Chapter 39: Don’t Take It Away…!

Everyone has a plan that sounds good.

Until they face reality, that is.

Grounded!

Grounded, of all things…!

The girl tried to find opportunities to escape, but.

“Go to sleep.”

“B-but I’m not sleepy…”

“Just lie down and close your eyes. Go to sleep.”

There was nothing she could do with the Guild Master sticking close by to watch her.

She ate the food he fed her like a bird pecking at seeds.

When it was time to sleep, she couldn’t resist the large hand covering her eyes and drifted off.

That night, she slept soundly without a single nightmare, which was surprising.

The next day.

The girl woke up early as usual and jumped out of bed.

Ugh! I was going to sneak out while everyone was sleeping!

As expected of the Guild Master chosen by the Almighty God, he’s not easy to fool.

So today, I have to find a way to escape no matter what!

She was eagerly looking for a chance to sneak out, rolling her eyes around in her room, when.

“Guild Master! We’re here!”

“…Huh?”

For some reason, the temple, which should have been quiet, started to get noisy.

At first, she was happy, thinking, “A lot of visitors are coming, everyone will be busy, so they won’t notice if I slip out!” but.

“We’ll start right away.”

The visitors who arrived were all suspiciously large.

A crowd of burly, fierce-looking men!

What’s going on?

What on earth is happening?

They all seem to know the Guild Master, greeting him familiarly.

And there’s not just one or two of them.

She couldn’t count on both hands the number of men in similar suits she saw.

Woof-! Woof! Woof!

The girl wasn’t the only one who felt uneasy about this strange situation.

The yellow dog was also barking non-stop, its tail tucked between its legs.

“Guild Master. Are we moving this birdhouse too?”

“That… It’d be better to make a new one. Leave it.”

Cheep!

The sparrow family flew into the girl’s arms, avoiding the men poking around under their nest.

They kept pecking at her hands and rubbing their heads against her, as if saying,

‘Suspicious humans are targeting our home!’

“Hmm…”

The girl’s eyes narrowed.

This really does look suspicious!

According to what she learned in the cult, adults should be going to work at this time, so what are they doing here?

Are they all poor unemployed people who couldn’t find jobs?

Gasp.

Then, since they’re unfortunate people, I should help them a bit.

Of course, it’s not strange for the Guild Master to be here since he’s such an important person chosen by the Almighty God.

Big Sis Dayeon and Big Sis Yuyeon had just left, saying they needed to go to work soon.

The girl sprang up and quickly gathered some candy.

Red ginseng flavored candy and scorched rice flavored candy she’d received from temple visitors!

Since it’s tasty and good for the body, I should share it with these poor visitors.

So, the girl boldly set out, and the first thing she witnessed was…

“Oh no! You shouldn’t touch that carelessly.”

“Oops, I’m sorry.”

The sight of big, burly men being chased away after touching a Buddha statue.

Huh? Those people… weren’t just simple unemployed folks?

They get scolded for touching things carelessly.

Why are they trying to touch the Buddha statue?

Though the girl had avoided it as a heretic’s idol, she knew how much the monks treasured those small Buddha statues.

Every day, they wiped them with dry cloths and dusted them off.

Sometimes they even offered strange heretic prayers, so she could tell how precious these objects were.

“Hey kiddo, there are a lot of people today so it’s dangerous. Watch where you’re going.”

“…Okay.”

Muscular Monk Haein casually smiled as he spoke to her, but.

The girl noticed the hidden anxiety in his words!

Could these outsiders actually be really bad people?

“Monk! Don’t worry!”

The girl replied confidently and then scurried after a man who had gone ahead.

“…What’s this? Wasn’t she sulking after getting scolded by the Guild Master?”

Her blue hair fluttered like a sparrow’s tail feathers.

Seeing the lively girl, Haein scratched his head.

It would be better if she stayed in her room to avoid getting hurt while they moved the entire temple.

Well, I guess it’s better for her to be enjoying herself than moping around after being scolded by the Guild Master?

So he just let the girl have her fun.

After all, as one of the few strong young men in the temple, he had too much work to do.

“Hah, when will we ever finish moving all this?”

The anxiety Monk Haein felt that the girl had sensed.

Its cause was the pressure of having to finish moving in just one day.

“Ex-excuse me! Wait a moment!”

Of course, the girl who had run out without saying anything couldn’t have known this.

I’ll find out who these suspicious people are!

If they’re bad people bullying the monks just because they’re big, I’ll teach them a lesson!

I’ll make them follow the Almighty God and repent!

Flinch-

At the thin voice.

What’s this? A child’s voice in the temple?

Is, is it a ghost?

The man in the lead gulped and creakily turned his head to look behind him.

