The quarterly Guild Masters’ regular meeting had just begun, and all attendees were absorbed in their discussions. Chae Ju-yeon, the master of the Sacred Guild, was shocked by what she heard. A sudden interruption by a young beast-kin girl had left her at a loss for words.

‘Good heavens.’

This girl had just called Kang Jin-ho “uncle.” A common term, yet one that no one would ever dare to use with him. Even the other Guild Masters, each a powerful leader in their respective territories, could be reduced to mere lambs before Kang Jin-ho.

‘So the rumors are true—his personality really has softened after meeting those beast-kin children.’

Kang Jin-ho was notorious for being ruthless to anyone outside his circle. All the Guild Masters present had been tiptoeing around him, but as soon as he sensed the children’s presence near the elevator, his intense demeanor had softened.

The Guild Masters who’d known him the longest could see it plainly: Kang Jin-ho cared for these beast-kin children.

“So, why the sudden urge to clean?” Kang Jin-ho asked.

Winter, who had been quietly munching on snacks, looked up at him. Chae Ju-yeon noticed the apprehension in the girl’s eyes—a look she’d often seen in children overwhelmed by too many adults.

“M-Mmm…”

Winter, her mouth still full of snacks, chewed quickly to respond. Her wide eyes made her nervousness apparent to everyone in the room.

‘Is she scared because there are so many adults around?’

Given her heightened senses, it made sense that Gyeoul, a beast-kin, might feel uneasy around the presence of so many powerful Guild Masters.

As Chae Ju-yeon watched with concern, Kang Jin-ho handed Winter a bottle of orange juice.

“You’ll choke.”

“…!”

The Guild Masters around him were stunned. The usually cold and unyielding Kang Jin-ho had just shown genuine kindness. Even seeing it with their own eyes, it was hard to believe.

‘At this rate, he might as well be raising her as his own daughter.’

Gyeoul, oblivious to the astonished stares directed her way, accepted the juice from Kang Jin-ho, who held the bottle for her to drink from.

“So, why the sudden desire to clean?” he asked again.

“Well… I kind of… dug up the park a lot…?”

Gyeoul moved toward the window, with Kang Jin-ho following her. The other Guild Masters watched them, exchanging glances.

“Are you talking about that over there?”

Kang Jin-ho pointed to a large patch of disturbed earth in the park, a messy reminder of the digging Gyeoul had done.

“Yes. I made a mess when I was digging.”

“So, you wanted to clean it because you felt bad?”

“Yes… I was going to clean up all the dirt I dug up…”

Gyeoul fidgeted, glancing up at Kang Jin-ho, who simply rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The Guild Masters, familiar with his fastidious nature, waited in silence to see his reaction.

‘What’s he going to do?’

Kang Jin-ho was known for his love of orderliness. He had invested a substantial amount of money into perfecting that park’s design and hired the best gardeners, paying them top salaries.

‘He doesn’t even allow smoking or drinking in that park.’

The Guild Masters knew just how much Kang Jin-ho cherished the park, and they expected at least a mild scolding. Chae Ju-yeon looked at Winter with concern, but all Kang Jin-ho did was pat her gently on the head.

“You did well.”

“I… did well?”

“Yeah. The park looks more natural now. It used to be a little too artificial.”

“Is… is that so…?”

Winter’s tail started wagging happily, taking Kang Jin-ho’s words at face value.

But the Guild Masters knew better. Kang Jin-ho, of all people, had actually made a “concession” for her.

‘At this point, he’s treating her like a daughter.’

He was behaving just like an overprotective father who would grant his child’s every wish. Chae Ju-yeon began to wonder if Gyeoul might actually be the true powerhouse of the Yeomyeong Guild, as she seemed to have the power to make the “strongest man” bend to her will.

‘If I want to strengthen ties with the Yeomyeong Guild, maybe it’s better to bond with these beast-kin children rather than try to get close to Kang Jin-ho himself.’

It was a thought that was likely shared by the other Guild Masters. Even as they pondered this, Kang Jin-ho continued to pat Winter’s head.

“Once you’re done with your snack, go outside and play. Feel free to dig up the park as much as you want.”

“Okay…”

He wanted her to play? She had planned to work after finishing her snack, but if Kang Jin-ho was insisting, she couldn’t say no. It looked like she’d be spending the rest of her day playing.

“Levinas, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Levinas, holding an armful of snacks, quickly latched onto Winter’s side. Kang Jin-ho turned to the other Guild Masters and spoke up.

