Tie hesitated.

A name, where you live — for a child, those were sensitive questions.

"Y-you really shouldn’t ask things like that, you know?"

Right now the world was very scary.

So scary that if someone said, "Come with me, I’ll give you something tasty," you absolutely had to report it to the police!

‘But.......’

Grandpa Nordix and Uncle Basto were not bad people.

And Tie knew that better than anyone.

After hesitating, Tie still asked, just in case:

"But why are you asking?"

"Because we have absolutely no clues about your Father, and because of that everything is dragging on — you could say it like that."

I see.

Tie nodded.

If you thought about it, from Grandpa Nordix’s and Uncle Basto’s point of view, it really could look that way.

‘Tie hasn’t really told them anything about Father.’

Besides, now they were her companions.

Like it or not — they were going to keep living together.

"Actually......."

Having made up her mind, Tie opened her mouth.

"Tie lived with Father in Jongno gu! In Gold Apartments, first floor, sixth!"

Without realizing it, she copied the way Lady 203 spoke.

That aunt never said "203," she always said, "Second floor, third!"

Tie even cleared her throat, feeling completely like an adult, but Nordix asked again:

"What, what?"

"Tie. Jongno gu?"

Basto looked no less confused.

Tie nodded.

"Yeees. Uncle and Grandpa, you probably don’t know? In Jongno gu there’s Gyeongbokgung, and in Cheonggyecheon there are lots of doggies, and at Gwangjang Market the kkwabaegi are very tasty!"

But the longer she spoke, the more confused Nordix and Basto became.

Bale, who had brought the food, was already standing at the door, staring at Tie with a stunned expression.

As if saying "wait," Tie took a breath and continued:

"So what happened was — my Father was a very strong holy knight, but suddenly we ended up in the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Korea looks like a tiger, and above it there’s China!"

"......."

"There we lived in Jongno gu, and then Father......."

At the place where she needed to say that Father had died in an accident, her lips seemed to stick together.

Tie faltered and muttered:

"Ah, anyway, Father and Tie suddenly got separated, and at night Tie was sad, and then — poof! — she met Kkamani and came here."

Silence fell over the room.

Bale set the tray down on the nightstand and muttered:

"This is insane."

How long the silence lasted — no one knew.

Nordix asked awkwardly:

"So...... the Republic of Korea — that’s Jongno gu?"

"Yes!"

"And you lived there?"

"Yes! The world is Seoul! Seoul is the world!"

"What kind of Seoul is that?"

"I don’t know."

Basto exchanged a look with Bale.

Completely upset now, Tie held out the Hanbit Kindergarten backpack that was lying on the bed.

"Just loooook! There’s Hangul on it. Han. Bit. Yu. Chi. See."

Basto, Bale, and Nordix lowered their heads.

"Wasn’t that just a pattern?"

"Yes!"

"Wait, everyone calm down."

Nordix raised his hand and stepped forward.

He knelt down on one knee in front of Tie and looked into her eyes.

"Then what is your Father’s name?"

Tie’s eyes widened slightly.

Father’s name.

She was four years old — of course she knew what he was called.

At kindergarten, when they had to write their parents’ names, Tie in the Quail Class had written Father’s name in the most beautiful and careful handwriting.

"My Father’s name is......."

"What?"

Tie smiled widely.

"Kim, Yeong ja, Su ja!"

Bale, no longer able to hold back, stepped in between Tie and Nordix.

"Are you kidding? His name is Kimyeongjasuja?"

"Nooo, Kim, Yeong ja, Su ja!"

"Kid. Answer properly. We’re not joking with you."

Tie’s mouth opened slightly.

Offended, she drew out:

"It’s not a joke...... My Father’s name is Kim Yeongsu......?"

"You just said Kimyeongjasuja."

"Mhm? Yes! Kim, Yeong ja, Su ja."

"Just now you said Kim Yeongsu! So which is it?!"

"U-uh......? It’s the same."

"What?!"

"Step outside for a minute, Bale."

Basto stopped him.

He calmly approached Tie and asked:

"You said you came here from Jongno gu. Do you know exactly how?"

Tie closed her mouth and rolled her eyes upward.

She remembered that day too clearly.

Father died.

Grandma 107 came home with a box of things.

Tie opened it — and met Kkamani.

But......

‘We can’t talk about Kkamani?’

Here, Kkamani was afraid of "persecution."

Just like in the Republic of Korea, where she and Father had been afraid of persecution.

‘Kkamani’s power is a secret. So we agreed to say he is Tie’s summoned creature.’

Tie had to keep her promise.

Opening a dimension and coming here — she could not talk about that.

In the end she muttered:

"It just kind of happened......."

Silence fell again.

After a while, Bale spoke:

"Old man Nordix is right."

Nordix turned his head.

"It doesn’t look like the kid is lying. But the answers are kind of......."

"Bale."

"Come on. No matter how much you ask, it’s useless. Hey, kid."

Tie flinched and looked at him.

"Uu......?"

"Your Father is definitely here, right?"

Tie nodded energetically.

"Yes! Tie’s Father is here! I just......!"

She had seen him with her own eyes at the pier.

But for some reason, remembering the recent dream, she closed her mouth.

"Good. Then for now we act like before. We go to the Capital and look for the Holy Knight Order headquarters."

"Mhm!"

"And then. If you find your Father — will you leave Agavert?"

Tie’s eyes widened.

"Ah?"

Leave Agavert? What a strange question.

"I’m asking — if you find your Father, say you’ll live with him, abandon us, and stop being King of the Dead?"

Tie’s mouth slowly opened.

Bale’s words seemed to prick at her conscience.

"Th-that......."

Actually, at first that was exactly what she had planned.

Tie became a mercenary only to get to the Capital.

If she found Father in the Capital — she had wanted to leave.

Besides, so that Father would not end up in the Republic of Korea again, they needed to live together and keep watch over that.

But......

‘Father is not the same Father anymore.’

She remembered the pier.

The look with which Father turned away from her — as if from a stranger’s child.

Here, Tie was no longer his daughter.

The thought that they could live together again was a naive illusion.

And also......

‘Wouldn’t it be selfish to ask Father to take responsibility for Tie again?’

In the Republic of Korea, Father had suffered greatly because of her.

She had heard the residents of Gold Apartments talking too often.

‘If the guy from number six lived alone, he wouldn’t have to suffer like this.’

‘Of course he wouldn’t! For a single father he’s trying very hard~ In his position it wouldn’t be strange at all to put the child in an orphanage.’

‘You’re gossiping about someone else’s life again! Shut your mouths already! I’ll sew them shut, do you hear me?!’

When Grandma 107 intervened, everyone would fall silent......

Tie thought for a long moment [N O V E L I G H T] and shook her head.

"......Tie won’t leave."

"What?"

"Tie will keep being King of the Dead. Agavert is Tie’s squad."

Perhaps in this world Tie really had found her place.

"Father is Father, and Tie is Tie......."

Bale froze with a stunned expression.

"......Really?"

Tie nodded firmly.

"Mhm. Tie will now be independent from Father."