"Um..."
What was this?
Was she sick or sothing?
I placed my hand on Min So-yoon's shoulder as she lay face down.
She stood up as if nothing had happened, her face expressionless.
"I apologize. I showed an unseemly side of myself."
Min So-yoon straightened her suit collar.
Though I'd heard her sobbing, her face remained as stoic as ever.
What was going on suddenly?
I tilted my head and looked around.
Han Yeoreum smiled awkwardly like she knew sothing, but didn't explain.
"Welco to the beast-kin village."
Flora and Heily, the beast-kin village mages, greeted us just like last ti.
Though we'd only t twice, their gentle nature made them feel familiar.
"Flora, Heily, it's been a while."
I ran up and gave them light hugs.
Flora accepted it warmly, while Heily seed a bit flustered but didn't pull away.
"Didn't we just et?"
"Yes."
Heily rubbed one of my ears while looking at the others.
Perhaps feeling more comfortable, she welcod them more warmly than last ti.
"Nice to et you."
"Please take care of us."
"Ah, hello."
After exchanging greetings with Flora and Heily, our group moved to the council chamber we'd seen before.
I'd expected Kwon Arin with her boundless energy to show the biggest reaction, but surprisingly it was Lee Gunwoo who seed most affected.
"I heard the village was in Baekdu Mountain... but this isn't Baekdu Mountain...?"
"You can tell?"
"Yes, could it be that in Baekdu Mountain..."
"This is a portal to reach the village. We have portals set up in various places around the world, like the one we just made in Yeomyeong."
Wow.
I was shocked listening to their conversation.
I'd thought the village was built in Baekdu Mountain, but that wasn't the case at all.
"Amazing. I've never heard of magic like this."
"Beast-kin magic differs from human magic."
"That's true."
Lee Gunwoo looked at Levinas and Bom.
Their magic was indeed different from regular mages'.
anwhile Levinas and Bom, oblivious to the discussion, just giggled while playing around.
"You seem like quite a capable mage."
"Yes. As president of Korea's Wizards Association, I have so skill. I ca to teach human magic to beast-kin mages in exchange for learning from them."
"Oh... magic isn't sothing easily taught to others..."
"True, but since my goal is advancing society through magic, I'm willing to teach up to a certain level."
"...Admirable attitude, but please don't reveal beast-kin magic to outsiders."
Don't reveal beast-kin magic outside.
This was a request to those who would learn it.
Lee Gunwoo seed to understand, nodding with a brightened expression.
"Of course. I won't act thoughtlessly."
"...Our leader child has good judgnt of character."
Flora looked at with a gentle smile.
Before I could respond, Lee Gunwoo expressed confusion.
"Leader child?"
"Haven't you heard? This child is our beast-kin... um... leader?"
Beast-kin leader.
Lee Gunwoo's eyes widened at those words.
"L-leader?"
"Yes, originally ant to be king but refused. Said a king would only ruin the group in modern society."
"King...?"
Lee Gunwoo's gaze turned to .
For the first ti, I saw uncertainty in his eyes.
'Co to think of it, I hadn't told him this part.'
He seed to have so misunderstanding.
It wasn't what he was thinking.
Just as I opened my mouth to explain, feeling flustered, we arrived at the council chamber.
**
Isaac, Wilder, and the beast-kin who had shown kindness before.
Many beast-kin had gathered in the council chamber.
I just listened to their conversations.
"I see. For magical exchange..."
"You worked for beast-kin living in the human world?"
The beast-kin discussed Lee Gunwoo, Min So-yoon, and Kwon Arin who ca for promotion.
After chatting in a relatively friendly atmosphere, they moved on to more serious matters.
"The radical beast-kin requested contact?"
"Yes..."
"...Though we'd like to refuse, we have no justification."
"Justification?"
"Yes. They have the right to evaluate Gyeoul. Ignoring them could cause big trouble."
My ears perked up at the bearded beast-kin Isaac's words.
It sounded strange that radical beast-kin would evaluate .
"The radical beast-kin will evaluate ?"
"Yes. Though there are two factions, there's only one leader."
