"Huh?" The terrified siblings froze at the same time.
Lisanna's big, teary eyes blinked as she cautiously glanced at the delicious-looking sandwich in Erza's hand. Then, her gaze darted to the quiet, dark-haired young man who was smiling gently and giving her a small wave.
"You guys… aren't holding some weird ritual, are you?" Lisanna's voice trembled with lingering fear and confusion as she pointed a small finger at the four conspicuous swords.
Erza followed her gesture and replied matter-of-factly, "Oh, those? Well, we didn't want the wind to blow our picnic mat away, so we used the swords to pin it down. Pretty convenient, right?"
"=_=||" Lisanna and Elfman exchanged a glance, both seeing the same speechless expression in each other's eyes.
Using swords to hold down a picnic mat?! Wouldn't normal people just use rocks or branches or something?
Still, seeing Erza's earnest look and the food she offered, along with the calm aura radiating from Roger, the two kids' tense nerves finally began to ease.
Sure, their methods were a bit odd, but… they didn't seem like bad people.
Grrrr… Lisanna's stomach suddenly let out a loud growl, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she lowered her head.
She'd meant to refuse the food, but the rich, savory aroma of fried goodness swirled around her nose like tiny hooks, pulling her in.
Having not eaten all day, Lisanna unconsciously swallowed hard. Her head felt dizzy as she stepped forward to take the sandwich. When she snapped back to reality, she realized her hands were holding a massive sandwich.
Σ(O_O)! When did I even grab this?!
It felt a bit rude to give it back now. Lisanna looked up, a shy smile spreading across her face. "Th-thank you! I'm Lisanna… Lisanna Strauss."
She pointed to her brother beside her. "This is my big brother, Elfman."
Caught off guard by his name being called, Elfman stiffened, unsure what to do next. He cautiously looked up, surprised to see the red-haired girl smiling warmly at him, as if waiting for him to take the food.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he shuffled forward like a shy little girl, head down, cheeks pink, and carefully took the sandwich. His voice was barely a whisper, like a mosquito's hum. "Th-thanks…"
"Uh… hi. I'm Elfman… Elfman Strauss."
Seeing both siblings accept the food, Erza nodded with satisfaction and introduced herself. "I'm Erza, and this is my friend, Roger."
Then, Erza noticed something odd. Both Lisanna and Elfman didn't immediately devour their sandwiches. Instead, they carefully broke off more than half of them and clutched the pieces tightly, as if trying to hide them.
Puzzled, Erza asked, "Do you… have other family members who haven't eaten?"
"Y-Yeah…" Lisanna blurted out, only to freeze as if scalded. She quickly shook her head. "N-No, no! This is… um, we're saving it for tomorrow! Yeah, for tomorrow!" Her voice was laced with obvious panic.
Elfman chimed in loudly, like an echo. "Y-Yeah, exactly! We, uh, like to save the good stuff for the next day! So we won't go hungry tomorrow!"
Both siblings seemed to realize how flimsy their excuse sounded and quickly lowered their heads, nibbling on their half-sandwiches, avoiding Erza and Roger's gazes.
Crunch!
A particularly crisp sound came from Lisanna's mouth.
She froze. Her teeth broke through the golden, crispy exterior, revealing tender, juicy meat inside. Warm juices burst in her mouth, blending with the fried, savory aroma and a flavor she'd never tasted before—indescribably delicious.
It was… like biting into a cloud made of meat!
"So… so good!!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the unassuming sandwich in her hands. "Is this… meat? How is it this good? I've never had anything like it!"
"It's a fried pork cutlet," Erza explained with a soft smile. "Thanks to Roger's magic, the sandwich stays as fresh as when it came out of the oven."
"Magic?" Lisanna's eyes sparkled like stars, filled with wonder and longing. She'd heard magic was amazing, but she'd never seen it before! "Is it like in storybooks? The kind that can make things appear out of thin air and defeat big bad guys? That kind of magic?!"
Roger gave a slight smile, saying nothing, and simply snapped his fingers.
Buzz!
A yellowish-brown magic circle instantly appeared on the ground in front of Lisanna.
Crack, crack!
With the sound of shifting earth and condensing stone, a smooth, flat stone table rose from the ground!
Then, with a flash of light on the tabletop, one, two, three… beautifully wrapped foods, each giving off tempting aromas, appeared out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, half the table was filled with succulent roasted meats, fluffy bread, fresh fruits…
Lisanna's mouth fell open into a perfect "O," her eyes glued to the miraculous scene, her face brimming with pure awe and admiration. "Wow—!! That's… that's incredible!!! Is this magic?! It's amazing!!!"
If it could really make things appear out of thin air, could it also defeat bad guys?
Could it… save Mira-nee?
A bold spark of hope flickered in Lisanna's heart. She took a deep breath, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, and mustered the courage to ask Erza cautiously, "Um… Roger-nii, have you… ever met a demon?"
"A demon?" Roger nodded lightly. "I did run into one during a job before. Why? Have you two encountered one?"
"Lisanna, don't—!" Elfman immediately tensed, trying anxiously to stop his sister from saying more.
But Lisanna shook her head firmly, gently pushing aside her brother's arm and looking straight at Erza and Roger. "Mira-nee is in a lot of pain right now… and the other villagers, they're blaming us for the wild boars that ruined the crops recently…"
"This… might be our only chance."
Before she could finish—
"Lisanna! Lisanna, where are you?!"
An old, frantic woman's voice suddenly called out from deep within the forest behind them, laced with heavy breathing and panic.
"It's Granny Liya!" Lisanna's face paled. "Isn't she supposed to be with the other villagers? Why is she here?" A bad feeling gripped her heart.
She immediately turned and ran toward the voice, shouting, "Granny Liya! I'm here! I'm right here!"
She hadn't gone far when a silver-haired old woman, leaning on a cane and gasping for breath, stumbled out from the bushes.
The moment she saw Lisanna, she didn't even pause to catch her breath. She grabbed Lisanna's arm, her voice trembling with urgency. "Lisanna! Quick! Take your sister and get out of here! Hide! Hurry!!"
"What's wrong, Granny Liya?" Lisanna's heart sank.
"Those people… they've lost it!" Granny Liya's voice was a mix of anger and tears. "They're planning… to set fire to your house! They want to drive you out! They're saying you brought a curse! I couldn't stop them! Go, take Mirajane and run!!"