Ex-Machina on a Dimensional Journey

After pushing aside the corpses, he saw a human child beneath them...

Crackle—

The flames burned, illuminating everything nearby.

In the nighttime forest, a blue-purple-haired girl and a human child who looked no older than six or seven sat beside a campfire.

Xiu Er sat on a tree stump just the right size for a seat. She had cleared away the surrounding grass, so there was no need to worry about the flames spreading through the forest floor.

She sat there with a Sacred Canon she had swiped from the church earlier, quietly flipping through it.

Xiu Er was very curious about this world's Goddess Magic, which was why she had taken one before leaving.

Yet no matter how she analyzed it, she could not obtain any information about the magic. It was merely an ordinary book.

Could it only be obtained through faith?

That meant she would never truly gain the Goddess's Magic and could only rely on the copied Pseudo-Codex.

Still, that did not matter. The important thing was elsewhere.

She raised her head and looked at the child across from her.

It had been four days since Xiu Er had rescued the child from that fallen town.

How should she put it?

He was a boy. According to Xiu Er's records, the child had hardly said a single word to her. Then again, who could recover from something like that within just a few days after experiencing it as a child?

Over the past few days, the child had never dared look directly into Xiu Er's eyes. Still, he was quiet and obedient, with no habit of running around.

Xiu Er had never intended to bring the child along. She had only rescued him because she could not stand by and watch a child die in such a place.

So, she planned to leave the boy with the villagers to be adopted once they found a village.

Since there were currently no villages nearby, Xiu Er could only bring him along for the time being.

"...Takuson..."

A faint voice broke the quiet.

Though soft, Xiu Er received it clearly.

She looked at the boy again, staring at him expressionlessly.

Seeing her attitude, the boy hunched his neck and repeated himself.

"My name is Takuson..."

As if afraid that the pretty older sister had not heard him clearly, he raised his voice a little.

"Is that so."

Closing the Sacred Canon in her hands, Xiu Er looked straight into the boy's eyes, making him hurriedly turn his head away.

Ignoring Takuson's reaction, Xiu Er calmly asked, "Question: do you remember what happened before?"

"I remember some of it... Those terrifying Demons invaded our home. Mother took me to hide in the church, but she already had wounds inflicted by the monsters... The kind Old Monk told us to hide in the basement, and he used the Goddess's Magic on me... Not long after Mother and I hid down there, I heard sounds coming from upstairs..."

"..."

The boy slowly recounted what had happened, while Xiu Er silently recorded every word he said.

In the end, she pieced together a rough account of the events.

How should she put it? This child had suffered quite a tragedy. An experience like that in childhood would have a major impact on his psychological development for the rest of his life.

What a hassle. She should hurry up and find someone to leave him with.

That was what Xiu Er thought.

After recounting his experience, Takuson was deeply shaken by Xiu Er's unmoved expression.

What a cold person. Still, he knew that if she had not saved him, he would probably have gone with his mother by now.

"...Thank you..."

In the end, Takuson forced out a word of thanks to express his gratitude.

"..."

However, Xiu Er did not respond. She merely stared at the campfire before her.

Until Takuson fell asleep, the two did not exchange another word.

After the campfire went out, only the countless stars filling the sky could draw Xiu Er's gaze in the forest shrouded in darkness.

She sat quietly, watching the stars to pass the time while remaining alert for possible danger.

Unexpected Talent

Half a month passed quickly.

During that time, Takuson was still a child. He could not walk for long periods without needing frequent rests, and he required necessary energy.

That meant food and water, so they also had to stop to eat and rest.

This greatly increased the time Xiu Er needed for the journey.

Xiu Er, who had grown accustomed to being a member of the Ex-Machina and did not need food, water, or rest for her body, found it troublesome.

Still, she could not simply abandon the child. No matter what, she had to find a family willing to adopt him.

Xiu Er led Takuson southward.

Over the past few days, Takuson had silently followed behind her, rarely speaking to her.

Each time, he only suggested resting when he truly could not continue any longer. Honestly, he was quite sensible.

It seemed the effects of that experience had already begun to show.

And what did Takuson think?

In his impression, the older sister who had saved his life treated people very coldly. Sometimes, when he woke from sleep, he would see her sitting motionlessly nearby, like a doll.

She looked cute and beautiful, but the way she spoke was strange.

Still, she had saved his life. Takuson did not doubt her. As long as she was not a Demon, that was enough.

Takuson quietly followed behind Xiu Er. Her walking pace was just right for him to keep up.

She must be very strong, right?

Had she dealt with all the Demons in the town by herself?

I have already lost my home. Where should I go now?

Looking at her back, Takuson came to a decision.

Thus, he quickened his pace and walked up beside Xiu Er.

Xiu Er, who was constantly scanning the surroundings, naturally noticed Takuson's movements.

"Inquiry: what is it?"

"Ah..."

Since Xiu Er had asked first, the question Takuson wanted to ask got stuck in his throat.

But the next second, he suddenly realized something.

He did not seem to know this older sister's name.

"Ah... Um..."

Faced with Xiu Er's gaze, Takuson began to stammer.

Xiu Er stared at him. He clearly looked like he had something to say, yet he did not seem capable of getting out a complete sentence.

"Y-your name, what is it?"

Takuson finally managed to say it, letting out a breath of relief inside.

"Answer: Xiu Er."

After saying that, Xiu Er immediately withdrew her gaze, leaving Takuson standing there awkwardly.

Huh? That was it? The conversation was over?

Takuson, who had wanted to say more, was rendered speechless by Xiu Er's cold attitude.

One hour later—

"Um... Where are we going?"

Takuson was not suddenly being talkative for no reason. Having gone through that nightmare and realizing he could not remain depressed forever, he decided to change himself.

The Demons the adults had spoken of had killed his family and destroyed his home. Over these past days, he had prepared himself mentally. He wanted to grow stronger and take revenge on the Demons.

He was a sensible child. Because of this ordeal, he had been forced to mature early.

Xiu Er glanced at the child who had come alongside her again.

"Answer: a village, or another city."

"A village or a city?"

"Yes."

Takuson was puzzled, so Xiu Er explained.

"I will hand you over to the people in those villages and find a family willing to adopt you."

So she was planning to leave him behind.

But Takuson understood. As he was now, he was a burden to this kind older sister. It was reasonable for her to want to leave him behind.

And she was not even going to casually abandon him in the wilderness. She was planning to find him a home that could adopt him.

Honestly, she acted as though she kept everyone at arm's length, but she was a good person inside.

"You must be very strong, right?"

"Negative. Without complete data, I cannot determine my level of strength."

That was true. Xiu Er would not assume how strong she was in this world. She would only decide her next course of action based on the target's data.

Arrogance was absolutely unacceptable.

Though Takuson did not understand the wording, he understood one thing: this older sister was indeed strong.

Her way of speaking was strange, but that was not a problem.

"C-can you be my teacher?"

?

Xiu Er was startled by those words.

She stopped walking, and Takuson beside her stopped as well.

Those golden eyes stared directly into Takuson's. This time, however, he did not avoid her gaze as before. Instead, he bravely met her eyes.

Had he come to understand something during these past half a month?

Xiu Er was curious.

"Inquiry: why do you say that?"

To be honest, Xiu Er knew that humans could not learn her abilities. They were methods of the Ex-Machina.