Silent through the night.
Time passed until the next day.
Early in the morning, the forest chicks in the rural woods chirped with sharp, clear voices.
"Hmm~"
A ray of warm sunlight shone on Xier's little face.
She frowned unconsciously and slowly woke up.
After opening her eyes, she immediately noticed the extra blanket on her body.
Instantly, a knowing smile.
People in the countryside generally wake up earlier and sleep earlier.
Since the conditions here seemed rudimentary compared to those of a bustling big city, there were almost no nighttime entertainment programs.
And this, on the European side, was no exception.
So, when Xier stepped out of the room, she already saw the kind elderly couple working next to the barn beside their house.
That was their daily routine.
Perhaps tiring, but simple, ordinary, and… filled with simple happiness.
"Good morning, child."
"Good morning."
As Xier approached, she and the old woman greeted each other harmoniously.
As for the latter's husband—
He simply didn't speak much, but didn't treat outsiders poorly.
He also smiled and nodded toward Xier after she greeted him.
At that moment, seeing them busy, Xier, standing alone, looked a little uneasy.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
She asked.
"No, child."
The old woman smiled and said, "You're still hurt, you need to rest. Hm?"
Her words suddenly stopped.
Immediately, she temporarily set down her work and raised her hand to point at Xier's right forearm. "Child, your hand—"
"Huh?"
Xier followed the old woman's finger and looked down, confused.
Next moment—
"!!!"
Her eyes widened.
She saw that on the wound where she had been treated and had ointment applied, at some point, strange and striking purple lines had appeared one after another.
"That's…
Symptoms of Honkai infection!"
Xier choked on her breath.
She remembered what the big robot had mentioned: Honkai disease, which is transmitted by energy radiation, carries infection risks as long as one is near the source of the illness… that is, too close to a place with a high Honkai energy concentration.
She hadn't expected—
"I didn't think I'd be infected too…"
Clearly, I'm the so-called "Sixth Herrscher body"… Wait.
Xier looked at the old woman standing not far away and the relatively taciturn but good-natured old man.
That kind elderly couple.
"I can't implicate them."
Such thoughts flashed through Xier's mind.
So, right now—
"I'm really sorry."
Xier bowed deeply to the two of them. "I suddenly remembered something urgent, so I won't bother you any longer, Grandparents."
"Thank you very much for your help… if I get the chance in the future, I'll come back to repay your kindness."
She promised sincerely.
After saying that, she didn't even wait for the elderly couple to respond, and quickly ran back to the farmhouse beside the barn.
She rushed straight into the room where Bronia was… at that moment, the latter was still not awake.
But—
"Sorry."
Xier approached the bed, lifted the bedding, and wrapped her up.
"Hmm~"
Because the movements were too forceful, not only did Xier aggravate her own wound and feel pain, but Bronia also looked very uncomfortable.
But the current situation, in her eyes, did not allow for hesitation.
Fortunately, Bronia's body was quite light.
"Big robot, we have to leave as soon as possible."
Xier knew that the Reloaded Bunny was nearby. After running out of the room with Bronia in her arms, she didn't care whether she drew attention and shouted directly at the empty ground.
[Roger!]
Quantum flow aggregates, flashes of blue light.
The Reloaded Bunny appeared directly in motorcycle form… and stopped in front of Xier.
Xier quickly placed Bronia into the seat, then turned around and sat on it herself.
Bronia was still unconscious, and Xier could only hold her in her arms.
The former's head rested on her left shoulder.
Looking at the profile of the person in her arms—
"…"
Xier was speechless.
At this point, she really didn't know who owed who.
And just then—
"What's wrong, child?"
The old woman approached with a surprised expression on her face, along with the kind and quiet old man.
Naturally, they had never seen anything as cool as the Reloaded Bunny.
But also, because of their limited knowledge, they didn't think in any overly outrageous direction.
They simply thought—what kind of high-tech city was this child from?
And seeing that Xier was in a hurry to leave—
"I…"
She was in a rush.
Yesterday, she had come into contact with knowledge about "Honkai disease" and had no idea whether this illness would spread quickly.
But she wasn't wrong at all—so long as she stayed with the kind elderly couple, the chances of them being in danger would only increase.
Therefore—
"We're sick and we can't drag you into it."
Xier could only say that.
Upon hearing these words—
"…"
The old woman and the old man both unconsciously took a step back.
Xier looked slightly gloomy.
She knew that their behavior after hearing such direct words was just part of human nature.
Though she still felt some sorrow.
"Wait a moment, child."
The old woman suddenly said this after noticing the expression on Xier's face.
Then she entered the house as quickly as possible, and clattering sounds of metal and things falling could be heard from inside.
The old man nearby had a strange expression.
As if silently saying: after all these years, our wife is still a little soft-hearted.
Not many minutes passed.
"Take this."
The old woman handed over a package. "Child, you didn't eat after coming last night. There's some food here."
"The burns on your body haven't healed either. This girl (pointing to Bronia) is in poor condition too, so I brought some medicine."
As she spoke, she placed a saddlebag onto the rear seat of the Reloaded Bunny.
The old woman was not a fool.
By then, she already had a cloth towel over her face. This was also the most direct means of epidemic prevention she could think of based on her experience.
Using this item, she took the initiative to approach Xier and Bronia.
As for the fact that yesterday she had been face-to-face with Xier for quite a while… she naturally didn't mention it.
And to witness it all—
"This…"
She opened her mouth.
But in the end, she didn't refuse.
She… and Bronia, really needed these things.
"Thank you."
She could only thank her again. "Thank you for everything you've done for us."
Then—
"But we really can't stay any longer, I'm sorry."
The corners of her eyes were a bit damp, and she pursed her lips, but quickly twisted the throttle of the heavy bunny bike.
The motorcycle roared off.
Behind them, the elderly couple watched Xier's departure.
"What a child, really…"
The old woman murmured to herself, her eyes full of heartache and pity.
The old man walked over and patted his wife's shoulder.
In truth—
Decades ago, if their children hadn't had an accident and died from that "strange disease"...
"Ah!"
The old woman suddenly clapped her hands. "I forgot to prepare clothes for them to change into!"
"And water too!"
The old man smiled.
Relatively quiet, he comforted her: "Don't worry, that child is strong."
"They'll be fine."