Translator: Nox

Chapter 33

The Panting Child Searches for Dad Episode 27

"Captain, I'm sorry. The young lady, book...... Huhk. I promised to take responsibility and protect her."

"You foolish bastard! What the hell are you trying to do!"

"Al, Aleric, is he... dead?"

Dad couldn't answer.

He just held Tie tightly and looked down at the red-haired woman.

The woman laughed hollowly and said.

"It's fine. Just don't mind us and escape. The Captain has the young lady too......"

"I'll handle it, so shut up. Close your mouth and breathe slowly."

Dad bent one knee.

As his view lowered, the red-haired woman's face came into clear detail.

Blue veins bulging on the woman's neck pulsed frighteningly.

"Haha, honestly, I think coming this far is amazing. A guy who used to slaughter pigs in back alleys roamed battlefields with the Captain—that alone is glory."

Dad's arm holding Tie trembled slightly.

"It's not just me, huhk. Everyone was like that. Basto too...... Aleric too, Victor too, everyone......"

The woman's gaze met Tie's for a moment.

"We had such a pretty young lady born...... Killing dark monsters every day, then seeing your cute pretty face......"

Tie forgot to babble and stared at the woman.

She couldn't tear her eyes from the woman's pupils dripping with affection.

"I wanted to see you walk, young lady. Wondered if you'd call my name someday...... Huhk."

The woman, breathing heavily, smiled faintly at Tie.

"Young lady. Always be healthy. Laugh a lot with the Captain."

"......"

"Always, always happily without any gaps......"

But Libia's slowing voice faded away at some point.

Tie stared stiffly at Libia's eyes.

The light in her pupils went out completely.

"Woo! Woo woo-!"

As Tie struggled, Dad hugged her even tighter.

Dad leaned down and removed the mercenary registration tag from Libia's neck.

Then slowly, faster and faster, he started walking toward the opposite side.

"It's okay, Tie. It's okay."

Dad was muttering like someone possessed.

It seemed more like casting a spell on himself than speaking to Tie.

"We can get out of here. Get out of here, out......"

But soon even Dad's muttering stopped.

Tie anxiously stared at where Dad's gaze was blankly fixed.

"Grrr-"

With a short, grotesque sound, something emerged from all directions.

Huge, hideous monsters that Tie was seeing for the first time surrounded the two.

* * *

"Huhk!"

Tie woke up drenched in sweat.

The surroundings were pitch black, and seeing the square's lights twinkling beyond the curtain, it seemed like evening.

"W-weird dream......"

Tie clenched her fist to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

Then she wiped the sweat beaded on her forehead with the back of her hand.

'Young lady. Always be healthy. Laugh a lot with the Captain.'

The red-haired woman's figure was still vivid in front of her eyes.

Such a lifelike dream was the first since the T-Rex nightmare long ago.

While trying to calm her pounding heart with deep breaths, Tie suddenly froze.

'E-everyone was like that. Basto too...... Aleric too, Victor too, everyone....'

Because another thing the red-haired woman had said suddenly came to mind.

'She said Basto.'

The woman had definitely said the name 'Basto'.

Chills ran up her back.

'Maybe not just a dream?'

No matter how she thought about it, there were too many strange parts in the dream.

People calling Dad 'Captain', Basto's name appearing, monsters being there.

'And Tie was a baby too.'

Tie blinked blankly and muttered.

"......Past stuff, huh."

Because she had finally realized what the dream she just had was.

"Stuff that happened before Tie and Dad went to Korea......!"

Tie hurriedly jumped up from her spot.

And started circling around the room.

'Now, quail class friends~ Today we'll learn how dreams are made like yesterday. What did teacher say yesterday? Our Yeowon raised her hand? Wanna tell your friends?'

'Dreams are made when memories in the child's headtop are organized!'

'Right~ Our brain in the headtop organizes memories from a day or even longer ago and makes us dream.'

'Teacher! Joonsu says he dreamed when he was in mom's belly!'

'Ah! No he didn't!'

'Now, now! Quiet~'

On the day of that class, Tie had also raised her hand and shared.

The part Tie talked about was related to the 'unconscious'.

The teacher had praised her for knowing such a hard word, and it was still vivid.

'Hmm, um! Unconscious means stuff stuffed full in the headtop without you knowing. Sometimes you can dream stuff from the unconscious!'

'Wow! Our Tie learned a hard word? So smart!'

'Yees! Tie's headtop has lots of unconscious chicks. So she dreams chick dreams every day! But if you pick up candy at home, what happens? Can you dream both candy and chick dreams? Huh?'

The teacher hadn't answered Tie's question.

But what was certain was that Tie had learned it that day.

"You can dream stuff that happened long ago too!"

Just like what had happened now.

But it was weird.

"Why did everyone call Dad Captain......?"

Nordics grandpa had said that the leader of the Holy Knight Order is usually called 'Commander', not Captain.

'Come to think of it, Uncle Basto is weird too.'

According to Dad, Uncle Basto was definitely a Holy Knight.

He had said he was Dad's subordinate.

But Uncle Basto not only wasn't a Holy Knight, he seemed to really hate Holy Knights.

He was even doing mercenary work with Tie now.

"And earlier too......"

The Dad they missed at the pier was wearing a gray robe.

Usually Holy Knights wore silver armor with fancy decorations over it.

So Dad's outfit seemed more like......

"No, no. Could be undercover work."

Tie recalled the police uncle who often stood undercover duty in the alley village.

That police uncle was the only one who knew Tie was an illegal resident but looked the other way.

Uncle knew Tie lived in Gold Complex 106-room and would patrol the area sometimes.

Because if he wore police clothes, people got uncomfortable, so he deliberately wore a shabby t-shirt.

'Maybe Dad's like that too......'

But no matter how she tried to force the mismatched pieces together, it was confusing.

'It was an accident.'

Long ago, that accident Dad had mentioned—was it the horrific scene from the dream?

All of Dad's comrades died, and Dad alone had to face countless monsters while carrying baby Tie?

'Dad...... then he took down all those monsters?'

So he survived and fled to Korea?

But she couldn't assume everything in the dream was completely true.

"Ehew, what could it be......!!"

Just as she slapped her forehead and scrunched her brows.

"Tie!"

The door burst open and someone rushed in.

The worried face belonged to Basto.

"Uncleee."

"You okay? Your body's fine? Hungry? Vail went to get food."

Basto sat Tie on the bed right away and checked her complexion, turning her this way and that.

Nordics, standing a step behind, approached Tie as well.

Then he spoke in a serious voice.

"Tie, there's something I want to ask you."

As Tie nodded, the grandpa continued.

"You know we're looking for your dad, right?"

"Yees. I know you're helping Tie."

"But to find your dad, it seems like we need to ask a few things first."

"What things......?"

"Can you tell us your dad's name? And where you used to live together in the past."