Starting a Reversal in Life From the Time of Release

16 – Who are you? (2)

“Geeeh…!”

At the entrance leading to the no man’s land.

Mari was stretching and loosening her stiff body.

She didn’t show any surprise when she encountered the unfamiliar walls and architectural style for the first time.

A world of difference lay between her and me, who were astonished by each brick.

However, she eventually widened her eyes in front of the car.

“Teacher, what is this? The material is peculiar, but it looks like a carriage with wheels….”

“Ah, this is called a car. It’s something that doesn’t exist in your world.”

“A car? Does it mean a carriage that moves on its own?”

“That’s right.”

I opened the car door and motioned for Mari, who was taken aback, to sit in the passenger seat.

“Just wait here for a moment. I’ll go to the main building and make the return report.”

“Is it okay for you to go alone? If something happens…”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll finish quickly and come back.”

Leaving a worried Mari in the car, I immediately went to the main building and made the return report.

The employees were very surprised, as more than a month had passed since the day of my entry report.

“Wow…! How could you be there for over a month?”

“I got caught up in things and it got late.”

There were times when the conversation dragged on, but I managed to get through it smoothly.

Thanks to that, I was able to finish the return report quickly and return in the car.

“Welcome back. Did everything go well?”

As soon as I returned, Mari asked me how I was.

She seemed genuinely curious and worried.

“Yes, everything went well.”

Actually, there was nothing much to the return report.

I picked up Mari, but if I just put her in the car like this, it would be easy to overlook her, and they didn’t really check people going out from inside.

“Oh! Wait a moment.”

I was about to insert the key into the car and start the engine when suddenly I remembered that I had unplugged the battery cable.

I used to unplug the cable so that it wouldn’t discharge while I was outside, not knowing when I would come back.

So I connected the cable again and returned to start the engine, and fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any major problems.

It seemed like this newly acquired car could endure better.

Although everything was going smoothly now, I made up my mind to get the car checked as soon as possible.

“Oh, the seatbelt needs to be fastened.”

Mari seemed unfamiliar with cars, so she didn’t even know what a seatbelt was.

So I slightly leaned forward and pulled the seatbelt, securing it.

When I saw the belt pressing against my chest, it felt like my breath was being squeezed out as well.

“Ugh… It’s getting impatiently stuffy.”

Marie frowned slightly while adjusting her seatbelt.

She seemed quite frustrated.

“I’m wearing it in preparation for a collision. If you don’t wear it, your body might fly forward, or you could bounce around inside the car, leading to a more significant accident.”

“Well… In that case, I guess I should wear it.”

Ah! Marie seemed to have a good idea, as she sighed in a low voice.

Observing her, wondering what she was thinking, she said, “This way, it doesn’t feel stuffy at all,” as she tucked the seatbelt between her deep collarbones.

“Uh… That’s right. We’re ready to go now. Don’t be too startled.”

With nothing more to say, I mumbled and started the engine.

I don’t understand why just fastening a seatbelt can be so stimulating.

Sometimes it was the same with Sehanul and Iyeoreum.

And when people like Nambora rode, it seemed like they didn’t make a big deal out of it…

“Wow…! It just goes straight ahead without saying anything?!”

As we passed through the checkpoint and drove on the road, Marie asked with great astonishment.

“Yes. It’s a thing that moves using fuel as its energy source. No talking involved.”

“So, is the thing you’re holding right now like a rein?”

“It’s similar. If you think of the steering wheel, the accelerator I’m stepping on, and the brake next to it all combined, it’s like a rein.”

I didn’t know much, but I heard that when you ride a horse, you control direction, acceleration, and deceleration all with just one rein.

So, in comparison to a car, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the accelerator, brake, and steering wheel are all combined.

“The road is really smooth, and there are so many different-looking cars. And why are the buildings so tall…”

Marie kept admiring the scenery outside the car window as it changed.

It might be because she was genuinely surprised, but there was also a feeling that she wanted to engage in a conversation with me.

Perhaps she was doing this because she was bored just sitting there.

So, I did my best to match her enthusiasm as we suddenly arrived in front of my house.

“All these tall buildings are Seohu’s houses?”

Marie looked at the apartment through the window, her eyes filled with wonder.

Was that a good thing?

Or maybe a bad thing, an absurd thought crossed my mind.

“No, among those many rooms, one of them is my home. This kind of building is called an apartment, where several people live together.”

“Ah… I see.”

Mary nodded as if she understood and unbuckled her seatbelt on her own.

Though it wasn’t a difficult task to unbuckle the seatbelt, it looked strangely fascinating.

“How does this thing move?”

“I think it moves with electricity and pulleys. I don’t really know the details of how it works.”

Even when she got on the elevator with her backpack.

Even when she opened the door lock.

Even when she looked at a common iron gate.

I thought to myself that Mary had a lot of curiosity.

However, she needed things from that other world.

Things that would be good to reproduce.

Things that would be good to study, etc.

It didn’t mean that she was just asking out of pure curiosity.

At least that’s how I saw it.

“It feels a bit cramped… but it’s nice. Do all the people here live in houses like this?”

Mary took off her shoes and entered the living room, asking as she unpacked her backpack.

She felt awkward about taking off her shoes like Westerners, but she found it amusing.

“No, it’s an old but fairly decent apartment… not everyone can live in rooms like this.”

Some people live in semi-basements, and some live in ordinary one-room apartments or houses.

In other words, there was a variety.

“Hmm… it’s similar to us. The fact that where you live depends on your circumstances.”

Mary smiled with a touch of bitterness, then sat down on the living room floor as if she had always done so.

“Since the house is dirty, I’ll start cleaning. Please wait a moment.”

