Chapter 79 · BMMAW

Chapter 79

Rudolf is Zentangle

There was nothing left on Earth for him. At most, his parents’ graves and a few childhood memories.

But maybe because it was the place where he was born and raised, or maybe because he had been struggling to learn a completely unfamiliar language every day—he might have been more tired than he realized.

The moment he heard a familiar language, his heart jumped.

Without thinking, Juhwan looked at the girl.

She looked like a normal child you would often see in this world. Maybe her unusually pale face and clear eyes stood out a little.

“…”

But the more he looked, the more she felt slightly different.

At first glance, she seemed ordinary. But if you looked closely, she carried a subtle atmosphere that set her apart.

What’s different?

Her clothes, her appearance—none of it was particularly unusual.

Then he suddenly realized.

Even Dorothy, when he first met her, had looked somewhat worn down by life.

But this girl didn’t.

She showed no signs of being tired of life at all. She looked like a child who had grown up inside a fairy tale.

That was what made her feel so out of place.

The girl tilted her head again and asked:

[Christmas Eve… make a wish? Santa… bad guy?]

“…”

Juhwan almost answered without thinking.

But he stopped himself.

The language of Earth sounded completely different from this world’s languages. It stood out too much.

At first, he had been careless about it—but now he understood.

If he answered, he would immediately draw attention.

People around them started murmuring.

“What language is that?”
“I’ve met people from many countries, but I’ve never heard that before.”

As expected, Earth’s language stood out.

Juhwan swallowed and lowered his gaze slightly.

“It’s a very unusual language.”

As he spoke, Lizzy moved closer and pressed herself against him. She rarely acted like this outside.

He glanced at her face—she looked anxious.

She had heard him speak Korean before. She must have realized the girl was speaking the same language.

Her expression, as she looked at the girl, was slightly frightened.

Juhwan gently placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.

The Guild Master waved his hands, shooing people away.

“What are you all staring at? Get back to work! The guild’s closing soon!”

People grumbled but returned to their places. The area around Juhwan quickly cleared.

The Guild Master looked at him.

“Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk.”

“…”
“I also looked into magical beasts. About horned rabbits. You don’t seem to know much yet—it might help.”

Juhwan had already been planning to learn more, so this worked out well.

Still, the girl who knew Earth’s language bothered him.

While the Guild Master spoke, the girl stared closely at Oz in Dorothy’s arms.

Oz stared back with his black eyes.

His fur seemed slightly raised.

Noticing that, Juhwan subtly released a bit of mana from his body—just in case.

Oz’s ears twitched. His nose moved slightly, as if checking her scent.

Juhwan watched the girl carefully.

She might be dangerous. She looked like a normal human, but she could be a powerful mage.

The air felt dry. Tension crackled like static.

Small sparks flickered at his fingertips.

Lizzy and Dorothy also stiffened.

“Fufu.”

The girl suddenly laughed.

For a brief moment, her eyes looked like clear glass.

“It’s him.”

She murmured.

At that moment, Oz relaxed.

His fur settled, and his tension disappeared.

To Juhwan, nothing about the girl seemed to change—but maybe Oz saw something different.

Oz lost interest and slipped back into Dorothy’s pocket.

“Oz, sleepy?”

Dorothy giggled.

The Guild Master, looking relieved, said:

“Let’s go upstairs first. There’s something to discuss.”

The second floor of the guild seemed to be a storage area.

There were partitions dividing the space, and workers were busy moving items around, sweating even in winter.

The Guild Master led them to a quiet corner with a long table and chairs.

“Let’s sit.”

Juhwan sat beside Lizzy. The girl sat next to the Guild Master.

“I have a question for you, Juhwan. Have you ever met Santa? Or heard of Rudolf?”

“…”

Santa, maybe. But Rudolf too?

Surely this world didn’t have a Santa village…

The Guild Master grinned.

“You don’t seem to know much about magical beasts, so let me explain first.”

The biggest difference between magical beasts and normal animals was mana.

Magical beasts possessed mana.

They were omnivores. Oz was proof—he ate everything.

They also absorbed mana—from nature, magical creatures like scream carrots, or sometimes from their owners.

“If they can’t absorb mana at all, they eventually die.”

Horned rabbits were one of the most commonly seen magical beasts—but they were still rare and fast.

The Guild Master glanced at Dorothy’s pocket.

“Normally, horns grow as they mature. But yours already has one.”

Lizzy gasped.

Oz was still small, yet already had horns.

“That’s why I looked into it. I believe that one… is Rudolf.”

While listening, Juhwan observed the girl.

She kept sniffing—especially toward him.

The Guild Master continued.

“Rudolf is a magical beast created by Santa’s contractors. Not many people know about them.”

Juhwan sighed quietly.

“What is a Santa contractor?”

“Ah, starting from there?”

The Guild Master laughed.

“Heroes are summoned by royal families—that’s well known. But Santa’s contractors are different.”

A contractor meets Santa, makes a wish, and receives a gift.

That forms a contract.

But meeting Santa is extremely rare. Only royalty and high nobles know about it.

The Guild Master seemed convinced that Juhwan was a contractor.

He glanced at the girl.

“This child is the granddaughter of a former magical beast hunter. I went to ask about Rudolf, but the man had already passed away.”

The girl refused to explain anything unless it was to Rudolf’s owner.

“And then she stuck to me all day. Sniffing me like a dog. Even when I slept!”

The Guild Master sighed deeply.

“People will get the wrong idea if I’m always with a child like this…”

Juhwan smiled slightly.

As expected, she’s strange.

Lizzy couldn’t understand the conversation.

Santa. Contractors. Rudolf.

But she knew one thing.

The girl and Juhwan shared something—the same strange language.

Maybe he was someone noble. Someone important.

Maybe far more important than she thought.

Fear rose inside her.

What if someone came and took him away?

Someone great, saying he didn’t belong here.

That he didn’t belong with someone like her.

Without realizing, she gripped his arm tightly.

Juhwan looked down.

“Lizzy, it’s okay.”

He didn’t even know what she feared—but his gentle voice calmed her.

She forced a smile.

The girl suddenly leaned over the table and whispered into Juhwan’s ear.

“Rudolf is Zentangle.”

“Zentangle?”

“You know that word, don’t you?”

It was something left behind by a previous contractor—her great-great-grandmother.

“She used to complain about Santa all the time.”

Juhwan asked:

“What was her wish?”

“She wanted something that would always stay by her side.”

“And did she get it?”

“Yes.”

The girl smiled.

“Santa always keeps his promises. Even if the way is… questionable.”

She kept sniffing as she talked.

“So what does Zentangle mean?”

Juhwan explained—it was a drawing made by repeating patterns.

The girl’s face lit up.

“Oh, it’s just that? I thought it meant something special.”

She suddenly stood up, about to leave—then leaned in again and whispered:

“Did you see a red mark?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s it. That’s Rudolf’s ability.”

She whispered softly.

“You’ll understand soon. The stronger Rudolf gets, the more those patterns increase. Like a Zentangle.”

Then she stood up, smiling brightly.

“I’ll go now. I’ll come find you again later.”

She ran off down the hallway.

The Guild Master shouted:

“Hey! Do you even have a place to go?! It’s far from here!”

“It’s fine!”

Her voice faded away.

The Guild Master muttered:

“…It’s really far though.