I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 204: Nature Park

I left the stadium with the children, Levinas's steps growing heavier as we moved away from the arena.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled. "You couldn't watch the match because of me..."

Did she think she'd ruined our experience? I didn't feel that way at all.

"It's okay. I have more fun playing with you than watching the match anyway."

"Me too," Saebyeok chimed in.

Our words seemed to comfort Levinas, who managed a small smile. Still, guilt lingered in her eyes.

"Levinas, let's—"

Just as I was about to console her further, Chae Juyeon approached us, her pace unusually brisk.

"So this is where you were?"

"Yeah. I heard you left in a panic."

"Ah..."

Of course any incidents in the Sacred Guild's arena would reach the Guild Master's ears. It was only natural.

"The match was pretty scary, wasn't it? Unlike training, they don't hold back. Must have been quite a sight for the children."

"Yes. I don't think we should watch any more matches."

There was no need to expose the kids to such violence.

"What should we do? You came all this way, but now you can't watch the match?"

"It's fine. We can have fun doing other things."

"Other things, hmm..." Juyeon pondered. "Is this Gyeoul's first time in this neighborhood?"

"Yes, it is."

We'd driven about thirty minutes to get here, catching a ride with guild members participating in the preliminaries. Their vehicle was just large enough to fit our handcart.

"In that case, there's a nature park nearby. Would you like to go there?"

"A nature park?"

"Yeah. It also serves as an animal shelter, so you'll be able to see some animals. Not many, though."

We had nothing else planned, so there was no reason to refuse.

"Can we go now?"

"Sure. But do you have an adult to accompany you?"

"No, we don't."

The adults who came with us were all busy with match and festival preparations. We couldn't disturb them.

"What should we do? We don't have anyone available either. It's a busy time for us."

"It's okay. We'll go by ourselves."

"Are you sure you can manage?"

"Yes. We often go out on our own."

Besides, we had Levinas's smartphone if needed.

"Well... Okay. You know the Guild Master's number, right? Make sure to call if there's any problem, okay?"

"Yes, I will."

"If you get lost, ask adults nearby for help. And be careful of cars on the road, alright?"

"Yes."

Be careful of cars, she says. She sounds just like the people from our guild. Maybe "watch out for cars" was this world's way of saying goodbye.

"The park is in that direction..."

After getting directions from Juyeon, we set off towards the nature park. Looking back, I saw her still watching us. I waved goodbye.

"Guild Master, you be careful of cars too."

Hearing my farewell, her eyes widened before she burst into laughter, covering her mouth as she chuckled. The onlookers joined in, their laughter warm and genuine.

"Okay. The Guild Master will be careful of cars too."

Seeing Juyeon's bright smile, I belatedly realized she probably wouldn't get a scratch even if hit by a car. Feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my head.

For now, we decided to just head to the nature park.

---

---

The nature park wasn't far. I couldn't believe there was such a green space right in the middle of the city. It felt like looking at Central Park in New York.

"Wow!"

Levinas's eyes sparkled at the sight of unspoiled nature. For beast-kin, there's no better playground than the great outdoors. I was glad to see her mood improving.

"King, can we eat those?!"

Levinas pointed at the golden carp in the pond. Nearby, Saebyeok stared intently at the water. At this rate, she might dash towards the fish.

I decided to move on for Saebyeok's sake.

"This isn't our park, so we can't just catch and eat things here."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Let's go see something else."

I led the children around the park. Even as we moved, Saebyeok kept her gaze fixed on the pond, like a compass always pointing north. At least we wouldn't get lost with her around.

After walking for a few more minutes, we came across a small petting zoo. Inside a wooden fence, several horned rabbits huddled together. People on their break were feeding them carrot sticks.

"Horned rabbits!"

Levinas ran up to the fence, watching the creatures munch on carrots. After a moment of hesitation, she started to climb into the enclosure.

"Levinas, you can't go in there."

"Why not?"

"The horned rabbits might get scared and run away. They might even attack."

