Chapter 55

It was good that I managed to slip out of the victory party for the terrorist extermination and return home early, but the reward had not yet been paid.

It was a bit of a shock, but I could understand.

It wasn't that the count was being stingy with the payment; he was probably swamped with coordinating the local security, restarting the energy plant, and dealing with military and government affairs.

Since he's not the type to ignore the mercenaries' rewards, I can wait patiently.

In that case, I'll take it easy for 2-3 days.

I returned to my room around noon, but the first thing to do when I got back was to clean.

There's no trash, but dust accumulates, and I want to keep it clean for my own peace of mind.

Once that's done, the next step is to go shopping.

I need to buy things like tonight's dinner, tomorrow's breakfast, water and refreshments for the boat, and portable food.

When I go shopping, I ride a three-wheeled cart scooter that residents of the apartment can use freely to go to the nearby market.

There, I buy what I need, but if there are new products, I might buy them out of curiosity, or if my favorites are gone, I might get depressed, so it's quite stimulating and quite enjoyable.

As I finished buying what I needed and was about to leave the market, a small boy walked in holding hands with his parents.

Seeing that, I suddenly thought of my parents.

I've graduated from high school and have been a mercenary, and I've been in touch many times and seen them through video calls, but I haven't met them in person.

I think about going to see them, but I don't know what kind of backtalk I'd get from the neighbors if I went to the countryside as a mercenary, a job that's not exactly respectable.

So, I just send money and occasionally communicate.

"Should I give them a call..."

I went to the market parking lot and made a call using my wrist terminal.

This wrist terminal can display images, so I can see the other person's face.

"Yes, this is Uzos."

The person who appeared on the screen was my father, Jack Uzos.

Unlike me, my father is thin and tall.

When he was working at the company, I thought he was popular with the female employees.

On the other hand, my mother, Stella Uzos, is short and not fat but has a round impression.

In other words, I take after her.

"Hey, Dad. Are you okay right now?"

"What's up? This is rare."

My father, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, looked as calm as ever.

When he was working at the company, he always looked tired and possessed by something, and when he was framed, he didn't even seem to have any spirit.

However, after he quit the company and started farming in the countryside, he became calm as if a curse had been lifted.

Probably because he was free from various ties and responsibilities.

"Actually, I was wondering about the debt. I think it should be paid off soon, right?"

"Yeah, with the last payment you sent, it's down to about 1 million credits."

"That's good. In a while, I'll get the reward for a recent job, so I'll pay it off with that."

"That much we can manage with our earnings. We just finished harvesting the cabbage, so we have some income."

"Even so, let me pay. It's better to pay it off as soon as possible, right?"

"You're right. I understand. I'll leave it to you."

Originally, it was a debt from being framed.

I don't know when I might be accused and the remaining amount increased.

Although the people who supported my father at the company transferred the debt to a reputable bank that wouldn't do such things, you never know what might happen.

So, it's definitely better to pay it off as soon as possible.

Understanding this, my father quietly bowed his head and accepted my proposal.

"By the way, how's Mom?"

"She finished her afternoon work and went to karaoke with her friends. They call it karaoke dieting. I was taken along once before... it was just tiring..."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I changed the subject, and he told me about my aggressive mother's recent activities with a sigh of resignation.

If it's tiring, it might be effective, right?

"Mom is still the same, huh?"

"How about you? You could at least try a slimming treatment, right?"

Just as I was amazed at my mother's dieting, my father unexpectedly brought up a topic.

A slimming treatment is a method of taking slimming pills to forcibly burn fat and lose weight.

However, the heat is quite high and lasts for about two days, and the skin that had stretched due to the loss of fat contracts, so you have to stay in the hospital for a week.

The cost of the treatment is considerable, but it's not something an ordinary person can't afford.

However, the problem is that you need to be hospitalized, and there's a high possibility that nobles will take the reservations of ordinary people.

There are even rumors that some places will take the money and run.

"I don't plan to get it for now."

So, I wasn't interested.

"You take after your mother in that way."

"I wish I had taken after you in height."

My father is about 180 cm tall, but I'm not even 170 cm.

I really wish I had taken after you in that area.

"Are you doing well?"

"Yeah. I'm not taking on reckless jobs."

"I'll let you know when the debt is paid off, so come home once. Don't worry about what the neighbors think."

It seems he had noticed that I was worried about what the neighbors would think and didn't come home.

I can't win against my father.

"Sure, if my schedule allows."

"Alright. I'll cut the call now. I need to pick some eggplants from the garden before your mother scolds me."

"I'm having dinner too, so I'll hang up."

With that, both of us ended the call.

Phew.

These kinds of calls are always tense.

If I had made the call in my room, it would have felt awkward, so it was a good idea to make it in the market parking lot.

After returning to my room and eating the dinner I made, I received a video call from Gonzales, who never calls me.

Ironically, it was the opposite of the situation before I left to fight the terrorists.

"Hey, looks like you made it back alive."

"Yeah. So, it's rare for you to call. What's up?"

Since he doesn't look serious, it's probably not bad news.

"Actually, I ran into Cruz today. He said he's free tomorrow and suggested we meet again. I thought you might be back by now, so I called. How about it?"

Come to think of it, tomorrow is my day off.

When you're a mercenary, you lose track of the days of the week.

"Sure, I'm taking a day off, so it's fine."

"Alright, let's meet at 10 AM at 'Playstar House' in front of the station. I'll let Cruz know."

"Got it."

I run into each of them or go on jobs, but it's been a while since we've all been together.

"By the way, what happened with that meeting you mentioned before we left?"

Remembering the call I made to get information before I left, I casually asked.

"Let me tell you... it was a total harassment fest..."

He seemed quite beaten down and started complaining.

Since I always rely on him, I might as well listen to his complaints once in a while.

Happy New Year.

Thank you for your continued support this year.

Please feel free to share your opinions, impressions, and any typos.