Chapter 9

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Powerhouse Child Searches for Her Father 108

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Sniffling through her nose, Tiye shoved the third tart into her mouth.

"Tiye, you need to eat a proper meal. How many snacks is this already?"

Basto scolded her, but Tiye just vigorously shook her head no.

"Tiye hates carrot porridge."

Then, as if scared someone might snatch it away, she quickly hugged the plate of tarts to her chest.

The tarts were piled high with honey-glazed figs.

For Tiye, it was an incredibly delicious snack she'd never tasted before in her life.

"Tartoo's way better."

"...It's tart, not Tartoo."

Veil corrected her, but Tiye just shrugged her shoulders.

Tiye had stopped crying just a short while ago.

It started when the food Adelin sent arrived in the room, right in the middle of her hugging Veil and sniffling.

'Whether that woman meets her mom or not, what's that got to do with you? Huh? I told you not to keep helping others at the cost of your own health! Why do you keep stepping up for people when you can't even look after yourself—getting all sick like this...!'

Veil's tears—the first the members had ever seen from him—lasted longer than anyone expected.

He clung tightly to Tiye and sobbed for quite a while.

Of course, Tiye didn't back down to the crying Veil either.

'But Tiye lost her family just like unnie! Losing your family is so sad—you gotta help, don't you know?'

Watching Tiye stubbornly talk back despite her mana exhaustion, Veil let out a sigh.

But truthfully, Tiye herself was still pretty shocked.

Until now, she'd never really understood what mana exhaustion meant.

The power she felt inside her had never once fallen short or overflowed.

But today felt totally different.

'Did Tiye catch a cold or something...?'

Or maybe it was because she'd shared her mana with Ppu Ppu, who had just recently joined them?

The instant she manifested Stasia, an unbearable chill swept through her body.

It was like what it'd feel if she starved for a hundred days, a thousand days—not even able to twitch a finger.

Still, after sleeping it off and waking up, she felt way better, so Tiye managed to reassure the members.

Right then, someone knocked on the door to the room where the members were resting.

When they opened the door, a servant stood there holding a tray piled high with food.

"The Lord sent these up. She's handling the situation downstairs right now and asked me to tell you she'll come see you as soon as it's wrapped up."

Tiye quickly pieced it together.

Now that she'd reclaimed her position, Adelin would have a ton of work ahead of her.

According to Basto, she'd already called in the villagers to fix up the underground prison.

They had to repair it before they could lock up Reginald and the bad soldiers.

Tiye wiped her runny nose and inspected the food.

The standout on the tray was the big bowl of steaming-hot soup.

But...

"Eek, why's it orange?"

The issue was its bright orange color.

The servant gave a very kindly smile as he replied.

"This is the head chef's special carrot soup."

"Hate... it."

She was starting to wonder why carrots popped up everywhere she turned.

Tiye's hatred for carrots went all the way back to her days in Korea.

Yet her very first day in this world, meeting Basto: carrot soup.

At the gate inn, nearly force-fed a meal: carrot soup.

And now, her first meal after mana exhaustion: carrot soup again...

Tiye hopped off the bed with a serious look and checked the tray's lower shelf.

There, she spotted a few dessert-looking treats.

In the end, that's how the tart won out as Tiye's pick.

"All gone!"

Veil shook his head as she set down the plate.

Brushing crumbs from the child's mouth, he asked,

"You said you were hungry. Full just on dessert?"

Tiye grinned wide.

"Yup, it's sweet and yummy."

"...You'll be bouncing off the walls later."

Tiye always perked right up after something sweet.

She'd pestered the members plenty of times when sudden energy surges made her hyper.

Veil finally cracked a chuckle.

'Must be 'cause she's so tiny.'

It was kinda cute how a little sugar turned her into a bundle of energy.

He picked up a steamed potato from another plate on the tray and held it out.

"Eat this at least. Can't just live on snacks."

Tiye grumbled but accepted the potato from Veil.

It was perfectly cooled for a kid to chomp down on—

—when suddenly the clamor outside grew, and someone flung the door wide open.

"Astie!"

It was Nordics, sweating bullets as he burst in.

"W-what the heck happened? A battle at the lord's castle?!"

All the members stared at Nordics in shock.

"And Reginald's caught? What's that?! I had no clue—I was begging villagers to fix the carriage wheels! Planning to bolt the second you showed, Veil...!"

Silence blanketed the room.

Astie set down her potato, looking around in bewilderment.

"Didn't tell Grandpa Nordics we're here?"

Everyone exchanged dumbfounded glances.

"We meant to..."

"Sorry, I forgot to mention I'd go fetch him..."

"Old timer, you alright?"

Nordics gawked at the members, utterly baffled.

Soon his legs buckled, and he slumped right there in the doorway.

Munching on the carrot soup Tiye had left behind, Nordics said,

"The villagers sure are handy."

He was devouring it at breakneck speed—must've been starving.

"Guess they were grateful you took down Reginald, Veil. The young folks came swarming. Put metal rims on the wheels, even reinforced the axle with some prime oak outta nowhere."

Basto's eyes went wide.

"For real?"

"Yup. That carriage from the magistrate? They gutted the whole interior. Stripped the cargo floor, laid down straw. It's a proper bed compartment now."

At the word "bed," Tiye's mouth fell open.

"So we can sleep in the carriage now?"

"Yeah, we'll just rotate shifts."

"Waaah...!"

That was when

"So, when do we set off for the capital?"

Raoul asked.

Eyeing Veil, wrapped head to toe in bandages, he added,

"Veil's wounds look pretty bad, so sticking around to rest more doesn't sound half bad."

Nordics rubbed his chin.

"That's the snag. Staying longer might be smart, but scouting a base in the capital? Time's a bit tight."

Enzo nodded.

True enough—to snag a mansion, they'd need at least three days poking around everywhere.

"No place to crash, and we're back to inn-hopping..."

Nordics eyed Tiye thoughtfully.

"Which means all sorts of eyes on Astie."

All sorts of eyes?

That sounds good, right?

Astie's eyes rounded, but the other members looked grave, lost in thought.

"Fair point, given our track record..."

Ever since passing through the gate,

Agaveert had been dragged into one mess after another, no breaks.

"...The no-weapons zone thing does nag at me."

The biggest had been—what Veil mentioned—the no-weapons zone incident.

The one where word spread that Astie destroyed Crajar's core.

"Info brokers'll be all over it, no doubt. Capital's got eyes everywhere—even little slips draw heat..."

'How's that any different from tying the kid's hands so she can't even throw a cute tantrum in public?'

More than anything, Berugon's words from the no-weapons zone stuck with her.

As the members all sank into worry,

"No need to fret. There's a spot you can crash right away."

The door swung open, and in walked Adelin.

She shrugged off her cloak as she stepped inside.

"That mansion I mentioned buying in the capital. Been bugging me, leaving it empty all this time..."

She gave Tiye a smile tinged with complexity.

"Maybe it was waiting for its true owner all along."