Watching the catgirl’s pitiful demeanor,Ron looked somewhat uncomfortable.
“Hey, what’s the big idea scaring her like that?”
Facing Ron’s rebuke, the mysterious woman in black robes simply reached out and grabbed Ron by the ear.
“Cut the crap.”
“Let’s go!”
Amid Ron’s cries of protest, the two quickly left the shop.
After winding through several unknown streets, the black-robed woman finally led Ron to a carriage.
Though the carriage wasn’t lavishly decorated, its dark, muted paint job made it extremely low-key.
Yet, the fact that it was twice the size of a normal carriage was more than enough to dominate the street!
“What are you spacing out for?”
“Get in.”
Seeing Ron staring blankly at the carriage, the black-robed woman gave him a shove to hurry him along.
But Ron’s expression darkened as he leaned close to her, gritting his teeth:
“Perike!”
“Did you… did you go rat me out to my mom?!”
Wearing her black robe, Perike stuck out her tongue with a cheeky laugh.
“Rat you out about what~?”
“Don’t go falsely accusing good people, okay?”
Seeing how Perike was playing dumb under the cover of her robe, trying to pass it off with cuteness, Ron could only sigh and climb into the carriage.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a refined noblewoman sitting on the plush sofa in the spacious passenger cabin.
Even though the veil draped from her hat obscured her face,Ron recognized her instantly.
“Mom…”
Elenda gazed at the guilty-looking Ron and let out a soft sigh.
Once Perike boarded as well, she gently tugged a thin cord by her side, signaling the driver to depart.
Although powered by bio-energy, the carriage was built with top-tier materials.
Even as it drove over rough and uneven roads, the passengers inside didn’t feel a single bump.
Seeing Ron sitting as far away from her as possible, Elenda sighed again.
“Come sit here.”
She patted the seat beside her.
Pressed by his mother’s authority as both parent and head of the family, Ron, like a child who knew he had done something wrong, obediently sat next to Elenda.
The moment he sat down, Elenda reached out and yanked off the black wig on Ron’s head!
Beneath the wig, his messy blond hair was barely held down by a hairnet.
At the sight, a faint smile curved Elenda’s stern face.
“Just look at yourself.”
“Like a little bald boy!”
Elenda pulled off Ron’s hairnet, then asked Perike for a comb and began brushing Ron’s messy hair.
When she hit a knot, Elenda didn’t hesitate to yank it through forcefully.
Ron sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
“Ah—ow! That hurts!”
“Endure it!”
Though Elenda’s tone was harsh, her hand movements softened slightly.
Once she finished tidying up Ron’s hair, Elenda asked Perike for some makeup remover.
“Pretty good at makeup, aren’t you?”
“You even learned how to wear colored contacts.”
“If I hadn’t taken off your wig…”
“I really would’ve thought I had another handsome son with black hair and bronze skin!”
Embarrassed by Elenda’s teasing, Ron scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“My disguise’s pretty decent, right?”
“Hehehe…”
“Decent my ass!”
Elenda grabbed the comb and smacked it down on Ron’s head!
Only after getting bonked did Ron finally lower his head and sit quietly.
“Who taught you all these makeup tricks?”
As Elenda helped remove Ron’s makeup, she asked him curiously.
Ron raised his hand and pointed directly at the smugly grinning Perike nearby!
“Her!”
Ron declared with absolute certainty, causing Perike’s face to instantly pale in panic.
“Y-You’re lying!”
“It was my sister who taught you that!”
“Don’t care!”
“She’s the one who taught me!”
“You!!”
“You’re slandering me!”
“Slander? I’m telling the truth!”
The two started bickering inside the carriage.
Watching them throw accusations at each other, Elenda, who had kept a stern face earlier, couldn’t help but let out a soft, amused chuckle.
“Alright, alright.”
“I’m not blaming anyone.”
After stopping their argument, Elenda looked at Ron with a gentle, motherly gaze.
“At first, I thought all your recent indulgence was just you lashing out—pretending you didn’t care.”
“But now…”
“It’s clear to me that you’re truly fine inside.”
“And knowing that, I can rest easy.”
With the makeup all wiped off, Ron grinned sheepishly.
“What could I possibly be hung up on?”
“It’s not like I like that woman!”
“She can walk her sunny, wide-open road—I’ll take my dark, narrow footbridge!”
Hearing that, Elenda smiled in satisfaction.
“It’s good that you’re so open-minded!”
“I was really worried you’d take it too hard…”
“Sigh…”
“That blood contract engagement we made back then was only meant to preserve the family’s interests.”
“I just didn’t expect… it would end up causing you so much pain.”
“My poor child…”
As Elenda spoke, her eyes welled up with tears again.
Ron panicked and hurried to comfort her:
“What do you mean ‘causing me pain’!”
“Mom, you gave your magically-useless son a solid safety net!”
“I’m a total loser already—what’s so bad about being a live-in son-in-law?”
“Just look at how happy I’ve been lately!”
“Eating well, drinking well~”
“Living the good life~!”
As he spoke, Ron lifted his shirt, showing Elenda the small belly he had gained from his recent indulgence.
Seeing the rare bit of chubbiness on Ron’s stomach, Elenda finally stopped crying and broke into a smile.
Noticing that smile, Ron let out a breath of relief.
He had thought that his recent behavior had successfully flown under the radar.
But to his surprise, Elenda still brought it up.
“It’s great that you’ve been able to let go like this.”
“However…”
“This kind of indulgence can’t go on forever.”
Her tone shifted, brows furrowing slightly.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Ron’s forehead.
In his previous life, he had been a high school student crushed under the weight of intense academic pressure.
After finishing the college entrance exam, all he had looked forward to was a long, stress-free summer break, followed by the wild, carefree life of university.
He had even written down his dream computer specs, planning to lock himself in an air-conditioned room post-exams, binge-playing games and making up for all the fun he had missed over the years.
But before he could enjoy even a moment of indulgence—bam!—he got hit by a dump truck and was sent flying into another world.
Ron had originally assumed that a medieval European-style fantasy world—with no internet or computers—would be unbearably boring.
But he quickly found out:
If you had money and time, entertainment here was endless!
Pet battling, horse racing, archery, bar-hopping while watching live parades, wandering massive open-air markets, cold-weapon sparring clubs where you could brawl without getting hurt…
The variety of goods and snacks in these markets was incredible—way more fun than the copy-paste shopping malls of the modern world!
All those sports simulators in video games?
You could actually experience them here!
As long as you weren’t struggling to survive, the fun here could overwhelm you!
So naturally, as a former junior high student now exposed to all this—
When faced with Elenda’s criticism, Ron could only offer a sheepish defense:
“Wasn’t I just dazzled by this flashy new world?”
“Besides!”
“Your son does have standards, okay!”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Perike!”
“No matter how much I indulge, I absolutely refuse to touch gambling or drugs!”
“I, Ron, will never coexist with gambling and drugs!”
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