Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Chapter 1-2. To Live in This World.
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Judah, fresh out of the shower, shook out his still-damp hair in satisfaction. A glass of water and straight to bed would make for the perfect end to the day. He headed to the kitchen, grabbed a cheap plain ceramic cup from the shelf above the sink, filled it with water, and turned toward the stairs to his room on the second floor.
"Judah."
Tia, lounging on the sofa, called out to him. She lay sprawled across the three-seater, her neck propped on the armrest, lazily waving him over with one hand. Come here, it meant. She hadn't been like this at first, but ever since he'd started going out hunting alone a year ago, she'd gotten lazier. Still, she handled all the household chores without complaint, so he had no gripes. He sauntered over leisurely, draped his arm over the backrest, and looked down at her. She seemed to have been reading; a small book was in her hand.
-The Hunter of the Winds
An entertaining read. But she hadn't called him over to discuss the book.
"What's up? Want some water?"
Tia covered her mouth with the book and shook her head vigorously.
"Then what?"
Without warning, she tossed the book to the floor and reached out with her arm. He flinched and tried to dodge, but it was impossible to evade her arm shooting out so quickly. It hooked around his nape, and with her strength, she yanked him down in an instant.
"Ow, you cute little thing. You'd be perfect if you just acted all lovey-dovey!"
He gasped in surprise, and her feminine scent flooded his nose, followed by the feel of her soft, supple skin through his clothes. As Tia squeezed and nuzzled him tightly, Judah felt his face heat up and squirmed to escape, but she wasn't letting go. Realizing the vast gap in their abilities meant he couldn't break free by force, he let out a small sigh.
"You're enjoying it, so why sigh? You won't find another girl who hugs you like this anywhere else."
"Yeah, true, but..."
Judah looked up at her, chin resting on her chest. Her golden eyes brimmed with affection. Wondering just how much his favorability had risen to cause this—especially with her deliberately rubbing her chest against his face—he checked discreetly. It had jumped from 49, where it had stalled, past 50 into the "Interest" stage.
[Favorability: 50 (Interest)]
[Trust: 75 (Trust)]
At first, he'd tried giving her flowers because she was so beautiful and worked to raise her favorability in all sorts of ways, but oddly, only her trust had gone up. A kid handing her flowers and showing affection would just come off as cute, nothing more. That was normal. With favorability refusing to budge past that, Judah had given up. He'd hoped for something like a romantic relationship, but his age and childlike body had been obstacles. Sure enough, it had stuck at 49 for the past six months.
But today, it had suddenly hit 50. When did that happen? He opened the system window and saw it had risen by 1 while he'd been washing up. Nice. After all, she was the first woman he'd thought beautiful since coming to this world, and that hadn't changed.
The only problem was not being able to freely grope her chest—it felt like torture. Suppressing his urges, he timidly met Tia's gaze.
"Uh, what's going on?"
"Do I have to have a reason to hug you? I do it 'cause you're cute."
He didn't think his looks were all that cute, but who was he to argue if she said so? As he stared at her sullenly, it only egged her on; she hugged him even tighter. A brief silence passed before she spoke.
"You're really not hurt anywhere?"
"Nope. Really. You that worried?"
"Of course! What if my disciple kicked the bucket? I'd have stormed the south gate to slaughter those wolves on the spot!"
Tia stroked Judah's head while cradling him like a doll. Who could've predicted black wolves in the eastern forest? They'd never strayed from the southern forest before. That's why she'd let him go alone, figuring it was safe.
"I'm so glad you're unhurt. How'd it feel hunting wolves? Did all that training pay off?"
"Definitely. Throwing the dagger helped a ton. Thanks, Tia. I made it back alive thanks to my master."
"Heh heh heh."
"And being the hunted instead of the hunter? Made me realize experience isn't overhyped."
"Yeah? Then how about we hunt together tomorrow for old times' sake? Through the eastern forest to the southern one. Time for revenge on those mutts."
Those wolves were already dead, their pelts left behind.
"I'd love to go with you, Tia. But..."
Judah trailed off. Tia was asking a lot of questions today. She seemed to be steering the conversation to avoid awkward pauses, like she had something to say. He'd planned to wait patiently, but lying atop her body was stirring reactions in certain areas. She might've noticed. In agony, he recited the national anthem in his mind while gazing at her. Maybe she even enjoyed his reactions.
"Tia."
"Yeah? What?"
"You've got something to tell me, right?"
"Hmm—Judah. My cute disciple. You know what I hate most?"
"Dunno."
Plenty of things came to mind, but none fit the moment.
"Smart kid. I was hoping for a nice long chat after so long, but you cut me off like this. Your master feels betrayed."
Betrayed, my foot—she squeezed his head against her chest with sneaky force. Judah groaned, his face involuntarily buried in soft flesh. At this point, her affections bordered on torture. He felt like he'd burst.
"Judah."
As he groaned, she eased up and lifted his head. With a small sigh, he met her gaze—she practically radiated 'Look me in the eyes!'
"Yeah."
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"My dream?"
