Ch#8
* * *
‘Daughter. Last time, Dad said he was a super strong Holy Knight, right?’
‘Yeah!’
‘Actually, Dad had twenty subordinates?’
‘Eh...? Not that many.’
‘That’s a lot! Twenty super strong subordinates are way better than a hundred weak ones, you know?’
‘Then Dad’s subordinates were all legend-rank? Like legend Tani Pang?’
At that, Dad stared at Tiye and burst out laughing.
‘Of course, they were all incredibly strong. And the closest to Dad was Hammer Uncle.’
Hammer Uncle.
The man from his hometown Banana Village who lost his family in a sudden accident, wandered alone like a drifter, and became Dad’s subordinate!
Tiye looked at Basto in disbelief.
‘Basto Uncle was Hammer Uncle.’
He came from Banana Village, too.
Using a hammer as big as himself, being super strong, having a bushy beard,
‘He left your family in that state...’
And most of all, not having his family around anymore—it all matched.
Tiye scurried back to her seat.
And pretended nothing happened as she sipped her chocolate again.
Basto Uncle and Grandpa tilted their heads but soon resumed talking.
‘Tiye met Basto Uncle first.’
Tiye peeked at them over her cup.
Was this what Kkamangi meant by going back to the past?
That Tiye would find the man who’d later become Dad’s subordinate first!
At the same time, she felt sorry for misunderstanding Basto Uncle.
‘Basto Uncle was a good guy from the start...’
Tiye remembered Hammer Uncle’s story clearly.
In fact, after coming to this world, her memories of the past felt even more vivid.
‘Hammer Uncle wasn’t originally Dad’s subordinate. He was the Unit Leader of a mercenary corps called Death Hound.’
‘Death Houn’?’
‘It means Death Hound.’
‘Death Houn’...!’
Death Hound Mercenary Corps was based in Banana Village.
The leader was Kal, and the Unit Leader was Hammer Uncle.
She remembered giggling with Dad over how people were named Hammer and Sword.
‘But daughter. Hammer Uncle was a good guy, but Kal wasn’t. Kal’s the reason Hammer Uncle’s family died.’
‘Gasp... why?’
‘Kal always bossed Hammer Uncle around. He’d lounge in Banana Village while sending Hammer Uncle out to smash nearby Mana Stones. Every single day.’
Hammer Uncle and Kal were close friends before they were Unit Leader and leader.
So Hammer Uncle couldn’t refuse Kal’s requests.
Instead, he entrusted Kal with just one thing.
‘He asked Kal to look after his wife and daughter in Banana Village. Since he didn’t know what might happen while he was away.’
‘And Kal said...?’
‘Of course. He told him not to worry about his wife and daughter and go ahead. Hammer Uncle believed him.’
But one day, after finishing a mission and returning to the village.
The village was in ruins.
In the charred remains of his home, Basto found them.
His wife and daughter, embracing each other tightly as they’d gone to heaven.
‘Tiye. When we get back home someday, you have to remember this. Sometimes monsters move even during the day.’
‘Yeah. Dad told me.’
‘And that day just happened to be while Hammer Uncle was out on a mission.’
That day, peaceful Banana Village turned to chaos in an instant.
The survivors who barely escaped the mana beasts went to Kal.
Because he was the leader of the mercenary corps protecting the village, after all.
But Kal was drunk in broad daylight, out of his mind.
‘That bastard told the villagers to go home and wait quietly. Said he’d check the situation and evacuate them after.’
‘And then...?’
‘Everyone went back home. All expecting Kal to come eventually. Hammer Uncle’s wife and daughter were among them.’
‘Wh-what happened.’
But Kal never came.
He just stole the few horses and fled Banana Village with his subordinates.
As time passed, the mana beasts started finding the hidden people.
And everyone died.
Miserably and cruelly.
Hammer Uncle made graves for his wife and daughter in one corner of the ruined village.
Then he vanished into the forest.
After that, he started sieging Mana Stones alone.
Each time he survived a near-death crisis, instead of relief, he blamed himself.
This time he could’ve followed his family.
This time he could’ve met his beloved wife and daughter again.
Meanwhile, Kal relentlessly tormented him.
Kal shamelessly followed him around, telling him to come back to Death Hound.
But after repeated refusals, he bribed bad Holy Knights to revoke his identification.
‘Gasp, come to think of it...’
She remembered Basto Uncle’s vanished mercenary ID number.
And the knight at the Capital gate mentioning Death Hound and Kal Warben.
Tiye pursed her lips and racked her brain.
What happened after that?
Dad definitely told her.
‘Then did Hammer Uncle get his ID back?’
‘No, he couldn’t. Kal was so evil and cunning that revenge was hard. Without an ID, he couldn’t enter the Capital. Kal spread false rumors about him, so he couldn’t get a new one either. But then.’
‘Then...?’
‘After struggling for months, he met this Dad.’
Tiye’s eyes widened.
Yes, Dad definitely said that.
‘Dad was like a rising star back then? With his immense power, he got Hammer Uncle a new ID right away.’
‘Wow! And made him a subordinate?’
‘Exactly. Dad was continent-wide rank 1 back then.’
‘Holy Knights have ranks too?’
‘Uh? Y-yeah, sure... they do.’
Dad.
If she finds Dad, she can get Basto Uncle’s mercenary ID back!
Then they can enter the Capital too.
But there was a problem.
Dad was inside the Capital right now.
In short, a total deadlock!
Tiye fidgeted restlessly and set down her chocolate cup.
She needed to think hard about how to resolve this.
* * *
The next day.
Tiye went to the refugee market with the innkeeper grandma.
The market bustled with people like the ones in Korea.
Except for one thing.
Flies and bugs swarming the stalls, and everyone’s ragged appearance.
“Kid.”
Suddenly, one merchant grabbed Tiye’s wrist without a word.
“Want a candy? Only 20 iron a piece. Huh?”
The merchant’s eyes were fixed on Tiye’s pink bag.
“You little shit! Let go right now!”
His grip was so strong that, if the innkeeper grandma hadn’t spotted it just then, Tiye would’ve been dragged off helplessly.
Grandma clicked her tongue and gripped Tiye’s hand tightly.
“Stick right by Grandma, kid. Lose focus here for a second and you’re in big trouble.”
Tiye nodded with a frightened face.
Glancing timidly around, she saw dead-eyed people shambling on the streets.
All with gloomy expressions and skinny limbs.
“It’s because all the new Mana Stones lately are large ones. Not enough manpower to siege them.”
Tiye vaguely understood.
Large Mana Stones spawn scary, strong mana beasts.
That’s why so many refugees.
But the Capital only protects the rich...
“You crazy bitch!”
Suddenly, a scary voice rang out right in front of her.
Over Grandma’s shoulder, she saw two figures standing in the middle of the market.
A fat man and a small, skinny girl.
“You dare touch my wallet?! Do you know who I am!”
“What’re you talking about! I told you! I just brushed past! Why would I touch your wallet...!”
Slap-!
The girl’s head snapped to the side.
