The memory ring drifted closer, its light trembling faintly before Tie’s eyes.

Tie swallowed as she stared at it.

"If I break this... will Raul oppa forget about candy?"

She was curious how exactly the artifact erased a person’s memories.

But now that she was seeing it with her own eyes, she could not hide her astonishment at all.

Tie raised her hand and carefully touched the memory ring.

At once, small bubbles formed around it, swaying gently like slime.

'It feels like if I blow on it, it’ll disappear.'

Swallowing again, Tie cautiously reached out to take the ring in her hand.

And at that very moment—

[......condition.......]

Hundreds of bubbles gathered before her eyes and formed a strange notification.

[Little friend! Nice to meet you. Shall we set conditions?]

Conditions?

Tie’s eyes flew wide open.

This is... something... really...!

A moment later—

"B, Bale oppa! Uncle Basto! Grandpa Nordix!"

The three men turned and stared at Tie, who was energetically waving her arms.

"The Cleansing of Oblivion—it’s amazing! Super strong!"

At the words "Cleansing of Oblivion," Bale frowned.

"What? You already used it?"

"Mm-hmm!!"

An "Oh." slipped out of Bale’s mouth.

"It works quieter than I thought. Maybe it’s even more useful than we expected?"

"I even set a conddition!"

"A condition?"

"Mm-hmm! So it disappears when the person does a certain action or thinks something!"

Bale’s mouth fell open.

"Seriously?"

"Mm-hmm! So I played with it a little, and then I twisted the ring so that the son of the r-r-r... ruler forgets who Tie is only if he starts hating Tie or leaves Agavert!"

It turned out one could erase memories with that level of precision.

Bale swallowed and muttered, looking at Nordix and Basto.

"W, what is this... Is this really an artifact? I’m starting to understand why the Order is so obsessed with taking them back..."

"Wait."

At that moment, Raul interrupted them.

He was looking at Tie, Bale, and Basto with a bewildered expression.

"Did you do something to me?"

Guilt instantly appeared on Tie’s face.

"U, um..."

Bale rose from his seat.

He slipped a hand into the pocket of Tie’s outfit and pulled out the candy wrapped in paper.

"What do you think this is?"

Raul frowned.

"...It looks like paper."

"Not the paper. I mean what’s inside. What do you think it is?"

"I don’t know. Medicine?"

"No. You know, something sweet you put in your mouth and it melts. You don’t know?"

"What? I have no idea what you’re talking about..."

Enzo, who had been watching, could not hold back.

"Brother, are you stupid? It’s candy."

Raul frowned and looked at Enzo.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"I’m asking what it is."

Enzo’s gaze slowly shifted to Tie.

Tie fidgeted with her fingers guiltily.

"Tie really really didn’t want to... but Bale oppa kept saying..."

Behind her, Bale smirked in satisfaction.

"Ha. The effect works perfectly."

Tie used the Cleansing of Oblivion and placed the same condition on Enzo as well.

If they left Agavert or began to feel hostility toward her, the memories of her identity would disappear from their heads.

When it was over, Bale unexpectedly approached her.

"Little one. Want to try it on me too?"

Tie looked at him in surprise.

"Hm?"

"If you’re uneasy, you can put it on me too. I’m not planning on leaving Agavert anyway."

Bale looked as though it was nothing to him.

While Tie stared at him blankly, Basto also stepped forward.

"You can use it on me too, Tie. It’s unlikely a situation will ever arise where the spell activates."

Something inside Tie trembled slightly.

"Uncle Basto... Bale oppa..."

They truly considered Tie a lifelong comrade!

Tie grew emotional and nodded energetically.

"Mm-hmm! We’re making a frriendship contract now!"

Tie took their outstretched hands one by one and activated the Cleansing of Oblivion.

Honestly, using the Cleansing of Oblivion was rather fun.

Like playing with a toy.

"I don’t feel anything."

Bale tilted his head.

Basto silently patted Tie’s head and said,

"Well done, Tie."

Taking advantage of the moment, Tie handed the artifact to Basto and suggested he try activating it too.

She wanted to show him this amazing artifact.

But for some reason, the artifact reacted only to Tie.

Tie giggled "hehehe," then suddenly stopped.

'Where is Grandpa Nordix?'

He had been here just a moment ago.

As she turned her head in confusion, Bale called her.

"Little one. Raul and Enzo want to ask you something."

"What?"

"They’re curious how you came up with the name King of the Dead. Come to think of it, I’m curious too. Where did you even hear a name like that?"

"Well, um..."

Tie instantly forgot about Nordix.

And began enthusiastically explaining how she had come up with the nickname King of the Dead.

As the squad members listened to her explanation, smiles gradually appeared on their faces.

For a while, a warm and friendly atmosphere filled the management reception room.

Until the sun dipped below the horizon.

Several days later. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"U, uuaa..."

Tie stared with her mouth open at the two luxurious carriages that had stopped in front of the management building.

Then, nervously, she turned to Ruler Marianne.

"L, Lady r-r-r... ruler, is it really okay for Tie to take this?"

Marianne smiled gently.

"Of course. To repay the squad leader for everything you have done for Pearlcity, there is still much we must do."

"...You don’t have to say squad leader. Just Tie is fine."

"What are you saying? Astie is undoubtedly the squad leader of Agavert. Regardless of age."

Hearing that, Tie suddenly remembered something from a few days earlier.

The day after Raul and Enzo joined the mercenary squad, an unexpected guest had come to Tie’s room.

Nordix.

'Astie. I believe it would be right to tell Marianne Weybril about your true identity.'

Nordix had seriously proposed something to Tie.

To tell Marianne Weybril the truth about Tie’s position.

It turned out that the day before, Nordix had already met with Marianne.

After seeing that Tie’s artifact functioned properly, many uneasy thoughts had arisen in his mind.

'If it becomes known that you possess an artifact, the Order will inevitably become interested in who you are. And then they will try to take your artifact. As they always have.'

Tie was already well known.

And in the future, she might become even more famous.

'But your power is too sharp and too great to hide forever. In this world, those who possess great power are always subjected to equally great pressure.'

'Really...?'

'Yes. And if one day the attention of the Order—and even the Imperial Palace—turns ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) toward you, it may happen that your strength alone will no longer be enough to protect yourself.'

At first, Tie did not understand what Nordix meant.

Realizing that, Nordix began to explain more simply so that Tie could understand.

'Do you remember when you talked about Puppetmons?'

'Yes!'

'You said that if you obtain a strong Puppetmon, you yourself become stronger.'

'Right! If you get a legendary Puppetmon, you become super super strong!'

'Then try to imagine this. You yourself can become such a Puppetmon.'

Those words made Tie’s head spin.

'T, Tie becomes a Puppetmon?'

'Yes. The fact that you are strong also means that whoever obtains you will become stronger.'

'...B, but how can a person take another person...?'

Nordix smiled faintly.

'Tie, there are far more ways to make a person into a puppet than you think. One can take hostages and blackmail. One can hypnotize. One can control the mind by interfering with it. One can use drugs.'

'...'

'If someone does something like that to you, do you truly think you could stop it alone?'

No.

Tie had no choice but to answer that way.

But Nordix, as if he had expected it, offered a solution.

'That is why we need the help of the House of Marquise Weybril.'