Chapter 17

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

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Super Stealthy Kid is Looking for Dad 115

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

Tiye stood on the first floor of the mansion, her mouth hanging open.

"Wow!"

This place was the Agaveert Mercenary Corps' new base—and finally, Tiye's house.

The underground warehouse and utility rooms were enormous, and there were countless rooms besides.

"Wow...!"

The panoramic view from the terraces on the second and third floors was every bit as stunning as the Cheonggyecheon nightscape.

"Tiye's house has a park in it, hueeong!"

And to top it all off, the house was massive.

It took a full twenty minutes just for Tiye to walk the entire perimeter.

Veil stood in front of the central staircase, chiming in in a daze.

"...Y-yeah, it's nice. Really nice."

At that moment, a chandelier the size of a mid-tier monster's torso loomed right over his head.

Tiye nodded and dashed past him with pattering footsteps.

Then she raced this way and that across the first floor, shouting all the while.

"Waaah! Tiye's house! Tiye's house!"

"Astie. Don't trip."

Lukarion and Ppu Ppu hurried after her.

Veil clicked his tongue, though a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Guess she was pretty fed up with playing super stealth all this time."

Basto nodded.

"Yeah. That informant who tailed us right after we hit the capital, and all the prying eyes besides. Must've been a lot of stress."

"We've finally made it to a real home... Good work, everyone."

As Nordics spoke up, the tension drained from the crew, and they all broke into dopey grins.

"Hello."

Someone approached them cautiously.

Basto turned, his eyes widening just a touch.

A woman with neatly pinned graying hair stood across from them, smiling warmly at the group.

She was the one who'd opened the front gate for them moments ago.

"I'm Marshal. You heard about me from Adelin, right?"

"Yes."

Marshal.

Adelin had vouched for her back in Caldenbine Ridge as utterly reliable—the longtime manager of this mansion.

Apparently, she'd been looking after it even back when it belonged to the Princess.

"Go ahead and unpack first. I've got all your rooms ready, and there's food waiting in the kitchen."

Sure enough, Marshal radiated a cozy, down-to-earth kindness.

"Figured you'd like meat, so I slow-cooked some pork shoulder with garlic and veggies. You all must be starving, huh?"

And the aroma of that pork she'd made had already filled the whole mansion.

Most of the crew, who'd skipped dinner, couldn't help but salivate.

But Basto hesitated, glancing toward Tiye.

"Sure, but Tiye's..."

Marshal burst out laughing.

She gazed fondly at Tiye, who was plastered to the window, then said,

"Let our Captain have her fun exploring. Word is she's been through a lot. A new house must seem like paradise to those young eyes, right?"

She turned to the group and clapped her hands.

"All right, all right! I'll look after the Captain from here on out, so you all eat up and get some rest!"

Basto shut his mouth.

But before he could even respond, Marshal was already heading for Tiye.

"Oh my, our Captain. So nice to meet you—I'm Auntie Marshal."

Tiye whipped her head around at the greeting.

She'd been poking at the charcoal stacked by the fireplace, and in no time, her hands were pitch black.

Marshal wiped them clean with her apron in one smooth motion, saying,

"What's our Captain's name? Wanna tell Auntie?"

Tiye's eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth stretching into a huge grin.

The girl gave a polite bow from the waist.

"Hello, Auntie. Tiye's name is Kim Astie!"

"What're you doing? Get over here."

Veil, on his way to the kitchen, called out to Basto.

Basto glanced at Marshal and Tiye mid-introductions, then turned away.

"Uh... yeah."

But for some reason, he couldn't quite bring himself to move.

Marshal's words kept echoing in his ears.

'I'll look after the Captain from here on out...'

She'd take care of Tiye herself from now on?

Objectively speaking, that was a good thing.

How much had they struggled with childcare they weren't cut out for?

Every time the kid whined until they caved and gave her something, Veil would jump in with a lecture like he'd been waiting...

'So why does it feel like this?'

