Chapter 13

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Super Skinny Kid is Looking for Dad 111

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the carriage.

Lukarion stared sullenly at Tiye, who sat across from him.

She'd been leaning against the wall, humming a little tune ever since a bit ago.

"Love is a fro-ozen raa-dish~"

Veil muttered at the incomprehensible lyrics.

"What've you been going on about freezing this whole time? You little squirt, you think you know what love is?"

"Yup!"

Veil let out a hollow chuckle at Tiye's bright, innocent expression.

"Know what? You've probably played house a couple times and now you're gonna say you're getting married, huh?"

Tiye's sparkling green eyes went wide in an instant.

"Tiye's gonna get really married, though?"

"Hahaha!"

Nordics, who'd been listening, burst into roaring laughter.

He asked with a kind smile.

"Astie. Do you want to get married when you grow up?"

"Yeees!"

Raoul and Enzo turned around with curious looks at her spirited reply.

Tiye hugged her bear doll Orb tight, puffed out her chest, and answered.

"When Tiye gets married, she's gonna wear a princess dress."

"A princess dress?"

"Yup! Two of 'em, even! For the wedding march, she'll wear the one that flares out all poofy at the bottom, and when greeting everyone, the mammoth dress!"

"Mam—what now?"

"Mammoth dress!"

Tiye tilted her head inwardly at the mercenaries' baffled expressions.

Wait, wasn't it a mammoth dress?

Anyway.

The girl's eyes sparkled again.

"Then she'll live super happily ever after with her husband, for a really, really long time."

It was a surprisingly detailed plan for something cooked up by a four-year-old.

Raoul exchanged glances with the others before asking,

"But Captain, where'd you learn all this stuff?"

Tiye immediately put on a mature expression.

"I heard moms talking about it at the playground. And marriage shows up in fairy tales, and on TV too."

"TV?"

"Yup! But..."

Tiye unwittingly clamped her mouth shut.

Suddenly, a few wedding scenes from TV flashed through her mind.

The weddings on TV were, well...

Amazing in a way totally different from Disney animations or fairy tales.

Tiye opened her mouth again, her voice turning serious.

"If the groom cheats and they divorce, he gets married again. Then the ex-wife starts bawling."

Everyone's eyes went wide, but Tiye just shrugged and kept going.

"Then they grab each other's hair and yell, 'Hey! Did you steal my husband?! Hmph! You should've taken better care of him!' And they fight."

Raoul coughed awkwardly, something caught in his throat.

Veil added in disbelief,

"Wh-what the heck is this TV thing, anyway? Teaching a kid filthy adult drama like that?"

Tiye stared at him like, you don't even know that?

"Oppa, it didn't teach me—it showed me. And TV's got way more problems than that. Like, every other day or something."

Then, mimicking Room 107 Granny's tone as if to say don't get me started,

"The world's such a mess..."

The mercenaries fell silent as Tiye shrugged and started humming again.

The girl was already peering out the window with her innocent face back on.

At that moment, the sky was perfectly clear.

'It only rained when we got to Adelin's sister's village.'

The chilly weather had warmed up enough that they could leave the window open without feeling cold.

'Just three more nights, and we're at the capital!'

Thinking that, Tiye grinned from ear to ear.

Before leaving Caldenbine Ridge, Basto had said,

'Food, drinking water—we've packed pretty much everything. With Veil recovered, we're heading out right away.'

'Waaah!'

'If we go nonstop, we can make it in four days.'

Hearing that, Tiye's heart had pounded like crazy.

It'd been a good while since Blackie helped her come to this world.

She'd stopped counting days, but it was definitely over thirty—no, forty nights at least.

'But now, head to the capital, check the Grand Commander's place, and confirm the Holy Knight Order's org chart.'

Then she'd finally know her dad's real name.

And where he was right now.

'When I meet Dad again... he won't recognize Tiye.'

But that was okay.

She'd start over from scratch with this world's Dad.

Tiye promised herself not to get upset about stuff like that anymore.

Every relationship needed time, after all.

Even making a new friend at kindergarten took effort—imagine this.

Her heart thumped excitedly.

'Room 107 Granny said, take it one step at a time, and it'll all work out.'

So Tiye would stay strong.

Taking care of the mercenaries as one of them, until the day she could tell Dad the whole truth!

The girl hugged her bear doll tight and rested her chin on the window ledge.

Her rosy cheeks were full of anticipation.

Meanwhile, at the Central Branch of the Capital Compensation Bureau.

"What the heck is this?"

Chief Ornel furrowed his brow while reviewing documents from the Eastern Branch.

In his hand was a single sheet of paper with "Agaveert" written on it.

"What do these guys have going on for their ranking to jump like this? From 39th to 12th?"

Mercenary groups rarely climbed the ranks so steeply.

Even Trevaga at its peak hadn't surged like that.

Ornel stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray.

Then he waved the documents over his head.

"Remi. Bring any attachments for this."

Someone poked her head out from between the bookshelves opposite him.

A young woman with dark circles under her eyes and messy hair.

"Agaveert attachments... Hang on, where'd I put 'em?"

She rummaged through desks here and there before crying out "Ah!"

She slipped the found paper into a binder and brought it to Ornel.

"Must've gotten missed since it came straight from HQ this morning."

The paper she handed over bore a huge emblem of the Holy Knight Order.

Meaning this document had been reviewed by the Lumen Grand Commander, who commanded the entire Order.

"Let's see, Holy Knight Order HQ official notice. Document number 3393..."

Ornel's eyes grew serious.

Indeed.

The document detailed Agaveert's ranking surge.

But one word in particular caught his eye.

"Crajar?"

Crajar—the ancient monster that even Valentis Lumen had struggled against for five days long ago?

And that beast had revived,

"And the Division Commander took it down solo...?"

His subordinate, turning away, froze in place at the mutter.

Not just Remi.

Everyone in the bustling Central Branch stared at Ornel.

Ornel calmly read on.

"HQ, after thorough review and reports from relevant agencies on the recent controversy over the 'sub-space emergence' and 'ancient monster reappearance' incident, has reached the following conclusion..."

Ornel swallowed hard.

He hesitated before picking up Agaveert's documents again.

Right there on the page.

Next to "Quarterly Ranking Change," the number stood out clearly.

"39 to 12."

He stared blankly at the paper.

Was this even possible?

If so, their growth outpaced even that "Trevaga."

Finally, after a long moment, Ornel dazedly picked up his seal.

Soon, the thunk of it stamping the signature line echoed through the bureau.

It was the moment Astie's "Fresh Mercenary Corps" Agaveert settled at 12th on the continental rankings.

And four days later.

Under the full moon shining over the capital's heart.

The Agaveert carriage rattled down the paved road.