Ch#81
Tie replied as if she had never been sulky.
"Yeees."
Then she continued brightly.
"This time, the bracelet was easier than before!"
Tie recalled the memory erasure magic she had cast on Valentis.
Previously, the moment she touched the target, a white snowfield-like scene had unfolded before her eyes.
'Last time, the memories floated around like soap bubbles.'
But this time, something was different.
The night she had activated the relic.
What appeared before Tie's eyes was not a white snowfield, but an enormous princess castle.
Fairies flying through the sky from somewhere, memory rings floating around them...
Her heart raced at the scene that was just like a DisXney movie.
'How did it know Tie likes fairies?'
As she was thinking, Enzo asked.
"You confirmed for sure that the Lumenen Leader's memory was erased, right?"
Tie tilted her head.
"I didn't do thaaat?"
"Pardon? Then how..."
"But since the Lumenen Leader didn't say anything for five minutes, that means the memory's gone, right?"
"For five minutes?"
"Yees! Tie said sorry and that it was a mistake, but he didn't even ask why and just stayed quiet for five minutes!"
It was like his mind had overloaded with thoughts or something.
Then, as the silence dragged on and Tie started feeling awkward, the Lumenen Leader finally spoke again.
'Then when do you want to view the organization chart.'
Hearing that, Tie felt relieved.
She had been worried that along with the memory, the promise to show her the organization chart had also vanished from the Lumenen Leader's mind.
Tie quickly replied.
'Can Tie see it if I go to the Capital?'
'When do you plan to come to the Capital?'
'I was just gonna stop by the Weapon District and go right after, so soon!'
Valentis Lumenen nodded as if that wasn't bad.
'Then we'll meet again soon.'
'Waaah, then we meet at Holy Knight Order headquarters?'
'Too many eyes at headquarters, so let's meet at my mansion.'
At his mansion?
It was a bit unexpected.
She had thought the Holy Knight Order organization chart would be kept at headquarters.
'Still, the Lumenen Leader uncle invited Tie to his house!'
Anyway, she had been thrilled at the invitation to the Lumenen Leader's home when she ran into Veil and Basto in the hallway. Then Nordics joined too.
Veil muttered.
"...I'm a bit uneasy just going by what the kid says."
Enzo agreed.
"I feel the same. But if the memory erasure magic hadn't worked properly, wouldn't the Lumenen Leader have taken the relic?"
"Why?"
"The Lumenen Leader has 'Holy City's Awakening'."
Veil let out an 'ah'.
Valentis Lumenen's 'Holy City's Awakening'.
In a way, it was the ability that had placed him in the Lumenen Leader position.
"He can detect pretty much any energy. If the leader's magic had failed, he surely would have noticed and shown interest in the relic."
Not stayed silent for five minutes like Tie said.
"True, that makes sense."
"Yes. And..."
Enzo nodded toward Tie, who was starting to doze off in his arms.
The child seemed comfortable in Enzo's embrace and was nodding off.
Raoul, beside them, deliberately used a difficult word so Tie wouldn't notice.
"It's certain the Lumenen Leader isn't the leader's biological... that."
Veil nodded.
"Yeah. If he were her real dad, the kid would have recognized him."
"Then who is it? Really not from the Lumenen Family?"
The lightly started discussion gradually deepened.
Once the conversation opened up, there was no end to the things they needed to share.
The mood grew even more serious when Nordics mentioned Ppuppu in Tie's bag.
And rightly so, since the timing of Ppuppu's appearance matched the disappearance of Krazar's core uncannily.
Which meant...
Faint light began to frost over the dark window outside.
Tie, meanwhile, was falling into deeper sleep.
Through her closed eyelids, the dawning scenery outside blurred into view.
Over it overlapped the Inwangsan sunrise scene she had seen with Dad just once.
That day had been just like today.
High sky dark blue, low sky pink like mixed grapefruit juice.
Tie half-dreamed and reminisced about her happy past.
Dad's voice echoed in her ears.
"My daughter, Dad loves you. So much, really, loves you and loves you again."
In her dream.
Tie, standing high high on clouds, saw Dad ahead—the Dad she had longed for so much.
Tie ran and hugged Dad tightly.
"Dad, I missed you...!"
Tears welled again at her reddened eyes.
Enzo, looking down at the child, carefully wiped the tears from her cheek.
And at the same time.
[Valentis. Have you looked into that Sovereign King?]
In Valentis's room.
Valentis replied to the voice from the communication orb.
"Yes."
[I see... Nothing special?]
His eyes cast downward.
After a silence, he replied in a calm voice.
"Yes. Nothing."
* * *
The next day.
A new morning dawned in the Weapon District.
"...Gasp."
And Astie slept in for the first time in a very long while.
"Oh nooo."
Confirming the surroundings empty, Tie jumped up from her spot.
Today was the day the Lumenen Leader would search the entire Weapon District.
There was supposed to be a morning assembly, so why hadn't anyone woken her?!
In her haste shoving her feet into her shoes, a small sound came from behind.
"Kyuu! Kyuuk!"
Turning, Ppuppu was peeking out from the bag, staring at Tie.
Tie shook her head to mean 'later.'
"Ppuppu, Mom's busy."
Then she stood with her shoes on backward.
As she left the room, bright sunlight flooded her vision.
"Uuu."
As Tie groaned and covered her face, barely opening one eye again.
"Sovereign King!"
A glad voice came from the left.
Turning, she saw Berugon standing at the end of the hallway corner.
"Factory chief?"
"Yes, over here. Just waking up? You're lazier than I thought."
Tie scurried over at Berugon's beckoning hand.
Then she looked around in surprise with wide eyes.
Now she saw, all guest room doors except the one she came from were wide open.
"Surprised? I was too. They all left in a swarm like always."
"Swarm...?"
"Yeah. The Lumenen Leader and the other two mercenary groups left right after the morning search. Your members are looking around the Armory."
Tie's eyes went wide.
'The Lumenen Leader uncle left?'
She had wanted to at least say thanks properly before he left.
"More importantly, you. Is it true you're meeting the Lumenen Leader in the Capital?"
Tie nodded dejectedly.
"Yeees. Invited to the Lumenen Leader's house."
Berugon clicked his tongue.
"They beat me to it. Anyway, take this."
Then he held out an item before Tie.
As the child's pupils dilated, Berugon continued in an excited voice.
"Recognize it? You do, right? It's what you showed me in the subspace. How's my skill? Much faster than you thought?"
