Sunlight filtered sparsely through the broken tiles of the roof, falling onto the dirt floor.
Tike propped himself up, shaking his head slightly to dispel the remaining drowsiness before turning his gaze to the other side of the room.
A black-haired little girl was curled up sleeping in the corner, occasionally letting out faint sobs.
She looked just a little older than Tike and was one of the only two survivors in the village.
(Sadness... and fear...)
Tike clearly felt the gloomy emotions permeating the air. The intense sadness, carrying even a hint of despair, made him feel somewhat stifled.
"Mmph..."
Just then, a scarlet-haired girl walked in carrying a wooden bowl. Her face, originally appearing somewhat pale, instantly lit up with surprise the moment she saw Tike awake.
"Thank goodness! You're finally awake!"
"Meow!"
Alice darted out from behind the scarlet-haired girl and jumped directly into Tike's arms. Her small head rubbed affectionately against the crook of his neck as she reported, "Tike, you were dormant for a total of 40 hours this time!"
Being in a dormant state allowed Tike to better restore his magic power. Therefore, whenever conditions allowed, he would extend his sleep time as much as possible, sometimes even sleeping for three days and nights straight.
"You must be hungry after sleeping for so long."
The scarlet-haired girl held the wooden bowl containing some mushy substance in front of Tike, gesturing for him to eat.
Tike looked down. The mush in the bowl was dark yellow, made of indistinguishable ingredients, and emitted an indescribable smell. He hesitated for a moment, then scooped up a spoonful with the wooden spoon and put it in his mouth.
"Mmph..."
The food was honestly nothing to write home about. It was bitter with a hint of earthy taste, so unpalatable that Tike couldn't help but grimace. But he still drank down all the mush in the bowl in one breath, then handed the bowl back to the scarlet-haired girl, wanting more.
"Big Sis, I want more!"
The scarlet-haired girl looked at the empty bowl in Tike's hand, nervously rubbing the corner of her clothes, looking somewhat troubled.
"I'm sorry, this is the last bit. The rest of the food was burned by those bad guys..."
Tike was stunned, then asked puzzledly, "Why don't you go pick the fruits from the big tree in the center of the village? There should still be plenty of those fruits. Did you guys already finish them?"
"No... no!" The scarlet-haired girl trembled noticeably. "That tree... that tree eats people! The accomplices of those bad guys came looking for them the day before yesterday and were eaten by that tree. I was too scared to go over there..."
If not for the fact that Tike hadn't woken up and she couldn't just leave him there, she would have fled with the other child long ago instead of staying on the edge of the village, living in fear all day like this.
"It won't." Tike said with certainty. "That big tree won't eat you! The big tree will only protect you! After all, I created it with magic!"
"Eh?"
The scarlet-haired girl revealed a slightly dazed expression, as if several question marks had popped up over her head.
Tike looked at the cat in his arms and poked her small head gently with his finger.
"Alice, you should know about the situation with that tree, right? Why didn't you explain it clearly to them?"
Alice squirmed embarrassedly and buried her head in Tike's chest.
"Well... Alice... Alice accidentally forgot!"
Looking at her like this, Tike revealed a helpless and amused expression.
Alice usually seemed sharp, but she would drop the ball from time to time. He wondered if his friend in the Kingdom of Machinery had missed a few screws when building her.
"Forget it, I don't blame you." Tike stood up from the ground holding Alice and turned to look at the scarlet-haired girl. "I'll go pick some fruits. What do you want to eat?"
"Eh?"
The invisible question marks above the scarlet-haired girl's head multiplied.
"Can... can I order food like that?"
"Of course." Tike smiled confidently. "I have a magic called 'Food-Make.' I can create all kinds of food. As long as I've eaten it before and know its taste, I can replicate it perfectly. The food hanging on that tree is what I created using this magic. However, if it's something I haven't eaten, it will all have a uniform taste."
Only then did the scarlet-haired girl understand. She said repeatedly, "No need to trouble yourself. Since I know that tree won't hurt us, I don't need to be afraid. I'll go pick the fruits now."
"Wait, I'll go, meow!"
Alice volunteered and jumped out of Tike's arms. With a swish, a pair of silver mechanical wings unfolded from her back. Then, with a whoosh, she shot through the roof, leaving only a cat-sized hole accompanied by the sound of falling rubble.
Tike looked up at the new hole in the roof, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"The one next to it... she crashed through that one too, didn't she?"
The scarlet-haired girl nodded silently.
(Luckily the rain stopped before she crashed through, or we would have had to move him and find another house.)
"Haha... she's usually like this... haha..."
Tike laughed awkwardly twice, then proactively changed the subject to alleviate the awkward atmosphere.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Tike."
"I'm Erza. The child still sleeping is Kagura."
The girl gave her name and that of the other survivor, then leaned forward slightly and bowed deeply to Tike.
"Thank you so much for saving us!"
"No need to be so polite; it was nothing." Tike waved his hand, then thought for a moment and asked with concern, "By the way, what are your plans next, Big Sis Erza? Are you going to stay here or look for another place?"
Erza looked up, a trace of confusion in her eyes, but it quickly turned into determination.
"I plan to take Kagura to a nearby village to see if we can find a place willing to take us in."
"I see." Tike rubbed his chin and offered, "Then let me take you there. I'll feel more at ease that way."
Erza looked hesitant, clearly a bit embarrassed. "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you? You have your own things to do, right?"
"It's on the way, no trouble at all. After I get you to the place, I'll..."
Just as Tike was about to say he would go find his family afterward, he was interrupted by a weak voice.
"Brother... sob... Brother..."
Kagura had woken up at some point and was crying out for her "Brother" while rubbing her eyes.
This naturally attracted their attention. Erza quickly walked over, squatted down, and gently pulled the little girl into her arms, comforting her tenderly. "Kagura, be good, don't cry. It's okay, it's okay. Simon will be fine; he will definitely come back safely."
Tike watched quietly from the side. He hadn't smelled any other living people nearby at the time, nor had he smelled the scent of death on Kagura's relatives. That meant it was possible—
"Big Sis Erza, was Kagura's brother taken away by those bad guys from before?"
Erza's body stiffened slightly. She tightened her arms around Kagura and slowly turned to look at Tike.
"I don't know, but Simon must still be alive! He definitely wouldn't leave Kagura behind!"