I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 173: Childish

"I promise not to bite rats."

I promised not to bite them.

Only after making this vow to Yeoreum could I escape the face-washing hell.

Even while I was making the vow, my face was being washed, and my pronunciation was distorted.

"Did anyone else touch the rat?"

"...!"

Both kids shook their heads.

Levinas even shook her upper body.

It was clear she was determined not to get washed.

Having seen me getting scrubbed like laundry right in front of them, it was understandable.

"Are you sure you didn't touch it?"

"Yes. I didn't touch the rat."

"Levinas didn't touch it either...!"

The kids showed me their palms.

Of course, their hands were clean.

Levinas only head-butted it, and Saebyeok bit it with her mouth.

"...Indeed, they are clean."

They passed.

I was the only one who got unfairly washed.

I wanted to tell the truth, but seeing the kids clasping their hands together as if praying, I just sighed deeply.

The kids hadn't done anything wrong.

There was no need to get upset.

"Gyeoul, rats are dirty, so you must never touch them again, okay?"

"Yes..."

My entire body was drained of strength.

I had no choice but to let Yeoreum support me as we returned home.

It wasn't much of a support, just holding hands.

"Gyeoul, wait here in the hallway for a moment. I'll get a towel."

"Yes..."

Drip drip-

The water dripping from me soaked the entrance.

Sophia came out to the entrance and frowned.

"Why do you look like a drowned rat?"

"A d-drowned rat...?"

I hate rats.

Like Pavlov's dog salivating at the sound of a bell, the mention of rats made me feel down.

"...I'm sorry. It was rude of me to call a cat a rat."

No, that's not why...

Just as I was about to clear up Sophia's misunderstanding, I saw myself in the hallway mirror.

Drooping ears and tail soaked with water, and hunched shoulders.

I really did look like a drowned rat.

It was almost as if the dead rat had taken revenge on me.

"So, what happened?"

"I was washed for twenty minutes because she thought I bit a rat."

"A rat...?"

"Yes. I didn't actually bite it, but I got washed without a chance to explain."

I looked at my palms in frustration.

Thanks to the pond's purification ability, they were soft and clean without a speck of dirt.

"That's unfortunate."

"Yes..."

Sophia always understood me.

I took a step closer to her.

"...So, did you scrub your hands well?"

Sophia's expression was odd.

She was smiling with her mouth, but not with her eyes.

My beast-kin instincts sensed danger.

"Y-Yes, I washed them clean..."

"...Good. Don't touch rats in the future."

Sophia must hate rats too.

It was a day of sympathy for rat beast-kin.

---

---

After drying myself with a towel, I sat on the sofa.

The kids were fidgeting, watching me nervously.

Were they feeling sorry because only I had to wash even though we all touched the rat?

I was about to tell them it was okay, but a thought stopped me.

The kids lacked life experience.

They probably didn't know how to handle a friend's anger.

We had never been angry at each other before.

This was a good opportunity for education.

I wasn't really mad, but I pretended to be angry at the kids.

"King..."

"Hmph."

I turned my head away and refused to make eye contact.

My gestures were exaggerated, but the kids didn't realize I was acting.

"King, this is Levinas's cherished carrot, I'll give it to you as a gift···"

A perfect orange carrot emerged from Levinas' arms, without a single dent or blemish.

Levinas knew how to deal with an angry friend.

The problem was not Levinas but Saebyeok.

Saebyeok was always expressionless.

She rarely spoke.

Could she resolve things with someone who was angry without showing any remorse?

As I glanced at Saebyeok worriedly, she pulled something out of her pocket.

It was a live grasshopper.

Oh.

It was the one we caught last time.

Yeoreum had told us to let it go.

That little rascal.

It was still alive.

Feeling glad, my tail wagged.

And a wagging tail was a symbol of happiness.

The kids, thinking my anger had subsided, sat close enough to touch me.

"King! Are you no longer mad?"

"Yeah. Actually, I wasn't really mad. I was just pretending."

"Wah! Really?! Levinas was fooled!"

Hehe.

Levinas seemed like she was about to hug me but stopped in her tracks.

Saebyeok, who was about to lick my cheek, also stopped with her tongue out.

The two kids looked like they were seriously pondering something, then showed a determined expression like generals making a decision.

