24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 54

Episode 54. The Arrow That Left the Bowstring (13)

Let’s say beastkin and humans cursing at each other is something I could tolerate, giving them the benefit of the doubt.

But this is human territory.

Telling a young child who can barely take care of themselves to get lost—isn’t that just being human scum?

The child wearing a hood pulled low bowed deeply again, apologizing for a long time.

But the response that came back was disgusting.

“Filthy bastard, wandering around without knowing your place.”

‘Wow, seriously, why do they even live?’

I glared at the man while suppressing my rising anger.

When my gaze turned toward the back, other customers began turning around, wondering what was happening.

The customers standing in front of the stall also clicked their tongues, seemingly sharing my thoughts.

Naturally, I thought they were clicking their tongues at the man cursing at the child.

But the reaction that came was completely different from what I expected.

“Filthy bastard, you crawled all the way here?”

The target of their curses wasn’t the man, but the child.

There were even people openly cursing at the child.

‘What the hell.’

I cursed inwardly too.

Of course, my curse wasn’t directed at that small child, but at the man who had become a candidate for human scum and the customers who had been downgraded from customers to scumbags.

Flustered by the contemptuous stares pouring down, the child hung their head low and ran away as if fleeing.

Like someone who knew this wasn’t a place where they belonged.

As the child ran, the hood of their hat was swept back.

Only after seeing that did I realize why people were hostile toward that child.

‘…Beastkin?’

Pointed ears protruding above straw-colored hair.

They weren’t as large as what I’d seen in the beastkin village, but anyone could tell they belonged to a beastkin.

The child, seemingly flustered, hurriedly pulled the hood back on and disappeared into the crowd.

That retreating figure was so pitiful that I forgot I was standing here as a money-obsessed merchant and could only stare blankly.

“Excuse me, I said I want a potion?”

Meanwhile, one of the women standing in front of my stall pressed me.

The woman holding a handful of gold coins and looking at me with a dissatisfied face was the same woman who had whispered “trash” at that child earlier.

I smiled kindly.

No matter how desperately I need money.

“I’m closing up shop for today.”

I won’t sell to human scum.

* * *

I entered the tavern feeling disgusted and unpleasant.

Anton was sitting at the corner table we had arranged to meet at.

“Anton.”

“Yes, Hae. I ordered two bowls ahead of time. How was business?”

Anton asked after me with a warm face, but I slumped down across from him and answered dryly.

“I just closed up and came. I saw something strange.”

“Why? Didn’t business go well?”

“No, it went well. It went well, but…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence and let out a deep sigh.

Of course, I didn’t sell everything.

Even Kang Yeon-hee had asked why I was selling B and C grade instead of A grade, so while A grade was definitely expensive, there seemed to be much more demand for it.

Thinking about it, the B and C grade potions I didn’t sell today might become dead stock.

‘Still, I felt too disgusted.’

In a world without potions, I’m the one with the upper hand selling potions.

And it’s not like I only do business here—the commission from Babel Square will come in soon too.

‘I don’t want to help people who curse at children just to make pocket change here.’

A staff member placed two bowls of stew in front of each of us, and I didn’t open my mouth until Anton picked up his spoon.

Anton, who had been stirring his stew, carefully spoke up.

“Something happened, didn’t it, Hae?”

“I saw a child.”

“A child?”

“A child with ears. Do you know about them, Anton?”

At my question, Anton’s hand stopped.

Then, with a darkened expression, he quietly muttered.

“You met Remi.”

“Is that child’s name Remi?”

“Yes, Remi. A very good child.”

Seeing him describe that pitiful child Remi as good, fortunately Anton seemed to be a different type from those human scum.

Thinking that, the anger I had tried to suppress earlier surged up again.

At the same time, I remembered the small shoulders of that child who had shrunk as if they were some kind of impurity in society.

And the behavior of grown adults who seemed to find that attitude naturally unpleasant.

I pressed my throbbing forehead and said.

“Even if they’re beastkin, they’re still a young child—shouldn’t they not be treated like that?”

“Remi isn’t beastkin.”

“What?”

But I saw pointed ears attached to that soft-looking head?

Anton continued speaking while clattering his spoon again.

“Remi was born between a human mother and a fox beastkin father. That’s why people hate them even more. They say Remi is neither beastkin nor human…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

Mixed blood.

Remi was a child who didn’t belong to either race.

Humans would reject them for having beastkin blood mixed in, and beastkin would look down on them for having human blood mixed in.

‘They’re not old enough to receive that kind of treatment.’

I muttered to myself.

What crime could a child who’s barely over 10 years old have committed?

“Wh-what about their parents?”

“They’ve already passed away. Remi’s mother died right after childbirth, and their father got caught up in Agemor’s erosion last year… Originally they lived in a house built on the outskirts of the village, but after both parents died, they couldn’t live alone in the forest, so I heard they came here.”

Anton’s voice grew quieter and quieter.

“How old are they?”

“11 years old.”

11 years old.

Isn’t this world too harsh for an 11-year-old—just elementary school age—to endure?

‘No, if it’s going to be like this, wouldn’t it be better to just let this entire dimension get eroded?’

