"Hehe, you're welcome. I just did what I was supposed to do."
Flandre looked up at the newcomer, offering a shy, modest smile.
The small group found a clean patch of grass beneath the shade and sat down, chatting casually about yesterday's surgical procedure.
In Flandre's mind, her role hadn't been particularly complicated. It was simply that Rhodes Island's Engineering Department currently lacked specialized micro-destruction equipment, making it impossible to manufacture a device capable of such precise output. If it were a top-tier tech firm in Columbia, constructing a high-frequency crusher of that caliber wouldn't present a major obstacle.
"That is true," Stormeye chimed in from the side. "I asked Closure earlier—there is still substantial room for improvement in Rhodes Island's medical apparatus. Reaching that level of physical precision would take us at least six months to a year, and we would need to procure highly specialized machine tools in the meantime."
He looked at Flandre, his tone flat yet deeply convincing. "So your intervention advanced this treatment timeline by at least half a year. That alone is a remarkable achievement."
"Indeed," Amiya agreed softly. "Whitesmith's condition was extremely critical. The constant, agony-inducing pain spreading across her body every single day is enough to break a normal person's spirit."
As an Oripathy patient herself, Amiya could empathize deeply with that suffering. Her own condition was considered relatively stable aboard the vessel, yet she still experienced periodic flare-ups of internal pain caused by active Originium crystals—let alone a severe, late-stage patient like Whitesmith.
Curious, Amiya shifted the topic. "Speaking of which, Flandre... how far can your Originium Arts actually reach?"
Flandre explained matter-of-factly that physical matter and solid structures could be destroyed directly by her touch or line of sight. The only true anomaly that defied her power was water.
Although water possessed a physical form, Flandre's power of Destruction could only force it to violently explode outward for a brief moment; once the kinetic force dissipated, the liquid would simply gather back together into a fluid mass.
Hearing this, Amiya inquired about the maximum scale and effective range of her destructive output.
Flandre scratched her chin, pondering the question. She admitted she hadn't given much thought to maximum distance, but as for raw power... so far, she had never encountered a single solid object in the world that she couldn't destroy.
After all, her Destruction did not rely on physically tearing a target apart through brute force. Instead, she sought out the target's conceptual 'Eye'—an absolute critical point invisible to normal perception—and crushed it directly. Because the damage occurred on a conceptual level, her power completely bypassed physical density, material hardness, or structural durability.
As for water... it did possess an 'Eye' that Flandre could target and squeeze, but due to its fluid nature, the substance wasn't 'destroyed'—it merely dispersed into mist or droplets before instantly coalescing back into a new body of water. That was one of the primary reasons Flandre disliked the element so much.
"How about a quick demonstration?" Stormeye suggested, pointing toward the terrain behind the woodland. "There is a stone forest just past these trees with boulders of all shapes and sizes. It would be an ideal spot to test your Arts."
Flandre nodded cheerfully and glanced around at the others. The surrounding Operators, having nothing pressing to attend to during their afternoon break, agreed that watching a quick demonstration would be a great way to pass the time.
Soon, the group arrived at the edge of the stone forest.
"Do we need everyone to step back to a safe distance?" Amiya asked, surveying the jagged rock formations.
Flandre scratched her cheek, noting that smaller stones wouldn't pose any danger even if shattered. However, if a massive rock structure crumbled, the falling debris would be quite heavy, so it was probably best for everyone to stand clear of her target area.
With everyone cleared out, the test began.
First up was a rock roughly the size of a fist. With a casual, gentle squeeze of Flandre's hand in mid-air, the stone instantly disintegrated into a heap of fine, powdery dust.
From there, the targets grew progressively larger—scaling up from hand-held rocks to massive boulders standing two to three meters tall.
Yet regardless of scale, a simple, delicate clenching motion from Flandre caused every single target to instantly shatter into fragments.
Gasps of awe echoed from the observing Operators with every movement Flandre made. They whispered among themselves in amazement; her technique was not only completely invisible to Arts detection, but its execution speed was instantaneous. Whatever she targeted was obliterated the very instant her fingers moved.
From an initial distance of ten meters, Flandre gradually extended her reach, effortlessly detonating a massive rock formation over a hundred meters away into a shower of gravel.
Having finished showing off her skills, Flandre turned back to look at the stunned Amiya standing beside her.
"So? Am I amazing or what?"
"It's breathtaking!" Amiya exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.
Retreating back to the shade of the trees, a nearby Operator brought over a tray of refreshing iced sodas, each garnished with a pair of aromatic, mint-like leaves.
Flandre took a sip, letting out a satisfied, happy hum. "Wow, this is delicious!"
Amiya took a small sip and smiled warmly. "This was introduced by our Sargon Operators in the kitchen. I hear it's a very popular local drink across Sargon. Since ordinary folks over there often can't afford expensive imported beverages, they love using these native leaves to infuse cool water."
Amiya added, "Dr. Lena specifically set aside a greenhouse plot to cultivate these plants. The field Operators who return from long desert patrols love having a cold glass when they get back."
Flandre gave a enthusiastic thumbs-up. The minty soda was wonderfully crisp, and a small chunk of ice had been thoughtfully placed inside the cup to keep the drink chilled against the afternoon heat. Although Flandre disliked standing near bodies of water, she had zero complaints about cold, delicious beverages.
Sitting together, the small group chatted about various regional customs across the continent. Listening to Flandre's stories, Amiya couldn't help but feel a wave of gentle envy. Over the past year or two, Flandre had traveled to numerous distant lands that Amiya had only ever read about in academic texts or reports—yet Flandre had experienced them all firsthand.
Noticing Amiya's wistful expression, Flandre offered a warm, comforting look. "Don't be in a rush, Amiya! Right now, everyone keeps you in the safest place on Rhodes Island simply because they know you're still growing up. Once you get a little older, you'll be able to travel alongside everyone and see the whole world."
Amiya nodded earnestly. "Mhm! I will study hard so I can join the field Operators on major missions next time to gain real-world experience."
"That's the spirit!" Flandre agreed sagely. "Reading ten thousand books is important for accumulating knowledge, but traveling ten thousand miles is just as vital—it turns that knowledge into a true part of who you are."
She tilted her head slightly. "Just like how I used to stay trapped in the basement of the Scarlet Devil Mansion all the time. I only started traveling the world after I snuck out."
"Hmm? Amiya, why are you looking at me like that?" Flandre paused, blinking in confusion. "Do you think staying in a basement sounds pitiful?"
"No... my mental stability wasn't very reliable back then, and I was prone to violent episodes," Flandre explained casually. "You've seen how destructive my power is. If I had an episode, it would be far too easy to hurt the people around me, so my sister kept me in the basement to protect everyone—and to protect me."
She grinned softly. "Besides, it was my own choice to stay there. After all, if I really didn't want to stay inside, not even a solid iron blast door could have held me back."
Recalling how Flandre had just reduced a massive boulder to dust with a casual flick of her fingers, Amiya nodded inwardly. If Flandre truly wished to leave, a standard metal door wouldn't have delayed her for a single second.
"Then why did you end up running away?" Amiya asked, looking at Flandre with genuine curiosity.
"I don't really know!" Flandre replied candidly with a cheerful shrug. "I just woke up from a long sleep one day, and I was already outside!"