chapter_0614

614 – With My Life

614 – With My Life

“Where is this place again?”

The transformed Ensia was amusing, but fierce enough that I couldn’t easily approach her.

Jeong Yuna seemed to have a similar thought, keeping her distance from the young Ensia.

“Hey, you.”

“Me…?”

“Yeah, you.”

Ensia beckoned me over with her finger.

I was scared, but after all, she was still Ensia.

As I approached without hesitation, Ensia grabbed my face and began to examine it from side to side.

“…You’re a cat, right?”

“Yes, I’m a cat.”

Dogs and cats have an inseparable relationship.

She smiled playfully as if to suggest we should get along, but for some reason, Ensia only frowned.

“I don’t like cats.”

Ensia clenched her fist tightly.

Seeing her look like she was about to throw a punch startled me, and I took a step back.

“I-I’m friends with dogs…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes… Let’s be friends…”

I stepped back toward Ensia again.

Then, as Ensia, who had been glaring at me, slowly relaxed her stance.

“…You don’t look like you could hit anyone.”

“Hehe…”

It seemed Ensia wouldn’t hit me after all.

With a sense of relief, my tail began to wag.

“Then shall we be friends?”

“…It’s hard to be friends with cats, but I can make you my subordinate.”

“I like being a subordinate.”

After all, Ensia took care of me every single day.

I decided to play the role of a subordinate, at least for this moment.

“Let’s all be Ensia’s subordinates.”

I tugged at Jeong Yuna and Argo’s clothes beside me.

Then, a startled Ensia picked me up and started running.

“Ensia?”

“Hey, how can you ask a grown-up to be your subordinate?”

“······!”

Ensia yanked my tail hard.

The unexpected tugging made my eyes go wide.

“Is it not allowed for grown-ups?”

“Of course not, grown-ups and kids have different territories.”

“I-I see… I won’t do it again.”

Even though she had become fierce, Ensia was still Ensia.

She had a basic sense of respect for adults.

“Just know that, and by the way, is this your neighborhood?”

“Yes. This is our home.”

“Really? Then let’s go there first.”

“Um… Since the guild is nearby, I’ll guide you there.”

I led Ensia to the Ggaemmi Guild.

As Ensia looked around the guild, she settled into a suitable chair.

“What kind of place is this?”

With keyboards and monitors around.

The young Ensia examined various items.

Perhaps because of her kind nature, she didn’t recklessly touch the unfamiliar objects.

‘They said they’d be back in an hour…’

Until then, I should work hard as her subordinate.

I massaged Ensia’s shoulders from behind the chair.

Fortunately, it was the weekend, so there was no chance of the staff colliding with Ensia.

The problem was when Ensia met our kids.

“Master…!”

Haneul, who had been working in the forge, must have sensed my presence, as she entered the guild with her face covered in dust.

Seeing the unfamiliar child, especially a cat, Ensia began to be on guard.

“What are you?”

Ensia exuded her wildness toward Haneul.

I often wondered how Ensia had developed such wildness.

It seemed she had grown it by frequently clashing with people.

“I-I am…”

Haneul, startled, met my gaze as she saw me massaging Ensia’s shoulders.

Perhaps misunderstanding something, Haneul began to show her wildness.

“Y-You…!”

Ensia was strong, but the destructive wildness unique to tigers was something a young child couldn’t handle.

Seeing Ensia’s body tremble, I hurriedly blocked Haneul.

“Haneul, this is Ensia. Ensia.”

“Ensia…?”

“Yes. Actually…”

I explained to Haneul why Ensia had become like this.

I whispered so that Ensia wouldn’t hear.

“Uh, Ensia…! I’m really sorry…!”

Haneul suddenly knelt down.

Then, as Ensia looked around, she cleared her throat.

“…Well, it’s fine.”

Was she forgiving even when showing her wildness?

After all, she was still the essence of Ensia.

**

The hardened Ensia quickly became friends with the kids.

To be precise, she made our kids her subordinates.

“Hey, Wolf, are you going to eat this snack?”

“…Bring it here.”

“It’s delicious, you should try it.”

“What’s ‘you should try it’?”

The young Ensia was a bit scary, but our kids didn’t mind.

They knew how well Ensia treated them.

Perhaps because the kids took good care of her, Ensia’s fierceness began to soften little by little.

