A lost adult tooth never grows back.  

For the rest of my life, this would be a painful loss.  

Beastfolk supposedly lived longer than humans, with rare cases like Sophia, who even surpassed the natural limits of life. Would I have to endure all that time without a fang? Smiling would mean revealing an obvious gap for everyone to see.  

Drowning in despair, I clutched my head.  

“My fang…”  

Modern technology had implants, but my teeth weren’t human. Beastfolk fangs were longer and sharper than human ones. To replace my lost fang, I’d need a custom implant that could pierce my gum like a spike.  

And regular implants already cost hundreds of thousands of won. A custom beastfolk implant? The price would be astronomical.  

Thud.  

I collapsed on the living room floor, my hands pressing against the ground for support.  

The dislodged fang rolled to Sophia’s feet. She picked it up as though handling a precious treasure.  

“You must be very shocked to have lost your tooth.”  

“Yes… What should I do now?”  

I could taste blood from my gum, the empty spot where the fang had been left hollow.  

That tooth had been invaluable, capable of slicing through the toughest meat with ease. I’d only come to appreciate its worth after it was gone.  

“Don’t worry too much; it will grow back.”  

“It… it will grow back?”  

Could a beastfolk’s adult teeth regenerate? Sophia’s words, spoken without a hint of deceit, sparked a glimmer of hope.  

“Of course. Didn’t you know?”  

“No… I didn’t.”  

“Then this must be your first time losing a tooth.”  

It was my first time as a beastfolk, yes. I nodded at Sophia, and her face lit up with a joyful expression. She tucked my fang into a small pouch that resembled a lucky charm bag.  

“Why are you keeping my fang?”  

“Hmm… Keeping it safe will help the new tooth grow in, won’t it?”  

Keeping it safe? Was this some kind of fairy tale, like the tooth fairy or a magpie legend?  

Sophia’s faint blush hinted that even she wasn’t entirely serious about the tradition. It felt more like she was honoring an old custom.  

“Whatever the case, I hope it grows back soon. It’s so inconvenient without it.”  

“Don’t worry. Since I’ve kept it in the pouch, it will grow back quickly.”  

“Quickly?”  

“Yes. Open your mouth.”  

As soon as I opened my mouth as instructed, I felt something firm pressing through my gum.  

I could feel my fang growing back in real time, sharper and sturdier than before.  

Could it really grow this fast?  

Wide-eyed, I stared at Sophia’s lucky charm pouch. Maybe it was some special magic unique to this world.  

“Did the pouch make my tooth grow?”  

“Not only that, it made it stronger as well.”  

She was right. The new fang felt so robust and sharp it seemed capable of tearing through steel. If it came to it, I could probably use it as a weapon.  

“Wow…”  

This world was full of fascinating magic. I looked up at Sophia with sparkling eyes.  

“Should I pull out all my teeth and replace them?”  

“…This child.”  

Thwack.  

Sophia lightly bopped me on the head with her staff. It didn’t hurt, as usual.  

“Why?”  

“How can you talk so casually about pulling out your teeth?”  

“But they grow back anyway…”  

And stronger too. I gave her a look of pure innocence.  

“Do you know how painful it is to pull out a tooth?”  

“It’s fine. I can handle pain pretty well. I’ve broken bones without crying, you know.”  

This wasn’t just ordinary pain—it was pain for the sake of growth. As an adventurer, there was no reason to avoid it.  

Sophia seemed to think differently.  

“Oh, you poor child…”  

Sophia let out a soft lament and pulled me into her arms, gently patting my back with a warm hand.  

“It’s teething season for you. Your teeth will fall out naturally, so don’t force it.”  

“Okay…”  

“And if something hurts, you should say so. People can help you if they know you’re in pain.”  

“Help me…?”  

Sophia’s hand paused mid-pat. After a moment, she let out a long sigh, her warm breath brushing against my ear, making it twitch.  

I didn’t quite understand why, but her warmth felt nice.  

I stayed in Sophia’s arms like that for a while.  

—

A week passed.  

That was how long my teething phase lasted.  

Whenever I lost a tooth, I would immediately run to Sophia, demanding that she work her magic to grow it back.  

