I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 211: Despair Beyond Comparison

Chae Juyeon quickly texted Yeoreum.

She didn't call because Momoa was beside her. It would've been inconsiderate to make a phone call in front of someone who needed comforting.

[Yes. What's up?]

The reply came surprisingly fast, even though Chae Juyeon had expected a delay due to match preparations.

When Momoa lowered her gaze, Chae Juyeon quietly tapped her smartphone screen.

[I wanted to ask if it's okay to tell someone about Gyeoul's past.]

[Gyeoul's? May I ask why?]

[My friend is in a similar situation to Gyeoul. But unlike her, my friend couldn't bounce back.]

[Ah... So you literally want to share Gyeoul's story.]

Chae Juyeon stared at her phone, her heart racing.

If the answer was no, she planned to drop it completely.

[For that reason, of course it's okay. The Master has helped us so much.]

Permission granted.

After quickly sending her thanks, Chae Juyeon tapped Momoa's shoulder, who was still hanging her head.

"Moa, did you know?"

"...?"

"Actually, Gyeoul hasn't always had it easy."

"...What do you mean?"

"Gyeoul's been through more than we can imagine."

A tough life?

It didn't make sense.

To Momoa, Gyeoul seemed like a child who knew no hardship.

"How could she have had it rough?"

"Well... Gyeoul was badly mistreated by adults."

"Badly...?"

"Yes. Getting beaten was normal for her, and she almost died several times. It wasn't just once or twice."

That can't be true.

Momoa didn't want to believe it, but Chae Juyeon wasn't one to lie.

"But she didn't seem scared of adults? She didn't look traumatized..."

"Did you look closely?"

"...No."

She hadn't paid attention.

Maybe she'd been blinded by jealousy towards the child.

"If you watch carefully, you'll see that Gyeoul is terrified of adults."

"...She must be even more afraid of angry adults."

"Did you get angry?"

"...I grumbled a bit."

Though it was just a little, it must've been scary for the child.

Momoa bit her lip.

"Oh no, Gyeoul must've been so frightened."

"That's..."

Momoa knew better than anyone the fear that people can cause.

That awful feeling of emptiness that reaches deep into your heart.

Knowing that all too well, had she taken out her frustrations on the child?

On a child who might've had an even more painful past than her own?

Before she could finish her thought, Momoa stood up.

"Sister, I need to go."

"Okay. Want me to come with you?"

"No, I'll go alone."

Momoa rushed to where Gyeoul was.

Despite being out of breath from her long stay indoors, she kept running.

'If Sister says so, it must be true, but...'

Still, she wanted to see for herself.

Just how painful a past Gyeoul had.

"Haa..."

Reaching the booth, Momoa caught her breath and looked at Gyeoul.

Gyeoul was still holding the chicken skewer she'd given her earlier.

Without having taken a single bite.

The sauce had dripped down, dirtying Gyeoul's hand.

Her once bright, wide eyes now held only emptiness.

It was a look Momoa knew all too well.

She'd seen it often in the mirror.

'What is this...?'

Momoa was shocked by the look in Gyeoul's eyes.

She'd glimpsed a despair far deeper than anything she could imagine.

'Eight years old...?'

What kind of hell had this child been through?

It was something Momoa simply couldn't understand.

'Did she go through actual hell?'

All the suffering she'd experienced seemed trivial in comparison.

Yet Gyeoul had moved forward in search of hope, while she had crumbled like a rotten branch.

It was pathetic.

Feeling ashamed, Momoa clenched her fist.

Startled, Gyeoul flinched.

Momoa knew exactly what that reaction meant.

It was an instinctive shrinking away from an adult's clenched fist.

"Um, excuse me..."

Gyeoul looked up at Momoa with frightened eyes.

Did she trigger memories of her past trauma?

As Momoa stood there, lost for words, Gyeoul tugged at her clothes.

"I'm sorry..."

The scared child desperately apologized.

To Momoa, it looked like a pitiful attempt to avoid being hit by an adult.

She had ruined what should've been a fun festival for the child.

In the worst way possible, by bringing out the child's trauma.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize."

"Huh...?"

"I shouldn't have done this. I'm truly sorry."

"Oh... okay..."

Gyeoul nodded, watching Momoa cautiously.

Even in an incredibly difficult situation where she had every right to be angry, she apologized instead.

Momoa really was a good person after all.

