The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

"My tent!"

I thought to myself as I watched my tent flying away.
I needed to chase it before it disappeared from my sight.
Without hesitation, I left the Master’s office.
I was heading for the elevator.

But the elevator stopped halfway and wouldn’t move.
In this urgent situation, I paced back and forth, then opened the emergency exit door and ran down the stairs.

Thud!

With a single jump, I leaped down the entire staircase.
I didn’t stop until I reached the first-floor lobby.

When I arrived on the first floor, I saw many people gathered around the back door leading to the park.
They had gathered to avoid the sudden storm.

"Excuse me..."
I squeezed through the crowd, trying to move forward.
There were so many people near the back door that to pass through, I had to get close to an unfamiliar person.

"What the heck?!"
A woman with fierce eyes snapped at me.
It was because I had grabbed her leg.

"I-I'm sorry... I was just trying to get through, but there were too many people..."

In my hurry, I had grabbed whatever I could to push forward.
I couldn’t move back due to the crowd, so I was stuck against the woman’s leg.

She’s probably really angry.
I felt my body trembling naturally.
Even my ears and tail drooped in fear.

"Oh, it’s you, Gyeoul? Hi?"
The woman wiped the anger off her face as if nothing had happened.
She seemed to recognize me.

"Ah, hello... I was just trying to get through, but there were too many people..."

"Yeah, it’s a state of emergency. In times like this, no one’s going to complain if you just grab and go."

"No complaints?"
I had definitely seen her make a displeased expression earlier.
I was confused, but the situation was too urgent.
I decided to trust her words for now.

"Thank you."

After thanking the woman who had given me advice, I squeezed through the crowd and moved forward.
To get through, I had to maintain a position that was almost like a hug.

The man I touched seemed startled at first, but then patted my head without saying anything.
There were many moments of physical contact, but no one near the back door seemed to be angry.
It seemed like people in this world were really lenient with physical contact.

"My house..."
I pressed my face against the glass door and looked around the park.
I couldn’t see my tent anymore as it had flown away with the wind.

"Ugh..."
The tent was something hard to replace.
I had to find it again, no matter what.
While I was thinking this, I heard the sound of metal clanging.

Clank-clank!

"My pots!"
I couldn’t afford to lose those too.
I knew I shouldn’t go out right now, but I was so shocked that my body moved on its own.

To get outside the park, I had to open two doors.
I immediately opened the first door and stepped outside.
There was no one in the space between the doors, so I was able to move toward the second door without delay.

Clank-clank!
The door was tightly shut and wouldn’t open.
Looking up, I saw that the lock was engaged.

I stood on my tiptoes and stretched my arms out, but I couldn’t reach it.
I was too short.

Ugh...
I thought I couldn’t get out.
Just as I lowered my head in disappointment, I spotted a stone rolling on the ground.

Had it fallen from someone’s foot in the chaotic situation?
Without hesitation, I picked up the stone and threw it at the lock.

Like this...
Throwing or shooting things accurately was my specialty.
The stone hit the lock perfectly and released it.

Got it!
I quickly opened the door.
The strong wind immediately hit me, and I was knocked backward.

"Ahhh!"
I rolled on the ground like a ball.
If I had been an adult, I would have been able to resist, but in my small and fragile body, I couldn’t hold my ground.@@novelbin@@

I won’t stop until I hit something.
I braced for impact, covering my head, but the impact never came.
Someone caught me.

"It’s not safe to go outside right now."

It was the Master.
The Master, who had caught me in his arms, immediately locked the door again.
I struggled, but I couldn’t move, as if caught by the stone.

"My... my tent flew away... it was so precious..."

"Calm down, we’ll look for it together after this is over. It’ll be over in five minutes, so just hold on a little longer."

"Okay..."
Right, I just need to wait five more minutes.

Bang-bang
The sound of a metal pot rolling toward us from outside made me feel helpless.

Bang!
When I saw the pot hit the glass door, I felt a wave of powerlessness.

"My pot..."
My ears and tail drooped even further.

"Isn’t that the garbage Gyeoul picked up from the trash?"
"Yeah... but to Gyeoul, it’s like a treasure... she really cherishes it."

"...No one in the park doesn’t know about it."

They spoke quietly, but I could hear every word.
They were either swallowing or licking their dry lips as they observed my state.