In truth, beastfolk teeth regrew naturally even without the pouch. Sophia’s little lie was her way of preserving my childhood innocence. It was like telling a child that Santa Claus existed.  

I’d been a child who had learned the harshness of the world too early. As a result, I often acted more mature than my age.  

But now, carrying a fallen tooth and wagging my tail with a beaming smile, I was just an ordinary kid.  

No one could resist smiling at the sight.  

Sophia couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret that I had grown up too soon. Though she loved the Gyeoul I was now, part of her longed to see me act my age more often.  

“Hm…”  

Sophia’s gaze softened as she watched me test my new fang by biting at the air.  

Crunch, crunch.  

The sound of my powerful carnivorous jaws echoed through the room, loud enough to turn heads. My tail wagged furiously, a clear sign that I was pleased with my new tooth.  

Such pure actions were undeniably endearing.  

If I worked on it, I could probably bring out this side of her more often, Sophia thought, rubbing her shoulders as if to ease the weight of responsibility.  

At that moment, Levinas ran up to me.  

“Wangya!”  

“Yeah?”  

“Look at this!”  

Levinas held up a coin attached to a long string of tape. She dangled it in front of my face, swinging it back and forth.  

Sophia and I both spoke at the same time.  

“Hypnosis?”  

The coin swung before my eyes, taped clumsily to the string.  

“Levinas, what are you doing?”  

Why was she suddenly trying to hypnotize me? I glanced at her in confusion.  

“That!”  

She pointed at the TV with her free hand. A strange program titled *Experience Past Lives Through Hypnosis!* was playing.  

Hypnosis? That’s obviously fake.  

I swallowed my skepticism, not wanting to dampen Levinas’ enthusiasm.  

“Levinas wants to hypnotize too!”  

“…And what do you want to do with hypnosis?”  

“I don’t know!”  

“…Right.”  

It seemed she was more interested in the act itself. If Levinas wanted to play, I didn’t mind going along with it.  

“Okay, look here.”  

She swung the coin like a pendulum. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t feel hypnotized at all.  

“Oh no, something feels strange.”  

To humor her, I pretended to fall under hypnosis.  

“Are you hypnotized?!”  

“Yes, I’m hypnotized.”  

“Wow! Levinas did it!”  

She hopped around in excitement, circling me once before placing her hands on her hips triumphantly.  

“Then you have to follow Levinas’ orders!”  

“Yes, I have to follow your orders.”  

What was she planning to command? I wasn’t worried, just curious.  

“Then Levinas wants… a kiss here!”  

Levinas tapped her cheek with her finger, her face slightly flushed as she giggled.  

“Hmm…”  

I saw no reason not to comply. I leaned in and kissed her cheek.  

“Ahhh!”  

Levinas fell back, landing on her rear in shock, overwhelmed by happiness.  

“Levinas…”  

Before I could ask if she was okay, someone tugged on my sleeve.  

Next to me, Saebyeok was staring up at me with expectant eyes.  

“Okay.”  

I kissed her cheek as well.  

Saebyeok, perhaps imitating Levinas, also plopped onto the ground with a dramatic flair.  

“What are you all doing?”  

Sophia approached, leaning on a new staff she used around the house.  

“Levinas hypnotized Wangya!”  

“Hypnotized?”  

“Yes! Now she does everything I say!”  

“…You’re not just pretending, are you?” Sophia’s skeptical gaze pierced through me.  

Of course, I was pretending.  

But I couldn’t admit that in front of the kids, so I kept quiet.  

“Wangya even kissed me on the cheek because I told her to!”  

“Hmm… With Levinas’ abilities, it’s not entirely impossible…”  

Not impossible? Was magic capable of real hypnosis in this world? No wonder Sophia hesitated to outright dismiss it.  

“Levinas, you shouldn’t abuse your power to make people obey.”  

“But what if it’s a nice order?”  

“A nice…”  

Sophia hesitated, her face turning red as she fidgeted with her hands.  

“Gyeoul.”  

“Yes?”  

“Could you… call me ‘Mom’?”  

“…Mom?”  

That was unexpected.  

I tilted my head in confusion.  

And when I finally said it, Sophia…  

“Ahem, hmm, cough…”  

Sophia suddenly seemed very flustered.  

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep