The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Gyeoul was not the kind of child to speak harshly to anyone.  
Her innate kindness always led her to embrace and accept everything around her.  

How well could such a child mimic the behavior of a "complainer"?  
Perhaps stomping her feet with a *huff* to express dissatisfaction—that was the extent Midsummer expected.  

She didn’t think much of Gyeoul’s attempt at acting like a troublesome person, knowing the child’s gentle nature.  
It was just an opportunity to see a different side of her, nothing more.  

But then Midsummer realized something.  
Children learn from the adults they observe.  

Gyeoul had lived through unimaginable hardships.  
What kind of lessons had she picked up in that time?  

*"Beggar, eat off the ground."*  

Had she really been told things like that?  
Midsummer felt her mind go blank, but she quickly collected herself for Gyeoul’s sake.  

"Wow, Gyeoul, you know how to say scary things?"  

"S-sorry..."  

"Don’t be sorry. You were just trying to help."  

Midsummer guided Gyeoul to sit on a nearby chair.  
In her hands was a sausage, one she had thrown at Kwon Arin earlier.  
It was a barbecue sausage, now covered in dirt.  

"Gyeoul, you shouldn’t eat that."  

"But I can wash it, and it’ll be fine..."  

Gyeoul hid the sausage behind her back.  
Had she known it would be inedible, she wouldn’t have thrown it in the first place.  

"Well... um..."  

Washing it might make it okay, but there was something about this that felt wrong.  
Seeing a child pick up food off the ground to eat was painful to witness as an adult.  

Midsummer started to reach out to stop her, but then froze as a thought struck her.  

*"Eat off the ground."*  

Had Gyeoul really picked up and eaten food thrown at her like that?  
The answer was likely *yes*.  

For her, food was a lifeline, her means of survival for the day.  
No one would cut off their lifeline just because it felt degrading.  

To survive, she must have accepted and eaten food from those who insulted her.  
The thought alone was heartbreaking.  
What must it have felt like for Gyeoul?  

Without a word, Midsummer pulled Gyeoul into a tight hug.  
Telling her not to eat food off the ground wasn’t something someone like Hanyeoreum, who had lived a life of plenty, had any right to say.  

"Gyeoul, can you give me the sausage? I’ll wash it thoroughly and give it back."  

"Thoroughly?"  

Gyeoul tilted her head curiously, her tail wagging softly.  
She didn’t understand why she was suddenly being hugged, but she didn’t mind.  

"Yes. I’m a bit sensitive about food cleanliness. I’ll clean it myself and give it back."  

"Um... okay."  

Trusting Midsummer, Gyeoul handed over the sausage she had hidden behind her back.  
She knew Midsummer wouldn’t simply refuse to return it.  

"Hehe, I promise I’ll give it back."  

Midsummer decided to ask Yuna to use her cleanliness magic on the sausage.  
Though it felt like overkill, she was willing to do whatever it took for Gyeoul.  
Not out of guilt, but out of love for her precious family.  

---

Night fell.  
I lay in the tent with the children.  
The cold wind didn’t bite, and I didn’t feel lonely.  
Gone were the miserable thoughts of wondering when my life might finally improve.  

To my left, Saebyeok blinked at me from her sleeping bag.  
To my right, Levinas giggled as she looked my way.  

"Your Majesty, Levinas has become a caterpillar!"  

"Are you going to become a butterfly?"  

"No! Levinas is a horned rabbit!"  

Levinas wriggled up and down inside her sleeping bag, squirming across the floor like a caterpillar.  

"Wow."  

How is she even doing that?  
I watched her with curiosity as Levinas unzipped the sleeping bag and crawled out.  

"Trans... formation? Change?"  

Levinas raised her arms triumphantly, tilting her head as if trying to recall the right word for when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  

"Are you thinking of 'metamorphosis' or 'molting'?"  

"Yeah! Metamorphosis! Levinas is a metamorphosed horned rabbit!"  

"Uh, okay..."  

Her choice of words was odd.  
As I scratched my cheek, Saebyeok wriggled out of her sleeping bag beside me.  

"I’m metamorphosed too..."  

Purring softly, she mimicked a cat.  
It seemed like she was trying to say she had transformed from a caterpillar into a cat.  

The kids can make a game out of anything.  
I smiled at them, but for some reason, they both stared at me expectantly.  

"Your Majesty, what about you?!"  

"Me...?"  

"Yeah! You have to do it too!"  

The children looked at me with bright, hopeful eyes.  
Though it was a bit embarrassing, I decided to play along.  

"I... I’m just Gyeoul."  

Zip—  
I unzipped my sleeping bag and stepped out.  
It wasn’t much of a performance, but the kids cheered.  
They seemed happy just because I participated.  

The noise in the tent must have been loud, because Yuna entered from outside.  

