I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Now, nearly three years since I came to this world.

Although I was merely a foreign worker, I had come to be nearly recognized as a hero after acting as an adventurer. Ironically, I hadn’t thought of adventuring from the moment I arrived in this world.

After all, when I first arrived in this world, everything was so unfamiliar that I had no choice but to be cautious in my actions.

Even if it didn’t suit my temperament, the priority was to gradually adapt to my situation and think about starting something once I had a foundation.

Working as a porter was part of that adaptation when I worked in a factory, and of course, during that time, I acted alongside workers who had come to this world before me or at the same time.

“Wow, is this a watermelon or a dairy cow?”

“It’s a goddamn cow, you bastard!!!!”

Such phrases burst out every day, marking the start of mornings filled with nothing but pouring molten metal or hammering iron inside the factory.

With workplaces filled with violations of worker laws, it was fortunate to even receive proper wages, let alone expect overtime or weekends off.

Some places provided board and lodging, but even that was nothing more than swill and meals with improperly filtered impurities.

Proper meals required personal expenses, but the meager salary spent on food and renting an inn with a bed left nothing but debt in such dire circumstances.

The best value was getting calories from leftover milk with sugar, and collecting heaps of newspapers discarded by nobles in windless alleys near the factory to sleep on.

Thinking back, it didn’t seem like work fit for humans, but porters, to a large extent, were treated as expendables by heroes, so it was hard to say which was better.

“If you don’t want to work, quit! There are plenty of others who will!”

Whether it was employers or heroes, their constant nagging always made me feel the discrimination against foreign workers in this world.

In such a situation, the only way to escape the life of a worker was to save up money to start a business, become an adventurer like me, or maintain dignity to luckily catch the eye of nobles and become a servant in a noble house.

Of course, either way required a considerable amount of money.

Thus, foreign workers unsatisfied with their current situation generally aimed to save even small amounts of money for their future, making do with milk tea and newspapers for the day.

“Hey~ Hyoooo~! Lend me some money~!”

Conversely, there were those who succumbed to the harsh reality and squandered their daily earnings on alcohol or brothels.

Among them, one particularly memorable fellow was a fellow foreign worker named “Yeong Jeong-hoon.”

He was a bastard who always borrowed money from me and hadn’t paid back a single penny even now, nearly three years later.

“Did you forget about the money you borrowed last time?”

“Ah, I’ll pay it back with interest later, so just lend me a little more~”

“…Sigh, I’m lending it to you because you covered for my mistake last time.”

At that time, he was smart and quick-witted, covering for the mistakes of me and other colleagues, preventing us from catching the employer’s eye.

Considering it was a debt, I would reluctantly lend him enough money for a few drinks whenever he asked to borrow money.

“Kahaha~! See, you’re the only one I can trust, Hyo!”

“Stop with that Hyo stuff. How many times do I have to tell you it’s Woo Hyo-sung, not Hyo?”

“Ah, never mind that… Hey Hyo, I’m about to have a blast. Are you coming? The new girl at the bar is something else~”

“Just go and enjoy yourself alone.”

Claiming the motto of spending money first and thinking later, he would always indulge in alcohol and women after work…

Even though he was a scumbag who borrowed money from peers due to his insufficient earnings, thinking about it made him seem more annoying than outright bad.

Everyone knew his behavior was poor, but they lent him money because having someone enjoy life daily somewhat aired out the atmosphere of our exhausting worker life.

Yes, having such a bad connection, I came to the funeral place as mentioned in the letter…

“…What’s this?”

When I actually arrived at the tent where the funeral was held, the first thing I blurted out was confusion.

That’s because the funeral happening before me was far from the usual format conducted in this world.

Yes, typically, the funerals of the poor involve clergy volunteering to place a single urn and visitors coming to pray, ending in a modest ceremony.

“Ah, Jeong-hoon~~!!”

People were sitting on the ground, wailing in sorrow.

And in front of them, the frame containing the portrait of Yeong Jeong-hoon was modeled after the frame used for “memorial photos” in the original world.

“Excuse me, you’re the chief mourner of the funeral, right?”

As I incredulously watched the scene, I noticed a man in mourning attire.

Approaching him to grasp the situation, he promptly bowed his head and spoke to me with practiced ease.

“Yes, I’m in charge of the funeral proceedings, as agreed with Mr. Jeong-hoon in advance. Here, take my business card.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

The business card revealed his identity as the director of Geonmo Errand Center, stamped directly by the empire.

It wasn’t just any place, but he ran a rather famous center, famous enough that even I had heard of it.

So, Jeong-hoon had entrusted the errand center with the funeral proceedings before he passed away?

And the unexpected letter sent to the address of a friend from a few years ago, who I hadn’t been in touch with, was because he had this person investigate the friends he remembered?

“…I’m a bit confused.”

Even up to this point, it was bewildering, but thinking about it, that guy always had his quirks.

Out of curiosity, I decided to throw a few of my immediate doubts his way.

