I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 199: The King's Grace

How should we repay this?

After some discussion, we decided that selling fish-shaped bread at the guild was the best option.

Repayment through selling fish-shaped bread at the guild? It seemed odd, but within a day, I realized it was an incredible form of compensation.

'Business is booming...'

Yoon Chaerin's food cart sold not just fish-shaped bread, but various other snacks too.

Things like walnut cookies and takoyaki.

Thinking they'd go well with tea, we set up a cafe area. It turned out to be a massive hit.

People were lining up to eat. I only later understood why.

"King!"

Levinas ran up to me, clutching a bag that smelled of fish-shaped bread.

Peering inside, I saw it contained rabbits and cats instead of fish-shaped.

"These aren't fish-shaped?"

"Nope! They're cats and rabbits!"

Nom.

Levinas bit off the ear of a cat-shaped bread.

My ears instinctively perked up.

"Is it good?"

"It's super yummy!"

Levinas held out the bag, urging me to eat.

I picked up a rabbit-shaped bread with appealing long ears.

"This must be Levinas bread."

"Yep! This one is Levinas bread, and this is Gyeoul bread!"

Bread modeled after Levinas and me? I wondered if there was a Saebyeok bread too.

As I imagined a haughty cat-shaped bread and was about to taste it, Levinas started circling around me at incredible speed.

"L-Levinas?"

Her pace was remarkable.

While she was naturally fast as a horned rabbit beast-kin, the speed she displayed now surpassed her usual limits.

If I had to guess, she seemed about 1.5 times faster than normal.

"Woohoo! Levinas is as fast as a police car!"

Round and round she went.

After circling me for quite some time, Levinas finally stopped, panting heavily.

She looked pretty satisfied.

"Levinas, why did you get so fast?"

"Eating this bread makes you faster!"

"The bread...?"

"Yeah! But you have to eat it with tea!"

Does some new buff activate when you eat bread with tea?

If so, it was likely a buff I had created.

Unfortunately, the buffs I used didn't apply to me, which was disappointing.

'Why is that?'

There must be a reason, but nothing came to mind right away.

I decided to think it over with Sophia later.

'Still, a buff like that would be great for business.'

They could charge more than regular fish-shaped bread too.

I was curious to see how things were going.

I decided to visit the cafe with Levinas.

"Wow..."

When we arrived at the guild's cafe, the line was incredibly long.

Most were adventurers I'd seen coming and going through the guild.

Looking closer, I spotted Encia and Argo among them.

"Encia, Argo."

"Gyeoul."

"Boss!"

I approached the two.

Levinas climbed up Argo's body to perch on his shoulder, while Seol, who had been nestled in Encia's arms, leapt into mine.

"Meow meow!"

As I petted Seol, who was nuzzling my face, I looked up at Encia.

"Encia, why is the line so long?"

"It's because of the new buff. People want to try it out for themselves."

"Ah..."

So they've gathered to test the effects.

To see if they can use it in actual combat later.

Since I already knew something about the effect, I decided to quietly tip off just Encia and Argo.

"The effect is increased movement speed."

"Yes, I'd heard rumors about increased speed, but..."

"Ah, do you know the exact numbers? It seems to be about a 50% increase."

"F-Fifty percent...?"

Encia's tail shot up in surprise.

Argo also gasped in astonishment.

Their reactions suggested it was quite a substantial buff.

'Still, I can't get it myself.'

I wished I could get stronger from my own buffs.

My shoulders slumped in disappointment.

'It's probably best not to go inside the cafe, right?'

Entering during such a busy time would only cause disruption.

Now that I'd seen the situation, I decided to head home.

"Encia, is it alright if I go home first?"

"Of course. What about Seol...?"

"I'll take Seol with me."

"Ah, I see."

Encia held out a plastic package from her arms.

The scent wafting from it revealed it to be Seol's jerky snacks.

It smelled quite appetizing.

"Hmm..."

Why was my mouth watering over cat treats?

I quickly shook my head and placed Seol on top of mine.

Meow! Seol gently bit my ear.

It felt like my ears were getting bitten a lot today.

Though this was actually the first time.

---

---

I returned home with Levinas.

Hearing the rattling of the massage chair, I quickly entered the living room.

"Sophia...?"

It wasn't Sophia in the massage chair, but Saebyeok.

