I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 429: Gathering Everyone's Mana

High quality dolls made with modern sewing techniques and various games.

When we gave these to the beast-kin children, they jumped up and down with joy.

"I've never seen such a pretty doll!"

"Do you have any raccoon cards too?"

Though I'd worried since they lived cut off from the human world, perhaps it was because children are so adaptable?

The children easily accepted modern items and entertainment.

'It's fortunate the children are on our side.'

Though children had no decision-making power in important matters, having their support was still crucial.

Children's purity sometimes had a way of moving adults.

So I played with the children as sincerely as I could.

"King Gyeoul, can't you teach us more games?"

"Sure. But is it okay if we rest a little first?"

"Okay!"

During this brief rest period, the beast-kin village children ran off somewhere.

Thanks to that, my children and I could sit and rest comfortably.

"Ahem!"

"Ahem."

Levinas and Gaeul sat in the grass, puffing out their chests.

That pose was only for when they'd done something to be proud of?

Saebyeok was the one who resolved my rising questions.

"Thanks to Levinas giving out cards, everyone was happy."

"Yeah! Levinas wanted to show everyone the joy of Animal King cards!"

So she was proud of giving out cards.

Then why did Gaeul do an 'ahem'?

Looking at Gaeul, I spotted the large cloth draped across her knees.

Just seeing the cloth that covered Gaeul's entire body, I could tell why she was acting that way.

'She taught them the teleportation game?'

That was definitely something to be proud of.

As I patted Gaeul's head while chuckling, I noticed Bom looking somewhat gloomy beside us.

"Bom, what's wrong?"

"Well, I'm sorry... I just got jealous of Gyeoul..."

"Jealous?"

"Yeah... I was envious that everyone likes you..."

Bom buried her face between her knees.

The trembling tip of her tail showed she was embarrassed with herself.

"Don't lots of people like you too, Bom?"

"No, hardly any..."

"Hmm..."

Come to think of it, we were quite harsh with Bom when we first met her too.

It was because she played mean pranks.

'I thought she was strong since she approached us so casually, but...'

Had she been secretly envious and concerned this whole time?

It was a worry that could be seen as either serious or trivial.

"You could be like this too if you wanted to, Bom?"

"M-me...?"

"Yeah. You're more than capable. You just need to act for others' sake."

"......"

Bom lifted her face from where she'd buried it.

Seeing her like this, Levinas jumped up from her seat.

"That's right! Snake will become popular soon because she's a good snake!"

"Th-thanks..."

Bom fidgeted with her fingers on her knees.

She seemed deep in thought about something.

During this quiet moment as I looked around, I spotted some people approaching us.

It was Sophia, Master Chae Juyeon, and Flora, the mage we'd met when first arriving at the beast-kin village.

"Gyeoul, do you have a moment?"

"Yes."

"Then shall we go somewhere together?"

"Yesss."

**

The place Sophia led us to was quite a large log cabin.

Wondering what kind of building it was, we went inside to find patients lying everywhere.

'Ah, it's a hospital.'

There were many severely injured patients inside.

The groans coming from all around made me feel guilty for having approached with anticipation.

"...As you can see, our beast-kin village never lacks for patients."

"Why is that?"

"We have few combat-capable beast-kin, but a large area to protect. This space is much wider than the Taebaek Mountains you know."

"Ah...?"

Was there some space expansion magic at work?

I had felt the space expanding when we first entered the village.

"It's no easy task handling the dungeons that appear in this vast space with our few fighters."

"Are there not many fighters?"

"Besides Encia and Argo, we only have about twenty proper combat personnel."

"...I see."

So that's why Wilder ran off somewhere right after our match.

He must have gone to clear dungeons.

Despite his fierce appearance, he seemed to take good care of those around him.

That must be why he was with the moderate faction beast-kin.

"Gyeoul."

"Yes?"

As I was lost in these thoughts, Master Chae Juyeon placed her hand on my shoulder.

Her face was serious, but somehow her eyes seemed to be smiling.

"May I heal the people here?"

"Um..."

She could just heal them.

Why was she asking my permission?

Not being stupid, I quickly grasped Chae Juyeon's intention.

She wanted to show that her healing magic was also my power.

"Yes. Can you heal everyone here?"

"Of course. That's easy."

Divine mana rose from Master Chae Juyeon's hands.

Her magic, beautiful enough to entrance, covered the beast-kin patients.

"Oh my..."

"My, my arm..."

Someone's severed arm regenerated, while a patient whose body had been stained purple regained their original skin color.

