“My ice cream!”

Levinas reached her hand toward the sky, where the bird had flown with her stolen treat. The blue bird circled above us, seemingly celebrating its victory.

“Enjoy the ice cream, little bird!”

Levinas waved cheerfully at the bird, giggling as she swung her legs back and forth. She didn’t seem upset about losing her precious ice cream.

“Levinas, aren’t you sad that you didn’t get to eat much of it?”

“No! Sharing made it taste even better!”

“I see.”

Instead of throwing a fit, she wished the bird well. Her gentle attitude was admirable.

“If I want more, I’ll just pick up more bottles!”

“That’s true. There are always plenty of bottles around.”

Relieved that Levinas wasn’t angry or sad, I reached out to pat her head in praise. But before I could, she pulled a carrot stick from her pocket.

“Actually, I’ve got something even tastier!”

It was a carrot snack that Midsummer had made, Levinas’s favorite. She held it up toward the sky.

The seasoning on the stick glistened in the sunlight, making it an ideal target for the bird.

*Whoosh!*

A bird swooped down toward the carrot stick. Although it moved fast, I saw it as if in slow motion, giving me plenty of time to think.

Levinas was kind-hearted, but getting her snack stolen twice would be too much. I decided to intercept the bird for her.

‘Without hurting anyone…’

Grabbing the staff I’d brought for training, I calculated the bird’s trajectory in an instant. It would pass by me and try to snatch the carrot stick on its way up.

Timing it perfectly, I swung the staff with all my might as the bird approached.

*Whish–! Thud!*

“Chirp!”

The solid impact and the bird’s squawk reverberated through my hand, a slight sting lingering on my wrist.

“Whoa?!”

“…?”

Levinas flinched in surprise, while Saebyeok, who had been dozing on my lap, rubbed her eyes and sat up.

“The bird tried to steal your carrot.”

“Did it? What a greedy little bird!”

“Chirp… chirp…”

The bird, which had fallen to the ground, lay there, trembling but still alive. Clearly, it wasn’t just any ordinary bird.

“Nngh!”

Stretching like a cat, Saebyeok jumped down from the bench, picked up the twitching bird, and brought it over to us.

“Should we eat it?”

“Um… not sure?”

Though we had subdued it, I wasn’t sure if this unusual bird was edible. It might even be some kind of protected species. I decided to consult Sophia about what to do with it.

After all, it might be a rare delicacy.

—

“Chirp… chirp…”

Holding the frightened bird by the scruff, we headed to the mana stone exchange where Sophia worked. We searched for her but didn’t see her immediately. It was only after a while that I noticed a bit of blue hair peeking out from behind a table. She was just too short to be seen.

“Sophia!”

I hurried over, bird in hand. Sophia, who was sorting through paperwork, looked up at us.

“What brings you here?”

“I caught this bird, but I don’t know what kind it is.”

“Hmm…?”

Curious, Sophia examined the bird I held up by the neck, a limp blue creature dangling from my hand.

“That’s…”

Sophia’s eyes widened slightly, a rare reaction from her. If it surprised her, it was definitely not an ordinary bird.

“Do you know what it is?”

“Yes, it’s a ‘Gift-Giver.’”

“A Gift-Giver?”

“They’re known for playing pranks and then leaving gifts. It’s a creature from my world, though I’m not sure how it ended up on Earth.”

There was a spark of excitement in Sophia’s eyes, as if she were happy to see a creature from her homeland.

“So its gift is… itself?”

Saebyeok eyed the bird with a predatory gleam, causing the little bird to tremble.

“I’d advise against eating it. Gift-Givers are rare creatures that only appear around beastfolk children. Just seeing one is a miracle in itself.”

“I see.”

If it wasn’t edible, there was no reason to kill it. I gently set the bird on the windowsill.

“Little bird, you can’t go around stealing food, okay? If you want something, ask Levinas first!”

Levinas waved to the bird, who flapped its wings and took off. As it flew, a tiny seed dropped from its beak.

“Huh?”

A seed. Could this be the ‘gift’ that Sophia mentioned? Levinas picked it up.

“Let’s plant it!”

“Yes. It looks like it’s a gift for you, Levinas.”

Upon hearing the word “gift,” Levinas’s ears perked up with excitement. Unable to contain her joy, she danced in place before running toward the exit of the exchange.

“Your Highness! I’m going to plant this!”

“Alright. I’ll stay here and talk with Sophia a bit longer.”

