Ren’s expression was struck by Tein’s innocent eyes.

Ren was reminded once again that he could be kicked out at any time if he lived carelessly.

‘It’s only been a day since I was allowed to stay together. Already it’s stirring up a sense of crisis.’

It wasn’t time to relax just because he had barely overcome Sharti’s iron wall.

Now he had to face the problems that had arisen in reality. He had to make up for his mistakes and become a person who did his part so that Sharti wouldn’t overwork herself.

But when it came to actually making a plan, he was at a complete loss.

“Lazy men are unpopular.”

“What?”

When Ren didn’t say anything, Tein spoke firmly with a resolute face.

“Diligent men are loved.”

“…Who said such a thing?”

Ren asked back with a disgruntled face at the vocabulary choice that was unlike a child.

He had great doubts about the child’s educational views.

“Elder sister Birena said so!”

Ren traced back his memories. Besides Bireta and Tein, there was one more person who had climbed up that dawn.

A young woman with the same hair color as Tein, who looked exactly like Bireta.

Ren stroked his chin as he recalled Birena’s appearance.

‘She was the first one to call me a runaway slave.’

As Ren remembered, Birena had watched him with great interest as he took care of Sharti without any sign of wariness despite their sudden first meeting.

“And what else did she say?”

Ren asked, keeping in mind that Birena’s age seemed similar to Sharti’s.

It was better to start by conquering those around her to gain Sharti’s favor.

Taking a respectful attitude towards Bireta was along the same lines.

“You shouldn’t make a woman suffer!”

“…”

Ren closed his mouth at Tein’s innocent teaching.

It didn’t seem like any more advice would be particularly helpful to him.

“Ren needs to try hard.”

Ren hid his disgruntlement at the pitiful encouragement sent by the young child.

By this point, it felt like they were collectively brainwashing him not to be a burden to Sharti.

And he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Despite being excessive, they truly cherished Sharti.

“Raising a person costs a lot of money. Feeding, clothing, and housing them is not an easy task. And Ren is big, so it costs even more money.”

“…”

The laughter disappeared.

More precisely, it wasn’t a time to laugh.

‘If I make Shar suffer, it seems I’ll be kicked out by this kid’s family,’

It’s not an illusion to feel Bireta’s or Birena’s glaring eyes behind Tein’s unexpected advice.

Anyway, one way or another, to gain approval, he needed to find a job.

“I don’t have a clear idea of exactly what I should do, but as my doctor, you’ll give me some advice, right?”

“…!”

Tein, who had been squatting down with Ren, suddenly looked up with sparkling eyes.

He was still pleased with being called a doctor.

Tein nodded his small head up and down repeatedly.

“I’m smarter than Ren! Even though I’m young, I can give advice!”

“…”

The corners of Ren’s mouth twitched slightly.

But as always, he maintained his calm expression.

Ren took a serious attitude towards the consultation.

“How can one make money here? I’m curious about what kind of jobs there are.”

“In the mountains, we hunt. And we sell leather to make money. Or we make clothes. Elder sister Birena takes sewing jobs, and the teacher makes and sells herbs or ointments.”

Tein chattered with his small mouth, filled with a sense of mission as a doctor.

Ren folded his arms as he listened to Tein’s explanation.

Being a mountain village, job opportunities were limited, and there didn’t seem to be any jobs immediately available to him.

‘At least I can chop firewood, but…’

Logically, no one in a mountain village would buy firewood separately.

Ren glanced aside. Due to the fireplace being blocked again, the firewood he had diligently chopped was still piled up behind the log cabin.

Suddenly, a curiosity arose.

“How much does a magic stone cost?”

“Uh…”

Tein rolled his large eyes back and forth.

Not seeming to know the exact amount, he repeatedly opened and closed his short fingers.

Soon, Tein pouted his lips dejectedly.

“I don’t know. It’s very expensive.”

Ren’s large hand patted the disheartened Tein’s head.

As expected, there was a reason why Sharti kept them separately.

Although finding a job was still daunting, at least he could set a purchase goal.

‘If there were more magic stones, we could spend the winter warmly.’

He wanted Sharti to no longer have to choose between darkness and cold water, to be able to take a bath with warm water with the lights on in the bathroom.

‘Since she climbs the mountain often, at least I could help relieve her fatigue.’

If a massage was added to that, it would be enough to make Sharti lov…

At the thought that unconsciously came to mind, Ren covered his mouth. His face hardened like someone caught having improper thoughts.

Ren’s earlobes reddened as he met Tein’s bright, sparkling eyes.

“So, what kind of work does your grandmother do?”

“Grandmother does mercenary work!”

It was an unnatural change of subject, but Tein was absorbed in the consultation.

“…Mercenary?”

“Grandmother is a mercenary with excellent swordsmanship! Smart and strong, grandmother is a popular mercenary!”

Ren, who had been surprised to hear Bireta’s occupation, regained his composure.

Ren remembered Bireta, who had stood out from her hunched posture.

She possessed a sharply refined aura that could never be felt from an ordinary elderly person.

“Do you know specifically what kind of work mercenaries do?”

“I’ve heard they get what’s needed or protect people!”

Tein’s shoulders even shook with pride as he boasted about his grandmother.

In her younger days, Bireta had mainly taken on dangerous requests, but since her grandchildren were born, she only accepted short and simple requests. Of course, she was rejecting all assassination requests or messy factional dispute requests that she couldn’t be proud of in front of her grandchildren.

‘A mercenary, huh.’

Ren stroked his chin as he stared at the old log cabin.

Roughly summarizing, a mercenary seemed to be something like an errand runner.

It was a profession that he, who had nothing but his body and could only do physical labor, could challenge.

