I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 351: I'll Pass It On Now

The documentary Levinas chose was fascinating.

It showed shelters that could sustain dozens of people for a hundred years, and others filled with weapons and defensive equipment.

How embarrassing that I'd bragged in front of such high-quality shelters.

My toes curled with shame.

Though that didn't make me feel my shelter was inadequate.

The rubber container shelter had silently protected me during my lonely times.

It had hidden me from wild boars and protected me from natural disasters like hail.

It was like a friend I wouldn't trade for any shelter in the world.

"Hmm..."

In movies, people who were alone for a long time often talked to dolls or objects.

Though embarrassing to admit, I used to talk to my shelter too.

When the loneliness became too much, I couldn't help it.

'That's all in the past now.'

Should I have a chat with the shelter after so long?

The feeling would be quite different from when I was alone.

Oof.

Just as I was getting up to go to the tent.

Levinas shook the remote while watching the documentary.

"Boring! Boring!"

"It's boring?"

"Yeah! Levinas thinks King's shelter is way cooler!"

Was this Levinas's way of comforting me, saying my shelter was cool too?

I was grateful for how Levinas always said such nice things.

"You're right. My shelter is pretty cool too."

"Yeah! And King has actually used the shelter!"

"Yeah. I've used my shelter lots of times."

Ahem.

Han Yeoreum suddenly cleared her throat.

It looked like something had caught in her throat while eating.

The children and I turned to look at Han Yeoreum, then returned our attention to the TV after seeing her awkward smile.

"Those ones have never actually been used!"

"Ah...!"

Levinas's words hit me hard.

There was definitely a difference between a shelter proven useful through actual use and one that looked good but had never been tested.

Levinas had caught that difference perfectly.

'So it wasn't just comfort saying my shelter was better.'

Was she giving it high marks for proven effectiveness?

I felt happy that my old friend had earned recognition.

"This won't do! Levinas needs to go see King's much cooler shelter!"

Levinas put down the remote and stood up.

Gaeul and Saebyeok stood up too.

"Um, I'll go first - could you wait about thirty minutes?"

"Thirty minutes?! Do you have something to do?!"

"Yeah. There's something I need to do alone."

The children sat back down without hesitation at my request.

I was grateful for how well they listened.

"Then we'll come in thirty minutes!"

"Okay."

**

Jung Yu-na was walking through the park with Choi Jinhyuk.

They were discussing Gyeoul's world.

"It's good we have connections there now. The money issue is solved."

"Yeah."

"How is Gyeoul doing?"

"She doesn't seem particularly troubled."

While chatting with Choi Jinhyuk, Jung Yu-na spotted Gyeoul walking toward the tent across from the pond.

'Oh dear.'

Gyeoul had excellent hearing.

No need to worry her on what had been a peaceful day.

Jung Yu-na waved her staff to cast a sound-blocking spell.

"Why the sudden magic?"

"Gyeoul was passing by."

"Ah."

No need for her to hear this.

Nodding, Choi Jinhyuk continued talking with Jung Yu-na.

As they walked around the park talking, they eventually reached Gyeoul's tent.

"Since we're here, should we check on Gyeoul?"

"Yeah."

Just as Jung Yu-na and Choi Jinhyuk were about to enter the tent.

They heard Gyeoul's voice from inside.

"...It's been a while."

A while?

Who was Gyeoul with?

Jung Yu-na tried sensing presences but only felt one.

Not even Kkamang and Seol's presence could be felt.

That was because.

Gyeoul's conversation partner wasn't a living being.

She had even asked Seol and Kkamang to leave so she could be alone.

'Were these marks made by the wild boar?'

Gyeoul stroked the scratches on the shelter's side.

When she was hiding inside, a wild boar had sniffed around and scratched it with its tusks.

It had been so scary then.

Now it was just a memory.

"Thank you for... um... thank you for protecting me all this time..."

When lonely, she used to talk to it to feel less alone.

Now it felt awkward and strange to talk to it.

Perhaps she had grown that accustomed to living with others.

Though embarrassed to say more, Gyeoul decided to say one last thing.

"You don't need to protect me anymore. I've found an incredibly huge and amazing shelter."

Gyeoul opened the shelter's lid.

What had once felt like her safest space now didn't stir much feeling...

...Oh?

It did.

The inside looked cozy.

She even felt like crawling in for a nice rest.

Ah.

It must be her feline instinct for liking box-like spaces.