"But Levinas is a horned rabbit too. Why would they attack?"

Oh. Right.

I could only stare as Levinas entered the enclosure. This could be trouble. Horned rabbits were quite aggressive despite their cute appearance. I tensed up, ready to intervene if needed.

But the horned rabbits didn't attack Levinas. They seemed to accept her as one of their own, showing no particular reaction. Perhaps there was some connection between beast-kin and animals of the same species.

"Levinas, aren't you scared?"

"Nope!"

Thud! Levinas plopped down among the horned rabbits. She opened her mouth wide in front of a girl holding a carrot stick.

"Um..."

The girl hesitated before placing the carrot in Levinas's mouth.

Crunch crunch.

Levinas grabbed the girl's wrist and started nibbling on the carrot from the end.

"King! If you stay here, people give you carrots! Hurry up and come in!"

Crunch crunch.

Levinas called out to me while munching away.

"Well, that's..."

I felt uncomfortable joining the real horned rabbits, even if Levinas was fine.

"King, should we make a fence in our park too?"

"...To get carrots?"

"Yeah! If Levinas stays inside the fence, people will give lots of carrots!"

"Um..."

A beast-kin zoo? That seemed problematic in many ways.

The girl feeding the carrot seemed to realize something too, and quickly pulled her hand back.

"That, that's not okay..."

"Why not?"

"Because you have dignity as a human..."

At the word 'dignity', people approaching Levinas backed away, carrot sticks still in hand.

"You're not giving me carrots?"

"Uh, no. Sorry..."

"Carrots..."

Levinas's shoulders slumped.

Just then, a man who looked like a park manager came running over.

"You can't go in there! That's only for horned rabbits..."

He trailed off when he saw Levinas, noticing her ears and slightly protruding horns.

"A horned rabbit...?"

"Yeah! Levinas is a horned rabbit!"

The usually timid and aggressive horned rabbits were calmly sitting next to Levinas. The man blinked in confusion.

"...The horned rabbits are so docile?"

"Yeah! Because Levinas is the same kind of horned rabbit!"

"If it's the same... species, does that mean you can communicate?"

"To some extent!"

The manager's expression changed rapidly at Levinas's answer. He crossed his arms, deep in thought, then turned to me.

"Can cat beast-kin communicate with felines?"

"Well... It's not so much communication as understanding their emotions and thoughts."

"Ah, emotions! I wonder if you could help us with something?"

"Help?"

"Yes. We recently got a new feline friend, but its condition is strange. We think it's psychological, so it would be great if we could understand its state..."

They wanted insight into a cat's mental state? Since Levinas had caused some trouble, I decided to help.

"I can try, but I'm not sure how useful I'll be."

"That's fine. We're in a desperate situation where even a small piece of information would be helpful."

Was the situation that serious? Maybe I could figure something out if it was a cat.

---

---

The staff member led us to an area with a massive rock formation, tall enough to be called a small mountain.

Woong!

A transparent barrier spread widely around the rock. It was a magic barrier blocking access, but thanks to being with the staff, we were allowed to enter.

'It's chilly inside the barrier.'

As we approached the rock, a wave of cold hit us. I had to rub my arms to keep warm.

"Does a cat live in a place like this?"

"A cat?"

"Yes...?"

Didn't we come here because of a cat?

As I tilted my head in confusion, a figure appeared at the top of the rocky mountain. It was a massive feline with white fur.

"It's not a cat, it's a snow leopard."

"A, a snow leopard?"

Isn't that another name for a snow panther?

I gaped as I looked up at the rocky peak. A white snow leopard gazed down at us indifferently.

"Can you tell what that animal might be thinking?"

"I want to get out of here..."

"What? It wants to leave? That can't be right..."

"No, I mean... I want to get out of here..."

To enter a leopard enclosure without any protection—this was definitely not a normal situation. I could only freeze as I watched the leopard descending the rocky mountain.

---

1/6 Enjoy the chappy!

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