"Why aren’t you kids asleep yet?"  

"We’re about to go to sleep."  

"Good. Sleeping early helps you grow taller."  

*Height.*  
One of the few things I worried about.  
Because of my transformation, I was shorter than even the children.  

The desire to grow taller made me shut my eyes.  
Although, I usually felt sleepy around this time anyway.  

"A wizard, sleeping at a camp without playing?!"  

"Um... then should we play a little longer before sleeping?"  

"Yeah!"  

Levinas bounced around the tent before proudly looking up at Yuna.  

"Wizard, do you metamorphose too?!"  

"Uh... what?"  

"Wizard! Metamorphosis!"  

"What did I do to deserve this...?"  

Yuna looked flustered, so I explained the game to her.  

"We were pretending to be caterpillars in our sleeping bags."  

"Oh... that kind of metamorphosis?"  

Relieved, Yuna pressed her hand on Levinas’s head, flattening her rabbit ears.  

"Levinas has become a horned rabbit!"  

"Well then, should I be a grand wizard?"  

"Yeah! The wizard is now a grand wizard!"  

I wasn’t sure what kind of game this had turned into, but the children were having a great time.  
I sat nearby, laughing with them.  

After playing with the kids for a while, Yuna checked her watch.  
It was clear bedtime had come.  

"Time to sleep."  

"Okay!"  

Yuna lifted Levinas like a princess and gently placed her back in her sleeping bag.  

*Swoosh.*  
She repeated the same for Saebyeok.  

"Um, I..."  

Before I could protest, Yuna’s hands moved faster than my words.  

*Swoosh.*  
My small, light body was lifted without resistance and placed neatly into my sleeping bag.  

This is... embarrassing.  
My face flushed as I closed my eyes.  

"Alright, the little ones need to be quiet now," Yuna said as she used magic to dim the tent’s light.  

"Okay!"  

"Got it."  

Wait a second.  
Yuna said "little ones," but isn’t it my job as the eldest to respond first?  

It felt a bit strange, but it was a small matter.  
Kids’ antics weren’t something to dwell on.  

"Goodnight."  

As Yuna left the tent, Saebyeok reached out from her sleeping bag to gently pat my stomach.  

"Lullaby, lullaby."  

"...!"  

It was dark, but with my beastfolk vision, I could see Levinas’s ears perk up.  
She followed Saebyeok’s lead, reaching out to pat my stomach too.  

"...?"  

Why are they doing this?  
I didn’t know, but I understood it was something they enjoyed.  
I decided to let their gentle gestures lull me to sleep.  

For some reason, I fell asleep more easily than usual.  

---

The next day, after lunch with everyone, we returned home.  
Though my body ached from the camping activities, I wasn’t planning to rest.  

After experiencing Sophia’s primal instincts, I wanted to train my own.  
I approached Sophia, who was sitting in a massage chair.  

"Sophia, I have a question."  

"What is it?"  

Rrrr—  
The massage chair shook Sophia’s small frame.  
She must have set it to the highest intensity.  
The sight was oddly amusing.  

"Does having primal instincts make beastfolk more aggressive?"  

"If you’re asking because of me... it’s only because I hadn’t used mine in a long time."  

"So, you weren’t used to it?"  

"Rather than adapting, it’s more like taming a wild beast."  

Taming a wild beast... The thought worried

 me.  

"What if I can’t tame my instincts?"  

"That’s unlikely, but even if you couldn’t, it wouldn’t matter. Primal instincts are like a switch."  

"Oh..."  

So as long as I didn’t flip the switch, there wouldn’t be a problem.  
I guess I didn’t need to worry about becoming too wild.  

"You’re worried about your instincts?"  

"Yes. If I can’t control them, it could be a big problem."  

"If you’re that curious, experiencing them might be the answer."  

"Wait, I can experience them?"  

My ears and tail perked up.  

"Normally, no. But you briefly touched on them in the water yesterday."  

"What if I lose control?"  

"That would be better. You’re still weak, so it’ll be easier to manage."  

"Oh..."  

Sophia had a point.  
Losing control while weak made it easier to handle.  
It was better to experience it now than later, when I was stronger.  

"So, do you want to try it?"  

"Yes."  

The moment I answered, Sophia took my hand.  
Warm energy flowed deep into my heart.  

Something unfamiliar began to stir within me.  
I gripped Sophia’s hand tightly without thinking.  

"Sophia."  

Though my tone was rough, I didn’t feel guilty.  
Instead, I frowned, glaring at her.  

"Sophia, give me chocolate."  

"Didn’t you already have some earlier?"  

"Yes, but I want more today."  

More snacks than usual.  
The impulse felt almost violent and entirely out of character.  
My heart raced, but I had no intention of stopping.  

"Goodness."  

Sophia let out a deep sigh.