NOVEL NEXT Chapter 307
“Mommy~ Mommmmy~”
As soon as the little one burst into tears upon entering the front door, she was 박은영, the daughter born to 정재 and 마거릿.
Margaret, who was in the middle of vacuuming, momentarily stopped when she heard her daughter’s cries and rushed toward the entrance. 정재, not halting his chopping of carrots, slightly turned his head toward the doorway.
“What happened, my daughter? Did someone bully you at kindergarten?”
Margaret hurried over to 은영, checking her body for any signs of injury or noticeable marks.
Even with the keen gaze of a high elf, there were no visible signs of harm on her daughter. However, seeing her daughter continue to cry, Margaret sighed deeply, realizing the situation.
“Did the kids tease you again?”
“The kids at kindergarten said my ears are too long, my eyes look weird, and called me a monster, waaaaaah!”
“I’ve explained countless times, but listen well. Any race will naturally feel discomfort when others who are different try to mix in. It’s a homework for us to endure and solve, to be feared and rejected as a great but rootless race like ours. But when it comes to eye color, that’s puzzling. There are plenty of people with blue eyes like us on this planet too.”
“Things have gotten better these days, but it’s tough for kids to grow up facing that. Discrimination is severe even among young children.”
정재 added as he stopped cooking. Due to various circumstances, he had been the one handling most of the cutting and cooking since Margaret couldn’t stand to see him wielding a knife.
“And also, they call my dad a zombie and a walking corpse, waaaaaah…”
At that, 정재 chuckled. It seemed that 은영 had clearly heard stories about him from television. Besides, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Unbeknownst to 정재 himself, his death had indeed been a prominent topic nationwide. The incident had been discussed so widely that rumors circulated that the library at Seoul National University was undergoing renovations to prevent anyone from dying due to “books raining down.”
However, that had honestly been 정재’s mistake, not a structural issue with the library. Regardless, he had passed away and had a proper funeral, and after five years, he was getting quite comfortable in his status as a corpse.
Yet, suddenly this man appeared saying, “This person is my girlfriend…” while bringing a tall-eared elf with him—what a bizarre situation it was. There was quite the uproar. DNA tests were broadcast live, reporters flooded the maternity ward where 정재 was born to check for hidden twins, only to be stopped by the medical staff…
His parents had nearly fainted, and friends had quizzed 정재 with insider information only he would know to verify his “authenticity.” In the midst of it all, even Margaret, who was obviously an “elf,” had become a talking point, leaving even kindergarten kids with no choice but to see news about him online or on television.
Although their plans for a peaceful life on Earth were shattered, 정재 found a sort of joy in this unexpected adventure of life. At the very least, despite a five-year gap in work, they weren’t financially deprived thanks to the buzz surrounding them.
But contrary to 정재’s humorous dismissal, Margaret’s expression seemed a bit unusual.
“Wizard.”
“Ah, yes, Your Highness.”
There’s a long-held adage in married life:
“When the wife calls you by your name, you’re in trouble.”
While there could be individual differences, calling him ‘정재’ or ‘박정재’ signified affection, so it wasn’t a cause for worry.
However, when titles like “wizard” or “sorcerer” came out, it was time to feel tense. That would mean Margaret was very displeased for some reason.
“Bring me my weapon. It seems there are things that need some education.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
정재 quickly hid the knife across the sink and said.
“Oh, I’m just going to scare you for a moment. If you saw my shenanigans on television, you would know very well that it’s only necessary to give a brief glimpse…”
“Don’t forget your musket was confiscated under the firearm possession law, right?”
“That’s just the law of this country; what can I do about it?”
“There are similar laws about swords too. Thanks to all the buzz, they hastily issued a permit, but if you cause even a minor incident, it will be confiscated right away?”
At this, Margaret made a conflicted expression.
“No matter what, I don’t want to lose the sword I personally gifted unless it’s from the person I gave it to. That won’t do. In that case, at least the kitchen knife—”
“Margaret, we already have four kids.”
