I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 291: Let's Run Away!

Black smoke visible from the top of the mountain.

Choi Yong-cheol, who ran a campsite at the foot of the mountain, knew this wasn't a forest fire.

The smoke's origin was a clearing made of rocks and dirt where grass and trees didn't grow.

Someone must have lit a fire deep in the mountains.

Angry, Choi Yong-cheol climbed the mountain, dragging his aging knees.

For quite a long time.

"Hey, you little shit!"

After climbing the long slope, a wide clearing appeared.

In the center, someone had lit a campfire.

Despite their thorough fire precautions, what's not allowed is not allowed.

"What kind of crazy bastard would start a fire in the mountains...!"

He narrowed his bleary eyes to make out the person's face.

The child he saw was in a terribly pitiful state.

'Poor thing.'

The child looked even younger than his own grandchild.

He thought it might be a mischievous kid playing with fire, but that didn't seem to be the case.

An old tent made from scraps.

An oversized shirt that looked like it came from a clothing donation bin.

The owner of all this, a child, was cleaning what looked like minnows caught from a nearby stream.

"I-I'm sorry..."

The startled child stomped on the campfire with bare feet.

Ouch, hot, the child hopped around before coming back to cover the fire with sand.

This wasn't mischief, but a child struggling to survive.

Choi Yong-cheol's anger subsided.

Even if it was something that shouldn't be done, he couldn't scold a child trying so hard to live.

"Who are you, child?"

"I-I'm..."

"Don't you have family?"

"Y-yes... We live together, but they've just gone out for a bit..."

"Together?"

Choi Yong-cheol looked at the tent nearby.

They're living together in that shabby tent?

Damn it all, Choi Yong-cheol cursed inwardly.

"...Did you light the fire to cook the minnows?"

"Y-yes... But I'll just eat them raw..."

I won't light a fire anymore.

To show her resolve, Gyeoul put the cleaned minnow in her mouth.

Chomp chomp-

It was her first time eating raw minnows, but surprisingly, they tasted good.

"Hey, you fool! How can you eat raw minnows like that!"

Not knowing Gyeoul was a feline beast-kin, Choi Yong-cheol couldn't help but be shocked.

How downtrodden must this child be to eat raw minnows?

"B-but they taste good raw..."

"Good my foot!"

Choi Yong-cheol snatched up the minnows lying on the ground.

Then he glanced at Gyeoul's tent home.

"Child, there's a campsite just down there. Want to come?"

"No, I like it here..."

The campsite has too many people.

It wasn't a good choice for us who needed to hide our identities.

Staying near the portal was safer too.

"Are you living with your parents?"

"No, I don't have parents."

"Oh my... Then..."

Choi Yong-cheol questioned Gyeoul about various things.

His conclusion was that Gyeoul was a child with considerable stubbornness.

"Alright, don't light any fires for now. I'll be back, so wait here."

Choi Yong-cheol reassured Gyeoul, then went back down to his campsite.

Self-heating lunchboxes that could cook food without fire, and a few other supplies.

It was tiring to go up and down the mountain carrying these things, but it was better than leaving a child living in such terrible conditions.

'I should check on them often.'

How did the child end up living like this?

Should I inform the nearby orphanage?

I heard they're even kidnapping people these days.

Choi Yong-cheol climbed the mountain, thinking about various things.

His legs felt heavy yet light at the same time.

**

Several more days passed since we came to this world.

Thanks to the help from Mr. Choi Yong-cheol and Yoon Da-in, we were able to survive more easily.

Of course, we weren't just receiving help.

We traded various raw foods and plants we gathered.

Our main trade goods were minnows and plants collected from the mountain.

"Give me your trash."

"Okay."

"Are you running low on heat packs?"

"Yes, we only have a few left."

In the mornings, Mr. Choi Yong-cheol came to help us.

Unlike Yoon Da-in, we hid the fact that we were beast-kin from Mr. Choi Yong-cheol.

At these times, Sophia, whose tail was hard to hide, had to stay hidden in the mountains.

"Don't you want to come down to the campsite?"

"No. We like it here."

"It'd be much more comfortable and better down there. You could even freely light fires."

"W-well..."

"...Alright, I won't force you. But let me know if you change your mind."

Even though it was strange for children to be living alone in the mountains, Mr. Choi Yong-cheol didn't ask any questions.

He just helped and left.

Then a few hours later in the afternoon, Yoon Da-in would visit.

"Kids, do you have any rice left?"

"Yeah! We have lots left!"

"What about fish?"

"We don't have any fish!"

"I thought so, that's why I brought some."

Yoon Da-in put fish in the cooler we used as a food storage.

As a reward, we let her touch our ears and tails.

"He-hehehe..."

Pat pat-

After touching my ears and tail for a while, Yoon Da-in went back down the mountain with a satisfied expression.

Then when the sun set, Yeoreum returned to the tent.

"Did those people come again?"

"Yes."

"And you kept me a secret?"

