Chapter…08

A Hidden OP Child Is Looking for Her Dad – Episode 8.

“Sweetie. Remember how I told you your dad was super, super strong?”

“Yeah!”

“Well… your dad actually had twenty subordinates.”

“Eh…? That’s not a lot.”

“It is a lot! Twenty incredibly strong subordinates are way better than a hundred weak ones, you know?”

“Then were all of Dad’s subordinates like… legendary level? Like Legendary Tanifang?”

At that, her father stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Of course. They were all really strong. And the one closest to me was Hammer Uncle.”

Hammer Uncle.

The man who lost his family in an accident in his hometown, Banana Village, and wandered alone before eventually becoming her father’s subordinate.

Tia stared at Bastow in disbelief.

Bastow Uncle… is Hammer Uncle?

He was from Banana Village.
He used a hammer as big as himself.
He was strong.
He had a beard.

And—

“…after what happened to your family…”

He had no family with him now either.

Tia quickly hurried back to her seat and pretended nothing had happened, sipping her hot chocolate again.

Bastow and the old man tilted their heads in confusion, but soon resumed their conversation.

I met Bastow Uncle first…

Was this what it meant to return to the past?

She had found someone who would later become her dad’s subordinate—before her dad did.

At the same time, she felt guilty for misunderstanding him.

He was a good person from the beginning…

Tia clearly remembered the story about Hammer Uncle.

In fact, ever since she came to this world, her past memories had felt even more vivid.

“Originally, Hammer Uncle wasn’t Dad’s subordinate. He was the vice-captain of a mercenary group called Death Hound.”

“Death… hound?”

“It means ‘death dog.’”

“Death dog…!”

The Death Hound mercenary group was based in Banana Village.

Its leader was Kal, and the vice-captain was Hammer Uncle.

She remembered laughing with her dad about how ridiculous those names sounded.

“But Hammer Uncle was a good person. Kal wasn’t. Because of Kal, Hammer Uncle’s family died.”

“Gasp… why?”

“Kal always made Hammer Uncle do all the work. He stayed in the village resting, while sending Hammer Uncle out to destroy magic stones every single day.”

Hammer Uncle and Kal had once been close friends.

That was why Hammer Uncle never refused him.

Instead, he made just one request.

“Please take care of my wife and daughter in Banana Village while I’m away. You never know what might happen.”

“And Kal agreed?”

“Of course. He told him not to worry at all.”

Hammer Uncle believed him.

But one day, when he returned from a mission—

The village had been completely destroyed.

Inside the ashes of his home, Bastow found them.

His wife and daughter, holding each other tightly… already gone.

“Tia. When we go back home someday, you must remember this. Sometimes monsters are active even during the day.”

“Yeah… you told me.”

“That’s what happened that day too. While Hammer Uncle was away.”

That day, peaceful Banana Village turned into chaos in an instant.

The survivors ran to Kal.

After all, he was the mercenary leader meant to protect the village.

But—

Kal was drunk in broad daylight, completely out of his mind.

“He told everyone to go back home and wait. Said he’d check the situation and come evacuate them.”

“And then…?”

“They all went back. Believing he would come. Hammer Uncle’s wife and daughter too.”

“How… could he…”

But Kal never returned.

Instead, he stole a few horses and fled with his men.

As time passed, the monsters began finding people hiding in their homes.

And they killed them.

Brutally. Mercilessly.

Hammer Uncle buried his wife and daughter in the ruins of the village.

Then disappeared into the forest.

After that, he began destroying magic stones alone.

Every time he survived, he didn’t feel relief.

He blamed himself.

I should have died with them.

I should have joined them.

Even then, Kal kept tormenting him.

Shamelessly, he followed him around, telling him to return to Death Hound.

When Hammer Uncle refused again and again—

Kal bribed corrupt Holy Knights and erased his identity.

Wait…!

Tia’s eyes widened.

Bastow’s missing mercenary ID.

What the knight at the gate had said about Death Hound and Kal Warben.

Everything matched.

Tia pressed her lips together and thought hard.

What happened after that?

Her dad had definitely told her…

“Then did Hammer Uncle get his ID back?”

“No. Kal made it impossible. Without an ID, he couldn’t enter the capital. And Kal spread false rumors about him, so he couldn’t even get a new one. But then—”

“But then…?”

“After struggling for a few months, he met me.”

Tia’s eyes grew wide.

Yes. That’s exactly what he had said.

“I was basically a rising star back then. Super strong. I got him a new ID in no time.”

“Wow! So you made him your subordinate?”

“Of course. I was ranked number one on the entire continent back then.”

“Holy Knights have rankings too?”

“Uh… yeah. Something like that.”

Dad…!

If she found her dad, Bastow could get his ID back.

Then they could enter the capital.

But—

There was a problem.

Her dad was inside the capital.

Which meant—

They couldn’t meet him.

A complete dead end.

Tia fidgeted anxiously and set down her cup of hot chocolate.

She needed to think carefully about how to solve this.

The next day—

Tia went to the refugee market with the innkeeper grandma.

The market was crowded, much like the ones she had seen in Korea.

Except—

Flies swarmed over the food stalls,
And everyone looked extremely poor.

“Hey.”

One of the merchants suddenly grabbed Tia’s wrist.

“Want some candy? Only 20 iron. Hm?”

His gaze was fixed on the pink bag she was carrying.

“You bastard! Let go of her!”

If the innkeeper grandma hadn’t intervened, Tia would have been dragged away.

Clicking her tongue, the grandma grabbed Tia’s hand tightly.

“Stay right next to me, child. Here, even a moment of carelessness can be dangerous.”

Tia nodded, frightened.

Looking around timidly, she saw people wandering the streets with lifeless expressions.

All of them looked exhausted.

Thin. Hollow.

“It’s because all the newly formed magic stones are large ones,” the grandma muttered.

“There aren’t enough people to deal with them.”

Tia vaguely understood.

Large magic stones meant stronger monsters.

That’s why there were so many refugees.

But the capital only protected the rich…“You crazy bitch!”

Suddenly, a furious shout rang out.

From beyond the grandma’s shoulder, Tia saw two figures standing in the middle of the market.

A fat man—and a small, thin girl.

“You dared touch my wallet?! Do you even know who I am?!”

“What are you talking about?! I told you—I just bumped into you! Why would I touch your—”

SLAP!

The girl’s head snapped violently to the side.