I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 188: How Much Is This?

A pure child with a slightly distorted innocence.

That's how Yeoreum saw Gyeoul.

Having experienced something terrible that even adults would struggle to handle, she had no choice but to grow up quickly.

Yeoreum always felt an inexplicable discomfort whenever she saw Gyeoul's mature behavior.

She wished Gyeoul could act more like a child.

Was there a way to correct her behavior?

As Yeoreum pondered this, a golden opportunity presented itself.

It involved using a little "lie".

First, she needed to get on the same page with Sophia.

For that, she needed to separate Gyeoul for a moment.

"Gyeoul, are you still not sleepy?"

"No. I think I'll stay up late tonight."

"That won't do. You should sleep early. There's milk in the kitchen. Want to warm it up? Drinking warm milk will make you sleepy."

"Umm... okay..."

Gyeoul slid down from Sophia's body.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she walked to the kitchen without hesitation.

Watching Gyeoul disappear, Yeoreum used an item.

It was a sound-blocking item to allow conversation away from Gyeoul's keen ears.

"This little rascal."

Thump.

Sophia, now free to move, gave Yeoreum a light knock on the head.

It was harder than when she tapped the children's heads.

"So-Sophia, please calm down and hear me out. I'm sure you'll understand."

"...Let's hear your excuse."

Yeoreum gulped at the fierce gaze of the beast-kin elder, though she wasn't too nervous as she was confident she could persuade Sophia.

"Sophia, you often hug Gyeoul too, right? You know how she behaves when being hugged."

"...She does seem frightened."

"Yes, she doesn't relax like other children. She's scared, wondering if it's okay for her to be hugged like this."

Gyeoul flinched reflexively whenever human hands touched her.

When held, she would anxiously glance around.

Though hesitant, she'd wag her tail and laugh 'hehe', not disliking it.

As Yeoreum, who wished Gyeoul could relax more, it was disappointing.

"So you want to lie to Gyeoul. To make her comfortable being hugged."

"Yes... I feel bad about lying, but I want Gyeoul to get used to adult protection."

Gyeoul tended to try solving everything on her own.

Yeoreum wanted Gyeoul to rely completely on her guardians.

After all, Gyeoul was still only eight years old.

"Haah..."

Sophia sighed deeply and looked down at the floor.

But she didn't stay that way for long, knowing Gyeoul would soon return to the living room.

"Alright, you're her sister too. Let's try it your way."

"...! Thank you, Sophia!"

"But someday, you must tell her the truth and apologize."

"Of course, naturally."

Even if it was a white lie, a lie was still a lie.

Just as Yeoreum nodded, Gyeoul returned to the living room.

Steam rose from the cup she held in both hands.

She must have taken a sip on the way, as there was white milk on her lips.

It was time for the lie.

Yeoreum clenched her fist.

Haah, Sophia next to her just sighed.

---

---

I took a sip of the warm milk.

The rich flavor made my tail wag naturally.

But do I have to brush my teeth again after drinking this?

Since I'll grow new teeth when these fall out anyway, maybe I don't need to brush?

I returned to the living room while having such useless thoughts.

"Huh?"

The atmosphere in the living room felt odd.

Sophia looked like she might collapse at any moment, and Yeoreum seemed...

Somehow full of determination.

What could have happened to make them act like this?

As I approached the two of them,

"Sophia!"

Yeoreum hugged Sophia.

Shocked by this scene, I almost dropped the cup I was holding.

I caught the falling milk cup with my foot.

My gaze remained fixed on the two of them.

"Sophia, shall we have a big hug after so long?"

"Ugh... urk..."

Sophia's body trembled.

Her face was flushed red.

I'd never seen Sophia like this before.

Is it okay when she looks so embarrassed?

I cautiously approached the two, wary of Sophia who might explode at any moment.

"What are you two doing...?"

"Just having a light hug."

"Light...?"

I assessed Sophia's condition.

She looked like she might burst at any moment.

"A-ahem... It's been a while since I've been in water, so my back hurts."

Ah.

So it wasn't embarrassment, but back pain.

I moved closer and patted Sophia's back as she was being hugged.

Her back must have been hurting badly, as her shark tail was flapping and she was groaning.

"Sophia, are you okay?"

"Y-yes..."

Crunch.

Sophia gripped Yeoreum's shoulder tightly.

