"You scoundrel! Reckless wanderer! How dare you show up here? Just go back! No, just die here. Crawl into the ground. If you have any conscience, you'd bury your face in the dirt and die. You unbearable bear of a man!"

  Jenny's outburst was harsher than anything imaginable from her usually gentle demeanor.

  'Wanderer.' Had they been lovers once?

  Sometimes, when Jenny looked at me, I sensed she was reminiscing about my uncle.

  Still hurling her shoes and fists, she continued beating him, though clearly, it did no harm to my uncle. However, he winced and took the blows quietly.

  The thuds of her shoes against his thick skin echoed through the air.

  "Wouldn't it hurt Jenny's hands instead?" Tatiana whispered softly.

  I thought the same, looking at her delicate hands. Surely, hitting my thick hide would hurt her more.

  Somehow, the thought of her hitting me also seemed endearing.

  For some reason, Tatiana clenched her fist and looked at Jenny. Was she cheering her on?

  'My wife is truly adorable,' I thought. Even her fists and tightly pursed lips were extremely cute.

  Fortunate as I am to have such a cute wife, I chuckled, but my uncle's excuses soon followed.

  "I'm sorry, Jenny. But I had no choice; my brother was in a crisis, and I went to help. Then I had to inform our father, which led me out of the country."

  Perhaps he was referring to our mother. There had been wild tales about her, like some mythical hero popping up everywhere at once.

  From what I'd heard, she supposedly wiped out tracking teams or destroyed cities in at least three places simultaneously. Not even teleportation could explain her being in multiple places at once.

  "I tried to let you know, but I barely spoke the language here, couldn't leave a message with anyone, and couldn't write a letter... But I intended to return soon. It's common for me to leave the city on assignments, and I thought I wouldn't be gone more than ten days."

  My uncle glanced at Jenny, almost boasting as he continued.

  "I've even studied the common tongue properly this time. I learned it for you."

  "Ha! Even if I believed all that, it's been over 20 years. Twenty-five years, to be exact. You could have traveled back and forth hundreds of times."

  Tatiana nodded in agreement beside me, her eyes sharp as she glared at my uncle. Sensing her agreement, I nodded back. If someone goes without contact for 25 years, it's indeed quite excessive.

  And to come back after decades saying, 'Long time no see?' as if nothing happened? He deserved every hit.

  Perhaps tiring or pained by her efforts, Jenny finally stopped and let her arms fall. My uncle, somewhat stooped, seemed to make himself an easier target, as if saying, 'Hit me until you feel better.'

  Then he tried to explain further, "Listen, when I went back home, a tribal war was raging. All my family was fighting; I couldn't just leave. I had no choice but to join the fight, and after our eldest brother, the chieftain, was killed by those bastards, it took over 20 years to hunt them all down and kill them."

  "What... did you say?"

  Jenny's eyes widened as my uncle, somewhat proudly, said, "Not a single one escaped, not even those who hid or fled to other tribes. From newborns to the very old, I didn't spare any. It took time because we pursued them relentlessly, though my brothers and I shared the task."

  Jenny's face turned pale.

  Now fearful of her own actions, she glanced at her palms.

  I too was frightened. To think that an entire family would mobilize for over two decades to enact revenge, that's borderline psychopathic.

  'Mother really had a gentle nature.'

  Considering the family she came from, it's a miracle she turned out so well. Maybe her pacifism was an effort not to be like them.

  'I must uphold that.'

  One wrong step and I could end up like my uncle, trapped in endless cycles of retaliation.

  'Well, maybe up to three times is okay.'

  As I debated internally whether to stick to one or extend to three, my uncle continued.

  "I rushed here as fast as I could after settling everything. I was worried about you living on your own since I remembered you mentioned having a lot of money in the guild. But 25 years is too long even by my standard. I was really worried you might be struggling."

  "I haven't touched your money. I work at the guild. We don't just dip into adventurers' funds."

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  My uncle's expression grew sterner.

  "What are you talking about? We're married, aren't we? How have you been living all this time without touching a penny? It must have been hard for a woman to earn a living alone."

  Jenny looked at him sternly.

  My heart raced ominously.

  This could end badly.

  Maybe I should step in and stop their fight.

  'Although he's family, I have to side with Jenny here.'

  I owed her a lot, and it felt right to support her side.

  The atmosphere grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and everyone held their breath, watching the unfolding drama.

  "...Is this really just a lovers' quarrel?" I wanted to know if this was something that should be exposed in front of everyone.

  Should I intervene now?

  As I hesitated, Jenny breathed deeply and faced my uncle squarely, her face set with resolve.

  "We are nothing to each other. We never received a marriage certificate from the temple. We're complete strangers."

  "What are you talking about? Didn't we swear to each other under the moon? In Enorthos, that's a vow that binds us until death."

  ‘No, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Whatever that vow meant in Enorthos, it holds no water here.’

  A moonlit vow might be romantic, but it's unknown to others. They should have gotten a temple certificate, like I did.

  Although language barriers made it difficult at first, ultimately, this was entirely my uncle's fault.

  However, there was one person who didn't see it that way.

  My uncle.

  He started radiating a chilling aura, like standing in front of an air conditioner seconds from exploding.

  Jenny, looking pale as death but with fierce resolve, said, "I don't care about your reasons. You haven't been part of my life for the past 25 years. I have my life and my son. You are not needed."