"Levinas thinks she knows why King pretended to be mad!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Levinas was innocent but not a dumb kid.

The same went for Saebyeok.

"Yeoreum!"

The two kids ran toward Yeoreum, who was in the kitchen.

Actually, we touched the rat too!

Levinas' cheerful voice echoed from the kitchen.

"Ahhh!"

Yeoreum's scream echoed along with it.

---

---

An hour later.

The kids returned looking dazed.

"Ugh..."

I decided to give them time to recover.

'I should organize the hunting ledger.'

The hunting ledger was for keeping track of the consumables used in the dungeon.

It was important to know the count in advance to avoid future problems.

Two explosive arrows.

Five ice arrows.

I was organizing the remaining magic arrows when I felt something strange.

"Hmm...?"

My teeth itched.

I opened my mouth and pressed my fangs.

They were so sharp that a little pressure could tear my skin.

They itched, but I couldn't press harder, which was frustrating.

"Ugh."

Feeling annoyed, I bit into the carrot Levinas had given me.

I didn't eat it; I just sunk my fangs into it.

Noticing my unusual behavior, Sophia approached me.

"Gyeoul, what's wrong?"

"My teeth itch a lot."

"Your teeth?"

"Yes..."

I needed something harder than a carrot.

I looked around.

Experienced Sophia knew why I was acting this way.

"You haven't been grinding your teeth, have you?"

"Grinding my teeth? Do I need to do that?"

"Yes, unlike humans, beast-kin have teeth that grow continuously. You need to grind them regularly."

Oh my.

That sounded like a real hassle.

Sophia read the thoughts on my face.

"Don't worry too much. Just chew on something hard."

"What kind of hard food?"

Levinas answered my question.

"Shark tail...!"

Munch munch.

Levinas bit Sophia's tail.

Sophia looked displeased but didn't push Levinas away.

"My tail isn't food... but Gyeoul, would you like to bite it too?"

"Um... only if it's really necessary."

There must be another way, right?

I asked with my eyes.

"For now, try chewing some candy."

"Candy?"

"Yes, later I'll make you a special beast-kin candy."

Beast-kin candy.

It was a strong candy, both sweet and tough, to help kids learn how to grind their teeth easily.

"But if I eat too much sweet stuff, I'll get cavities."

"What use are cavities if your teeth keep growing?"

"Oh..."

Cavities erode teeth.

However, beast-kin's teeth kept growing.

This meant cavities posed no real harm.

"If you're really worried, rinse your mouth with pond water. It'll completely eradicate cavity-causing bacteria."

"...Does the pond have that effect?"

"If you pour enough money into it, anything is possible."

Money?

How much money went into our pond?

Pondering this, I received candy from Yeoreum in the kitchen.

Crunch-

I bit into the candy with my fangs.

But the more I bit, the itchier my fangs felt.

Why wasn't the itching relieved by grinding my teeth?

Feeling frustrated, I bit down hard on the candy.

Crunch-!

A hard, sharp object fell under my tongue.

It wasn't sweet, so it wasn't candy.

What is this?

I spat it out into my palm.

A long, sharp fang.

"...!"

My tooth fell out.

My fur stood on end.

I stared at the fallen fang with trembling eyes.

"Oh, so it was that kind of teething."

Sophia looked at the fang with satisfaction.

She had wondered about the physical age of eight-year-old Gyeoul; now was the time for her teeth to fall out.

Beast-kin's teeth grew back even after falling out.

But the first lost baby tooth was special to parents.

Our Gyeoul finally lost a tooth.

Sophia felt a parent's happiness.

But not Gyeoul.

"M-My tooth...!"

Human permanent teeth didn't grow back once lost.

And as a human, Gyeoul had already lost all her baby teeth.

Gyeoul considered the fang in her hand a permanent tooth.

A tooth that wouldn't grow back once lost.

Was she going to live without fangs at such a young age for the rest of her life?!

Weren't implants incredibly expensive?!

Gyeoul's heart raced.

Sophia interpreted Gyeoul's terrified look differently.

She thought she was just scared because it was her first time losing a tooth.

As a guardian, she decided to comfort her.

---

4/5 Enjoy the chappy!

Please give the book a rating and a review on NovelUpdates.