I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 149: No Animals Allowed

Sophia, of course, knew.

She knew that Gyeoul's understanding was twisted.

However, she never imagined that Gyeoul wouldn't even understand expressions of affection.

'She's lived alone for so long...'

She was only eight years old.

Though it wasn't a long time, for Gyeoul, those eight years were her entire life.

Even one year would be a huge portion of her life.

Yet, Gyeoul had spent most of her life in solitude. She had never experienced a kind touch because she had been alone.

As a result, Gyeoul only saw the happiness she felt when someone petted her head as a special feeling.

She didn't know it was natural to feel happy when a trustworthy adult petted her head.

Petting someone's head wasn't even a grand gesture.

It was an everyday expression of affection that every child in the world should experience.

Gyeoul only experienced it for the first time after becoming a beast-kin.

'Even orphans receive some measure of love...'

Sophia wondered why Gyeoul wagged her tail so excitedly whenever someone touched her.

Was it because she was so happy to receive affection for the first time?

Sophia resolved to pet Gyeoul more often from now on.

"Gyeoul, don't feel too down about it. You just didn't know because you hadn't experienced it."

Sophia petted Gyeoul's head gently. Gyeoul, feeling embarrassed, wagged her tail slowly.

"Oh, no, I did know, but..."

"Really? Did someone pet your head when you were human?"

So she wasn't completely alone?

Sophia felt a sense of relief at this news.

"Well, that is..."

Gyeoul thought about it.

No one had petted her head in this life. She was stuck between her past life and this one.

She decided to use Sophia's words to cover it up.

"I only knew in theory..."

"In theory only."

Knowing in theory only meant Gyeoul had learned about love without experiencing it. It suggested she had tried to gain love through knowledge due to her loneliness.

"Yes. Since it was my first time, I couldn't apply it."

"Yes, even if you have the knowledge, it's hard to apply it without experience."

Sophia hugged Gyeoul tightly, as if to wash away the remaining loneliness, and stroked her back. Sophia continued to embrace Gyeoul for a long time.

"Um, Sophia, could you help me take off the tape on my clothes? I need to take them off, but I don't think I can do it alone."

"Right."

I've practically restrained the child.

Sophia chuckled and began to remove the tape from Gyeoul.

Rip-

With the tape, Gyeoul's clothes fell away.

Trusting Sophia, Gyeoul wasn't embarrassed about exposing her skin.

There was a trust between them greater than that of parent and child.

"I need to sew these clothes again."

"Put them on the table. I'll sew them for you."

"No, I'll do it."

"It's fine. I'm confident in my sewing skills. I'll make it sturdier than before."

"Um... thank you."

If she could do it better, there was no reason to refuse.

Gyeoul decided to repay the kindness by changing into new clothes. Actually, they were old clothes.

"Are the kids waiting outside?"

"Yes."

"Then go out and play. It's not polite to keep people waiting."

"Yes. Thank you very much."

Gyeoul bowed and expressed her gratitude.

Sophia was grateful that Gyeoul, despite having gone through so much hardship, had not lost her purity.

---

---

Gyeoul went outside to find the children. On the grassy area near the pond, the kids and Encia were playing cards.

"Bawk bawk."

Encia flapped her wings and made a chicken sound. Levinas raised his hand excitedly.

"Answer! Fried chicken!"

"Well... close enough. We'll count it."

"Yes! But Levinas likes seasoned chicken more!"

Wait.

Had Levinas ever eaten chicken before?

I remembered that people having a birthday party in the park had given her some chicken.

It must have been delicious. I decided we would have seasoned chicken for dinner tonight.

As I made up my mind about dinner, Argo waved at me.

"Boss! Booooss!"

"Answer! Horned rabbit!"

"Horned rabbit?!"

"Yes! Levinas calls out to the King just like that! King! Kiiing! That's how she calls out!"

Come to think of it, Levinas and Argo did seem similar.

I couldn't help but smile.

"What are you all doing here?"

"We were waiting for you, Gyeoul."

"For me?"

"Yes. We have an important favor to ask of you."

Encia spoke without meeting my eyes.

The usually expressionless Encia was fidgeting with her fingers, her face red.

"Okay."

"Gyeoul, as presumptuous as it may sound, it's better to hear the details before agreeing to a favor."

