I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 397: Gyeoul Flies

So Encia's suppressed desire was to hug us.

Letting out a relieved sigh, I hugged Encia tightly back.

"Sophia, I really thought Encia would become super wild."

"Did you now?"

"Yes. Since you said she'd have trouble controlling desires. I thought she'd turn into some terrifying wolf."

So Encia's desire wasn't wildness but affection.

I found myself giggling at the unexpected revelation as Sophia crouched down beside us.

"She does become a fierce wolf. If there had been any threatening monsters, she would have torn them apart on the spot."

"R-really...?"

"Yes, but you're not monsters - you're family."

Pat pat-

Sophia gently stroked each of our heads as we lay in Encia's embrace.

Her gentle touch made me forget to respond.

"None of Encia's desires involve hurting family."

"Ah, right. Encia would never hurt us."

I'd wondered why careful Sophia and Encia hadn't prepared more thoroughly for the Red Moon.

It was because we were in no danger at all.

Come to think of it.

If it had been truly dangerous, they would have made thorough preparations days before the Red Moon.

Saebyeok must have felt safe too, as she started falling asleep in Encia's arms.

And Levinas...

Oh?

"Levinas, are you angry?"

"Yeah! Levinas is an angry horned rabbit!"

Woosh.

Levinas swung her fists that had escaped from the embrace.

"O-okay...?"

An angry horned rabbit?

My smile faded seeing Levinas fuming.

Even Sophia blinked in surprise at Levinas.

"She could have hugged us whenever she wanted...! But she was holding back...!"

"Ah, right. Let's tell Encia that tomorrow."

"Yeah!"

With fiercely furrowed brows, Levinas hugged Encia tight.

Despite everything, her affection for Encia seemed unchanged.

"Hmm still..."

Just as Sophia was about to say something, Encia reached out and pulled her in too.

She embraced Sophia along with me and the children.

"H-hmm?"

Sophia looked quite flustered finding herself in Encia's embrace.

Watching her reaction carefully, I spoke softly:

"Sophia, there's nothing we can do right now."

"...Yes, nothing we can do."

The Red Moon would only rise tonight.

Since it wasn't a major issue, we decided to stay like this for now.

**

While we were all sleeping together-

"Heuk!"

Someone's startled cry woke me.

Opening my eyes, I felt softness and warmth.

Me, Levinas, Saebyeok and Sophia in Encia's embrace.

And Gaeul lying vertically on top of us.

It seemed we'd all fallen asleep in bed together last night.

"...!"

Encia carefully lowered us onto the bed.

Though everyone else was a deep sleeper and didn't wake, I was different.

"Encia."

"...!"

Bristle bristle.

Encia's fur stood on end.

Her silver wolf tail shot up then immediately drooped.

"G-Gyeoul...! I'm so sorry...!"

Bang-!

Encia dropped to her knees and slammed her forehead against the floor.

She hit it so hard I worried she'd hurt herself.

The loud noise made Gaeul lift her head, but she just lay back down to sleep.

"Encia, please don't do that."

"But I dared to..."

"I was happy being able to hug you."

I got up from the bed and hugged Encia tight.

I could feel her stiff body gradually relaxing.

"Let's hug whenever we want from now on."

"But as someone who should protect you..."

"Hugs protect me."

"Th-they do?"

"Yes. Because hugging Encia makes me happy. And I live on the happiness my family gives me."

I needed family hugs to live.

Seeming to understand my meaning, Encia wore quite a serious expression.

"I see. If you'll give the order then from now on..."

"No."

"What...?"

"I don't want hugs given as orders. I like hugs that Encia wants to give."

"Um... hmm..."

Still kneeling, Encia reached out toward me.

Her hands stopped just short of my waist.

Though she hugged back without hesitation when I initiated, she struggled to hug first.

Was there some difference?

I couldn't really tell what it might be.

"I-if you'll excuse my rudeness..."

"Encia, it's not rude at all. I like it."

"...Yes."

Encia's hands came to rest on my waist.

She lifted me up and opened her arms.

Swish swish-

As I settled into her embrace, our tails wagged rapidly as if in harmony.

"From now on, don't hold back - just hug like this. If you can't hug, then we're not family."

"...I understand."

"Hehe."

**

After waking up, we all watched television together.

Encia and Sophia sat on the sofa behind us, with a strange atmosphere between them.

