Ch#209
Tie was so startled that he gulped.
'Gasp, Marrr was telling the truth!'
He had forgotten because it was so fun talking about old stories with Daddy.
Raising his head, he saw the orb slowly floating in the air.
The orb was spinning right above Tie's head, sparkling with golden light.
[It was woefully insufficient until morning! For the Harmonium to fill this much already! As expected of Master! Immense mana! A power that never dries no matter how much it's used!]
Tie tilted his head and replied.
"Isn't it because the Harmonium is so small?"
Of course, Marbas had explained it at first.
That it would take about two weeks to fully fill the Harmonium.
'But the orb is really tiny.'
The time to fill a water cup and the time to fill a water bottle were naturally different.
'A water bottle takes forever, but a water cup fills up quick!'
Finishing his thought, Tie opened his mouth to comfort him.
"Hey, Marrr. It's okay. Even you can miscalculate sometimes. Maybe it was supposed to fill up fast from the beginning?"
Marbas's eyes widened.
As if in disbelief, the grain of the wood twitched before he let out a ha! of empty laughter.
[Master!]
"Yeah?"
[This Marbas may be trapped in a pathetic shell right now! But once, I was like a pillar of the Ebranis dynasty!]
"......Y-yeah."
[Ebranis isn't called the most prosperous dynasty in the world even now for no reason! Do you think that was just luck?! It was all! All thanks to me!]
"Y-yeah!"
[And I making a calculation error? A mistake?]
Marbas lifted his head toward the sky.
Then let out another ha!
[I don't know how it sounds to you, but I'm a being who can't make mistakes even if I wanted to! I'm too perfect!]
Tie blinked.
Tese tan, who had been watching, finally let out a small chuckle, pfft.
He ruffled the hair on Tie's crown, who was sitting obediently, then crossed his arms.
Marbas, shaking his head, continued.
[The Harmonium is a device with a very complex and delicate expansion barrier inside, despite its small size.]
"R-really?"
[Of course! To stably pass through a dimensional gate, it needs that level of precision, doesn't it?]
Tie recalled what Marbas had told him before.
Then raised one hand high.
"I remember!"
[Exactly what do you remember?]
"You said once the orb is full, you'll take it and return through the Subspace passage!"
Marbas let out an oh.
[Correct. Once I store Master's mana in the Harmonium and return to Talochioum, Lord Lucarion will use it to reinforce the passage.]
"......"
[Then the passage will be much more stable than now. Even a great mage with immense mana like Master can pass through without issue.]
"Yeah."
[Then! We'll call Master from the Talochioum side. By opening the passage.]
"Hmm......"
[Master can just ride that passage back to Talochioum. I guarantee it'll be more comfortable than you can imagine.]
Tie rolled his eyes.
'So, simply put.'
The child's gaze turned to the orb above.
It was supposed to take two weeks.
But in just two days, the Harmonium was nearly half full.
'Once the Harmonium is full, Tie has to go back.'
His mood turned strange.
In truth, he had no idea why the orb was filling so quickly.
Was it because he used a lot of power in South Korea?
He had released a lot of mana locking up the bad uncle who was harassing Aunt 203 in Subspace.
'And I took out a ton of gold coins from the Subspace storage too......'
Thinking of the gold coins suddenly brought last night to mind.
The image of Grandma 107 looking at him so coldly.
As Tie's expression drooped, Marbas immediately tilted his head.
Tese tan, leaning against the wall, quickly bent down at the sight.
Seeing the child's pouty lips, he hurriedly pulled Tie into his arms.
"Why are your lips pouting again?"
Tie let out an ing and hugged Tese tan.
"......Grandma got mad at Tie yesterday."
Tese tan paused.
Because he too recalled last night.
Tese tan fell into thought.
'I thought she was being too harshly cold to a child for no reason.'
Until yesterday, he knew nothing.
But now that the memories had merged, he could vaguely understand Chae Bok-su's actions.
Tese tan called Tie affectionately.
"Daughter, look at Daddy."
The child raised his large eyes.
He had been giggling happily just moments ago.
But now, grievance was plastered all over his blinking green eyes.
"Princess knows too, right? That Grandma is sick."
The triangular mouth closed.
Tie, fidgeting with his fingers, nodded slightly.
"......Yeah. Sick like the grandma in the TV ads."
Wearing a hat on her head.
Constantly coughing.
Always smelling like medicine,
"And she lost all her fat too......"
The first day.
He thought the veins bulging on the back of her hand seemed even more prominent.
It wasn't an illusion.
As Tie hung his head, Tese tan gently stroked the child's cheek.
"But she said it doesn't hurt much. Just a little."
Tie raised his head.
"Really......?"
"Yeah, but she didn't want to worry our princess, so she didn't say anything."
Tie's heart pounded.
If Grandma wasn't in much pain.
Then it was fine no matter how coldly she treated him.
"Then can Grandma get better?"
"Hmm."
Tese tan paused, pondering.
In truth, the illness Chae Bok-su had described was still baffling even with this place's medicine.
It could be treatable, or it could be difficult.
'But if my guess is right.'
Tese tan smiled faintly.
"Yeah, she'll get healthy."
Tie's eyes widened.
The child, who had been opening and closing his mouth, suddenly jumped up.
Tie took a deep breath and asked again.
"Really? For real, for real?"
"Yeah."
Tese tan replied, pulling the child back into his arms.
Tie let out an iing and emerged from Tese tan's embrace, puffing his cheeks.
"Daddyy, Tie isn't joking right now!"
Tese tan covered his mouth and chuckled.
He knew the situation was serious.
But the thought filling his mind at this moment was just one.
Adorable.
So precious and endearing he didn't want to let go even for a second.
So in a way, he was amazed.
'......She was such a huge presence.'
Before having Tie.
He had never even imagined feeling emotions like this.
"Anyway, what Daddy wants to say is."
Tese tan pulled the wriggling child back into his arms and showered kisses on Tie's cheek.
"Grandma didn't say anything all this time because she didn't want our daughter to worry like this. And."
"......"
"Wasn't her coldness yesterday something similar?"
Tie, peeking out from Tese tan's embrace, furrowed his brows.
"Similar? What's similar?"
Tese tan tucked the stray hair from the child's forehead behind his ear.
"Grandma doesn't want to be a burden to you."
"Burden?"
"Yeah. Being a burden means causing trouble for that person."
"Too hard......"
Tese tan took the child's hand.
"It's supposed to be hard. Does Tie like making other people suffer because of you?"
Tie closed his mouth and shook his head.
"......No."
How could that be good?
Listening to Daddy, something occurred to Tie too.
'Tie worried a lot about not wanting to be a burden to others too.'
In South Korea, to Grandma, Daddy, or Aunt.
In Talochioum, to Basto, Veil, and the other members.
"Grandma's the same."
Daddy said.
"Grandma doesn't want Tie to suffer because of her."
Tie tilted his head.