The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 203

We pulled the cart deep into the venue.

Our assigned spot turned out to be quite tucked away.

‘This spot is terrible.’

Even with my limited knowledge of running a business, I could tell it wasn’t a good location.

Disappointment weighed on my steps as I dragged the cart forward.

"Gyeoul, you’re here!"

Yoo Sang-ah waved at me as she approached.

I didn’t want to show my disappointment in front of her kindness, but my ears and tail didn’t cooperate.

"Yes, I brought a lot to sell."

"Wow, you’ve got so many fortifiers! How many are there in total?"

"About a thousand."

I forced a smile at Yoo Sang-ah, trying to ignore my drooping ears and tail.

She gave me a slightly awkward smile in return.

"I’m sorry about the spot. It’s not great, huh? We missed the bidding window…"

"It’s fine. The spot isn’t that important."

Though, truthfully, it was.

There was a reason why prime locations were expensive.

Still, I couldn’t complain and make Yoo Sang-ah feel worse about it.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Gyeoul. Oh, and this is Choi Joo-ye from the Sacred Guild."

Following Yoo Sang-ah’s introduction, I exchanged a polite nod with Choi Joo-ye.

But something about her seemed off.

Even though the weather wasn’t particularly hot, she was sweating profusely.

"…Hello?"

"…Hello, unnie."

Unnie?

That was a word I’d never been called before.

I blinked in surprise and took a step back, only for Yoo Sang-ah to chuckle.

"Are you admitting defeat before it even starts?"

"Even if we win, this is still a problem…"

Choi Joo-ye staggered to a nearby chair and slumped down.

Apparently, there was some kind of competition going on that I wasn’t aware of.

"What’s going on…?"

"It’s just a little bet. The losing team has to call the winning team ‘unnie.’"

Ah, so that’s what it was.

But they didn’t need to include me in that, did they?

Feeling awkward about the unfamiliar title, I scratched my cheek.

"I think it’s fine if you just call me by my name…"

"What do you say to that, Sang-ah?"

Choi Joo-ye perked up, her eyes gleaming as she rose from the chair.

Yoo Sang-ah chuckled mischievously and shook her head firmly.

"I’d like to savor the taste of victory too. How about we limit it to one day?"

"One day…"

Choi Joo-ye nodded reluctantly before slumping back into her chair.

As we chatted, Levinas suddenly came running back from somewhere, waving her hands excitedly.

"King! King!"

"Huh?"

"King! There’s a much better spot over there! Can’t we go there?!"

Levinas pointed somewhere in the direction of the arena entrance, though it wasn’t visible from here.

"Well… Our spot’s already assigned, so I don’t think we can change it."

"Oh… I see…"

Levinas must have realized this spot wasn’t great either.

I patted her back gently as she drooped in disappointment.

"Don’t worry too much. If we decorate nicely, people will come."

"Okay… Levinas brought a pretty sign…"

Looking dejected, Levinas pulled a large sheet of paper out of her bag.

It was a long strip of taped-together paper with large, wobbly letters scrawled on it.

[Tasty Cat Bungeoppang]
[Tasty Horned Rabbit Carrots]

The size of the sign made it visible from a distance.

When had she made this?

The spelling was a bit off, but I decided not to correct it for now—Levinas had worked so hard on it.

Festivals were meant to be prepared with joy, after all.

"Look, there are stars and hearts too!"

"Yeah…"

Levinas had really put her all into it.

I hoped lots of people would come to appreciate her hard work.

With that thought, I began sticking various colorful patterns onto the building.

The shapes were a bit crooked, but they carried the warmth of Levinas’s effort.

As we were busy decorating, the sound of familiar footsteps echoed from the distance.

It was Chae Joo-yeon, the Sacred Guild’s master.

**

The Dawnbreak Guild’s promotional booth.

Chae Joo-yeon stopped in front of it.

“Oh my, is that Gyeoul?”

“Ah, hello…”

Gyeoul’s outstretched arm trembled as she tried to reach up.

Her short stature made it hard to place the decorative musical note-shaped paper.

Was she trying to stick that on the wall?

Chae Joo-yeon lifted the struggling Gyeoul with ease.

“Gyeoul, are you the one in charge of the promotion?”

“Yes. That’s how it turned out.”

“I see.”

Nodding, Chae Joo-yeon stood nearby as Levinas approached her.

“Master.”

“Hm?”

“Can’t you give us a better spot?”

Levinas clasped her hands together as if praying.

Chae Joo-yeon instinctively avoided her gaze.

“Well, the thing is…”

“Levinas will give you a shoulder massage if you do…”

“Uh, I feel so bad, but… there aren’t any spots left.”

“Hng…”

Levinas slumped her shoulders dejectedly, looking utterly pitiful.

The sight made Chae Joo-yeon press her lips together tightly.

‘If I’d known the kids would be coming, I would’ve given them a better spot… No, spots must be assigned fairly…’

But then again, was there any need to uphold fairness so rigidly, even with children?

Her principles were making these kids feel down—was that really worth it?

Chae Joo-yeon tried to ignore her wavering convictions and looked around the Dawnbreak Guild’s booth.

What stood out the most was the handmade paper sign.

[Tasty Cat Bungeoppang]
[Tasty Horned Rabbit Carrots]

The handwriting was messy, and there were typos.

Yet, Chae Joo-yeon couldn’t help but love the booth.

How could anyone dislike a booth that a sweet little child had worked so hard to set up with her tiny hands?

“It’s so cute. Even in a corner, you’re going to draw all the customers here.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. The paper decorations are beautiful. This is the best booth I’ve seen today.”

“...!”

Levinas’s ears perked straight up.

Her wide eyes darted toward Gyeoul, seeking confirmation.

“I think Levinas’s decorations are the prettiest too.”

“Gasp!”

If the King said so, it had to be true.

Levinas threw her hands into the air in triumph.

Chae Joo-yeon, having set Gyeoul back down, grabbed Levinas’s hands and shook them playfully.

“It’s the prettiest, so it has to be in the most special spot, way in the corner.”

It wasn’t a lie.

The kids’ booth would undoubtedly attract plenty of customers.

“You’re right!”

Levinas jumped up and down, completely reassured.

There was no trace of disappointment left in her anymore.

**

A few days remained until the main matches began, but the arena was already bustling with people.

This was thanks to the preliminary matches taking place.

Having finished setting up our booth, we decided to watch the preliminaries.

Fortunately, guild affiliates could enter for free.

“Wow…”

It was a duel between a spearman and a swordsman.

The spearman deftly deflected an incoming wooden sword.

Then, with precision, he thrust his wooden spear into the swordsman’s chest.

Though it was just a wooden spear and didn’t pierce through, the impact seemed significant.

The swordsman coughed up a handful of blood but managed to stay on his feet.

“Whoa!”

“That’s amazing!”

“How do they fight like that without mana?”

Clap clap clap!

Cheers and applause filled the air.

I was about to join in when Levinas, sitting next to me, began trembling.

“Levinas, are you really scared?”

“Y-Yes… very scared…”

Levinas had witnessed monsters dying countless times before.

But seeing a person bleed was clearly different for her.

It looked like we needed to leave.

I reached for Saebyeok’s tail, who was watching the match intently.

“Saebyeok, let’s go outside.”

“Already? I want to watch more.”

“Well, Levinas seems really scared.”

Saebyeok glanced back at Levinas, who was trembling violently.

Without hesitation, she got up from her seat.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Saebyeok led the way, with Levinas and me following behind her.

At the arena exit, men in suits stood stationed.

Someone approached them, seemingly trying to leave, but they were quickly stopped.

“No exits are allowed during the match.”

“Why?”

“For safety reasons. You may move after the match concludes. Please remain seated unless it’s an emergency.”

The suited staff managed the crowd with firm determination, politely requesting everyone to stay put until the match ended.

‘So we can’t leave during a match.’

In a world where mana existed, it made sense.

If someone in the crowd got overly excited and caused a disturbance, it could endanger others.

To ensure spectator safety, this level of control was necessary.

‘I guess we’ll have to wait.’

Each match lasted about 15 minutes.

It wouldn’t be too long.

Just as I resolved to wait, Saebyeok approached the suited staff.

“Can we not leave now?”

“No, leaving during a match is prohibited.”

“…She’s very scared, though.”

Saebyeok pointed toward us.

Following her gesture, the suited staff glanced at Levinas and me.

“Hmm…”

They hesitated.

Levinas was clinging to my side, trembling so much that even I could feel the shaking through my body.

“Levinas, are you okay?”

“I’m scared…!”

“Just a little longer, okay?”

Thud! Thud!

The sound of blows landing echoed from the arena.

Levinas crouched down on the spot, pressing her hands over her ears and shaking uncontrollably.

“Uuuh…”

She was on the verge of tears.

Her pitiful state was enough to make me feel gloomy too.

But there was nothing I could do.

All I could do was hold Levinas tightly and try to comfort her.

“You may… leave now.”

The suited staff finally stepped aside.

They cast worried looks at Levinas and me as we passed.

I wasn’t sure why they seemed concerned about me too, but I didn’t dwell on it.

Levinas needed to get out, and that was all that mattered.