The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 4 - Chapter 183

Chapter 183:

Woman’s Righteous Anger Conquers All

There was a ruckus when we arrived at Druid’s father’s shop. Druid and I exchanged curious looks.

“Should we go inside, sir?”

“Let’s wait and see what’s going on first.”

We peeked in through the window and…agh!

“Agh!” Druid grunted, unable to hold it back like I had.

I glanced at him and…he had a huge wrinkle between his eyebrows, which made me chuckle a little. Druid used to be able to shove all his emotions beneath the surface, but now they exposed themselves freely. Maybe something about him had changed on the inside.

I peeked into the shop again. Marching angrily over to Druid was his brother, Dol…huh? Why can’t I remember that guy’s name? I must be rejecting it subconsciously.

“Why are you letting him in here?!” the troublemaker yelled at Druid’s father. Druid’s mother stood hopelessly beside her husband. And next to her was her daughter-in-law, staring at the agitator…with a look of contempt…? No, I must be imagining it.

“What should we do?” I asked Druid.

“Huh. Why do I feel this way?”

Hm? What does he mean?

“Until very recently…I used to feel guilty when fights like this happened…”

But not anymore? Does that mean he’s gotten over his past? “It means you’ve moved on.”

“What?! Oh. Right…I’ve moved on.”

Did I get that wrong? No, no, he felt guilty all those years because he was shackled by his traumatic past. And if he doesn’t feel guilty anymore, surely that means he’s moved on, right? Well, who cares if I’m wrong? Druid looks kind of pleased with himself.

“So, Mr. Druid, what are we going to do? Walk into the store and greet everyone with a smile?”

“Ivy…you’ve got a streak of dark humor in you, you know?”

“But you don’t want to be rude. Good manners are important, aren’t they?”

“Uh, but if I waltz into the shop and say hello with a grin on my face, that would come across as totally sarcastic.”

“Aww, but I think it would be nice.”

Greeting people with a smile is the foundation of good manners! So it wouldn’t be sarcastic at all…I think.

“What is wrong with you people?!” the troublemaker yelled. “I’m the victim here! Why do you keep taking his side?”

His voice was getting louder, and it definitely wouldn’t do to be heard all the way outside of the shop. Reaching the same conclusion as me, Druid swung the door open.

“Argh, can you just grow up already? Are you a damn fool? Or are you just a pile of garbage?”

Huh? That was Druid’s sister-in-law’s voice. Druid and I both froze to the spot. I stole a careful glance at her. If I had to describe her outward appearance, I’d say she looked docile and neat as a pin. She was probably the kind of lady whom men dreamed about treating like a princess. I couldn’t believe the insults I’d just heard from her lips… I almost wished I’d imagined it all.

“You keep repeating ‘victim’ like it’s the only word your stupid brain can hold.”

“How dare you! I’m a real—”

“Stop playing the victim card. You’re not a five-year-old anymore.”

“How dare you!”

Shurila was not even close to yelling. Her voice remained calm and quiet…yet, for some reason, the sound of it sent chills down my spine. And it was a hot summer day, mind you.

“Ohh, you poor thing. You really are a damn fool! If that unfortunate incident hadn’t happened, you’d have been kicked out of this shop ages ago. But your kind father let you work here in the hope that your pathetic ass would grow up a little. Well, if I were in his shoes, you’d be on the streets now. Why don’t you man up and look at the situation you’ve put yourself in? Nobody will ever take your side, Dolgas. It’s pointless to try and help you.”

Oh, right! It’s Dolgas. I need to buckle down and remember that. And is it just me, or were there some pretty fiery words sprinkled into her speech just now…? To think that such dirty phrases would come out of such a pretty lady’s mouth! I’m shocked.

“C-cut the crap! And you can’t kick me out! You don’t have the right to—”

“Ahh, right, I guess I forgot to tell you. Sorry about that. I’m taking over this shop, so if you’re gonna keep that lousy attitude of yours, then get out. The shop’s better off without you. And I can’t stand the sight of you, either.”

I’m terrified. From the look in her eye, I knew she meant every word. I wouldn’t be surprised if she kicked him out then and there.

Her mother-in-law burst into supportive applause. Her father-in-law smiled sheepishly beside her. An indescribable atmosphere of chaos hung in the shop.

