Ch#80
“Why are you out at this late hour, my lord…….”
Nordics quickly stepped forward, pushing past Basto and Veil.
After bowing his waist to the Lumenen Leader, he grabbed Tie's hand and pulled her to his side, putting on a calm expression.
“Why are you still awake? Having trouble sleeping again?”
Nordics meant it as a way to downplay the situation.
The Lumenen Leader might take offense to Agavert leaving the lodging late at night, ignoring his orders.
As if reading his intent, Tie's eyes darted around.
The child opened her mouth, closed it again, and reluctantly answered.
“Uuung, I couldn't sleep well at night…….”
Nordics smiled as if he'd expected that.
And quickly led Tie back toward the lodging.
“You can have the members run errands for you. You must be exhausted from yesterday—go rest.”
“Your members' loyalty is impressive, Sovereign King.”
But at that moment, Valentis's voice stopped the two.
Nordics hesitated before turning back around.
The Lumenen Leader was looking down at Astie without even glancing at him.
With the faintest smile at the corner of his mouth.
But even a paper-thin smile was enough to fluster Nordics.
‘Smiling? The Lumenen Leader?’
As far as Nordics knew, the Lumenen Leader smiled maybe once every three months.
He had always been emotionless and curt, but grew even colder after losing his wife.
As a result, rumors like this had even arisen about his rare smiles.
‘One smile from the Leader releases a thousand magic cores.’
Roughly meaning he might smile once after the Holy Knight Order slayed a thousand magic beasts.
As Nordics froze, Valentis approached Tie.
And spoke in a serene voice.
“If you wish, you may come with your members to my invitation.”
Silence fell over the hallway.
Basto and Veil quietly exchanged glances, while Nordics stood frozen with an awkward smile.
Invitation?
What invitation?
But in the meantime, Tie answered.
“……Neees.”
Lowering his head, the child was stretching out the end of her words with a listless face for some reason.
Her sullen gaze dropped downward before her eyes cautiously turned to Valentis.
“Then can we all go together with the members? In two full moons?”
Valentis's mouth curved slightly once more.
“Yes. Then rest well.”
The next moment, the Lumenen Leader turned his back without hesitation.
And passed the awkwardly standing Basto and Veil, descending the stairs.
A few seconds later, the quiet sound of a door closing echoed from the empty downstairs hallway.
Nordics stiffly turned his head to stare at Tie before quickly scooping her up.
* * *
Once back in the room, Nordics asked the moment the door shut.
“Astie. What the hell happened? What exactly went on with Valentis Lumenen? And what's this about an invitation!”
His voice was urgent.
And rightly so, as he couldn't make sense of what had just occurred.
Tie, who had crawled into her bedding and crouched down, spoke in a creeping voice.
“Tie did a bad thing to Lumenen Uncle with the memory eraser.”
Bad thing?
The members' eyes widened round.
Basto, moving to Tie's side, asked soothingly.
“What do you mean bad thing, Tie.”
Tears welled up in the child's eyes.
But Tie rubbed at her eyes as if trying to hold them back and answered.
“Tie made Uncle a fool.”
“Made him a fool? What does that even mean.”
As even Veil sat before Tie and asked, she weakly lifted her wrist.
“Used this on Uncle…… so basically, I scammed him.”
The Sanctity of Oblivion was neatly fitted on the child's wrist.
Nordics inhaled sharply and pushed Veil aside to sit before Tie.
“Scammed? How did you scam him exactly?”
Tie, who had pressed her lips shut, met Nordics's eyes with an anxious gaze.
Then began hesitantly continuing.
“In the Capital, there's a Holy Knight Order organization chart.”
“Organization chart?”
“Yeees. So, I thought if I saw it, I could find Dad. Since the name's fake but the face isn't…….”
As the members fell silent, Tie kept going.
“But Lumenen Uncle said he wouldn't show it just like that.”
Nordics unwittingly let out a sigh.
Of course, what kind of person was Valentis Lumenen.
No way he'd casually show the organization chart.
“He said if I told the truth about why I'm looking for Dad and who he is, he'd consider it. But if I did, it'd reveal Tie's not a grand mage but just a kid…….”
Tie's voice grew smaller and smaller.
Then she finally started sniffling with teary eyes.
“But I really really need the organization chart. So after I told him everything, really, I had no choice but to……”
Basto groaned from the side.
Veil, Raoul, and Enzo were holding their breath with wide eyes.
“Get the promise to show the chart and erase it all from his head. Everything Tie said.”
Silence descended on the room.
The child's face looked somehow sad and empty after finishing.
“Tie is a scammer…… the kind who takes used goods and doesn't pay. Bad consumer, scammer……”
Nordics blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Tie was truly despairing.
‘If this were Korea, Tie would really go to jail…….’
To Tie, raised four years in the land of propriety and manners as a Confucian child, 107-room Grandma had earnestly drilled one thing above all.
That was conscience.
‘Bad lies! Stealing! Never do those, Tie. Got it?’
Yet in the end, Tie had lied to the Lumenen Leader and essentially stolen from him.
As guilt surged again and her lips pursed,
“Sovereign King.”
For some reason, Raoul cautiously approached Tie's side.
“It's okay. You didn't lie out of malice—you lied to protect yourself.”
Tie, even more aggrieved, bit her lip harder.
This time, Enzo approached and lightly patted the cowering Tie's back.
“Right. If it were me in the same situation, I'd have done the same.”
Tie hesitantly lifted her gaze.
But the child still muttered uncertainly.
“But……”
“Think about it. Sovereign King, you were in a situation where not seeing that chart would be a huge disaster, right?”
“Huge disaster……?”
“Of course. Your identity exposed. Worst case, can't find your dad. Wouldn't that be too sad?”
Tie, who had hesitated, nodded.
Raoul smiled as if to say 'see?'
“Now think the opposite about the Lumenen Leader. If he doesn't know your identity, does it seem like a huge disaster for him?”
Her lips parted slightly.
Pondering deeply, it seemed like Raoul was right—no big deal would happen.
She shook her head, and Raoul replied.
“See? So it's fine. No legal issues either.”
At 'no legal issues,' Tie's brows relaxed a bit.
“Really……?”
“Of course. And suppose I lied to you. If it was unavoidable in an emergency, you'd forgive me, right?”
“Uung. Tie is kind and super considerate, so I'd forgive.”
“The Lumenen Leader would too. Our fields differ, but he's reached the top in his own way. In the end, good people succeed.”
Finally, the child's face fully relaxed.
As Enzo spread his arms wide, Tie quickly dove into his embrace.
Enzo, patting her back, casually asked.
“By the way, you're sure you erased the Lumenen Leader's memory, right?”
