Tie had almost peeled the sheet off her cheek when she suddenly froze.

On the front side of the paper, two images resembling photographs were fastened with a thin clip.

“......Huh?”

A confused sound slipped from Tie’s mouth as she looked at the image.

The butler stepped closer and studied her face.

“Are you all right?”

But Tie stared only straight ahead.

Only after a moment did the child ask in a dazed voice:

“What... what is this?”

The butler replied awkwardly,

“I cannot speak about it. It is a document internal to the family......”

At that moment, Valentis raised his hand.

“It is fine. This is called a magic image. Recently, it has begun replacing paintings.”

He helped Tie to her feet, carefully supporting her while she still clutched the sheet.

“If you use a special instrument in the light, the device reproduces a subject more precisely than any portrait.”

But Tie did not answer.

As if enchanted, she continued staring at the magic image.

After some time, she hesitantly lifted her head.

Pointing at the picture with her index finger, she asked,

“Then... who is this person......?”

Valentis fell silent.

In the magic image was Theseos.

His son — the one whose safety he had only managed to learn about from afar, through others.

Yet Valentis answered calmly,

“That is the one known as Tesetan Veronio. At present, he is the head of the mercenary squad ranked first.”

After all, monitoring the movements of mercenaries was his direct duty as supreme commander of the Order.

Meanwhile, in Tie’s ears, the name “Tesetan” echoed hollowly.

“Tesetan......”

At first, the doubt had been tiny, no bigger than a pea.

But when Basto said he would never become a Holy Knight under any circumstances,

Tie had decided to herself then:

‘I will check one more time.’

What if Papa had not been a Holy Knight, but a mercenary?

So one last time.

When she returned to base, she would not check the faces of Holy Knights — she would check the faces of mercenaries, one by one.

But, but!

‘Papa really was a mercenary......?’

Seeing Papa’s clear face in the magic image, her tears abruptly stopped instead.

The hand holding the sheet did not move, even her lips barely parted.

Only then did Tie realize she had stopped breathing.

The child consciously began gulping for air.

Seeing that, Bale immediately stepped forward and asked seriously,

“Kid! Are you okay?”

But Tie swallowed and reflexively flipped over the document attached to the photograph.

In her trembling gaze, complex words rushed in chaotically and struck her consciousness.

Tallocium mercenary squad.

Activities on the Northern Continent.

Increased bounty price. Expansion of influence.

Unusual actions. Outstanding.

Status, atmosphere, ranking, return, budget, achievements, magic crystals, response......

Her breathing grew more and more uneven.

Tie blinked very slowly once.

Then, after taking one final breath, she went limp and lost consciousness in Bale’s arms.

“There are no other abnormalities. Her breathing balance was momentarily disrupted, so she fainted.”

After Alexander’s words, Valentis finally released the breath he had been holding.

Cold sweat had formed on his forehead — something that rarely happened even on the battlefield.

Raul, standing on the other side of the bed, muttered,

“......How great must the sense of loss be for someone to faint?”

He looked heavily at the sleeping Tie.

“What kind of shock did she experience......”

“Damn it! I am at a loss too.”

Bale roughly ran a hand through his hair.

“I thought we would be able to find him. Why did we dig through every Holy Knight on the entire continent and get nothing? At this point he could have at least figured it out and shown up himself, right?!”

The day before arriving at the Luminel estate,

Bale and Basto had received a telegram at the Agavert base from Marquis Weivril.

The Marquis had continued the investigation, but the person suspected to be Astie’s father had still not been found.

“Perhaps that is only natural,”

murmured Nordix.

“We have neither an exact name nor an age. Only that Astie remembers his appearance......”

And even that — black hair, as Tie had said, “this tall,” and greenish brown eyes.

“In truth, I can keep searching for Astie’s father as long as it takes. Even if it yields nothing.”

Basto spoke in a hoarse voice.

“But it is hard on Tie, and seeing her like this...... it is hard.”

Basto’s eyes reddened.

Lucarion silently held sleeping Tie’s hand.

Pupu stretched its nose and curled up at the head of the bed.

Leaving the silent Valentis and his three sons behind,

the room remained quiet for some time.

Tie opened her eyes only after the sun had set.

The child tried to sit up — and froze.

Raul and Enzo sat hunched on either side of the bed, quietly dozing.

On the sofa opposite, leaning against each other, Basto and Bale were asleep.

Nearby on the floor, squatting, Nordix had drifted off as well.

And at that moment—

“Awake?”

Lucarion’s voice sounded beside her.

Tie startled and turned her head. Lucarion snapped his fingers briefly.

At once, a transparent barrier formed around Tie, Pupu, and Lucarion, cutting off outside sounds.

“You can speak freely.”

Tie bit her lip tightly, then said in a subdued voice,

“Kkamani, Tie...... found Papa.”

Lucarion frowned.

He had not expected those words at all. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But Tie continued, dejected,

“Papa’s real name is Tesetan. He is the head of the strongest, first ranked mercenary squad. But......”

“.......”

“Everyone says Papa has a terrible personality. He does not like people, he is mean, and just a strong monster. That is what they said in Pearlcity.”

Lucarion blinked in shock.

‘The identity of that man — the head of Trevaga?’

It was unexpected, but if it was true, Tie’s words were correct.

Tesetan, head of Trevaga, was usually spoken of negatively.

“And in the Weapon District, the great blacksmiths said it too. Papa has no blood and no tears. If he wants something, he charges forward like a boar, and obstacles...... he removes them all.”

Tie lowered her head.

A moment later, Astie’s and Lucarion’s gazes met in the air.

Almost sobbing, Tie said,

“Kkamani. Do you remember when we first became friends?”

“I remember.”

“You said then that Tie had to leave everything here behind. And Tie really left all memories with Papa, right?”

“Yes.”

“But now that I found Papa, we have to become a family again from the beginning......”

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes.

“Maybe this Papa here does not really like Tie?”

Lucarion did not answer.

Most likely, her assumption was correct.

And Tie seemed to know that too.

“If one day a strange uncle comes and says he is ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Tie’s papa, Tie would be scared and uncomfortable.”

“.......”

“So Papa would feel the same. If Tie goes to Papa and suddenly says she is his daughter...... Papa would be scared and uncomfortable too.”

The child’s eyes drifted toward the sleeping squad members.

“And also... it seems they do not like it when Tie is sad.”

Lucarion’s lips parted slightly.

He had thought she was asleep.

But it seemed Tie had heard the entire conversation of the squad members.

“If Bale oppa, Grandpa Nordix, Raul and Enzo oppa... if Tie is sad, it hurts them too.”

Tie remembered the day she received the box of Papa’s belongings.

When Tie did not know what to do, the grandmother from 107 and the auntie from 203 had been even sadder than she was.

Tie lifted her head.

With tear filled eyes, she tried to smile.

“Kkamani. Tie... does not have candy, but she still has a request.”

Lucarion unconsciously clenched his fist.

Then he tightly embraced Tie, whose shoulders had drooped.

“Speak. I will do anything you ask.”