I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 262: Longing for Home

I didn't have enough money to buy them.

Though I was scared to speak up, I knew that being honest about not being able to buy them was the best choice.

"Um, you see..."

I was about to close my eyes and speak honestly.

Just as I made that decision, I heard familiar footsteps and the sound of something being poured.

"Huh?"

As I turned towards the cart, I saw the Master filling it with arrows.

He was tossing them in carelessly, as if dumping them out.

A rough count put it at several million won worth.

He was even putting in the most expensive arrows.

It might easily exceed ten million won.

The blood drained from my face.

Levinas and Saebyeok, who had a sense of money, looked bewildered, but Gaeul, who was still naive about the ways of the world, didn't.

"Whoosh whoosh."

Gaeul picked up an arrow.

She waved it in the air like a toy airplane, then made a "pyoo" sound as she threw the arrow out of the cart.

Tok-

The arrow that had flown a short distance fell to the ground.

That was now secondhand.

It meant I'd have to take responsibility and buy it.

"Oh no..."

The Master and Gaeul.

Who should I stop first?

While I hesitated, the Master put more arrows into the cart, and Gaeul threw arrows with both hands.

"Pyoo."

"G-Gaeul..."

I should stop Gaeul first.

Just as I reached out to Gaeul, Saebyeok grabbed her with both arms and hugged her.

"Gaeul, you shouldn't throw arrows."

"Huh?"

Gaeul, restrained by Saebyeok, opened her eyes wide.

She didn't seem to mind, though, as she smiled brightly and licked Saebyeok's cheek.

Did Saebyeok stop Gaeul?

Saebyeok's doing a good job as an older sister.

Mentally thanking her, I tugged on the Master's clothes.

"Uncle..."

"What?"

"I don't have enough money to buy this many arrows..."

Hearing my words, the Master put more arrows into the cart.

He did this even after I told him it would be hard to buy them.

"Don't worry. I'm buying these for myself."

"You are, Uncle? Do you use a bow too?"

"I don't, but there are a lot of arrows I haven't seen before, so I want to collect some data."

"Ah, data..."

The Master is the leader of a guild, after all.

He must need to know the power of weapons.

Even among lightning arrows, their power varied depending on the mana stone and maker.

It was only natural for the Master to be curious about the weapons in the newly opened store near the guild.

"Hmm... but I don't use a bow."

"A bow? Should I teach you?"

"No, I don't have time to learn..."

The Master seemed to ponder for a moment.

But he kept putting bows into the cart.

There was so little space left that the children in the cart had to get out.

"Then what should we do?"

"...You could try them out and tell me how they are."

"M-me...?"

It wasn't a bad offer.

The Master would get information about the arrows, and I'd get expensive arrows for free.

The problem was that there were too many free arrows.

"But aren't there too many arrows?"

"We need to shoot a lot to get average data."

"I see."

That's true.

I had nothing more to say.

I quietly examined each arrow as they were placed on the counter.

'There are arrows here I've never seen before.'

I should try shooting a few when I get home.

But why did the employee suddenly go quiet?

Curious, I looked around.

From the employee who guided us to people from other stores.

They were watching us nervously.

They were even sweating.

Our Master is kind, so there's no need for that.

Feeling sorry, I bowed my head to the employee.

"Thank you. You're really kind."

"Y-yes. It's my job."

Hehe.

The store employee gave an awkward smile.

The Master nodded towards her.

It was a gesture of thanks for doing a good job.

At this small action, the employees' faces brightened.

The atmosphere seemed to have lightened considerably.

"Uncle, want to go home together?"

"Sure."

I returned home with my arms full of arrows.

Of course, the Master and Saebyeok carried most of them.

I was in a good mood, thinking about trying out various arrows at home.

---

---

After putting down the arrows in the container, I took a few and went to a secluded forest in the park.

It was a place only staff could enter, where I practiced archery.

Before shooting, I pricked up my ears to sense my surroundings.

There were two familiar presences.

Yoo Sang-ah and Momoa.

"Oh, Gyeoul... and a new friend too?"

"Yes. This is Gaeul."

"Gaeuwi."

Gaeul wagged her tail happily.

Yoo Sang-ah patted Gaeul's head and asked, looking around at us.

"What are you all doing here?"

"The King's going to show off a new skill!"

New skill.

Yoo Sang-ah and Momoa's eyes gleamed with curiosity at Levinas's confident answer.

"Wow, can we watch from the side?"

"I'm curious too."

"Sure..."

It's not really anything grand enough to call a new skill.

Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek and pulled out an arrow.

It was an arrow named 'Teleportation Arrow'.

'They say you can teleport with this.'

It was one of the arrows the Master had just thrown in.

Because of that, I hadn't properly seen the usage video.

Since I don't know much, I'll just try shooting it.

I aimed at the top of the tallest-looking tree.

I thought I might be able to climb up the tree.

Swoosh-!

