Ch#29
Basto, Veil, and Nordix's faces went blank.
“Independent?”
“Yup. Once Tiye finds Dad, Tiye’s all good. No more clinging to Dad and begging like before.”
“…….”
“Gotta live my own real adult life now or whatever.”
Basto, Veil, and Nordix stared at Tiye with bewildered faces.
But they couldn’t ask a child why she was thinking like that.
“……Dad might not be someone you can just cling to forever.”
It was because Tiye wore such a complicated expression.
Soon Veil shrugged.
“Whatever, do what you want.”
His voice was much lighter, as if he didn’t care one way or the other.
“Four years old is plenty old enough to have been independent ages ago.”
At the ridiculous statement, Basto and Nordix widened their eyes.
But Veil just continued on nonchalantly.
“I grew up without parents since I was two, kiddo.”
“Really……?”
“Yeah.”
“Then Tiye being independent now is right too……?”
“Of course. Just focus on mercenary work and making money. If you need adult muscle, you’ve got me, Basto, and old man Nordix—what’s the problem?”
Tiye nodded seriously.
“Right. Tiye’s not just some Hanbit Kindergarten Quail Class kid anymore.”
“…….”
“Tiye’s the Necrolord now.”
The child, having steeled her resolve, jumped up from her seat.
“Tiye’s gonna work hard! Forward!”
Veil watched her fondly and reached into his inner pocket.
He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper and a pen.
“Then, since it came up, shall we make it official?”
“Make what?”
“The oath document saying you’ll never leave Agabert.”
Tiye’s eyes went round.
That night.
Basto, sharing a room with Tiye, tossed and turned all night.
He turned his head and saw Astie sleeping soundly on the bed next to his.
White moonlight bathed the child’s face.
Watching the girl who occasionally frowned as if dreaming, Basto let out a small sigh.
“……It’ll work out somehow.”
On the nightstand between the beds lay a paper densely covered in writing.
[Oath Document]
Kim Astie, as a member and Unit Leader of <Agabert>, pledges to faithfully fulfill the following:
-First, Recognition of Responsibility: The undersigned recognizes their duties and roles in <Agabert> and pledges to fulfill them faithfully.
-Second, Fulfillment of Duties: Accordingly, the undersigned pledges to carry out all duties and responsibilities as Necrolord henceforth.
-Third, Withdrawal Restriction: The undersigned agrees they cannot withdraw from the group without the consent of executives Veil Theodor, Basto Paerix, and Nordix Omen. (Absolutely, under no circumstances)
This oath document is written of Kim Astie’s own free will, and the undersigned pledges to understand and faithfully comply with the above contents.
Pledger: Kim Astie (signature)
Address: Jongno-gu Seoul Republic of Korea Talochium Empire
* * *
And so, the next day dawned bright and sunny once more.
“Shall we get moving?”
Basto said as he grabbed his coat and glanced back at the bed.
Tiye, sitting there, shot her hand up.
“Yes! Let’s go!”
The child was neatly dressed in her Agabert uniform.
Veil, leaning against the wall, spoke up.
“Kiddo. You know you can’t act like that out there, right?”
Tiye nodded solemnly.
“Ahem, how rude! Calling Us kiddo!”
“……What’s ‘Us’?”
“That’s what kings call themselves! Tiye’s Necrolord, so Tiye’s a king!”
Veil blinked blankly before laughing foolishly.
“Whatever.”
“Then let’s head out.”
Nordix stepped out of the room first.
Tiye carefully shouldered her pink bag and followed.
“But kiddo. Why haven’t you called out that black lizard summon again?”
At Veil’s question, Tiye floundered.
“W-well, keeping a summon out takes a ton of power!”
Actually, that morning while Basto had briefly gone down for food, Lucarion had woken up.
But he’d looked tired somewhere, asked Tiye briefly what had happened in the meantime, and vanished again once the talk was done.
Leaving words that she had to eat and sleep well because he was worried.
‘Kkamangi’s weird. Why’s he worried about Tiye.’
Tiye was doing just fine aside from being a little sad about Dad.
“Roger!”
Anyway, once outside the inn, Tiye muttered it softly enough for only herself to hear.
But right then, as she started marching briskly after Basto.
“Run! Everyone run!”
Someone shot out from across the alley like a bullet.
He barely brushed past Tiye.
If Basto hadn’t scooped her up, Tiye would’ve collided with him and tumbled across the ground.
While Tiye’s eyes were wide, more people dashed out from around the building corner.
“Seradin is dead! The sanctuary’s broken! Mana stones at the west pier—mana stones!”
The pier was where the sea was.
‘Monsters in the sea……?’
Tiye’s mouth fell open.
This was another bolt from the blue.
* * *
Mana Stone.
102 years ago, mysterious towers suddenly sprang up across the peaceful continent.
Monsters poured from the mana stones and surrounding rifts, pushing the empire to the brink of destruction, so the imperial family made a fateful decision.
To abandon most of the territory outside the Capital.
To defend only the minimal Capital territory with the knights they had secured.
‘Let’s reclaim our lands! Smash the monsters!’
However, soon mercenaries rose up across the lands and recaptured the lost territories.
Afterward, civil war erupted throughout the empire.
Because the mercenaries and local lords who’d reclaimed their homes turned against the imperial family.
They believed the imperial family had abandoned them.
As monster attacks grew frequent amid the deepening civil war, the imperial family was forced to make another decision.
‘We shall expand the Capital’s domain!’
None other than widening the Capital’s borders.
‘The safety of those residing in the expanded Capital shall be guaranteed and protected by Us.’
Thus, the number of ‘Capital citizens’ grew.
Even humble nobles from the outskirts became ‘Capital nobles’ overnight.
Many were won over then, but the imperial family couldn’t easily regain its former power.
Conflicts between holy knights and mercenaries persisted.
Conflicts between the Capital and non-Capital regions remained.
In truth, even those newly incorporated into the Capital hesitated to pledge full loyalty.
Pearl City, the port, was one such place.
‘How did our Pearl City survive! Holy knights turned a blind eye, the emperor pretended not to know, we fought tooth and nail to hold on, and now we’re Capital citizens? When the mainland fell, we lived on ships clinging like otters—do we look like a joke!!’
People heading to the southern continent, people coming from the southern continent.
Pearl City, with its high transient population, always drew crowds of mercenaries, naturally fostering deep regional resentment toward the imperial family and holy knights.
The imperial family wanted to win back Pearl City’s alienated hearts.
It was a vital political and military hub.
The imperial family sought solutions once more and finally found one.
‘We proclaim in the church’s name: Consecrate the seas around Pearl City and designate the entire western sea as a sanctuary! The sanctuary shall now receive the blessing of Seradin!’
To unite Pearl City’s residents and reclaim their turned hearts.
The way was to leverage religion.
The church made use of the local deity handed down in Pearl City, ‘Seradin’.
‘After the church’s consecration, don’t mana stones seem fewer around here?’
‘Right? Isn’t it because our Pearl City is specially protected by god Seradin?’
‘I didn’t even know that Seradin was a real god before. Thought it was just some fairy tale for kids…….’
In reality, it was because holy knights monitored the surrounding mana stones, but ordinary residents believed it was all thanks to the church’s consecration.
That the local deity Seradin truly existed and protected Pearl City.
So no mana stones should ever rise in the sea, nor monsters appear—no matter what happened on land.
But.
“What? Something appeared in the sea?”
“A mana stone, Your Excellency! Not far from the pier!”
The face of Pearl City’s recently appointed governor, Sub-Marquis Marianne Wavebrill, turned deathly pale.
