The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

The luxury Yeoreum displayed was truly astonishing.

She spent tens of millions of won in just one day.

The home appliances and kitchen tools she bought to use in my house, which weren’t even her own, up to the television that Levinas was amazed by for its large size and clear quality.

Levinas was so astonished by her wealth that she made a resolution to herself.

“Yeoreum, Yeoreum.”

That night.

When Levinas returned home, she followed Yeoreum around with a rabbit doll in one hand.

I, having nothing to do at home, also followed Yeoreum.

“Huh?”

“Yeoreum, lend your smartphone to Levinas.”

“Uh… my phone?”

Yeoreum took out a smartphone from her pocket.

It was the smartphone she had given me before to take pictures with.

“Yes. Levinas needs the smartphone.”

“Here. It’s okay to play with it, but don’t play too much, okay?”

“Yes!”

Levinas, having received the smartphone from Yeoreum, ran to the sofa and sat down.

Curious about what she was going to do, I also ran after Levinas.

Tap-

Tap-

Levinas tapped on the smartphone screen slowly while sitting on the sofa.

I wanted to ask what she was doing but didn’t want to disturb her concentration.

I just sat cautiously next to Levinas and watched the screen.

Levinas was searching for something on the internet.

The contents she had searched for appeared below the search bar.

-How to make a lot of money

-How does one make a lot of money

-Ways to become rich

“Ah.”

I thought she would be playing games or watching cartoons with the phone.

But she was looking up how to make more money.

I felt ashamed that I had put pressure on her, even though she was young.

“Are you looking up how to make money?”

“Yes! The phone is smart! It tells me a lot of things!”

“I see.”

That’s one of the positive aspects of the internet.

Truthfully, I had never used the internet in this world either.

Thinking that maybe Levinas was better at using the smartphone than I was, I kept my gaze fixed on the screen.

“Levinas will make a lot of money and give it to the king!”

“Yes. Thank you. But it’s okay for Levinas to use the money she earns however she wants.”

“Eh? Why should Levinas use the money she earns?”

“Because… it’s money she earned.”

Isn’t it a priority to spend the money one earns on oneself?

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Money should be taken by the person at the top! The money Levinas earns should all go to the king!”

Is that a rule in the radical faction?

It was a terribly unfair rule.

“Money should be spent on things you love to do.”

“Yes! Then I’ll make a lot of money and spend it on the king!”

“On me…?”

“Yes! Levinas likes the king!”

Levinas, having shouted loudly, clapped her hand over her mouth in surprise.

Levinas glanced at Sophia, who was deep asleep in a nearby massage chair, then came closer to me and whispered.

“And I’ll also buy something for the shark…!”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Right…?!”

“Yes.”

Even though she came from the radical faction, Levinas was inherently a kind-hearted child.

I decided to give her space to concentrate on her work.

<+>

I want to earn a lot of money to help others.

Levinas, with a goal in mind, explored the world of the internet deep into the night.

And then.

Vroom-!

A message popped up on the smartphone, vibrating in Levinas’s hands.

-We’ll increase your money.

It was obviously a spam message to anyone who saw it, but young Levinas was unaware of the ugliness of humanity.

She was merely dazzled by the promise that the more you invest, the more money you can make.

Tap-tap-

Levinas, with her limited knowledge, replied to the message.

Filled with the anticipation of earning more money.

-Do you really increase money?

The idea of growing money.

What should I do first if I get a lot of money?

First, I’ll buy a house for the king, and buy chocolate milk for the shark to get closer…

Levinas, filled with anticipation, hugged the smartphone.

She was overjoyed at the thought of being able to help those around her.

<+>

Recently, Levinas became busy.

Whenever we went to the hunting grounds, she followed and picked mushrooms, and without taking a break, she collected empty bottles.

She was working to the point that it worried people.

“…Levinas, how about taking a break?”

“I can’t! Levinas is in the middle of making a lump sum!”

“A lump sum?”

“Yes!”

Had she been researching ways to make money and found one?

Feeling uneasy, I made Levinas sit on a nearby bench.

“What will you do with the lump sum?”

“Levinas is going to invest!”

Oh, my.

Levinas knew about investing.

My ears and tail perked up, surprised by her knowledge.

“Levinas knows about investing?”

“No, I don’t know much!”

Planning to invest without knowing much.

It was strange, but not a bad idea.

Even if she loses money through investing, it would be a great learning experience for Levinas.

If the young girl could see and learn a lot, then it was okay to spend any amount of money.

“So, where will you invest?”

“I don’t know! Someone I met on the internet said they would grow my money!”

Pfft!

Someone nearby drinking beer spat out their drink.

I, too, would have had a similar reaction if I had been drinking something.

“Levinas, that’s a scam.”

Where did she meet such a strange person?

After a bit of thought, I realized.

Levinas had been playing with the smartphone recently.

She must have seen some spam message.

I decided to inform her before she got scammed.

“Sc, scam…?”

“Yes. Have you actually met the person who said they would grow your money?”

“Yes! I met them through something called a message!”

She had only met them through messages.

In a transaction involving money without even seeing each other’s faces.

It was a hundred percent certain to be a scam.

“Levinas, that’s definitely a scam. They’re probably planning to take the money and run.”

“What?!”

Levinas, with eyes wide as a rabbit, froze on the spot.

She was so shocked that she dropped the empty bottle she was holding.

“Still, it’s good that you found out before sending any money.”

Since she said she was making a lump sum.

She hasn’t sent the money yet, has she?

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, I saw Levinas’s pupils trembling.

“I, I’ve already sent the money…”

“What…?”

“At the convenience store, there’s a machine for sending money… I’ve been sending money whenever I get it…”

That means she’s already been scammed.

I froze in place, just like Levinas.

“Do you know how to send money with the machine…?”

“I didn’t know, so the convenience store uncle helped me…”

This can’t be happening.

Then she had transferred all the money she had made.

I was so desperate that I wanted to tear my hair out.

“How much did you send?”

“I sent a million won…”

“Gasp.”

A million won.

It was all the money Levinas had saved up since she started collecting empty bottles.

She had even saved the pocket money given by adventurers, telling her to buy snacks with it.

The fact that all her efforts had gone to waste was heartbreaking.

“Levinas is in big trouble now… The shark is going to scold me…”

Tears welled up in Levinas’s eyes.

It was like she would burst into tears with just a slight touch.

“No, it’s not Levinas’s fault…”

“The shark is going to explode Levinas…”

Sob

Levinas wiped her tears and fiddled with the choker around her neck.

‘Ah.’

We still hadn’t told her that it was fake.

I wanted to tell her the truth right then, but I decided to hold back.

In this situation, saying something would feel like a lie meant to comfort her.

“Levinas, let’s do this.”

“What…?”

“We’ll say that I was the one who sent the money, not Levinas.”

Levinas was more afraid of getting scolded by Sophia than the fact that she had lost the money.

If we could erase this fact, she would surely be able to relax.

“Then the king will get scolded…”

“It’s okay. I won’t get in much trouble. And even if I do, it won’t bother me.”

“…Because the king is brave?”

“Yes. Haven’t you seen me fight?”

Levinas, sobbing, nodded her head at my confident stance.

I instinctively knew she felt relieved.

“I wanted to earn a lot of money and surprise everyone…”

“It’s the thought that counts.”

She must have wanted to be praised by everyone for earning a lot of money.

She wanted to contribute and be of help to the household.

The scammer who exploited the child’s pure heart was truly despicable.

Of course, that didn’t mean there was a way to get the money back.

“A million won is a lot of money, but…”

Today’s scam must have taught Levinas something.

That the world isn’t so easygoing, and that one shouldn’t trust people too readily.

While a million won is a significant amount, in a way, it could also be considered a cheap lesson learned.

I, too, learned something from this.

‘The problem is how to tell the others.’

I considered just not saying anything and moving on, but eventually, I shook my head.

I didn’t want to hide such things from the people who were helping me.

And there was also a promise I made to Levinas.

“King, Levinas is very sorry… Levinas was just too scared of getting scolded…”

“It’s okay, don’t worry too much. Alright?”

“Yes…”

Anyone would be scared if they thought a bomb necklace was going to explode.

Even though it might make me look foolish, I decided to take all the blame for this incident.

I didn’t want to see that kind-hearted Levinas sad and scared.