*Tremble*

Tie was literally trembling, pressing her whole body against Basto’s back.

In front of her eyes was the entrance to a cave that radiated an ominous atmosphere.

This cave, located not far from the gate, was called “Tenebraum.”

“It was originally a food storage. But when a Magic Stone appeared inside, the place became a den of Magical Beasts.”

At Bale’s addition, her throat swallowed involuntarily.

At that moment, Tie’s head was filled with only one thought.

The thought of a tyrannosaurus bursting out of the cave with a terrifying roar.

The moment it opened its huge maw, inside there would be hundreds of sharp teeth......

“S, scary......”

Her body shrank on its own.

Tie stole a # Nоvеlight # glance at Basto and Bale.

In the end, Tie did not take part in this suppression.

Even a small Magic Stone was dangerous—Basto was stubborn and refused to agree to anything else.

At first, Tie had wanted to persuade Uncle Basto.

But after hearing about the tyranno, she simply could not step forward anymore.

‘Maybe...... suppressing a Magic Stone isn’t as easy as it looks.’

If she thought about it, Father had said something similar too.

“First of all, there is an enormous variety of Magical Beasts. That means their attacks are hard to predict.”

Flying Magical Beasts, Magical Beasts that looked like people, Magical Beasts with five legs.

“Therefore, when suppressing a Magic Stone, you must never lower your guard. Relax even a little, and you can be seriously injured. To be honest, until now I spoke more gently so as not to scare you, Tie. Remember this. Magical Beasts are very frightening creatures.”

She had to admit it.

‘Tie was too careless.’

She had only heard about them and had never seen Magical Beasts in real life.

And yet she had been planning to just follow Uncle Basto and Bale oppa.

‘I can’t be careless!’

That was probably why Uncle Basto had told Tie to wait outside.

“Well then, Astie.”

Right at that moment, Basto went down on one knee.

Taking Tie off his broad back, he said seriously,

“Wait outside with Grandpa Nordix. We’ll be back by dawn.”

Tie turned her head.

A few steps away, an old man in gray robes was looking at her with a kind smile.

“Don’t worry so much, child. All this time, the Magical Beasts have never once come out of the cave.”

The old man they had met at the gate and come here with was named Nordix.

He was an old friend of the Grandpa from the inn, and his profession was... what was it again?

The one who looks at the stars and predicts the future... div... astr...?

“Fortune teller, you silly.”

As if reading Tie’s thoughts, Bale cut in.

He smirked and sneered,

“So all that talk about your smart head was a lie, huh?”

Tie froze in shock, then flared up.

“N, no? Tie really is smart! The teacher and all my friends said Tie is smart, I just forgot for one second......”

“All right, all right.”

Bale interrupted her, ruffling the top of her head.

“While you’re waiting, just listen to the adults, okay? And don’t you dare cry while I’m gone.”

“Tie doesn’t cry! I’m not a baby!”

Bale’s eyes widened, then a mischievous expression spread across his face.

“Not a baby? When you first met Basto, you were covered in tears and snot, begging him to spare you.”

“Iiiih......!”

Tie’s eyes blazed. She puffed out her chest and stomped her foot.

“Tie is a child! Not a baby, but a chi! ld!”

Bale tilted his head.

“......And how is that different from a baby.”

“It is different! A child is not, a baby is......”

Her head started spinning.

A baby was when adults looked down on Tie.

A child was when they treated Tie with respect.

But the moment she tried to explain it, her tongue got tangled.

“A, a baby is when they say ‘a silly baby,’ and a child is......”

“Pff, then how about ‘little one’? ‘Infant’? ‘Runt’? All different too, right? Like an old man and an elderly man? Or, say, a youth and a young man? So what are you, kid.”

“Eh, th—!”

Seeing that Tie was getting dizzy, Bale grabbed his stomach.

“Enough.”

With a heavy sigh, Basto stepped between them.

Offended, Tie pressed her lips together, and Bale, as a final gesture, stuck out his tongue at her.

Basto bowed respectfully to Nordix.

“Please take care of Astie.”

“May luck be with you.”

By then, the forest had already sunk into darkness.

That meant the time of Magical Beast activity was approaching.

Tenebraum was a deep and enormous cave.

Inside, like a labyrinth, small Magic Stones were located in various places.

Basto and Bale were planning to suppress one of them, but...

‘Honestly, I’m uneasy.’

Bale knew that Basto was a skilled warrior.

Last night, just in case, he had even bought information about him on the black market.

And to his surprise, Basto Paerix really did have a rather impressive past.

After losing his family in Ban Anla village, he became a wanderer, but before that he had been the deputy commander of Des Hound.

‘Personally, I feel sorry for him, but for me this might even be for the best.’

In this line of work, there is a line that only those who have already lost something precious can cross.

When a warrior ultimately abandons himself.

When he casts aside emotion and entrusts himself entirely to primal instincts—thirst for revenge and rage.

As if casually, Bale said to Basto,

“By the way, I’ll be going all out.”

“Me too.”

Before entering the cave, they looked at Tie one last time.

Tie was looking at Basto with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“Bye, Uncle Basto......”

Seeing her face full of worry, Bale flared up.

“Hey! What about me?!”

Only then did Tie turn her gaze to him.

And reluctantly, she gave a small wave.

“......Oppa, you come back too......”

Bale held back a smile and stepped inside.

‘Yeah.’

No matter what, they couldn’t keep lingering near the gate any longer.

Moving deeper inside, Bale turned on a scouting lamp powered by a magic crystal.

Somewhere far away, an unpleasant, indistinct howl echoed.

Tie settled herself under an elm tree, about five minutes from the cave.

Grandpa Nordix, despite his hunched back, knew how to pitch a tent no worse than Basto.

“Jax gave dried meat.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

For dinner, Tie ate two whole pieces of dried meat that Grandpa Nordix handed her.

The very one the Grandpa from the inn had given—it was incredibly salty and fragrant.

When everything around sank into darkness and stars appeared in the sky.

The fortune teller Grandpa began to nod off.

But Tie just couldn’t fall asleep.

She knew that both Uncle Basto and Bale oppa were very strong, but......

She was still anxious, and she hugged the child’s backpack with Kkamani inside.

It had already been a week since Kkamani returned to the stone.

‘At first, I thought he would come out again quickly.’

The longer Kkamani slept, the more nervous Tie became.

Sneaking a look to make sure the fortune teller Grandpa wasn’t watching, she opened her backpack.

Inside lay a black, smooth stone.

“Kkamani, come out already.”

There’s so much I need to tell you.

She stared at the stone for a long time, and at that moment—

Kugugung—

The ground suddenly shook.

Tie flinched, quickly put Kkamani back, and lifted her head.

In the distance, a red light flared.

While she stared at that glow as if enchanted—

“Child!”

Suddenly, Grandpa Nordix yanked Tie by the scruff of her collar.

Before she could even be surprised, Tie was flung backward and rolled along the ground.

Kwakwagwang!

The next instant, enormous flames crashed down right in front of her.

From sheer terror, Tie forgot how to breathe and froze in place.

The spot that was now engulfed in blazing fire was the very place where Tie and Grandpa had been standing just a moment before.