Sophia stood beside Saebyeok, her mouth corners pulled down.

"Saebyeok, it's about time you let someone else have a turn."

"Just a little longer..."

Saebyeok's usually cold expression was completely relaxed.

Beside her, Sophia's eyes were blazing.

Sophia's obsession with the massage chair was considerable.

"How much longer do you plan to sit there?"

"All day..."

Haaah.

Saebyeok let out a relaxed sigh.

Sophia's eyebrows twitched in response.

"...In that case, I'll have no choice but to remove you by force."

"By force...?"

Saebyeok's eyes narrowed.

Sophia's tail tip fluttered in surprise.

"W-Well, you're probably stronger than me, but..."

"Then I'll get up. We shouldn't fight among family."

"...You're making me feel ashamed."

Sophia, now seated in the massage chair, let out a long sigh.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Sophia."

I rushed towards her.

Thump thump thump-

Sophia's small body began to shake from the massage chair's vibrations.

"You look troubled."

"Yes... Something's been bothering me."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering why I can't use the buffs I create."

"That's..."

Hmm.

Sophia stroked her chin and pressed the stop button on the massage chair.

As it stopped, she looked quite serious.

"I've thought about that question myself."

"...Have you figured anything out?"

"Yes, I think it might be a form of bestowing grace."

Bestowing grace?

I surely wasn't in a position to bestow anything on anyone.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Seol clung tightly to avoid falling off.

"How could I bestow grace?"

"Isn't providing delicious food and healthy bodies a form of grace? And one can't bestow grace upon oneself."

"Ah... I kind of see what you mean, but isn't grace something higher-ups give to those below them? Like kings or gods..."

"Perhaps you've become a king since Levinas always calls you 'King'?"

Chuckle.

Sophia smiled mischievously.

It seemed like she was hiding something.

"Come on, how could I become a king?"

"Don't be so sure. You never know what might happen in life."

Sophia placed her hand on top of my head.

My tail swayed naturally, but it was Seol she was petting, not me.

I felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Um, umm..."

I fidgeted my fingers while glancing at Sophia.

Finally, her hand came to rest on my head.

"You little rascal, do you enjoy head pats that much?"

"Well... It's not so much the head pat itself, but rather that it's Sophia's touch I enjoy."

"I-Is that so?"

Ahem.

Sophia cleared her throat and picked up Seol.

Meow meow, Seol cuddled affectionately in her arms.

"Are there any snacks left for Seol?"

"Only one piece of jerky."

"That won't be enough."

"Yeah. I'll go buy some more."

I should pick up some more cat supplies while I'm at it.

And some dried anchovies too.

Since the kids would be watching their cartoons, I decided to go alone.

"Are you heading out now?"

"Yes. I'll be back soon."

"Alright, be careful on the roads. Always raise your hand when crossing at crosswalks."

"Okay."

Because I'm short.

I did need to raise my hand at crosswalks so cars could see me.

I nodded, then moved towards the front door.

I decided to visit the large supermarket I frequented.

---

---

Rattle rattle-

While Sophia was engrossed in the massage chair, Yeoreum and Jung Yu-na entered the living room.

"Sophia, I don't see Gyeoul anywhere?"

"She went out to buy snacks for Seol."

"Ah, I see."

She's so diligent, going to the supermarket instead of watching cartoons.

Gyeoul's smart, so she'll be careful around cars, right?

As Yeoreum pondered this, Yu-na's face turned pale.

"D-Don't tell me she went to that big supermarket?"

"I heard she was heading that way. Is there a problem?"

Why is she acting like this over a simple trip to the supermarket?

Sophia and Yeoreum looked puzzled.

"They're having an event there right now..."

"What's wrong with an event?"

"Well, it's a zombie festival..."

Zombie.

Yeoreum's eyes flickered at that word.

It was something that should never, ever encounter Gyeoul.

"A zombie festival?"

"Y-Yeah... It's an event where people dress up as zombies. You get prizes for avoiding them and stuff..."

"Good grief."

Yeoreum rushed out of the building.

Her speed was incredible, but no one paid her any mind.

"Sophia, when did Gyeoul leave?"

"...Quite a while ago."

I thought the shopping was taking long, but it was zombies?

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut.

A long sigh escaped her lips.

---

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