Chapter 59

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Super Skinny Kid Looking for Dad Chapter 153

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“Ha, why am I so damn anxious?”

Livia said.

Aleric shot her a glare.

“Don’t jinx it, Livia.”

But Livia couldn’t shake the uneasy look on her face.

She glanced once at Tesetan, who was polishing his sword off in the distance, then continued.

“Doesn’t it strike you as odd? That the Commander approved this duel?”

As far as Livia could tell, the Commander had no reason to accept a formal duel.

Even Tesetan agreed with her on that point.

That’s why he’d deliberately taunted the Commander even more.

To rile him up and trick him into approving the duel in a fit of anger.

But Tesetan hadn’t even needed much time to provoke him.

A few obvious barbs, and the Commander had bitten hard.

“See? Even over there, they’re on full alert!”

Sure enough, in the direction Livia nodded toward, the Agaveert mercenaries had gathered in a tight circle.

The Commander was buried in the middle, out of sight, but the atmosphere over there looked deadly serious even from afar.

“It was an impulsive move. Even his own men couldn’t predict it. That’s how ridiculous it is!”

“And what are you gonna do about it now?”

Aleric stepped in.

“Livia, the duel’s already been approved. Our Captain’s going to fight the Commander.”

Livia muttered in a half-doubting tone.

“……What if the Commander’s stronger than our Captain?”

Her eyes shook with anxiety.

“How does that even make sense otherwise? He must have some hidden power that hasn’t been revealed to the world yet. Something that could flick our Captain away without breaking a sweat. That’s why he accepted the duel—he knows he’ll win……”

“Enough, Livia. Do you really want Trebaga disbanded?”

Victor clicked his tongue.

“No, I’m just anxious!”

“Drop it. All we can do now is watch.”

Aleric let out a sigh and rummaged through his gear.

He soon pulled something out.

It was a pair of Rings of Covenant, unused for a long time.

Rings of Covenant.

High-grade magic tools that enforced oaths and promises.

Participants in a formal duel always donned these before the fight began.

The victor could remove theirs the moment the duel ended.

But the loser couldn’t take theirs off until they’d fulfilled every promise made before the duel.

The catch was that the longer it took, the deeper the ring dug into the flesh.

In the end, unless the winner removed it personally, a promise-breaking loser would lose their hand.

Since a warrior prized their wrist above all else, this structure forced the loser to honor the pact no matter what.

“I’m anxious, oh man, so freaking anxious!”

Aleric fiddled with the rings as he listened to Livia’s mutterings.

Truth be told, he wasn’t at ease either.

Still, no way it’ll come to that.

Tesetan, their Captain, wouldn’t lose.

That’s what he told himself.

Meanwhile.

“Uncle Bastooo, all Tiye has to do is win, right? Yeah?”

Tiye tugged sulkily at Basto’s arm, shaking it.

But Basto kept his lips pressed tight, saying nothing.

Tiye could tell he was furious right now.

Nordics looked just as pale.

“Tiye. That man’s a swordsman. He’ll try to close in for melee combat, and if a dangerous situation arises……”

Nordics had been relentlessly explaining every possible scenario that could unfold, without pause.

Where was Veil?

He’d slipped away from the group and was sitting alone off in the distance.

Tiye cast her eyes down glumly at his soulless expression.

……It’s Tiye’s fault.

She knew full well how dangerous a duel could be.

And she’d promised to consult the mercenaries first before doing anything risky.

But Tiye had gone and accepted the duel on her own.

But I couldn’t not do it……

She hadn’t expected it to happen today, but Tiye had been imagining and preparing for this day for a very long time.

Once she met Daddy, she had to keep him by her side no matter what.

She couldn’t let them separate again after finally finding him.

But Daddy didn’t remember her, and in his wild, reckless prime, he wouldn’t just stick around obediently.

So Tiye thought really hard about it.

There were actually quite a few options to try.