They really recognized the value of my precious belongings.
I had thought they would mock me for collecting trash, but the people in our park were all kind.

I took comfort in their understanding and remained in the Master’s arms, waiting until the storm passed.

***

The storm, which had started suddenly, ended just as abruptly.
The park was peaceful again, as if nothing had happened.

Of course, there were traces of the storm.
The trash rolling on the ground and the remnants of my tent were proof of it.

"It’s all gone..."

The things I had placed in the tent were gone with the storm.
In reality, not everything had disappeared, but it certainly felt that way.

Things I had worked so hard to gather over the years.
In despair, I sank to the ground, not caring about the dirt on my clothes, and lay down on the grass.

‘I was too complacent.’

When I lived alone in the mountains, I had to be prepared for everything.
Because you never knew when a storm or rain might come.

But now it was different.
I had modern civilization, and I thought storms and winds would be forecasted in advance.
If I had known there were storms like this that could strike so suddenly, I wouldn’t have been so careless.

Under normal circumstances, the damage wouldn’t have been this great.
Had I let my guard down because of this peaceful life?

"I’m ruined..."

Sigh.
I let out a deep sigh.
And I wasn’t the only one feeling down in that moment.

"Levinas’s carrots!"

Levinas’s hard-earned carrots had also been blown away.
Levinas, clutching the last carrot in her arms, was on the verge of tears.
She didn’t cry, though, and that was a small comfort.

"Are... are you okay?"

Midsummer came toward us, holding a basket.
It was the basket I thought had been lost to the wind.

"...Yes, I’m okay."

"Really?"

"It’s not the first time something like this has happened..."

Even though she said that, her melancholy didn’t fade.
I stood up and trudged over to Levinas.

"Levinas, it’s my fault for not securing the tent properly. I’m sorry."

"It’s not Your Majesty’s fault... The wind did this..."

Sniff.
Levinas wiped her eyes and bit into the last carrot.
It seemed like she had gathered her composure, as her eyes brightened a little.

"Hey, let’s help Sister find everything, okay?"

Just then, we heard footsteps approaching us.
It was the woman I had grabbed by the leg at the back door.

"Here."

She handed us an old bowl.
It was the precious bowl I thought had been lost to the wind.

"My bowl!"

"Gyeoul, you should thank her first."

Midsummer stopped me as I rushed forward.
I realized it was important to thank her first.

"Thank you."

I bowed my head to the woman.
For some reason, her clothes were wet.

"Why are your clothes...?"

"It was floating in the pond."

"In the pond? Did you go in to retrieve it?"

"Yeah. Lucky I found it, huh?"

She smiled and patted my head.
She went into the pond because of me.

Just as I was about to express my apologies, something amazing happened.
The people who had passed by the park started bringing things back to us.

"Isn’t this yours, Gyeoul?"

"Yes...!"

The man who had shared birthday food with me handed me a pot.
The woman who had given Levinas a million-won toy check brought back five carrots.

Many people were returning our belongings.
Among them were our guild members and the Master.

"Wow, with this much, we’ll recover quickly!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

What is going on?
I just stood there, staring at the things being returned.
I knew I must have looked dumb, but I couldn’t change my expression.

"Seems like everyone wants to help you, Gyeoul."

"Why are they helping me...?"

"They all owe you something, Gyeoul."

"Owe me...?"

Were they referring to the park cleanup and the enhancements?
The joy that came a little late made my tail wag.
For something so small, they had gone this far.
The people in our park were so kind.

"Thank you."

I went around and thanked everyone.
In just a few minutes, most of the things I had lost were returned.

"Hmm... there are a few things still missing."

"It’s fine. This is more than enough."

Even though the tent and a few things didn’t return, this was more than enough.
What made me happiest was knowing that everyone had helped me.

"What about the tent?"

"I’ll go retrieve it."

"Huh? Do you know where it is?"

"No, but I’m good at tracking things."

With my beastkin ears and nose, I flicked my ears proudly at Midsummer.

"Right, if it doesn’t work, should I call for Sister?"

"Yes."

I nodded at Midsummer, realizing that this incident was an inevitable accident caused by my complacency with peace.

Maybe sometimes I’ll need to live like I did in the tent again.
I needed to erase this peace-filled mindset.