“Ensia, is there anything uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Ensia, with a fierce expression, had her tail wagging rapidly.

Perhaps she didn’t like that, as she grabbed her tail with both hands.

‘I’m glad she likes it.’

I should become an even better subordinate.

As I looked around for something else I could do, Sophia entered through the guild door.

“Are you here?”

“Oh, Sophia.”

“…Sophia?”

Startled.

Ensia, trembling, turned her head toward the guild’s main entrance.

As Ensia’s gaze met Sophia, her eyes began to grow fierce again.

“Yuna told me, but it’s true.”

As Sophia approached, Ensia began to exude her wildness.

Could it be that their relationship wasn’t good during this time?

As I watched with concern, Sophia began to pet Ensia’s head.

“······!”

Ensia’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Yet her tail started to wag at an incredible speed.

Even though she was holding her tail with both hands, it was shaking enough to move her hands.

As a Beastman myself, I knew that tail was a true expression of emotion.

Thanks to that, I realized that this version of Ensia was not being honest.

“…During this time, you really were like a wild dog.”

“A wild dog?”

“Yeah, you growled so much.”

Stopping her petting, Sophia released some Mana toward Ensia.

In an instant, the young Ensia fell asleep.

“When Ensia comes back, she’ll be embarrassed, so it’s best to stop here.”

“Oh, okay.”

Come to think of it, didn’t they say she would remember everything once she returned to her original self?

It seemed best to stop here.

“I know that when Ensia wakes up, she’ll be embarrassed, but I’m kind of happy.”

“Happy?”

“Yeah, young Ensia couldn’t get along well with her peers.”

“Ah…”

“Still, since they’re around the same age, Ensia looks harmless.”

The young Ensia seemed a bit fierce, but was that what made her harmless?

Then how would she treat those who weren’t her peers?

I showed my confusion, but Sophia just smiled.

It seemed she wanted to keep the memories of her time with Ensia as something just between them.

Perhaps she was deliberately not telling me because she knew Ensia would be embarrassed.

Sophia was a very considerate person.

“When Ensia wakes up, take good care of her. Maybe… um…”

After scratching her cheek, Sophia shrugged and left the guild building.

It looked like she was trying to avoid the situation.

Seeing Sophia act like that, I began to worry a little.

**

Ensia lay down on the sofa and started to sleep.

The kids seemed fascinated by the younger Ensia, touching her ears and tail or poking her cheeks.

We played while watching the younger Ensia, but soon turned our gaze away.

It was because we didn’t want to disturb Ensia’s sleep.

After all, our kids were considerate, which was nice.

“Let’s do something else until our Ensia wakes up.”

“Okay.”

What should we do?

As I looked around, I saw Bomi giggling.

She seemed to be planning another prank.

“Gaeul, this is a button that stops time.”

“Huh?”

“I’m serious, if you press this button, the world will stop!”

As always, Bomi was teasing Gaeul, and we watched.

A button that stops time.

If only it existed… no, don’t I have a similar ability?

Just as I was tilting my head in thought, Saebyeok tapped my shoulder.

“Gyeoul, she’s waking up now.”

“R-Really?”

Ensia, lying on the sofa, cautiously opened her eyes.

“Why am I…”

As soon as she saw me, Ensia suddenly froze.

She was in a half-hearted position, trying to get up from the sofa.

“Ensia, are you awake?”

“······!”

Ensia’s ears and tail bristled.

Her eyes widened as if they were about to pop out, and her tightly closed mouth opened in a clumsy gasp.

Her complexion was so pale it seemed like all the blood had drained from her body.

“Ensia…?”

“G-Gyeoul-nim…!”

Ensia knelt down at an incredible speed.

The thud echoed throughout the guild, making me worry about her knee cartilage.

“E-Ensia…”

“Gyeoul-nim, I’m sorry…! I dared to forget my place…!”

Bang—! Bang—!

Ensia began to bang her head on the guild floor.

The floor and the mat sank from the impact.

“Ensia, wait a moment…”

“I’ll die if you tell me to die…! No, I’ll just die…!”

Ensia reached for her sword sheath.

Could she be trying to commit seppuku?

Seeing her without a hint of hesitation, I hurriedly activated my slow-motion ability.

After taking the sword away, I decided to calm Ensia down.