Tie was playing tag in the yard of a gingerbread house that soared high into the sky.

"Tomatic! You’re it now!"

Shouting that, she ran toward the front door, and the talking Tomatic began to count.

Tie darted into the bushes and held her breath as she hid.

When she peeked out, a truly magical scene spread out around her.

A talking little train.

A unicorn with cotton candy earrings flying across the sky.

"Three, four, five..."

Listening to Tomatic’s voice, Tie thought how nice it would be if time simply stopped.

"...Tie?"

A distant voice echoed from somewhere.

Tie frowned.

"Tie, wake up."

Uncle Basto?

In the same instant, it felt as though she were suddenly pulled somewhere, her eyelids growing heavy.

"Uuumm..."

Tie puffed out her cheeks and opened her eyes.

Basto was gently rocking Tie, who was sitting on his back.

"We’re almost there. You can sleep at the inn."

"Where are weee...?"

She asked drowsily, and Raul, who was standing nearby, answered.

"This place is called Kaldenbein Ridge."

Where Raul pointed, a huge banner was indeed fluttering in the wind.

"It’s the only village nearby where we can stay. Are you feeling better?"

Tie sluggishly lifted a hand and touched her forehead.

Back in the wagon it had been terribly hot, but now her forehead did not feel hot at all.

And the cough that had kept bursting out without pause had quieted as well.

Tie nodded briskly.

"Yesss. I think I’m all better now."

Raul smiled in relief.

At that moment, Enzo carefully tucked a blanket around Tie and said,

"We decided to rest in this village for a few days. Mister Bale and Old Man Nordix are looking for an inn right now."

Tie turned her gaze forward again.

Sure enough, not far away the two of them were standing and looking around.

As if noticing something, Bale spoke first.

"Old man, isn’t that it? House Meren. Looks exactly like the name of an inn."

"You should read the small print too. It says it’s a shop."

"...Right."

Embarrassed, Bale indifferently looked away.

A wide, round plaza.

Around it stood old, dilapidated buildings.

But among the faded signs, the word "inn" could not be found anywhere.

"That one looks like a grocery. And is that a tavern? Why is the butcher’s display empty?"

The more they looked around, the stranger the village seemed.

"The fruit shop too."

Nordix muttered as he looked at another equally empty display window.

A darkened tailor shop. A grocery without goods.

Bale frowned.

"...There’s someone inside."

From some of the buildings, the presence of people could clearly be felt.

"Why are they pretending no one’s there? The banner says they welcome travelers."

With a displeased expression, he placed a hand on the weapon at his waist, preparing for any situation.

"Old man, over there."

Basto, who had been standing behind them, called out to Nordix.

When they turned, at the entrance to the plaza — which they had not noticed before — there stood a small building.

Bale exchanged a glance with Nordix and headed there first.

The place looked shabby, but they decided to go in anyway.

However, the moment they stepped inside, everyone involuntarily grimaced.

"...What is this?"

As if gnawed by rats, the counter had half crumbled into dust.

The walls, thick with cobwebs, reeked of mold.

The inn was not merely small and old — it resembled a long-abandoned shed.

At a loss for words, Bale muttered,

"...No, this won’t ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) do. We have a sick child."

They were just about to leave.

And then —

"There’s only one."

A figure quietly emerged from the kitchen adjoining the counter.

In the doorway stood a hunched, gaunt old woman in an ash-gray dress.

Startled by her grim and ominous presence, Basto asked,

"...Only one what?"

"In Kaldenbein Ridge, this is the only inn."

The squad members silently exchanged looks.

After thinking for a moment, Basto spoke again.

"Then how much is a night?"

If there was only one inn in the village, even with poor conditions, it was better to stay here.

‘Astie is sick.’

Tie had already spent the last two days in the wagon.

Even if she had been healthy it would have been one thing, but now, with the remnants of a cold, he did not want to lay the child down to sleep under the open sky again.

And the squad members, who had barely slept in recent days, were at their limit.

Ever since they left the Weapons District, they had been taking turns dozing in the cargo compartment.

"One hundred gold."

Hearing the amount, Basto’s eyes widened in rare surprise.

"One hundred gold?"

"Exactly."

"That’s soooo expensive..."

Tie whimpered from his back.

One hundred gold was a million won.

Even without knowing the local prices, Tie understood it was terribly expensive.

"It’s not even a mansion, why is it sooooo expensive?"

Basto exchanged looks with the squad.

Then Nordix stepped forward.

"What kind of absurd amount is that?"

He rarely looked irritated, but now he was slightly angry.

"You think we’re travelers and decided to take advantage of us? Even overcharging should have its limits."

In response to his protest, the old woman’s faded eyes slowly swept over them.

She meaningfully examined the squad members and spoke again.

"Fifty gold."

Raul choked on a cough.

The bargaining had barely begun, and the price had already been cut in half.

It almost openly proved that the old woman had intended to charge Agavert an outrageous sum.

‘No. Maybe she isn’t even trying to hide it.’

Angered, Basto lowered his voice.

"You picked the wrong people."

He looked at the squad without hesitation.

"Let’s go. We’re not paying that much for a night here."

"Thirty gold."

As if expecting that, the old woman immediately lowered the price again.

Her face remained completely unmoving.

Basto exhaled irritably.

A cold silence hung in the air.

"Twenty gold."

Bale, who had been watching silently, tossed that out casually.

The old woman’s cloudy eyes turned toward him.

Bale smiled calmly.

"What, not for twenty?"

A faint flicker appeared on her motionless face.

Bale slowly smirked and took another coin from his pocket.

"Then thirty gold for two rooms? No — we’re leaving."

This time, the old woman’s face visibly distorted.

But Bale only added,

"One hundred gold for a dump like this? I know the prices."

"..."

"If you don’t want to, fine. We’ve slept on the ground before. We’ll survive one night."

Silence fell over the inn again.

When no answer came, Bale shrugged.

And just as he was about to turn around —

The old woman muttered quietly,

"...Rooms on the second floor."

"Yaaay!"

The moment the door opened, Tie dashed toward the bed.

After long days in the wagon, she always terribly missed a real bed.

"Pretty flower blankeeet—"

But just before she landed, Basto deftly caught her.

Sighing, he set Tie down on a chair and opened the window.

Then he grabbed the blanket on the bed and shook it with all his strength.

Tie watched curiously, her lips parting.

"Waaah, why is a cloud coming out of the blanket...?"