Despite the force that could crumple iron, Yeoreum just grinned.

"Sophia, let's sit down and watch TV."

"Urgh..."

Yeoreum sat on the sofa.

Sophia sat on her lap.

"Hehe, lean back comfortably like usual."

Squeeze.

Yeoreum wrapped her arms around Sophia's waist.

Naturally, Sophia leaned her back against Yeoreum's body.

Even though Sophia was much older...

Is it really okay to do this?

As someone from a different Earth, this scene was quite shocking to me.

I hesitated, then approached them.

"Um, excuse me..."

"Yes?"

"I think Sophia's back is really hurting."

She was biting her lip and trembling, clearly in tremendous pain.

"Y-yeah... This is why I can't do skinship with Sophia often."

Yeoreum released her embrace.

Sophia quickly got off the sofa and exhaled a long breath.

"Th-this one is too old. I, I should refrain from such things now."

"Oh my, even with Gyeoul?"

"···It's okay with smaller children. They're light."

"Ah, I see."

Yeoreum giggled like Levinas, then reached out to me.

She meant to hug me instead.

"Hmm..."

To treat an elder like Sophia this way.

The people of this world seemed to love skinship more than I could imagine.

It felt silly that I had been so hesitant.

'I need to get used to this.'

I'd leave someday, but until then, I was a resident of this world too.

I needed to adapt to the rules.

Without hesitation, I snuggled into Yeoreum's embrace.

She clenched her fist as if cheering "Nice!"

"...?"

What's that about?

I looked up.

Yeoreum was grinning down at me.

"Gyeoul, close your eyes. It's time to sleep."

"Okay..."

Pat pat-

As I closed my eyes, Yeoreum patted my belly.

Even though I hadn't finished the milk, drowsiness washed over me.

Softness really is best for sleeping.

With such thoughts, I was able to end the day in a good mood.

---

---

The next day.

After an early morning dungeon run, I waited with the kids at the park.

In the distance, Master approached carrying a square box.

"Did you wait long?"

"No. We only waited a little."

"I see."

Master set the box down in front of us.

The appearance of this rare being drew the gazes of those around us.

"The Yeomyeong Guild Master really cares for those kids, huh."

"Wouldn't you care for Gyeoul if she were yours?"

"Of course I would."

Why would they care about me?

As I was about to turn towards the voices, Master opened the box.

"You asked for these yesterday, right?"

"Wow! Wheeled shoes!"

Inside the box were inline skates.

They looked quite different from the inline skates I knew.

"Are these... mana stones?"

Dazzlingly sparkling jewels.

Top-grade mana stones, rare even for skilled adventurers.

"Yes. Five are embedded."

"Five...?"

I looked at the largest mana stone.

It contained an enormous amount of mana, more than I could fathom.

"That one's for protection magic. It'll block attacks up to level seven dungeons."

"What...?"

"There's also impact dispersion magic. You won't get hurt even if you fall or bump into things. It protects anyone you collide with too."

"Um, that's not..."

These are just children's toys, right?

Even in front of Master, I couldn't hide the bewilderment rising on my face.

"There's also a speed control mana stone, and this one prevents corrosion..."

Master paid no heed to my confusion.

After explaining the purpose of each mana stone, he simply left, telling us to have fun.

"Uh, well..."

These inline skates were worth more than gold.

Not daring to wear them myself, I handed them to Levinas.

"King, give Levinas your tail!"

"Okay."

Levinas put on the inline skates and grabbed my tail.

As I walked forward, Levinas rolled along behind me.

"Hey, isn't that a dragon mana stone?"

"You're right. There's a forest guardian mana stone too."

"Damn, what kind of toys is the Yeomyeong Guild giving these kids..."

"Those skates are worth more than my house..."

The people watching us in the park were shocked at the sight of the inline skates.

I tried my best to ignore their comments.

"The kids probably don't even know what those are."

"Right, to children they're just toys."

Fortunately, no one thought the children were being extravagant.

Because they were innocent kids.

They probably assumed the children were playing without knowing any better.

"Ugh."

It might be presumptuous, but Master lacked a "commoner's" perspective.

It was perhaps the only area where I surpassed Master.

After playing with the kids, I'd need to talk with Master.

I hoped our precious Master could learn a little about commoners.

That way, he could understand our children better.

---

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