The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 148

Using both my hands and tail, I held onto the falling pieces of my shirt.  
The male adventurer cautiously approached, concern evident in his eyes.  

“Are you okay?”  

“Yes…”  

I awkwardly gathered the loose fabric and stood up.  
Although my shoulders and waist were exposed, it didn’t bother me much due to my childlike body. If I still had my previous adult form, I might have been mortified.  

“Uh…”  

The man knelt before me, his worried gaze examining my arms and checking for injuries.  

“Did someone hurt or scare you?”  

Hurt? Scare?  
Did he think I was being bullied and that’s why my clothes were torn?  
I decided to reassure the kind adventurer.  

“No, no one bullied me.”  

“R-Really?”  

“Yes. My clothes just got old and tore apart.”  

“Oh… your clothes… Would you like to wear this instead?”  

The adventurer took off his jacket and held it out to me.  
It was oversized, enough to cover my whole body, but it would leave him bare-chested.  

I was about to decline politely when, from afar, Kwon Arin came charging toward us, visibly upset.  

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”  

Kwon Arin grabbed me, pulling me into a tight embrace.  
My face was forcibly buried against her chest, muffling any protests I might’ve made.  

She adjusted my slipping clothes, her hands pressing gently on my shoulder blades and lower back.  

“Mmph…”  

I couldn’t see anything with my face squished against her, nor could I speak.  
All I could do was twitch my ears in protest.  

“You crazy bastard! What are you doing to a child?!”  

“Wait, no, it’s not like that—!”  

“How dare you strip a child’s clothes?!”  

Her furious shouting pierced my sensitive ears, making me want to cover them, but I couldn’t move with her holding me so tightly.  

My entire body trembled from the overwhelming noise.  
Was there no way to resolve this?  

To protect myself, my ears instinctively flattened, muffling the noise somewhat.  

“Look at her! She’s trembling in fear because of you!”  

“Please, it’s a misunderstanding! I swear!”  

“A misunderstanding, my—”  

Suddenly, Kwon Arin stopped mid-rant.  
She poked my back lightly, whispering near my ear.  

“…Is it really a misunderstanding?”  

“Yes, it’s a misunderstanding.”  

Peeking up at her through the small gap in her arms, I saw her gulp, her Adam’s apple moving visibly.  

“Then… why are your clothes…?”  

“They tore. That man was offering me his jacket to cover myself.”  

“….”  

She fell silent, realizing her mistake.  
Finally, the misunderstanding seemed to clear up.  

“I-I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”  

Kwon Arin bowed deeply in apology, which caused my upper body to tilt awkwardly in her arms.  

“…No, it’s an easy mistake to make. I understand, though it’s a bit embarrassing.”  

“I’m really sorry.”  

The atmosphere grew awkward, so I lightly patted Kwon Arin’s shoulder.  

“Um, could I…?”  

“Ah, right. Should I fetch your clothes?”  

“No, not my clothes. Could you grab some tape? It’s in the burrow Levinas dug over there.”  

Going home for my clothes would take too long, and I didn’t want to waste Kwon Arin’s time. Grabbing the tape nearby was the quickest solution.  

“Wouldn’t it be better to get your clothes instead?”  

“The tape’s faster. I’ll just patch it up and head home.”  

“…Alright.”  

Kwon Arin retrieved the box tape from the burrow and began tearing off pieces to help me patch my clothes.  

“Adventurer, could you hold Gyeoul’s shirt in place?”  

“Yes, of course.”  

The kind adventurer held my shirt while I stood with my arms stretched out.  
The tape was wrapped around me like a mummy, binding the torn fabric.  

Rip.  
Some tape stuck to my skin, and even my tail ended up taped to my back, making it impossible to move.  

“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to turn it into a restraint outfit.”  

“It’s fine. As long as it covers me, it’s good enough.”  

“…Yeah. You should hurry home and change into proper clothes.”  

“Thank you for helping me. I’ll be going now.”  

I bowed deeply to both of them, expressing my gratitude. Despite the inconvenience, they only smiled kindly.  

“Be careful, alright? It might tear again.”  

“Yes!”  

Even though my tail was taped down, it wagged slightly in response to their kindness. I needed to get home quickly and change.  

