The Record of Winter’s Past.

Yeoreum, Jung Yu-na, and Choi Jinhyuk were watching a recording of Gyeoul’s past.

In the video, Gyeoul was cornered, trembling, her gaze fixed on the floor. Realizing there was nowhere left to run, she clutched tightly onto her tattered clothes.

In front of her stood Park Min-gyu, grinning with a sinister smile. This was how the torment started.

“Hey, long time no see, huh?”

*Tap, tap* — Min-gyu pushed Gyeoul’s forehead with his fingertip, causing her head to jerk back as if she had no strength.

“Long time no see, aren’t you going to greet me?”

*Slap!* Park Min-gyu’s hand struck Gyeoul’s cheek, sending her crumbling to the ground. She slid down the wall, giving an awkward, forced smile.

“Uh… Hello…”

Though he hadn’t hit her that hard, blood dripped from her nose. Everyone watching knew that the child’s pain was amplified by her lack of mana. Yeoreum could barely imagine the agony she must have felt.

“Hey, why’s your nose bleeding when I slapped your cheek?”

“Um, I… I don’t know…”

The child, who looked no older than eight, wore a strained smile, one meant for survival in the face of violence. Convinced she had no allies, she didn’t even look around for help.

Her eyes were unfocused, likely from the impact, as she tried to hold onto her awareness, her gaze regaining focus intermittently. But Min-gyu only snickered at her pained expression.

“This kid sure knows how to whine. That’s what makes it fun.”

Whining. The horror this child endured was dismissed with that single word. And yet, Yeoreum found it hard to rebuke Min-gyu. She herself had once looked at Gyeoul with a similar sense of unease.

How terrified must she have been? How much pain did she endure? Yeoreum’s heart ached as if it were being torn apart. Even witnessing her comrades die had not felt as tragic. After all, her comrades had met their end by choice.

“Yeoreum, let’s stop watching.”

“Y-yeah…”

Just one video was enough to make Yeoreum’s heart race uncontrollably. The guilt she felt was so overwhelming it almost made her feel sick.

“…Yu-na.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m worried about Gyeoul. What if Min-gyu tries something again…? And there are those radical beast-kin out there too…”

Min-gyu had already faced punishment. He’d been expelled from the guild, stripped of his adventurer’s license, and fined. Since he hadn’t known about Gyeoul’s lack of mana, his sentence had been somewhat reduced.

“Hmm… We’re taking turns being with her, so I think it’ll be fine, right?”

“Even so, sometimes she’s left alone, like now. It drives me crazy with worry when there’s no one with her.”

“Alone, huh…”

“Yeah. I wish I had two bodies.”

*Sigh.* Yeoreum let out a deep breath, and then Choi Jinhyuk, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“No need to worry about that. The Master recently held a guild meeting specifically to protect Gyeoul.”

“The meeting was about Gyeoul?”

“Not exactly, but he definitely made it clear that anyone who messes with her will face serious consequences. If anything goes wrong, other guilds will also step in to protect her.”

“Ah…”

Knowing that the Master was making efforts in various ways brought Yeoreum some relief.

Though adventurers were few in number, they were spread all over the country. Surely, if Gyeoul were ever in danger, any adventurer who noticed could offer crucial assistance.

“And today, Gyeoul is practically invincible.”

“Invincible?”

“Yeah. She’s having dinner with the guild masters who attended the meeting.”

“Oh…”

With such high-ranking guild masters around her, there was no need for worry. She was likely safer there than in any bunker.

Each of those guild masters was from a top-tier guild. If someone dared to target Gyeoul while under their protection…

“Hmm…”

There couldn’t possibly be anyone that foolish. Yeoreum scratched the back of her head, realizing how silly her worries had been.

She was simply grateful that Gyeoul was safer than ever.

—

“Levinas! Let’s see who can jump the highest!”

“Yeah!”

*Boing.* Levinas leaped up, and I followed her. As a beast-kin with horned rabbit lineage, her jumping ability was comparable to that of a top basketball player.