"I'll spend my whole life making up for today."

"Ah, no. You don't need to do that forever..."

"No, I will. I'm really sorry."

She had dared to speak of despair to a child who had tasted hell.

She had once again scared a child trying to find hope in the darkest depths.

Yet the child stood up.

As if despair was nothing to worry about.

Momoa offered a heartfelt apology to such a child.

---

---

A day passed, and the last day of the festival arrived.

Working with Momoa, I realized something.

Despite her grumbling, she was the type to take good care of people.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Um, the fish-shaped bread mix..."

"I'll do it, so go play, okay?"

Momoa took the fish-shaped bread batter I was holding.

I thought I'd do the packaging, but there was Momoa again.

What's going on?

Wasn't I just making the fish-shaped bread batter?

Momoa moved around here and there as if she could be in multiple places at once.

She handled tasks incredibly efficiently and neatly.

"Momoa!"

Yoo Sang-ah grabbed Momoa's hands, her eyes sparkling.

She held them eagerly with both hands.

"Y-yes?"

"Will you work with us at Yeomyeong?!"

"M-me...? But I didn't even finish high school..."

"What does that matter! You're so good at this!"

"I-I'm not that good..."

"No way! Momoa, you're a natural at this work!"

Momoa's face turned red.

She might be the type who's weak to compliments.

I poked Momoa's waist.

"That's right. Momoa is amazing."

"...Gyeoul, you should go out and play. It's the last day of the festival."

Zap-

Momoa's gaze as she looked at me was sharp.

She wasn't glaring on purpose.

It was just that Momoa's natural eye shape was fierce.

Even knowing she was a good person, it was somehow scary.

I nodded my head so quickly it made me dizzy.

"Okay. I'll go out for a bit then."

"Stay out for a while."

"Alright."

I've seen everything in the past two days, so what should I do now?

As I wandered around aimlessly with the kids, I spotted some familiar faces in the distance.

Kwon Arin, Encia, and Argo.

"Woah!"

Levinas and Saebyeok ran towards Argo.

It was the kids' rule to climb on top of Argo whenever they met him.

As I watched them, I approached Kwon Arin and Encia.

However, something seemed off about Kwon Arin's condition.

Her face was covered in bruises here and there.

"Who hit you...?"

"Yeah. I got beaten up..."

"Why? Who hit you?"

"Someone stronger than me hit me..."

Kwon Arin rubbed her bruised cheek.

The wide range of the bruise looked very painful.

"That's awful. Just hitting because they're stronger."

As I expressed my displeasure, Encia's ears twitched beside me.

Then they drooped weakly.

"...I'm sorry."

"W-what for?"

"I couldn't control my strength."

"...Encia hit you?"

"Yes. I was supposed to be a practice partner before the competition, but..."

I see.

If it happened during training, I guess it can't be helped.

I grabbed Encia's drooping tail and swung it gently from side to side.

"Did you both participate in the competition?"

"No, beast-kin can't participate in the competition. Even without mana, our basic physical abilities are too high."

Ah, I see.

Then only Kwon Arin must have participated.

I naturally looked up at Kwon Arin.

"How many wins did you get?"

"I only got one win. I thought I'd get at least two, but I wasn't in good shape..."

Kwon Arin glanced at Encia.

Encia's shoulders slumped.

Since potions and doping were prohibited during the competition, Encia was largely at fault.

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I prefer sparring with Encia anyway."

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah. I learn a lot, and it's more fun."

Kwon Arin chuckled.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to be angry.

"By the way, I wonder who'll win? I hope it's someone from our guild."

"The winner will probably be Jinhyuk."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The next match is the finals, and Yeoreum and Jinhyuk both made it to the finals."

Wow.

To think she made it to the finals without mana in a woman's body.

I always thought Yeoreum was just gently smiling, but she was a real powerhouse.

"Hehe."

My tail wagged with joy.

Only good things were left now.

"Gyeoul. Did something good happen?"

"Yes. I want to congratulate them, and I get to do something I like after the competition ends."

"Something you like?"

"We're going to hold a zombie survival game."

Real zombies are scary, but fake ones are fun.

I was really looking forward to it, and now we can do it.

Filled with excitement, I looked around at everyone.

"Ah... um..."

Saebyeok, who had been on top of Argo, avoided my gaze.

Is it a coincidence?

I decided not to pay much attention to it.

---

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