The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 89

Levinas came up to me and suddenly grabbed my tail. Knowing exactly what she intended, I instinctively took a step back.

"Wang-ah, Levinas needs your tail!"

"For… making cotton candy?"

"Yes!"

Using my tail for cotton candy? It was an idea only a kid would come up with. It sounded strange, but I could see how it might be more effective than a simple wooden stick.

"My tail’s going to get all sticky."

"Levinas will wash it really well!"

"Uh, well…"

Levinas looked up at me with pleading eyes. Did she want to try it that badly? Since today was supposed to be a day for playing with Levinas, I decided to let her have her way.

"…Alright."

"Yay!"

Grasping my tail, Levinas sat in front of the cotton candy machine, and I adjusted myself to sit next to her.

"Wang-ah, ready?"

"Yeah. Just make sure it doesn’t touch the machine, okay?"

"Okay!"

Levinas nodded in understanding. With her beast-kin reflexes, there was little risk of accidentally getting my tail too close to the machine.

Just as Levinas began using my tail as a cotton candy stick, Han Yeoreum and Jung Yu-na arrived, walking slowly over to us. They both widened their eyes at the sight and then burst into laughter.

"Oh my, cotton candy on a tail?"

"Yep! Levinas discovered this!"

"Wow, that’s amazing!"

Click—

Yeoreum snapped a photo of Levinas and me with her smartphone, while Yu-na cast a spell on my tail.

"Is that… magic?"

"Yes. Just a little protection spell, just in case."

"Oh, I see."

With Yu-na’s magic, I felt reassured there’d be no risk of harm. So I sat there quietly, waiting for the cotton candy to be ready.

---

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the guild building, there was a magic stone shop where Sophia worked part-time.

Her shifts were short, only about four hours, and all her duties could be handled while seated—a considerate arrangement by the guild to accommodate her limited mobility.

"Sophia."

Yoo Sang-ah, who sat next to her, gently tapped Sophia’s shoulder, prompting her to look up.

"What’s the matter?"

"Well, there’s something I wanted to show you."

Yoo Sang-ah was aware that Sophia was much older than her, but it was hard not to smile at Sophia’s youthful and adorable appearance.

Having such a cute colleague by her side made the workday more enjoyable.

"Would you like to see a video that was uploaded to the guild’s social media today?"

"A video?"

Sophia’s gaze shifted to Yoo Sang-ah’s smartphone. Two familiar children appeared on the screen. The video was shot from an angle that kept their faces out of view, but Sophia could immediately tell it was Gyeoul and Levinas.

"It’s so cute that I keep watching it over and over."

"Hmm…"

In the video, Levinas was using Gyeoul’s tail to make cotton candy. It was a sight that would bring a smile to anyone’s face.

‘It’s a relief to see them having fun.’

Knowing that the young ones were living such difficult lives had always weighed on her. It was comforting to see them playing like kids their age should. Unconsciously, Sophia found herself smiling softly.

"It’s nice to see."

"Yes, isn’t it just adorable?"

"Hm."

Sophia nodded silently. Yoo Sang-ah then showed her a new clip: Levinas from behind, enjoying a bite of the cotton candy spun around Gyeoul’s tail.

"Wang-ah!"

"Hm?"

"My favorite Wang-ie has cotton candy on his tail! Today, Levinas is the happiest in the whole world!"

Levinas, in her clumsy way, expressed just how happy she was. Her pure joy seemed to resonate with Gyeoul, whose tail wagged in delight.

"O-oh…"

Levinas tried to eat the cotton candy, but the constant wagging of Gyeoul’s tail made it nearly impossible. All it did was leave sticky bits of fluff all over Levinas’s face.

"Wang-ah, can’t you stop your tail for a moment? Levinas is having trouble eating the cotton candy."

"I can’t stop it right now, sorry…"

"O-okay…"

The video ended with Levinas moving her head back and forth, failing to get a proper bite of the cotton candy. The comments on the video were as heartwarming as the video itself, and Sophia couldn’t help but read through them.

> ["This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen…"]  
> ["This video just melted away all my stress!"]  
> ["I wish we had beast-kin kids like this in our neighborhood…"]  
> ["LOL, this is just… wow."]

Their pure, unblemished innocence seemed to have a way of softening even the hardest hearts. Sophia thought perhaps even the most cynical people might have found their negativity melting away, if only for a moment.

"I’m glad the children are enjoying themselves."