“Got it!”

Saebyeok followed after her, likely to keep her safe.

‘I wonder what kind of seed it is.’

The scene reminded me of a fairy tale where a swallow brought a magic seed after being injured. Hopefully, it wouldn’t grow into something monstrous.

I watched the exit where Levinas had disappeared with a bit of concern.

“Aren’t you going to help plant the seed? The Gift-Giver’s seeds are quite rare.”

“I like spending time with you more than getting gifts, Sophia.”

“Hmph… is that so.”

Sophia’s cheeks turned pink as she looked down, lightly tapping her foot.

“But nothing dangerous will grow from that seed, right?”

“It shouldn’t. The Gift-Giver is a magical creature, after all.”

“That’s a relief.”

I looked around, taking in the familiar view of the exchange, a place I often visited after returning from hunts.

‘Hmm…’

Come to think of it, I never really knew what exactly Sophia did here. I’d received her help often enough, but I’d never fully understood her work. As her ‘family,’ I felt a bit embarrassed about that.

“Sophia, is it okay if I watch you work?”

“It’s fine, as long as… well, I doubt you’ll cause any trouble.”

“I’ll be good, I promise.”

“Alright, you can observe. It’ll be a valuable experience.”

“Thank you!”

With Sophia’s permission, I decided to spend the day by her side, watching what she did.

—

A little white beastfolk child sat at one corner of the mana stone exchange, drawing the attention of people who had come to sell mana stones and those who worked there.

‘She’s adorable.’

Sitting in a chair bigger than herself, the child gazed at Sophia’s profile, a look of contentment and admiration on her face.

The onlookers assumed she must really like her “shark sister.” Those who didn’t know Sophia’s true nature thought little more of it.

“Oh my, Gyeoul. You’re here today?”

Returning from her break, Yoo Sangah looked at Gyeoul sitting in her chair. Realizing the chair’s owner had returned, Gyeoul quickly stood up.

“Yes, I’m observing today.”

“Is that so?”

Yoo Sangah took a seat and then lifted Gyeoul onto her lap. The child’s fluffy tail perked up adorably.

“…!”

“There aren’t any spare chairs.”

“I-I can just stand…”

“No way. I can’t stand seeing anyone uncomfortable; it makes me cry.”

“O-Okay…”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Gyeoul rubbed her white furred leg.

‘Yay!’

Gyeoul’s little tail brushed against her chin, and Yoo Sangah silently cheered.

‘I’m so happy.’

With this lovable child in her lap, Yoo Sangah felt she could work tirelessly all year. And each of Gyeoul’s occasional questions only made her happier.

“What kind of mana stone is this?”

“This is a Giant Ogre mana stone.”

“Oh, I see…”

Gyeoul asked questions only during lulls in the work, so as not to be disruptive. Yoo Sangah marveled at how polite and considerate she was.

Smiling, Yoo Sangah patted Gyeoul’s head just as a group of adventurers entered the exchange with a heavy bag.

“Today was a big haul!”

“Looks like it.”

The adventurers, each carrying a heavy bag, split up, one heading to Sophia, the other to Yoo Sangah. One adventurer, seeing Gyeoul on Yoo Sangah’s lap, grinned as he handed over his bag.

“Sangah, can you process this for me?”

“Sure. What kind of mana stone is it?”

“It’s a Blue Tiger mana stone. We nearly wiped out the whole pack, you know?”

The Blue Tiger was a hybrid of a tiger and a lion-like monster, a rare beast. The adventurer emptied his bag of blue-glowing mana stones in front of Yoo Sangah.

“These are high quality…”

They were all top-grade stones. As Yoo Sangah examined them, she noticed that Gyeoul’s demeanor had changed.

Her ears and tail were raised, and she trembled slightly, breaking into a cold sweat.

Was she feeling unwell? Why the sudden change? Yoo Sangah quickly realized her mistake.

‘…I forgot.’

In the exchange, hundreds of types of mana stones passed through daily. In such a place, it was inevitable that a feline-type mana stone would eventually appear before the young beastfolk.

“Oh…”

Yoo Sangah met the adventurer’s gaze. Knowing that Dawn Guild was famous for its beastfolk members, the adventurers were aware of one important rule: never show a beastfolk child a mana stone from their own kind.

It was like showing a mound of corpses.

Had he really done that…?

The adventurer felt his chest tighten as he looked at Gyeoul, whose ears and tail were now trembling in distress.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep