My Husband is Suspicious - Episode 18

He slowly turned his head to the side. It was something the meddlesome girl had given him earlier. It seemed she had left it beside him when he didn’t accept it.

Dreid frowned. The pain that had started in his side was now spreading throughout his body. They had hit him properly.

He tried to get up, but couldn’t. Dreid looked at the medicine bottle again. If he were dead, such pain would be nothing, but feeling it while alive was extremely unpleasant.

Dreid recalled what the girl had said.

‘If you put this on, you’ll get better.’

Honestly, he didn’t believe it. But he couldn’t just lie there groaning like an idiot, so he opened the medicine bottle. He wished for this pain to disappear quickly. He applied it first to the painful spot.

A sharp mint scent stung his nostrils, but as he applied it to the sore area, it strangely seemed to be getting a little better.

A few minutes later, Dreid got to his feet. It was still uncomfortable to walk, but it seemed the girl’s words weren’t entirely lies.

He walked, a self-deprecating smile on his face. He thought himself pathetic. He supposed it was fortunate he hadn’t begged for his life earlier.

Blood that had flowed from his head trickled down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. As it brushed his cheek, blood smeared on his lips. The faint taste of blood was bitter.

It was a taste he had experienced countless times, but today it felt strangely different.

Dreid suddenly looked up at the sky. He saw a tall spire far in the distance. It was the highest part of the Imperial Palace. His father, from his highest position, had abandoned him. Even though he could have easily helped his mother and himself.

Perhaps this was what his father wanted. To live like this and die. After all, he didn’t need a bastard son.

Thinking back, Dreid’s mother was too simple. She didn’t know his father, who thought like a fox. His mother’s death, which he had never pitied, suddenly seemed pitiable.

Thinking about it, his father was the cause of everything. At least from that position, he should have spared a glance for his own son. Then he wouldn’t have had to live such a wretched life.

Is it enough to just abandon someone?

Dreid let out a hollow laugh. But the laugh quickly turned cold. He continued to walk forward, uncomfortably.

He gripped the medicine bottle tightly. It was fortunate that the pain was no longer felt thanks to the medicine the girl had given him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to dwell on these thoughts for long.

Perhaps because he had just come back from the brink of death, his mind felt strangely clear. He felt a little different. A certain will, absent before, had emerged.

He wanted to make his father aware of his existence. Even if not directly, he wanted to make him feel a subtle displeasure. He wanted to show how discarded trash could be recycled.

To do that, he decided he needed to deal with the minor nuisances. Until now, he had just worked silently. He had hoped to be left alone and didn’t want to cause trouble. But if he lived like that, parasites like Elento’s gang would continue to thrive.

Most importantly, to make his presence known to his father, he couldn’t live the same way as before. Living like that would only benefit his father. He would just get beaten to death again.

A few days later, Dreid gathered all the money he had saved and bought a gun. Guns were not very common at that time. Elento’s gang, too, mostly used their fists and intimidation rather than guns.

In the marketplace, fists were paramount and feared. They swaggered and used violence. Direct intimidation with fists was more threatening than shooting from afar. That’s how vicious Elento’s gang was.

After buying the gun, Dreid spent all his remaining money on lumps of iron. Guns were very expensive back then. Ammunition was also costly, and it was insufficient to buy with money earned from the mines. So, Dreid decided to buy a gun, dismantle it to learn its structure, and try to make other guns from the iron.

Strangely, once he dismantled it, he immediately understood how bullets were fired. Thanks to that, he was able to make several guns easily.

In fact, he had briefly handled a gun when he was young. He had seen an old junk dealer selling peculiar items in the market.

Among the things the old man sold was a piece of scrap metal with a long muzzle that caught his eye. It looked strange, and he liked it very much. Dreid unconsciously touched it.

‘Little one, that’s not how you aim a gun.’

The old man called it a gun. He naturally approached Dreid and taught him how to hold it.

Even though the old man hadn’t taught him much, Dreid’s stance was quite good. He had learned it quickly after seeing it once. The old man exclaimed in admiration.

‘Where are your parents?’

‘They’re dead.’

At Dreid’s somber reply, the old man cleared his throat and said earnestly.

‘Hmm, then you shouldn’t use a gun carelessly. You’re alone, so it’s even more dangerous.’

‘Is it because I don’t have parents?’