"...Encia, I had no idea you harbored desires to hug this girl."

"Ah, n-no. It was the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"W-well, since you raised me from childhood..."

Ah.

So Encia didn't want to hug Sophia - she wanted to be hugged by her.

Seeming to realize this, Sophia's tail tip fluttered shyly.

"You wanted to be babied."

"......"

I didn't need to turn around to know.

Encia's cheeks must have been bright red.

But I didn't dislike this atmosphere.

"Woaah!"

As I listened to their conversation while watching TV, Levinas suddenly exclaimed beside me.

"King! I want that!"

"Huh?"

On the TV screen Levinas pointed to:

A spider-person was shooting webs and swinging between buildings.

"King! Levinas wants to try that too!"

"Um..."

Though I initially thought it would be difficult, I realized it might be possible in this world.

After all, there were adventurers who swung between trees using whips or ropes with weights.

I myself flew between trees by shooting arrows.

'But spider webs...'

Oh.

Someone who could produce spider webs strong enough to support a person's weight.

Surprisingly, we had someone like that in our guild.

"Kkamang!"

Shouting Kkamang's name, Levinas ran outside.

The children and I chased after her.

"Kkamang! Kkik-kki!"

"Kkik-kki!"

When we reached the tent, Kkamang and Seol were playing there.

We gathered in a circle to pet them both.

None of the children were afraid of Kkamang anymore.

"Kkamang, look at this! Can you do this?!"

Levinas showed Kkamang the web-swinging scene on her smartphone.

Seeing this, Kkamang swayed side to side in a spider dance.

It meant they could do it.

"Heuk!"

As Levinas raised her hands in joy, Kkamang climbed onto the back of her hand.

Using web, Kkamang secured themselves to Levinas's wrist.

"Oh..."

This seemed quite serious.

I started to think it might really work.

I decided to keep watching Kkamang and Levinas, who had become one.

"Let's go!"

Levinas ran to the pool playground with Kkamang.

She climbed to the highest point - the top of the slide - and looked down with raised eyebrows.

"Levinas, can you do it from there?"

"Hmm..."

After staring down fiercely for a while, Levinas slid back down.

The slide had been too scary high.

"The slide is too high!"

"Yeah. The slide is dangerous."

We looked for somewhere lower than the slide.

We found an old chair near the tent.

"Ready?!"

"Yeah. Be careful."

"Okay!"

Levinas climbed onto the chair and jumped up.

As her body reached its peak and started to fall, Kkamang shot web at a nearby tree.

Fwoosh-!

The web stuck to the tree and Kkamang held onto Levinas's body.

With the web attached, they could hold easily.

Whoosh-!

The web was too long for Levinas to fly, and she was too close to the ground.

Thump-

Not flying far, Levinas landed on her bottom.

She seemed to have flown about two meters on the web.

"Heuk! Did you see?! Levinas flew on spider web!"

"Yeah. You flew really far."

"It went fwoosh!"

Giggle giggle.

Laughing, Levinas jumped up without even dusting off her bottom.

Then she handed Kkamang to me.

"King should try too!"

"M-me...?"

"Yeah! Maybe we can use it in dungeons later!"

"Hmm..."

It was certainly a useful ability.

It would simplify movements compared to shooting arrows with ropes.

I carefully accepted Kkamang.

"Kkamang, can you do it again?"

"Kkik-kki!"

Perhaps because they'd practiced once already?

Kkamang showed a confident attitude.

I put Kkamang on the back of my hand and climbed onto the chair.

"Ready to jump?"

"Kkik!"

I jumped high using the special leg strength of cat species beast-kin.

Kkamang shot web toward a nearby tree branch.

"Nyaaah."

As I flew in an arc, Kkamang started reeling in the web.

They seemed to have learned from seeing Levinas land on her bottom.

Whoosh-

Thanks to this, I could fly far without touching the ground.

All the way up to a nearby tree.

"Heuuuk!"

"Shuin...!"

Landing precisely in the tree, I carefully looked down.

I'd ended up too high.

I frantically gripped the branch I was standing on.

"King! You went too high!"

"Y-yeah..."

"Can you get down...?!"

"W-well..."

The distance to the ground was about fifteen meters.

Though I wouldn't get hurt jumping thanks to cat species beast-kin abilities, I was still scared to jump.

Fifteen meters was too high for me.