While Winifred continued walking on the road, covering herself with her hand because of the cold air, suddenly Elise landed in front of her through the air.
"Is it that cold?" Elise said with a smile, looking towards Winifred.
Elise was alone; the crow that had sat on her shoulder before was not with her.
"No… not that much! It's a bit cold," Winifred replied with a smile, seeing Elise again.
"Okay, then let's go home. Tomorrow is an important day!" Elise replied, offering her hand to Winifred. Winifred grabbed Elise's hand with a smile.
"Thank you for your help, little golem," Elise said with a smile, looking at the little golem.
"It's my honor to help you, Miss Elise," the little golem replied, bowing slightly.
"Thank you, golem," Winifred said, looking at the golem.
Hearing Winifred, the little golem looked at her with a blank expression.
"Let's go!" Elise said, looking at Winifred. Elise and Winifred started rising into the air, heading east toward Elise's home.
The little golem looked at Elise and Winifred as they departed, then its body started blending into the soil.
"Why so hurry…?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind. The little golem stopped itself from merging with the ground. Turning back to where the sound had come from, it spotted a black crow with red eyes sitting on a tree branch near the road.
"I guess that means you are interested in me," the black crow said, looking towards the little golem.
"If there's nothing important, I should go," the little golem replied, looking at the crow.
"There is something important—I'm thinking about killing your master, Elise."
"Boom… crack…"
Hearing the words, the golem suddenly launched an attack on the crow. The tree the crow was sitting on was completely destroyed, as well as the area near it. Dust filled the entire area.
Suddenly, everything went silent. As the dust settled and visibility returned, the golem tried to find the crow.
"Where is he?" the golem thought while looking at the dust where it had attacked.
"Looking for me, huh?" a voice came from the ground beneath the golem where it stood.
Hearing the sound, the golem quickly leaped high into the air.
"Gotcha!"
The voice came from behind the golem while it was airborne. The golem quickly looked back, turning mid-air, and prepared another strike.
But again, there was nothing behind him. He landed back on the ground.
"He's just playing with me," the golem thought, realizing the crow was toying with him.
He clenched his fists tightly, his humiliation evident.
Suddenly, a red aura began emanating from his body, covering him from all directions.
"Are you angry?" the voice came again.
Hearing the voice, the golem quickly struck the ground where the sound was coming from.
"Boom… crack… thud…"
The powerful attack cracked the ground, creating a deafening noise. Dust filled the area again, but this time the golem used an air spell with his second hand to clear the dust.
As the dust disappeared, a large crater was visible on the ground, as if struck by an asteroid.
Suddenly, the golem sensed something. He tried to react, but—
"Slash…"
A massive sword came with rapid speed and struck the golem in the back, piercing straight through and embedding itself in the ground.
The golem was stuck, pinned between the sword and the ground.
His eyes widened in disbelief at what had just happened. Suddenly, a small piece of his left side fell to the ground like a broken doll.
"I take back my words. You're weak," the voice said coldly from above.
The golem turned his head, trying to look behind despite being pinned. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a tall young man standing in the air with two black wings, wearing a jacket.
Recognizing the man, the golem knew it was the same crow in transformed form. Another part of his body fell to the ground.
Only half of the golem's body remained, still impaled by the sword.
"Don't think I transformed before I hit you," the man said coldly, his red eyes piercing the golem.
Hearing that, the golem's eyes widened further. His body began to crumble, mixing into the soil.
Suddenly, the sword embedded in the ground flew back to the man. He caught it effortlessly, swinging it toward the spot where the golem had merged with the soil.
The air current generated from the swing was so strong that all the soil scattered, leaving nothing behind.
The man, now hovering in the sky with his wings, swiftly ascended higher and vanished.
"Ha-ha-ha…"
The door opened automatically as Elise and Winifred entered the house, laughing.
"So, you're back, huh?" the doll said, looking at Elise and Winifred.
Winifred suddenly remembered what Elise had told her about the doll.
"Yes, Mister Doll!" Winifred replied.
"How was the shopping?" the doll asked.
"It was good, Mister Doll," Winifred replied, walking toward it.
"Hi, Doll! I'm thinking about creating a new room attached to the hall," Elise said.
"For Winifred, huh?" the doll asked.
"Yes," Elise replied, coming closer to the doll. "Everyone has their own rooms, so making one for Winifred would be good," she added, smiling at Winifred.
' A room for me? Winifred thought, feeling happy.
"It's okay, Elise. I can manage without a room. You don't need to work so hard because of me," Winifred said, worried.
"Don't worry, it's not much work. And don't you want some privacy?" Elise asked with a smile.
"Privacy for what?" Winifred asked.
"What if you have a boyfriend in the future? You'll need a room to discuss things, right?" Elise teased, smiling.
Hearing Elise, Winifred's expression changed to shock and awkwardness, unsure how to react.
"She's just kidding," the doll interjected, explaining Elise's joke.
"Ha-ha-ha…" Elise laughed, seeing Winifred's surprised face.
Hearing it was a joke, Winifred's expression returned to normal.
"She's right, though. You'll need a room for that too," the doll added.
Hearing this, Winifred's expression turned awkward again. Elise started laughing even more.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
"Mister Doll… you too?" Winifred said.
"Sorry, little girl," the doll replied.
Hearing the doll and seeing Elise laugh, Winifred couldn't help but laugh too.