How could it be Yeoreum's fault that I was born weak?  

If anything, it was my own fault.  

That’s what I meant when I said it was my fault, but it seemed like Yeoreum misunderstood something.

"Why would being born be your fault, Gyeoul…?"  

Yeoreum bit her lip.  

She bit so hard it looked like blood might start trickling down.  

Why was she taking my issues upon herself?  

I couldn't understand her actions.

"But it's not anyone else's fault either, right?"  

"That’s…"

"I’m not blaming anyone else for my problems. So, it’s my fault."  

I tried to reason with her, offering my own logic, but she still didn’t seem satisfied.

“Gyeoul, just being born isn’t a crime.”

“But there was something wrong with my body, wasn’t there?”

“A problem…”

“Yes. It was my problem, so it’s my fault.”  

Blaming myself wasn’t all bad.  

If it was my fault, then I could work to solve it.  

But I couldn’t fix problems that belonged to others.  

That understanding had helped me survive for so long without mana.  

Self-blame wasn’t a bad thing if it led me to a solution.

“…Are you really okay with that, Gyeoul? Don’t you resent anyone?”

“Resent…?”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t like having a body without mana, but I didn’t resent anyone for it.  

Sure, I was scared of people and avoided them, but at the core of it all, it wasn’t resentment.  

I had seen enough good people in my previous life to know that.  

And surely there were good people in this world too.

“I’ve never really resented anyone.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. There are a lot of good people in the world.”

Was something about what I said strange?  

Yeoreum froze.  

I hesitated, then cautiously added,

“But, I guess maybe it’s because I don’t know that many people…”

I didn’t even know ten people in total.  

Yet here I was talking like I had some deep understanding of relationships.  

It wouldn’t be weird if I came across as naive.

“It’s good to know you feel that way, Gyeoul…”

“N-Yeah…”

Did I sound weird?  

I breathed a sigh of relief.  

At least I managed to smooth things over.

---

A day had passed since we returned to the guild building.  

I was back at the container with the others.

Whether I went to the garden to harvest vegetables or the pond to catch fish,  

Sophia and Levinas trailed behind me, grumbling all the while.

“Hmph… Levinas wanted to stay and watch more of that cartoon with the horned rabbits…”

“Ahem. That massage chair was quite pleasant.”

Did they really enjoy staying in the building that much?  

I wished I could let them stay there, but there was a problem—  

I didn’t have a single penny to my name.

A place like that would cost at least a million won a month in rent.  

There was no way I could afford it with my current income.

“We don’t have enough money to live in a place like that…”

“Levinas has been collecting lots of empty bottles, though…”

Levinas pulled a few coins out of her pocket.  

It barely amounted to a few hundred won.

“That’s nowhere near enough.”

“R-Really? But it’s such a big amount…”

“Yeah. It’s a big amount, but you’d need to collect about ten thousand bottles a month to afford a place like that.”

“T-Ten thousand…!”  

Levinas stared down at her hands and started folding her fingers, trying to count.  

After a moment, her shoulders slumped.  

She must have realized how impossible that number was.  

It pained me to see her face reality so early, especially at her age.

It was all because of my own incompetence.

“What a shame. But if you say it’s impossible, then it must be.”

“I-I’m sorry… It’s because of my debts…”

Is this the burden of being the head of a household?  

I felt ashamed at how inadequate I was as the provider.

“Hey, hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Take this. Levinas will help with the household expenses.”

Levinas held out her precious few hundred won to me.  

I felt guilty, knowing I had placed such a burden on her.

“Kk…”

The groaning didn’t come from me but from someone else.  

When I turned, I saw an unfamiliar man guzzling beer straight from the bottle.  

A few familiar faces were gathered around him—people I often saw drinking in the park.

*Looks like more people have been drinking here lately,* I thought.  

The guild had allowed alcohol to be consumed in a broader area,  

which meant I could collect more empty bottles.  

That wasn’t so bad.

“Let’s save up a lot of money and live in a nice house, okay?”

“Y-Yeah. I’ll try my best…”

“…I’ll do what I can to earn some money too.”

“Sophia, you don’t have to. You should rest.”

