A Night at Mary's House (4)
『(Choice) Spending Time at Mary's House』
You headed to her house with the two girls right after wrapping up everything.
It was already the second night on the road.
The inn you'd been staying at had a noisy restaurant downstairs, making it impossible to get any proper rest.
- Why on earth would they rent out a place like this as lodging? It's so loud you can't even relax properly.
- In that case, why don't you come to our house tonight?
She mentioned there were a lot of kids but it was surprisingly quiet, so after some thought, you accepted the offer.
Hmm, well. Were you really just thinking it over?
You go around telling everyone in the unit that you hate kids, but that's not true at all, is it?
Even when you saw Lucy—the kidnapped child who'd been tossed into the sewers—you got unusually worked up.
If Mary hadn't blocked your way saying she needed to extract information, you would've blasted her with White Flame and turned her to ash on the spot.
'It was just a whim. Plus, I have some questions for Mary anyway.'
...Sure, let's go with that.
In any case, the ash-gray girl's house was located on the west side of the Sanctuary.
The streets were filled with stench, filth, and rats the size of small dogs, turning your stomach.
'People live in a place like this?'
You couldn't expect much from a world that had already ended, but even accounting for that, the conditions were abysmal.
Screeech. As you pushed open the screaming door, no fewer than six children rushed out to greet your group.
"Sis...! Where's Lucy...!?"
"I managed to bring her back safe."
"Lucy!!"
Soon, kids poured out of the house, swarming the kidnapped girl—Lucy.
"Wait a second!"
Mary tried to intervene urgently, but the children were relentless.
Are you okay? Not hurt anywhere? What the hell happened? I told you to stick with us!
The kids chattered from all directions.
She'd definitely said it was quiet, but of course that couldn't be true.
How could kids ever be quiet? Even in a hellhole like this, they're still just kids.
You let out a chuckle.
See? Isn't it so much better to be honest?
And the kidnapped girl's reaction was the most genuine of all.
Lucy seemed annoyed by her friends crowding around, biting her lip before thrusting out both hands.
"Talking... hard. I tired."
Then, as if it were no big deal, she waved them off dismissively and vanished into the back room.
An overly mature response, even for someone so precocious.
The other kids sighed in resignation—it clearly wasn't the first time—and stepped aside to let her pass.
"That's Lucy, alright."
"I told you. Worrying about her's just a waste for us."
"But sis Mary... who's that uncle next to you?"
The oldest boy eyed you warily.
His hands trembled with tension.
Your scarred face and imposing build were more than enough to scare any child.
The vivid scar across your face, your thick crimson hair and beard.
Your fierce features had even startled your own daughter more than once.
So it was only natural for total strangers to be on guard.
After a moment's thought, you crouched down to meet the boy's eyes and spoke.
You gave your mustache a light tug to draw his attention.
"I'm not an uncle—I'm a grandpa. And a very great wizard."
"A wizard!?"
The boy's eyes went wide.
Kids go crazy for wizards and knights.
When you casually conjured a flame in your palm, the boy literally jumped for joy.
"Whoa!! A real wizard?!"
"That's right. I came to check if you listen to your big sis. But... it looks like you don't, huh?"
You shot Mary a glance.
She stared at you in shock, mouth agape at this side of you, before snapping back to reality.
"Yeah! You guys are always giving me headaches, so the wizard gramps came to punish you naughty ones~! See that scar? He's a super scary wizard grandpa, so from now on, you have to go out in groups of three or more, got it?"
Punish you naughty ones, gramps.
The kids nodded vigorously, faces tense.
"Got it, sis! Gramps looks really scary, so we'll listen!"
A pure, unfiltered response.
Your eyes met Mary's for a split second, and you both burst out laughing.
"Haha, do I really look that scary?"
"Good grief, you have the nerve to ask? Anyway, you're surprisingly good with kids, uncle."
"...Is that a problem?"
"No! It's great. But aren't you hungry? Feels like everything from the sewers is already digested... Let's eat and rest quick!"
"Sounds good."
You followed the girl deeper into the shabby house...
What was this strange sense of peace settling in your heart?