She nodded. Judah hummed thoughtfully. Kids in this world had predictable dream jobs: mercenary, adventurer, mage, knight. Unlike his old world, where it was cop, firefighter, teacher. Of course, ending up in a job unrelated to your dreams happened everywhere. Tia mistook his pause for reluctance and spoke first.
"We've lived together two years, but we've never talked about our dreams for the future. Haven't thought about it?"
"No, I have."
He had a dream. Just couldn't say it outright. How could he tell her, "My dream? Becoming the Demon King!"? Technically a lord above that, but either way, no good. And pursuing it might naturally lead to corruption.
"Listen."
Thinking he was embarrassed, she shared her own dream.
"Judah, I wasn't always dreaming of being a mercenary. I became one just to survive. You get to live comfortably now because the captain claims to be your guardian, but I didn't have that."
Tia slowly opened up about her past, which she'd never shared before.
"Like you, I lost my parents young, but no one took me in. I knew nothing to survive this harsh world. Wandered the streets, stole stuff—your typical orphan life. Then I met the captain by chance, and he took me in."
"..."
"Under him, I learned, fought on blood-soaked battlefields, slew monsters with my sword, took commissions. With many comrades. Roamed regions, met countless people, saw comrades leave one by one—and that's when my dream formed."
Her eyes curved into a smile.
"It's not grand. You might laugh. It's that simple. Meet a man who loves me, whom I love, live a peaceful, quiet life. Kids would be nice, but not essential. Just a life where we feel happy together."
"Sounds easy but hard."
"Right? Harder than it seems."
The ordinary is toughest. Life doesn't end "happily ever after" like fairy tales. Love fades, affairs happen; bad luck brings murder; money breeds strife.
"But it's no laughingstock, Tia. It's a beautiful dream, worth pursuing. If it's what you want most, I'll cheer you on and help however I can. Ignore anyone who mocks it—they just don't get it."
Tia's eyes widened in surprise. A kid saying this? When she'd told fellow mercenaries, some laughed, others said rethink for something grander. Only a few nodded. She'd meant to ask his dream and offer help, but ended up baring her soul and getting support. She felt great. No wonder he was so lovable. She couldn't resist hugging him tight and nuzzling like a doll.
"How do you say such sweet things!"
Tia hoisted him up, peppering his cheeks and forehead with kisses, beaming in satisfaction.
"And that's what I wanted to say, Judah. Just as you'd help me, I want to help you. But after two years, I still don't know what you want to be or do. You have dreams, but won't share? Tell your master."
"Ha. Haha."
"I promise. No matter what, I won't laugh. I'll help seriously."
Help, huh. Grateful words, but clashing with her dream made it hard. Judah wove a half-truth with a bit of heart. No one'd suspect a kid lying so smoothly about dreams.
"My dream's not that big."
"It's fine, spill."
"Hmm, just... travel the continent. Visit Urun, land of revelry; Phloria, warriors' realm; Calypso, magic land with most towers; Byron and Baekje Empires vying for dominance. The scorching lands founded by beastmen, Dragon's Valley where dragons still live."
All held fragments of Perlnirn. If memory served and this world matched his, 11 of 24 fragments were on this continent, three missing even after 100 years. He knew their locations perfectly. To collect them, he'd visit everywhere he named. Not a lie.
"And my biggest wish: when the journey ends and I return, someone welcomes me warmly. Having a place to come back to—that's my real dream."
Aaaah, embarrassing!
Never thought I'd say this! He wanted to dive under covers, scrape off his goosebumps. But half-true. Nothing stabilized the heart like a home. Collect all fragments, return to original world? Or lack power, stuck here forever?
Then, back to Serenia Castle. Not full of fond memories, but a home free of prying eyes. Someone greeting his return happily? Pure joy.
"Huh?"
Whether his sincerity touched her or the earnestness surprised, she blurted foolishly. Judah continued.
"Tia—no, Tia. For my dream, in two years on my coming-of-age, I'll leave Serenia Castle. If you're okay with it, I'll give you this house then. You said you're looking to quit mercenary work and rest? If you like it here, stay. Ah, of course—this isn't dumping baggage. Leave anytime. Meet your love, make it your honeymoon ho—"
"Shh."
Tia pressed a finger to his lips, smiling warmly.
"No need to say more. I get it. But no worries."
"Huh?"
"I'll wait. Be at your homecoming spot."
Something struck a chord; her touch softened. Judah surrendered to her embrace. Then, a system alert flashed. Favorability, stuck stubbornly, rose 11 today; trust +10.
Had these risen this easily before?
========== Author's Note ==========
Sadly, no scene yet—hold your horses. Heh heh.
He's still a kid.
You gave so many coupons... forced into daily updates. Shouldn't, but.
Low word count.
But posted two at once.
Hit recommend?
Just leaving?
Hmm. Tricky.
Q. When's he an adult?
A. Pretty quick, actually. 15 is adult here. Legal age.
Q. When's prologue over?
A. This ain't prologue. Drool... Gotta progress naturally, though...