‘Yes, and you’re still young and don’t know anything. If you misuse this, you could go to prison for life.’

Dreid was shocked then. Being so young, the words “prison for life” were terrifying. If he went to prison, Dreid would be completely helpless and unable to work, which scared him.

But now, Dreid was too old to tremble at such stories. If he didn’t live like this now, he would die, and it would only benefit his father.

The guns he made from iron were passable. Later, he even sold them to others. Thanks to that, he accumulated quite a bit of money. Elento’s gang heard about it and started lurking around Dreid.

However, whenever troublesome individuals appeared, Dreid dealt with them easily with his gun. Elento’s gang, who thought shooting was cowardly, were soundly defeated by that “cowardly” act.

For days on end, gunshots were heard from his home. When neighbors complained, he would simply smile and point his gun at them. Weapons were often more convenient than words.

Living like that, he met people in similar circumstances. He mainly asked them to gather rumors from around the area. Around that time, the Emperor also began to pay some attention to Dreid.

It was an interesting development. Before, they had acted as if he didn’t exist.

Sometimes, on days he was unlucky and got injured, he would unconsciously apply the cream the girl had given him. He didn’t have any medicine at home, and the medicine was highly effective, which made him use it more.

Each time, he thought of the girl. In fact, he had thought of her since she brought the medicine. Come to think of it, she was the first person to help him like this. Her skin-colored hair and light green eyes.

Every time he applied the medicine, along with the mint scent, her face came to mind.

Dreid idly examined the medicine bottle. A family crest was stamped on the bottle. It was shaped like a crow spreading its wings.

The crow crest.

He remembered seeing it somewhere. He thought he had glimpsed it in passing.

It seemed to be on the iron gate of a certain mansion.

Dreid fiddled with the cream jar for a moment before putting it down. His supply of fruit was running low. A fruit vendor would likely know a lot about the neighborhood.

The next day, Dreid went to the fruit stall early in the morning. There were quite grim rumors circulating in the market lately.

“Did you hear? They say Elento’s gang is almost wiped out.”

“Don’t lie. There’s no way they’re all dead. Did a magician suddenly appear?”

“They say it wasn’t a magician, but a man who shoots guns.”

Dreid walked past the people conversing amongst themselves and headed towards the fruit stall. He usually ate fruit for his meals. It was light and easy to eat, making it a perfect meal replacement.

“Hello.”

Dreid greeted them with his usual friendly smile. The fruit vendor greeted him warmly, as if meeting a welcome customer.

“Welcome. I picked out some really good stuff this time, so it’ll all be delicious.”

“Just pack me anything. But please leave out the apples.”

When Dreid said this casually, the vendor replied with a hint of disappointment.

“Why not apples? The apples out now are sweet and delicious.”

“I’m allergic.”

“You’re allergic to that too?”

Dreid smiled and nodded.

“I get red spots if I eat them.”

“That’s terrible. Then take some more of this.”

The vendor, seeing her kind regular customer, added more items. She knew about the rumors currently sweeping the market, but she had no idea that Dreid was the one who had killed Elento’s gang.

In fact, such rumors were generally good news in the marketplace. However, some people feared that worse villains might rise to power because of it. They were afraid that new threats would emerge, riding on the wave of unease.

Amidst this atmosphere, the fruit vendor looked at Dreid with pity. To her, Dreid seemed like a diligent person, but somehow pitiable.

Just seeing the dark coal dust on his face all the time made her feel that way. Moreover, when he said he ate fruit for meals, her sympathy grew.

“Everything alright lately?”

Dreid asked gently. The vendor thought for a moment and shook her head. Although there were rumors circulating, she didn’t want to tell him anything grim.

When the vendor said nothing, Dreid simply smiled. It was a smile rarely seen on others. The fruit vendor looked at Dreid and thought.

‘What a rare person.’

Dreid always thanked her and treated her kindly with a smile. The fruit vendor added a few expensive fruits to his order. It felt wrong not to give him something extra, given how polite and diligent he was.

As Dreid watched the vendor pack various items, he asked casually.

“Do you know which family has the crow crest? I’d like to get help from them and repay their kindness.”

“Crow? It’s probably the Ness family. Their madam does help out with many things. Come to think of it, they’re quite pitiable too. Her husband passed away like that. And her daughter doesn’t seem like a very affectionate person.”

At the mention of a daughter, Dreid’s eyes lit up. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

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