Did We Become Poor? We Were Rich Just Before
It felt like they were walking on soft clouds.
A little farther away, they could see the place where carriages and horses were kept.
No one stood at the entrance, but the caretaker was probably somewhere inside.
Lizzy suddenly looked up beside her.
Her husband’s face seemed very high above her.
Maybe he noticed her gaze, because Juhwan lowered his head and met her eyes.
He smiled softly, his fierce-looking eyes curving gently downward.
At that moment, she realized something.
“This man doesn’t know.”
He truly did not understand how valuable the money they had just received was.
He probably had never been as poor as Lizzy had been.
When Lizzy said they had become rich, Juhwan smiled, but he surely did not fully understand what she meant.
The old man her older sister married was considered a “well-off poor farmer” among poor people.
Most people in the village traded goods instead of money, but everyone still roughly knew how much others earned.
She had heard that her sister’s husband earned about one hundred rina a year.
That was with all his grown sons working together.
Sometimes it was a little more or less.
One year it might be one hundred twenty rina, another year ninety.
One hundred twenty rina was equal to ten silver coins.
With only seven rabbit pelts, they had earned several times more than what her sister’s family struggled to make in an entire year.
Of course, things were more expensive in cities.
To great nobles or rich people, this amount might be nothing.
But for a peasant like Lizzy, forty-nine silver coins was money she might never touch all at once in her whole life.
And they had not even sold the wolf fur.
Juhwan had said it was fine to sell it, but it was the first prey her husband had hunted himself.
When Lizzy hesitated, Juhwan simply left it in her arms.
A wife’s feelings were nothing important.
He could have ignored her and sold it anyway.
But instead, he smiled and told her to do whatever she wanted.
Lizzy secretly glanced at Juhwan again.
Maybe he was upset because they had not sold the wolf fur.
She knew he was not that kind of person, but it still involved a huge amount of money.
Normally, anyone would feel regretful or angry.
Wolf fur had to be worth far more than rabbit fur.
But Juhwan’s face still carried the same calm smile as always.
He did not even seem to think about the wolf fur anymore.
Her eyes lowered to their hands.
His large hand completely wrapped around her small one.
At that moment, she felt that she herself was just like that.
Protected inside this man’s grasp, far away from the rough waves of the world.
Completely separated from misery.
If this hand ever let go of her, she would immediately be thrown naked into a world full of thunder and storms.
Suddenly, she became afraid.
Once someone tasted a sweet world, they could never return to living inside filthy misery again.
Lizzy looked at Juhwan as he answered Dorothy’s questions.
Only now was Dorothy asking what an adventurer was.
“Juhwan.”
This man was sweet poison.
He surrounded her life with warmth and sweetness, loosening the tightly wrapped knots around her heart.
He was making her unable to live without him.
Even when she had been beaten, even when she survived day after day eating terrible porridge, she had once thought that was simply life.
But now she could never return to those days.
It was not only about money.
Before meeting this man’s kindness, her life had been like living deep underground in darkness.
“I don’t want to go back.”
Lizzy tightly held her husband’s large hand.
Please, never change.
She did not know why, but although she was happier than ever, she also felt far more anxious than when she had been miserable.
It felt as if clouds were beneath her feet.
“Lizzy, are you okay?”
Her behavior must have seemed strange.
Juhwan lowered his head and looked at her worriedly.
“Mom, does your stomach hurt?”
Dorothy asked with wide eyes.
Lizzy answered that she was fine, but Juhwan still looked worried.
With his free arm, he even tried to lift her up like a child.
“Hehe, I’m okay.”
Only after she smiled did he finally seem relieved.
“Let’s quickly find a place to stay and rest.”
Juhwan spoke gently and tightened his hand around hers a little.
His warm body temperature seemed to tell her that the man beside her was still the same person as before.
A consistently gentle husband.
As she walked while being led by Juhwan, Lizzy slowly felt relieved deep inside.
Yes.
This man would not change.
Even if they became rich, he would still remain gentle and kind.
He still called Dorothy his daughter even though they were not related by blood.
He still loved Lizzy even though their marriage had happened because of circumstances.
“There’s no need to be afraid.”
The cloud-like ground beneath her feet slowly became firm and solid again.
When she came back to her senses, she was once again standing on steady ground.
It almost felt as if Juhwan’s fierce-looking side profile was saying:
[It’s okay for you to stay happy. Nobody will take it away. And if anyone tries to drag you back into misery, I’ll knock them all down.]
Maybe something was stuck on his face.
