Hiding inside the shelter, with my ears perked up, I heard people’s voices.
Among them was the voice of a girl I knew.
“Is the person who consumed the blessing living here?”
“Ah, for now, yes…”
Who is this person they say consumed the blessing and lives here?
I was puzzled, but kept my mouth firmly shut.
I planned to stay hidden and silent until they left.
‘Please don’t find me.’
Much to my dismay, the group of people stopped right in front of my tent.
Fortunately, they didn’t seem like the type to rudely enter someone else’s home.
“Gyeoul, can I come in?”
“……”’
“Why did the girl bring all these people here?’
I didn’t respond to the girl’s question.
I just waited quietly for them to leave, but then someone started walking towards me.
“Gyeoul, are you here?”
Thud Thud
The girl knocked on the outer wall of the shelter.
Knowing I was there but still asking felt spiteful.
I hadn’t made a sound; how did she find me?
Suppressing a sigh that threatened to escape, I opened the shelter lid slightly and peeked out.
“Oh my, Gyeoul, you were here?”
“Yes…”
The girl pretended to be shocked, as if she really didn’t know.
Her act, despite knowing all along, was despicable.
“Why are you hiding? Did a wild boar come while I was gone?”
Something scarier than a wild boar had come.
I looked up at the girl, frowning deeply.
“I was just playing by myself…”
“By–by yourself…?”
“Yes. It’s cozy inside the shelter.”
Was there something odd about my answer?
Her gaze drifted to my ears above my head.
“Is it because you’re a cat?”
“A cat?”
“No, no. Just talking to myself.”
The girl forced a smile and waved her hand awkwardly.
She clearly had some strange thought, but since I couldn’t read human minds, I let it go.
More dangerous beings were outside the tent.
“Why are there so many people outside…?”
The girl inside was familiar, but the three waiting outside the tent were a different story.
What were these people doing in the deep mountains?
I looked up at her, puzzled.
“Well… there are people who want to see Gyeoul. I’m sorry to disturb your rest, but could you spare some time?”
She asked as if it were okay, but I knew I had no choice.
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Yes…”
✱✱✱
Kang Jinho, the Guild Master of South Korea strongest Guild — The Daybreak surveyed the tent from a distance.
He had heard about the child’s living situation, but this harsh environment was beyond his expectations.
He wanted to take the child to the guild immediately, but he trusted Yeoreum’s decision and refrained from doing so.
‘She doesn’t like getting things for free, does she.’
Rather than disliking it, it’s more accurate to say she fears it.
From the look of it, this girl never experienced getting anything for free in human relationships.
Tsk.
As Kang Jinho crossed his arms and clicked his tongue, a small girl emerged from the tent.
Her ears and tail drooped powerlessly.
Seemingly frightened by the sudden visit, she clutched her clothes and looked down at the ground.
It was heartbreaking to see her glance around nervously and quickly avert her eyes upon making eye contact.
‘This is severe.’
The guild must bear some responsibility for the girl ending up like this.
For the first time in a long while, Kang Jinho felt a sense of misery.
“Hello, Gyeoul. My name is Encia Bluemayr.”
The wolf woman, introducing herself as Encia, bowed to Gyeoul.
She seemed to have learned Korean etiquette, placing her hands respectfully on her stomach.
Gyeoul looked at the woman’s ears and tail, thinking that she must have been modified by Yeoreum too.
Despite her fear, a sense of kinship enabled her to speak.
“I, I am Jeong… Gyeoul…”
Han Gyeoul.
Yeoreum closed her eyes, realizing Gyeoul was using the name she had given her.
Perhaps this is what they mean by having no regrets even in death.
Yeoreum decided to savor this brief moment of ecstasy.
“Are you Jeong Gyeoul?”
“No, no. I’m Han Gyeoul…”
‘Jeong’ was her name in a past life.
Gyeoul felt heavy-hearted about having to abandon her past name, but she knew it didn’t suit her current body.
Reluctantly, she decided to use the name Yeoreum had given her.
“Yes, Han Gyeoul. May I ask you a few questions, if it’s not too much trouble?”
“Questions…?”
“Yes. There’s something I need to confirm.”