From openly tailing him everywhere to disbanding the mercenary corps and joining as his subordinate.

But every one had a fatal flaw.

Tiye always had to give something up.

If I tail him too obviously, Daddy might run off for good.

Disbanding the corps to become Daddy’s underling meant saying goodbye to her current comrades, which was impossible.

That’s why Tiye’s head had been a total mess lately.

She’d lost sleep over it, worrying alone.

But today.

Daddy, whom she’d finally met, had handed her an unexpected solution.

……A formal duel, right?

Knight against knight.

No—mercenary against mercenary.

To hold this duel, there was one promise that absolutely had to be made beforehand.

Deciding what the loser would forfeit.

And according to Basto, that promise was ironclad.

Break it, and you’d end up in prison, plus punished by magic tools or whatever.

Tiye saw this as her chance.

Maybe Tiye can win?

Ever since awakening Marvas.

Tiye had diligently practiced mana control with Blackie’s help.

Every time she bombarded with magic stones, she summoned her bone buddies, and she’d made way more minions than before.

On top of that, the duel site was pretty advantageous for her.

“No way in the plaza. His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t take kindly to a show of force there.”

Following the Princess—no, the Guild Master’s orders, she and Daddy were headed to some empty nearby ruins.

Of course, the mercenaries were coming along, and for some reason, the Lumen family looked like they’d tag along too.

“Ppu Ppu says there are tons of bone buddies in the ruins. Tiye’s super strong there, yeah?”

Tiye worked hard to reassure her comrades.

But the worry clouding their faces wouldn’t lift.

That’s when.

“Hey.”

Someone approached the Agaveert group.

Raoul and Enzo stepped aside, revealing blazing red hair.

……Gasp, that big sis!

‘Miss. Stay healthy always. Laugh a lot with the Captain.’

Daddy’s subordinate from her dream back in Pearl City.

The woman who’d held Tiye tight until the very end, even as monsters tore her apart!

“Everything ready? Unless you’ve got some scheme, let’s get on with it. Our Captain’s all set.”

But the woman’s tone was worlds apart from the dream.

Tiye’s eyebrows drooped without thinking.

But she quickly nodded with spirit.

“Yup, all ready! Let’s go!”

The woman eyed Tiye dubiously.

“……Still can’t get used to it.”

Then she tossed a teleportation circle at the Agaveert group’s feet.

A magic circle to take them straight to the duel site.

“Let’s go! Tiye’s gonna win!”

Tiye scampered over, snatched up the circle, and shouted brightly.

Raoul and Enzo nodded reluctantly.

Soon, Enzo recited the coordinates and tore the circle.

After enduring the queasy lurch for a moment, their surroundings had changed.

Trebaga, the Frost Guild, and the Lumen family arrived one after another in the distance.

Basto swallowed a sigh and knelt on one knee.

As he straightened Tiye’s cloak, a silver-haired man from Trebaga approached, holding something out.

“The Rings of Covenant.”

Tiye gulped.

So these are the promise bracelets.

Basto had explained.

Once you put them on, you had no choice but to keep the promise.

But just as Tiye extended her wrist, Veil stormed over, fuming.

“Are you insane?! Why make her wear something like that?!”

Veil glared at Aleic.

“Our Captain agreed to your damn duel. Isn’t that enough?”

Aleric’s brow furrowed.

“The Rings of Covenant are standard procedure……”

At that moment, Tesetan sauntered out from behind Aleic.

He plucked the rings from Aleic’s hand and, for all to see, slipped one onto his own wrist.

Then he flashed Veil a chilling smile.

“You go half-assed on a fight where lives are on the line?”

“What the hell are you babbling about, you psycho? Lives? This is a duel for honor!”

“Sorry, but it’s not my duel.”

In the blink of an eye, Tesetan seized Tiye’s wrist.

Before anyone could stop him, he snapped the ring onto it.

As the ring tightened to fit the child’s wrist, murder flashed across the Agaveert mercenaries’ faces.