USM | Chapter 1.2

The vegetables I planted aren’t ready for harvest yet. What did he dig up and preserve? No matter how I think about it, I can’t think of any vegetables ready to be harvested and preserved.14af3885c865fac4

That means he pulled up whatever he saw and preserved it… does it mean that? I stared blankly into space.45ccd15c1ca58060

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“Wait, let me check around the house.”791c47e498f3693a

Even said he’d look around the yard as soon as the exhausting introduction was over. It was actually a relief for me, as I needed time to think alone, and I foolishly hoped Even might remember something important after pondering alone.02f19a06e618c4fb

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And just 30 07fd4ced13 minutes after leaving 25b2f8a281 the kid unattended, 92fbda7378 my garden met 9df55bb333 its fate.1c69cd6dbd90dc0a

“What’s wrong, does your stomach hurt?”85d2a30c81346284

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I think my stomach 7bf9a18d52 is upset. I sighed deeply and 9580e5c530 headed to the garden. Sure enough, 32f5d4d81a one side 5a2f6c5f58 of the 5a0dd6eb65 garden was c8d4734e5f full of 6b47318e8c dirt with c503328f6c all the b2f5de2ce2 vegetables pulled d9963637dc out.0342989aa3afae60

In the shocking situation, I closed my eyes tightly. Should I be relieved that only one side was dug up, or should I punch the boy in the head for messing with someone else’s property?4ab83cd49e0f0b5e

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Of course, punching wouldn’t bring the garden back, so I barely opened my eyes and headed to the harvested vegetables Even had pulled out. Even though it’s not harvest season, maybe there’s something I can sell. If not, I can just replant them, right?65c3463d95f8f343

Thinking that way, I 0b3d8b4a51 headed to where the 5da87aaf5e radishes were scattered, but 735d3ee2a9 the radishes looked surprisingly fb00838066 neat, making me blink.661bb3c1f6f1ab08

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“Huh?”48e37c3e2e7fa777

Why do they look okay? They should be small and greenish since it’s not harvest season. But the radishes Even pulled out were almost blackened at the root tips, about to change color.4c3d85088a73c0c2

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I quickly e11e4950b4 squatted down e111cbccfb and examined 3f0a3cbca9 the radishes.d7e80e023338f881

“Why are they ripe already? It’s not harvest season yet.”46a204699eb98cbb

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“Mom, you can’t farm.”4ca23be30ec1818f

“Don’t call me mom. No, first, explain this. Did you know and pull them out?”69fe3cc340c1cb09

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Even replied 7693600e72 while still eac2d57f24 dusting off 62374a22cc his dirt-covered 8ec92f1c29 hands.0abae86084d34c70

“This radish variety rots at the bottom if you harvest it in season. It’s a picky one, so not many people grow or distribute it. But it’s tasty, so it’ll sell well. Didn’t you really know?”2ee7a7d75d7f679c

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“…”ef26a51a435b3e57

If I knew, would I have left it? I thought it was just an ordinary radish and was planning to harvest it in 3-4 weeks, only checking the radish greens. If it rots from the bottom, there’s no way I could have noticed. I almost lost everything, but he pulled them out just in time, so I was grateful yet embarrassed.d802d3ff4c7ed973

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I avoided Even’s face and pretended to examine the radishes more. Then Even approached, holding something from the corner.bb95facfd9576583

“And I found this inside the garden.”3b60796d10be58a2

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What now? I rolled my 2737e5aba3 eyes and put 0fdc6e85be down the radish 0a7afafe59 I was holding. Even brought over a 48ea7bfcbd dirt-covered old box. I skeptically took the 901e60c455 box and examined it. He said bcf9f3203c he found 893d025157 it while fda92b6178 pulling out e8c1ea9ad0 radishes.192ae3f2cd564f18

I don’t know how deep it was buried, but it seems it was buried deep enough that it wouldn’t have been discovered without pulling out the radishes.b5a3b93a3291a2b2

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“What is this dirty box?”273f2715582a5f84

“How would I know? Maybe it’s a family heirloom.”b5a5e905f0a3c3cb

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I’ve never heard of a family heirloom in this poor family. Even in the will of Shashar’s parents, which he kept, there was no mention of this mysterious box. They left no inheritance, so the child has to live off farming, but a family heirloom?8a0921ee9836ab3b