…No, Clara still needs to give birth to her baby, and there’s the cute Echo living in Kona too.

I quietly calmed my misdirected anger and asked again.

“Did Remi do something wrong?”

“Of course not. They’re so good it’s a problem. They do laundry at the clinic and clean the stables, and even though they don’t get paid, they do all the menial work they’re told to do. They even go to deliver supplies to the front lines. That small child…”

Anton squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

His face showed deep sorrow as if it were his own child’s matter.

“Even when I try to help, everyone just looks at me strangely, and no one tries to help Remi.”

There was no way he could just ignore Remi like a stranger.

After all, Anton had a mixed-blood child with Clara, a swan Beastkin.

Having witnessed firsthand the humiliation a mixed-blood child faces among humans, how terrified he must have been.

I tried to gauge the countless worries Anton must be feeling and muttered quietly.

“People are so cruel.”

“That’s right. They really are terrible.”

Anton agreed weakly.

The stew had already cooled to lukewarm.

Fortunately, since I had completely lost my appetite, it didn’t matter.

* * *

I am Lee Hae-won who doesn’t hold back.

The very next day, as soon as I opened my eyes, I set out to find Remi.

Since he wasn’t at the stables, I went behind the medical tent and there he was, wearing his hood pulled down, doing laundry with his small hands.

His little hands were bright red as he struggled to wring out the clothes soaked in water.

“Hello, Remi.”

“Who are you?!”

At the sound of my voice, Remi jumped in surprise and turned around.

Though he had his hood pulled down deep, I could clearly see his small face filled with fear.

“You can call me Hae, I sell potions over there. And, um…”

Ah, come to think of it, I just came here without thinking of how to become friends.

I looked quietly at those eyes full of wariness and slowly opened my mouth.

“I saw you yesterday while selling potions, and the back of your head looked so soft. I wanted to pet it once, so I came to find you.”

Does that sound too perverted?

Sure enough, Remi hastily grabbed his hood.

Since I had given such a ridiculous reason, his wariness was natural.

I plopped down next to Remi and asked an ordinary question.

“Have you eaten?”

“…No.”

His eyes rolled around busily, wary of the pervert.

“Then would you eat with me? Uncle Anton is busy, so I have to eat breakfast alone.”

“…Are you friends with Uncle Anton?”

“Yeah, we’re friends. I’m also close with Uncle Anton’s wife.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Clara. I’ve even saved Clara before.”

Only then did Remi’s wariness begin to soften.

He must have already heard that the wife of the person who treated him kindly was a Beastkin.

When I said I knew not only Anton but also his wife Clara well, the childish fear in his small eyes had already changed to innocent curiosity.

‘I’m glad I saved Clara.’

Seeing that reminded me of Echo, and I felt genuinely happy.

I casually picked up some laundry and continued speaking.

“We can eat after finishing this, right? Let’s do it together.”

“Oh, no. If you’re nice to me, other people will look badly at you…”

Remi waved his hands worriedly.

This child was truly kind.

Kind enough to make my heart ache uncomfortably.

I deliberately ignored that feeling and acted childishly on purpose.

“But my hands are already wet?”

“Ah, th-then you can dry them…!”

“I want to do laundry too. Can’t we do it together?”

The ‘insistence technique’ isn’t something such an innocent child can handle.

Remi floundered and eventually hung his head low.

“Thank you…”

While doing laundry, I kept talking to Remi in a friendly manner.

I didn’t want to make him recall painful memories by asking about his life here, so I just told him about my adventures.

When I talked about my Dark Mage friend Necros, even Remi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

He opened his eyes wide at the story of cutting through prison doors to save Clara, and his face filled with emotion when I told him about giving Alessandro a house.

It was quite cute how his emotions showed clearly on his face.

“We finished so quickly! It really ended fast!”

By the time the laundry was done, Remi was looking at me with clear eyes without any wariness.

‘Cute.’

To curse such a pure child, damn those humans.

I took out two sandwiches from my Inventory and offered him one.

“This is just for you. The old man at my house made it, and it’s really delicious.”

“A gift…!”

Remi’s eyes sparkled.

Was this his first time receiving a gift?

The sandwich that Alessandro had cutely wrapped with his pot-lid-sized hands was a gift that would disappear when eaten, but Remi was simply delighted at the word ‘gift.’

Remi’s face, excited without any wariness, radiated the innocence of a young child.

Yes, this is how a child should smile.

“Thank you.”

“Alright, then can I pet your head just once now?”

“Y-yes.”

Remi carefully took off his hood and turned around.

His straw-like light ochre hair gleamed with luster.

I carefully placed my palm on his worried little head.

Perhaps because it was Brother Lee Hae-on’s hand, Remi’s head fit entirely in one hand.

“It’s really soft.”

As expected of a fox.

When I petted his head, Remi seemed pleased and wiggled his toes while letting out a small laugh.

I could clearly see his cheeks rising, so I held back my own laughter.

It was a peaceful moment that was hard to believe we were on the front lines.

That’s why I couldn’t predict that afternoon, Remi would be carried into the medical tent covered in blood.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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