"Ah...?"
So the radical beast-kin weren't a completely separate nation?
My mouth gaped open at this shocking revelation.
"If Gyeoul ignores them... war could break out."
"W-war?"
"Yes. You said you wanted to be soone who progresses together rather than a king. But they don't know this. They'll think you're king."
"Then..."
"They'll think we chose a king while ignoring their input."
That was certainly enough to enrage them.
Enough to anger the radical beast-kin who had been quiet until now.
The king was their legitimacy after all.
"Personally I'd prefer you didn't go, but as a beast-kin elder..."
"Yes. I understand."
I had to go.
Though divided into radical and moderate factions, they were all beast-kin at heart.
'I shouldn't abandon them just because they're a different faction.'
The beast-kin had accepted as family when I was alone.
Now I wanted to help them live well on Earth.
"Yes. I'll et them."
"Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine. I have everyone with ."
Though I was weak, those around weren't.
Being together with everyone let reach that conclusion.
**
After the eting, we went to the village's lake.
It was to take a short break.
"King!"
Levinas approached as I sat throwing stones into the lake.
Though I'd expected her to be troubled, her eyebrows were raised more confidently than anyone's.
"King! Levinas will go with you to the bad beast-kin village!"
"But that place..."
"Levinas is invincible with King! Just stay close together!"
Ahem.
Levinas puffed out her chest.
Though she should be scared of the radical beast-kin who had tornted her life, Levinas showed no fear at all.
"Gyeoul, I'll go too. If any beast-kin give you trouble, I'll teach them a lesson."
"Gaeul too."
The ever-expressionless Saebyeok and brightly smiling Gaeul.
Their usual selves helped ease my troubled mind.
"I'm... I'm actually scared. But that doesn't an I won't go with you."
Bom clenched her fists tightly.
Though her clenched fists trembled, that trembling contained Bom's determination and courage.
So everyone decided to go.
My tail swayed gently at that mont.
"Wow, amazing. The lake's erald colored. I can see fish below as big as my forearm!"
Kwon Arin's voice ca from near the lake.
She was walking around the village with her smartphone.
Looking closer, she had a livestream running.
Did the internet work in the beast-kin village?
No, wait - we were supposed to only show edited recorded footage.
I hurried over to Kwon Arin.
"Um..."
"Oh, Gyeoul's here?"
"Yes. But about the livestream..."
I looked at Kwon Arin's smartphone screen while speaking.
[Where is this?]
[Traveling overseas?]
The chat was full of question marks, presumably since she hadn't said where this was yet.
"Oh, the elders gave permission for the stream, so it's fine."
"Really?"
I'd thought we'd only show carefully edited footage.
This was much more open than I'd expected.
"Hey, do you know where this is?"
Kwon Arin giggled while filming the lake.
It was a spectacular view unique to the beast-kin village, impossible to find on Earth.
[Wow... this is truly amazing...]
[Is it Europe?]
[A dungeon?]
[Must be? As far as I know Earth doesn't have scenery like this]
[But internet works in dungeons?]
[Yeah possible near portals if there's a mage.]
People offered various opinions.
Kwon Arin addressed them in what seed like a boastful tone.
"This is the beast-kin village?"
[?]
[Beast-kin village?]
[Arin's really good at making stuff up...]
"You guys just love being fooled, huh? I got invited here by Gyeoul."
[I did hear Gyeoul was looking for people to take to the beast-kin village.]
[Really?]
[Wait, does the beast-kin village actually exist?]
[No one's ever seen it lol]
Doubt still remained in the chat.
Kwon Arin watched the chat then slowly turned her phone cara.
The cara pointed behind the lake.
Where the beast-kin village stood.
Towering trees reaching to the sky, houses perched among them, and beast-kin patrolling the streets.
The chat went silent for a mont at this fairy tale-like scene.
"...Guys?"
[Wow.]
[Oh my god.]
[Holy...]
[What is this????]
Starting with one short ssage, countless comnts began flooding in.
This was the mont the beast-kin village was first revealed to the world.
Kwon Arin's viewer count started skyrocketing in real ti.
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