---

**Ding-dong.**  
I opened the front door and stepped inside.  
From the living room, I could sense Sophia’s presence.  

“Sophia.”  

Calling her name naturally, I walked in and saw her relaxing in the massage chair.  

“Child, were you bullied or something? What happened to your clothes?”  

Sophia stepped down from the chair and circled me, her gaze fixed on my tail stuck to my back.  

“My clothes tore, so I patched them up with tape.”  

“Hmm… even your tail got taped, huh?”  

“Yes. It just stuck there while I was taping.”  

“You let your guard down.”  

Sophia gently peeled the tape off my tail.  
Whatever magic she used ensured it didn’t pull at my fur or hurt.  

My now-free tail wagged energetically, expressing its joy.  

“I can’t seem to control my tail properly.”  

“That’s normal for a child. Don’t worry about it.”  

She patted my back lightly, her comforting touch lifting my spirits.  

“Is this kind of thing normal?”  

“Yes. A child’s body is hard to control in many ways. Haven’t you noticed you get sleepy right at ten every night?”  

“Oh…”  

She had a point. As an adult, I could fight off sleepiness, but now my eyes shut on their own as soon as ten rolled around.  

“Also, you used to be human, right? It’s natural that you’re struggling to adjust to the differences between the two species.”  

“Yes, there are so many differences between beastfolk and humans. I notice it every day.”  

“Hmm… Only someone who has experienced both would truly understand, wouldn’t they?”  

Sophia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, her scholarly nature piqued by the prospect of new knowledge.  

“Has anyone else ever gone from being human to beastfolk?”  

“No, Gyeoul, you’re the only one.”  

“Wow… so this knowledge is mine alone?”  

“Yes. Would you mind sharing it with me? I’m very curious.”  

Sophia’s tail wagged up and down, a clear sign of her excitement.  

“Well… The most noticeable difference is instinct.”  

“Instinct?”  

“Yes. It feels like there’s something uncontrollable inside me.”  

“It’s well-known that beastfolk act on instinct.”  

Though it was familiar knowledge, Sophia still listened intently, understanding the value of firsthand experience.  

“I think it’s because our senses are so much sharper that we rely on instinct more.”  

“Senses?”  

“Yes. I couldn’t even distinguish close smells before, but now I can identify scents from hundreds of meters away.”  

“Fascinating…”  

Sophia exhaled a pleased sigh, clearly satisfied with my explanation.  

“Relying on senses might seem animalistic, but there’s no reason not to use the abilities you have.”  

“Exactly.”  

“In the end, what I mean is this: I act on instinct more because my senses are more active than they were as a human.”  

“Perfect.”  

Not “I see” or “Interesting,” but “Perfect.”  
She spoke as if she already knew everything.  

“Wait, you already knew this?”  

“Yes, theoretically. But you’re the first to prove it through experience. Hearing it from you is a delight.”  

“Oh…”  

For someone who pursued knowledge, proof was invaluable.  
The fact that I could provide that for her made me happy.  

“If you notice anything else, be sure to let me know.”  

“Actually, I did realize something today.”  

“Oh? What is it?”  

“I think beastfolk really enjoy having their heads patted.”  

“Head pats?”  

Sophia tilted her head, intrigued.  
This seemed to be new information to her.  

“Yes. It feels strangely good, and Levinas and Saebyeok love it too.”  

“Hm…”  

Sophia started patting my head, making my tail wag quickly with joy.  

“Is it something different from humans?”  

“Well… I don’t think anyone patted my head when I was human, so I wouldn’t know.”  

“Really?”  

Sophia looked surprised, her interest visibly fading.  
I quickly shook my head.  

“Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve experienced head pats.”  

“…I see.”  

“Yeah…”  

Sophia’s enthusiasm seemed to vanish entirely.  
I lowered my head, feeling embarrassed for assuming otherwise.  

“Gyeoul, head pats are something everyone enjoys, regardless of species.”  

“…”  

“You probably misunderstood because you lacked the experience before.”  

Of course.  
My face flushed with embarrassment, and I fidget

ed with my fingers nervously.  

“Sorry. I thought I knew something but ended up being wrong.”  

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Everyone makes mistakes.”  

Sophia waved off my apology, her kindness shining through once again. I was grateful for her understanding heart.