“Aren’t funerals usually conducted in a church? Why would he go to the extent of using errand center staff to conduct his funeral?”

“He wanted to be remembered, at least in the end. Especially by those from the same world, he was confident that conducting the funeral in the traditional manner of their original homeland would ensure he wouldn’t be forgotten.”

“…Then, those people over there?”

“They are actors from a theater troupe hired with money. They were asked to cry in front of the photo during the funeral.”

“Ah, Jeong-hoon~~ Ah, my goodness~~!”

Again, the mourners—no, the actors playing the mourners—wailed in front of the memorial photo.

Realizing the sincerity in their tears was the essence of capitalism, I unconsciously blurted out a word.

“…Crazy.”

To implement a funeral culture that didn’t exist in this world, from creating the facilities from scratch, hiring the director of a renowned errand center, and even employing actors with exceptional acting skills…

Was that really within the economic means of a guy who only borrowed money to drink and then ignored everything else?

No, maybe he really died because he borrowed from loan sharks, didn’t repay, and faced the consequences.

Even if he somehow got the money, he might’ve fallen while drunk, cracked his head open, or contracted syphilis from fooling around.

“Hmm, is this how people from the other world conduct funerals?”

Whatever it was, the level of pitifulness was such that I thought it could be displayed in a museum as a piece of art, when I faintly heard a voice.

Realizing that it was Merilyn who had come with me saying that, I momentarily shifted my gaze from the memorial photo to gauge her reaction.

I watched her stare at the funeral scene unfolding, not at me, with half-closed eyes.

“There’s less to see than I thought. It seems rather meaningless.”

“…Merilyn?”

“Oh, right. If it’s a funeral, Hyo-sung should also take some time to mourn, right?”

The sour atmosphere felt from her muttering to herself.

I wanted to ask because it bothered me, but before I could, Merilyn clasped her hands together and began to smile broadly.

“Then, as an outsider, I’ll step away for a bit. Once you’re done, please come to the streetlamp in that alley over there.”

“Ah, okay, then…”

Thus, Merilyn, who had come all this way with me, left the tent and disappeared into the street, making our joint visit seem in vain.

Her steps away were infinitely light, but what I felt upon seeing her departure was a sense of alienation.

That’s because, recently, when she left home, it was often accompanied by a rather solemn atmosphere.

“I’ll be out for a bit.”

“You’ve been going out a lot recently?”

“Yes, I have something to investigate…”

As her main job was as a minstrel, wandering the streets to collect stories was understandable.

But recently, she seemed to have lost her characteristic liveliness.

Was the atmosphere particularly light this morning because her recent concerns had been resolved?

---

Well, regardless, after spending a moment at the funeral hall, I finished my meal, left the place, and headed to where Merilyn was waiting.

Although I had come just to check, what happened there was etched deeply into my memory, and I was certain I would never forget it in my lifetime.

Damn him; if he had spent all his money on the funeral, he should have at least provided a decent meal.

Is serving swill from our factory days considered a meal?

“Anyway, that bastard who never repaid his debts even screwed us over in death.”

Having skipped breakfast, I couldn’t help but feel infuriated.

But it wasn’t all bad.

For starters, I wasn’t the only one who came to the funeral; other foreign workers who knew him also showed up.

Among them were people I knew, so the moment I met and talked with them felt like attending a reunion, fully immersed in nostalgia.

Well, what’s the use of being annoyed at the dead?

I wasn’t in dire need of money now, so I should be thankful for hearing about the lives of friends I seldom met.

“Ah, Hyo-sung. Are you done?”

“Yes, I’ve finished what I came for.”

“Huhu, shall we return home then? Come this way, Hyo-sung~”

Merilyn appeared on the street as if she had been waiting, once we stepped outside.

Following her lead with a bright smile, I felt the same sense of alienation as before wash over me again.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Wondering if it was just my imagination, I continued to follow her through the streets.

Even though we would normally chat, Merilyn remained silent, focusing solely on walking.

Soon, we reached a secluded path, advancing to a spot hidden from anyone’s view.

“Merilyn, this isn’t the way home, is it?”

“Ah, you don’t know, Hyo-sung? Actually, this is a shortcut…”

-Swish!!

A spear of magical power formed with a flick of the hand.

At the moment it was aimed at my back, Merilyn, who had finally stopped, turned to me with a stern voice.

“…Hyo-sung, why are you doing this suddenly?”

“Shut up and answer my question.”

No, this person wasn’t Merilyn.

I’ve felt it since we met on the street this morning.

And as my suspicion deepened, actions that Merilyn would never show began to become more apparent.

“Who are you? Where have you hidden Merilyn?!”

Maybe this damned person had done something to Merilyn.

“Ha, this is something. I thought I hid it well…”

Feeling a sense of crisis, she soon threw off the black cloak she was wearing and revealed her true form.

“This is why I hate quick-witted brats♡”

Along with a seductive voice.

The figure of a woman, her sensuality highlighted by her flowing red hair.