I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 449: You've Gone Blind

I understood why Nora was dissatisfied with me.

There were starving people all around, yet I hadn't reached out to help.

From Nora's perspective, it must have been terribly disheartening.

'Nora thinks I'm the king candidate.'

Someone who might lead the beast-kin not even caring about the lower class.

It was natural for Nora to be angry as she worked to help them.

I decided to tell Nora the truth.

"Nora, I think you're misunderstanding something."

"Misunderstanding?"

I used the sound-blocking item Jung Yu-na had given me.

I worried the radical beast-kin might be listening to our conversation.

Since it wasn't a combat item, I'd been allowed to bring it.

"What misunderstanding are you talking about?"

"I'm actually not the king candidate."

"What...?"

For the first time, Nora showed surprise.

Though expressionless, Nora had just been hiding her emotions - she seemed more emotional than I'd thought.

"The position of king is too much for me. So I just said no."

"...That's hard to believe. It's not a position you can give up just because it's burdensome."

"Yes. Actually, there are other reasons too."

"Other reasons...?"

Nora's ears perked up.

For the first time, she showed curiosity toward me.

"I thought the position of king had limitations. Even if you're casual with people, there are still boundaries you have to maintain."

"Boundaries?"

"Yes. If I were really king, you wouldn't have been able to express your dissatisfaction so directly just now, right?"

"...I would have lost my head for blasphemy right there. It was only possible because you haven't been recognized by our side yet."

"I-I see..."

Losing her head.

I hadn't realized it was that serious.

My startled tail shot straight up.

"...Isn't it horrible to execute someone just for expressing dissatisfaction? People should be able to get angry and ask for help when they're suffering."

"That's..."

"This is why I hate the position of king. Power and appearances block your eyes and ears, letting you hear only what you want to hear."

"......"

Nora fell silent.

She looked deep in thought.

There was no need to continue the conversation here.

Actions spoke louder than words.

"Kids, help me pull these out."

I pointed to some hay nearby.

Though withered and twisted, the tough plants still had roots.

The children started pulling without asking why.

"Levinas is a master at pulling plants!"

"Gaeul too."

Maybe it was from helping with harvests?

Levinas and Gaeul pulled hay remarkably fast.

Tududuk-

Saebyeok pulled hay using pure strength without technique, while Bom pulled clumsily but earnestly.

'I'll...'

A dirty, dented pot in the corner of the shantytown.

It was a familiar item to me.

I considered asking Bom to restore it but decided to use it as is.

There was a certain bond between people who used dented pots.

I gathered scattered wood pieces and placed some of the hay the children had pulled on top.

After lighting the hay with a lighter, I started brewing dandelion tea.

"Nora, how many beast-kin live in this neighborhood?"

"...Two hundred ninety-seven."

So about a quarter of the beast-kin lived in the shantytown.

I'd worried it might be over a thousand.

Though the amount would be a bit small, I could probably brew dandelion honey tea for everyone in the shantytown.

While waiting for the water to boil, I made dolls mixing the hay the children had pulled with nearby straw.

Plant dolls I'd made to ease my loneliness.

The dolls I'd eventually thrown into the bonfire realizing their futility were now reborn.

"Wow, Gyeoul's good at making dolls too."

"Yeah! Our King is good at everything!"

Bom wagged her tail looking at the finished doll.

Levinas puffed out her chest.

But none of the children coveted the doll.

They understood who it was meant for.

"Here, take this."

I gave my doll to a child watching us from afar.

The child held the straw doll Nora had given earlier.

"...!"

The beast-kin child ran over and took the doll.

They smiled brightly now having two dolls.

'Their nutrition is terrible.'

Their arms and legs were skin and bone.

Were they not getting proper meals?

I decided to help those on the verge of malnutrition first.

**

"This?"

"Yes."

Nora looked down at the cup of tea in her hand.

Though she doubted it would make a difference, it was better than nothing.

"Here, drink this."

Nora approached a shantytown child with the tea.

The child playing with a doll in each hand smelled the tea Nora offered.

"It's hot, so drink slowly, blow on it to cool it."

"Like this?"

Hoo-

The child cooled the hot tea with their breath before taking small sips.

When they took a proper mouthful, something amazing happened.

Their gaunt cheeks filled out, and their thin, shrunken arms swelled like balloons.

"Wow...!"

The child in Nora's arms jumped up.

Never having known vitality before, the child was amazed at being able to move their body as they wanted.

"Nora, my body feels great!"

"How...?"

Nora was just as surprised by the child's transformation.

How could just one sip of tea...?

It was common knowledge that even potions couldn't restore lost vitality.

After handing the cup to the child, Nora went to find Gyeoul.

-This is edible too.

-Is it?

-Yes.

With perked ears, Nora followed Gyeoul's voice.

Having finished brewing tea, Gyeoul was walking through the forest near the shantytown.

"Gyeoul, what are you doing in the forest?"

"Ah... I was identifying edible plants."

"...Unfortunately, there are no edible plants in this forest. There are so many starving people that they eat anything they can find."

"...?"

Gyeoul looked around.

She was confused since edible plants were everywhere.

"Can't they eat this?"

"That's poisonous. A village child got very sick after eating it when they couldn't bear the hunger."

"What about this...?"

"That plant isn't edible..."

Gyeoul's mouth fell open hearing Nora's explanation.

She realized why they were so hungry.

'They don't know about Earth's plants.'

Knowledge of edible plants was data humans had accumulated over a long time.

It made sense the beast-kin wouldn't know.

'Is it because they don't interact with humans?'

Though the radical beast-kin were closed off, they hadn't cut all ties with Earth.

There were beast-kin like Mino who operated outside.

Yet not knowing how to eat common plants...

'...They might be controlling information.'

Every little bit of information became power.

That would explain why Mino hadn't told the shantytown people about this.

If they suddenly started eating Earth's plants, those who went outside would be suspected first.

They'd wonder who taught them.

Though it hurt to watch people starve, he had to endure.

Mino had the greater goal of liberating the radical beast-kin.

'But not anymore.'

We were now invited guests from Earth.

If they ate Earth's plants now, Mino wouldn't be suspected.

They could just say the Earth guests taught them.

"Nora, this becomes safe to eat if you boil it in water."

"R-really?"

"Yes, and this is called bracken..."

Gyeoul told Nora everything she knew about the plants.

Bamboo shoots, bracken, and acorns too.

They were all poisonous but edible if prepared properly.

"...How do you know all this, Gyeoul?"

"I lived alone in the mountains for a few years. That's how I learned to identify edible plants."

"What...? You lived alone...?"

"Yes..."

Gyeoul scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

Nora couldn't help but be shocked seeing this.

"Did you live in the mountains to develop your abilities as king candidate?"

"No, I just lived alone... It was really hard then, but I'm happy now. I'm sure you can be happy like me too, Nora."

"......"

Nora slowly looked Gyeoul up and down.

She finally noticed how Gyeoul's actions resembled the shantytown people's.

Naturally making fires, casually using dirty dented pots.

Knowing how to make entertainment from poor materials and identify forest foods.

"Ah..."

In just two months, Nora had seen how incompetent leaders treated innocent people.

It was enough time to develop hostility toward 'high status.'

'I was blinded by hostility.'

Judging people by status.

Nora bit her lip.