She had wanted to show she'd moved past this.

This was rather embarrassing.

Scratching her cheek, Gyeoul climbed inside.

'Oh.'

The container's interior felt comfortably snug.

Maybe they should just stay together.

As Gyeoul was seriously considering this, Jung Yu-na and Choi Jinhyuk entered the tent.

Their sudden appearance due to the sound-blocking spell made Gyeoul's ears shoot up.

"Oh, when did you arrive?"

"Just now. I forgot to remove the sound-blocking spell."

"Ah, magic."

So that's why she hadn't sensed them.

Phew, Gyeoul calmed her startled heart.

"Gyeoul, who were you talking to?"

"You... you heard..."

"Yeah. Sorry, it wasn't intentional."

Gyeoul hesitated at Jung Yu-na's apology.

After considering what to say, she decided to be honest.

"I was talking with my shelter."

"With your shelter...?"

"Yes... You see, there was a time when I went without talking to people for a long time... I was lonely then..."

"I-I see?"

Jung Yu-na gave an awkward smile.

She knew how long Gyeoul had been alone.

She thought she knew a lot about Gyeoul.

But there was still so much she hadn't seen.

How lonely must the child have been to talk to objects?

Ugh, Jung Yu-na felt a pang of sympathy she hadn't felt in a while.

"But I stopped talking to it later. I got used to things."

"O-oh?"

"Yes. I tried talking to it today because I suddenly thought of it, but it felt really awkward."

"Well, after talking with family every day, suddenly talking to a shelter would feel awkward."

"Yes. That's right."

Now she had precious family.

Gyeoul's tail swayed gently.

"Gyeoul, what was that incredibly huge and amazing shelter you mentioned?"

"Ah, that."

At Jung Yu-na's question, Gyeoul climbed out of the container.

Then she buried her face in Jung Yu-na's embrace.

"Ah...! I get it."

"Me too."

The incredibly huge and amazing shelter.

She meant her family.

A small smile appeared on the usually stoic Choi Jinhyuk's face.

"Hehe."

Gyeoul nuzzled her face into her comfortable space - Jung Yu-na's embrace.

As they spent time like this, the children soon entered the tent.

"Thirty minutes! Time's up!"

"Ding!"

"Gaeul puppy, isn't 'ding' for scolding?!"

"Huh?"

The tent grew lively with the children's arrival.

Gyeoul jumped from Jung Yu-na's embrace to play with them.

**

"This is King's shelter!"

"Wow."

Levinas showed off the shelter to Gaeul.

Gaeul examined it with sparkling eyes.

"Gaeul too."

"Gaeul too? You want a shelter too?"

"Yeah."

Gaeul smiled brightly and brought over a pot from nearby.

Though it was fairly large for a pot, it was too small for a shelter.

"Gaeul, will you use that as a shelter?"

"Yeah!"

Gaeul sat on top of the pot she'd brought.

The relatively tall pot swallowed Gaeul's body from the hips down.

"Swoosh!"

Gaeul's V-shaped body sank into the pot.

Gaeul, consumed by the pot, frantically waved the arms and legs that remained outside.

"Oh no! Gaeul puppy got eaten by the pot!"

"Oh dear."

Saebyeok grabbed the pot while Jung Yu-na and Choi Jinhyuk pulled Gaeul's limbs.

Gaeul who had fallen into the pot started rising back up.

She just blinked with wide eyes.

"Gaeul, are you okay?"

I stood beside Gaeul who had been rescued from the pot.

Making my worry unnecessary, Gaeul started smiling brightly.

"Fun!"

"I see."

As long as she wasn't scared.

I smiled along with Gaeul.

"Gaeul, do you want a shelter?"

"Heh...!"

"Should I give you that one?"

My shelter that had been with me for so long.

When I pointed at it, Gaeul's eyes grew wide.

Her ears and tail stood straight up.

"Wow! Gaeul hit the jackpot! That's really precious...!"

"Hehe, then would Levinas like to share it too?"

"What! Levinas too!"

Levinas hopped around Gaeul.

Gaeul stared with wide eyes for a long while.

'I'm glad they like it.'

I'd planned to give it away, but maybe that wasn't necessary.

My old friend shelter.

Please take care of us from now on too.

Please save me and the children in times of crisis.

I closed the lid of the shelter that had protected me for so long.

Tap tap-

The shelter's sound when knocked was cheerful.

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