Lizzy kept staring at him.
“But…”
Whenever their eyes met, Lizzy smiled sweetly at him.
That made Juhwan wonder if maybe he had become handsome.
Perhaps magic power filling his body also affected appearance.
Juhwan quietly rubbed his face with his hand.
Still, he did not feel anything especially different.
“Maybe I should check my reflection in the axe later.”
When Lizzy and Dorothy were not around, he would secretly see if his face had changed.
As they approached the carriage, they saw the caretaker feeding another horse in the corner.
After noticing Juhwan, the caretaker greeted him with a slight nod.
“I’m riding in front! Because I’m an adventurer!”
Dorothy excitedly pointed toward the driver’s seat.
At that exact moment, the ten-year-old boy they had met earlier suddenly appeared from behind the carriage.
“Hehe, mister! Are you done at the guild?”
“…”
“I watched the carriage very carefully. I kept checking for thieves.”
“…”
The boy carefully watched Juhwan’s expression, then scratched his head with a grin.
“If you haven’t picked an inn yet, should I guide you to my house?”
He must have realized his earlier lie had already been exposed after seeing the three adventurers at the entrance.
The caretaker carried a bucket of water for the horses and said,
“As long as you don’t give that brat money, he’s fine. Their house looks shabby, but the prices are decent and the food tastes good. The owners are good people too. It’s just the kid who causes trouble.”
Juhwan thanked the caretaker and looked at the boy.
“Alright. Let’s go to your house.”
“Haha! Thank you!”
The boy ran ahead happily.
“This way! Just follow me with the carriage!”
Lizzy sat in the driver’s seat and guided the horse.
The ten-year-old boy ran ahead quickly like a squirrel and kept turning back toward them.
“Over here! This road!”
He raised his arm high to show the way.
Lizzy laughed softly.
“He’s an energetic child. He lies a little, but maybe that’s normal. A child with survival skills like that would probably live well anywhere.”
She glanced toward Dorothy.
Dorothy was busy playing adventurer.
Oz was the magical beast, and Toto was the party member.
Oz was currently sleeping on Dorothy’s lap.
According to Dorothy, he was protecting a fire-breathing egg.
Juhwan had no idea why a rabbit was laying eggs or why the egg breathed fire.
“It’s not an easy world for men either, but it’s especially hard for girls,” Lizzy said quietly.
“Men can become independent once they’re adults, but women can’t decide anything for themselves. In reality, marriage is the only path.”
Lizzy smiled softly.
“I hope Dorothy grows up strong like a weed.”
Dorothy must have been listening carefully despite playing.
“Mom! Dorothy is an adventurer! Adventurers can’t be weeds. Weeds can’t go anywhere!”
“Hehe, that’s true.”
Lizzy laughed quietly, though her expression became slightly bitter, as if remembering her own childhood.
The inn the boy guided them to was deep inside a dirty alley.
The center of the village had been fairly clean, but the alleys farther away were completely different.
There were shabby houses, temporary buildings, garbage everywhere, and human waste thrown carelessly along the road.
The alley was narrow enough that Juhwan worried the carriage might hit someone every time it moved.
“This way. Come in here.”
The boy guided the carriage beside a wooden building that looked only slightly better than a shack.
There was no proper stable.
Just an empty space without a roof and several wooden posts for tying horses.
A peddler’s wagon stood in one corner.
The horse attached to it looked very old.
For some reason, the cramped space looked even poorer because of the wagon and horse.
Juhwan must have shown a strange expression.
The boy awkwardly rubbed his nose.
“But the horse feed is good. Even if our place looks like this, we use really good ingredients.”
“Sorry. It’s just my first time staying somewhere like this.”
Maybe he had hurt the boy’s feelings.
As Juhwan climbed down from the carriage, the boy grinned.
“Then please order the special meal. My mom’s special food is really delicious. It’s amazing. And the portions are big too.”
The word the boy used probably meant “special meal.”
After climbing down, Lizzy whispered into Juhwan’s ear that the special meal was expensive.
Judging by her tone, she clearly intended to order the cheapest food possible.
“Still, maybe we can eat something nice for one day.”
Juhwan thought that silently.
The food at this inn probably was not expensive anyway.
Without saying anything, he quietly placed the money pouch from the guild into Lizzy’s hands.
“Lizzy, you keep this.”
From now on, he planned to leave choices about food and purchases to Lizzy.
She was the party’s accountant and manager.
Right now, spending money still felt unfamiliar to her.
But after they earned more and more money, she would surely get used to it.
