Min So-yoon stayed silent for a long while.

When I couldn’t even hear her breathing, I carefully checked my smartphone. The call hadn’t disconnected, so why wasn’t she responding?

The long awkward silence made me speak up first.

“Hello?”

“……”

“Hello…?”

“Ah…”

After my second attempt, Min So-yoon finally broke the silence. Even though I couldn’t see her face, I could tell she’d come back to her senses.

“Is something wrong?”

“I… I was conflicted between my personal desires and my principles.”

“Desires and principles?”

“Yes. Though I desperately want to be involved in this… staying uninvolved might truly be better for the beast-kin.”

“That’s…”

What did she mean by that? I found it hard to understand, so I decided to ask for more explanation.

“I work for the government. For this historic moment of the beast-kin village’s first opening, it would be better if no government agencies were involved.”

“Um… why would government involvement be bad?”

“My superiors’ superiors – very high-ranking officials – would take interest. Politicians wanting publicity would show up, and those coveting beast-kin technology would make thinly-veiled threats demanding access.”

“Ah…”

So she meant people driven by greed would come. While beast-kin science lagged behind humans overall, they weren’t behind in everything.

Despite being in the Taebaek Mountains, no mage had ever found their village. Inside, the space expanded enormously, and even Jung Yu-na couldn’t break through the barrier covering the entire area.

Though it couldn’t stop dungeons from appearing inside, it was still an incredibly powerful barrier.

‘They called it beast-kin magic.’

Magic humans couldn’t comprehend, and plants with mysterious abilities found only in the beast-kin village. The village held limitless potential, which might attract greedy individuals.

“A few years ago, someone smuggled something called alcohol fruit from the beast-kin village. Just one fruit sold for an astronomical price.”

“I see…”

I completely understood what Min So-yoon was trying to say. This situation needed even more careful consideration than I’d imagined.

“For the sake of the beast-kin village, I’ll pretend I never heard about this. As far as I’m concerned, we never had this conversation. Understand?”

“Hmm…”

Her words made me pause to think. I could tell she genuinely cared about the beast-kin.

‘It would be hard to find someone this good…’

I wanted her to be there for the village’s first opening. After some thought, I made her a proposal.

“Would you consider taking a position focused on harmony between beast-kin and humans?”

“…Like I said, that would involve government agencies…”

“Well, not as someone from the union, but…”

I wanted to ask her to quit the union and take this position for beast-kin-human relations, but the union was her workplace. It felt wrong asking her to take an uncertain position with questionable income and prospects…

“I’ll write my resignation letter right now.”

“What…?”

“Please let me do this. No, I really want to do this…!”

Min So-yoon’s voice sounded almost pleading. She seemed truly passionate about improving conditions for the beast-kin.

**

“We’ll be back soon. See you then.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

We needed to recruit people to visit the beast-kin village. With that mission in mind, we prepared to return to the guild.

Sophia spent a very long time saying goodbye to Flora.

“Take care.”

“I will. Don’t worry too much, just head back now.”

They must be very close. Curious, I grabbed Sophia’s tail with both hands.

“Sophia, you and Flora seem really close.”

“We had the same teacher.”

“Ah.”

Since Sophia wasn’t a mage, she must have studied under a non-magic teacher.

As I was lost in thought preparing to head home, children from the beast-kin village came running from the distance.

“Everyone!”

“King Gyeoul!”

“Hey! Not king, remember! Leader is better than king!”

The rowdy beast-kin children held something out to us – simple dolls carved from wood.

“I made this doll. It’s a gift for you.”

“Thank you.”

After saying goodbye to everyone we’d met – the beast-kin children, Wilder and the other warriors we’d fought alongside, the bearded elder and Heily – we walked out through the village barrier.

The moment we passed through, the village instantly vanished.

“Wow…”

It felt like we’d visited a fantasy world. After gazing up at where the village had disappeared, I walked down the mountain path with my family. Our steps were much lighter than when we’d climbed up.

**

Back home, I went to Master’s office. The once modern office had changed so much it could pass for a children’s playroom.

“Home run!”

Levinas threw a fist-sized ball at the mini bowling pins. The ball flew way past the pins.

“Heuk!”