I was about to go to the bathroom, looking at the slightly dusty floor, when Mary suddenly got up.

“I’ll help with the cleaning too.”

“Huh? You, Mary?”

The princess cleaning, not someone else?

Looking at me with an astonished gaze, Mary replied with a twisted mouth.

It was an answer that seemed to clearly see through my thoughts.

“Here in this world, I am neither a princess nor anything else. I’m just a woman who knows how to handle a bit of mana. So, please don’t feel too burdened, and you don’t have to treat me as someone superior.

She actively highlighted the fact that she had even done household chores.

If broadening one’s perspective by personally doing what one can is part of Gallian royal education, then I brought out cleaning tools, explained how to use them, and divided the area to clean together.

Despite her saying so, there’s a high possibility that she might act like a princess.

Because of that thought, my heart was slightly anxious, but in the end, nothing happened.

She managed everything as she had spoken.

Moreover, quite meticulously.

“Have you really cleaned before?”

“You didn’t believe me?”

As I casually asked, Mari subtly shifted her gaze.

I felt a pang of guilt, as if I had questioned her abilities.

“I’m sorry. It just seemed strange that a princess would know how to clean.”

“Well… that’s mostly how nobles are.”

Mari lightly laughed, acknowledging the likelihood of having prejudices, then glanced around and asked, “Right. Which room should I sleep in? Since cleaning is done, I feel like I should unpack my things.”

“Oh, that room.”

I pointed towards the guest room, and Mari nodded, rising to her feet, gripping her backpack tightly.

“Thank you.”

Leaving a word of gratitude, she made her way to the guest room.

It was nerve-wracking to think she would now be living in the same house as me.

Even though I knew it would be this way, there was nothing I could do about it.

It felt drastically different from reality.

Just looking at it now,

“Shiho, can you help me for a moment? I want to take a shower.”

She emerged in light clothing, mentioning her desire to shower. The underwear and thin clothes in her hands caught my eye.

“Yes, just a moment.”

I suppressed my embarrassment and casually guided her to the bathroom, even explaining how to use shampoo and body wash.

Including the use of the shower, the location of the towels, and everything in between.

“Thank you.”

I put down Marry, who was smiling bashfully, and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

As I watched the boring broadcast on the TV screen, my overheated head quickly cooled down.

It reached the point where I even yawned.

Thanks to that, I thought about taking a nap with a relaxed mind,

“Shifu, do people in this world always use that kind of thing when they shower? It smells so good?”

The moment I saw Marry, who came out wearing only a thin, white dress, not like a princess at all.

I felt my cooled head gradually heat up.

“Yes…most people do. But is all the clothes you brought like that?”

“Clothes? Ah.”

Marry wiped her wet hair on her cheek and clapped her hands.

“I’m sorry. Was it unpleasant to see? I used to do this a lot when I was in Sukyeongji Manor, so it became a habit. Sometimes I do it in the palace too. That’s why it doesn’t get better.”

Perhaps because she lived rough, she had no qualms about being exposed.

As I wondered how to respond, I opened my mouth, remembering the sinister people.

Since my job was my job, I was somewhat accustomed to rough environments.

At least I reached the point where I could talk without feeling embarrassed.

“No. It’s a problem because it looks too good. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Ah…I see.”

Perhaps the men over there would feel awkward and flustered when they see that appearance.

They would probably tell her to change her clothes quickly, or to protect her dignity.

However, it was the first time a man had reacted like this, and a pleased smile appeared on Marry’s lips.

“Then, would you please dry my hair?”

As Marry approached with a sinister gaze, I involuntarily sighed.

It seemed that Marry would need to buy more clothes soon.

The clothes she wore in the palace were luxurious, but they all emphasized her figure, leaving no room for imagination.

If Marry wasn’t voluptuous, it would be a different story.

“Please. If you teach me once, I’ll do it myself next time.”

Finally, Marry quietly sat next to me and smiled, glancing at me.

The shampoo scent emanating from her still slightly damp hair was quite fragrant.

“I’ll go get the hairdryer.”

I got up from my seat as if I was shaking off Mari’s scent and went to my room.

Because the hairdryer was in my room.

uuung. As I was trying to take the hairdryer out of the room, my cellphone, which I had put in my pocket, vibrated.

When I took out my cellphone, Seo Hanuel’s name appeared on the screen.

[Shifu, are you okay?! I’ve been worried because you’ve been in the demilitarized zone for over a month!]

As soon as I answered the phone, Seo Hanuel’s surprised voice boomed through the speaker.

It was a voice so loud that it felt like my ears were tearing apart.

I touched my forehead in dizziness and replied.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was so deeply immersed in hunting demons that I was very late.”

[Really… I’m so relieved.]

Seo Hanuel was really worried.

She thought about coming to see me, but she was afraid it would be a bother.

She held back because she thought I might be annoyed, and continued the conversation in an excited voice.

In fact, it could be said that it was more of a monologue.

“Well. I’ll return the camping equipment and purification stones to you. When should we meet?”

[What? No! Just keep them! As you know, they’re not that expensive…]

“Well, that’s true. Anyway, when and where should we meet…”

While I was making plans to meet for a long time, Mari, who was in the living room, came into my room.

She alternated her gaze between my face and the cellphone pressed against my ear, and asked with sparkling eyes.

It was a strange sight because she was using the cellphone that I had just shown her.

“Is this your first time using it yourself? Are you in the middle of a call that you explained?”

It was natural for Mari to ask about the cellphone, and it wasn’t a big problem.

She would be very curious, after all.

But…

[Shifu… is there someone next to you?]

Seo Hanuel’s trembling voice seemed to be a problem.