The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 184

Sitting on the laps of two women, I ate the tuna they offered me.

I kept my mouth open as they eagerly fed me, barely needing to move.

Nom nom-

It was just canned tuna, nothing special, but eating together made it taste much better. My tail wagged so hard it accidentally brushed against the women’s cheeks.

I shouldn’t act like this while being fed for free. I grabbed my tail to hold it still.

“Aw.”

A disappointed sound came from behind me.

“...?”

Why are they disappointed?

I turned around, and as if they had been waiting for this moment, another spoonful of tuna entered my mouth.

The tuna was delicious, but it felt wrong to only receive without giving back. In return, I dug up some carrots from the garden and handed them to the two women.

“Wow, a gift?”

“Yes. These are our carrots; they’re really good.”

It wasn’t a lie. The carrots Levinas grew with so much care were something special, far superior to the ordinary kind.

“Thank you! I’ll make some curry with these.”

“Thank you, too.”

I bowed slightly and left the two women with their carrots, heading back to the guild building.

When I got to the elevator, ready to go home, I heard the sound of a piano playing clumsily from somewhere.

It must be the piano in the first-floor dining area. Curious, I followed the sound.

Plonk, plonk-

Even I, who didn’t know much about instruments, could tell this was a high-quality grand piano. Its lid was open, and in front of it, Levinas and Saebyeok were pressing random keys.

Plink plonk plonk-

Levinas used one finger to poke at the keys, while Saebyeok, hands in her pockets, used her tail to press them.

They shouldn’t disturb people while they’re eating.

I glanced around, but instead of being annoyed, the diners watched the kids with warm smiles.

“Hey, you two.”

Saebyeok’s ears and tail perked up, and the piano sounds stopped. Levinas turned to look at me, her eyes sparkling.

“Wang-ah! Can you play the piano?”

“Uh... just a little?”

I knew a few simple songs, nothing worth showing off.

“Really?! Levinas is great at playing piano!”

Levinas demonstrated by pressing two keys with her fingers.

Plink plonk-

The notes were out of tune and offbeat, but she didn’t care and began singing.

“The mighty hero, the strongest horned rabbit...”

It was the Animal King theme song. Her piano playing might have been awful, but her singing was surprisingly good. Saebyeok and I clapped as soon as she finished.

“Wow, amazing.”

“Was it amazing?!”

“Yeah. Playing and singing at the same time is hard, but you did it so easily.”

Unable to hold back her joy at the compliment, Levinas jumped into my arms. Poor Saebyeok, who was sitting between us, got squished in the process.

“Wang-ah, play the piano too!”

“Me...?”

“Yeah! Levinas will sing for you!”

“Hmm...”

I wasn’t very good, though.

I hesitantly pressed one key.

Ding-

The sound rang out, and my beastfolk hearing instinctively analyzed it.

“Hm...”

If I press this key, it makes that sound. What happens if I press three keys at once?

Ding dong dang-

I predicted the sound and pressed the keys. It came out just as I expected.

“...!”

My ability to analyze sounds was exceptional. Combining that with my reflexes, which could slow down my perception of time, made it easy to play an entire song, even if not as perfectly as a professional pianist.

So my abilities can shine in music too, huh?

Recalling the Animal King song in my head, I analyzed it in real time and began playing.

“Every quarter? Do all adventurers have to do it?”

“Yes. Anyone with an adventurer license must donate.”

“...Do I have to donate too?”

I was half the weight of an adult woman. Losing that much blood would probably kill me.

“...Gyeoul, donating would be a disaster for you.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Where would we even get enough blood from you?”

It was a relief that even Midsummer understood this.

Just then, Levinas jumped up behind Midsummer.

“Midsummer! Are you donating blood? Is there a vampire?!”

“Yup. I’m going to let a vampire take my blood.”

“Gasp...! Levinas will protect you!”

“No, it’s fine. They promised to use the blood carefully.”

“Carefully?”

Levinas tilted her head, then furrowed her brows.

“That’s a vampire’s lie!”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes! Vampires are liars! Levinas will watch over you!”

“You’ll watch? But aren’t you scared?”

“No! Levinas is brave...!”

Despite her words, Levinas’s body trembled. No one mocked the child’s forced bravery.

“Hmm... Okay, watching the donation might be educational.”

So we were going to observe a blood donation this afternoon. With nothing else to do, I decided to join.

At the blood donation van, we peeked through the partitions to avoid interfering.

“...Are you a vampire?” Levinas asked a nurse holding a blood bag.

The nurse chuckled at Levinas’s question.

“Yes, I am.”

“Gasp...!”

Levinas shivered.

In the silence that followed, the nurse inserted a thick needle into Midsummer’s

arm.

“...!”

The long needle went deep into her arm, and I shuddered like Levinas. There wasn’t a specific reason—I was just scared of the needle.

Maybe because I was small, the needle looked even larger, and my ears drooped in fear.

“Ah.”

Midsummer’s heart sank as she looked at me.

I had almost died, skewered by a horned rabbit. Showing me something as sharp as this needle wasn’t a good idea.

She quickly waved her free hand.

“Gyeoul, look away.”

“...?”

Why look away?

Confused, I stood still, blinking. Midsummer thought I was frozen in panic.

“Saebyeok, can you take Gyeoul outside? This must be too scary for her.”

“Okay.”

Saebyeok picked me up, carrying me away. Even as I left, I kept staring, puzzled.

‘Why are they making me leave?’

My confused expression made Midsummer misinterpret my thoughts.

She thought I was asking, Why are you showing me this?