Translator: Nox

Ch#3

* * *

Tiye leaned back against the wall, hugging her knees tightly with both hands.

And without cowering, she stared back at the stone that had been looking at her.

At first she was scared, but the more she looked, the more certain she became.

‘……It’s Tani Pang.’

It transformed and used magic.

Its appearance was a bit different, but it was definitely Tani Pang.

Gaining courage, Tiye scooted forward on her butt a little.

Her eyes sparkling wide, she began observing the stone closely.

‘Pitch black from head to toe.’

Her heart pounded.

Maybe Dad’s talk about coming from another world was true after all.

What if Dad really was a Holy Knight who kept a fairy?

What if that fairy was this stone right in front of her, come to revive Dad?

“Kkaman Pang……”

The stone tilted its head at the dreamy murmur that slipped from her lips.

That’s when Tiye made her desperate plea.

“Please save him!”

The child crawled forward on her knees, clasping her hands earnestly.

“Kkaman Pang-nim! Please save Dad!”

[Shall I revive him?]

At first, she didn’t believe it.

Even Tiye knew you couldn’t bring dead people back to life.

But that was for regular people—what about a fairy?

‘He can save Dad.’

Doubt turned to certainty, certainty to hope.

Her sad, grieving heart felt like it had sprouted wings and was soaring free.

But just as she waited breathlessly with desperate anticipation—

[To revive your dad……]

The fairy, who had stood up lightly, stared straight at Tiye and asked.

[You’ll have to abandon this place. Is that okay?]

Tiye’s expression went blank.

She was fuzzy on exactly what ‘this place’ meant.

The room where she’d lived with Dad?

Or this alley?

Ah, did it mean she couldn’t go back to kindergarten?

[Everything. All the time you spent living here—you’ll have to abandon it all.]

As if reading her mind, the fairy replied.

Tiye’s face darkened.

Everything meant all the good things and bad things lumped together.

It meant abandoning 107-room Grandmother and 203-room Auntie, and all the happy memories piled up here with Dad.

While she struggled to speak, the fairy took a step closer.

[But if that’s what you want, I’ll send you back.]

“……”

[To the place you were born. The place where you were meant to be. To where that man is alive.]

Tiye drew in a small breath.

It was hard, but one thing was crystal clear.

Dad had always been the most precious thing to her.

That fact had never wavered once.

“……I’ll go.”

The moment she nodded.

As if on cue, all the streetlights shining down the alley winked out.

A gust of wind rattled the 106-room window.

The neatly folded blanket, the crayon drawings stuck to the wall.

The two toothbrushes of different sizes in the toothpaste cup vibrated faintly.

When the streetlight flickered back on, 106-room was completely empty.

As if no one had ever lived there from the start.

* * *

“Mmm……”

Tiye opened her eyes atop something fluffy and squishy like cotton candy.

And the moment she came to, she jolted in surprise.

‘It’s not cotton candy?’

Where Tiye lay was atop a soft, plush blanket.

Only then did full awareness hit her.

“……Dad.”

Her heart thumped as memories of before she fell asleep resurfaced.

Right then, an unfamiliar voice came from beside her.

“You’re awake.”

Startled, Tiye bounced up from her spot.

A boy she’d never seen stood by the bed.

But as she yanked the blanket to hide, she spotted something familiar about the boy and tilted her head.

“Kkamangi……?”

Hair black as the night sky.

Eyes sparkling like jewels, and ears poking slightly above his head.

When the boy shook his head, the ears vanished, but Tiye was certain.

“Kkamangi! You can transform into a human now!”

The boy’s face soured immediately.

The boy spoke in a flat voice.

“Me?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t tell me the Kkamangi you’ve been calling is me.”

Tiye tilted her head.

She’d thought he was smart since he used magic and promised to revive Dad.

But Kkamangi turned out to be the type like the kids at kindergarten who messed up their own names every day.

“Yeah! ‘Cause you’re a fairy……”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not Kkamangi.”

Tiye let out a “Huh” and clamped her mouth shut.

No wonder he kept making those uncomfortable faces—Tiye had gotten something wrong.

Of course.

She’d never seen a Tani Pang that transformed into a human and revived the dead.

‘Kkaman Pang—no, Kkamangi must be an even greater fairy. Like in legends or something……’

Gasp, then maybe not Tani Pang but Puppetmon?

Some Puppetmon were super strong legend ranks that could time travel.

‘It’s definite.’

Tiye began scanning her surroundings with wary eyes.

She’d definitely been home before falling asleep, but now everything had changed.

That meant she’d teleported.

This place looked like a normal room at a glance, with its big bed and fluffy bedding……

‘It’s inside a tent.’

Looking up at the flapping canopy overhead, she realized it was the inside of a tent.

“Kkamangi. What kinda tent is this?”

“Kkaman…… whatever.”

For some reason, Kkamangi let out a deep sigh.

Then he crossed his arms and answered.

“Your dad’s hometown. You said you wanted to come.”

“……Dad’s hometown?”

“Yeah.”

Tiye’s eyes slowly widened.

‘Dad’s hometown, Talochium, is a beautiful country. It was even prettier before the Mana Stones sprouted…… Anyway, it’s way bigger than here, with clean air……’

When Dad talked about his hometown, stars twinkled in his eyes.

Tiye knew tons about Talochium from listening to Dad so much.

“The problem is, not even that country could revive your dad.”

But Kkamangi’s next words scattered her reminiscing like clouds in the wind.

Tiye stared at Kkamangi with a tense face.

‘Couldn’t revive Dad?’

Did that mean he failed to save Dad?

That she’d come to Dad’s hometown all alone without him?

Shocked by the unexpected truth, tension flooded her body, but

“So we came to the past.”

His following words made it drain away again.

Tiye blankly echoed.

“Came to the past……?”

“Yeah. Turning back time fixes everything.”

Tiye scrunched her brows with all her might.

And she started rolling her brain as hard as she could.

Time rewinds to the past.

Tiye from the original world—no, the future—had moved to the past!

Which means,

“There’s two Tiyes now?”

Kkamangi burst out laughing.

Then he went to the tent flap and pulled it open.

“Good try, but you missed. This is way before you were born.”

Tiye gaped blankly at the scene before her.

A forest.

Outside the tent was a forest she’d never seen in her life.

Stepping out in a daze, the dawn breaking through the woods came into sharper view.

Conifers shooting straight to the sky.

Smaller trees with outstretched leaves between them, vines, dew-soaked moss……

“You won’t be born in this world for another 7 years.”

Birds began chirping.

“Even if you meet your dad, he won’t know who you are.”

Tears slowly welled in Tiye’s eyes.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll meet him at all. This place is bigger than you think.”

“I can find him!”

Tiye whipped around.

A bright smile bloomed on her teary face.

“If Dad’s alive, I can find him!”

Even if he doesn’t recognize her, fine.

Even if he’s cold like she’s some random kid, whatever.

As long as she meets him again, as long as she sees Dad healthy again!

Taking a brave deep breath, Tiye blinked hard.

‘Dad definitely said it. He was the strongest, king-level Holy Knight.’

And dutiful daughter Tiye, who listened intently to Dad’s bedtime stories every night, knew.

That the Imperial Holy Knight Order headquarters was in the Capital.

But Tiye soon had no choice but to realize.

That life wasn’t as easy as she’d imagined.

“Huff, huff…… what……”

She felt like she’d come super far.

Turning her head, the tent she’d left was still visible way off in the distance.

“Why haven’t I gone this far……?”

For some reason, Kkamangi let out a deep sigh beside her.