The hall was at least intact and became a temporary accommodation for villagers who had lost their homes.
While everyone fell asleep from exhaustion, there was a person sighing alone.
“ha… … .”
The main character of the sigh filled with anxiety was the chief of Gulag Village.
“Chief?”
The village chief, who had been immersed in a daze, raised his head at the quiet voice calling him.
It was Hanolds, who was sleeping with his family.
Hanolds gets up cautiously and approaches the village chief, lest his wife and daughter wake up.
The village chief laughed at the sight of the bear-like Hanolds walking lightly, avoiding the others.
“Chief, why are you not sleeping?”
“Heh heh, you really don’t sleep anymore.”
At the village chief’s words, Hanolds slumped down next to the village chief.
Then he looked in the direction where his wife and daughter were sleeping hugging each other and said.
“I slept enough. As usual, it’s already time to get up and get ready for a mountain ride.”
“Isn’t it usual? You worked so hard yesterday.”
“Am I the only one suffering? We all suffered together.”
Hanolds was silent for a moment, looking at his wife and daughter.
As if confirming that it was not a dream that he and the others survived.
“Thank you.”
Looking at him like that, the village chief said.
Hanolds looked at the village chief, not knowing why.
“What?”
“If you hadn’t brought that wizard, wouldn’t we all be dead? the problem is… … .”
The village chief, who had washed his face dry with his words slurred, sighed again and continued.
“It’s about how to pay the wizard. How much would it cost if we gave it all we had. To someone who single-handedly defeated so many monsters overnight, it would seem like a lot of money. don’t you know Those with power are only merciful within the lines they have set. What if you think we’re cheating to save money… That’s what I’m worried about.”
“… The wizard is a really nice person. If we do our best in our own way, he will not be angry or offended.”
“Maybe. But, then I want to know what to do after that. Everything I prepared for the winter is gone because of this incident. We burned all the firewood, and we lost more than half of our food. The rest is also wet and should be eaten right away. If you give everything you have in a situation like this… … .”
“… … .”
The sadness of the weak, who have no time to rejoice over their survival.
After surviving a monster that cuts people apart and chews them up, another monster called cold and hunger is creeping closer.
After thinking for a while, the village chief looked at Hanolds as if he had made up his mind.
“I can’t help it. As soon as the day dawns, let’s gather what we have and get some money for the mage. I think I have no choice but to give as much as I can and explain the situation well. And money for the winter… I have no choice but to go to the lord’s castle and borrow it.”
“Cho, Chief!”
Hanolds was taken aback by the village chief’s words.
It was inevitable because borrowing money from the lord’s castle was such a big deal.
The moment you owe the lord, you are prohibited from leaving the territory, and you lose your status as a free citizen until you pay the money back.
It is a matter of repaying the debt, but considering the high interest rate, it was never an easy task.
Even the slightest delay in repaying the interest will result in the confiscation of the property, and in the end, the lord’s land will be reduced to serfdom.
It was not for no reason that nobles smiled and lent money to commoners.
If you pay it back properly, it’s good because you get a lot of interest, and if you don’t pay it back, you get labor power that will feed your children’s children beyond your lifetime, so there’s nothing to lose.
“You know the village chief, too, don’t you? The moment they borrowed money from the lord, it was as if all the villagers were enslaved. We do, but what about the kids? Isn’t it too much to live as a serf for the rest of your life because of your parents’ debts!”
“… You should pay it off well.”
“How about that high interest rate? I’d rather complain to the wizard. Later, when the days get warmer, I’ll diligently dig herbs to raise money, so I’ll ask you to take care of the situation.”
The village chief shook his head excitedly.
“It is useless. It’s money to survive the winter anyway, food to eat, and clothes to wear… be chin-tight The only way to keep the children from starving to death is to borrow money from the lord’s castle.”
“then… … !”
Hanolds was at a loss for words in the face of a hopeless reality.
At that time, a young man who should have been standing in front of the hall came inside in a hurry.
Then, after discovering the village chief and Hanolds, he cautiously jumps over people and approaches them.
“Lucas, what is it?”
“Bar, the wizard outside asked me to bring Mr. Hanolds.”
“Wizard? It’s still early in the morning, so you’re already awake?”
“Yes, Mr. Hanolds has something to say. He asked me to wake him up quietly.”
At the unknown call, Hanolds and the village chief looked at each other with puzzled eyes.
* * *
evening the same day.
Hanolds looked at his daughter who fell asleep exhausted from crying and thought of the wizard who left early in the morning.
The wizard who appeared like a flow left behind a lot as he left.
He left a large amount of 1,000 gold, saying that it would be difficult to survive the winter even if he asked for a reward.
It left a bruise in her heart that will not heal easily for the time being.
No, will it win for a while?
I can’t easily forget this relationship.
Perhaps my daughter-in-law was missing someone who had been gone for a very long time.
“… It would have been nice if you had stayed until Sophie woke up.”
Sophie, who couldn’t even say goodbye, cried a lot.
Even now, Sophie was sleeping, hugging the dagger and bracelet the wizard had given her.
With his eyes on the dagger among them, Hanolds recalled the wizard’s words.
