel like a genius now.”
After traveling for a while—
Lizzy suddenly stopped the wagon.
She looked confused.
“…Uh.”
“Lizzy, what’s wrong?”
She looked around nervously.
“I think… we got lost. We should have arrived by now…”
“Mom! Really?! That’s bad!”
Dorothy shouted, eyes wide.
They were heading to a town about half a day away.
It wasn’t huge—but it had shops, regular wagons, and a guild.
That guild was their destination.
The adventurer from the village had warned them:
“If a mage is noticed by nobles, it can become dangerous.”
They might even be taken by force.
But if Juhwan registered as an adventurer first—
The nobles couldn’t touch him easily.
So they needed to reach the guild quickly.
Lizzy was guiding them—but the roads here weren’t simple.
No paved paths.
Sometimes roads split, disappeared, or lost wheel tracks.
They must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
Lizzy and Dorothy looked pale.
Like the world had ended.
Juhwan couldn’t help but smile.
“Don’t worry.”
They both protested at once:
“That’s mean!”
“Dad, this is serious! We’re lost!”
Their eyes filled with tears.
Juhwan still smiled.
“It’s okay. There’s no rush.”
“No one is watching us. No one is ordering us around.”
“We can do whatever we want.”
If they got lost—
They could just turn back.
If night came—
They could rest by a fire.
Simple.
Lizzy blinked in surprise.
For someone who had always lived bound by rules—
This way of thinking was new.
That night, they decided to camp there.
The sky was already turning red with sunset.
Traveling in the dark wasn’t possible anyway.
Better to rest.
Juhwan cut down two small trees nearby.
They were thin—but enough for a night’s fire.
Using his magic, he lit the fire easily.
Even fresh wood burned quickly.
Smoke rose into the sky like dancing waves.
They set the wagon near the fire.
Lizzy placed a pot over stones.
Inside went meat, salt, and some flour.
As it boiled, a delicious smell spread.
Their stomachs growled one after another.
Dorothy sat close to the fire, staring at the pot.
Drool ran down her mouth.
After eating—
They dug a small hole behind the wagon.
A toilet.
Juhwan could go anywhere.
But Lizzy couldn’t.
She held it in for a long time.
Finally, she said with a tearful face:
“Please… go a little farther away.”
Juhwan stepped away quietly.
Still close enough to protect them.
Later, they sat together by the fire.
Dorothy dozed on Juhwan’s lap.
Oz lay on top of her.
Toto somehow ended up on Lizzy’s lap.
Juhwan and Lizzy sat side by side, sharing a cloth over their shoulders.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Happy.
Then Lizzy whispered:
“I’m happy.”
In the distance, night birds cried.
Far away, a wolf howled.
Juhwan suddenly remembered Gus.
“I wish he hadn’t been an enemy…”
He had liked him, even if only for a short time.
He reminded him of his grandfather.
Juhwan gently leaned down and kissed Lizzy’s hair.
“I’m happy too.”
Lizzy rested her head on his arm.
But in his mind—
Gus’s fading eyes still lingered.
They reached the town around noon.
Dorothy stood up excitedly.
“A wall!”
“Dorothy, sit down!”
Lizzy grabbed her quickly.
The wall was huge.
Stone, not wood.
Strong and high.
Beyond it, a forest stretched into the distance.
The gate was thick wood reinforced with iron.
And there was a guard.
Already, it felt different from the previous village.
Dorothy bounced with excitement.
“Look! The wall is so tall! Oz, can you jump over it? I can!”
She was somehow competing with Oz.
Juhwan smiled faintly.
“This really feels like a fantasy world…”
Some adventurers entered the gate.
They showed something hanging from their necks.
The guard nodded and let them pass.
Juhwan handed the reins to Lizzy.
Inside the town, she would drive better.
He stepped down near the gate.
The guard looked them over.
“First time here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have identification?”
Juhwan didn’t understand.
Lizzy whispered:
“He’s asking for proof of identity.”
Juhwan shook his head.
The guard then checked their hands.
Juhwan understood.
“The slave mark…”
It couldn’t be erased.
Without it, people could be stopped anywhere.
Juhwan felt a chill.
“I was in real danger when I first came here…”
Then he frowned slightly.
“That Santa guy… did he really grant my wish properly?”
The guard spoke again.
Lizzy translated:
It was about head tax.
Everyone over 16 had to pay yearly taxes.
If not—
They should pay soon or join the guild.
Otherwise, trouble could come.
Juhwan nodded.
“Thank you.”
He asked for directions to the guild and got back on the wagon.
Inside the town—
There were many people.
Many buildings.
Very different from before.
Dorothy leaned far out, looking down.
“Mom, Dad! The ground is stone! This is amazing!”
The roads were paved with small stones.
To her, it was incredible.
Juhwan held her carefully.
She kept moving nonstop.
Standing, leaning—
Almost falling multiple times.
“This kid… I can’t take my eyes off her.”
Suddenly, Dorothy pointed ahead.
“Dad! There’s a red grandpa!”
Juhwan laughed and turned—
Then froze.
It wasn’t a person.
It was a signboard on a two-story building.
It read:
Adventurer Guild
And beside it—
A large drawing of a red-clothed, white-bearded old man.
“Why is Santa here?!”