“…Let’s wrap this up here. I should keep an eye on the kids.”

“Oh…”

So, taking care of the children took priority over the meeting? Chae Ju-yeon, quick to assess the situation, raised her hand.

“Could I join you? I love spending time with kids.”

“…Suit yourself.”

Kang Jin-ho gave her a sidelong glance before following Gyeoul and Levinas outside, his eyes sharp as if warning her not to try anything funny.

‘The look in his eyes is entirely different when it’s directed at others.’

Perhaps targeting the children first was the best strategy. With that thought, Chae Ju-yeon and the other Guild Masters followed suit, all of them seemingly on the same page.

—

Winter, Levinas, and Kang Jin-ho boarded the elevator together, along with about a dozen other Guild Masters.

The atmosphere was a bit tense, but after learning how to converse with people during her walk earlier, Winter had an idea. She tugged on Kang Jin-ho’s coat.

“I’ve been practicing my wild instincts.”

“…Wild instincts?”

“Yes. They say beast-kin can emit a fearsome aura, but I’m still not very good at it.”

“Just keep practicing. If you keep at it, you’ll get there.”

Advice from the Guild Master himself—she knew he wouldn’t say something like that lightly.

“Yes. I’ve been working on it. Actually, all that digging I did was part of my training.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I figured living wildly would help me grow my wild instincts.”

“Hm…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded casually just as the elevator doors opened. Levinas, eager to get outside, shouted excitedly and bolted out.

“Your Highness, let’s have a race!”

“O-okay!”

Levinas dashed toward the area with the holes. Thanks to my feline-like agility, I could run faster, but I slowed down to let her keep up.

“The kids are so full of energy,” a voice remarked softly behind me.

“Full of energy is good,” came another reply.

Turning around, I saw that Kang Jin-ho and some of the other adults were following us at a more leisurely pace. Were they really interested in joining us to play with Levinas? I chose to focus on my race with Levinas for now.

“Levinas!”

We ran across the park until we reached one of the larger pits we’d dug. But then, Levinas froze, her eyes fixed on something near the hole we’d dug.

“Your Highness, look, that’s Kwon Arin over there, getting scolded.”

“Huh?”

I looked in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, Kwon Arin stood nearby, looking awkward and nervous in front of another girl around her age. I didn’t recognize the other girl, and I’d never seen her in this area before.

“Arin, weren’t you bragging about becoming an adventurer since you were little?”

“Y-yeah…”

“But all you ended up as was a park manager?”

“No, I just—”

Kwon Arin tried to hide the small gardening shovel in her hand behind her back. She occasionally helped us with our digging, but it looked like she’d gotten caught at a bad time.

“Word has it you don’t even leave the house anymore. Well, at least it’s nice to see you out here working,” the girl said with a mocking tone, tapping Arin’s cheek lightly.

“M-my adventuring days were a while ago…”

“Adventurer? Who would even hire you?”

“W-well, the Yeomyeong Guild…”

The girl snorted, then chuckled, tapping a badge pinned to her chest.

“Oh, please. I managed to get into Legion Guild, but you, who’s weaker than me, got into Yeomyeong Guild?”

Wow. She really had that stereotypical “mean person” vibe. If this were some story, the main character would probably teach her a lesson.

But this was real life, and real life didn’t work that way. Even though Arin was genuinely part of the Yeomyeong Guild, she didn’t seem to stand a chance against this girl. Levinas and I probably wouldn’t be much help either.

What should we do? I began to approach Arin carefully, but suddenly, Arin raised her voice and shouted back at the girl.

“It’s true! The Guild Master treasures me!”

“Arin, have you no shame…?”

“I-I’m Kwon Arin! The Guild Master even said I’m a candidate to be a future Guild Master! He said I have a talent like no one else he’s ever seen!”

Arin tapped her chest awkwardly but proudly as she spoke, trying to sound convincing.

‘Not even Yeoreum is anywhere close to being a candidate for Guild Master.’

It looked like Arin might be digging herself into a deeper hole. Maybe I should step in and apologize before things escalated.

“Um, excuse me…”

The girl, however, wasn’t looking at me. She was staring wide-eyed behind me, as if she’d seen a ghost. I turned around to see what had frozen her in place.

There stood Kang Jin-ho, along with the other Guild Masters, his brows furrowed in displeasure at Arin’s words.

‘Oh no, this is bad.’

How am I going to handle this? I was stuck, unable to figure out what to do next, and could only nervously shift my weight from foot to foot as the situation unfolded.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep