Ch#111
* * *
Inside the carriage.
Lucarion stared sullenly at Tie sitting across from him.
Tie had been humming a tune against the wall since moments ago.
"Love is frozen radiiiish~"
Veil muttered at the incomprehensible lyrics.
"What's with all this 'frozen' talk? Kiddo, do you even know what love is?"
"Yup!"
Seeing Tie's innocent expression, Veil let out a hollow laugh.
"Know what? You've probably just played house a couple times and now you're ready to get married or something, huh?"
Tie's sparkling green eyes widened in an instant.
"Tie is really gonna get married though?"
"Hahaha!"
Nordics, who had been listening, burst into laughter.
With a kindly smile, he asked.
"Astie. Do you want to get married when you grow up?"
"Neeeng!"
At her spirited reply, Raoul and Enzo turned with curious faces.
Tie hugged her Bear Doll Orb tightly, puffed out her chest, and answered.
"When Tie gets married, she's gonna wear a princess dress."
"Princess dress?"
"Yup! Two of them! For the procession, the one that flares out at the bottom, and for greeting people, the mammoth dress!"
"Mam, what?"
"Mammoth dress!"
Seeing the members' bewildered looks, Tie tilted her head inwardly.
Come to think of it, wasn't it a mammoth dress?
Anyway.
The child sparkled her eyes again.
"Then live super long long time with spouse."
It was surprisingly detailed for a four-year-old's plan.
Raoul exchanged glances with the members before asking.
"But Captain, where did you learn all this?"
Tie immediately put on a mature expression.
"Heard moms talking at playground. And weddings are in fairy tales, and on TV too."
"TV?"
"Yup! But......"
Tie unwittingly closed her mouth.
Suddenly, scenes from weddings on TV flashed through her mind.
Weddings on TV were, well.
Amazing in a different way from Disney animations or fairy tales.
Tie opened her mouth with a serious voice.
"If groom cheats and they divorce, then he marries again. Makes stepmom cry."
Everyone's eyes widened, but Tie shrugged and continued.
"Then they grab hair like this, 'Hey! Did you steal my husband?! Ooh hoo! You should've managed your husband properly!' and fight."
Raoul coughed awkwardly, choking.
Veil added in disbelief.
"Wh-what the hell is TV that it's showing you all that dirty drama stuff?"
Tie stared at Veil as if asking if he even knew that.
"Oppa. Not telling, showing. And TV has lots of problems, not just one or two."
Then, mimicking 107-room Grandma, she added.
"The world's so messed up......"
As Tie shrugged and resumed humming, the members fell silent.
The child was already innocently gazing out the window again.
The sky at this moment was brilliantly clear.
'It only rained when we arrived at Adelin unnie's village.'
The chilly weather had cleared up, and now it was warm enough to leave the window open.
'Just three more nights and we're at the Capital!'
Thinking that, Tie grinned widely in delight.
Before leaving Kaldbain-Ridge, Basto had said.
'Food, drinking water—we've packed pretty much everything, and Veil's recovered, so we'll head out right away.'
'Waaah-!'
'If we go nonstop, we can arrive in four days.'
Hearing that, Tie's heart had pounded wildly.
It had already been quite some time since Lucarion brought her to this world.
She'd stopped counting days, but at least thirty—no, over forty nights for sure.
'But now, go to Capital, visit Lumenen Leader's house, check Holy Knight Order records.'
Then she could finally learn Dad's real name.
And where Dad was now.
'When I meet Dad again...... he won't recognize Tie.'
But that was fine.
She'd start over from the beginning with this world's Dad.
Tie promised herself not to get upset about it anymore.
Relationships always take time anyway.
Even making new friends at kindergarten took time, so how much more?
Her heart thumped excitedly.
'107-room Grandma said, take it one step at a time slowly and it'll all work out.'
So Tie would live strong.
Taking care of her members as a mercenary, until the day she could tell Dad all the truth!
The child hugged her Bear Doll tightly and rested her chin on the window sill.
Her rosy cheeks brimmed with anticipation.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the central branch of the Capital's reward bureau.
"What is this?"
Director Ornel narrowed his brow while reviewing documents from the eastern branch.
In his hand was a single sheet of paper reading "Agavert."
"What the hell are these guys that their projected ranking jumped like this? From 39th to 12th."
Rarely did a mercenary corps climb ranks so steeply.
Even Trebaga at their peak hadn't risen this fast.
Ornel eventually stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray.
Then he shook the documents above his head.
"Remi. Bring the attachments if there are any."
At his words, someone peeked out from between the bookshelves opposite.
A young woman with dark circles under her eyes and disheveled hair.
"Agavert attachments...... Just a sec, where did I put them."
After rummaging through desks, she exclaimed "Ah!"
She slipped the found paper into a binder and brought it to Ornel.
"Must've missed it since it came straight from HQ this morning."
The paper she handed over bore a large imprint of the Holy Knight Order's emblem.
Indicating the document had been reviewed by the Lumenen Leader commanding the entire Order.
"Let's see, Holy Knight HQ official document. Number 3393......"
Ornel's eyes grew serious.
Indeed.
The document detailed Agavert's ranking rise.
But one word particularly caught his eye.
"Krazar?"
Krazar was the ancient monster that even Valentis Lumenen had struggled with for five days long ago.
And that monster had revived,
"Sovereign King took it down alone......?"
His subordinate, turning at the mutter, froze in place.
Not just Remi.
Everyone at the busy central branch stared at Ornel.
Ornel read the document calmly.
"HQ has conducted a thorough review and received reports from relevant agencies regarding the recent controversy over 'subspace emergence' and 'ancient monster reappearance'......"
[HQ defines the incident as 'the revival of the ancient monster Krazar.'
It was resolved and concluded by Agavert's Sovereign King (alias), and this act is classified as an individual large-scale magic stone siege.
The reward bureau (central branch) shall adjust Agavert's ranking henceforth per HQ directive.]
Ornel swallowed hard.
He hesitantly picked up Agavert's documents again.
On the paper.
Next to 'this quarter's ranking change,' the number was starkly marked.
"From 39 to 12."
He stared blankly at the paper.
Was this even possible?
If so, their growth outpaced even Trebaga.
Ornel finally picked up his seal with a dazed face after a long moment.
Soon, the thud of stamping echoed through the bureau.
The moment Astie's 'fresh mercenary corps' Agavert settled at continent-wide ranking 12.
And four days later.
Under the brightly moonlit night sky at the Capital's heart.
Agavert's carriage rattled along the paved road.
