Resilience in Defeat, Cruelty Revealed
After opening the box, I returned home and spent a while just furtively watching Levi Nas. My heart wasn't at ease knowing I'd put her through such a horrible experience.
...I boldly promised to help her when things got dangerous.
Far from helping, I'd only shown her myself getting helplessly beaten. It was a situation that would disappoint anyone. Embarrassed, I stared at Levi Nas from afar, peeking up at her.
If only I'd been stronger, none of this would've happened today. As I slumped my shoulders and started to gaze down at the ground—
Levi Nas, who had been standing blankly by the campfire, suddenly started hopping around in place.
"Amazing! As expected of the king!"
"Uh, y-yeah...?"
"Levi Nas fought an adult for the first time ever! Being with the king made Levi Nas's confidence surge like crazy!"
Levi Nas boasted about her exploits, swinging her tiny fists through the air. They were adorably small punches, but her confidence was bigger than anyone else's in the world.
"You fought an adult in the dungeon?"
"Yeah! But the king went super easy on them, right?!"
"Went easy?"
Sophia and I voiced our confusion in unison. I'd been the one getting powerlessly thrashed, with no mercy in sight.
"Yeah! The king didn't even use a weapon! Tried to solve it with words instead of violence!"
"...I see."
Sophia smiled warmly at me, her eyes full of pride she didn't bother hiding. It was just because I hated fighting people, but somehow I felt like I'd come off as some show-off. Blood rushed to my face.
"Gyeowol, you won that fight, so cheer up."
"M-Me?"
"Yeah! Levi Nas thinks the king won too! A totally merciful king!"
I wondered how exactly Levi Nas saw me. It was puzzling, but if they thought that way, it made me happy. I let out an awkward hehe laugh, scratching my cheek. My tail swayed along with the mood, swishing back and forth.
In the conference room at Yeomyeong Guild HQ, Guild Master Kang Jin-ho sat alongside Han Yeoreum, Jeong Yu-na, and Choi Jin-hyeok.
"So, Han Seok-jun from Legion Guild gave you the videos?"
"Yes..."
"Hmm..."
Kang Jin-ho rested his chin on his hand, staring down at the camera. Han Yeoreum gave him time to think, then cautiously spoke up after a long pause.
"Legion Guild's executive's little brother was right there, but he handed over the camera without a care."
"It was gonna get out soon anyway. He probably figured it was better to announce they're backed by Yeomyeong."
"...Are they planning to overhaul the guild?"
"If they want to reclaim their past glory."
Everyone in the room nodded at Kang Jin-ho's words. Back when the previous Legion Guild Master was alive, Legion had been on par with Yeomyeong.
The day the Legion Guild Master died of old age, some weirdo took over as master.
He'd filled the executive positions with his own cronies, ignoring achievements and skills. Legion's reputation had plummeted as a result, so anyone who'd been around since the old days was bound to be dissatisfied.
"What were they planning if I didn't take the deal?"
"They remember the old glory. Must've been desperate enough."
"Ah..."
A high-stakes gamble with good odds, it seemed. As someone who'd fed the Beast God's Blessing to Gyeowol, Han Yeoreum could understand that desperation all too well. People cling to probabilities in moments like that.
"Let's put Legion aside for now and watch the videos."
"Ah, yes."
Han Yeoreum nodded, and Jeong Yu-na moved the mouse. Neatly organized videos appeared on the wall via the beam projector.
"What's with all these?"
"Not all are Gyeowol's footage. There's a separate folder just for hers..."
Gyeowol. Jeong Yu-na clicked on the folder labeled as such. It contained dozens of videos lined up.
She hadn't watched them herself, but the intro featured Gyeowol, so she'd been able to sort them manually.
"...What's with all these?"
"......"
Jeong Yu-na fell silent at Kang Jin-ho's repeated comment. Even just Gyeowol's videos were plenty numerous.
"Let's get one thing straight before we start."
"What?"
"You're not just watching to feel guilty, right?"
"Yes..."