Somewhat unbelievable words about Sophie’s great sword talent.
“I can’t imagine. He wouldn’t be talking nonsense, so he really would be… … .”
Essentially, it’s a sword.
it’s a sword It’s a word that really upsets people. It’s brutal, and it’s dangerous.
However… if you have talent If what he really says is right.
“… This kid might not live like us.”
Without being hit by poverty, monsters, or the absurdity of the world.
You may be able to live in the world with your head up high.
Is it a safe world if you don’t hold a sword in the first place?
not.
Rather, living with a sword is safe in this world.
I hope my daughter doesn’t have to worry about going hungry every winter.
I want my daughter to live without the worry of becoming a beast or monster food.
If it’s for that… … !
Hanolds put his hand to his bosom.
I touched the money he gave me to use when raising my daughter and the letter of recommendation he gave me to use when I really needed it.
Rеаd at ոоbӏеmtӏ.соm
Money is money, but the letter of recommendation was written by a magician in El Tomagia.
Even Hanolds, an unlearned fool, knew the name El Tomagia.
The most mysterious and secret name of the Imperial Mage Tower.
Perhaps the benefactor is also a magician who has been there.
You won’t lose anything by trusting the words of such a person.
Hanolds made up his mind.
He said that he would truly be a proper parent without becoming a stumbling block to the opportunity Heaven had bestowed on his daughter.
* * *
The first place Dojin, who left Gulak Village, visited was the nearest adventurer’s guild branch.
There, Dojin was giving a statement about the incident in Gulak Village.
“… It’s a pretty serious case. Could we take that as evidence?”
“Sure.”
Do-jin held out the broken law of temptation.
What was found in the village was brought to the pig as a gift, and this half-penny was the side the wizard was holding.
The guild officials who received it wrote something down with a serious expression, and then bowed their heads.
“On behalf of the Adventurer Guild, I would like to express my gratitude to the adventurers for their information and precautions. Compensation for this case will be paid as soon as the investigation of the case is completed. We will arrange to receive the reward at any adventurers guild branch, so you can pick it up at a convenient place.”
“Compensation is also compensation, but I want you to properly investigate and deal with it. In particular, the villages that were attacked are in a state of almost ruins. I want you to take action as well.”
“of course. We will take care of that so you don’t have to worry about it. As the adventurer said, if you really wanted to use monsters to harm innocent people, then this would be an act of betrayal against humanity. There will be no mercy at the end of the adventurer’s guild’s sword.”
Is it just the adventurer’s guild?
In this world, the existence of monsters is truly treated as a public achievement by mankind.
So, standing on the side of monsters in any form is a taboo among taboos in Rostania.
The adventurer’s guild will ask the imperial family for cooperation in the investigation, and those involved will be hanged one after another.
‘No matter how good the money is. He must have known everything.’
Do-jin shook his head excitedly, recalling the lord and the people he couldn’t remember the name of.
Anyway, the final finish was neat, and I used that to book another reward from the Adventurer’s Guild.
If it was someone else, I would have completed the Destiny Quest, but I wouldn’t have thought of getting more because I was drunk with so-called mulberries.
Dojin was different.
Whatever it is, in one case or one quest, whatever we can do, we have to worry about it until it disappears.
Finally, Do-jin, who did not forget to collect the reward for the monster subjugation record stored in the adventurer’s pendant, left the adventurer’s guild.
“Then, just stop by the exchange and that’s it?”
The next place Dojin headed was the exchange.
It was only when I was short of money that I was afraid of high transaction fees, so I sold my feet, but my wallet was thick, so I wanted to save time.
It’s like buying time with gold.
It was a commotion that welcomed Do-jin, who arrived at the exchange building.
“We buy low-level equipment and various items at the highest price. Save on exchange fees and get your money right away!”
“I sell this and that equipment cheaper than the exchange!”
“We sell quality homemade potions.”
Despite its small size, the front of the exchange was crowded with people who wanted to use the exchange and users who bought and sold items to those who came to use the exchange.
Dojin was not interested in such things, so he went straight into the exchange building and activated the exchange right away.
Then, a familiar search screen that can only be opened in a designated place came to mind.
‘I don’t know if there will be any for sale.’
Dojin set the search category to Skillbook and browsed the property.
Perhaps it was because skill books were so rare, there were few items for sale and the price was high.
There were many cases where things rumored to be usable were out of stock at all.
But Dojin was not worried.
It was because he knew that the curse-type skill book, which was the magic he wanted, was being treated as a nuisance jar at this point.
‘Also. It’s not the time to be expensive yet.’
Even if you use attack magic a few times, your mana container is empty, and you are ridiculed as a rabbit or jorouni. This is the current mage’s position.
From the point of view of such a wizard, mana efficiency was a mess, and curse magic, which was difficult to use, was something of a realm beyond the realm.
However, Do-jin knew very well that if the conditions and circumstances were met, the curse would transform into a filial piety skill that reached the end of efficiency.
‘In my previous life, I only watched other guys sucking honey, but this time I’ll be the first to fall into the honey bucket.’
With no one looking for it, Dojin smiled bitterly as he bought the malignant stock accumulated and piled up on the exchange at a bargain price.