Though she hadn’t knocked down a single pin, Gaeul clapped enthusiastically. Levinas stared at the flying ball with her horned rabbit eyes.

“Why didn’t it hit?!”

“You need to roll it, not throw it.”

Jeffrey, who was in the Master’s office, demonstrated how to roll the ball. His rolling ball knocked down several pins.

“Wow!”

After learning from Jeffrey, Levinas picked up the ball again. She furrowed her brows and threw with a serious expression.

Tok-!

The quickly rolling ball hit one pin on the edge. Despite only knocking down one pin, Levinas started jumping with joy.

“Wow! I did it!”

“Wow.”

Clap clap clap clap clap-

Levinas handed the ball to the clapping Gaeul. Staring blankly at the ball, Gaeul grabbed my wrist.

“Shuin, here.”

“Hm?”

Gaeul sat me behind the bowling pins. Was she planning to hit me with the ball too? That didn’t seem like something our Gaeul would do.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Gaeul moved to the opposite side and started running quickly.

“Shuiiin!”

Pitter patter-

Running at full speed, Gaeul dropped and slid across the floor.

Pababak-!

After knocking down all the pins with her body, Gaeul ended up snuggled in my arms.

“Oh.”

Knocking down pins and ending with a hug – had Gaeul invented her own new game?

Finding Gaeul’s new game interesting, Levinas and Bom stomped their feet eagerly. Even Saebyeok showed some interest.

“Levinas too! Levinas wants to do that too!”

“I want to try too.”

Perhaps happy that the others were interested in her game, Gaeul puffed out her chest with an “ahem” and set up the mini bowling pins again. Then she sat with me behind them, as if saying “give it a try.”

“Yaaaaaaah!”

Levinas came running, lightly kicking down a few pins. After knocking down about three pins, she jumped into mine and Gaeul’s arms.

“Levinas did it!”

“Yes, Levinas succeeded too.”

Bom was next. She walked up to the pins, did a forward roll right in front of them, and we caught her incoming feet with the others.

Tododok-

The pins fell and we all caught her rolling form. Though it was such a simple thing, I couldn’t help giggling at how fun it was.

“I did it too.”

“Yes. Now it’s Saebyeok’s turn.”

We all wondered how Saebyeok would approach. Not just us – Jeffrey and Master were watching curiously too.

Saebyeok’s chosen method involved using her incredible strength. Instead of running, she lay spread-eagled on the floor. Then she placed her feet against the wall and pushed off hard.

Swoosh-

The rebound sent Saebyeok flying toward us. She flew spread-eagled with arms outstretched, face expressionless.

“Wow.”

We all caught the flying Saebyeok together.

Only after one cycle of the game finished did Master, who had been quietly watching us, speak up.

“So how did it go? That king test or whatever?”

“I took the test, but decided not to become king.”

“Oh?”

Despite me giving up an important position, Master showed little reaction. He just nodded as if saying “I see.”

“Instead, I’ll do something better than being king.”

“Better than being king?”

“Yes. Helping develop the beast-kin village.”

“…Development won’t be easy.”

Master’s voice carried traces of worry. He seemed concerned I’d taken on too difficult a task.

“I’ll get help from others for the development. I’m just acting as a mediator.”

“Beast-kin accepting help from humans?”

“Yes. They decided hiding isn’t the answer anymore. So they’re going to open up the village.”

“What?”

Master’s normally expressionless eyes widened slightly. Jeffrey was also staring at me with his mouth open.

“The-they’re opening the beast-kin village?”

“Yes. But not to everyone – we’re starting by selecting a few people who can help.”

Now who would be helpful…

Just as I was about to look out the window, Jeffrey thrust his face right in front of mine.

“Have, have you ever seen anyone with manners as good as mine?”

“…Jeffrey, do you want to go?”

“Of course I do.”

Jeffrey’s eyes were filled with desperation. Was there something he wanted from the beast-kin village?

Unable to think of anything specific, I could only tilt my head in confusion.

“Why do you want to visit the beast-kin village?”

“For an adventurer, the beast-kin village is like a fantasy. It would be an honor to go there.”

“Uh… I see…”

Though his answer was odd, I somehow understood what he meant. The beast-kin village truly was a fantastic place.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep