Ch#109
"Here, the address."
Tie took the paper Adelin held out with her eyes wide round.
On the paper was written 'Rosewbelga, No. 89'.
"It's currently under my name, but I plan to transfer it to Miss Tie as soon as I hire a new financial officer. So before you leave, could you just leave Miss Tie's mercenary identification number?"
Everyone froze in stunned silence at the sudden situation.
But soon Nordics stepped forward, narrowing his brow.
"Rosewbelga—isn't that the noble district?"
Adelin nodded.
"Yes. Actually, I wanted somewhere quieter, but it was a property Her Highness the princess recommended at the time......"
She recalled the sight of the Capital.
Towers piercing the sky and domes gilded in gold.
The Imperial Palace, which everyone revered, stood in the heart of the city where dozens of roads converged.
The noble district unfolded beyond the vast central plaza surrounding the palace.
It was a place where only the wealthiest and most influential nobles of the Capital resided.
Broad avenues, roadside trees lining the way.
Townhouses spaced widely apart, family crests fluttering in the breeze.
Ironically, the property Adelin had bought at a bargain was an old mansion right in the center of that street.
"It was originally a residence owned by Her Highness the princess. When she was about to dispose of it, she heard I was looking for a townhouse and handed it over for half the market price."
Of course, even half price was an enormous sum.
But Adelin had been able to pay the full amount without strain.
She had received a substantial salary while serving under the princess and hadn't spent it elsewhere.
"You'll see when you get there. It's a perfect building for use as a base."
However, Nordics still seemed hesitant about something.
At that moment, Veil asked in disbelief.
"So...... you're just giving that mansion to our little kid?"
Adelin laughed as if it were the most obvious thing.
"What, do you think I'm going to charge you for it?"
"No, even so."
"You all...... helped me reclaim my hometown."
Adelin's eyes reddened slightly.
She sat on the edge of the bed where Tie was sitting.
And as she tucked a strand of Astie's fallen hair behind her ear, she said.
"......And thanks to Miss Tie, I was able to have a final goodbye with my mother."
Tears welled up in Adelin's eyes again.
She added with a faint smile.
"Before coming up, I looked into Agavert a bit."
Agavert was a new mercenary corps.
With fewer than ten members.
Adelin had been speechless for a while upon reading about their leader, the Sovereign King.
A great mage who summoned the dead and wielded necromancy freely.
Unknown identity, but rumors even said he went around in the form of a child.
Adelin had immediately pieced together Astie's situation upon reading that far.
She said.
"......I owe you a huge debt, Tie."
She recalled the child who had collapsed pale after letting her meet her mother.
"I thought I'd never see my mother again."
The last image of Stasia in Adelin's memory had remained frozen on the day she left for her hometown.
So Adelin had even thought perhaps Stasia resented her.
"I was...... so pathetic."
She had pretended to be fine, but she wasn't.
The guilt of sending her mother away like that and surviving alone tormented her every night.
"I couldn't fully let go of the village, nor could I reclaim what Reginald had stolen......"
Lately, Adelin had been slowly giving up on everything.
The villagers' lives were pure suffering, and Kaldbain-Ridge was rotting away.
But then Agavert appeared.
And they had shown the wandering Adelin a solid land to anchor to.
Adelin gripped Tie's hand tightly.
"I'm sorry this is all I can do."
Hot tears streamed down her smiling cheeks.
But they were no longer tears of despair or sorrow.
They were tears of relief and hope, stepping forward from the past.
A faint smile spread across Tie's lips.
The child rose from her seat and warmly hugged Adelin's neck.
"Unnie, come to Tie's house too."
Adelin paused.
Tie patted her back soothingly.
"Come and make Tie orange juice again!"
Why was that?
Suddenly, the moment of mana depletion flashed through Tie's mind.
'At that time, it was just like......'
The sight of Adelin and Stasia finally reunited had looked to Tie like herself and Dad.
So she couldn't hold back the strength pouring from her body.
She wanted the two to be together even a little more.
Even one second longer.
'I did well.'
And at this moment, Tie felt her chest swelling warmly.
The child hugged Adelin even tighter.
Adelin had reclaimed her hometown.
She had gotten back the home where she could stay her whole life.
Now, the people of Kaldbain-Ridge wouldn't suffer anymore.
"Whenever you miss this place, come visit anytime?"
Adelin pulled away from Tie.
Her face was flushed red from all the crying.
But the smile on her lips was clearer than ever.
"You'll be surprised when you come back. The village will be unrecognizable."
"Eek. Then Tie will go to the pub and be shocked!"
"Next time, come to the castle instead of the pub. I'll prepare strawberries that you like in advance."
"Waaah, strawberries......!"
The members burst into laughter at the excited Tie.
Adelin's chest also swelled strangely watching them.
'So much to do from now on.'
It had been so long since she'd laughed like this.
She had always hidden her emotions to survive.
Her future days would be busy.
She had to interrogate Reginald and decide the fate of the soldiers under him.
She needed to open the castle to treat the sick villagers and devise new plans to help those bankrupted by excessive taxation recover.
But her heart felt light.
Adelin quietly gazed at Astie before her.
The child had gotten down from the bed and was begging Raoul for a piggyback ride.
Suddenly, one person came to mind.
'She really liked children too.'
Whenever the princess spotted a child while strolling the plaza, she would always stop in place.
Then, with a faint smile, she would watch until the child disappeared and ask.
'Adelin. Do you think I can have a family someday?'
The princess's eyes always held a strange sadness when she asked that.
'Will a day like that come for me someday?'
Adelin closed her mouth.
And she watched Astie a little longer.
More precisely, the pretty dimples that formed on her cheeks every time the child smiled.
* * *
Three days later.
Beneath the banner reading <Welcome to Kaldbain-Ridge!>.
"Whoa, why are you giving us all this."
"Shut up and just take it! Didn't that kid get sick? When you catch a cold, this herb is just......"
"Veil! Is all the luggage loaded?"
The Agavert members moved busily.
And in an open field a short distance away.
"......Ahem! H-Here, take this."
Tie widened her eyes at the item suddenly thrust before her.
Standing there, scratching the back of his head, was Jen, the little pickpocket she'd seen on the first day in the village.
