127 Part 1

Chapter 127 When it Rains, it Pours (1)

“Da, daddy?”

I grabbed my surprised daughter’s hand and did what I came here to do. Sorry kid, but my instincts are screaming for me to stay put recently. Even if I had camouflaged myself, it was difficult to believe that there were many people like No. 17 who could not recognize faces. Especially, those like Sia would come up running say that she smelled me. I did not enjoy this village. I had come in a long time and just quickly did my tasks.

“Daddy, money!”

“Here.”

I gave the Metal Bat a pouch with an appropriate amount of gold, silver, and bronze coins. She would survive even if the legendary incarnation of evil, the Demon King, came out. Therefore, the Metal Bat would act solo, but she would only buy snacks with the money and share it with Alice.

“Is there something really wrong?”

My conscience hurt a bit at my daughter’s worried eyes. The village we lived in was sequestered, and for a girl living there, coming here, one of the biggest villages around this area, would be a special treat indeed. It was an event that only happened twice a year!

How could I tell her the truth when I was interfering with that just by my instincts?!

“It’s because I had bad dreams last night. I think we should quickly go back after finishing up here today.”

“Is that so? Well, what you say is right.”

I was grateful for Alice following my words despite her disappointed expression. Where had this cute kid come from?!

“However, just say what you want to have, and Daddy will buy it for you!”

“Really, Daddy?”

“Of course!”

I promised myself I would buy Alice whatever she wanted as she beamed at my words. I could buy anything from my secret funds that came out of a village like this!

“So, let’s buy what we need first.”

“Yes!”

We started purchasing items by darting here and there, holding hands. Since the merchants regularly came, buying things was easy since I only had to tell them the quantity and send them to the rooms we were staying in. Therefore, it only took an hour to buy all the necessary items, and I had been rushing things to go back to the rooms as fast as possible. Of course, I had to adjust my pace to Alice’s and only could walk fast since running would make me more noticeable.

“Little sis, eat this too!”

“This is yummy!”

“This, too!”

“U, Unnie! I still haven’t finished this yet!”

I looked at Alice, and the cat that she had held in her other arm was now on her shoulders due to the Metal Bat, who continued to appear from nowhere. Her other hand that was not holding mine was full of skewers.

“You’re slow! There are still many yummy dishes!”

“You’re too fast!”

Alice began to eat the skewers with a frown. She started with meat I did not recognize, corn, grain cakes, and meat again.

“Daddy, do you want one?”

How could I resist when my cute daughter was asking for help? She smiled brightly as I took a grain cake out of her fingers, as I made the others easier to hold for her.

“Your hand is empty!”

“Ah!”

However, another meat skewer immediately filled the space.

“Um…it’s made of wheat.”

I had hoped it was made of rice, but the cake was made of wheat, and the sauce was sweet honey instead of spicy red pepper paste.

“I was going to buy some if these were rice cakes…”

I could get some rice if I really wanted to, but I would not grow them since I did not know how. I saw in other novels where characters made rice paddies where people ate wheat and produced more crops than other lands. However, how many people would know how to make rice paddies? Just digging and filling holes with water would not make one, or did it?

I would know if I tried, but I would not bring in other peoples’ negative attention by acting strangely. I had no need for double-cropping like protagonists in the novels. I only wanted to farm as much as I needed to, and I could buy food if the harvest fails.

I had been short on funds because I had continuously given Moru requested items or research funds, not because I had been unable to earn money. I had enough to raise a cute daughter and feed her whatever she wanted to eat!

“Oh, that’s right.”

I watched Alice chew on her fourth skewer with a sad face after finishing off my own.

“Stop.”

“It’s natural for a big sister to want to feed her little sister!”

It was her fourth skewer, but Alice still had four left between her fingers. Since she had given Alice enough meat, now they were fruit and berries preserved in honey, and roasted vegetables cut into one-bite sizes.

“Since the inn we’re staying in cooks well, we should leave some room for dinner.”

“Daddy!”

Alice looked like a saved lamb when I took two skewers from her hand, and her excessive faith almost scared me!

“Thank you, Daddy!”

“All right, all right.”

I tasted the flavor of a well-steamed sweet pumpkin and told Alice what I just had remembered.

“Have you found what you wanted for a present?”

“Yes!”

Alice looked around with shining eyes and pointed with a loud “That!” to a vendor selling many kinds of eggs.

“Eggs?”

“Yes, I want to raise a chicken, Daddy!”

I could not hide a small sigh as I watched Alice look at the eggs and lick her lips. Her faith towards chicken would be right below her faith towards me since she had realized too early how delicious the dish was.

-You may lose.

-Seriously?

It was a secret that I thought maybe true. How could I come in second when Alice loved me like that?

-If you’re confident, ask her to choose between you and chicken, saying that she would be unable to meet one for the rest of her life. She will cry for at least three days.