The quickly fired arrow stuck in the treetop.

My body flew along with the arrow.

"Aaaaah."

As I flew rapidly, I could see it.

The mana thread connecting the arrow and my body.

Only then did I realize the meaning and usage of the teleportation arrow.

"Aaaah."

I should have grabbed the tree while flying, but my surprised body only flailed.

In the end, I couldn't grab the tree and fell down.

"G-Gyeoul!"

"Oh no...!"

"Ah!"

Yoo Sang-ah, Momoa, and the children ran towards me.

Even as I fell, the mana thread remained connected.

Thanks to this, I didn't collide with the ground.

The arrow itself seemed to have an accident prevention function.

Dangle dangle-

Hanging from the mana thread, I swung back and forth like a pendulum.

The children chased after me.

"King!"

"Heh heh."

Levinas chased after me with her rabbit eyes wide open, and Gaeul ran with her tongue out.

Saebyeok, as always, followed the children with an expressionless face.

"Aaaah."

Left right, left right.

After swinging several times like a ride, I finally managed to stop moving.

"King, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah..."

There are quite a few dangerous arrows.

Levinas reached out to grab me, but she was too short and just barely missed.

I needed an adult's help.

I looked towards Yoo Sang-ah and Momoa.

"Gyeoul, is this your first time shooting this?"

"Yes..."

"Hmm... from now on, if you have an arrow you've never shot before, call an adult, okay?"

"Yes, I will."

As I nodded, Yoo Sang-ah finally helped me down.

Momoa assisted in getting me down.

"Thank you."

"N-no need for thanks."

Momoa turned her head away.

She still seemed shy, but less prickly than before.

Momoa has grown too.

I wonder if I've grown as much as Momoa?

I found myself looking down at my palm.

I could see the calluses formed from handling the bow and arrows.

At least I haven't regressed.

That's what I thought as I looked at my hand.

---

---

A few days had passed since Gaeul came home.

Gaeul would occasionally sit in front of the portal she had come out of.

"Heh."

While she really liked it here, the space she shared with her master was good too.

It was a place full of many memories.

She wanted to go in for just a moment.

But she couldn't enter without permission from her master and big master.

Gaeul was sprawled out in front of the portal's curtain.

"Whine."

The master's orders were absolute.

So Gaeul just sniffed, taking in the scent of longing.

Yeoreum approached Gaeul as she sat there.

"Gaeul, do you want to go inside?"

"Want."

"...It's definitely safe inside, right? And you can come back too?"

"Heh."

Gaeul just wagged her tail without answering.

That meant yes.

"Gaeul, then your sister has something to ask."

"Order?"

"No, not an order, a request. If you think it's strange after hearing it, you can refuse, okay?"

"Request!"

Not an order, but a request.

Gaeul's tail, which had been drooping, began to wag quickly.

Watching Gaeul circle around her, Yeoreum pulled a smartphone out of her pocket.

"Could you go inside with this and film just the safe area, then come back?"

"Like! Like!"

Gaeul expressed her joy.

She seemed to like going inside.

"If it feels dangerous inside, come back immediately without hesitation. And absolutely don't leave the area near the portal. Got it?"

"Yes..."

Gaeul answered weakly.

It wasn't that she actually lacked energy, she was just imitating Gyeoul's usual behavior.

Noticing this, Yeoreum smiled lightly, then taught Gaeul how to record a video.

"Okay, this is how you do it. Can you manage?"

"Yes..."

"Alright. Just film a little and come right back, okay?"

"Heh."

After affirming positively, Gaeul immediately started walking.

Not towards the portal, but into the forest.

"Gaeul?"

Why is she suddenly going that way?

As Yeoreum wondered, Gaeul returned, holding Gyeoul's hand.

"Why is Gyeoul..."

Before she could finish her question, Gaeul, holding Gyeoul's hand, rushed towards the portal.

Knowing they would be blocked by the curtain, she didn't try to stop them.

But then.

Woong-!

Gyeoul easily passed through the curtain.

It felt similar to Gaeul's ability.

"Huh?!"

Surprised, Yeoreum ran towards the curtain.

For some reason, the curtain only blocked Yeoreum.

"G-Gaeul?!"

Thump thump-

Yeoreum pounded on the curtain.

Before she could stop them, the two children had entered the portal.

"What..."

She had been told only Gaeul could go in and out.

Does holding hands with Gaeul allow them to share the ability?

Though Gaeul was a bit slow, she wasn't the type to put Gyeoul in danger.

She tried to calm down and assess the situation.

Just as Yeoreum placed her hand over her heart...

Woong-!

The portal rippled and the two children appeared.

Unlike when they first entered, the children's clothes were quite dirty now.

At this point, Yeoreum realized that time flowed differently inside the portal world compared to outside.

What Gyeoul had seen and experienced...

A long sigh escaped Yeoreum's lips.

2/6 Enjoy the chappy!

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