‘Was she thinking of taking me along and training me as a mercenary?’

It was a natural misconception.

“Do mercenaries earn a lot of money?”

“Grandmother has brought back meat before!”

Requests weren’t just for monetary compensation.

Above all, since Tein was still lacking in studying real-world prices, he explained in terms of meat for Ren to understand easily.

‘Come to think of it, that old lady did say that. That sha was so expensive she couldn’t even think about it…’

Ren’s face became complicated as he learned the approximate market price of meat.

Sharti had cooked soup with that expensive meat, and the bowl full of meat chunks was always his portion.

Whenever Ren showed his discomfort, strangely reluctant, Sharti’s excuse was always the same.

“…Does your teacher like meat?”

The voice that came out after scratching his throat flowed low and uncomfortably.

Tein tilted his head as if he didn’t understand Ren’s question.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t like meat?”

“…”

Ren hung his head low. He wanted to bang his head against a wall somewhere.

It wasn’t unexpected. Nor had he failed to notice Sharti’s lie.

So now, having confirmed the truth, he regretted even more not having acted more tactfully when he had let those moments pass.

“The teacher likes something else.”

“What?”

Ren lifted his head abruptly.

Tein tapped his own head.

“She likes hairpins.”

“…”

There wasn’t even a single piece of jewelry, let alone hairpins, in Sharti’s house. He hadn’t seen any in her bedroom either.

But Ren believed Tein’s words.

It didn’t seem likely that Sharti, who had no material desires, would spend money on hairpins that weren’t even necessities. What use would she have for accessories when she always hid her hair and face with a hooded robe and covered her body with a drab robe?

“Still, you should give her a different gift. The teacher needs many things.”

Even a woman’s accessory with just a single pretty pebble attached could be expensive. With that price, it would be more beneficial to buy necessities that Sharti needed.

That’s why Birena had given Sharti the small lamp on her desk as a gift.

“I understand. I’ll remember that.”

Tein smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling at Ren’s response.

Ren patted the head of the admirable little one who was thinking of the teacher once more.

‘Then how much more money do I need to earn?’

Ren’s worries deepened.

How much would it cost to buy magic stones, necessities, and even hairpins?

Ren glanced at the old log cabin.

Fortunately, someone who could solve his worries was in the house right now.

“Let’s go back inside.”

Ren got up from his seat, hiding his impatience.

Tein followed behind Ren, who was striding back to the log cabin, with quick steps.

Tein grinned as he looked up at the large back that could only be fully contained by tilting his head all the way back.

Another reliable back was etched into the child’s eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

While Sharti was tutoring Tein in the room, Bireta sat on the sofa facing Ren.

The mutt who had been squatting in the grass with her grandson was now standing in front of the sofa with a determined expression.

Ren opened his mouth without any hesitation.

“I have something to ask.”

Although she wanted to ignore the mutt’s question, Bireta nodded once, thinking of Sharti.

After all, since Sharti had taken in this mutt, she had to make him somewhat useful.

“How can I become a mercenary?”

“First of all, you can’t.”

“…Why not?”

Ren’s eyebrows twitched at the firm certainty that was not even a refusal, but a denial.

Seeing this, Bireta clicked her tongue.

“Even for a wandering mercenary, identity registration is essential.”

“…”

“You can’t do it without anything to prove your identity.”

It was natural since mercenary contracts required trust as a foundation.

Ren relaxed his expression at Bireta’s explanation.

At least it was fortunate that Bireta wasn’t opposing it out of personal feelings.

“Then don’t mercenaries need servants like porters?”

In simple terms, he was asking for even a low-ranking position to take care of the mercenaries’ chores.

Bireta raised one eyebrow as if surprised.

Hmm. Bireta lightly tapped the back of her hand twice.

“Are you saying you want to do it?”

From Bireta’s perspective, someone with an inflexible personality like Ren’s was perfect for picking fights with ill-tempered mercenaries who had foul mouths.

Of course, there would also be mercenaries who would back down on their own, seeing Ren’s size and appearance.

“I want to work.”

Ren answered briefly.

But when Bireta didn’t say anything, he added in a mumble.

“I need to earn money.”

“Then all the more reason you can’t do it.”

Bireta shook her head.

A position assisting mercenaries, not being a mercenary, and a low-ranking one at that, had low earnings compared to the workload.

Bireta slowly looked over Ren’s entire body.

It would be better to find a loophole and become a low-ranking mercenary instead.

“Then what was that proposal?”

Ren frowned, belatedly feeling uneasy about her proposal to go together.

Bireta ignored his suspicion and jerked her chin towards the back.

“If you want to earn money, work as Sha’s assistant instead. A mutt should stay by its owner’s side, where do you think you’re going?”

“…”

Ren, who had been glaring at Bireta for calling him a mutt, suddenly looked like he had an epiphany.

Certainly, being associated with mercenaries would mean being away from Sharti’s side often.

He had been short-sighted, blinded by money.

“But to be Sha’s assistant…”

The difference between a slave and an assistant was that not only the body but also the mind had to support it.

Realistically, what help could an assistant who couldn’t even distinguish between herbs and weeds be to a doctor?

It was then, as he sighed with a troubled face.

[Of course, it would be possible if your husband helps.]

“…!”

He suddenly remembered the existence of the general store that he had momentarily forgotten. There was the general store request that Sharti had taken on with his assistance.

A confident smile spread across Ren’s lips.

Bireta made a sour face at his suspicious reaction.

And after Bireta and Tein left, Sharti ended up making the same expression.

“Let’s do it, Sha.”

Sharti closed her eyes tightly in frustration.