“See? Levinas can jump super high!”

“Yeah, Levinas… you’re amazing.”

Just as I was about to praise her, a prickling sensation of malice forced me to turn to the side.

“You…!”

It was Park Min-gyu, his bloodshot eyes full of murderous intent. Having endured his torment for so long, my body froze on instinct.

“S-sorry…”

I instinctively apologized, but Min-gyu only furrowed his brows and approached me. Just as his rough hand reached for my collar, someone grabbed his wrist.

“I told you to stay away.”

It was the Master. The moment I saw him, I unconsciously hid behind him, with Levinas following right behind.

“Y-you…!”

Min-gyu tried to shake his hand free, but the Master didn’t budge. As Min-gyu realized who it was, shock spread across his face.

And then…

“You bastard!”

*Crash!* A massive figure burst through the pork cutlet shop’s glass wall, charging toward us. It was the man who introduced himself as the Master of the Taesan Guild.

They say only those who fight with their fists can join that guild, and by the look of his fierce personality, it seemed true.

“…There are kids here; maybe tone down the language.”

“Sorry, sir! This guy showed hostility toward the kids, and I couldn’t hold back!”

“Hmm…”

The Master glanced at the shattered glass. Other guild masters stepped out, crunching over the broken shards.

“Oh dear, were you trying to mess with our little ones?”

“Since when did they become ‘your little ones,’ Ms. Chae Ju-yeon?”

“From today. If anyone touches them, I’ll handle it personally.”

“Right. As adults, it’s our duty to step in, after all…”

The man with heavy dark circles looked into Master Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, and after a long gaze, let out a deep sigh.

“Fine… understood.”

Slowly, the masters approached us, and even that made Min-gyu tremble in fear.

“You… you’re really…”

Min-gyu’s terrified gaze fell on me. It was shocking to see him, who always seemed so towering, look so afraid.

“Sir! I’ll take care of this myself!”

“Just make sure no one sees.”

“You want me to make him disappear?!”

“…Do as you wish.”

Even though they spoke so horrifically, Min-gyu remained frozen in place. The criminal tone of their conversation left me equally paralyzed.

What’s… happening here? Startled, I looked up at Kang Jin-ho, and Chae Ju-yeon approached, taking mine and Levinas’s hands.

“Let’s go over there and play, shall we?”

“Y-yeah. Levinas doesn’t want to stay here…”

“Same here…”

Surely, they wouldn’t go as far as killing him… The masters weren’t people I could stop, anyway.

I glanced back at Min-gyu, then followed Chae Ju-yeon. I could only hope nothing too terrible would happen to him, as much as I despised him.

—

Chae Ju-yeon knew, of course. Kang Jin-ho alone was more than enough to handle Min-gyu.

Yet, she and the other masters had to step in. She understood Kang Jin-ho’s intentions.

‘He wants everyone to know who’s protecting these kids.’

These guild masters were leaders in their regions, practically ruling over them. Once word spread that the children were under their protection, no one would dare harm them. With so many witnesses, the news would soon spread online.

‘Well… I guess I won’t be able to leverage this for any favors.’

“We’re protecting these kids, so Yeomyeong Guild should pay us back”? No guild master would do something that foolish.

Helping children in need was a basic duty of any guild. Whether they got compensated or not, they were bound to help. In this case, they’d simply pay closer attention to the kids from Yeomyeong Guild.

‘It’s not a small commitment.’

Still, it was worth it. Kang Jin-ho would appreciate it, and the kids were just so endearing.

With a smile, Chae Ju-yeon patted the children’s heads. They still looked shaken from what had just happened.

“Um… what will happen to that man…?”

Was she worried about someone who harbored ill will against her? Such a gentle heart. Chae Ju-yeon decided to lie for her sake.

“He tried to hurt you, so he’ll be punished accordingly.”

“Punished…?”

“Yes. But within the law’s limits.”

“Oh…”

Upon hearing that he would be dealt with legally, Gyeoul sighed in relief. She didn’t need to know that Kang Jin-ho could twist the law at will.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep