Chapter 125

A few days later.

"Wow, what is all this, grandma?" 

Junior's eyes widened as she saw the various goods that Jupiter had brought home. 

From various food items to snacks, new clothes, dolls, and toys. It was filled with items that were difficult to see considering the household's circumstances.

Jupiter unloaded the items with a broad smile.

"Our income has increased a bit."

"..."

Junior, wide-eyed, looked up at her grandma. Jupiter raised her voice in the house.

"Kids~ Come out and see what grandma has brought!"

One by one, the children from inside the house came out, screaming with joy.

Children missing limbs or covered with burn marks hobbled over to Jupiter to receive their gifts.

"And~ Ta-da!"

Finally, Jupiter handed something to Junior with a broad smile.

It was a few books. Junior's mouth fell open in surprise.

"You said you wanted to read books, right? Granny brought some for you."

"Wow! Thank you, grandma! I'll read them well!"

Junior, her small frame clutching the large book, burst into a huge smile before gradually wiping it away.

"But grandma."

"Hmm?"

"You didn't get involved in something strange, did you?"

"..."

"Where did you get the money to buy all this? Payday is still far away..."

The keen senses of a young child.

Jupiter was momentarily taken aback, but soon showed a soft smile.

"Hey, do you think your grandma is ordinary? The emergency fund I've stashed away isn't just a couple of pennies."

"Really?"

"Yes. So don't worry about such things, enjoy reading your book!"

Jupiter, laughing lightly, patted her belly.

"Let's make dinner together. Grandma's starving."

"…Alright!"

As they headed to the kitchen together, they engaged in light-hearted conversation.

"But grandma, you said my cooking tastes bad, didn't you?"

"I can't cook either, so it's fair. Let's give it our best shot."

The two stood side by side in the kitchen, preparing dinner with their awkward skills. The sound of laughter filled the house.

It was an unusually affluent night.

***

After dinner.

While the children were playing loudly with their dolls and toys, Jupiter lit a cigarette outside the front door.

"Sigh..."

She had started smoking again after a long time and found it impossible to quit.

The guilt about the illicit grain trade she had just started, the fear of the fraud and crime she had committed, were all suppressed by smoking.

At that moment.

"Grandma?"

Junior poked her head out the door. Startled, Jupiter quickly shook out her cigarette.

"Junior? What is it? It's chilly, go back inside."

"Hehe. I have something to show grandma."

Junior, with a bashful smile, raised her hand.

"Look at this!"

Magic attribute elements spurted from Junior's fingertips, shining brightly.

Jupiter's face froze. Junior smiled innocently.

"I've been able to control these guys since that day. I guess I have talent in magic!"

The priest's words from a few days ago popped into Jupiter's head.

- The magical power is backflowing from the traces of magic left in the heart. The problem is that the child has talent as a magician. She can't handle her own magical power because of the trace.

Oblivious to her grandmother's thoughts, Junior nodded enthusiastically.

"When I grow up, I want to be like grandma! I want to become a great magician like grandma, make a lot of money! For grandma and the kids-"

Suddenly.

Junior, about to say something more, stopped.

Because Jupiter had grabbed her shoulders with a scary look on her face.

"Don't even think about learning magic."

"Huh? Why...?"

"Even without learning such things, your grandma can feed you all for a lifetime."

"But..."

"Promise me, Junior. Promise me. Even for my sake, you won't learn magic."

Junior, who had been nervously looking at Jupiter's serious face, murmured uneasily.

"But grandma... It's hard for you to take care of us."

"..."

"I just want to grow up quickly and help grandma..."

"Junior, you just worry about yourself. Got it?"

Jupiter pulled Junior into a quiet hug and patted her back.

"Grandma's fine."

"..."

"Since I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

Junior quietly rested in her embrace.

***

The wealthy times were short. They didn't last even a few months.

The investigators of the empire were skilled. Jupiter's smuggling operation was promptly exposed.

The crucial evidence was the expensive healing magic used on over ten children in the capital.

A luxury too costly for a disgraced soldier.

The investigators sniffed it out, descended upon the village, and began their investigations. The smugglers apprehended on the scene all named Jupiter.

The investigation was swift, and Jupiter did not refute the charges.

Her guilt was undeniable.

So, Jupiter was ultimately forced into disgraceful retirement.

Such was the grim fate for a lifetime dedicated to the military.

"It's karma," she muttered.

As she removed the last of her belongings from the guard post, Jupiter gnawed on the cigarette clenched in her teeth.

She didn't regret it.

Had she not involved herself in the smuggling, the children wouldn't have received the advanced healing magic, and they might not even be alive now.

What worried her was the future.

Her expenditures were still high, but her income had dried up.

"Where will I earn money now..." 

Not too far off, she spotted the fishing boats coming and going at the pier. Perhaps she should consider fishing.

"Thunderbolt Jupiter!"

Turning at the sound of a call, she saw a group of rough-looking men flocking towards her.

"Congratulations on your newfound freedom."

Amidst the group, a smartly dressed man smirked.

He was familiar. He was a business associate she had encountered during her smuggling days. Jupiter's brows furrowed.

"Did you come to mock my disgrace?"

