Chapter …06

                               The Hidden-Strength Child Is Looking for Her Dad – Chapter 6

That night, at the campsite.

Basto pulled out a waterproof cloth from his belongings and muttered,

“This area is dangerous. There are still two magic stones nearby. So it’s best not to let your guard down at night.”

He planned to stay up all night on watch, but he was worried because Astie was still so young.

Astie, who had been listening, suddenly raised her hand high.

“Me, me!”

“…?”

The child flapped her hand energetically.

“You’re supposed to say, ‘Yes, little Tia, go ahead.’”

Basto was flustered but managed to respond,

“R-right. Go ahead, little Tia.”

“The monsters that come out of the magic stones… are they really strong?”

“Monsters? You mean magical beasts.”

It was exactly the kind of question a four-year-old would ask.

Basto stroked his scruffy beard and answered quietly,

“That depends. They vary greatly.”

The combat power of magical beasts differed from individual to individual.

Still, it wasn’t completely unpredictable.

Usually, the lower the grade of the magic stone, the weaker the monsters it produced.

In fact, monsters didn’t pour out directly from the magic stone itself, but from the cracks around it.

Lower-grade stones tended to create shallow cracks,

and the creatures that emerged were often weaklings.

On the other hand, the higher the grade of the stone and the larger the crack, the stronger the monsters that appeared.

That’s why magic stones were classified as small, medium, and large.

“Monsters from large magic stones are extremely strong. Just look at the ‘Fall of Actis.’”

Actis was a small principality located inland on the western continent across the sea.

Its king mobilized the entire army to besiege a large magic stone that had appeared behind the royal palace—

and every single knight, including the king, was annihilated.

It was a devastating defeat for an entire nation.

The fall of the Principality of Actis spread across the continent in an instant.

It was a cruel and terrifying event remembered by all.

“That said, we’re not completely helpless anymore.”

“Then what?”

“Now that the age of mercenaries has arrived, there are many skilled fighters across the continent. It’s different from the past, when large magic stones were impossible to conquer. Also, no matter how strong a monster is, it can’t act freely during the day.”

Even powerful monsters weakened when daylight came.

Most of them hurried back into the cracks they had emerged from.

The problem was that a few times a year, there were days when they could move even during daylight.

Mercenaries called those days, in their own slang, “The Day of Ruin.”

But no one had yet discovered why such days occurred.

“It’ll take five days to reach the capital. Even excluding tonight, we’ll spend four more nights in the forest. Don’t let your guard down, Tia.”

He didn’t expect much from a child,

but doing something was always better than doing nothing.

“I’m not trying to scare you. It’s for your safety.”

He had worried the small, suspicious child might get frightened—

“Uncle, I’m not dumb!”

The child puffed out her cheeks and sat up proudly.

“I’m going to the capital to find my dad! I’m not scared of monsters at all!”

A faint smile appeared on Basto’s lips.

He tied the waterproof cloth to a thick tree to make a roof,

then folded a spare blanket three times and laid it underneath.

It created just enough space for Astie to lie down alone.

“Come here and sleep.”

“What about you?”

“Adults go to sleep late. You’re a child, so you sleep early.”

Astie nodded and obediently got up from the rock.

She carefully grabbed her pink bag and lay down on the blanket.

Staring at the ceiling, she blinked a few times before whispering,

“But, mister… this blanket smells like a wet dog.”

Basto covered her with a relatively clean outer garment.

“…Just sleep for today. I’ll wash the blanket tomorrow.”

The child nodded and closed her eyes.

Long shadows from her eyelashes fell across her cheeks.

Perhaps she was tired—soon, her steady breathing filled the forest.

The next day.

Astie woke up very early.

And was surprised.

“Gasp! Mister Basto doesn’t sleep!”

Basto was already awake.

“Adults really are amazing…”

He went to bed later than her and woke up earlier.

Come to think of it, her dad was the same way.

He always slept late and woke early—

because of Tia, because he had to go out and earn money.

“Maybe Mister Basto is like that because of me…”

Her eyebrows drooped at the thought of being a burden.

No, this wouldn’t do.

She had been rejected when she tried giving a filial massage to Kkamangi, but she would definitely do it for Mister Basto.

But just as she jumped up from the blanket—

“If you’re awake, eat this first.”

A warm wooden bowl, steaming, was held out in front of her nose.

“What is this?”

“Carrot soup.”

It felt like a huge rock crashed down on her head.

“C-carrot…”

To Tia, carrots and spinach were nightmare foods.

Her friends said they were delicious, but to her, they tasted like roadside grass.

“Hurry and eat. If you don’t have energy, traveling will be difficult.”

Tia swallowed hard.

A song from kindergarten echoed in her head.

“Chew well~ eat everything evenly~ don’t be picky~
Spinach, carrots, black beans~ chew chew~”

A good child doesn’t pick and choose food.

She should sit properly and eat everything.

“Spinach… carrots… black beans…”

With a gloomy face, Tia accepted the bowl.

She shut her eyes tight and gulped it down—then paused.

The soup was slightly sweet, and the carrots were perfectly cooked.

Not too hard, not too soft—almost like jelly.

“You’re eating well.”

Basto quickly ladled another serving into her bowl.

Tia finished it completely and let out a small burp.

Her stomach felt warm and nice.

“Thank you for the meal—”

But as she tried to return the bowl, she froze.

There were small black letters written on its surface.

“Dad… I love you?”

Basto stiffened.

“W-wow…”

But Tia was just as surprised.

“How can I read this?”

The writing wasn’t in Korean.

Yet when she looked at it, she could understand it as if she had always known it.

She quickly looked up at Basto.

“Mister Basto!”

“…What. Want more?”

She hadn’t realized it before, but it was the same with speech.

She was understanding and speaking a language she had never learned.

Her hand instinctively moved to her pink bag.

“This is Tanifang—no, Pupetmon’s power!”

Kkamangi, who had gone back into the stone, must have cast a spell on her!

Her heart pounded as she drank the water Basto handed her.

“Kkamangi really is amazing…”

She wanted to see him again as soon as possible.

“Shall we get going?”

Soon, Basto cleaned up the pot and campfire.

Excited, Tia helped fold the blanket and waterproof cloth.

Even while carrying a large load, Basto easily picked her up.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go!”

Birds still flew freely through the sky.

Watching them, Tia smiled softly.

“I’ll be free soon too!”

Once she reached the capital, she’d find her dad quickly.

But four days later.

After eating carrot soup twelve times across three meals a day, Tia finally reached the first gate of the capital.

“You’re saying we can’t enter? What do you mean?”

Basto frowned, holding Tia in his arms.

Across from them, a holy knight guarding the gate replied indifferently,

“Didn’t I just say it, Basto Faerix? Your mercenary identification number has been revoked.”