Chapter 41: Hidden Camera!

Those suspicious men were actually the Guild Master’s subordinates…?

They were moving the temple…?

“Eek…”

What have I been doing all this time?

The girl’s eyes glazed over as if her soul had left her body.

Sitting on the Guild Master’s shoulders, she swayed limply, looking just like a well-made doll.

Though it didn’t seem like such a big deal to him, the girl who had been in the dark felt differently.

She’d been so worried something bad was happening to the monks!

She’d given away the candy she’d preciously collected as gifts from the elders as bribes!

And just when she thought she’d found the Guild Master who could solve everything and felt relieved.

Ta-da! It was all a hidden camera prank! Funny, right?

It felt like a host and cameras were about to burst out from somewhere.

She’d felt this way since watching hidden camera videos, but isn’t this too mean!

“Ugh…”

Handing out candy and misunderstanding everything?

That’s okay.

It’s fine if nothing bad happened to the monks.

She’d do the same thing again if it happened twice.

But!

The Guild Master shouldn’t have done this!

How could the Guild Master she trusted deceive her!

Puff- The girl puffed out her cheeks and lightly pounded the Guild Master’s broad back with her tiny fists.

“D-do you know how worried I was…?!”

She’d planned to finish investigating the contaminated area, solve other problems step by step.

Work hard to earn money and become rich!

Then make everyone happy!

Despite knowing it was unreasonable, she’d asked the Guild Master for another advance because the situation seemed so desperate.

She’d been that desperate, but…

How much of a nuisance everyone must have thought she was!

“P-put me down. I need to go apologize…”

Her expression changed moment by moment as various thoughts raced through her mind.

She was so flustered that she forgot to act like an adult, her pronunciation slipping and her voice almost tearful.

Watching the girl’s reaction, the Guild Master finally realized his mistake and hurriedly raised his voice.

“A nuisance? Didn’t you see everyone was waiting for you to come?”

“…Huh?”

They were waiting for me?

That can’t be…

All I did was give them candy or dolls as bribes to reduce the debt.

To get them arrested for bribery, that is.

So this time, the Guild Master must be wrong!

There’s no way grown adults would be happy to receive candy without knowing better!

Unable to calm down easily, the girl continued to huff and pound the Guild Master’s back.

“Let me go so I can apologize…!”

But he wasn’t the type to let go just because she asked.

After all, he could easily guess what she was thinking to act like this.

“They were all happy that a cute kid came and gave them candy and cheered them on. If you don’t believe me, look over there.”

He pointed to the guild members who were pretending to work while sneaking glances at the girl from all around the temple.

The men who met the Guild Master’s fingertip jumped in surprise.

“We’ve been caught!”

They scattered like pigeons, hurrying off to do their work as if in a comedy skit.

Well, who wouldn’t love such a cute and kind child?

At first, they were quite disgruntled about being suddenly dragged out to help with the move.

They figured the Guild Master must have his reasons for asking.

Most came out reluctantly, thinking at least they’d get overtime pay, but.

That’s when the girl appeared.

Her actions, which she thought were delaying them from taking things away:

“If you’re tired, have some water! There’s rice drink too!”

A small, cute child running around busily, even more than them.

(It was to obstruct their path.)

Saying “Good job!” even though they hadn’t done much.

(It was to make them rest quickly.)

“I’ll help you!” she’d say to guild members three times her size, lending a hand.

(It was to slow down the moving process…!)

She was so enthusiastic that most had received her help at least once.

The guild members even bragged about who had gotten more help from her.

It was practically the best guild welfare they’d ever had.

The Guild Master had noticed this atmosphere early on.

It would have been stranger not to notice when those usually gruff guys were walking around laughing.

No wonder they even stopped their subtle power struggles and tried to unite against him.

The girl needed to know that she was bringing happiness to others.

That way, her self-esteem, which was kissing the ground, might improve.

“So there’s no need to apologize. If anything, everyone seemed to be waiting for you.”

“Huh…?”

They were really waiting for me?

The girl’s small mouth gaped open.

These kind people who were happy with just one piece of candy…

And I, I didn’t even realize and talked behind their backs, thinking they were bad people!

I’m so terrible!

Such a terrible piece of trash should go die… but I promised Mia I wouldn’t die?

Then what should I do now?!

Uh… uh…

As she rolled her eyes around and moved her lips, the Guild Master let out a deep sigh.