I tried to convince Sophia to take it easy, but she shook her head.

The idea that she had to work because I was so useless as a provider made me feel awful.

“I’m sure there’s something I can do with this body. I’ll find it.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really useless…”

“Don’t say that. You’re already working hard.”

“Exactly! No one knows better than Levinas how amazing the King is!”

Their encouragement lifted my spirits a bit.

*Sniff.*  

Someone else was crying now, but I left them behind as I turned my attention to finding work.

*I have no choice but to work hard in the dungeons…*

But what if I ran into *him* there?  

Even though I was worried, I was the head of this household now.  

I couldn’t let fear hold me back and abandon the people relying on me.

“I think I’ll head to the dungeon.”

“The dungeon?”

“Yeah. Encia said I could handle the goblin dungeon on my own now.”@@novelbin@@

“Hm… If Encia said so, then it must be fine.”

Sophia gave her permission, and that was that.  

I was finally allowed to go to the dungeon on my own.

Hunting goblins solo meant I could earn more money.  

Maybe one day I’d be able to afford a place for them in the guild building.

“L-Levinas wants to go too!”

“You do?”

“Yup! Levinas is going to gather soggy mushrooms in the goblin dungeon!”

“Soggy mushrooms?”

What on earth were those?  

I stood there, bewildered.

“They’re mushrooms that grow in the goblin dungeon. They sell for about a thousand won each.”

“Wow…”

A thousand won per mushroom was a pretty decent price.  

The only question was whether it was okay to take Levinas to the dungeon.

“Well, she is a horned rabbit beast-kin, so she shouldn’t be in any real danger.”

“Yup! Levinas is strong!”

Wait.  

Was Levinas really strong enough to beat goblins?  

She didn’t seem like it.  

I looked over at Sophia, and she whispered quietly in my ear.

“Horned rabbit beast-kin are very good at running away.”

“Oh…”

If that was the case, I supposed it wouldn’t be an issue to bring her along.  

And since the clear quest counted for the whole party, we’d all benefit.

After sorting through my thoughts, I glanced up at the guild building.  

First, I needed to find out how much it would cost to live in that place.

---

Yoo Sang-ah.  

She worked in the Dawn Guild, managing mana stones.  

She was sitting at her desk, resting her chin on her hands and staring blankly ahead.

*It’s almost peak time,* she thought.  

Once adventurers started arriving, it would get really busy.

As she massaged her shoulders, preparing for the impending rush, the door to the trading office opened, and three children walked in.

“Oh my…”

Small beast-kin girls toddled over to her, and Yoo Sang-ah smiled warmly as she looked down at them.

“Gyeoul, you’re here?”

“Yes… I have something I want to ask.”

“Of course. Ask me anything.”

Gyeoul glanced up at her, fidgeting with her fingers.  

Talking to people she wasn’t close with didn’t come easily to her.

Still, she had given Gyeoul a gardening set, so she couldn’t be all that bad, right?  

Summoning her courage, Gyeoul clenched her fists and asked, staring at the ground.

“How much does it cost to live in the guild building?”

The entire trading office fell silent.  

Everyone knew Gyeoul was living in a container.

“Well…”

As much as she wanted to, Yoo Sang-ah couldn’t lie and say it was cheap.  

Nor could she offer it to Gyeoul for free, even though that’s what she wished.  

She had no authority to lower the prices, as much as it pained her.

“If you’re a guild member, you can live there for a fairly low price.”

“I-I’m not a member, though…”

“Well, aren’t you? I’d say you’re part of the guild, Gyeoul.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

One of the adventurers who had come to sell mana stones chimed in.  

He wasn’t even part of the Dawn Guild but decided to side with Gyeoul anyway.

“Why would I be considered part of the guild?”

“At this point, I think it’s safe

 to say you are.”

“R-Really? Am I part of the guild…?”

Just as Gyeoul was about to get lost in her own thoughts,  

the adventurer who had been adding his commentary muttered to himself.

“Wow, she’s already part of the Dawn Guild at that age. I’m so jealous. I should work harder to get into the guild.”

His exaggerated tone impressed everyone else in the room,  

except for Gyeoul and Levinas, who remained clueless.

______________________

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!