Smack!

With a loud, resounding slap, the Gnoll Warrior’s neck twisted in an unnatural direction. There was no need to check—it was instantly fatal.

“One hit…”

“Yeah, I’m strong.”

Saebyeok proudly showed off her slender arm. Her soft arm looked as though it could stretch like mochi if pulled.

“…Was the boss strong at all?”

“It was really weak.”

“O-okay…”

Weak? The Gnoll Warrior’s fangs were as long as my head.

I opened my mouth absentmindedly and pressed on my own canines. Compared to the Gnoll Warrior’s, mine were much smaller. Although mine seemed sharper, they weren’t exactly useful.

“Do you wish your canines were longer, Gyeoul?”

Midsummer slid her fingers into my mouth, pressing on my fangs as if to check their sharpness. Worried that I might bite her, I simply kept my mouth open.

“Wow, they’re like little knives.”

“Y-yeah.”

My pronunciation was slurred with my mouth open. Midsummer seemed to notice and pulled her fingers back with a grin.

“I need to be careful so no one gets bitten.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

I wouldn’t go biting anyone, but being cautious couldn’t hurt. I nodded, and at that moment, Levinas came running to hide behind me.

“King! The Dark Queen has awakened… She’s shrouded in darkness now…”

Levinas tugged on my clothes, her trembling hands betraying her fear.

“No, she was just protecting us.”

“R-really…?”

“Yes. She’s the kind, protective Dark Queen.”

“…!”

Levinas’s ears perked up, and she cautiously approached Saebyeok, who was wagging her tail without expression.

“Dark Queen! Thank you for protecting Levinas!”

“Mm.”

Levinas hugged Saebyeok, and her tail swayed contentedly. It was a moment of pure happiness, one that I wished could last forever.

—

After leaving the dungeon, we showered and headed to the park. I left the loot with Midsummer and Kwon Arin and focused on playing with the kids. After all, entertaining them was also part of being an adult.

“King!”

Levinas waved and ran toward me from afar. On her head was the fur of the Gnoll Warrior.

“Nice hat.”

“Yeah! Scary, right?”

Rawr.

Levinas imitated a threatening pose like she’d seen me do in training. She pushed her not-so-sharp claws forward, but to be honest, it wasn’t very scary.

“Well… A little scary.”

“Hehe! Now Levinas is just like the King, right?!”

“Like me?”

“Yes! We’re both beasts!”

“Oh…”

So that’s why Levinas wore the Gnoll Warrior’s fur. She wanted to be a fierce beast, just like me. It was an adorable, childlike thought.

“Yes, we’re the same kind of beast.”

“Hehe! Today, I’m going to be fierce like a real beast!”

“Fierce?”

“Yes!”

Wearing the beast’s fur, Levinas’s actions became rougher. I raised my own claws at her in response.

“Like this? Rawr…”

“T-that’s too scary… A little less fierce…”

“Okay. Less fierce.”

Just because she was wearing a beast’s fur didn’t mean she’d become brave. I decided to play along, being less intense.

“Grr.”

“Rawr.”

We pretended to be beasts together, playfully growling at each other. It was childish, but I’d do anything to make her happy. We were still playing when Saebyeok, now finished with her shower, approached us.

“Boss.”

Saebyeok reached for the Gnoll Warrior hat on Levinas’s head. Levinas shut her eyes tightly, startled.

“Dark Queen… Don’t break Levinas’s neck…”

“Mm. I won’t.”

Saebyeok gently placed her hand on Levinas’s head, specifically on the Gnoll Warrior’s fur.

“Levinas is a puppy.”

“Puppy? Isn’t this a cat?”

“No, it’s a puppy.”

“Wha…!”

Levinas’s wide eyes blinked as she shook her head. The movement made the hat fall to the ground.

“Not wearing it anymore?”

“No! Levinas thought it was a cat!”

“Oh…”

So, she wanted to be a feline like us. Levinas was the only horned rabbit beast-person among us.

Maybe wanting to be a fierce beast was her way of coping with being an herbivore among carnivores. Every other beast-person in the guild had a carnivorous nature except her.

‘I should try pretending to be a horned rabbit sometime.’

Levinas would probably love that. I might need to find a rabbit hat for her.

“Shall we play something else?”

“Yes! Let’s do something else!”

