How Druids Live with the Beast

***

The man wearing an eye patch tapped his forehead and looked at someone standing with a crooked gaze.

“So, what did you say?”

“…According to the opinions of the victim and the witness in this case, the black hound has been reclassified as a protected species.”

“…Hah.”

The man silently stood up and walked over to his subordinate.

“Who are we?”

“We are Familiar Caretakers.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We manage and observe the familiars in the protection zones…”

“No, say it again.”

The man wearing the eye patch placed his hand on his subordinate’s shoulder, moving his fingers as if playing the piano.

Following the movement of his fingers, sweat started to drip down the subordinate’s neck.

“We manage and observe the familiars in the protection zones and eliminate any risks to humanity…”

“That’s right. Our organization was created to manage familiars that pose a threat to humanity.”

The man wearing the eye patch pointed to the lion-faced emblem on his subordinate’s left arm.

“Those monsters have left the protection zones and have invaded the city. Thanks to that damn Familiar Protection Act, even when victims appear, we have to sit by and do nothing about it.”

The beasts that couldn’t even understand language.

It was chilling to think that such creatures had invaded the city.

“Because of that damn Familiar Protection Act!”

Crunch.

As the man tightened his grip, his subordinate lowered his head without a scream.

“Sorry…”

“The victim…”

Knock knock.

At the sound of a knock on the door, the man let out a deep sigh and motioned with his remaining eye.

“Go see who it is.”

“…Yes.”

After his subordinate bowed and opened the door, he was startled and bowed again.

“…Hello!”

“Why are you so surprised? Did you see a ghost?”

She smiled brightly.

“Oh, no, Director.”

“That’s right. Let’s have an energetic day today.”

She patted her subordinate on the back and walked over to the man.

“Why are you causing such a fuss from the morning?”

“It’s a misunderstanding. But what’s going on?”

Even with the man’s guarded expression, she spoke casually.

“You’ve heard the news about the black hound, right?”

“I have.”

“I know you’re upset about it, but there will be an announcement soon.”

“What kind of announcement?”

“They’re saying the black hound, which was thought to be extinct, has returned after 10 years. The higher-ups seem pleased too. The results of the familiar protection efforts are finally showing. So, Seok-hyeon, don’t touch the victim’s case. That means don’t do anything.”

She smiled slyly.

“…Director Lee Ji-hye, that sounds too complacent.”

“Complacent?”

“The black hound has returned. After 10 years. That monster has come back.”

Seok-hyeon’s gaze grew heavy.

The unhidden hatred also surfaced.

“The incident from 10 years ago was clearly our fault. It’s a mistake that can’t be covered up by any words. Don’t you know who covered it up?”

“Do you really think it was just an accident, Director?”

“Yes. If it wasn’t an accident, what was it? The black hound didn’t kill the child. The real culprit confessed, didn’t he?”

“That guy…”

“That person is already dead, Seok-hyeon. The black hound was killed unjustly, and he committed suicide out of guilt.”

Seok-hyeon fell silent.

That’s the version of events known to the public.

Now that the real culprit was dead, what could be done?

“So, don’t touch it. I’ve said it clearly, Deputy Director Seok-hyeon.”

Ji-hye wiped the smile from her face and stared sharply at Seok-hyeon.

Seok-hyeon’s gaze still looked fierce, and she approached him.

“Deputy Director Seok-hyeon, we’re not purifiers who kill familiars on sight, and we’re not poachers who salivate at the sight of familiars either. We’re familiar caretakers. We have a duty to protect citizens from familiars, but we also have a duty to protect the familiars. Don’t forget that.”

Ji-hye spoke firmly and lightly tapped Seok-hyeon’s shoulder.

“I know you’re sensitive about the black hound, but let’s do things properly, as usual. Got it?”

“…I’ll try.”

Seok-hyeon bowed his head, but his eyes were still burning with intensity.

***

“…10 years ago.”

10 years.

The long passage of time weighed heavily on Taehho’s chest, making him briefly hold his breath.

The beginning of this incident started there.

“The black hound killed a child.”

“…That’s a lie, right?”

Eunho, startled, tried to sit up, but the pain forced him to lie back down in the hospital bed.

“The black hound wouldn’t do something like that, right? Sure, it smells a bit, but it’s full of justice.”

At the mention of bad breath, Taehho had to release the atmosphere he had built up.

He wanted to say something, but to avoid the conversation taking an unintended turn, he naturally let it slide.

“Anyway, luckily, the real culprit was someone else.”

“Of course. I knew the black hound wouldn’t do it. My big brother isn’t the kind of guy to kill someone by accident, even if he poked their face.”

Taehho stared blankly at Eunho.

The first time, he let it go, but now that it had come up again, he wondered if that was an insult.

“…Did the black hound do something wrong?”

“No, I like the black hound. Please tell me.”

Eunho fiddled with the spot on his forehead where the black hound had wounded him and then glanced out the window.

The black hound had said the hospital was uncomfortable and had gone to the nearby forest instead. No matter how good his hearing was, he likely wouldn’t hear anything from here.

“…The culprit was discovered after the execution operation. Most of the black hound’s group had already been killed by then.”

Even without Taehho trying to set the mood, the word “execution” weighed heavily on Eunho.

He silently recalled what the black hound had said.

―…You killed them.

“In the name of revenge, the black hound’s group was wiped out. They were already few in number, so the impact was huge.”

“Was it a psychic that did it?”

“No, it was actually the familiar caretakers.”

“Those damn bastards! Hah! They were supposed to manage familiars, but what the hell is this mess?”

“Of course, after the black hound incident, there were purifiers involved. They hate familiars and intentionally used the familiar caretakers to kill the black hound by manipulating the situation with the child.”

“…No wonder they don’t treat us like humans. I get it now.”

“Exactly. They’re worthless scum.”

Taehho gritted his teeth. The anger was so intense that Eunho could almost hear his teeth grinding.

“So how strong are these psychics? The black hound is strong, after all.”

At least, the black hound that Eunho knew was strong.

People around him, too, had that kind of look in their eyes when they saw the black hound, and the sheer strength seemed almost unfair.

“They took the black hound’s cubs hostage. The cubs can’t enter the darkness.”

Eunho furrowed his brow. After a deep breath, he cautiously asked.

“Did… did they all die?”

“No, not all of them.”

Taehho briefly drank from a water bottle, his mouth dry, and squeezed the bottle tightly, creating a crumpled shape before awkwardly apologizing.

“Sorry.”

“No, I understand perfectly.”

Eunho didn’t push him further.

He was only summarizing the situation, but it was clear how painful it must have been back then.

“…But the cubs that were saved had to be sent back to nature.”

“…What?”

“I know it sounds strange, but familiars don’t accept human care. Even as cubs, they refuse to be tamed. It’s instinctual. Familiars can never be tamed. That’s the difference between them and animals.”

“But what about if they don’t have parents… doesn’t that make a difference?”

Even though Eunho was ignorant about familiars, he knew that cubs needed their parents.

“Exactly. The survival chances of cubs without parents are close to zero. Still, returning them to nature gave them a better chance of survival.”

As the heavy expression slowly gave way to a glimmer of joy, Eunho hesitated, then asked cautiously.

“Could it be… that the black hound’s cub is alive?”

“Well, it seemed like it had just become an adult.”

The mention of “just became an adult” made Eunho freeze for a moment.

“…So, it’s 10 years old? If you translate that to a human age, about 20 years old?”

“Well, if you put it that way, yes.”

‘…The black hound is 10 years old? A third grader?’

For a moment, Eunho imagined the black hound carrying a schoolbag and burst into laughter.

Seeing Eunho laugh alone, Taehho awkwardly chuckled as well.

‘…He said he hit his head, but it seems like it was a serious injury.’

It was clearly a very important conversation, but where exactly was the joke?

“…Ahem. Anyway, Seonho. I’d like to see the black hound again. It should be possible after I’m discharged, right?”

“Let’s meet now. I also want to see him. By the way, do you have a schoolbag for the black hound?”

Eunho confidently asked as he fiddled with his tablet.

“Isn’t that tablet running low on battery?”

As Taehho asked, Eunho looked at him while manipulating the tablet.

“Can’t you see the screen? The face of Himpia is right here.”

“…No.”

“It’s right here, really big!”

Frustrated by the lack of response, Eunho repeatedly tapped the screen.

“…?”

Taehho’s eyes narrowed.

At this point, it seemed more like a fact than suspicion.

Touching the black screen like that.

“Uh… excuse me. I need to call a nurse.”

Taehho asked for permission as he slowly backed away.

“……Ah!”

Taehho, who had been stepping back, was startled by Eunho’s exclamation.

“I made a mistake.”

As Eunho’s expression turned serious, Taehho also felt his mouth dry up.

There’s an old saying: “Don’t get close to crazy people.”

“…A mistake?”

“I pressed the wrong thing.”

“Hmm, it certainly looks like you pressed the wrong thing.”

Taehho answered awkwardly with a nervous laugh.

The way Eunho kept pressing the dead tablet was terrifying.

“…I called Himpia.”

Eunho stared at the tablet with wide eyes, his expression still in shock.

‘Can I summon another familiar right after calling one?’

