Handstand? Eat noodles with her nose?
Was this a combination of actions achievable by humans?
Blake could hardly believe her ears. She felt an unprecedented humiliation, but her body, controlled by magic, moved involuntarily. Her trembling hands pressed against the ground, and her legs slowly, laboriously lifted off the ground.
Her dress had no anti-gravity effect. As she inverted, the skirt fell limply, revealing the pink lace panties underneath.
But Blake had no time to worry about flashing anyone right now. She only rejoiced that there shouldn't be any noodle shops open at this hour. There was no way she could eat noodles with her nose!
Then she saw Tike holding a bowl of noodles that he had seemingly conjured out of nowhere.
The noodles emitted a tempting aroma, but in Blake's eyes, they were more terrifying than poison.
Please begin your performance.
Forced to bring her face close to the bowl, Blake plunged headfirst into the noodle soup. The rich broth instantly submerged the bridge of her nose and poured into her nasal cavity.
"Cough cough... cough cough..."
Blake choked and coughed repeatedly. Her nasal cavity and throat burned with stinging pain, and tears finally couldn't help but burst from her eyes. She tried hard to lift her head, wanting to stop this torture-like method of eating, but the "Human Subordination" magic she had cast with her own hands firmly bound her body, forcing her to continue this undignified "performance."
Seeing Blake's wretched state, Tike could no longer hold back and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Alice, quick, film this for me! Find a time to project it so everyone can have a laugh!"
The mechanically textured voice didn't respond. Only then did Tike remember that to protect Erza and the others, he had already sent Alice away with them.
Putting away his playful thoughts, Tike snapped his fingers. The pitch-black water rolling and surging behind him, as well as the noodle soup in front of Blake, all turned into magic particles and dissipated into the air.
"Enough, that'll do for now."
Blake felt as if she had been granted a great pardon. She hurriedly recovered from the handstand position to a kneeling posture. Her face, hair, and even eyelashes were covered in greasy noodle soup and noodle fragments. She lost her usual exquisiteness and beauty, looking considerably less attractive.
The command just now made her feel incomparable shame and humiliation. She wished she could tear Tike to pieces, but she didn't dare show dissatisfaction on her face. On the contrary, she had to squeeze out a humble smile uglier than crying, trying to curry favor with Tike.
Looking at Blake's twisted face, Tike said coldly, "It feels disgusting to be forced to do things you don't like, doesn't it?"
Blake looked up, almost sycophantic: "Not disgusting~ Master's noodles were delicious~ Thank you for Master's gift~"
"No need to put on an act in front of me; I can smell it." Tike shook his head. "This is the first and last time you'll eat this." He paused, then asked, "Besides you, who else came to attack the town this time?"
Blake bit her lip tightly. She didn't want to answer this question, didn't want to say that name, but her mouth opened uncontrollably.
"My subordinates, the black magic cult, and my sister... Lucia... also came..."
Regarding the first two, Tike knew of their existence and that they were fighting with the people of Heart of Blazing Flame. But this last one—
"I didn't smell her scent. Where is she?"
"She went to hunt down that girl named Erza who was with you."
"...Why did you target Big Sis Erza?"
Before Blake responded, Tike caught a scent emanating from her similar to Gray's—a scent of deep-seated hatred toward a certain existence.
(...?)
"She has the same hair as the woman who killed our parents!" Blake said hatefully. "So, we're going to kill her!"
"I don't understand the logic of you people. If you want revenge, go find the woman who killed your parents. Venting your hatred on innocent others—what kind of ability is that?"
Tike didn't understand and didn't want to understand Blake and Lucia's twisted revenge psychology. He just wanted to confirm the safety of Erza and the others immediately.
"I command you to call your sister back immediately. If anything happens to Big Sis and the others, neither you nor your sister will have an easy time."
Just as Blake was about to respond, an anxious shout came from not far away.
"Brother Tike!"
It was Yukino's voice!
Tike turned his head abruptly and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw Yukino holding Alice, stumbling as she ran toward them.
Beside Yukino followed a wizard from the "Heart of Blazing Flame" guild whom she called "Uncle Porter."
Seeing Blake kneeling on the ground and her wretched appearance, Porter said admiringly, "Well done! Just as Guild Master Chill said, you've already dealt with her!"
"..."
Tike really wasn't in the mood to chat right now. Seeing the obvious hole in Alice's chest, his mood instantly soured.
Just as he was about to take Alice from Yukino's arms, the pink mechanical cat suddenly opened her eyes.
"Adjustment complete! Luckily, the circuits there weren't very important. Cutting off the power supply allows normal operation!"
Seeing Alice's eyes light up again, Tike let out a long sigh of relief. However, he still dared not be careless and immediately activated Healing Magic.
Warm light with a faint blue hue surged from Tike's hands, wrapping around Alice completely.
The damaged mechanical body began to heal rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. The scorched marks gradually disappeared, the metal shell regained its luster, and the hole in her chest shrank rapidly until it vanished completely.
Feeling her body gradually regain vitality, Alice patted her metal head, looked around, and suddenly realized a familiar figure was missing. She asked hurriedly, "Where's Erza? Where did Erza go?"
Hearing Alice's inquiry, Yukino lowered her head and whispered, "To let us escape smoothly, Big Sis Erza stayed behind alone to delay the enemy. She..."
"Then we have to go support her quickly! Tike, let's go!"
Alice urged anxiously, wishing she could fly to Erza's side immediately.
"Big Sis Kagura... Big Sis Kagura already took Uncle Chill over there," added Yukino, having caught her breath.
On their escape route, she and Kagura didn't know where to go, so they circled back near the town and happened to meet Chill.
Learning that Erza was in danger, Chill didn't say a word. He immediately had Porter—who happened to be nearby, was the second fastest in the guild, and whose leg injury Tike had healed just that morning—take Yukino to find Tike, while he followed Kagura to support Erza.
Still somewhat worried, Tike was just about to have Alice take him there when a familiar scent drifted into his nose—it was the scent of Chill and Kagura!
Immediately after, Tike saw Chill striding toward them, carrying an unconscious white-haired girl on his shoulder.
Tike found the scent on this person somewhat familiar. When Chill got closer, he realized that apart from the different hair color, she looked exactly like Big Sis Erza.
"Erza was controlled by someone from 'Grimoire Heart' and attacked me and Kagura. I had no choice but to knock her out first and bring her over."
Chill put down "Erza," then stared at Blake with eyes burning with raging fury.
"I will never forgive you! Never!"
Blake trembled all over. Restricted by Tike and unable to use magic, she couldn't deal with Chill at all. She quickly hid behind Tike, seeking protection.
"Master, save me!"
"...Master?"
Hearing Blake's address for Tike, the look in Chill's eyes immediately became strange.
"We made a contract." Tike looked at Chill's puzzled eyes and explained the reason. "As the price for sparing her life, she has become my slave, dedicating her everything to me."
Saying this, he pushed Blake out.
"It doesn't matter what you want to do with her. Break her arms and legs, gouge out her eyes—as long as you leave her with a breath of life. I still have to rely on her to find Kagura and Yukino's relatives, and my... and to confirm some things."