Chapter 22

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Super-Shy Kid Searches for Dad 11

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Tremble, tremble.

Tiye was trembling all over, literally plastered flat against Basto's back.

Right before her eyes loomed the entrance to a cave radiating a sinister aura.

This cave, not far from the checkpoint, was called Tenebraum.

"It was originally used as a food storehouse. But magic stones formed inside, and it turned into a monster lair."

At Veil's added explanation, she gulped hard.

At this very moment, Tiye's mind was completely filled with a single thought.

A Tyrannosaurus bursting out of the cave with a monstrous roar.

Its massive jaws gaping wide to reveal a hundred jagged teeth sticking out...

"Sc-scary..."

Her body instinctively shrank back.

Tiye glanced at Basto and Veil.

In the end, Tiye was sidelined from this siege operation.

Basto had stubbornly refused, insisting that even small magic stones were too dangerous.

At first, she'd tried pleading with Uncle Basto.

But after hearing about the T-Rex, she just couldn't push any further.

'Maybe... sieging a magic stone isn't as easy as I thought.'

Thinking back, Dad had said something similar.

'Monsters come in all kinds of types. That makes their attacks hard to predict.'

Flying monsters, ones that look almost human, even ones with five legs.

'That's why you can never let your guard down when sieging a magic stone. Slack off even a little, and you'll get seriously hurt. Honestly, I've been sugarcoating it all this time so you wouldn't get scared, Tiye? Remember this: monsters are terrifying creatures.'

She had no choice but to admit it.

'I've been too careless.'

She'd only heard stories about monsters—Tiye had never actually seen one.

To think she'd insist on tagging along with Uncle Basto and Brother Veil in that state.

'I can't be a reckless kid!'

That must be why Uncle Basto told her to wait outside.

"Alright then, Astie."

Right on cue, Basto dropped to one knee on the ground.

As she slid down from his broad back, he spoke seriously.

"Wait here with Grandpa Nordics. We'll be back before dawn."

Tiye turned her head.

A few paces away, an old man in a gray robe was smiling kindly at her.

"Don't worry too much, little one. Monsters have never once come out of that cave."

The old man who'd met them at the checkpoint and come this far with them was named Nordics.

He was the innkeeper grandpa's old friend, and his job was... what was it again?

Someone who reads the stars to predict the future... a star... something...?

"Diviner, dummy."

As if reading her mind, Veil cut in.

He smirked, lifting the corner of his mouth.

"All that talk about you being smart was a lie, huh?"

Tiye froze in shock, then bristled up.

"N-no it wasn't! Tiye's really smart, okay? My teacher and friends all say so! I just blanked out for a sec...!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Veil ruffled the top of her head vigorously, cutting her off.

"While you're waiting, be good and stay put, alright~? No crying just 'cause I'm gone."

"Tiye doesn't cry! I'm not a baby!"

Veil's eyes went wide, his face lighting up with mischief.

"You sure are a baby, though? When you first met Basto, you were bawling your eyes out, snot streaming everywhere, begging to be saved."

"Eek...!"

Tiye's eyes blazed as she puffed out her chest and stomped her foot.

"Tiye's a child! Not a baby, a chiiild!"

Veil tilted his head.

"...What's the difference between 'child' and 'baby'?"

"It's different! A child is... no, a baby is..."

Her head was spinning.

"Baby" was what grown-ups called her when they were looking down on her.

"Child" was the respectful way to refer to her!

But when she tried to explain, it all got tangled up on her tongue.

"A, a baby is for reckless little babies! And child is..."

"Pfft, then what about 'kiddo'? Or 'toddler'? 'Little guy' must be different too, right? Old man vs. geezer? Why not young man vs. youth while you're at it, squirt?"

"Th-that's!"

Just as Veil doubled over laughing at Tiye's eyes spinning in circles,

"Enough, both of you."

Basto sighed and stepped between them.

Unlike Tiye, who clamped her mouth shut in frustration, Veil stuck his tongue out at her one last time.

Basto bowed to Nordics.

"Please look after Astie."

"Good luck to you."

The forest had grown dark before they knew it.

It meant the time when monsters became active was drawing near.

Tenebraum was a fairly deep and vast cave.

Once you entered its maze-like interior, small magic stones dotted the path here and there.

Basto and Veil planned to siege one of them,

'Honestly, I'm a bit uneasy.'

Veil knew Basto was highly skilled.

Last night, just to be safe, he'd even bought info on him from the black market.

Surprisingly, Basto Paerix truly had an impressive background.

He'd lost his family in Half-Anra Village and become a wanderer, but before that, he'd been the vice leader of the Death Hounds.

'Tragic for him personally, but maybe good for me?'

There was a realm in this world that only those who'd lost something precious could reach.

The state a warrior finally attained when they let go of themselves.

When they stripped away emotions and surrendered solely to primal instincts like vengeance or rage.

Veil said to Basto,

"Just so you know, I'll be giving it my all."

"Same here."

Before entering the cave, the two gave Tiye one last look.

Tiye was staring at Basto with a somewhat sullen expression.

"Bye, Uncle Basto..."

Seeing her face full of worry, Veil bristled.

"Hey! What about me?!"

Only then did Tiye turn to Veil.

And with obvious reluctance, she gave a little wave.

"...You too, bro. Come back safe."

Suppressing a smile tugging at his lips, Veil stepped inside.

'Yeah, whatever.'

They couldn't afford to dawdle at the checkpoint anyway.

As they ventured deeper, Veil activated his mana stone exploration lamp.

In the distance, an eerie wail of something ominous echoed through.

Tiye settled under an elm tree about five minutes' walk from the cave.

Despite his hunched back, Grandpa Nordics pitched the tent just as neatly as Basto.

"Jax gave us some jerky."

For dinner, she ate two pieces of the jerky he'd offered.

The jerky from the innkeeper grandpa was incredibly salty and savory.

As darkness blanketed the surroundings and stars appeared in the sky,

the diviner grandpa began to nod off.

Tiye, on the other hand, couldn't fall asleep easily.

She knew Uncle Basto and Brother Veil were super strong, but...

For some reason, worry gnawed at her, and she hugged her kindergarten backpack containing Kkaman tight.

It had been a week already since Kkaman returned to the stone.

'I thought it'd come out again right away.'

The longer Kkaman stayed asleep inside, the more anxious Tiye grew.

She secretly opened the bag, revealing a black, glossy stone.

"Kkaman, come out already."

I've got so much to tell you.

She stared at the stone for a good while like that.

Rumble—

Suddenly, the earth shook violently.

Tiye jumped in surprise, stuffing Kkaman back into the bag and looking up.

In the distance, a red light flashed.

Her eyes locked onto it, mesmerized,

"Little one!"

when suddenly Grandpa Nordics yanked her by the scruff of the neck.

Before she could even be startled, Tiye tumbled backward, rolling across the ground.

Boom—!

And in the next instant, a massive fireball crashed down right in front of her.

Too shocked to even breathe, Tiye froze in place.

The spot now blazing fiercely from the fallen fireball

was exactly where she and Grandpa had been just moments ago.