“Hmm…”

What should we play next? While I was thinking, Saebyeok raised her hand.

“Let’s play hide-and-seek.”

“Hide-and-seek?”

“Yeah. I’m really good at hiding.”

Hide-and-seek, huh. I didn’t mind as long as the kids were happy. My role was to facilitate, not just to play.

“What do you think, Levinas?”

“Hide-and-seek is good! Levinas is also good at hiding!”

“Great. Then let’s play hide-and-seek.”

The game was decided. I figured it was best for me to be the seeker.

Just as we were about to start, I spotted Yoo Sang-ah approaching us from afar.

“Cat lady, rabbit lady.”

At Yoo Sang-ah’s voice, everyone’s ears perked up. We all turned toward her, each expressing our fondness in our own way.

“Spiky!”

“Spiky?”

“Yes! Sang-ah means spiky!”

“Oh…”

Yoo Sang-ah chuckled, understanding the meaning behind her nickname. She didn’t seem to mind since it came from a child.

“Are you off work?”

“Yes, I came out for a walk before heading home.”

“I see.”

Our park was nice for walks. I felt a bit proud.

“What were you doing, Gyeoul?”

“We were about to play hide-and-seek.”

“Oh, can I join too?”

Yoo Sang-ah clasped her hands together as if in prayer. She seemed genuinely eager to play with us.

“Do you want to hide?”

“No, I’ll be the seeker.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Levinas bounced up excitedly. After a few jumps, she gasped.

“Spiky! But when we play, no pulling hair when you find us, okay?”

“Pulling hair?”

“Yeah! Like this!”

Levinas grabbed her own hair and yanked it upward with surprising force.

“Why do you pull hair…?”

Yoo Sang-ah gently held Levinas’s wrist, urging her to stop with a light pat.

“You don’t know, Spiky? When you’re found, you pull hair!”

“…What?”

Yoo Sang-ah’s eyes widened, her face growing pale. I poked her side, but she remained frozen.

‘So Levinas had similar experiences to me.’

It made sense. She had lived through hardships just as I had. She must have had many moments of hiding from frightening people.

Hiding, only to be found and punished. Memories surfaced, and I let out a deep sigh.

“Hide-and-seek isn’t a game where you get hit when you’re found…”

Levinas and Saebyeok tilted their heads, as if they didn’t understand.

“Not even a slap?”

“A-a slap?”

“Yeah. When you’re found, they slap you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

Saebyeok tapped her cheek lightly. Yoo Sang-ah shut her eyes tightly, unable to watch any longer.

‘What kind of…’

To them, getting hit when found was just part of the game. Yoo Sang-ah couldn’t find the words to respond; she knew why they thought this way.

‘Were they hiding from adults?’

And when found, they’d get slapped. Yoo Sang-ah couldn’t help but imagine these kids being hit. She already knew their lives had been difficult, but not to this extent. She felt only guilt as an adult.

“It’s okay… Hide-and-seek isn’t a game where you get hit.”

“R-really…?”

Levinas’s eyes widened. She seemed skeptical, not fully believing it. Gyeoul spoke up, addressing her.

“When we play, you don’t have to worry about getting hit. It’s just practice.”

To Yoo Sang-ah, Gyeoul’s words sounded like practice for hiding from adults to avoid punishment.

“Is it just pretending then?”

“Hmm… We don’t have to, but pretending might make it feel more real.”

“Really?! Then let’s pretend!”

“Should we?”

Gyeoul glanced at Yoo Sang-ah, who realized that to these kids, the seeker had to imitate a “mean person.”

Yoo Sang-ah knew she had to teach them that hide-and-seek was just a game. But would children who had spent their whole lives hiding from adults even understand that?

She glanced around, hoping someone would come to her aid. As the guild’s counter staff, she knew many people at the park, but they all looked away as soon as their eyes met hers.

‘They heard everything!’

These adults were truly heartless. Fighting back tears, Yoo Sang-ah forced a smile at the children.

“Um, can I just be one of the hiders…?”

“Sure. I’ll be the seeker then.”

“Thank you…”

I’m sorry for not explaining properly. I’ll show

 you by playing with you. I’ll show you what hide-and-seek really is.

Yoo Sang-ah promised herself this. Words alone wouldn’t be enough for children who had spent their lives hiding from adults.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep