I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 248: It Doesn't Matter If It's Expired

I turned on the voice recorder, but I had no idea what to say.

After hesitating, I held out the screen with the recorder running to Yeoreum.

"What's with the recorder?"

"I just want to record my voice and listen to it."

"Ah... to check your voice?"

"Yeah."

I immediately stopped the recording and played back our conversation.

Hearing my own voice, I couldn't help but be shocked.

'It's true...'

It wasn't as cute as Levinas's way of speaking.

It sounded like a child trying their best to speak clearly, but unable to hide their immaturity.

'At least it's not too bad.'

I'd been worried people might think I was pretending to be cute.

But this was within an acceptable range.

"Does my voice sound weird?"

"No? I love it! I could listen to it all day."

"R-Really...?"

"Yeah. You speak so clearly and precisely. Your voice is pretty too. Listening to your voice always makes me feel at ease."

"Hmm..."

Maybe it's similar to how I feel when I hear my family's voices.

With Yeoreum praising me like this, I felt foolish for worrying about my voice.

"I guess what matters most is that the listener enjoys the voice."

"Yeah. You're quite thoughtful, Gyeoul."

Yeoreum chuckled and patted my head.

Then she watched the anime with the kids.

Today's episode ended with the hero horned rabbit finding a legendary sword buried in the ground.

It was a sword hidden by ancestors for future generations.

"Legendary weapon!"

Levinas's ears perked up as she ran to me.

She started looking down at me with an inexplicably solemn expression.

"What is it?"

"Levinas will make a legendary weapon too!"

"Okay. Shall we go play outside?"

"Yeah!"

I headed to the park with the kids.

In a secluded grassy area, Levinas began digging.

"Levinas, are you looking for a weapon?"

"No! Levinas will hide a weapon!"

"Ah, I see."

So she was hiding one, not finding one.

I brought a shovel to help Levinas dig.

We only stopped digging after making a hole about as deep as my waist.

"Ta-da!"

Levinas stuffed the hole full of carrots.

It seemed carrots were Levinas's legendary weapon.

Won't the carrots grow if we plant them in soil?

Will they be okay buried so deep?

I tilted my head as I looked down at the carrots in the hole.

It felt like forgotten memories were resurfacing.

'What is it?'

I'd forgotten something important.

It was on the tip of my tongue.

"Hmm..."

As I stood there thinking with my arms crossed, Levinas started filling in the hole.

"It's a legendary carrot that gives you strength when you eat it! You dig it up and eat it when you're weak!"

Food to eat when you're weak.

Levinas's words made my ears and tail stand straight up.

"That's right...!"

"What's right?!"

"I left something behind at my old home."

"Really?! Is it important?!"

"Yeah. It's really important."

How stupid of me.

Why had I forgotten about those precious things until now?

Feeling urgent, I shook my clenched fists up and down.

It was a bit childish, but I had no other way to express my urgency.

"Then should Levinas and Dark King go with you?!"

"Yeah. It's heavy, so I'd appreciate the help."

At the word "heavy," Saebyeok, who had been lying face-down on the grass, got up.

It meant she was ready to help anytime.

Saebyeok was young, but she was so dependable.

So I headed to the mountain where I used to live, together with the kids.

---

---

My tent had originally been deep in the rugged mountains.

The path there was difficult, but it wasn't particularly challenging for beast-kin who were used to the wild.

"Wooow!"

Levinas ran quickly up the steep path.

It was a very horned rabbit-like movement.

Saebyeok also climbed steadily without getting tired.

"Saebyeok, just a little more. We're almost there."

"Okay."

We finally arrived at the clearing.

It was where my tent should have been, but now there was nothing.

"King, there's nothing heeere!"

Levinas said as she spun around in circles.

She seemed to be looking for the items we came to retrieve while spinning.

"The stuff is underground."

"Wha! Is it a legendary weapon?!"

"Um... maybe...?"

I approached the marked spot of dirt with a shovel in hand.

Thud-!

As I struck the ground with the shovel, Levinas came over and started digging too.

Thud-! Thud-!

After digging not too deep, a plastic container with a lid appeared.

It was opaque, so we couldn't see the contents.

"King, what's this?!"

"It's my emergency food."

"Emergency food?!"

"Yeah. Food to eat only as an absolute last resort."

"Whoa...!"

Levinas's eyes shone as she looked down at the plastic box.

Saebyeok was also showing curiosity, urging us to open it quickly.

Click-! Click-!

I opened the container's lid and took out the contents.

The container hadn't been sealed properly, so it was filled with dirt.

"This is..."

Saebyeok examined the contents of the container.

I could see Saebyeok, who was usually expressionless, looking unusually flustered.

"You dug this up to throw it away properly, right...?"

"No, I dug it up to eat it..."

"This...?"

The dirt didn't matter.

What I'd taken out was canned food that could be preserved long-term.

I decided we'd go home and eat the canned food today, saving some money on food costs.

---

---

'Nothing dangerous here.'

Patrolling the park for the kids' safety was one of Yeoreum's daily routines.

Satisfied that there were no threats today either, Yeoreum nodded contentedly.

Time to head home for the day.

Just as she was about to leave, Saebyeok, who always acted mature, came running with an urgent look.

"B-Big trouble..."

Saebyeok tugged at Yeoreum's clothes.

Yeoreum instinctively realized something was wrong with the kids.

"What's the matter...?"

"Over there, Gyeoul is..."

Saebyeok pointed somewhere.

It was in the direction of Gyeoul's tent.

What on earth was going on?

Yeoreum picked up Saebyeok and ran towards the tent.

"Ah...!"

Arriving in front of the tent, she saw the kids sitting around a blazing campfire, chatting.

There was a pot on top, suggesting they were trying to cook something.

"King, this would taste better if we add carrots."

"Yeah, let's add our carrots too."

It didn't look particularly dangerous.

Even so, Yeoreum wasn't at ease.

There must have been a reason Saebyeok came running.

"Kids, what are you doing?"

"We're trying to make some food."

"Food?"

Gyeoul showed Yeoreum a can.

It was a tuna can covered in dirt and rust.

'What in the world.'

Canned tuna usually has a shelf life of about 7 years.

But the expiration date on this can had long passed.

It was a can older than Gyeoul, made before she was even born.

'This was made when I was about Gyeoul's age...'

She thought it might be a can from Gyeoul's world, but the brand was from this world.

Most likely, someone had thrown it away and Gyeoul had picked it up.

Where on earth did she find this?

More importantly, was she actually planning to eat it?

Yeoreum quickly snatched the can from Gyeoul.

"Gyeoul, you can't eat this."

"W-Why not...?"

"The expiration date is way past. Won't your tummy hurt if you eat it?"

Yeoreum rubbed her stomach and made a pained expression.

She even let out small "ow ow" sounds.

The idea was to scare Gyeoul a little by acting like it would hurt.

Gyeoul was gentle and easily frightened.

This should be enough to make her give up, right?

That's what Yeoreum thought, but Gyeoul's expression remained confident.

"You can eat canned food even a hundred years after the expiration date."

"R-Really?"

"Yes. It's sterilized so it can be preserved for a very long time. As long as the can isn't bulging, it's safe to eat."

Give it back, give it back.

Gyeoul reached out for the can.

She stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arm, but couldn't reach the can Yeoreum held up high.

'What should I do?'

Maybe I should use my ability for now.

Yeoreum immediately used her detection ability to check the can's condition.

Surprisingly, the contents were fine.

'...It is edible after all.'

There were no bacteria inside the can.

It meant eating it wouldn't be fatal.

Is it okay to give it back?

After thinking, Yeoreum handed the can back to Gyeoul.

"Here."

"Ah...!"

Gyeoul took the can with both hands and opened it without hesitation.

Crack-!

With the characteristic sound of a can opening, the contents were revealed.

Unlike the dirty exterior, the contents were relatively clean.

"King!"

"Yeah...!"

Gyeoul put the tuna in the pot.

She also added a few carrot sticks cut into appetizing sizes.

I wonder if that will actually be edible?

Yeoreum watched the kids cooking from the side.

It didn't seem like completely inedible food.

"I'll try it first."

Gyeoul scooped up some tuna and carrot sticks with an old spoon.

She blew on it to cool it down.

Next to her, Levinas helped by blowing on it too.

"Gyeoul, should I taste it for you?"

"It's okay."

Nom.

Gyeoul put the spoon in her mouth.

She chewed while rolling her eyes around.

"Ugh..."

"Ugh?"

"Bleh..."

Half-chewed tuna dribbled down Gyeoul's chin.

It tasted pretty awful.

Only then did Gyeoul recall the memories she'd forgotten.

That the expiration date on canned tuna was the 'best by' date for taste.

The taste of expired canned tuna was terrible.

It was because she'd been eating such delicious food lately.

The beast-kin's sensitive taste buds also made the 'bad taste' even more intense.

"My canned food..."

There was still a whole bunch of unopened cans, but did they all have to be thrown away now?

The canned food she'd saved up while enduring hunger!

She should have eaten it all when she was human and had duller taste buds.

It was such a waste that all her strength drained away.

Feeling dejected, Gyeoul sprawled out on the ground.

She didn't want to do anything anymore.

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