"But it's Encia asking."

Encia always helped without hesitation. There was no reason not to grant her request.

"Thank you."

Encia's wolf ears trembled. It was a sign of being deeply moved for beast-kin.

"So, what's the favor?"

"Well, I'm thinking of raising a hunting dog..."

"A hunting dog?"

"Yes. The problem is I don't know much about Earth's hunting dogs. If you could select one for me, I will train it to be loyal."

The dogs in this world were the same species as those in my original world.

While I didn't know much about dogs, I did know which ones were hunting dogs.

I decided to help Encia choose a hunting dog.

"Alright."

I nodded and looked around at everyone. For some reason, Levinas was trembling.

"K-King...!"

"Hmm?"

"Levinas is scared of dogs...!"

"Oh..."

She's just a child. Being scared of dogs was natural in a way.

"Dogs have teeth longer than Levinas' horns!"

"Don't worry too much. I'll bring back a good dog."

"Yes! Levinas trusts the King!"

There would be many dogs at the shelter. Taking Levinas along didn't seem like a good idea.

"Argo, can you play with the kids? I'll go with Encia. There will be many dogs at the shelter, and they might get scared."

"Got it!"

Argo lifted Levinas and Saebyeok and placed them on his shoulders. His shoulder span was longer than my entire shoulder width.

"Wow."

With such broad shoulders, he could do that. I widened my eyes in surprise. Argo, thinking I wanted to ride on his shoulder, tapped his lifted arm.

"Do you want a ride too, Boss?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine."

"Alright! If you want to later, just let me know!"

"Sure..."

Thump! Thump!

Argo, with the kids on his shoulders, marched forward like a tank.

The kids waved at me, wishing us a good trip as they departed. After they were out of sight, I looked up at Encia.

"Shall we go too?"

"Yes. Where would you like to go?"

"Let's go to the dog shelter."

"As you wish."

Encia pulled out car keys.

It was always fascinating to see a beast-kin like her driving.

---

---

We drove to the nearest dog shelter. When we were less than ten minutes away, Encia made a suggestion.

"Would you like a snack before we arrive?"

"A snack?"

"Yes. It might help to relax with some sweets before making a decision."

"Hmm... alright."

After all, choosing a dog was like choosing a family member.

I decided to follow Encia's suggestion to relax.

"There's an ice cream shop right there."

"Yes. It looks popular. There are a lot of people."

Encia parked the car in front of the ice cream shop, which seemed to be a well-known chain with a parking lot.

"Please wait here for a moment."

"Okay."

Following Encia's request, I stayed in the car. She got out, then opened my door for me.

"I learned that an escort should open the car door."

"There's no need for that..."

"There's no need to feel burdened. I enjoy doing it."

Sure enough, Encia's tail was wagging furiously.

If it made her happy, I decided not to stop her.

"Okay. If you really like it, I won't stop you."

"Thank you for understanding."

Receiving something like an escort from Encia, we headed to the ice cream shop.

Just as we were about to enter, Encia stopped abruptly.

"Encia?"

She was staring at a sign.

It politely indicated that pets were not allowed inside.

[No pets allowed in the store.]

Encia looked down at her tail.

Her still-wagging tail showed no sign of stopping.

"Gyeoul, there must be various reasons for prohibiting animals from entering, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"If the reason is because of shedding fur..."

"Oh."

Then we wouldn't be allowed in either. It would be a nuisance in many ways.

"Unlike animals, beast-kin don't shed, but humans don't know that."

"Beast-kin are rare, so they often worry about the animal part."

They even refused to sell chocolate.

It was entirely possible we could be kicked out for shedding fur.

There was no need to take that risk.

Feeling down, her tail drooped.

I stared longingly through the transparent glass at the ice cream displayed inside the store.

It wasn't that I was disappointed about not getting to eat ice cream.

I was just sad that a memory with Encia would have a blemish.

"I'm sorry. It might not be much of a consolation, but I'll get you something even tastier."

"Yes. Let's go somewhere else."

Encia extended her hand to me.

Without thinking, I took her hand as we were about to leave.

Just then, the bell above the shop door jingled urgently.

"W-wait a moment!"

The person who came out was an ice cream shop employee wearing a sky-blue uniform.

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