Guild
“Seol-i..?”
Even as my sister called out to me, I turned my head away without responding. Normally, out of gratitude for raising me, I would have at least answered—but right now, I really didn’t want to say a word to anyone. I was confident that anyone in my shoes would be pissed off too. Seeing her brush off my full-force punch like it was nothing just reopened the wound in my heart. Sure, my body was so young that it might not have hurt anyway, but hearing her call it a nyangnyang punch made me feel so wronged that I pouted hard.
My sister fidgeted anxiously and tried to apologize, but it was obvious she had no idea what she’d done wrong, so I ignored her. I hoped she’d spend some time like this, figure out her mistake, and reflect on it.
…For a moment, I wondered if I was overreacting, but it was too late to take it back now. I’d just stay sulky for a bit, and once enough time passed, I could pretend it never happened. That’d smooth things over naturally.
Having settled on that plan, I noticed my sister—who’d been calling my name a few times—suddenly stand up. Then, loud enough for me to hear on purpose, she said,
“I was gonna make something super delicious for breakfast today..”
Sniff sniff.
I’d been ignoring it amid all the drama earlier, but a tantalizing aroma was wafting from the kitchen. Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten dinner last night either.
“Ah..”
Gurgle.
Oh crap—the moment I realized it, that was it. Hunger hit me out of nowhere, and I grimaced, clutching my stomach without thinking.
I’d come down from the mountains solely to get ingredients, after all. Nothing more.
“Er..”
Food. Rice. Ughhh.
“It’s the kind of amazing food you can’t stop eating once you start..”
Gulp.
I swallowed without meaning to. Normally, with my small appetite and lack of food obsession, I could’ve held out. But right now, I’d been starving since yesterday’s lunch—dinner skipped entirely. And even that lunch wasn’t a proper meal, so really, I hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. No matter how little I usually ate, that was worlds apart from starving.
“But Seol-i seems really mad, so… guess you can’t have any.. What a shame..”
My sister sounded genuinely disappointed. It was blatantly meant for my ears. Her voice stretched out slyly, like she was dead certain I’d cave. That smug look, brimming with confidence that I couldn’t possibly refuse. I couldn’t take it anymore.
Fine then—let’s see who wins this.
I stood up, ready to duel my sister over breakfast. Was she trying to win me over with food? Did she think I was that much of a glutton—no, that simple? If she really believed that, I might just have to be disappointed in her. Brace yourself. I don’t fall for food.
…Or at least, that’s what I wanted to say. The smell was too good.
“Knew you’d give in for food~”
She patted my head like I was a pet. Infuriating—but so delicious. Maybe it was the hunger, but beyond that, I could tell her cooking skills were incredible. Overflowing confidence in her own food, and it actually tasted that good? What couldn’t this sister do?
“You’re eating way better than I expected, though?”
She tilted her head, puzzled. Yesterday she hadn’t eaten this much. I guessed I should say something…? I’d heard it was polite to compliment the chef.
I swallowed and decided on the bare minimum—just one honest word, nothing more or less, to keep her from overthinking.
“D-Delicious..”
I did my best. Now could I eat in peace? Honestly, my regressed body made chopsticks a nightmare. I kept fumbling, flailing uselessly.
“Oh, right… I forgot to buy those..”
Seeing my struggle, she made an “aha” face. My tiny, delicate hands made adult chopsticks a real challenge. Given her strength stats, she’d probably already clocked that I could use mana when I punched her earlier, so no big deal. Still, I didn’t want to eat messily in front of her, so I gritted my way through it, channeling mana however I could.
“That’s..”
She looked shocked watching me wield mana to handle the chopsticks. Hadn’t expected me to go this far, huh? Seeing her thrown off gave me a weird sense of accomplishment. I didn’t know why something so silly felt good, but it did.
Maybe I should just show her my full magic arsenal. Couldn’t hurt. She might rethink underestimating me once she saw it. First impressions matter, sure—but internet wisdom said the real key was a big twist afterward to change them. Mine was ruined, but magic might make her see me differently.
Still.
I glanced down at the chopsticks. Faint mana had materialized, steadying my grip. No need for more right now. Materialization alone was impressive enough. It was like the sword aura those knights used—just applied to chopsticks. I could infuse chopstick aura! Or… chopstick-ki..?
…Who cares. Time to enjoy this meal.
……
At first, I wondered why she was sulking. Was it because I treated her like a kid? Good thing she ate well—but I’d been a little worried. Hearing her mumble “delicious” in that tiny voice made me feel like I was floating.
So this is raising a child, huh.
A child. I looked down at Seol-i. She looked no older than early elementary school—probably ten years before she could be independent. I was still in my early-to-mid twenties, but it was about time I started thinking about a partner. If I found one quick, I’d have to explain Seol-i. Wonder if that’d be okay.
I watched her for a moment, then shook my head. Not something to worry about now. Plenty of time later. And if they couldn’t accept her, they weren’t marriage material anyway. Doubting me or recoiling at her existence? Not worth it.
Yeah—in that sense, it wasn’t a bad thing. And then I looked at her hands. Awkward grip at first glance, but as an awakener, I saw it clearly. She was materializing mana to hold the chopsticks. Her own strength wasn’t enough, so she was using solidified mana to move them.
Impossible. How could this happen?
I reeled internally. A kid this young materializing mana like it was breathing? Absolutely not normal.
As expected..
I’d told myself not to jump to conclusions, but logically—if a child this young could do it, how much training had she… My teeth ground together.
Need to dig deeper.
I’d have to expand the scope and speed of my investigation. If I still couldn’t find dirt, either it was already scrubbed—or
A secret too big for me alone..
The former would be lucky. The latter? Things would blow up. And I had to keep her existence hidden—no leaks, and she couldn’t catch on. Which left… those guild folks.
“Seol-i.”
“..?”
She turned from her clumsy chopstick work, looking up at my call.
“Wanna go somewhere after we eat?”
We needed to head to the guild.