Guild Masters (3): A Past Captured on Video
Guild masters (3). The recorded story of Winter's past. Han Yeoreum, Jeong Yu-na, and Choi Jin-hyeok were watching Winter's history unfold.
Winter huddled in the corner, trembling as she stared down at the floor. Realizing there was nowhere left to run, she clutched the hem of her ragged clothes tightly. Park Min-gyu stood before her, smirking wickedly. The footage began just like all the other bullying videos he'd made of her.
"Hey, long time no see?"
Tap, tap. Park Min-gyu prodded Winter's forehead with his fingertip. Her head, devoid of mana, snapped back as if broken.
"Long time no see, and you're not even gonna greet me?"
Slap! When Park Min-gyu struck her cheek, Winter crumpled to the ground. Leaning against the wall, she slid down slowly and let out an awkward "heh heh."
"Ah, h-hello..."
Even though the blow wasn't that hard, blood trickled from Winter's nose. Everyone watching knew it was because the child's body lacked mana.
Han Yeoreum couldn't even imagine the level of pain a mana-less child must have felt.
"I just slapped this punk's cheek, so why's his nose bleeding?"
"I-I don't know..."
A child not even eight years old yet forced a smile for survival in the face of violence. Certain that no one in the world was on her side, she didn't even glance around for help. Her eyes were half-glazed from the head shake of the slap, with focus flickering back to her sockets now and then as she desperately clung to consciousness.
But Park Min-gyu just cackled at the pitiful sight.
"This punk's such a drama queen, that's what makes it fun."
Drama queen. Packaging the child's horrific ordeal with a single word like that. Yet Han Yeoreum couldn't easily condemn Park Min-gyu. After all, she'd looked at Winter with the same strange eyes.
How terrified must she have been? How much pain? Han Yeoreum felt like her chest was being torn apart. Even witnessing a comrade's death hadn't felt this wretched. At least they'd chosen that path and met their end on it.
"Yeoreum, let's stop watching now."
"Y-yeah..."
Just one video, and Han Yeoreum's heart was pounding like mad. She knew the guilt gnawing at her was a nauseatingly repulsive emotion.
"...Yu-na."
"Yeah?"
"I'm worried about Winter. What if Park Min-gyu does something to her...? I heard there are radical beastkin out there too..."
Park Min-gyu had received proper punishment. Kicked out of his guild, stripped of his adventurer license, and fined. Since he hadn't known about the child's lack of mana, he'd gotten some leniency.
"Hmm... If we take turns staying by her side, it'll be okay, right?"
"Still, right now there's no one with her. These empty gaps in time make me anxious as hell."
"Empty time, huh..."
"Yeah. I wish I had two bodies."
Haa. As Han Yeoreum sighed, Choi Jin-hyeok, who'd been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
"You don't need to worry about that part. The Master called a guild meeting specifically to protect Winter this time."
"The meeting was about Winter?"
"Not exactly, but it gave off the vibe that messing with her would bring big trouble. If push comes to shove, other guilds will protect her too."
"Oh..."
The Master was working on it from all angles. Han Yeoreum felt a bit relieved. There weren't many adventurers, but they were scattered across the country by nature. If any of them helped Winter in a pinch, it'd be a huge support.
"Plus, Winter's basically invincible today."
"Invincible?"
"Yeah. She's out to dinner with the guild masters who attended the meeting."
"Oh..."
With them, there'd be no worries. Safer than any bunker in the world. Every single one of those attendees was the master of a top guild. If someone dared touch Winter under their protection...
Hmm...
No idiot would do that. Realizing her own foolish worries, Han Yeoreum scratched the back of her head sheepishly. She was just grateful Winter was even safer now.
"King! The one who jumps higher wins?!"
"Yeah."
Hop. When Levi Nas jumped, I followed suit. As a horn rabbit beastkin, her jumping power outdid even pro basketball players.
"How 'bout that? Levi Nas jumps super high!"
"Yeah. Levi Nas..."
Amazing. As I was about to praise her, a piercing killing intent stabbed my skin, and I whipped my head to the side in panic.
"You little shit...!"
It was Park Min-gyu. His bloodshot eyes burned with murderous rage. After enduring his torment for so long, I froze in place, unable to do anything.
"S-sorry..."
I apologized on instinct, but he just grimaced and closed in. Just as his burly hand reached for my collar, someone grabbed his wrist.
"I told you not to approach."
The Master. The moment I saw his face, I instinctively hid behind him. Levi Nas scurried behind me too.
"You, what the—!"
Park Min-gyu tried to shake him off, but the Master didn't budge. At the same time, his face twisted in horror upon recognizing the Master.
And then.
"You damn mutt!"
Crash! Someone shattered the tonkatsu shop's glass wall and charged out. A man even bigger than Park Min-gyu, who introduced himself as the master of Taesan Guild. He'd boasted it was a guild only for those who fought with fists, and true to that, he seemed pretty hot-blooded.
"...There are kids here, watch your language."
"Sorry, bro! This guy's spewing killing intent at the kids, couldn't hold back!"
"Hmph..."
The Master's gaze shifted to the shattered glass wall. The Taesan Guild master stepped over the shards, followed by the other guild masters emerging one by one.
"Oh my, were you just about to mess with our babies?"
"...Since when did they become your babies, Chae Ju-yeon?"
"Starting today. Touch them, and I won't let you off."
"Well, yeah. As adults, we can't just stand by in a situation like this..."
A man with heavy dark circles locked eyes with Master Kang Jin-ho. After staring for a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.
"Fine, whatever... I get it."
The masters approached us with slow steps. Just that was enough to make Park Min-gyu tremble violently.
"W-what the hell are you...?"
Park Min-gyu looked down at me with terrified eyes. To think the giant who'd loomed over me could show such a face. It was shocking, the first time I'd ever seen him like this.
"Bro! I'll handle this guy properly!"
"Do it where no one's watching."
"Make it so no one can see?!"
"...Do whatever."
Even amid their chilling exchange, Park Min-gyu stayed rooted. Their criminal conversation froze me in place too, assaulting all my senses. What the hell was going on?
Stunned, I just stared up at Kang Jin-ho when Chae Ju-yeon of Shinseong Guild took my and Levi Nas's hands and led us away.
"Shall we go play over there?"
"Y-yeah. Levi Nas doesn't wanna stay here..."
"Y-yeah..."
They wouldn't actually kill someone, right? Besides, the masters weren't people I could stop anyway. I glanced back at Park Min-gyu one last time before following Chae Ju-yeon. I could only pray nothing too horrific happened to him. Bad as he was, he was still human.
In truth, Chae Ju-yeon knew it too. Kang Jin-ho alone could've handled Park Min-gyu. Yet she and the other masters had no choice but to move together. They knew what Kang Jin-ho wanted.
Letting everyone know whose protection these kids are under, huh.
They were guild masters who could rightly be called overlords of their regions. Once word spread of their protection, no one would dare touch her recklessly. With so many onlookers around, the rumors would spread online in no time.
Guess this settles the debt... can't leave it hanging now.
Yeomyeong Guild, you protect the kids, so we get fitting compensation? No one dumb enough would pull that stunt. Protecting kids was a guild's natural duty. Even without rewards, they had to help any in need— they just paid a little extra attention to Yeomyeong's kids.
He's no pushover, as expected.
Whatever, it didn't matter. Kang Jin-ho would be grateful, and the kids were adorable anyway. Chae Ju-yeon smiled with her eyes and stroked their heads. The two, still shocked from the incident, looked frightened.
"Um, what'll happen to that guy just now...?"
Worried about the one who'd harbored killing intent toward her? What an angelic heart. Chae Ju-yeon decided to lie for the child's sake.
"He tried to harm Winter, so he'll get the punishment he deserves."
"Punishment...?"
"Yeah. Within the bounds of the law."
"Oh..."
Relieved at the thought of legal punishment, Winter patted her chest. Chae Ju-yeon didn't mention that Kang Jin-ho could bend that law however he pleased.