"Yes. We kept it a secret."

It was regrettable for those helping us, but we decided to hide Yeoreum's existence.

It was a precaution in case of any unexpected situations.

"So, did you learn anything today?"

Sophia approached Yeoreum, waving her cane.

The tip of Sophia's shark tail flicked back and forth, hitting the lantern Mr. Choi Yong-cheol had given us, making it swing.

As a result, our shadows in the tent flickered.

"Huh?"

Gaeul's eyes widened as she watched the moving shadows.

Yeoreum patted Gaeul's head.

"Yes. The people in this neighborhood were talking about kidnappings all day."

"Kidnappings?"

"They say people have been noticeably disappearing over the past few months."

The elders playing janggi asked about their grandchildren's well-being.

Parents at playgrounds watched their playing children worriedly.

At first, I thought it was just everyday life, but as time passed, I naturally realized.

They were worried their children might get kidnapped.

"Hmm..."

"Down there, adults and children alike are only talking about kidnappings and disappearances."

"...I see. You've worked hard. Get some rest now."

"Yes. You've worked hard too, Sophia."

Our day ended with Yeoreum's report.

We played or talked around the tent, then huddled together to sleep.

On the morning of the seventh day, like this.

My ears perked up at the sound of someone getting up while we were sleeping.

"Today is... Kids! Wake up! Quickly, wake up!"

"Whaaat?!"

"Huh?"

The children opened their eyes, startled by Yeoreum's loud voice.

They looked up at Yeoreum with wide eyes.

"The portal's open! It'll close again in two hours!"

"W-what should we do?"

"First, let's get rid of all the things we've used."

"Everything here?"

"Yeah. It'll be troublesome in many ways if we leave things behind."

That's true.

It would be no different from dumping a large amount of trash.

We followed Yeoreum's words and threw all the used items into the portal.

But if we leave like this, Yoon Da-in and Mr. Choi will worry.

We should probably leave a letter.

-We're leaving without saying goodbye because of an urgent matter.

We'll definitely meet again someday.

The writing is messy because I wrote it on the ground.

I guess it doesn't really matter.

I placed the letter where the tent had been.

I left two letters since there were two people, and Levinas drew pictures in the empty spaces.

It was a picture of animal friends waving goodbye.

The slight tears in their eyes made it look a bit sad.

"The animals are crying."

"Yeah! It's sad to say goodbye!"

"We can meet again later, so there's no need to be sad, right?"

"Ah! Really?!"

Levinas's ears shot up in surprise.

But she had already finished drawing the picture.

We don't have time, so we'll have to leave the picture as is.

After placing the letters, we started cleaning up.

"Okay, did we pack everything? We didn't leave anything behind, right?"

"No. We have everything."

"Then..."

Yeoreum checked the time.

We had about an hour left.

Seeing there was still plenty of time, Levinas raised her hand high.

"Then let's play one last time?!"

"Play?"

"Yeah! Let's end with playing so we can leave on a good note!"

"Oh... That sounds good. What should we play?"

"Tag! Yeoreum is it!"

Levinas shouted loudly and ran around the portal area.

I belatedly started running around with the children.

"You little rascals! Stop right there!"

Yeoreum chased after us.

She seemed determined not to go easy on us, following surprisingly quickly.

"Wha!"

Levinas, who was running towards the portal, looked back.

Seeing Yeoreum right behind her, she perked up her ears.

"Run for it!"

Levinas leapt through the portal.

We followed Levinas through the portal.

Thanks to Levinas, our last moments in my world were filled with joy.

**

Weekend morning.

Yoon Da-in climbed the mountain path early in the morning to meet the children.

Her hands were full of fish and meat.

'I'm running low on pocket money, maybe I should get a part-time job.'

Helping animal-eared children living in difficult conditions.

Wasn't this exactly the situation she had dreamed of?

I wonder if I'll be able to hear about the children's past when we get closer?

Yoon Da-in was smiling to herself when-

"Run for it!"

"Aaaah!"

She heard the children's screams from the top of the mountain.

It sounded like they were running away from someone.

'What's going on?'

Yoon Da-in put down the things she was carrying and ran towards the children's tent.

But for some reason, she couldn't see the tent.

The old containers the children used, the pillows and blankets and lantern that the campsite owner had given them.

Everything had completely disappeared, as if it had vanished overnight.

'How is this possible...?'

Is it possible for so many things to disappear without a trace overnight?

Blinking her eyes, Yoon Da-in discovered a letter where the tent had been.

-We're leaving without saying goodbye because of an urgent matter.

We'll definitely meet again someday.

Messy handwriting and a picture of crying animals.

And the children who disappeared without a trace, accompanied by screams.

'Could it be...'

Yoon Da-in's heart started pounding.

She remembered the rumors circulating in the city.

Rumors about an organization that kidnaps people.

Did they come to recapture the escaped children?

Yoon Da-in stared blankly at the space where the children had been.

---

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