Now, nearly three years since I ca to this world.
Although I was rely a foreign worker, I had co to be nearly recognized as a hero after acting as an adventurer. Ironically, I hadn’t thought of adventuring from the mont I arrived in this world.
After all, when I first arrived in this world, everything was so unfamiliar that I had no choice but to be cautious in my actions.
Even if it didn’t suit my temperant, the priority was to gradually adapt to my situation and think about starting sothing once I had a foundation.
Working as a porter was part of that adaptation when I worked in a factory, and of course, during that ti, I acted alongside workers who had co to this world before or at the sa ti.
“Wow, is this a waterlon or a dairy cow?”
“It’s a goddamn cow, you bastard!!!!”
Such phrases burst out every day, marking the start of mornings filled with nothing but pouring molten tal or hamring iron inside the factory.
With workplaces filled with violations of worker laws, it was fortunate to even receive proper wages, let alone expect overti or weekends off.
So places provided board and lodging, but even that was nothing more than swill and als with improperly filtered impurities.
Proper als required personal expenses, but the ager salary spent on food and renting an inn with a bed left nothing but debt in such dire circumstances.
The best value was getting calories from leftover milk with sugar, and collecting heaps of newspapers discarded by nobles in windless alleys near the factory to sleep on.
Thinking back, it didn’t seem like work fit for humans, but porters, to a large extent, were treated as expendables by heroes, so it was hard to say which was better.
“If you don’t want to work, quit! There are plenty of others who will!”
Whether it was employers or heroes, their constant nagging always made feel the discrimination against foreign workers in this world.
In such a situation, the only way to escape the life of a worker was to save up money to start a business, beco an adventurer like , or maintain dignity to luckily catch the eye of nobles and beco a servant in a noble house.
Of course, either way required a considerable amount of money.
Thus, foreign workers unsatisfied with their current situation generally aid to save even small amounts of money for their future, making do with milk tea and newspapers for the day.
“Hey~ Hyoooo~! Lend so money~!”
Conversely, there were those who succumbed to the harsh reality and squandered their daily earnings on alcohol or brothels.
Among them, one particularly morable fellow was a fellow foreign worker nad “Yeong Jeong-hoon.”
He was a bastard who always borrowed money from and hadn’t paid back a single penny even now, nearly three years later.
“Ah, Jeong-hoon~~!!”
People were sitting on the ground, wailing in sorrow.
And in front of them, the fra containing the portrait of Yeong Jeong-hoon was modeled after the fra used for “morial photos” in the original world.
“Excuse , you’re the chief mourner of the funeral, right?”
As I incredulously watched the scene, I noticed a man in mourning attire.
Approaching him to grasp the situation, he promptly bowed his head and spoke to with practiced ease.
“Yes, I’m in charge of the funeral proceedings, as agreed with Mr. Jeong-hoon in advance. Here, take my business card.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
The business card revealed his identity as the director of Geonmo Errand Center, stamped directly by the empire.
It wasn’t just any place, but he ran a rather famous center, famous enough that even I had heard of it.
So, Jeong-hoon had entrusted the errand center with the funeral proceedings before he passed away?
And the unexpected letter sent to the address of a friend from a few years ago, who I hadn’t been in touch with, was because he had this person investigate the friends he rembered?
“…I’m a bit confused.”
Even up to this point, it was bewildering, but thinking about it, that guy always had his quirks.
Out of curiosity, I decided to throw a few of my imdiate doubts his way.
“Aren’t funerals usually conducted in a church? Why would he go to the extent of using errand center staff to conduct his funeral?”
“He wanted to be rembered, at least in the end. Especially by those from the sa world, he was confident that conducting the funeral in the traditional manner of their original holand would ensure he wouldn’t be forgotten.”
“…Then, those people over there?”
“They are actors from a theater troupe hired with money. They were asked to cry in front of the photo during the funeral.”
“Ah, Jeong-hoon~~ Ah, my goodness~~!”
Again, the mourners—no, the actors playing the mourners—wailed in front of the morial photo.
Realizing the sincerity in their tears was the essence of capitalism, I unconsciously blurted out a word.
“…Crazy.”