Driven by curiosity, Eunho pressed the black hound’s name.

“Black hound?”

At the sound of Eunho’s voice, Taehho’s pupils moved.

But everything around them was silent.

‘Of course.’

Taehho moved with a hint of disappointment, but Eunho quickly grabbed him.

“Hold on a second. It’ll take some time for him to arrive, just wait a bit.”

About three minutes passed when suddenly, a sound came from the window, and Eunho laughed.

“See?”

“…It’s Himpia.”

Taehho looked at the window and wiped his mouth.

With a hamster-like appearance, blue fur, and small wings resembling peacock feathers, there was no doubt about it – it was Himpia.

To think that the real Himpia would appear.

“…Oh, it’s that guy!”

Himpia stuck to the window, sniffing the air.

Looking at the plump cheek, Eunho remembered that he had called the black hound out of curiosity, and a wave of guilt quickly took over him.

“Uh, sorry, I… accidentally called him. The black hound might be coming after.”

“I thought about it a lot. Really, I did. I thought about it a lot.”

It was the first time someone had stuck in his mind like this.

He even thought about wanting to see him again.

“…He really saved me from that huge creature, right?”

Himpia hesitantly spoke up.

“Hey, buddy. Listen to me. If the black hound comes, you might be shocked…”

Before Eunho could finish, the surroundings suddenly darkened, and he wiped his face.

It was already too late.

“Did you call?”

Himpia trembled violently at the thunderous sound and cautiously turned his head.

He froze.

“Why is he here again? Did a human summon him?”

The black hound’s golden-yellow eyes met Himpia’s black ones.

“……Piaaak!”

Himpia screamed and fell back helplessly.

The black hound stretched out a paw to catch Himpia.

With a look of disdain, he lightly tapped the window.

Crash.

At the sound of the window breaking, Eunho chuckled.

“That’s the weak one. He was going to be thrown.”

The black hound tossed Himpia.

Before he could hit the floor, Taehho, who had frozen in place, quickly caught Himpia.

“……Got it! Got it!”

“Is Himpia okay?”

“He’s fine, except for being unconscious.”

Taehho’s hands trembled as he held Himpia.

Catching a familiar with bare hands.

“Well, that’s a relief, but there’s a problem. Our big brother the black hound broke the window again… Is it okay?”

“I-it’s fine! It’s definitely fine!”

Taehho shouted, unable to contain his rising emotions.

A crazy thing had happened.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought he was crazy, but no, it was fine to be crazy.

Eunho had summoned two familiars.

“……Se-se-seonho!”

Taehho shouted even louder.

It was clear that he was very excited.

“Calm down. I think the sedative I’m holding is for you, Taehho.”

“Would you… would you like to come to our lab?”

“No, absolutely not.”

Eunho answered casually while enjoying the breeze coming through the broken window.

He had left the company because he hated it, and now he was being tied to it again.

The very idea of it made him want to gag.

***

“…Piaaak!”

Without being called, Himpia came to the hospital and began hitting the blanket with his little front paws.

Eunho, still half asleep, looked at Himpia.

The impact didn’t matter, but watching Himpia hit the blanket made him chuckle. His back was plump, and his peacock-feather-like wings were pretty.

Eunho put on his headphones.

“How could you do that! You bad human! You sold me out!”

‘If it’s the black hound, he must be in the shadows.’

Eunho didn’t say anything.

Since the black hound wasn’t saying anything either, it seemed like there was no damage done.

Creak.

The sound of the door opening made Himpia freeze.

“…Seonho? Did I disturb your sleep?”

Taehho entered with a mischievous smile.

“If you’re offering me the lab position, feel free to take the fruit basket with you.”

At Eunho’s firm reply, Taehho took a step back, leaving something behind before bringing it over. As Eunho smiled for a moment, he turned to find Himpia.

Himpia was digging into the blanket, wiggling his back paws.

The next day.

Whack!

Today again, Himpia came to find Eunho and enthusiastically hit the blanket.

‘He’s diligent, but why does he keep coming? Does he really like me that much?’

Eunho smirked and extended his finger, causing Himpia to bristle.

“Don’t touch me! I have sharp teeth!”

Four teeth shaped like squares were visible: two upper teeth and two lower teeth.

“Your teeth are sharp.”

“Right?”

Click.

Himpia proudly clashed his teeth together.

Creak.

The sound of the door opening made Eunho turn his head.

“Himpia has come to find Seonho again.”

“And Seol Taehho is probably going to try and persuade me, right?”

“…I feel a little guilty, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Taehho couldn’t back down. He needed Eunho’s power.

“I know. The reason I can’t back down is because anyone could exist, so I have to endure. I don’t want to belong to any organization.”

