I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 144: Cheer Up, Levinas

"Gyeoul, is something wrong? Gyeoul?"

Yeoreum's voice on the phone sounded urgent.

I didn't know what to say, so I hesitated for a long time without answering.

'Guardian, huh.'

It was a frustrating yet understandable situation.

In this world, I didn't have an ID or anything like that.

If something happened, I'd inevitably need help from someone with a confirmed identity.

Someone like Yeoreum.

"Um... There's nothing wrong, really. I was just trying to buy chocolate, but they told me to bring a guardian."

"A guardian to buy chocolate... Oh, is it because you're a cat?"

"Yes."

I looked at Saebyeok, who was dozing off next to me.

She looked so much like a real cat in her sleep that it was easy to mistake her for one.

"Uh, Gyeoul, could you let me speak to the staff? On video call."

"Okay."

I pressed the video call button and held out my smartphone to the store employee.

Since the counter was high, I stood on my tiptoes to hand it over.

When will I ever grow taller?

Looking down, I listened in on the conversation between the two women.

Thanks to my sharp ears, I could hear Yeoreum's voice through the smartphone.

"Oh...!"

The store employee straightened up at the sudden appearance of Yeoreum.

Seeing this, it really seemed like Yeoreum was indeed a celebrity.

"Is this about the kids and the chocolate?"

"Yes, just in case."

"Hehe, thank you for your concern. The kids are cats, but food isn't a problem."

"Oh... Really?"

The store employee's expression turned apologetic.

Seeming to think she had made a fuss over nothing, her posture became cautious.

Honestly, I could only feel grateful for her concern.

Receiving someone's worry was never a bad thing.

"Yes, there's no need to worry about their diet."

"Okay, got it. Thank you for your time."

Bow-

The store employee bowed lightly toward the smartphone.

She easily believed Yeoreum, probably due to her social status.

"She said it's okay for you to eat it. Sorry about that."

"It's alright."

"Um... Here, I'll give you these as a service."

She handed me two lollipops.

Even though I disliked freebies, I decided to accept the service.

I unwrapped one and placed it in Saebyeok's mouth.

She held the lollipop in her hand and licked it even while drowsy.

'I'll just carry her on my back.'

After finishing the payment, I carried Saebyeok on my back.

I hung the bag containing the cake, chocolate, and Animal King cards on her tail.

Thanks to her strength, she carried it effortlessly.

It was time to head back home.

Back to the place where Levinas was waiting.

---

---

It was a day for dungeon exploration.

Yeoreum, who had come outside early in the morning, spent a while just looking down at her smartphone.

"Aww..."

She wanted to video call with Gyeoul for longer.

It was just like Gyeoul to call a guardian to buy chocolate.

A small smile crept across Yeoreum's face as she looked around.

The adventurers nearby were hard to talk to.

Most of them were married with kids.

They were talking about how to educate their children and how to put them to sleep.

Without children of her own, Yeoreum just listened quietly to their conversation.

"Haah... My kid won't even touch vegetables. I wish they'd eat more evenly..."

"All kids that age are like that."

The adventurers, who were talking about their children's picky eating habits, suddenly looked at Yeoreum.

Why are they looking at me?

Yeoreum cautiously unfolded her arms, trying to read the room.

"Yeoreum, your kids eat their vegetables well, right?"

Your kids.

Yeoreum knew exactly which kids they were referring to.

"Yes, my kids aren't picky... But you know I'm not married, right? I'm their sister, not their mom..."

"Oh, of course. We just asked because you're their guardian."

"Hehe, just checking."

A mother at my age?

...It wouldn't be so bad if they were my kids.

As Yeoreum entertained such fond thoughts, someone approached her.

It was a female adventurer with a four-year-old child.

"Does your kid eat spinach too?"

"Yes, they don't really have any dislikes."

"How is that possible...?"

The female adventurer looked amazed, and Yeoreum's shoulders lifted with pride.

Unaware that she was becoming a boastful guardian, she gave some advice.

"How about growing a vegetable garden?"

"A vegetable garden?"

"Yes. If they grow the vegetables themselves, they seem to eat them better because of the sense of accomplishment."

"Oh...! That's a great idea!"

Clap!

The female adventurer clapped her hands as if she'd had an epiphany.

Next to her, a male adventurer with three kids approached.

"Yeoreum, how do you discipline the kids when they act up?"

"Well..."

"You don't scold them?"

"No, not really. They don't do anything worth scolding."

"...Is that even possible?"

The male adventurer's eyes shook with disbelief.

Someone listening to his story let out a snicker.