정재 shook his head with a serious expression.
“I really want to avoid a situation where you go to jail and I end up doing all the parental duties alone.”
At some point, 은영’s crying had ceased. Seeing Margaret call 정재 “wizard,” she had realized the situation and dashed into the room.
Margaret shrugged as if accepting the circumstances and gave a wry smile.
“When you explained your world to me, I thought it would be based on some sort of liberal ideals. But how can a world that assigns unique numbers to individuals and doesn’t allow people to live normally without them be grounded in freedom?”
“If you ask like that, I really won’t have anything to say.”
정재 had truly run out of words. Margaret understood that 정재 didn’t stand as a spokesperson for all of Korea’s issues, so she didn’t press him further on societal problems.
The world’s political terrain was absurdly complex, the structures of incomprehensible investment products, the madness of those jumping headfirst into them, wars fought for unfathomable reasons—puzzling justifications for violence…
As soon as Margaret began studying this world, she thought, “Now I understand why 바이올렛 모리아티 confidently claimed she could conquer this world in an instant.”
Though the start of their life on Earth, in Korea, was not so positive, Margaret soon adapted. More than adapting, she started to think that living in this world wasn’t so bad.
Especially since 정재 was by her side. Their kids were running around together.
Oh, they were indeed running around. This was the fourth floor.
“Kiddos! Didn’t I tell you not to run inside the house? How much do you think the people downstairs are suffering that they haven’t even come to complain, I—”
Margaret hurriedly dashed into the kids’ room. In the period when noise complaints were becoming a major issue, the polite neighbor from downstairs had heard about the “famous martial arts genius elf” living here and stopped complaining, no matter how loud the children got from the next day onward.
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, even when Margaret brought a gift as a peace offering, there were no signs of improvement in their neighborly relations. Nevertheless, isn’t life about solving such trivial problems?
Having finally calmed the kids down, the mother returned to the kitchen.
“There sure are a lot of kids, right?”
정재 asked. Margaret shook her head.
“Not enough yet, dear.”
“Huh?”
The term “dear” was more dangerous in some ways than “wizard.”
“Not enough? How many do you want to have?”
“Well, you know. Your favorite baseball team. I think I can play much better than them.”
“Of course, you will do better than those guys…”
“Then wouldn’t it make sense to fill the roster with our kids?”
“You want to make a baseball team? Nine players?”
정재 asked, struggling to still his trembling hands. Margaret shook her head.
“No, that wouldn’t count the designated hitter.”
“Why add such a strange detail?”
“But we need at least one backup catcher, and a single pitcher can’t pitch every inning. There’s a lot to consider. Let’s think about it slowly from tonight, dear.”
“Wait, wait. Don’t add everything one by one. You’re not planning to create subs, pinch runners, and set-up men, right?”
When Margaret heard 정재’s words, her expression showed she found his suggestion intriguing.
“I hadn’t thought of that, but for you to voice such an assertive opinion, it feels like our thoughts align, which reassures me. Don’t worry too much. I’m confident I can match whatever number you desire. Though my lifespan may be shortened, my ability to be immortal hasn’t vanished. I’ll be perfectly fine until you wither away, probably.”
Even Margaret wouldn’t be ignorant enough to not realize that she was the one who’d cause him to “wither away.” She probably knew it all along.
“Think about it. Some of our children will be born as high elves, while some as humans. Let’s consider the world they’ll have to endure after we vanish. They need siblings. The looks and treatment they’ll have to face. Once we fade away in time, the only ones who can support them will be each other, their remaining kin. You understand well why I’m going to such lengths.”
With Margaret’s unexpected straightforward reasoning, 정재 felt he couldn’t counter her. Yes, he had a wise wife. In this world, an extraordinarily wise wife.
Such was 정재’s life—a continuous adventure.
It had been so five years ago, and now, five years later, the adventure had yet to conclude.
Heavenly ones, please grant that he may safely conclude this adventure.