"Yes. Don’t you think it might be time for you to join them, Sophia?"

"It’s alright. I still have about twenty minutes left."

"But the kids must be really looking forward to seeing you."

The thought of the kids waiting for her made Sophia’s heart ache slightly. Yoo Sang-ah could sense Sophia’s hesitation.

"Everyone’s working, so it wouldn’t be right for me to leave early."

"Sophia, you make the kids happier. Seeing them happy lifts the spirits of the guild members, too."

"Hmm…"

Could playing with the kids really help boost the guild’s morale? It seemed odd, but it wasn’t exactly wrong. The guild members truly showered those children with love.

"You’re practically holding up the guild’s morale, Sophia!"

"…I’m not a child, so please avoid using that tone with me."

"Oh, sorry about that."

Watching Yoo Sang-ah bow her head apologetically, Sophia stood up. She was grateful to be working alongside such considerate people.

"Then, if it’s alright, I’ll head out a bit early?"

"Of course! It’s totally fine!"

"Thank you."

Leaning on her cane, Sophia made her way to the park where she knew the kids would be. She was grateful to the guild for scheduling her during quieter hours.

---

My tail was sticky. And so were Levinas’s hands and face.

"Alright, you two. It’s time to wash up."

"Yes, we should."

I fetched some shampoo and soap from the storage container. Since it was just my face and tail that needed cleaning, I decided to wash up by the pond.

"Gyeoul, are you really going to wash up in the pond?"

"Yes, it’s the closest spot."

The pond’s water was magically purified in real-time by an enchanted item, so there was no risk of polluting it with shampoo or soap.

"O-okay… I guess that’s fine, but…"

"But…?"

"…Never mind, I’ll help you down to the pond. Just don’t run, alright?"

"Yes."

Yeoreum extended her hand to help me down. She carefully placed her hands under my arms and lowered me to the edge of the pond.

"Yeoreum! Levinas wants to go down too!"

"Alright, come here."

As Yeoreum helped Levinas down, I dipped my tail into the water. I swished it back and forth, scrubbing away the stickiness.

That’s when Yeoreum’s startled voice reached my ears.

"Gyeoul, isn’t that… cat shampoo?"

"Yes, it is."

"It’s just for your ears and tail, right…?"

"Yes. I originally bought it for my ears and tail."

"You… bought it?"

Gulp. Yeoreum swallowed, looking a bit nervous, as if she was expecting a horrifying revelation. But her imagination was a little too wild.

"Well, buying both regular and cat shampoo was too expensive, so I just use this for my hair too."

"C-cat shampoo… for your hair…?"

"Yes."

Yeoreum stepped closer and ran her fingers through my hair, feeling its texture and inspecting it closely.

"I raised a cat when I was young, so I know cat shampoo makes hair really stiff. But your hair is so soft…"

"I’m… not sure why."

Did that mean Yeoreum had washed her hair with cat shampoo before, too? I felt an odd sense of camaraderie until I heard a familiar tapping sound and looked up toward the edge of the pond.

"Ah, it should be fine."

"It’s okay?"

Yeoreum turned to Sophia, who had just arrived. Not wanting to just stand there while they spoke, I waded over to join them.

"Beast-kin hair and human hair are different. There shouldn’t be any problem."

"Oh…"

Yeoreum seemed to find this explanation satisfying, but I was left with a question.

"So it’s fine for me to use cat products?"

"Cat products…?"

"Yes. I noticed they’re much cheaper when I was buying the shampoo."

At this, Yeoreum and Sophia exchanged glances. Yeoreum was the first to speak.

"Gyeoul, no matter how cheap it is, please don’t eat cat food, okay?"

"But it’s only 10,000 won for a whole kilogram."

"Please, I’m begging you…"

"Alright…"

I guess it was a no-go. I’d heard that pet food was nutritionally balanced, and I’d seen people eating it in post-apocalyptic situations, so I thought it might be okay.

I sighed, a bit disappointed. I knew eating pet food was strange, after all.

‘But it’s so cheap.’

Two kilograms for

 under 10,000 won. If only people food were that cheap. Sighing, I lowered my shoulders, and Sophia cleared her throat.

"Gyeoul, when I get my next paycheck, I’ll buy you plenty of delicious food…"

Sophia’s face showed a tinge of guilt. This wasn’t her fault, but here she was, apologizing as if it were. I lowered my head in response, feeling equally guilty.