Ch#108
* * *
Sniffling, Tie shoved the third tart into her mouth.
"Tie, you need to eat your porridge. How many snacks have you had already?"
Basto scolded her, but Tie just shook her head vigorously.
"Tie doesn't like carrot porridge."
She then quickly pulled the plate of tarts into her arms, as if afraid someone might snatch it away.
The tarts were topped with heaps of honey-glazed figs.
For Tie, it was an incredibly delicious snack she'd never tasted before in her life.
"Tarru is way better."
"......It's tart, not tarru."
Veil corrected her, but Tie just shrugged her shoulders.
Tie had stopped crying just a little while ago.
It was right in the middle of hugging Veil and sniffling when the food sent by Adelin arrived in the room.
'Whether that woman meets her mom or not, what does it have to do with you? Huh? I told you not to keep helping others while wrecking your own body like that. Why do you always step up to help other people when you can't even take care of yourself, and end up getting hurt like this...!'
Veil's tears, which he'd shown for the first time in front of the members, lasted longer than expected.
He held Tie tightly in his arms and cried for a good while.
Of course, Tie didn't back down even against the crying Veil.
'But Tie lost her family like unnie too! Losing family is so sad, so we have to help, don't you know?'
Veil sighed as Tie, despite her mana depletion, stubbornly talked back.
But in truth, Tie herself was quite startled too.
Up until now, Tie hadn't really known what mana depletion was.
The power inside her body had never once felt insufficient or overflowing.
But today was different.
'Is it because Tie had a cold...?'
Or maybe because she'd been sharing mana with Ppuppu, who had recently joined them?
The moment she manifested Stasia, an unbearable chill swept over her body.
It felt like what it might be like to starve for a hundred or a thousand days, without even the strength to lift a finger.
Still, after sleeping and waking up, she felt much better, so Tie was able to reassure the members.
Just then, someone knocked twice on the door of the room where the members were resting.
When they opened the door, a servant stood there with a tray laden with food.
"These are the foods sent up by Lady Adelin. She is currently handling the situation downstairs and asked me to convey that she will come to see you once things are sorted out."
Tie quickly understood the situation.
Having reclaimed her position, Adelin must have a lot of work ahead of her.
According to Basto, she had already called the villagers to repair the underground prison.
They needed to fix the prison to lock up Reginald and the bad soldiers.
Tie wiped her runny nose and examined the food.
The most eye-catching item on the tray was the steaming soup in a large bowl.
But...
"Eek, why is it orange?"
The problem was that the soup was a vivid orange color.
The servant replied with a very kind smile.
"This is the head chef's special carrot soup."
"Hate... it."
Tie wondered why carrots were everywhere she went.
Tie's history of hating carrots dated back to her time in Korea.
And on the very first day she arrived in this world and met Basto, it was carrot soup.
At the gate inn, they had nearly force-fed her carrot soup.
Now, even the first meal after experiencing mana depletion for the first time in her life was carrot soup...
Tie got down from the bed with a serious face and checked the lower compartment of the tray.
And there, she discovered several desserts.
As a result, the tart was ultimately the one chosen by Tie.
"All done!"
As she set down the empty plate, Veil shook his head.
He brushed the breadcrumbs from the corners of her mouth and asked.
"You said you were hungry. Full from just dessert?"
Tie grinned.
"Yup, it's sweet and yummy."
"......You'll be bouncing off the walls again later."
Tie always felt happier after eating something sweet.
She had annoyed the members more than once or twice by suddenly having excess energy and running around.
Veil eventually let out a chuckle.
'Maybe because she's small.'
It was somehow cute how a bit of sugar gave her the energy to jump around.
He picked up a steamed potato from another plate on the tray and held it out.
"Eat this at least. You can't just have snacks."
Tie grumbled but took the potato Veil offered.
It was when she chomped into the cooled potato, perfect for a child to eat.
The area outside the door grew noisy, and someone flung the door open.
"Astie!"
It was Nordics, sweating profusely as he entered.
"Wh-what is going on here? I heard there was a battle at the Lord's Castle!"
All the members stared at Nordics in surprise.
"And what's this about Reginald being captured? I didn't know anything and was asking the villagers to fix the carriage wheels, thinking we'd run as soon as you came back, Veil...!"
Silence fell over the room.
Astie, setting down her potato, looked around in bewilderment.
"Didn't tell Grandpa Nordics we're here?"
Everyone stared at each other in stunned silence.
"We were going to, but..."
"Sorry. I forgot to go fetch you..."
"Old man, are you alright?"
Nordics looked at the members with a bewildered face.
His legs gave out, and he plopped down by the door.
* * *
Eating the carrot soup Tie had left behind, Nordics said.
"The villagers have good craftsmanship."
He was emptying the plate at an astonishing speed, apparently hungry.
"Maybe grateful that you punished Reginald, Veil, the young folks came swarming. They even added metal rims to the wheels and reinforced the axle with what looks like good oak from somewhere."
Basto's eyes widened.
"Is that true?"
"Yeah. They completely overhauled the interior of one carriage the bailiff gave us. They stripped the luggage compartment floor and laid down straw. It's a bedroom now."
At the word "bedroom," Tie's mouth fell open.
"So we can sleep in the carriage now?"
"Yeah. We'd have to take turns, though."
"Waaah...!"
That was when.
"Then when do we depart for the Capital?"
Raoul asked.
He glanced at Veil, wrapped head to toe in bandages, and added.
"Veil's injuries are severe, so resting a bit longer before leaving wouldn't be bad."
Nordics stroked his chin.
"That's the issue. I think staying a little longer would be better, but considering we need to scout a base in the Capital, time might be a bit tight."
Enzo nodded.
Indeed, to buy a mansion, they'd need at least three days to check around everywhere.
"If we have no place to stay, we'll end up hopping from inn to inn again..."
Nordics gazed steadily at Tie.
"And that would draw all sorts of attention to Astie."
Draw attention?
Wouldn't that be good?
Astie's eyes widened, but the other members were deep in serious thought.
"True. Considering our track record so far..."
Since passing through the gate.
Agavert had been caught up in one incident after another without respite.
"......The Weapon District incident worries me the most."
As Veil said, the biggest was the Weapon District matter.
The incident where Astie was known to have annihilated Krazar's core.
"Information brokers will be swarming us for sure. The Capital has eyes everywhere, so even small things will draw attention..."
'What's the difference from restraining the child from throwing tantrums in public?'
Above all, Berugon's words from the Weapon District lingered in their minds.
As the members all fell into thought.
"Don't worry. There's a place you can stay right away."
The door opened, and Adelin appeared.
She took off her cloak as she entered.
"The mansion I mentioned I bought in the Capital. I've just been leaving it empty until now, and it felt off..."
She gave Tie a complex smile.
"Maybe it was waiting for its owners like this."