Shouldn't he feel relieved? Free, somehow—like a weight lifted?

So why this nagging...

"Well then. Curious what your room looks like, our Captain?"

"Yesssss!"

"It's the Captain's room, so it's gotta be the best, right? Maybe this floor? Or the thiiiird?"

"Th-third floor?"

Before anyone knew it, Tiye had dropped all her defenses, clutching Marshal's hand tight.

"Basto! You coming or not?!"

Veil called again.

Basto dragged his feet over, no choice.

But his face was already clouded with gloom.

"Tiye only really relaxes around me..."

He grumbled to himself, sour as ever.

Was this Tiye's heaven?

Tiye sprawled out like a starfish on the rich pink bed, pondering.

The ceiling was crammed full of big and little fairies, painted thick as thieves.

At first she'd thought they were stickers and asked about it, but Auntie Marshal explained.

Those fairies were all hand-painted by a real artist.

Once she heard that, Tiye made a request of Auntie Marshal.

'Then will the painting uncle come back later?'

'Don't like the ceiling? Want me to have it changed to something else?'

Tiye wriggled bashfully before answering.

'No, I want other pictures on the walls too. Um...'

Then she pointed to the Tanipang character embroidered on her uniform.

'This is Tanipang, but Tiye wants Saekompang and Posulpang on the walls.'

'Oh my, what sparkly eyes.'

Auntie Marshal looked a little thrown but nodded right away.

Feeling chipper, Tiye headed down to the dining room for dinner.

Dinner was just like the braised pork she'd snag from 107 Grandma whenever she made kimchi.

"Uwaaah, Tiye's belly's gonna explode!"

"Tiye. Check this out."

Lukarion called as she lay there drumming her tummy on the bed.

She sat up—and there were Lukarion and Ppu Ppu in front of the wardrobe.

"Lots of pink clothes."

"Really? Wow!"

Tiye finally noticed and bolted to the wardrobe.

"Princess dresses!"

Ecstatic, Tiye rifled through her new outfits.

'What color clothes does Tiye like?'

Something about how Adelin had asked that super enthusiastically back in Caldenbine Ridge!

"All this is Tiye's...!"

She got so excited, snot bubbled out before she knew it.

Lukarion stared at her, alarmed.

"Tiye, you crying?"

Tiye shook her head hard.

"Not crying."

Of course, her heart had fluttered a little—that much was true.

Because a room this big, these sparkly princess dresses, the toy boxes stacked to one side of the wall.

"Tiye was the only one without 'em at Hanbit Kindergarten..."

Things that were pure pipe dreams back in Jongno-gu.

But Tiye bravely wiped her nose.

"It's fine! Tiye's got 'em now too!"

She wasn't the same Tiye who'd been the only one without an Elsa dress in quail class anymore!

Lukarion eyed her with an odd look.

"Gotta wear this one today!"

By then, Tiye was on tiptoe, pulling out the sparkliest dress of the bunch.

She threw it right over her current clothes, then clambered onto the pink-blanketed bed.

"Hehe."

Giggles kept slipping out.

"A room this big means I can play hide-and-seek with Dad too."

This wasn't some rented place like Gold Apartment 106, where you scraped together monthly rent.

This was really Tiye's house.

Tiye knew all too well how brutal monthly rent could be.

Dad had to work every single day in Jongno-gu just to cover it.

But that life was over now.

'Dad doesn't have to work anymore. We've got a house now, and Tiye makes money too!'

Down on the first floor right that minute, the monster cores the Agaveert crew had gathered were piled high.

Tiye was set to head to the Compensation Bureau with Basto at dawn tomorrow to cash them in.

'How much will we get?'

Several cores—ten thousand won? Maybe thirty thousand?

'Next day, gotta visit the Grand Commander's place too...'

The thoughts trailed off as drowsiness crept in.

Tiye shifted, and the hem of her new princess dress brushed her fingertips.

In her hazy state, she fiddled with it.

"Gotta wear it tomorrow too..."

She mumbled as much.