Ch#72
Tie followed behind Basto.
Even as she did, she kept watching ahead of him closely.
A few steps away, a burly man and a slender woman were walking ahead.
‘Those people are the 2nd and 3rd ranked mercenary groups…….’
Should she call it fortunate?
Thanks to Veil's quick explanation in front of the Armory, she had grasped the situation.
Of course, that made it even more of a problem.
‘What am I really going to do……?’
Tie had only learned today that there was a place called the Association.
Naturally, she also hadn't known that most of the top mercenary groups belonged to it.
The important thing was that unlike Agavert, which still had a long way to go, these people were 'verified'.
And the reason these verified individuals were here was none other than,
‘To catch Ppuppu!’
Tie, feeling dizzy, hugged the bag in her arms even tighter.
Before leaving the subspace, Lucarion had returned to his black stone form.
Ppuppu had mocked Lucarion for the entire five minutes, as if saying he got what he deserved, then proudly moved from the front pocket to the main storage space.
Ppuppu looked as happy as a lottery winner moving from a cramped rental to a 50-pyeong house.
After rolling around freely in the spacious bag interior and enjoying its freedom, Ppuppu had just fallen into a perfect nap a little while ago.
Right then, the voice of the 2nd-ranked mercenary leader speaking to the 3rd-ranked one came from ahead.
“The factory chief said Krazar's core has disappeared.”
“Does that make sense? They took it down, but no core?”
“I don't know the details either. That's just what the factory chief said. He'd been under severe delirium for quite a while, but now his mind is clear. That means Krazar was destroyed somehow.”
“So then, where the hell is its core?”
The male leader furrowed his brow at the female leader's irritated prodding.
Even to Tie's eyes, his gaze was filled with annoyance.
“I just said I don't know, Elanes. If someone knew, would Valentis Lumenen have bothered coming all the way here himself?”
Wait, Valentis Lumenen?
At the familiar name, Tie tilted her head.
And rightly so, since she already knew it.
How? Definitely before getting trapped in the subspace…….
Tie unwittingly stopped in place. And her eyes widened round.
‘Armory!’
She remembered where she'd seen the name.
It was on the plaque in front of the relic 'Krazar's Heart' that caused all this.
[Core recovered through the donation of siegebreaker 'Valentis Lumenen', and born as a relic in the hands of artisan 'Berugon Gregor.']
Her conversation with Veil also flashed through her mind.
‘Veil oppa. Who's Valentis Lumenen?’
‘A holy knight.’
The supreme powerhouse who, at just twenty, siege-broke a massive magic stone and survived alone from Krazar's subspace.
The Holy Knight Order Grand Commander who had led the order for the subsequent thirty years.
“Tie?”
Basto crouched down and whispered at the sight of her stopping.
But Tie just blinked without responding.
She was deep in thought.
‘Valentis Lumenen is coming here? For real?’
Since arriving in this world, Tie's sole goal had been one thing.
To go to Holy Knight Order headquarters and ask about Dad.
But things started going wrong from the Capital gates.
After passing through, the incident with the maritime magic stone erupted in Pearl City,
and even in the Weapon District, which was supposed to be a quick stop, an unexpected situation arose,
‘Even Tie is tired now…….’
Even the ever-bright Tie was starting to feel blocked on all sides.
She had naturally been anxious about when she could finally visit Holy Knight Order headquarters.
And yet,
“Valentis Lumenen is really really coming here?”
If that was true, didn't that mean she wouldn't have to go to headquarters herself?
Since Valentis Lumenen was coming here personally.
“Yeah. I just heard it myself a little while ago.”
Tie's mouth fell open at Basto's reply.
But she couldn't just rejoice.
“It seems the Imperial Family has also heard the news that Krazar's core has vanished.”
The reason Valentis Lumenen was coming was none other than the ‘Krazar core’.
‘But the core is…….’
Tie swallowed hard.
Her gaze returned to the bag clutched tightly to her chest.
‘It's not a core anymore?’
Her heart pounded as deep worries filled her mind.
What if she said Krazar's core was actually an egg, and Ppuppu had hatched from it?
First, the Agavert members would be very surprised.
Basto or Nordics might worry greatly, saying it was dangerous.
But in the end, they would believe Tie.
That Ppuppu knew nothing and wasn't the monster ‘Krazar’ that had caused so many sacrifices long ago.
‘But other mercenaries or holy knights…….’
Tie's expression darkened.
To people outside Agavert, Ppuppu would just look like Krazar.
Just like how Lucarion was wary of Ppuppu.
‘What if they try to kill Ppuppu?’
Ppuppu was a cute, fragile baby elephant.
Even if they didn't kill it, the Church might try to take Ppuppu away from Tie, right?
‘……Church.’
In Tie's mind, the Church was that kind of existence.
‘Whenever a mercenary group got a relic, the Church always stepped in to confiscate it.’
‘Even when the Holy Knight Order found relics, the Church always took them, right?’
‘Then they'd probably go after the kid's bracelet too.’
A bandit-like group that casually stole magic stone spoils hard-earned by mercenaries.
“……Can't do it. I'm the mom.”
Basto's eyes widened round at Tie's mutter.
But Tie snorted as if it was nothing and started walking again.
‘I need to come up with a plan.’
But she stopped in place again midway through her thoughts.
Ahead, Riper and Elanes, who had also stopped walking, were looking down at her with strange expressions.
* * *
Weapon District, Smelting District iron tower.
Upper-floor conference room overlooking the Primordial Furnace.
“Seeing it for the first time in a place like the Weapon District makes it feel stark and nice, right?”
At Elanes's words, Tie pursed her lips.
The Elanes before her was a glamorous beauty even in the eyes of child Tie.
Wavy silver hair, long slender neck.
It was hard to believe such a pretty woman was the 3rd-ranked mercenary leader.
By contrast, the man next to her had the complete opposite appearance from Elanes.
“I'm Riper. Leader of ‘Grim Reaper’.”
Tie hesitated, then stood from her chair at the sight of his extended rough hand.
And lightly shook his thick index finger.
Meanwhile, Elanes opened her lips again.
“I've heard a lot of rumors. They say you handle unusual attribute magic?”
Tie rolled her eyes and said,
“Yeees. Necromancy.”
The ability to summon bone friends and wrecked ships was called necromancy by the members.
So Tie vaguely knew she was a necromancer handling dark attribute magic.
“When did you awaken? From what our members say, mages usually awaken in their teens.”
Tie tilted her head.
Awakening was a term she'd heard before.
Nordics had definitely said Tie seemed to have awakened her power at a very young age.
But to pinpoint the exact time,
“Uuum, about a month and a half ago……?”
It seemed best to say right after arriving in this world.
But for some reason, Elanes fell silent.
Then she added in a voice mixed with a slight hollow laugh,
“You're saying you awakened a month and a half ago and formed a mercenary group?”
“Yes!”
Even Riper's gaze turned somehow strange.
Tie tilted her head.
‘Why are their faces like that?’
And rightly so, since Tie didn't know.
That for mages who had awakened mana, it took an average of at least three years to cast their first spell.
