"Eh? No news about Sorano from Uncle Chill either?"
In the following time, ships from other guilds returned to Hargeon Port one after another. Tike and Chill split up and inquired ship by ship, but in the end, they found nothing.
Chill looked troubled and said in a deep voice, "Not only is there no news of her, but even Siegrain's whereabouts are unknown."
He didn't know how to explain this to Siegrain's mother when he returned. He had clearly promised to bring her son back, but he had failed to do so.
Tike also felt it was a bit troublesome. He had hoped this joint operation would successfully rescue everyone he wanted to save, but in the end, some people were still left out.
"By the way," Chill suddenly remembered something, "that person named Blake, didn't she come back with you?"
"I have some personal matters for her to handle, so I let her leave first."
Hearing this, Chill's brows furrowed even tighter, almost knitting into a knot.
"You shouldn't trust her so easily. Even if she is currently dominated by the 'Human Subordination' magic, it is her own magic after all. She likely masters some special method to cut off the connection between you and break free from your control."
Tike shrugged, indicating it didn't matter.
"If she really dares to do that, it will only make her die faster. I guarantee she will regret that choice."
Chill was silent for a while, then asked, "Tike, don't you think I went a bit too far? Treating a child like that... so heavily..."
"Didn't she deserve it?" Tike said decisively. "I don't think you did anything wrong, Uncle. If it were me, I would have done the same thing!"
Chill fell into silence again. Finally, he sighed softly, waved goodbye to Tike, and turned to walk toward the station, preparing to take the last magic train leaving today.
Watching Chill's retreating figure, Tike smelled the heavy scent emanating from him and clenched his fists slightly.
He turned and returned to the hotel. Following the scent all the way to the hotel's rooftop, he happened to see Lucia wrestling with Lyon.
"I say, what are you two up to?"
Lucia controlled the puppet body, dodging Lyon's lunge with a side roll, causing him to miss and fall awkwardly to the ground. Then, putting her hands on her hips, she assumed a triumphant posture.
"He insisted I train with him, saying something about becoming stronger, surpassing so-and-so. I had no choice but to oblige and give him some pointers."
Lyon climbed up from the ground panting, looking at Tike with burning eyes.
"I will definitely win! I will definitely become stronger and surpass you!"
(Eh? Calling me out as soon as I arrive?)
"Mm... good luck?"
Tike offered a perfunctory encouragement, then opened a water-ripple portal in front of Lucia and pushed her in.
"Come here for a moment; I have something to say to you."
With that, Tike also left through the portal, leaving Lyon alone and messy in the evening wind.
Lucia's situation was even more wretched. She had been planted in the soil by Tike, leaving only her head exposed.
The puppet girl struggled desperately but found she couldn't control this wooden body at all, nor could she detach from it and return to her soul state.
This was the tampering Tike had done earlier.
Although Lucia wasn't dominated by the Human Subordination magic like Blake, she was similarly subject to Tike's control, just like her current body being a marionette in Tike's hands.
Tike crossed his arms, looking down at the trapped Lucia from above.
"Asking you something."
"Ask if you want to ask. Is it necessary to plant me here? You are mistreating a captive!"
"Hmph—"
Tike wouldn't admit that he had accidentally miscalculated the portal's exit point. Besides, wasn't this perfectly fine?
"Cut the crap and answer my question honestly." Tike's tone sank, becoming serious. "Tell me, besides being sent to the Tower of Heaven, where else were those people abducted by the black magic cult sent?"
Lucia curled her lips. Although somewhat reluctant in her heart, she still answered honestly:
"Didn't Big Sis Blake already say it before? Some of the children are kept by the black magic cult internally for brainwashing to be raised as loyal followers. Others are sent to those dark guilds in the Balam Alliance. As for what they do with those children, I'm not clear."
"Has Grimoire Heart ever received abducted children from the black magic cult?" Tike pressed.
"Master Hades has never given such an order. At least during the time I've joined Grimoire Heart, I haven't heard of or seen it."
Hearing Lucia's answer, Tike made a calculation in his heart and decided not to take risks with "Grimoire Heart" for the time being.
Through Human Subordination, Tike could access Blake's vision and knew she had already returned to Grimoire Heart with Ultear.
So if the situation went wrong, he could teleport over via Space Magic to support at any time.
This was the real reason Tike let Blake go along.
Never mind that she couldn't use magic now; even if she could, Tike didn't count on her being able to take down the master of Grimoire Heart.
As the head of a guild, that old man's strength was definitely not to be underestimated. If he really had to face him without using that magic, all Tike could do was grab people and run.
"What about other dark guilds?" Tike asked again. "Do you know where the lairs of other dark guilds in the Balam Alliance besides Grimoire Heart are?"
"How could I possibly know!" Lucia replied grumpily. "Dark guilds aren't like those people in light guilds who like to gather for meetings. Those guys in 'Tartaros' and 'Oración Seis' are all shrewd as hell; they wouldn't be stupid enough to tell others the location of their strongholds."
"Truly troublesome... Lucia, can you be slightly useful? You stayed in 'Grimoire Heart' for so long anyway; how come you don't know anything?"
Facing Tike's somewhat disdainful accusation, Lucia simply chose to let herself rot.
"Anyway, I just don't know anything! I didn't even learn a single one of the magics the Master taught me! I'm just a useless waste!"
"Okay, waste."
Tike responded along with Lucia's words, then reached out and pulled her out of the soil.
Lucia patted the dirt off the puppet's body, muttering dissatisfiedly, "Hey! Normally, shouldn't you comfort me with a few words?"
"Do you think I can't tell you're playing the victim?" Tike exposed her disguise mercilessly. "And who do you think you are? What qualifications make you worthy of my concern?"