“Could it be Pandora’s box?”d38f315fa6d8caa4

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“What’s Pandora?”2bd0df3aeb2bc54f

“Something you shouldn’t open. This should be buried back…”f70b114787b0f587

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At that 2fb699cd0c moment, Even 045863b8c1 quickly snatched 7ab00caa2c the box 262140e2da from my fd1b641643 hand. Before I could stop 43a0755ec2 him, the box was 1bc055ac2a smashed to the ground add6e97425 in an instant. I stared blankly at 2d928e79dd the broken box, more afc569520e stunned than when I b3a73305b5 discovered the radishes had e608d5cf99 been pulled out.5bb30bfeea1a463a

Should I punch Even on the top of his head this time? Isn’t it okay to do that once since he doesn’t listen to adults? I’d be even more grateful if hitting his head brought back his memory.c89b9347d63813e5

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While I 93b22cef3f was lost 5a2e4cd94e in thought, 42f19e8136 Even kicked 81ea391d29 away the 4d42d36322 box fragments 413ec44325 and picked a4dc1699e0 up what f2951b89c4 was inside. It was an 1738da5228 old leather pouch. He opened 1f27b1b5f4 it, turned 88900bb1a1 it upside d1d24519b4 down, and 200105579c something fell f681523aaf onto his 47ad68acc1 palm.eb809c1952e18d13

I absentmindedly checked what had fallen into Even’s hand. It looked like a stone tablet with inscriptions. It was a worthless item, not even worth money, so I turned my eyes away with a cold gaze.d0792a8844a6ace9

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Even examined it 20f0c804ab closely, then entered 1ee0a9bb52 the house with 50482502f6 a serious expression. Yeah, just 23d01d51b4 play with 9974c56732 that. I busily moved to 2a7fa824b3 clean up the mess 80d1721f2a Even had made.d610a19e1db99336

“God doesn’t want me to rest.”cc0236dfdcd92644

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Can I punch 9f91f988ba him in the aaefd4b872 face when I dd8e9b50b7 meet him? My mind was completely 216d2a890e exhausted from the chaotic e5cc839b36 events that had rushed f601775b73 in since morning. Muttering complaints to 958c9f9c5f the sky, I b48b21eb3e found the radishes 8ff951e152 neatly organized.081ce3fbaf237e78

I stared at the neatly stacked radishes for a moment, then chuckled. Somehow, because I managed to save the radishes, the kid didn’t seem so annoying.cc5c9d6a7015551b

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I started strategizing on 74a8b3ddf4 how to send Even 9f158281f7 back. But it seemed 5377ca15c2 like I was 79b889680c the only one 3945685434 doing so, as a0cfb0afd9 Even showed no 5f8993ebf6 intention of cooperating. While he was engrossed 01b70e95cd in the stone tablet, 1b377b9497 Even suddenly spoke.286bc629cd2a5f2e

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“This looks like an artifact.”8d8a77ff4f5b3248

“An artifact, sure. It’s obviously old.”478fb905f3d8228b

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“Looks like a portrait fragment.”55099cf1700cd8f3

“A portrait? We don’t have anything like that at home.”e24059d5ebd2c4a6

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Stone tablet 1ecfa1c57c portraits are 712c58e5ab rare. As far 15fc653c13 as I 7b7966a342 know, there 4d2c9698dd are no 1e9108ddc3 recent examples a2e8894313 of portraits 19730c5e2f made on 57818e8311 stone tablets 1aa0a43bd3 except for 8c706eaec4 relics left b1ccad3038 by ancient 8e9f88d98b times. Of course, there are f1515b6581 exceptions everywhere, but the 2c9c59db44 tablet Even found was 4206dcbf3a clearly not made recently.293bbca4ccb94591

Collectors and cathedrals sometimes gather ancient stone tablets, but since this one wasn’t found in bulk, its value would be negligible.21a69fbdaca7c6d3

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Even if I showed this to someone, they’d probably just mock it as a mere stone.a67001c76d136557

“Stop staring at the tablet. Let’s discuss you.”2468dc7348fe49cc

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Forget the tablet; what’s important now is where Even came from. Which family he belongs to, where he got separated from his family, and how he ended up with memory issues.1011c0819a6bafc7

I even checked if he might have hit his head, but there wasn’t a single bump.5c8f7134509d895e

