MTLNOVEL Chapter 291.2
Chapter 291.2. Everyday Life
They were troublemakers from the outer streets, abandoned by their parents. Violence was routine for them, but they had never encountered real brutality.
They never expected a girl to break a leg so casually, without a hint of guilt or pride. It was as natural as kicking a pebble. They realized this was normal here.
They had heard the slums were dangerous, but seeing the peaceful atmosphere, they had misunderstood. Even the children showed no concern for the injured man, eager to start planting. They shuddered, realizing a misstep could mean death.
“My headache’s gone!”
“My stomach’s fine! I’ll wait until lunch!”
Standing stiffly, the men shouted. Hana smiled back.
“I’ll fill in for the missing spots. Let’s all do our best.”
Hana flexed her thin arm, looking like a delicate, quiet girl. That only added to the fear. She resumed her instructions, and the planting began.
“A correction camp for the personality-disordered.”
“What’s that?”
“This job. There are a lot of troublemakers from the outer streets, right?”
As the sun reached its peak, the man left the field with his wife and child for lunch. A friend approached with a wry smile. Mud clung to the path as they walked.
“Hmm… is that so?”
The man tilted his head, wondering about troublemakers. His friend covered his face, realizing he’d said something strange.
“No, I reacted the same way. It’s natural. I meant those young men earlier.”
“Those guys? Don’t be ridiculous. Troublemakers are those who threaten our lives, like summoning monsters or stabbing people.”
Real troublemakers would have been killed. If not, others would have done it.
“That’s the slum’s common sense. But beyond the wall, in the outer streets, it’s different. Killing isn’t the norm.”
“We don’t kill each other either.”
They killed to survive, not casually. The meaning was different.
“The penalties are harsher there, I hear. Some outer street folks mentioned it recently.”
“They’re messing with you. They’re lucky it ended with just a broken leg.”
The young man’s leg was cleanly broken. It would heal. A harsher punishment would have been losing the leg. They must think slum dwellers know nothing.
Outer street folks used ration tickets to exploit slum residents. They thought life was cheaper than a piece of paper. Penalties usually meant death.
“Hmm, is that so? I thought it was strange. They must have been exaggerating.”
“Exactly. Well, I’m off to lunch with my family.”
“Alright, let’s work hard this afternoon.”
They waved and parted. The man joined his family, who had spread a mat in an open area.
“Dad, you’re late! I’m starving!”
“Ha ha, sorry about that.”
The man patted his child’s head, apologizing. He noticed the child fidgeting with a wooden box, realizing it wasn’t just hunger. His wife watched with an amused smile.
“Here, warm up my portion too. You’re the cook today!”
“Okay. I’ll use this!”
A heat-retaining magic tool. Recently sold out everywhere, but the man had bought three when the store first opened, urged by his child. It cost 9000 yen, a hefty sum, but he bought it as a charm, despite knowing it was just a placebo.
Today was its first use. The child placed lunch and smoked meat inside, excitedly muttering as he closed the lid.
“Heat retention, activate!”
The wooden box glowed faintly blue, likely mana.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
“Truly. So this is magic.”
“Cool~”
The family watched in awe as the magic activated. Even the adults couldn’t help but feel excited by the unreal sight of magic. Others eating nearby glanced over, making them a bit embarrassed.
They’d get used to it soon, but for now, they were captivated by their first experience with magic.
“Ah, a cat!”
The child noticed a small black cat sitting nearby. The man was equally surprised.
“Meow.”
The small black cat, small enough for a child to hold, wagged its tail and sniffed the magic tool. It was a cute black cat.
The child happily petted the cat’s head. Its fur was smooth and shiny. The cat closed its eyes, enjoying the attention. It was hard to believe this gentle creature could easily defeat goblins.
“So the heat-retaining magic tool really attracts them.”
“I’ll give it some smoked meat!”
The child opened the lid, showing the tool had finished warming, and offered the meat to the cat, which began nibbling.
“It’s eating! So cute~”
“Reminds me of pets.”
The man recalled having pets before dungeons appeared, feeling nostalgic. They only came close when fed.
“What’s a pet?”
“The word ‘pet’ isn’t used much anymore. I’ll tell you after lunch.”
“Come on, it’s getting cold. Let’s eat.”
In the slums, survival was hard enough. Pets were unthinkable, never even discussed.
Realizing they could now spare food for pets, the man felt happy. He wanted to cherish this life. Smiling, he ate the warm rice ball.
The salty flavor spread in his mouth, with the pure taste of rice. No strange, gritty additives. Just rice.
This happy scene was once hard to imagine. But now it was right before his eyes. The man looked at his wife and child with gentle eyes, vowing to keep working hard.
…Still, the heat-retaining magic tool emitted mana, though faint. He hadn’t expected the black cat to come. Familiar spirits must have incredible sensing abilities, he thought, impressed.
The black cat, unfazed by the man’s gaze, looked around with golden eyes. It seemed to sense the mana from others using similar tools.
But it also seemed to be searching for something else. Probably just his imagination.