Chapter…10

The Hidden Strong Child Is Looking for Their Father – Episode 10

Bale blinked in disbelief.

“So, mister, Bale oppa is making a mercenary group~”

Right in front of him, the little kid bounced up and down excitedly.

“The mercenary test is to break a small magic stone! But it’s scary to do it alone, so we need two more people~”

The big man who had just returned looked just as flustered.

The man called Basto had barely stepped inside when the little kid ran up and grabbed him.

And now, he was being forced to listen to endless chatter.

“Mister, you’re the hammer guy, so you’re super strong!”

Basto glanced at Bale.

Bale frowned slightly but didn’t avoid his gaze.

“And Tia has the legendary Puppetmon, so she’s strong too! If we join Bale oppa’s team, we can break the small magic stone and get our identification numbers again!”

The kid finished speaking so fast that she started panting.

Basto, who had been staring at her, finally spoke.

“…So.”

He carefully pieced together what she said while examining Bale.

“That guy named Bale is forming a mercenary group and is looking for two more people besides himself?”

“Yes!”

“And you want the two of us to join?”

“Yes!”

Silence fell over the inn’s first floor.

Unable to take it anymore, Bale stood up.

“Hey, kid. Who said you could join?”

Tia flinched and turned toward him.

“Do you think a small magic stone is a joke? If it were that easy, I’d have handled it myself.”

A small magic stone was still a magic stone.

It created rifts and summoned troublesome monsters.

Sure, it was easier than medium or large ones—but that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.

“I said I’d find two more people because I need skilled fighters. A hammer and what? Puppet… whatever? What are you even going to do with that…?”

He swallowed the rest of his words.

The kid might be harmless, but that huge, muscular man was definitely not.

But the response he got was unexpected.

“I can handle a small magic stone alone.”

Basto, now holding Tia in his arms, walked inside.

He casually draped his coat over a chair and sat down in front of Bale.

“Is it true? That you’re forming a mercenary group?”

Bale could feel the kid’s sparkling eyes watching him from Basto’s lap.

Though slightly flustered, he coughed and answered calmly.

“Yeah.”

“And you’re looking for teammates for the test?”

“I already told you, yes!”

These days, the mercenary test involved conquering a small magic stone.

If you collected all the monster cores and took them to the registration office, you’d receive an identification number—and with that, you could officially become a mercenary.

After that, you could freely enter the system, earn rewards for conquering magic stones…

And if your team made it into the rankings, becoming rich would only be a matter of time.

That’s why this mattered so much to Bale.

“I’ll say it again—I want skilled people. What you just said… that you can handle a small magic stone alone—is that true?”

Basto nodded firmly.

“Yes. I cleared one six days ago. A small magic stone in Briowood.”

Bale frowned.

Suddenly, something came to mind.

“Everyone, look! Kal Warben of the Death Hounds has returned with a gift for His Majesty the Emperor!”

The man with messy long hair had an unpleasant look at first glance.

“What are you all doing? Rank 12! The immortal Death Hounds have returned!”

He had been drinking for days at the checkpoint, chatting with the holy knights.

And he kept boasting about conquering a small magic stone in Briowood.

“A flying monster appeared suddenly, but who do you think I am? I took them all down alone…”

Bale narrowed his eyes.

“As far as I know, there’s only one small magic stone in Briowood…”

His gaze sharpened.

“You… if you’re lying to me—”

“I’m not lying, you idiot!”

At that moment, the kid suddenly stood up on Basto’s lap.

Frowning fiercely, she snapped at Bale.

“That was originally the hammer mister’s! That bad Kal stole the credit with lies! He even got hammer mister’s identification number taken away—what do you know?!”

Bale’s eyebrow twitched.

He was suspicious—but the kid’s words made sense.

‘It happens all the time among mercenaries… stealing credit—even killing for it.’

Bale had been staying near the gate for nearly two months, looking for teammates.

He wanted to take the test as soon as possible, but…

‘If I make a mistake… I could die.’

If he chose the wrong teammates—even one mistake during the test—

There would be no second chance.

And his siblings back home, waiting for him…

Bale ran a hand through his hair roughly.

His thoughts were a mess.

‘This muscle-head… looks like he got his achievement stolen.’

He had also seen this man and the kid being denied entry at the gate yesterday.

‘The Death Hounds must’ve erased his ID to avoid trouble later.’

Once he organized the situation, the decision became easier.

Bale let out a breath and looked at Basto.

“You. Can you handle at least one and a half people’s worth of work? You’ll need to.”

He was clearly ignoring the kid—but she didn’t seem to notice.

Basto nodded.

“Of course. Just don’t become dead weight.”

The next day.

“Chew well~ Don’t be picky with food~”

Tia hummed a song she didn’t usually sing.

She was holding Basto’s hand on one side and Bale’s on the other, walking happily.

‘A team!’

It hadn’t even been a week since she came to this world, and she already had a team.

‘When Kkamangi wakes up, he’ll definitely praise me!’

‘Since Kkamangi is a legendary Puppetmon, he must be super strong even without magic!’

And Tia was confident she could help too.

‘I was the fastest in the quail class!’

Hide-and-seek, tag, cops and robbers—

Whenever Tia was “it,” the other kids were doomed.

“Oppa, don’t worry too much!”

She just held his hand because he looked tense—but Bale frowned in annoyance.

Tia shrugged and turned to Basto.

“Mister! Don’t worry. Tia is super strong!”

But suddenly, Basto stopped walking.

He crouched down to meet her eyes.

“Astie. You won’t be coming.”

“Huh?”

“I hired someone. You’ll wait at a base near the magic stone.”

Her big eyes trembled in shock.

“Why… why?”

“Fighting monsters is not child’s play, Astie.”

Her head spun.

Basto asked in a low voice:

“What are you most afraid of?”

Tia hesitated.

“…A Tyrannosaurus?”

“I don’t know what that is. But imagine monsters being ten times scarier than that.”

The small stick in Tia’s hand slipped and fell to the ground.