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Maybe he 4afa0e6791 suffered some 9fa34daad0 kind of 4664d75872 mental shock. Otherwise, why e9baf0da83 would he 6c3daa2af1 mistake me f067d03d21 for his ea72af9a2f mom?c18860f3ebcb77bb

But then, Even, 7168cebdbf who had been dfbba157e2 ignoring my words, 1d46a365fb looked at the 8eb623a740 tablet with sharp dcc60ce3a5 eyes and said,f4531f52123f28cc

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“This seems like a holy relic.”1b7f450fc260f38d

“Even if it’s an artifact, isn’t calling it a holy relic too much? It’s just a stone…”bf117b637083af87

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“You didn’t know about the radishes either.”90b6be04a994221f

I accidentally broke 519b93a95a the pen I cf4df17325 was holding.8f1836102d249f08

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“Joonmleu hleuteu ummureu hjeumureu…”05ff7f1d8616acc4

I gritted d12bf747dc my teeth. This kid had been 50ebf063ae openly calling me mom, 752fedbed8 and my patience was c5b9f42e6d wearing thin. Even if the author’s 262d0413c3 official son, Shion, came, 1e833c2156 I would deny any 986fef3328 blood relation due to 933a3fec0e cognitive dissonance. Hearing a a00feb294d stranger call d6e016c5e5 me mom 80f4207bd2 was driving 2aaeff83e3 me insane.7771a8703b82e7ba

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At least 23a288fc07 call me b44c6c8940 dad.7a6d20aeff2e0350

Anyway, sorting 6506da2bb0 out this 2a2a8527ce title seemed a3658246a9 like the 828c326322 first step.5a0af43831b806c4

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“Even.”6e7919721dbd6a99

Even, who had 06c5b3b453 been staring at 9902844a1b the tablet, finally 8689cbf915 looked at me. His soft 719f2b43fd brown hair 6f912bdf37 floated in 20236af675 the air d0ea02b376 for a f7026892f8 moment before f22a7b71e8 settling down, 31cb351747 and his 447009c526 water-colored eyes 04e808460f looked at 4118d28257 me with c48ae2f7ce curiosity. Just by appearance, 43b04c93a7 he seemed like 25ed89a114 an innocent child, baf4295ce5 and having a b8aea6f21b brother or son 66a20eddbd like him in 472b412fc1 the future would 09de8eb59a be fulfilling.8cefa1c289a31ab7

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But not now.00f88a85eb5ca5d7

“Let’s correct the title first. Don’t call me mom anymore. Call me hyung or dad, or just use my name…”591fc53d3c5ca490

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“Why would mom be dad?”b85ff88870ae5905

Even replied with blatant hostility. I was momentarily taken aback. I couldn’t tell if he disliked the idea of me being dad or if he disliked the concept of dad itself.71e14d9a13ef0eb9

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Even reacted 5cc8f254bf more sharply 51b44e3231 than ever. Was this a 49a0477c69 sensitive issue for 0d65b82b4e kids? Even was currently e75069d144 perceiving me as 517d902d39 his mom due e843c7cbae to memory issues. If the person he ebc274b838 thought of as mom 3fcc9d1f8c suddenly asked to be 74ec4f5ad2 called dad, it could b61fdabb98 cause significant resentment and 125d165c8d confusion.c7826eba8d5d9f3e

I scratched my eyebrow 7c6f022963 awkwardly and added,21807630a07d29cd

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“Then just call me Shashar.”c29604d0897d7252

If I can’t be dad, I doubt I can be hyung either.25d76469ea4e7bf6

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“…”674e3ceebd835821

“Even if you pout, I can’t give in. If you keep calling me mom, you won’t get anything from me.”d8ab1aa7df4c1e8f

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Even stared at me 1ca8dabb83 with a sullen face e9f3f34eac but eventually lowered his 866224ed47 gaze as if conceding.977dc1544e0d60f2

“…Shasha.”3418c93572558426

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Huh?f4c505647ebae545

“If Shasha is okay.”bea4b9e0e633f526

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Oh dear. I felt 0bdb2f3f88 a headache 92947a5f76 coming on.679584a2457b42c0

Shasha? It’s a nickname everyone uses, but a little kid calling me Shasha? At least call me Shashar…bfdb83f257f2500a