"Absolutely not. I'm not stupid enough to offend a mage."

The man standing in front of Jupiter got straight to the point.

"Let me cut to the chase. Thunderbolt Jupiter, have you considered becoming a mercenary?"

"A mercenary?"

"Yes, a mercenary who will fight for anyone, as long as they're paid."

Disgust flitted across Jupiter's face.

"So, you're saying that Jupiter the fire mage should consider becoming a mere mercenary... Is that what you're implying?"

"It's not just about becoming a lowly mercenary. You're in a situation where you'd need to become even a hunting dog led by a mercenary."

The man sneered as he spoke.

"You need a lot of money, don't you?"

"..."

"I'm not sure about your charity work... but in this world where just raising two kids can break your back, you're raising more than ten children alone."

"..."

"Wasn't it because of them that you even got involved in this dirty business? You've smuggled, why not take on a mercenary job?"

The man pulled out a small box from his pocket. As he opened the box, several luxurious cigars were revealed.

"As a skilled person like Thunderbolt Jupiter, you can earn quite a lot as a mercenary."

"..."

"Come with us."

Her hesitation was brief.

Jupiter reached out to take a cigar. The man smiled, cut the end of the cigar, and lit it for her.

***

"The priest will frequently come to check on you."

On the night she accepted the mercenary recruitment.

Jupiter gathered the children and explained how they should live from now on.

The resident priest promised to visit frequently, and she also asked for help from her neighbors.

Her former guards also cheerfully promised to help care for the children.

The substantial prepayment from her employer was all given to them as gratitude.

The remaining money was handed to Junior.

"This should be enough for half a year's living expenses. Use it sparingly."

"..."

"Junior, as the oldest, you have to look after your siblings."

"...Yes."

"I'll earn a lot of money and come back quickly."

Jupiter met the gaze of each child, sharing her farewells. Junior clutched the bag of money in her hand tightly.

That night.

Junior timidly approached Jupiter, who was smoking a cigarette in a chair outside the front door.

"Grandma."

"Hmm? Why aren't you asleep?"

"Can you read this?"

In Junior's hand was a storybook Jupiter had bought a few days ago.

Chuckling lightly, Jupiter lifted Junior onto her lap with a heave-ho.

And holding her granddaughter, Jupiter began to read the storybook slowly.

Junior clung tightly to Jupiter.

"Grandma, how far are you going?"

Halfway through the book, Junior suddenly asked. Jupiter casually answered.

"Well, I'm headed west first. Apparently, there's a war-torn country there."

"Can't you stay here with us?"

"..."

"Scared without Grandma?"

Jupiter gently stroked her granddaughter's hair.

"I'll make a lot of money and be back soon. You don't need to be scared."

Junior knew it too. The fact that Grandma had to leave.

But there was no helping her fear. Junior pressed her face hard into Jupiter's embrace.

"I've been having scary dreams lately."

"A nightmare?"

"Yeah. You too, Grandma?"

"Indeed. Grandma often has them too."

Jupiter gave a broad smile as she patted her granddaughter's back.

"But today, you'll have a good dream."

On a creaky old chair, with the sea breeze in her face, Junior slowly fell asleep.

Jupiter whispered softly into the sleeping girl's ear.

"Sleep well, sweetheart."

***

Afterwards, Jupiter set off to find a war, roaming across the continent.

The income as a mercenary wasn't as good as she thought. Wars were frequent but most of them were in a lull.

Eventually, Jupiter had to get her hands dirty with all sorts of unsavory jobs, not just being a mercenary.

The honor she maintained as a soldier was of no use in front of the livelihood of her grandchildren.

She sold and discarded the reputation she had built up all her life, and Jupiter began to build a new reputation.

A fallen soldier, crazed for money.

A gold digger who would do anything for money.

Junior was an innocent and tender child, but she changed more ruthlessly as she became responsible for the lives of her younger siblings.

Most of the neighbors that Grandma asked for help didn't assist Junior.

On the contrary, they threatened her to cough up money, or they became harmful.

Junior had to become strong. She had to turn crafty and harsh.

She even had to master the magic that Grandma told her not to learn, to protect her siblings.

Above all, she knew it herself. Her talent lay in magic.

No, there was nothing else.

In a blink of an eye, ten years passed.

The distance between Jupiter and her grandchildren grew, both physically and emotionally.

Apart from the occasional letters they exchanged, their interactions dwindled.

Still, Jupiter sent money and Junior wrote letters.

Junior had become a full-fledged adult.

And as a mage, she fully understood what exactly had happened 15 years ago.

What Jupiter had done.

Jupiter had aged into an elderly woman with white hair.

Jupiter began to fear her granddaughter. The child she had reared but had actually left an indelible scar.

***

Present time.

The southern front of the Empire. Fortress city Crossroad.

The inn room where Junior was staying.

"..."

"..."

Jupiter and Junior stared silently at each other.

The tender gaze between the grandmother and granddaughter that they shared ten years ago was gone.

Instead, their gaze was filled with fear and awkwardness, along with a faint resentment.

"..."

After staring silently at her granddaughter, drenched in her own vomited blood, Jupiter spat out.

"...Have you been eating properly?"