The next day.

And the next day, Himpia came to the hospital again to hit the blanket, and Taehho visited as usual.

“I can’t understand it at all.”

The black hound shook his head repeatedly at the actions of one human and one familiar, but Eunho was quite enjoying himself.

A week passed, and then two weeks passed quickly.

One day, as usual, Himpia didn’t come to visit.

One day.

Two days.

As the discharge date approached, Eunho grew concerned.

“I’ll go look.”

Had he grown attached over time? The black hound, who had been silent, moved.

Creak.

As expected, Taehho arrived, and he stared at Eunho, who was standing with crutches, and the empty blanket before quietly sitting down.

“…There are many people targeting familiars. Some want to tame them, others want to stuff them, and some just want to kill them…”

“Just because they’re bored?”

Eunho laughed, his face mixed with anger.

“No. Because of hatred.”

“What have familiars done to make people hate them enough to want to kill or stuff them?”

“There are many reasons, but I know that right now, you won’t listen to any of them.”

“Yeah. I’ll probably just hear some nonsensical reason.”

“Seonho, the reason I’ve been bothering you is… because I thought your power could protect at least one more familiar.”

“…I see. You were right, I had that kind of power.”

Eunho sat back on the bed and took the tablet in his hand.

Why had he foolishly waited, without using his power?

“Himpia.”

He waited.

He continued to wait for the same Himpia he had already met.

As one second felt like an hour, a sound of something hitting the window broke the silence.

“You bad human! You called me again?”

It was the Himpia Eunho knew, and he smiled brightly.

Using the crutches, he opened the window.

“Why didn’t you come suddenly?”

“You said you were going far.”

“You said you were getting discharged.”

“Well, it’s the same. …You’re a bad human, but I don’t dislike you. So, I wanted to give you a gift.”

Himpia extended a flower he had brought with his short front paws. For a moment, Eunho felt his heart waver.

“I wanted to bring more, but you bad human called me suddenly. I was going to give you a big bouquet.”

Himpia puffed up his cheeks and extended his front paws, and Eunho took the yellow flower he offered.

Looking at the flower, Eunho remembered Taehho’s earlier words.

Many people were targeting them.

“…Well, I’m going now. Live well.”

“Aren’t you scared? You said people are after you.”

“I like it here. There are many places to run away to, and I have a family.”

Himpia replied and flew up with his small wings, looking back at Eunho.

He reached out a front paw and touched Eunho’s cheek.

It was warm.

“And you’re here too.”

“…….”

“My name is ‘Ron.’ Call my name next time. You’re bad, but I’ll still allow it.”

Ron smiled widely for the first time before flying away beyond the window.

Watching him go, Eunho also smiled.

The fact that someone was waiting for him warmed his heart, but it felt different.

‘…Ah, this is it.’

Now he understood what it meant to connect with a familiar in a way that no one else could feel.

Perhaps this was something only someone with the power of a druid like him could do.

Now he understood more clearly why Taehho had come to him.

He wanted to feel this emotion again. He wanted to see them for a long, long time.

A sudden dark wind swept in.

The black hound flowed through the window and stood behind Eunho.

As before, his head tilted slightly due to the low ceiling.

“Himpia came, didn’t he?”

“He came. He gave me flowers. I guess it’s a discharge gift.”

Eunho turned his body and shook the yellow flower.

“It’s a yellow flower.”

“The big dog should give me a discharge gift too.”

“I don’t have anything to give.”

“…Then, will you come with me?”

“…?”

“Big dog, I suddenly have something I want to do.”

“Something you want to do?”

“A temporary shelter.”

“What’s that?”

“Protecting familiars, guarding them, and playing with them. That’s what I want to do.”

“Humans have no reason to protect familiars.”

Eunho nodded at the cold words of the black hound.

“I know. But my heart is moved. Maybe someone should stay by the familiars. I want to be that person. I have the strength to do it, right?”

He had grown fond of them.

The very fact that he could talk to them was happiness, and it was joyful.

After quitting his job, the notebook in which he had written down what he wanted to do disappeared when he came to this world.

He couldn’t remember what he had planned to do. But if it was something so trivial that it was easy to forget, wasn’t it fine to do what his heart was strongly drawn to instead?

For now, that was enough of a reason.

“So, big dog, I want you to stay by my side. The thought of you leaving makes my heart hurt.”

When Himpia left, Eunho realized.

The one who had stayed by his side more than anyone else was the black hound.

He met the black hound’s golden yellow eyes. The surprised emotion was clearly visible, and Eunho’s lips slowly curled up.

“Come with me.”

Eunho smiled brightly and held out the yellow flower.