Master Chae Juyeon accomplished with a single spell what would normally require top-grade potions.

"Th-thank you. I never imagined such a miracle..."

"Oh my, you should thank our candidate, not me."

"Ah..."

Flora quickly raised her head and approached me.

She tapped her staff on the ground.

"I acknowledge it. Never have I seen such an excellent king candidate."

Flora bowed her head to me.

Seeing this, I fell into deep thought.

'A king...'

Truth be told, I still felt resistance to becoming king.

It had come up so suddenly after all.

But after seeing these people's lives, I could understand why Sophia wanted me as king so badly.

'She wanted to change the beast-kin.'

These people who endured inconvenience and greater dangers in the name of tradition and safety.

Sophia, having experienced the human world, must have felt frustrated.

And to her, I was the key to changing the beast-kin village.

Being both beast-kin yet close to human, I existed between the two races.

Perhaps Sophia hoped I could connect the human and beast-kin worlds.

Human technology could develop the beast-kin village dramatically after all.

'I understand what Sophia wants.'

Rather than a king, she wanted someone to be a bridge between the two races.

If that's what it was, I could definitely do it.

"I..."

Just as I was about to speak to Flora...

BANG-!

The hospital cabin door burst open and Wilder appeared.

"Granny Flora! We've got trouble!"

"What's happened?"

"Dungeons broke! Three of them! Monsters are swarming this way!"

"Oh no..."

Dungeons had broken.

As an adventurer, I knew exactly what that meant.

Hordes of monsters had escaped through portals.

Three of them at that.

**

Flora quickly evacuated the villagers to the shelter.

Rather than underground as I'd expected, the shelter was at the top of the village's giant tree.

Flora cast protection magic on the shelter, and Jung Yu-na layered additional protection magic on top.

The village's few mages gaped at Jung Yu-na's protection magic.

"You're quite an exceptional mage...?"

"Yes, I'm our Gyeoul's personal mage."

"Oho..."

The mages' gazes turned to me.

Feeling uncomfortable, I turned away to find the beast-kin children we'd been playing with grabbing my arm.

"King Gyeoul, let's evacuate together."

"Well, I'm on the fighting side."

"Fighting?!"

"Yeah. I'll defeat them all for you."

"Okay! Don't get hurt!"

The children and others unable to fight moved to the shelter.

I tried to send our children to the shelter too, but for some reason they stayed outside.

"Will you all be okay?"

"Yeah! Levinas will fight for everyone!"

"Gaeul too."

Levinas and Gaeul making their own resolutions.

I patted both their backs.

"But you have to fight from behind the adults, okay?"

"Yeah! We know!"

"Know!"

The children hid behind Encia and Argo.

Though Saebyeok didn't hide.

Since Saebyeok was stronger than most adventurers.

I wasn't too worried.

ROAR-!

GRRRR-!

Monster cries echoed from the distance.

It was a horde of ogres - common but powerful destructive forces.

Beside them were what appeared to be allied orc groups.

'The guild members alone could handle this many.'

Fortunately they weren't particularly strong monsters.

Just as I was sighing in relief, Bom ran up to me.

"Gyeoul! Share your mana with me!"

"Mana?"

"Yeah! I want to fight for everyone too!"

"Um... okay. But how do we..."

Before I could finish asking, Bom grabbed my hand.

She also took the hands of the children hiding behind Encia and Argo.

"Everyone share your mana with me."

"Mm...! Okay!"

"Heuk...!"

Though I didn't know how to share mana, I tried my best to give it.

As we were going "Nnngh!" trying to move our mana toward Bom, Jung Yu-na approached us.

"Trying to give Bom mana?"

"Yeees. But it's hard."

"It is naturally difficult."

Saying that, Jung Yu-na placed her hand on my back.

Her mana began guiding everyone's mana to move.

"...!"

Jung Yu-na's overwhelming sun-like mana, Levinas and Gaeul's pure mana.

My gentle mana, and Saebyeok's weak but warm mana too.

Bom converted all the gathered mana into her magic.

The black mana that rose from Bom's hands flew toward the monster army.

Bom's transformation magic had been cast on a large scale after receiving our mana.

"That's..."

The ogres' and orcs' bodies slowly shrank.

While maintaining their green skin.

The shrunken creatures...

"...Oh."

Had become frogs hopping around on the ground.

"Eh..."

"What just..."

Seeing the monster army vanish in an instant, the guild members and village people froze in place.

In that moment of silence, Bom jumped into my arms.

"Gyeoul is the best!"

As if I had accomplished this.

Gaeul was also clapping for me.