Tie mentally apologized to the owners of the graves.

"When Tie becomes rich someday, I will repay you for your kindness......!"

First she had to find Father, and then, when she had jewels again, she would bury them back.

If they went to the central Capital bank, they had said there was some money Basto had saved there, so they could hold out on that for now.

"Tie, I’m ashamed."

Basto said it right at that moment.

Tie stopped walking and opened her eyes wide.

"After becoming an adult, all I’ve done is live at other people’s expense......."

"At least you understand that."

Bale gave a sarcastic snort, but Tie hurriedly reached out her palm toward Basto and waved it energetically.

"Nooo, Uncle Basto! Everyone lives like that!"

Nordix, Basto, and Bale looked at Tie.

"If there’s nowhere to get money from, then even if you kill yourself, there still won’t be any—that’s what they used to say."

Grandma 107 and Lady 203 repeated that all the time.

And wasn’t that all?

"Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you automatically have lots of money. You marry off your children, you get married yourself, you spin around trying your best—and debts appear. That’s how everyone lives."

Tie sniffed, and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

"......True. I suppose that’s right."

Basto moved forward awkwardly first.

Tie hurried after him and sank into her thoughts.

"I wish there had been jewels in Jongno-gu too."

If Tie had had jewels back then, she would have given all of them to Father.

In the Republic of Korea, Father worked all day and was ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ terribly tired.

And yet in front of Tie he never showed that it was hard.

"But he always smiled."

In summer he fanned her until she fell asleep, and in winter he covered her with his own blanket.

"Those donuts and fried chicken Father brought home after work...... they were really delicious."

As soon as she remembered Father, her nose began to sting.

Tie lowered her head for no particular reason.

After coming to this world, she had naturally realized something.

"When you suddenly end up in an unfamiliar world—it’s scary and sad."

In truth, Tie had felt that too.

When she crossed into another world to meet Father.

When, by chance, she ended up alone in the forest, she had been very scared and very sad.

If she had not happened to meet Basto, wouldn’t she still be wandering alone in the forest?

"Or maybe a tyrannosaurus would have already eaten me......."

If she thought about it, the fact that she had come this far in the end was also thanks to Father.

In the Republic of Korea, Father had told her about this world every day, so Tie had been able to remain safe until now.

If she had known nothing about this world.

Would she have been able, like now, to create a mercenary squad?

"No. Tie wouldn’t have been able to."

And so, naturally, a thought arose—what about Father?

When he first arrived in the Republic of Korea, he hadn’t known anything either.

"It was an accident."

"An accident?"

"Yes. Honestly, I still don’t know exactly what happened. But if we keep searching, there will surely be a way to return."

"Yes! Father can do it! He can return home!"

"Of course. Father will definitely return. Together with our beautiful daughter."

In her memories, Father had worked ever since Tie was very small.

Sometimes he returned with a bruise on his face, sometimes deep at night he sat alone, staring out the window into the darkness.

"It must have been very hard for him......?"

Even though Father never showed it, Tie still understood.

That he was terribly tired.

"Tie, it’s time to get on my back. At night we’ll move faster if you’re riding on my back."

Basto said it then.

Tie hurriedly climbed onto his back and looked into the distance, beyond the line of the horizon.

"Father...... wait for Tie."

They would stop by Pearlcity, then go to the Populos weapons district.

And Tie would go to find Father.

And when she met him,

"Even if you meet your Father, that man will not recognize who you are."

For a moment Kkamani’s words surfaced in her memory, but she stubbornly shook her head.

"It’s okay. Even if Father doesn’t recognize Tie."

Grandma 107 had said that if you do everything one step at a time, slowly, nothing is impossible.

In any case, Tie had one goal.

To make it so that Father would never fall into the Republic of Korea again.

"Astie. In this world there is something called the ‘law of return of fate.’"

The law of return of fate.

That was what Kkamani had told her the day before they departed.

They said that no matter what situation a person ended up in and no matter what life they lived over again, most people still arrived at the same result.

Simply put, Father in this life might fall into the Republic of Korea again.

After all, in another timeline he had already fallen there once.

"But this time Tie will stop it."

She had no intention of merely watching.

"I will find the reason why Father went to the Republic of Korea and make sure it doesn’t happen!"

Father had to be happy here, in his native world.

In Tie’s mind, the Father from the Republic of Korea flickered again.

Father, who looked at the streetlamp outside the window with a tired face.

Father, who with a bruise on his face made funny expressions and played with Tie.

And then in the end...... Father, who returned in a box of belongings, soaked by the rain.

She clenched her fists tightly.

"I will definitely find Father and make sure he lives to be a hundred years old and becomes a grandfather!"

This time she would absolutely, absolutely achieve it.

The next day.

Dawn broke over the dazzling sea.

"Everything is the same here."

Nordix smiled in front of the giant statue of a pearl shell—the symbol of Pearlcity.

And Bale, it seemed, had lost the strength in his legs and collapsed to the ground, clutching his forehead.

"You’re really over seventy? What kind of old man has better endurance than me!"

Nordix laughed and shifted his gaze to Basto.

Behind Basto, fast asleep, Astie could be seen.

Astie’s summoned creature, which sometimes crawled out of the bag to look around, had also disappeared somewhere.

"First we need to rent a room. It’s at least a week to the Populos weapons district, so we should prepare properly first."

"Then we should go to the Red Glove Inn. That’s the only place that lets you stay on credit, isn’t it?"

The Red Glove Inn.

It had been opened in Pearlcity by a retired old mercenary, and it was a fairly large inn.

There were plenty of rooms, and they allowed guests to stay on credit, which was why the place was always crowded with mercenaries,

"But it’s perfect to gather information about the child’s parents during our stay."

Basto nodded.

Soon Bale, having caught his breath, stood up as well.

The three of them carefully covered Tie’s head with black cloth.

The problem was not only that the fearsome King of the Dead was peacefully snoring in her sleep, but also that Tie’s appearance attracted attention everywhere.

Hair shining like the midday sun, and sparkling green eyes.

To avoid possible trouble, this was the best solution.

They passed the shell statue and the enormous square and entered the inn street.

A little farther along, among the other buildings, one inn stood out, significantly larger than the rest.

It was exactly what they were looking for—the Red Glove Inn.

"I’ll go check if there are free rooms."

Nordix disappeared inside first.

Quite some time passed, and Basto, adjusting Tie on his back, said:

"......He’s taking a long time."

Yet several more minutes passed, and Nordix did not return.

Bale, who had been watching and rubbing his temple, spoke:

"Maybe we should just go in? I’d like to sit down somewhere at least."

Basto reluctantly nodded.

When they opened the inn door, Nordix’s back could be seen at the counter.

"You’re saying there are no rooms, but there will be soon? What does that mean?"

Nordix was speaking with the innkeeper.

The man, glancing upstairs again and again, replied:

"That’s right. One guest definitely said he would be checking out early today."

"Early?"

"Yes. He said he would take the morning ship to the Capital and would free up the room around this time......."

"Hey, Rudy."

As if he had been waiting for that exact moment, someone appeared from behind the stairs.

Black hair slicked back.

Both hands casually tucked into his pockets.

The innkeeper’s face lit up.

"Oh, Tesetan! Already checking out?"