Someday, she would casually say:
“Let’s eat something expensive and delicious today.”
Juhwan only hoped that day would come a little sooner.
He honestly wanted tasty food.
Lizzy suddenly froze in place with wide eyes.
“Customers! Welcome!”
The boy ahead waved toward them.
But Lizzy seemed unable to hear him.
She only stared at the money pouch as if it were some kind of monster.
There was no helping it.
Juhwan picked up the completely frozen Lizzy in one arm.
Dorothy tilted her head while being carried in the other arm.
“Why did Mom become stupid?”
“Who knows.”
A while later, Lizzy finally regained her senses and whispered loudly into Juhwan’s ear.
“What if it gets stolen?!”
“Then it can’t be helped. There’s still money in the account. And we’ll keep earning more anyway.”
Like the adventurers who came to hunt goblins, Juhwan could now hunt magical beasts himself.
Even if not, the guild probably had many kinds of jobs.
He did not know if they would make a lot of money, but at least they would survive.
“Ahahaha! Mom looks silly! Your face became silly!”
Dorothy pointed at Lizzy’s face and laughed loudly.
Lizzy silently opened and closed her mouth without making any sound.
The first floor of the inn seemed to also serve as a tavern.
Several tables and chairs made from rough wood filled the room.
Juhwan expected there to be few customers, but surprisingly, there were quite a lot.
Most wore shabby clothes.
Several looked like adventurers.
Maybe people who were not staying at the inn also came here to eat and drink.
Rather than an inn, it felt more like a neighborhood restaurant and tavern.
A large woman carried a huge tray stacked with dishes between the tables.
The moment she saw the boy, she shouted.
“You brat! Who did you trick this time?!”
“Mom! I brought customers!”
“I know! Your mother still has eyes! You little rascal, do you know how much stress you cause me every day?!”
The woman slammed dishes onto a table and stormed toward them angrily.
Without even listening to explanations, she punched the boy lightly on the head the moment she arrived.
Then she bowed deeply to Juhwan.
“I’m sorry. Did this kid sell you beer again? Or charge you money for guarding your carriage? Honestly, he’s driving me crazy.”
The customers at the tables burst into loud laughter.
“No. We came here as customers. He guided us from the guild.”
“Oh, really? He only guided you?”
The woman blinked in surprise.
The boy puffed his cheeks and complained.
“Mom, you’re too much! I’ve been bringing customers from morning until night. And they’re staying overnight too!”
He really talked well for someone who had spent the whole day trying to trick people whenever he got the chance.
“Oh dear.”
The woman looked embarrassed and rubbed the spot she had punched on the boy’s head.
Then she smiled brightly at Juhwan and Lizzy.
“How long will you stay?”
“We’re not sure yet. We just registered as adventurers today…”
“Oh my, then at least a month.”
Her smile grew even bigger.
“What kind of room would you like? Since you have a child, two beds would be better, right? A one-bed room costs one rina for two days, but two beds cost extra. But ah, forget it. We’ll just charge the normal price. You have a child, and you’ll stay long-term anyway.”
The woman shook her large body as she walked toward the stairs.
“Payment is in advance, but if you pay for a whole month at once, I’ll lower the price. Normally it’s fifteen rina, but I’ll cut off three. One silver coin is enough.”
“T-That’s expensive!”
Lizzy shouted in shock.
The woman stopped on the stairs and turned around.
“No, no. Our place is very cheap. Two beds, lamp oil included, and while we don’t have heating, we provide hot water bottles. Put them in the bed and they stay warm until morning. Compared to other places, we’re practically half price.”
Lizzy muttered with a pale face.
“But I heard my sister’s family earns only ten silver coins in a whole year… and just one month’s room costs one silver coin…”
The woman laughed knowingly.
“Oh my, this must be your first time in a village this large. You’ll faint when you hear food prices. A meal for two people costs one rina.”
“I-It’s that expensive?!”
Lizzy looked close to foaming at the mouth and collapsing.
Even Juhwan was surprised that food cost more than the room.
He had expected the opposite.
The woman laughed loudly.
“Haha! Listen, our place is basically half price. The rooms, the food, the service — everything is different. If you’d gone anywhere else first, you’d probably decide to sleep on the streets.”
Lizzy tightly grabbed Juhwan’s clothes and whispered softly.
“Juhwan… let’s sleep in the carriage.”
“…”
Dorothy’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke sadly.
“Did we become poor? We were rich just before.”
“…”
A few steps up the stairs, the innkeeper grabbed her stomach and burst into laughter.