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But seeing his cautious, glancing eyes, I figured I couldn’t complain about this. I had to concede this much, so I decided to step back.03ae10093259ae3a

“Anyway, regardless of you seeing me as mom, we need to find where you’ve been living.”35dc555fb5857956

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“Why?”fee2d35831eeaf7d

To send you b6d43984db back for good.c8abb3bb145407c8

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“For a reward…”c19bc2f87597081d

How far do I a486b53dcd have to go along 88c98414bb with this? A deep sense of c829d4a690 futility gnawed at me. Even in 876dbd0609 this situation, 773c60af6a Even was 9d2e8c705b very serious. He looked 6a25872bdd at me 98582b5722 intently, genuinely d5cd609783 questioning why 765c40cf66 he needed d5552f47df to find 7c8495001b where he 8a140c9245 came from.134831628554e7c7

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“A reward? Shasha, you don’t have money.”5d9f10d46c0032c9

I completely crushed the broken pen. Even if I’m broke, I have plenty to give. If I have nothing else, I can give him vegetables from the garden. Actually, I should be the one receiving a reward. Who safely took care of their precious child?bc1d3db350ca27a9

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“Think about it. They’re still your family. They must be worried, so you should show your face.”173efcdfcf8f7c19

Even crossed his arms with a doubtful expression. I knew it was a pretty poor excuse, but for now, it was important to appease Even and gently coax information out of him. Without any information, the world was too vast to pinpoint the kid’s family.0d873f6f89394368

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By now, Even’s family must have started searching, so if I could get a clue about his family, I could arrange a meeting. Even though I’m a fallen noble, my title hasn’t been revoked yet.7323dddfb5572b15

“Do you remember anything?”3aa349e6d9e1f4b9

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I asked Even, 07ac49e40b who seemed to 7512585a5b be pondering. This time, Even 08d02cedff appeared to be 0e834ce962 thinking carefully. Just like when I c8295460ed asked his name, he 07ac2ed647 seemed to be rummaging e43fd22ff1 through his mind, then 22dbc7b810 suddenly rubbed his furrowed 0d22a32e83 brow.2502a6bf71f3a99e

“I don’t know. My head hurts, and I don’t want to think about it.”b75528aadff10975

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I hung my head low. Maybe I was expecting too much. A kid who couldn’t even remember his name and showed me the embroidery on his handkerchief wasn’t likely to recall anything about his family easily.82fb26985eb25786

“Guess not.”8cc8d18afef5ec97

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I took out a new pen. After dipping the nib in ink a few times, I smoothed out a slightly dried piece of paper with my hand. Then I sketched Even’s appearance on it.edcf371f749109e8

I had some 163d64d9cf drawing skills, and a382330276 considering I found dcf41db3e4 art supplies and 312ad95833 canvases while rummaging 66ecce50a0 through the house 3855a19526 after transmigrating, it 78f44c03a1 seemed Shashar had 18d858bdaa a hobby in 67c4bc2eef drawing too.12d05b36692e3652

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As I guessed, the drawing turned out better than expected. Even a quick glance showed it resembled Even quite well. Adding Even’s features at the bottom completed a proper poster.94d0aaf81b1ed9b3

Now, I just 959b493fec needed to take a63d8b12c2 this to the e07752a394 printing shop and dbbeb8724f copy it with c9e0c17a9c an artifact. While I was c7155faecf drawing something like 72dcfaf5a8 a portrait, Even 16bbb202ab was still engrossed 0c33caf37f in the tablet.06324211fa1b832d

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As if expecting f93126d6f3 something to emerge 07d51b6afe from staring at 8a20d6f19a it, Even kept c3b0947945 turning and flipping ba56e9b277 the tablet, then 6f95ed12e6 suddenly looked at de282e9a84 me and said,374bd4d4e4bc11f0

“Shasha, this really seems like a holy relic.”fc414ae7dd253662

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I chuckled, e15ab660c6 thinking how 7d873922e7 absurd that 6d6958c729 was.082eebf9dea5ba44

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“It’s indeed a holy relic.”4a7190c31d87b8be

The one who shattered 3bcea28a27 my confidence was an db6178bec5 appraiser running a jewelry 178feca908 shop. I wondered if this 651575c2d8 could be true. That stone-age-looking 997c22a4e2 relic was 81d8782a76 genuinely a 632d58efc7 holy relic.02e53878e241584a

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