“Please explain what you’re doing right now!”

A pretty little girl in a white dress stood with her hands on her hips, wearing a stern expression.

Her skin was so pale that if he’d seen her in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t have been strange to mistake her for a real ghost, but.

There’s no way such a cute ghost could exist.

Seeing her completely harmless appearance, the man slowly unclenched his fists.

“What’s the matter, little one?”

“Answer me, please!”

Hmm.

Her voice and gaze were full of suspicion, though he had no idea what misunderstanding she might have.

Her shoulders were puffed out like a cat with its fur on end, and her chest was thrust forward.

…She’s fucking adorable.

If they weren’t strangers, he’d want to go right up to her and say, “Aww, are you upset?”

So despite being busy with many tasks to do, the man answered in a relatively kind voice.

“We’re moving the temple, so we’re packing up,”

It wasn’t such a big secret that he couldn’t tell anyone.

There were already more than ten guild members in the temple.

And there were quite a few professional movers as well, so he thought the girl would know.

But of course, the girl who had been cooped up in her room couldn’t have known this.

“Oh…”

The surprised girl reflexively covered her mouth and held her breath.

Moving the temple?

Packing up…?

This can’t be!

The temple must have gone bankrupt!

So they’re trying to sell off the remaining items!

The girl’s yellow eyes trembled.

C-could it be that they kept me in my room all this time to hide this situation?!

Maybe they ran out of money because I ate too much!

Faced with this unbelievable situation, the girl asked in a trembling voice:

“T-then, will you put red tags on things?”

She’d seen it on the internet!

Red tags are put on things belonging to people in debt, and they’re sold off here and there!

How did the man interpret the girl’s earnest gaze?

Tags? What tags is she talking about?

The man thought for a moment, then, Aha!

She must mean the large waste disposal stickers!

“Of course we have to put them on. If we put things out without stickers, they won’t take them away.”

They’ll put on red tags and take the items away.

At the man’s confident words, the girl’s face turned pale.

Oh no, this is bad.

I can sleep anywhere, but the old monks’ health will be in danger!

At that moment, the girl realized once again that money was more important than anything else for living in this world.

Guild Master! I need to find the Guild Master and ask for help!

Although I’m being punished and haven’t completed the mission I was given earlier.

Well, since I can solve it right away if I get the chance, I should ask for more missions!

With the money I got for buying so much tanghulu and drinks, it should help the temple too!

The determined girl fumbled in her pocket and took out some candy.

“Please eat this…! P-please add this too!”

Though this wasn’t what she’d brought it for, she didn’t mind using it for the monks’ sake.

However, she only had enough to give one piece to each person, far from enough for everyone.

After the girl left, scurrying away after unexpectedly handing over candy.

“…Red ginseng flavored candy? Huh?”

The man looked down at the candy with its striking red wrapper, then.

Is this how kids play pranks these days?

But her expression seemed so sincere?

Whatever the case, it was already over.

He unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth, frowning slightly at the intense ginseng flavor rising up to his sinuses.

“Oh.”

Now he remembered.

Come to think of it, didn’t the Guild Master earnestly ask everyone to treat the blue-haired girl well?

Wasn’t that child just now the one with the striking blue hair?

Hmm…

Well, even if I forgot, I didn’t make any mistakes, so it should be fine.

The man went off to find his next task, rolling the candy around in his mouth, not thinking much of it.

He couldn’t have imagined what kind of misunderstanding the girl might have from their conversation, and as a result.

“Please eat this!”

“Huh? Oh, thanks?”

“That won’t do! I’ll give you this instead…!”

“What? A doll? Where did this come from?”

The girl tried all sorts of disruptive tactics whenever she ran into employees while searching for the Guild Master.

Forced them to eat candy, so it’s bribery!

And gave them a newly made doll instead of something they should have taken, so they’ll get scolded by their superiors!

“Hey, I’m a bit jealous of the doll. I got red ginseng candy.”

“I got scorched rice flavored candy.”

“Looks like she’s trying to take care of us because we’re working hard, doesn’t it?”

While she was proud of herself for continuously disrupting the employees with her antics.

“Tsk, there’s no way that polite kid is the Guild Master’s child.”

“I agree.”

To others, she looked like a cat rubbing against guests’ necks and running away.

“Why, why isn’t she coming this way!”

Glance, glance.

The employees anxiously watched the girl’s behavior, wondering when she’d come to them.

“What are you all waiting for so eagerly?”

“Ah, that cute little girl hasn’t come to us yet…”

And finally.

“Were you waiting for the cute little girl?”

“G-Guild Master?!”

All of this commotion had reached the Guild Master’s ears.

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