“I want a do-over.” Druid’s meek voice broke the silence. I agreed with him, but if we left the shop, I knew they’d hear us closing the door. They hadn’t noticed us opening it in the first place because Shurila’s voice had masked the sound. Druid and I exchanged glances. I’m sure we both had the fire of fight or flight in our eyes.

“Oh, hello there, Druid. And Ivy.”

Shop Mistress…I wish you hadn’t said hi to us now of all times…

“Oh, good morning, Ivy,” Shurila said, sounding quite normal. “Thanks for helping out today.”

“Er, good morning. What exactly am I helping out with?” I asked, trying to sound normal, too. But when I looked at her, Dolgas came before my eyes as well. He looked like he was about to blow his top. I didn’t want to go near him, so I stayed right by the door, barely inside the shop.

“Oh, didn’t you know?”

What is she talking about? I looked at Druid, but he seemed just as confused as I was.

“Sorry, we sent you a message, but I guess you didn’t receive it.”

Well, we did leave early this morning to go to the forest. “Sorry, we had a matter to attend to. Did something happen?” I asked, ignoring Dolgas, which only made his face get redder and redder. He seemed quite angry. I slowly turned my gaze away from him so I wouldn’t have to look at the terrifying sight.

“Ivy? Is something wrong, dear?” Shurila, noticing something odd about my behavior, looked next to her and—oh no. She burst out laughing.

Yikes…now Dolgas’s grimace looks even more terrifying. Shop Mistress, no! Don’t you laugh, too!

“How dare you all make a fool of me!”

The phrase “I am woman, hear me roar” spun around and around in my brain. The phrase didn’t sound familiar to me, so it must have come from Past Me. And boy, did she roar…with anger and laughter. Only a truly mighty woman could laugh in the face of an angry man like that. Druid’s sister-in-law and his mother were quite possibly the two strongest people I’d ever met.

“Dammit! Outta my way!” Dolgas marched over to the door with a wide stride. And, aiming a foul grimace at Druid, he stormed out.

“So sorry about that,” Druid’s mother apologized. “He never did grow out of that disappointing nonsense in his head.”

Druid’s father smiled in defeat.

“Did something happen?” Druid asked. “He’s never acted out that harshly before.”

Was that true?

“He used to treat the shopkeeper—his father—with respect, at least,” Druid’s mother explained. “But now that he’s found out we’re handing the shop over to his sister-in-law, he doesn’t need to hold back his true feelings anymore, you see?”

“Um, were you holding back your true feelings, too, Mom?” Druid asked.

“Of course I was. Dolgas is my son and I’ll love him no matter what, but you’re my son, too, Druid. And it killed me to see my two elder sons cursing my sweet baby boy. Only a fool would behave so terribly. I warned him to stop many times, but he kept insisting he was the victim like it was some kind of mantra. To think that his personality and his brain were both rotten… We tried to talk things out with him over and over, but it was hopeless.”

Druid’s cheeks filled with pink at his mother’s words.

“I’m so sorry, Druid. Your whole life, we’ve made you turn the other cheek.”

“No, Mom, I’m sorry. You’ve all had so many horrible fights because of me.”

“That’s not true, Druid. We never once thought of this as your fault. Those boys are mine. It was my duty as their mother to teach them that fighting is wrong. But no amount of reasoning worked with them. Arguing didn’t work, either. To be honest, I really agonized over how I could possibly get through to them.” There was a brief flash of exhaustion in her eyes.

“Mom…”

“Well, that took a huge weight off my back. I’ve washed my hands of it. I’m going to focus all my energy now on staying out of Shurila’s way. She’s a saint for marrying my good-for-nothing son Doluka. I need to cherish her.”

“Oh, thank you, Mother. You’re so sweet.” Shurila’s pretty smile erased all traces of her terrifying aura from earlier, like it had all been an illusion. There was no hint of ice in her tone, either.

This must be what she’s usually like…

“Sorry for getting you caught up in our family drama, Ivy,” Druid’s mother said, bowing her head to me.

“Oh, don’t worry, ma’am! I’m not bothered by it.”

“I’ve been meaning to thank you for saving our Druid, too.”

“Oh, but I didn’t save him…” I didn’t remember doing anything of the sort. “He’s helped me out an awful lot. If anything, I’m worried I’m causing Mr. Druid all sorts of strife.” Ack! I’m so nervous that I think I worded that kind of strangely.

I felt a hand rest softly on my head. I looked up to see Druid’s gentle smile.

“Ivy, you’re like a messiah to me.”

A messiah?! No, no, you’ve got me all wrong!