Chapter 14
Before coming to the string section, Gru had done a little preliminary investigation and noticed that Jurim seemed to have a lot of enemies.
Even to Gru, it seemed a bit… his consistently indifferent and unfriendly attitude, which had even been shown on broadcast, looked like it could anger many people.
The Chick Class teacher had said everyone should be polite and courteous to others…
“Maybe the guild master never went to kindergarten…”
Judging by his lack of basic manners, that might be the case. Thinking about Jurim, who probably never went to kindergarten, Gru felt a little sad.
“I’ll have to try to sit in on a class with him later.”
Jurim might not be incredibly kind to everyone, but to Gru, he was the only guardian.
“He might be mean to others, but he’s good to me! I have to protect the guild master!”
But Gru was too weak—
“I need to tell the guild master.”
Just as Gru pulled the kids’ phone out of his bag and pressed the call button to warn Jurim of danger, the boy slashed his own wrist with a dagger. Bright red blood began to flow down his arm along the blade.
“…?”
Gru’s mouth fell open at the sudden sight. He had seen someone slash their wrist before in those scenes that screamed: “If you don’t meet my demands, I’ll kill myself!”
What was that called again?
“A suicide scene!”
Pale as a ghost, Gru dashed toward him.
“Don’t—!”
“Hm?”
Gidan quickly grabbed the small figure rushing toward him. Frowning at the child dangling by the scruff of his neck, Gidan inspected him from every angle.
“Hmm?”
He turned Gru 360 degrees.
“Uh… dizzy…”
“Ah.”
Gidan muttered shortly and stopped spinning. Gru clenched his fists tightly.
“…Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“This.”
“This?”
Gidan twirled the dagger, holding the blade backward, and lifted it toward Gru.
Gru flailed, stretching out both arms, then grabbed Gidan’s wrist to check it.
“…???”
Why were there no wounds? No scars, no blood dripping—nothing.
“I clearly saw him slash his wrist.”
Gru looked back and forth between Gidan and his wrist, puzzled. Gidan then gave a mischievous smile as if to say he understood.
“You saw something you shouldn’t have.”
“…Whaaaat?”
He saw it, but it had disappeared.
Gidan lifted Gru higher, locking eyes with him.
“You saw it, right?”
Gru’s eyes trembled at the gaze. This line, this situation—it felt familiar.
This was definitely a scene often shown in anime. An extra accidentally discovers a villain’s secret.
The fate of the one who sees it? Death!
Gulping nervously, Gru shook his head vigorously.
Gidan chuckled.
“Going to lie? I’ll swallow you whole in one bite.”
Eeeek! He’d been caught! Gru struggled, tears welling up in his eyes.
“P-please! Gru isn’t tasty!”
“Hm, is that so?”
“Eh?”
Gidan set Gru down and squatted in front of him, watching the tiny child with amusement.
Since Jurim hadn’t replied at all, Gru had checked various places and heard the shocking story that Jurim had adopted a kindergartener.
From the secretary’s office, they obtained the profile of Jurim’s adopted daughter:
Han Gru, 4 years old, mixed race, adopted from an orphanage (not kidnapped), small, precious, cute, lovable…
Given that the descriptors “small, precious, cute” fit a kindergartener, the child in front of Gru must be the rumored Han Gru.
“She is cute.”
Gidan had thought kids all looked similar, but seeing Gru made him revise his opinion.
“So this tiny thing is S-rank, huh.”
He pressed the child’s cheeks. Gru’s wide-eyed face tilted and then straightened repeatedly, like a roly-poly toy.
Watching the frightened, chick-like eyes, Gidan grinned.
“Tell me why I should spare a liar.”
“I’ll give you all of this.”
Gru took syrup bottles out of the crossbody bag slung over his shoulder.
“What’s this?”
He had recently learned the proper term for this.
“Bribe.”
Gidan burst out laughing.
“You want me to overlook it with this?”
Gru nodded vigorously. Bribery was Gru’s specialty; after all, he had bribed his way into the string section.
He whispered like a skilled negotiator:
“I’ll give you a special sweet strawberry syrup flavor, and it’s expensive, too.”
“Ah… sweet…”
Gidan twitched his lips, suppressing a laugh. If Gru was confident like that, maybe he could overlook it.
As he casually examined the items, Gidan widened his eyes.
“These stack?”
“Yes! But you should only use a little at a time, or it’ll go wrong.”
No item could be infinitely enhanced. The base stats had to be sufficient for the enhancement effect to fully apply.
“Well, at my level… this should be okay—”
While examining the items, Gidan suddenly froze as if he realized something. The containers looked like they had been made by a child’s hand.
“You… are a crafter?”
“Yes…”
Ha. Gidan laughed in amazement.
“Wow… you really picked up something incredible.”
Crafted items differ drastically in rarity and versatility. Normally, equipment made from the highest S-rank dungeon materials is only S-rank. But when top-grade materials are combined with a master’s craftsmanship, it becomes an S+ masterpiece, the Amakusa series.
The Amakusa series was made by the only S-rank Japanese artisan, and only four exist in circulation. Since its existence was revealed, countless artisans tried and failed to reach S+ rank.
In that situation, an S-rank crafter—and a kindergartener from an orphanage.
“If this gets out, Korea will completely lose it.”
Hunters from guilds worldwide might flock to take care of the child themselves. Thinking of the stampede, Gidan shivered. Of course, it would be a lie to say he didn’t covet the S+ masterpiece.
Gidan stared at the child.
“…So small.”
The child moved like a little chick, seeming fragile. Now Gidan understood why Jurim had insisted on adopting the child.
He held the child’s hand, placing a syrup bottle in it. The bottle fit perfectly in Gru’s tiny palm.
The child’s cute gesture made Gidan smile. Gru hesitated, looking for a chance to back away, his shoulders twitching. Gidan grinned mischievously; the child’s reactions were entertaining.
“Seems useful… should I kidnap you?”
“Eh?”
Startled, Gru shook his eyes with the kids’ phone.
“Y-you thief…”
He pressed 113 with trembling hands, as taught at kindergarten, and Gidan poked his cheek again.
“You should call 112, silly Gru.”
“I knew that! Just a mistake!”
“Doesn’t look like it~ silly Gru.”
Gru pouted.
“The one calling me stupid is even stupider!”
“Someone who knows 112 isn’t stupid; the one who doesn’t know is.”
“…!”
Gidan laughed mischievously, and Gru’s eyes wavered. This adult wouldn’t lose to a kindergartener…!
“Silly Gru.”
Ding—!
Gru could not forgive this. For the honor of the smartest in the Chick Class, should he fight?
Just as Gru clenched his fists, Gidan, having enjoyed teasing the child, stood up.
“Uff.”
He lifted Gru.
“Let’s go to Guildmaster. We need to go to the center for a rank evaluation.”
Guildmaster? Rank evaluation? Then…
“Excuse me, are you, oppa, Dani oppa?”