To implent a funeral culture that didn’t exist in this world, from creating the facilities from scratch, hiring the director of a renowned errand center, and even employing actors with exceptional acting skills…
Was that really within the economic ans of a guy who only borrowed money to drink and then ignored everything else?
No, maybe he really died because he borrowed from loan sharks, didn’t repay, and faced the consequences.
Even if he sohow got the money, he might’ve fallen while drunk, cracked his head open, or contracted syphilis from fooling around.
“Hmm, is this how people from the other world conduct funerals?”
Whatever it was, the level of pitifulness was such that I thought it could be displayed in a museum as a piece of art, when I faintly heard a voice.
Realizing that it was rilyn who had co with saying that, I montarily shifted my gaze from the morial photo to gauge her reaction.
I watched her stare at the funeral scene unfolding, not at , with half-closed eyes.
“There’s less to see than I thought. It seems rather aningless.”
“…rilyn?”
“Oh, right. If it’s a funeral, Hyo-sung should also take so ti to mourn, right?”
The sour atmosphere felt from her muttering to herself.
I wanted to ask because it bothered , but before I could, rilyn clasped her hands together and began to smile broadly.
“Then, as an outsider, I’ll step away for a bit. Once you’re done, please co to the streetlamp in that alley over there.”
“Ah, okay, then…”
Thus, rilyn, who had co all this way with , left the tent and disappeared into the street, making our joint visit seem in vain.
Her steps away were infinitely light, but what I felt upon seeing her departure was a sense of alienation.
That’s because, recently, when she left ho, it was often accompanied by a rather solemn atmosphere.
“I’ll be out for a bit.”
“You’ve been going out a lot recently?”
“Yes, I have sothing to investigate…”
As her main job was as a minstrel, wandering the streets to collect stories was understandable.
But recently, she seed to have lost her characteristic liveliness.
Was the atmosphere particularly light this morning because her recent concerns had been resolved?
Well, regardless, after spending a mont at the funeral hall, I finished my al, left the place, and headed to where rilyn was waiting.
Although I had co just to check, what happened there was etched deeply into my mory, and I was certain I would never forget it in my lifeti.
Damn him; if he had spent all his money on the funeral, he should have at least provided a decent al.
Is serving swill from our factory days considered a al?
“Anyway, that bastard who never repaid his debts even screwed us over in death.”
Having skipped breakfast, I couldn’t help but feel infuriated.
But it wasn’t all bad.
For starters, I wasn’t the only one who ca to the funeral; other foreign workers who knew him also showed up.
Among them were people I knew, so the mont I t and talked with them felt like attending a reunion, fully imrsed in nostalgia.
Well, what’s the use of being annoyed at the dead?
I wasn’t in dire need of money now, so I should be thankful for hearing about the lives of friends I seldom t.
“Ah, Hyo-sung. Are you done?”
“Yes, I’ve finished what I ca for.”
“Huhu, shall we return ho then? Co this way, Hyo-sung~”
rilyn appeared on the street as if she had been waiting, once we stepped outside.
Following her lead with a bright smile, I felt the sa sense of alienation as before wash over again.
“Why are you acting like that?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Wondering if it was just my imagination, I continued to follow her through the streets.
Even though we would normally chat, rilyn remained silent, focusing solely on walking.
Soon, we reached a secluded path, advancing to a spot hidden from anyone’s view.
“rilyn, this isn’t the way ho, is it?”
“Ah, you don’t know, Hyo-sung? Actually, this is a shortcut…”
-Swish!!
A spear of magical power ford with a flick of the hand.
At the mont it was aid at my back, rilyn, who had finally stopped, turned to with a stern voice.
“…Hyo-sung, why are you doing this suddenly?”
“Shut up and answer my question.”
No, this person wasn’t rilyn.
I’ve felt it since we t on the street this morning.
And as my suspicion deepened, actions that rilyn would never show began to beco more apparent.
“Who are you? Where have you hidden rilyn?!”
Maybe this damned person had done sothing to rilyn.
“Ha, this is sothing. I thought I hid it well…”
Feeling a sense of crisis, she soon threw off the black cloak she was wearing and revealed her true form.
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