"Jincheol, you've got three sons. Yeoreum's got three daughters."

"Ah, is that different?"

"Very different."

Hearing the adventurers' conversation, Yeoreum realized something.

Our kids are really well-behaved.

Did I save a country in my previous life?

Overwhelmed with emotion, Yeoreum clasped her hands together as if in prayer.

The conclusion she reached through the parent adventurers was this:

Our kids are definitely the best.

---

---

"Levinas."

I opened the front door and walked into the house.

I saw Sophia, who had just woken up, and Levinas, who was staring blankly at her.

"Where did you go?"

"I just went to buy something."

Tap, tap—

I nudged Saebyeok, who was on my back, with my tail.

She moved her tail and handed me the bag.

I had planned to secretly prepare a surprise party.

But just showing it like this wouldn't be bad either.

I took the bag and sat down in front of the living room table.

"Levinas, come here."

"...Okay."

Levinas approached weakly, and I took out what I had bought right in front of her eyes.

As the chocolate, cake, and Animal King cards appeared one after another, Levinas's rabbit-like eyes widened.

I instinctively sensed that her mood had lifted a little.

"King, is it a feast today...?!"

"Yeah, it's a feast today."

"Wow...!"

It was a modest feast with only cake and chocolate.

But Levinas was happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Shall we eat the chocolate?"

"Yeah...!"

It was high-quality chocolate, each piece individually wrapped.

We all unwrapped a piece and popped it into our mouths.

"...!"

"Ugh!"

"Hyak!"

The chocolate was extremely bitter.

Our ears and tails bristled up.

Levinas screamed, and Saebyeok hissed.

The only one unaffected was Sophia.

"This must be too bitter for the kids."

"Y-yeah..."

Maybe our taste buds were more sensitive than usual, but it was shockingly bitter.

I couldn't even bring myself to eat a second piece.

I felt sorry for Levinas since the chocolate I had bought turned out like this.

"Sorry... I should've checked it better before buying it..."

I crumpled the empty chocolate wrapper and looked at Levinas.

But she just covered her mouth and giggled.

"King, this chocolate is bitter!"

"Y-yeah. Are you okay, Levinas?"

"Yes! It's funny!"

Kikikik.

Levinas laughed brightly, finding it all amusing.

My and Saebyeok's tails, which had been bristling, wagged vigorously.

"Let's eat the carrot cake instead of the chocolate."

"Carrot cake?!"

"Yeah, it's a cake made with carrots."

"What?! Such a thing exists?!"

Levinas peeked at the carrot cake visible inside the box.

After she finished inspecting it, Sophia lifted the box containing the cake.

"Wait a moment, I'll go slice it."

"Okay."

As Sophia went to cut the cake, we opened the Animal King card packs.

There were so many packs that we had to spend quite some time just opening them.

"What the...?!"

By the time we opened the tenth card pack, Levinas held up a card.

It was a card that gleamed in gold.

"What kind of card is that?"

"It's the All Friends card...!"

Thud!

Levinas placed the card on the table.

It was a card featuring all the main and supporting characters from Animal King.

Despite the many characters, each one could be identified due to their unique animal traits.

"Everyone's here, huh?"

"Yeah! Because they're all friends! Look, there's the black cat too!"

"Cool."

Levinas's eyes sparkled as brightly as the golden card.

Just as she seemed to cheer up, Levinas drooped her shoulders and buried her face into the table.

"Levinas wants to be friends with everyone forever too..."

"Well, you can."

"But Levinas..."

"Is it because of the radical beast-kin faction?"

At my question, Levinas flinched.

She lifted her head slightly, and I saw tears welling up in her eyes.

"Did you know, King...?"

"Yeah."

"Levinas is..."

Just as Levinas was about to say something, Sophia approached us holding the sliced cake.

She sighed deeply, perhaps having heard our conversation.

"I discussed it with the guild last night."

"Really? What did the Master say?"

I knew that the Master couldn't easily be involved for political reasons.

But I couldn't help feeling a bit hopeful.

"He was furious. Yu-na even swore. I didn't know she could curse like that."

"Swore?"

"Yes, it's not something I can say in front of you kids."

What could have made Sophia reluctant to share why Yu-na had cursed?

I couldn't help but be curious.

"Can't you tell us? We've heard some pretty harsh curses before."

"U-um."

Sophia turned her head away to avoid my gaze.

For some reason, her eyes were trembling slightly.

"Well, it's not like you're saying it to me anyway."

"Hmm... If you're insisting that much..."

Sophia brought her mouth close to my ear.

She whispered softly so only I could hear.

What she said was truly shocking.

---

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