Sniffling, Tie stuffed a third tart into her mouth in a row.

“Tie, you need to eat porridge. How many sweets have you had already?”

Basto scolded her, but Tie only shook her head fiercely.

“Tie doesn’t liiiiiike carrot porridge.”

As if someone might snatch them away, she hurriedly hugged the plate of tarts to herself.

On top of them lay figs generously stewed in honey.

For Tie, it was the first time in her life tasting such unbelievably delicious sweets.

“Tarru is better.”

“......It’s tart, not tarru.”

Bale corrected her, but Tie only shrugged.

She had stopped crying only recently.

Exactly from the moment food sent by Adeline was brought into the room — right in the middle of her and Bale’s sniffling.

“And why do you even care whether she met her mother or not, huh? Stop throwing yourself into helping others while wrecking your own body! You can’t even take care of yourself, yet you keep rushing to save someone and then end up lying here sick like this......!”

The tears Bale shed for the first time in front of the squad had lasted longer than expected.

He had held Tie in his arms for quite a while.

But even here, Tie did not yield.

“But Tie also lost her family like onni! Losing family hurts a lot, can’t we help?”

Watching Tie snapping back even after exhausting her magic, Bale could only sigh.

But in truth, Tie herself had been very frightened.

Until now, she had not properly understood what magic exhaustion meant.

The power inside her had never seemed insufficient or excessive.

But today had been different.

“Is it because Tie caught a cold......?”

Or because she had recently begun sharing her magic with Pupu?

The moment she manifested Stasia, unbearable trembling had overtaken her body.

As if she had not eaten for a hundred or a thousand days, and there was not even enough strength left to move a finger.

But after sleeping, she felt better, and Tie was able to calm the squad.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

When it was opened, a servant stood there with a tray piled high with food.

“This was sent by the lord. She is busy settling matters below and asked me to say she will come as soon as she is free.”

Tie understood immediately.

Adeline had reclaimed her title, which meant she was overwhelmed with work.

According to Basto, she had already begun gathering the villagers to put the underground prison in order.

Reginald and his soldiers needed to be locked up somewhere. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Tie sniffed and examined the tray.

The most noticeable item was a large bowl of hot soup.

But......

“Why is it orange?”

The problem was that the soup was bright orange.

The servant smiled gently.

“It is the chef’s signature carrot soup.”

“No...... don’t want it.”

Carrots seemed to follow her everywhere.

Tie’s dislike of carrots went back to her time in Korea.

On her first day in this world — carrot soup.

At the inn by the gates — carrot soup again.

And now, after experiencing magic exhaustion for the first time, she had to eat... carrot soup once more.

With a serious expression, Tie climbed down from the bed and inspected the lower shelf of the tray.

There were desserts there.

And in the end, her choice fell on a tart.

“All done!”

After setting down the plate, Tie heard Bale click his tongue.

He brushed crumbs from her lips and asked:

“You said you were hungry. Will dessert really fill you up?”

Tie giggled.

“Mm-hm, sweets are good.”

“......You’ll get hyper again and start running around.”

After sweets, Tie’s mood always soared.

And she would have so much energy that the squad had to endure her jumping around.

Bale couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Probably because she’s little.”

A bit of sugar, and she was ready to bounce.

He picked up a boiled potato from the tray and handed it to her.

“At least eat this. You can’t live on sweets alone.”

Grumbling, Tie still took the potato.

And just as she sank her teeth into it—

noise erupted outside the door, and someone flung it open.

“Astie!”

A breathless Nordix burst into the room.

“H-how am I supposed to understand this? There was a battle in the castle?!”

Everyone stared at him.

“And what do you mean Reginald was captured?! I had no idea, I was with the villagers repairing the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) wheels! I thought once Bale arrived, we’d leave immediately......!”

Silence filled the room.

Astie, setting the potato aside, looked around in confusion.

“Didn’t you tell Nordix ajussi we were here?”

They all exchanged awkward glances.

“We... were going to.”

“Sorry. I forgot to go get you.......”

“Old man, are you all right?”

Nordix stared at them in shock.

And suddenly slumped down right at the threshold.

Finishing the carrot soup Tie had left behind, Nordix said:

“The villagers have golden hands.”

He ate at astonishing speed.

“Bale must have helped them a lot. The young ones came running in droves. They reinforced the wheels with metal, strengthened the axle with solid oak.”

Basto’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yes. One of the carriages the ruler gave us was completely remodeled. They removed the floor in the cargo section and laid down straw. It’s a sleeping compartment now.”

At the word “sleeping,” Tie’s lips parted.

“So now we can sleep in the carriage?”

“Yes. But taking turns.”

“Waaa......!”

Then Raul asked:

“So when do we depart for the capital?”

He glanced at Bale, bandaged from head to toe.

“Bale’s injuries are serious. Maybe we should stay a while?”

Nordix stroked his chin.

“That’s the thing. I would stay too, but considering we need to find a base in the capital......”

Enzo nodded.

Buying a mansion would take at least three days.

“If we don’t find a place, we’ll have to stay in inns again......”

Nordix looked closely at Astie.

“And then there will be too much attention on her.”

Attention?

Was that a bad thing?

Astie’s eyes widened, but the others looked serious.

“Considering everything that has already happened......”

Ever since they passed through the gates,

Agavert had been endlessly drawn into events.

“......The incident in the Weapon Pavilion is a bit concerning.”

That had been the biggest one.

When rumors spread that Astie had destroyed Krazar’s core.

“Informants will swarm like flies. There are too many eyes in the capital.”

“Isn’t that the same as tying up a child’s hands and feet, not even allowing her to throw a tantrum in public?”

And Berugon’s words in the Weapon Pavilion still lingered uneasily.

The squad sank into thought.

And then the door opened once more.

“Do not worry. I have a place where you can stay.”

Adeline entered, removing her cloak.

“A mansion in the capital that I once purchased. It has stood empty all this time.......”

She looked at Tie and smiled in a more complicated way.

“Perhaps it was simply waiting for its true master.”