Of course, the house's condition was exactly as you'd expected.
You weren't much for everyday magic, but even a first-year academy student could drastically improve life here with basic spells.
You used restoration magic to fix the crumbling house and furniture in a snap, then whipped up a tasty stew from the rotting ingredients in the mini-fridge.
Toxins or spoilage? Magic handled that easily.
A 5th-circle mage could manage basic necessities without breaking a sweat.
"D-delicious!"
"Gramps!! Awesome!! Coolest wizard grandpa ever!!"
That alone was enough to win over Mary and the seven kids.
They dove face-first into the freshly restored wooden bowls, slurping up the stew.
"Eat slowly, slowly. I can make more stew anytime."
"No way... Can all wizards do stuff like this? There are scavengers who use magic, but I've never seen anyone pull this off."
"Don't compare me to those lowly scum. Maybe council mages, but not them."
"Yesterday you said not to compare to the council either."
"Then just don't compare at all! There's no mage here stronger than me anyway."
"Fair point. Burning a sewer slime from the core... that was insane. Ah, I'm stuffed!"
With dinner done, it was time for the main topic.
"Night night, gramps!"
"Sleep well."
"Goodnight! Thanks for the yummy dinner!!"
After sending the kids off to bed.
You and Mary began discussing tomorrow's reclamation op.
"The monsters nesting in the Haganelle Industrial Complex come in two types: Venom Spider Hounds and Steam Golems."
"You talk like you've been there."
"Of course. I'm the Sanctuary's top scout, you know."
"Hits home how the world's gone to hell when a little bloodsack like you is scouting. You're what, seventeen max?"
"Huh? Uncle! I'm twenty!"
"Hm?"
You doubted your ears.
Twenty?
You figured she was three or four years older than the oldest boy, tops.
"......"
You were at a loss for words.
Painful memories you couldn't erase flooded back.
Twenty—the same age as someone you'd lost fifteen years ago.
"What? I know I'm short and look young... Is it that shocking?"
"No, it's not that... Sorry. Never pegged you for a full-grown adult."
"Even in this messed-up world, they don't send kids on 'scouts'..."
"Anyway! Why reclaim the whole complex?" You swiftly changed the subject.
It wasn't a pleasant memory, and you couldn't forget your mission in this world.
"Simple. We're running low on ammo and guns."
"You mean those magic rifles? Interesting toys, but I'm not sure they're effective against those monsters."
"They work fine! For tomorrow's Venom Spider Hounds from the factory, my baby—Summerfield MK.1—is plenty."
"That firepower handles small fry, sure. But for big ones?"
"Uh... If you mean something like that Ness you one-shotted, no chance. I just hid back then too. We stick to Wendigo zones—still don't get why a Ness popped up."
"Then there's no huge merit in risking a full reclaim. Those guns are just for picking off small monsters. What weapon's more flawed—getting neutralized by the slightest hassle?"
A reasonable doubt. You'd seen it in the sewers.
Sewer slimes shrugged off Mary's shots with minimal damage.
Even unit leader Maleks wore "anti-magic armor"—dense mana-tempered fibers.
Without precise head or limb shots, rifles couldn't neutralize him.
Of course, as the player, you didn't know the rifles' nerfing was to spike game difficulty.
Mary shrugged at your confusion and added,
"Can't kill 'em? At least we decide how they die, right?"
In that instant.
A stabbing pain wrenched your heart. Amid an uncontrollable emotional eruption like a sudden volcano, you grabbed Mary's shoulders and roared,
"——Shut your damn mouth with that bullshit!"
"Eek!! W-what the hell, suddenly!?"
"No matter how you die, it's just a dog's death! You think it's easy, leaving the survivors behind like that!?"
"Huh?! What are you even—."
"Hah! Huff, huff, haa...!!"
You snapped back to reality. Beeeep.
Twisted vision, ringing vibrations in your ears. Clutching your throbbing head, gasping ragged breaths—
Screeech.
"Sis...? Gramps...?"
The bedroom door where the kids had gone to sleep creaked open. A girl with ash-gray hair just like Mary's rubbed her eyes and approached.
It was Lucy.
