The coachman frowned.

He looked back and forth between Tie and Raul, then opened his mouth.

“What is this... a child on a horse.......”

“If you suddenly cut someone off while driving, it gets recorded on the black box and you go to jail! Jail! You eat beans there!”

The coachman’s face turned bewildered.

He shifted his gaze from Tie to the squad members, then slightly pulled his carriage aside.

Even so, he grumbled:

“Then you should move forward faster! The road’s already hectic because of the festival, and you’re crawling along with a horse?”

Deep shock spread across Tie’s face.

“H-how can you say that.......”

The coachman had just insulted her driving skills.

And actually, Tie had not been going that slowly compared to the other carriages at all!

Tie narrowed her eyes and glared at the coachman.

“Tie was going at a normal speed. Mister was the one speeding!”

And speeding was very, very dangerous.

Every time she saw cars racing through the market with excessive speed, she remembered the words of the aunt from apartment 203.

“Well now? If you drive like that, you won’t be on the road—you’ll be on the heavenly path.”

Meaning if you rushed recklessly, you would go to heaven ahead of schedule.

And not only that.

“The uncle from the hardware shop said that too.”

“Look, Tie. See drivers like that? Sooner or later! They definitely! Cause a big accident, that’s what.”

If you drove strangely, an accident would eventually happen.

And then you would be shown on YouTube and on television—and it would be shame across the whole country.

Tie let out a heavy sigh.

Then she looked at the coachman with a strangely sympathetic gaze.

“Mister, speeding is not saving time.”

“What?”

“It is wasting life. Adults say that.”

The coachman flinched.

But Tie kept looking at him until the end.

“And also, if you go slowly, the destination won’t run away. If you were in such a hurry, you should have left yesterday yesterday.......”

The coachman snorted.

Muttering in disbelief, “What kind of little girl is this?!” he turned his carriage.

For some reason noticeably reducing his speed compared to ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) before.

After confirming that a safe distance had been restored, Tie cleared her throat and proudly puffed out her chest.

“Raul oppa. Tie chased away the dangerous driving violator.”

“Y-yes, excellent work, Captain.”

Tie waved her hand casually, as if to say it was nothing.

Then she looked forward again—and her eyes widened.

“Huh? There are even more carriages than before?”

They had only argued briefly with the violator who had cut them off and sped.

But the bridge over the Isera River was already completely jammed.

In the distance, even the bald coachman who had just cut off Tie was standing still.

“Little one, come here.”

Just then, Bale’s voice sounded from the side.

Tie turned—Bale had already dismounted and was holding both hands out to her.

Tie quickly climbed into his arms and got down from the horse.

“There might be an accident ahead.”

Basto muttered as he climbed down as well.

Nordix, inside the carriage, frowned too.

“Strange. I have never heard of the Boundary of the Ancient Gods being this congested.”

The squad members stared at the endless line of carriages.

“It’s hopeless! The paladins have blocked the road ahead!”

From diagonally in front, a coachman wearing a strange fur hat shouted to a neighboring carriage.

That carriage’s driver grimaced.

“What?! Then how are we supposed to enter?!”

“How would I know! They say it’s all blocked because of the Lantern Festival! It’s chaos ahead!”

The squad members could not help but listen to their conversation.

“So we just stand here like this?”

“I don’t know, they’re supposedly opening the nearest square, but all the carriages currently on the bridge are being directed there—the noise is terrible!”

“Well, this is just.......”

The neighboring coachman irritably let go of his reins.

Basto cautiously approached him.

“Excuse me, what is happening?”

The coachman from the neighboring carriage jumped down to the ground.

He pulled out a cigar from his inner pocket and answered:

“Because of the Lantern Festival. They say carriage traffic was suddenly prohibited.”

Just as he was about to light it, he noticed Tie and slipped the cigar back into his pocket.

Then he looked resentfully at the clogged path ahead.

“Seems more people gathered than expected. Not surprising—it’s the second day of the festival.”

Tie looked confused, and Enzo, who had been driving the baggage wagon behind them, climbed down and approached.

“The Lantern Festival is a three-day celebration in the capital. During the harvest period they light lanterns and make wishes. We didn’t expect the dates to coincide like this.......”

Tie looked again toward the bridge.

That was why, even though it was already late, the lights in the center of the city looked so bright.

‘It’s because of the festival!’

Meanwhile, the neighboring coachman continued speaking to Basto.

“All carriages currently on the bridge are being sent to the nearest unused square—what nonsense.......”

“What about the cargo in the carriages?”

“Well what else? If it’s urgent, you take it and carry it on foot, how else?”

“What?”

Startled, Basto glanced back at the squad members, and Nordix awkwardly muttered:

“We have magic beast cores and a lot of other cargo......”

Nordix lifted his head.

“May I ask, that square where the carriages must stop—how far is it from Roseorbel Street?”

The coachman’s eyes widened.

And understandably so—Roseorbel Street was where the noble townhouses were located.

But after thinking for a moment, he answered:

“On foot, at least an hour or two. The square is that empty lot beyond the bridge. And Roseorbel Street is still far from there.”

The squad members’ gazes turned toward where he pointed.

Dozens—no, already scores—of carriages were entering the empty lot one after another.

The coachman muttered:

“I wonder how many people gathered for them to regulate carriages like this......”

He climbed back onto his horse.

“Well then. Safe travels.”

After he left, Basto and Nordix looked at each other, speechless.

“Alright! Move along!”

A loud voice sounded from ahead.

The blocked road began to inch forward.

“For now, let’s move, little one.”

Bale hurriedly climbed into the carriage, holding Tie close.

Raul took the reins again and guided the horse according to the paladins’ directions.

How long they moved in that long column was unknown.

Soon they arrived at a neglected square with a broken lantern and uneven paving.

Stepping down from the carriage, Tie swallowed.

‘Bigger than the market parking lot......!’

Before them stood dozens—no, hundreds—of carriages lined up at even intervals.

“Unload this!”

“Your Excellency, can carts like these also be taken inside?”

“Is the security reliable?! Just try scratching my carriage!”

People with grim faces stood all around.

Basto sighed.

“First, let’s sort out what we need to take with us.”

With tired faces, the squad members began unloading the baggage.

But the problems did not end there.

“Little one, come here. I’ll carry you.”

“Wait, Bale.”

At Nordix’s words, Bale, who had been about to lift Tie onto his back, froze awkwardly.

Looking around, Nordix lowered his voice.

“It seems informants are watching us.”

Tie’s eyes widened. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

But it was true.

If you looked closely, there was a strange, restless movement all around.

“They identified us by appearance. That we are Agavert. And they likely want information about Astie.”

At that moment, Tie noticed someone hiding at a distance.

When their eyes met, the person flinched and disappeared behind a nearby carriage.

But Tie had already seen the suspicious figure.

‘They’re watching...... Tie?’

And even the reason—to confirm whether Tie truly hid her power?

Bale looked at her with an uneasy expression.

“Little one. How shall we move? It might still be better if I carry......”

But Tie had already decided.

With a firm expression, the child shook her head.

“I will walk myself.”

After all, she was the Captain of Agavert.

Now that they had arrived in the capital and observers’ eyes were fixed on them,

she, called the King of the Dead, could not walk like an infant in the arms of her squad members.