"Hmph! What a heartless and boring guy!" Lucia stamped her foot angrily. "Not talking to you anymore! You made me so dirty; I'm going to take a bath!"
"It's just a little dirt; just wipe it off casually. What's there to wash? How pretentious."
"I don't care! I don't care!" Lucia started to throw a tantrum like a child denied candy. "I want to take a bath right now! Take me back quickly! Or I'll... I'll cry for you to see!"
Saying this, she really pouted, and mist appeared in her eyes.
Watching her childish and willful appearance, the corner of Tike's mouth couldn't help twitching.
(Hey, hey, hey, I'm even younger than you... wait, seems about the same?)
An inexplicable intuition told Tike that the girl in front of him was a child even younger than him.
He grabbed Lucia's arm, magic power surging at his fingertips. The originally lifeless wooden puppet gradually became vivid.
This was a disguise magic Tike improvised on the way back to deal with the problem of Blake's absence.
Although essentially still wood, in appearance, it was indistinguishable from a real person, and the touch was also very realistic.
Lucia touched her smooth cheek curiously, feeling the touch different from before. The eyes that were still angry instantly burst with the light of surprise, and she immediately threw herself at Tike.
"Wow! I feel like I've fallen in love with you!"
"..."
(Can I call Mr. Guard?)
Tike didn't speak, just turned slightly to avoid her hug, and expressionlessly opened a portal, teleporting Lucia directly to the hotel bathhouse.
He himself stepped through another portal and arrived in the girls' room.
Only Erza and Yukino were in the room now. Kagura and Simon had already opened another room to stay with old Rob.
Seeing Tike arrive, Yukino ran quickly to him, looking at him with expectant eyes.
"Brother Tike, is there any news about Big Sis Sorano?"
"No... she wasn't there."
Hearing this answer, Yukino lowered her head in disappointment. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, trying hard to suppress the tears about to burst from her eyes.
Seeing Big Sis Kagura successfully find her brother, Yukino was genuinely happy for her from the bottom of her heart.
However, she also longed for her own Big Sis Sorano to return to her side.
Tike's heart softened. He reached out and gently stroked Yukino's hair.
"Don't lose heart. Although there is no news of Sorano yet, trust me, I will definitely find her."
Yukino looked up, gazing at Tike with wet eyes.
"Thank you! I... I will also try hard to find Big Sis Sorano. You have your own things to be busy with; you can't waste all your time on me."
"But I'm free now."
Yukino blinked and asked somewhat puzzledly, "Aren't you going to find your sister?"
"Huh? Didn't Erza tell you?" Tike glanced at Erza somewhat surprisingly, then explained, "I've already found her. It's just that she still has some things to deal with over there, so she can't come back to reunite with Mom Ur and me for the time being."
"...Um, con... congratulations?" Yukino was stunned for a moment, reacting only after a few seconds, hurriedly offering her belated blessings.
"Mm!" The corner of Tike's mouth rose slightly. "Anyway, let's work hard together. With more people, there's more strength, and the probability of finding your sister will be greater, right?"
Erza also joined in timely. She walked to Yukino's side, patted her shoulder gently, and said with a smile, "Don't forget me. I will also do my best to help. If we all work hard together, we will definitely find Sorano!"
Yukino looked gratefully at Erza, nodded vigorously, and said sweetly, "Thank you, Big Sis Erza! With your help, I will definitely find Big Sis Sorano! Definitely!"
(Good scent!)
Feeling the scent of warmth and hope filling the room, Tike's mood improved considerably.
"Yawn—"
He yawned widely and casually opened a water-ripple portal behind him.
"Good night, Erza, Yukino."
There were a lot of things today. He was going back to his room to sleep—sleep for seven days and seven nights!
---
While Tike had already gone to sleep, Ultear couldn't rest yet.
She was currently in the stronghold of "Grimoire Heart"—inside a huge battleship, kneeling on one knee before Hades, who was in the shadows, reporting on the situation of this mission.
Her intention in going to the Tower of Heaven was to find a suitable "bait" to divert the Council's attention from "Grimoire Heart," buying time for them to search for the legendary black wizard Zeref.
"Master, I had originally selected an ideal target and was preparing to implement brainwashing control..." Ultear paused. "However, my plan was interrupted by Brain of the 'Oración Seis'."
"Brain..."
Hades tapped the armrest of the throne lightly, making a dull sound.
"To make up for this mistake," Ultear took a deep breath and proposed a bold suggestion, "Master, I think I can infiltrate the Magic Council and serve as a spy for 'Grimoire Heart.' This way, I can not only transmit key intelligence for the guild but also erase evidence unfavorable to the guild in time, ensuring our operations remain more covert."
"Infiltrate the Council? That is indeed an interesting idea."
Hades raised his eyelids slightly. His single eye was revealed from the shadows, profound and dim.
"However, Ultear, I remember you joined 'Grimoire Heart' to find someone. Now that you have found the person you were looking for, why stay here?"
(It's his eye!)
Ultear reacted instantly, alarm bells ringing in her heart.
Hades possessed a type of remote surveillance magic, capable of spying on events happening far away through some special medium.
She couldn't be sure exactly how much Hades had seen, but she absolutely couldn't reveal any flaws right now; she had to remain calm.
"Master, you are correct. My initial intention was indeed to find Tike. But now, my thinking has changed."
Ultear looked up slightly, revealing a nearly fanatical light in her eyes.
"I have found a greater goal, a goal that can only be accomplished in 'Grimoire Heart'! For this, I am willing to stay here and work like a dog or horse for the guild, for you, Master!"
"So that's how it is. Then it's not strange."
Hades nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction with Ultear's answer, then changed the subject and mentioned Tike again.
"I do regret somewhat not being able to witness the black magic used by that brat named Tike. I wonder if it's truly as gloomy and terrifying as Brain said?"