Tie puffed as she stuffed jewels into the Hanbit Kindergarten backpack.

"Two gold bars and......."

But the gold was so heavy that she could not lift it at all.

"I will take that."

Watching her, Basto took the two gold bars from Tie and placed them into the leather pouch hanging at his belt.

Tie only began packing the remaining jewels after confirming that Basto had tightly secured the pouch.

"And this and this......."

She did not know how many Dokchintans she would be able to buy, but there still should not be any shortage of money.

"Finished!"

After finally packing the backpack, Tie exhaled and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

"Hoo."

"It is a good thing I took the treasure chest from the sailboat."

Inside the ghost ship Tie had summoned in Pearlcity, there had been many treasure chests.

Tie selected only the ones that looked the most valuable and brought them along, planning to spend some of them today in the Weapon Pavilion.

Looking at the swollen backpack, Tie generously declared.

"Tie has decided. Today Tie will treat everyone!"

The squad members who had been preparing to leave turned toward her.

Tie joyfully stuck out her belly.

"Enzo oppa, Nordix grandpa, and Bale oppa — Tie will buy swords! Because Tie is the squad leader!"

Bale burst out laughing.

Walking over, he easily lifted Tie into his arms and said jokingly.

"I am all for it. Unlike those wealthy lords, I am very poor."

Enzo and Raul smiled awkwardly.

Nordix, standing nearby, quietly chuckled.

"I will not refuse either."

Wrapping her arms around Bale’s neck, Tie shouted energetically.

"Bale oppa! If Tie buys Dokchintan, then later Tie will protect Bale oppa!"

Bale twisted his mouth indifferently.

"As if you have not protected me before. How many times have I returned from the dead thanks to you."

"But still! As the King of the Dead, Tie must be even more reliable as the squad leader!"

Bale glanced at the other squad members.

All of them merely shrugged as if they did not understand anything.

Pretending it was nothing, Bale set Tie down on the ground.

"You are such a little one. But why did you suddenly start thinking about that?"

Tie fell silent for a moment, then hesitantly continued.

"Well... it is just... I want no one to get sick and no one to get hurt......."

"You are afraid we might get hurt?"

"Mm."

Tie raised her head, and her face became a little sad.

"It is nice here... but there are many magical beasts......."

And there were many people who had lost their loved ones because of those creatures.

"And Tie knows."

What it meant to lose someone dear.

Because Tie had already lost her father once.

The child’s gaze strangely darkened.

"Now everyone here is Tie’s family... so Tie wants no one to get hurt anywhere."

At the unexpected word, everyone froze.

Basto, who had been putting on his cloak, stopped and looked at Tie, and Bale fell silent.

Raul and Enzo also stared at the child in surprise.

"Family?"

Tie nodded.

"Yes. There is family not only by blood but also by heart."

The grandmother from apartment 107 had told Tie that every day when Tie lived in Gold Apartments.

That grandmother was not her real grandmother, but she loved Tie just like a real granddaughter.

And Tie also loved the grandmother from apartment 107 like a real one.

"Tie loves everyone here very very much."

Basto froze in confusion.

Bale, Raul, and Enzo looked the same.

"So no one must get hurt. If the people Tie loves get hurt, Tie will be sad......."

"What nonsense!"

At that moment Bale shouted.

For some reason his face had turned bright red.

"Little one, are you stupid?! We are mercenaries, how can we not get hurt?! You yourself almost got hurt not long ago!"

Tie’s cheeks puffed up at once.

She opened her eyes wide and snapped back.

"Tie did not get hurt like Bale oppa!"

"Then do not get hurt! If you get hurt, huh?! You are so small! If that happens I will have to worry too, so do not you dare get hurt!"

"Tie will not get hurt! Whoever gets hurt first is the fool!"

"Yeah! ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Then it will definitely be you! Because even if I die and come back to life, I will still never get hurt!" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Eek......."

Huffing, Tie snorted.

"Hmph!"

Then she flung the door open and ran out of the lodging.

"Where are you going alone! Do you want to get hurt or something?! Hey?!"

Bale hurried out after her.

Four people remained in the room.

"That is strange."

Enzo murmured first.

Raul nodded.

"Yes... the squad leader... turns out to be much kinder than she looks."

Family.

Love.

Words too heavy to hear often in life.

"Let us go."

Basto, breaking the silence, said quietly.

Raul and Enzo nodded and went out after him.

Only Nordix remained in the room.

His gaze lowered to the floor.

He stood silently for some time, then opened the door and also went out.

Tie had already gone far ahead.

The central smelting zone of the giant furnace.

Sparks flashed before Verugon, the head of the factories of the Popullos Weapons District.

"Elder... about what you mentioned... we checked."

The hammer striking the anvil stopped abruptly.

"They say Basto Paerix has indeed gone to the Weapon Pavilion with the members of Agavert."

Verugon turned his head, and his brows sharply drew together.

Behind him molten iron glowed crimson.

"Did I not say clearly? They must wait two months."

The apprentice nodded.

"Yes. But since the wait is two months... perhaps they decided to buy another weapon during that time...."

"That bastard."

Despite his small frame, when Verugon struck the anvil with his hammer, the floor trembled.

"He plans to throw away his weapon and buy a new one? How can someone commit such a vile act!"

The apprentice hurried toward him.

"N no, he probably does not intend to throw away the war hammer! He is likely only looking for a weapon he can use while the repair is being done."

But Verugon’s expression did not soften.

Grinding his teeth while staring at the boiling iron, he muttered.

"Go and tell the blacksmiths in the Weapon Pavilion. They must immediately drive them out of my exhibition zone."

The apprentice was flustered.

"But Elder... again?! You already did that before and lost an important client because of it...."

"I do not care about clients! I will not forgive anyone who treats my weapons like that!"

The apprentice fell silent.

He wanted to say something, but meeting Verugon’s cold gaze, he simply turned and left.

When he exited the central smelting zone, the waiting blacksmiths immediately surrounded him.

"So, what did he say?"

"Did he get angry? Do not tell me he ordered them thrown out again?!"

The apprentice nodded awkwardly.

Everyone staggered in shock and immediately lowered their brows gloomily.

"This is bad... that Basto... he looks like such a giant, you cannot just throw him out so easily...."

Verugon Gregor.

The man called the Iron Blooded Elder had always been considered a legend among blacksmiths.

He was responsible for the weapons district and served as the head of the factories, and the weapons he created always symbolized not merely tools, but power itself.

But the problem was that...

"Ha! The more I think about it the worse it becomes! Elder or not, if he keeps doing this, what are we supposed to do?!"

"A weapon is a weapon, but sometimes you have to consider people and circumstances! If forging a weapon takes two months, who will just sit and wait?"

"Exactly. I would go look for a temporary weapon myself!"

Verugon was a man who valued weapons more than anything else in the world.

At times the blacksmiths even felt that he spoke to weapons more often than he spoke to people.

"And lately he keeps ordering people driven out of the weapons district... has he forgotten how he was almost executed?"

Two months ago.

When the emperor brought the broken sword Verugon had made and became enraged over it, Verugon had nearly been sentenced to death for it.