He'd hit the nail on the head. Han Yeoreum hung her head, fidgeting with her fingers. Maybe she had been planning to watch just to wallow in guilt, as the master said. Or even worse, to feel relieved at her own self-pity.
"You can reflect and comfort the kid without watching."
"...Yes. You're right."
"So why bother watching?"
He wanted a real reason. She could have spouted some excuse, but Yeoreum decided to be honest about her feelings.
"Because I want to understand Gyeowol more."
"Understand."
"Yes. Because I'm her family."
It was a resolve she'd made the moment she gave her the name Gyeowol. To treat the child like family. It had started from guilt, but now Gyeowol truly felt like her little sister.
"Getting sentimental..."
Kang Jin-ho shrugged and nodded toward Jeong Yu-na—his signal to play the video.
"...Playing it."
Click. With a light sound, one video appeared on the large screen.
It showed Gyeowol before her transformation. Height around mid-160s, average for a woman. Her face was hidden by the robe, but Yeoreum knew. Even caked in dirt, Gyeowol's true face had been adorably angelic.
"Give it back..."
Pre-transformation Gyeowol reached out into the air. A neutral, pretty-boy voice.
Was Gyeowol disguising herself as a boy on purpose? As Yeoreum wondered—
A familiar man in the video shook the water bottle in his hand.
"Promise you won't come back to the hunting ground, and I'll give it back."
"I can't do that..."
"Ah, this damn beggar's got some stubborn grit."
Thud—Park Min-gyu shoved Gyeowol's forehead with the bottom of the bottle. It wasn't a hard hit, but Gyeowol stumbled back five steps and fell flat on her butt.
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Why's this guy overreacting so much?"
Park Min-gyu glared at Gyeowol with contempt. Thanks to the camera panning around, they could see every detail.
"Hey, if you don't get out of here by ten, you're dead."
"Th-the water bottle..."
On-screen Gyeowol stared endlessly at the bottle. Those watching knew the yellow corn water inside was her only sustenance. Without it, she'd starve. For a child scraping by day by day, it was her lifeline.
But Park Min-gyu, oblivious and uninterested, just flashed a sleazy grin.
"Ten."
"He's really got nowhere else..."
"Nine."
"I really need this one..."
Despite Gyeowol's pleas, Park Min-gyu counted down. Like he was seriously about to do something.
"Eight."
By the midpoint, Gyeowol seemed to realize he wouldn't let her go and froze in place. But only for a moment. She crawled backward on her butt, then scrambled up and bolted.
"Seven."
Even as Gyeowol fled, Park Min-gyu kept counting. And when he reached the final—
Thwack—!
Park Min-gyu hurled the water bottle at the back of Gyeowol's head. Thrown with such force that the Tritan bottle shattered into pieces. Fragments flew through the air alongside the yellow liquid bursting like a water balloon.
Gyeowol face-planted to the ground without even a scream.
"This guy's faking it again. What a whiner."
The first video ended with Park Min-gyu's cackling. About fifty remained.
Han Yeoreum clenched her fist on the table, the echo of his laughter still ringing in her ears. She gripped so hard the massive conference table trembled.
She wasn't faking—it was real.
How agonizing and painful must it have been for a mana-less child? Yeoreum pressed a hand to her racing heart, pounding harder than in any battle.
"S-sorry. I-I can't watch."
Jeong Yu-na stared pale-faced at the floor. Even she, unfazed by cruelty, always crumbled like this when it involved Gyeowol.
As Han Yeoreum took the laptop from her, she thought: The remaining fifty probably weren't even all of it. Park Min-gyu wasn't the only one who'd mocked her.
Was this really what a child, barely born into this world, deserved? Torment that would make even adults give up on life.
Even Kang Jin-ho, who'd endured every humiliation, crossed his arms and squeezed his eyes shut.
"...It's the first day. Let's stop here."
"Yeah, everyone seems pretty shocked."
She didn't want excuses like avoiding her eyes to bully her. It was all their fault.
Snap—Han Yeoreum closed the laptop, but no one left the room. The truth revealed in that single video was shockingly devastating.