She just won’t understand if I speak nicely.

At this rate, she’ll misinterpret everything I say in her own way.

I guess there’s no choice.

“Stop thinking weird things and look ahead.”

The Guild Master reached out and playfully pinched the girl’s soft cheek.

It was ‘that’ cheek that Han Dayeon had repeatedly called “the devilish cheek that makes you want to suck your fingers!”

“Bweh-“

“Hmm.”

It really is quite chewy.

When he let go of her cheek, which had stretched like mochi, a blush spread across the girl’s pale face.

Hmm, so it was with this soft, fragile body that she beat up villains so well.

Newly impressed, the Guild Master turned the girl’s head to face forward.

“…Huh? Wh-where is this?”

Surprisingly, in that short time, a scene she’d never seen before had unfolded.

If it weren’t the Guild Master with her, it wouldn’t have been strange to suspect kidnapping.

The girl’s wide-eyed gaze fixed on the massive residential area before her.

“This is where you’ll live from now on.”

Though a bit far from Chungseong Guild headquarters, it was a wealthy area spanning all three major guilds’ territories, considered the safest place in Seoul.

The view was like an American-style housing complex, with no tall buildings but a series of wide houses.

Even looking down from the sky, it was hard to gauge its size.

She gaped at the sight, which had a different charm from Gyeongbokgung Palace or the Chungseong Guild headquarters, but only for a moment.

“Then, what about the monks?”

It was quite admirable how she worried about others first, as expected of her.

But now was the time for her to focus on herself.

“The temple and monks will move near the guild headquarters.”

The Guild Master led her by the hand towards one mansion, lest she start thinking unnecessary thoughts again.

“You’ve met the Han Dayeon and Han Yuyeon sisters. This is their house. It’s where you’ll live together from now on.”

Before them stood a mansion so large it stood out even in this wealthy area.

The fence was so high that ordinary people couldn’t easily enter.

Beyond it were a swimming pool and barbecue grill.

Things the sisters had never used, brought in purely for decoration.

“Eek-” The girl let out a deflating sound and hesitated at the overwhelming sight.

“Wh-wh-why am I living here?!”

Could it be the monks told them to kick me out?!

As expected, seeing her look ready to dig into the ground, the Guild Master added the explanation he’d prepared in advance.

“You’ll be working under Chungseong Guild from now on, so you’ll need a place to live. The monks have their own work to do, so it’ll be more comfortable for you to live with fellow Awakened.”

If the girl knew a bit more about the situation or had common sense, she’d know this was strange, but.

Um…

That’s right.

I need to work to earn money and become rich, right?

I can’t just play around without giving anything back to the monks forever!

If I’m with the guild member sisters, I can do more work!

“I’ve already gotten permission from the monks. It’s just up to you to decide.”

The Guild Master’s words were decisive.

If the monks agreed, it must mean they want me to go earn money!

The fear of unknown people flooding in from the morning was still vivid.

There’s no guarantee it won’t happen again, so the more money, the better.

“Then… I’ll be in your care, even though it’s shameless of me!”

Thankfully, she didn’t refuse this much at least.

The Guild Master, who had been secretly worried, was about to let out a sigh of relief when.

“I’ll pay the rent steadily!”

“Kuk!”

Now, how should I explain this?

As the Guild Master pondered, he thought, to hell with it.

He took out a lollipop he’d brought in his inventory-

“And I know how to cook, and I’ll clean too…”

And shoved it into the girl’s small mouth as she spouted nonsense.

“Oof!”

“We’re just here to look around today, so eat this while we take a tour.”

“Mmm!”

Lick, lick.

True to her sweet tooth, the girl nodded obediently with the candy in her mouth.

Well… The sisters will surely explain the rest.

He never thought he could change a child brainwashed by the cult in just a day or two anyway.

It’s something to be solved gradually, taking time.

Though it wasn’t planned for today, he should let her play like a child, as a housewarming of sorts.

Just as the Guild Master was about to land with the girl after walking through the air near the mansion.

“Huh? Guild Master? And… why are you with the Guild Master?!”

A familiar voice came from not far away.

It was a voice that had just passed puberty, familiar to both the Guild Master and the girl.

“Kim Seongyeong?”

Kim Seongyeong, who attended the student division lectures with the girl.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh… I’m moving here too…?”

By some coincidence, a line of huge moving trucks stood behind him.

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