  "Son?"

  Wow, this just turned into a full-blown drama.

  A misstep could lead to a massacre.

  Jenny's refusal to name the man might lead my uncle to hunt down every man in the city.

  His muscles bulged, visible even through his clothes, as anger seethed within him.

  I stepped forward between them as my uncle growled, "Whose son is he?"

  "..."

  "I'll kill him. Where's your man?"

  At that moment, a man's face flashed through my mind.

  The guild's investigator I'd heard about because of that one-eyed dog incident. Jenny had introduced him, and I caught a glimpse of a necklace under his clothes.

  That was definitely...

  "Hey, didn't you give Jenny the warrior's necklace?"

  "..."

  There was no necklace around my uncle's neck. Jenny's face flickered with surprise.

  Gotcha!

  "I saw a man at the guild wearing the warrior's necklace," I said.

  My uncle's face grew even more menacing.

  "A warrior... Your new man is one of our kin. I'll kill him!"

  I quickly stepped forward and caught my uncle by the neck as he tried to dash off.

  I held him just tight enough to restrict his movement without causing him to pass out—a skill I had learned well from my mother.

  'Mother really had it tough with me.'

  I waited for my uncle to calm down before speaking.

  "Wait. Don't be hasty. You might end up killing your own son."

  "Huh?"

  His body slackened completely at that realization.

  Releasing my grip after sensing his murderous intent was gone, my uncle blinked and looked at Jenny.

  "Is he... my son?"

  "..."

  Jenny turned her head sharply without a word, and my uncle slowly approached her, his face now devoid of malice.

  Someone in the crowd clapped, whether from relief that no bloodshed occurred or from being moved by the scene, I wasn't sure.

  'It seems like the former.'

  As we all watched quietly, Tatiana murmured, "Family..."

  Her voice was so faint I could have missed it if I hadn't been paying attention.

  'She said she was alone before.'

  Just the old witch and the bard without a thingy, the three of them living together.

  That's a form of family, though not one bound by blood.

  Drawn to her like a bee to a flower, I bent down to see her eyes moist with tears.

  Tatiana looked up at me and smiled, whispering in my ear, "I just realized, by marrying you, I'm also family with Jenny."

  "..."

  "Helga... your mother and father... I'm family now. I was alone, but now I've suddenly grown..."

  Her laugh sounded almost like a sob, which tugged at my heart.

  "We'll have more family soon. We need to have kids. Lots of them. Three, no, nine."

  To make a baseball team.

  I muttered to myself as Tatiana laughed out loud.

  "Ha ha. That's too many."

  "Is it?"

  "Yeah, but more than three would be nice. Too few siblings would be lonely."

  "Right."

  As we retreated into our own little world, it seemed Jenny and my uncle had made some kind of peace. Or perhaps not.

  Jenny started complaining again.

  "What about that cart? What did you do? And those people lying there?"

  "I had to defend myself; they were calling me a savage. I didn’t kill anyone, just broke a few arms and legs. You always hated it when people got killed."

  "Of course!"

  As they bickered, I felt slightly relieved.

  There were many familiar faces in this city, and I was worried about what would happen after we left. Having arrived not long ago, we'd already encountered dragons and carnivorous ants.

  'Surely, more monsters will appear.'

  But if my uncle settles here, the city will be safer. Able to withstand my punch, he’s almost at my mother's level. If he stays, the city will manage fine even if something pulls Tatiana and me away.

  I wrapped my arm around Tatiana's shoulder and we walked towards the city center.

  That evening, as the sun set and shadows grew longer, we were unusually ready for bed.

  Following our encounter with my uncle, Tatiana seemed unusually inspired.

  She wanted to build a family.

  Honestly, it was a first since getting married. Actually, it was a first ever.

  Tatiana was leading the seduction, and as a man, I couldn’t just back down. I had to match her enthusiasm with all the dignity of a husband.

  Just as we were about to dive into bed, someone pounded at the door.

  ...Maybe I should just kill whoever it is.

  I went to open the door with a scowl that could reach the top of my head, only to find my uncle standing there, holding a bottle of liquor.

  "..."

  Why was he here? We were supposed to meet in the morning.

  I was just about to lay the foundation stone of our personal Great Wall with Tatiana.

  "Go build your own Great Wall with Jenny," I wanted to tell him, paraphrasing politely. He laughed heartily in response.

  "What are you talking about? We already did. That’s done. Jenny can hardly move now. She’s practically passed out from exhaustion like a frog who had too much of water in its lungs. So, I thought I’d come see my nephew and niece-in-law."

  There are a thousand things I want to say, starting with his comparing women to frogs, which is not okay at any level.

  Tatiana muttered from behind me, "A frog, really?"

  Spouses truly are of one mind.

  I thought it was just a saying, but it's true.

  Cute.

  As I turned to look at Tatiana, my uncle pushed the bottle towards us.

  "How about a drink? This is one of Jenny’s hidden treasures."

  While I’m not much for alcohol, Tatiana seemed somewhat pleased with my uncle’s impromptu visit. Maybe she thought this sort of rudeness was something only family could get away with.

  'No choice then. I guess I have to play along with this family game for a bit.'

  I stepped aside to let my uncle in.

  That night, I learned something new.

  My uncle can really hold his liquor. He drank as if the alcohol was quenching the drink, not the other way around.