The children gathered around Flandre, chirping and asking her all sorts of questions.
Though Flandre felt a bit dizzy, she worked hard to discern the meaning of their words and answered them haltingly.
"Why does Flandre speak so strangely?" one child asked, looking toward Alina.
"Because little Flandre is a friend from a foreign country staying with us for a while. She didn't know how to speak our language at all before, so I taught her the Ursus language for a few days before bringing her here!"
Alina said gently.
Everyone had a look of sudden realization; no wonder they hadn't seen Alina visit them these past few days—it turned out she was teaching the new friend how to speak.
The expressions on everyone's faces changed as they looked at Flandre again.
"That's amazing! Sister Alina only taught her for a few days, and she can already speak so clearly."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Facing the lively crowd, Flandre also smiled and joined in the fun with them.
Watching Flandre quickly hit it off with everyone from not far away, a trace of resentment appeared in the white-haired boy's eyes.
He wanted to play with everyone too, but because of his bad temper and having snapped at people a few times, everyone stayed away from him.
Aside from Sasha, none of the children his age were willing to associate with him.
What right did that newcomer have to not only get Sister Alina's attention but also make everyone like him?
Eno was extremely puzzled and equally dissatisfied.
At that moment, Sasha stood in front of him, blocking his view of Flandre.
"Eno..." he soothed in a low voice, trying to calm the other's emotions.
"At least I have you... as long as you're here, it's fine. I don't need any more friends..."
Eno said through gritted teeth.
Over here, Flandre also noticed Ino's hostility toward her.
Mainly, that gaze was too obvious; the guy didn't even bother to hide it in the slightest.
Flandre didn't want to pay him any mind at all.
After all, in her eyes, Eno was a pure psychopath.
While she could be quite crazy herself when she went off, most of the time, she considered herself a normal person.
A normal person wouldn't bicker with a psychopath.
Although everyone was curious about Flandre's background and wanted to hear stories from her, her current vocabulary was only enough for simple sentences; she lacked the words to tell stories.
So, everyone regretfully turned their attention elsewhere.
Quite a few people looked at the colorful crystal-like objects hanging under her bat wings.
A bold child tried to pull on them, but Flandre looked over.
"Even though these look like crystals, they're actually connected to my wings, you know? It hurts a lot if you pull them."
Hearing her words, the child's face turned red instantly, and he let go while apologizing.
It was mainly because the crystals were too beautiful; he really couldn't help himself.
After hearing Flandre's words, the others became careful, at most using their hands to gently support the crystals and observe the inside; no one continued to pull.
Seeing Flandre quickly blend in with everyone, Alina felt very gratified and began leading them all in games.
For a time, the room was filled with the sound of laughter.
In the afternoon, the children who went home excitedly told their parents about Flandre. Many parents' faces changed drastically upon hearing she was a Blood Demon, and they prepared to stop their children from playing there tomorrow.
That night... Flandre felt a bit tired after returning home.
She was, after all, only a 495-year-old underage Blood Demon.
Playing with children was more mentally exhausting than fighting that Hakurei Shrine Maiden.
Just as she was lying in bed in a daze, the door was pushed open.
"Flandre, are you still awake?"
Hearing the voice, Flandre Scarlet immediately opened her eyes.
Talulah's face appeared before her.
Right now, she looked conflicted; clearly, it had taken a lot of resolve for her to come find Flandre Scarlet.
"You remember the Peter father and son you rescued before, right?"
Talulah asked.
Flandre Scarlet nodded.
"Their rescue operation failed again this time.
Buldrokkas'tee is leading the Shield Guards to draw away the pursuers.
But the enemy has put out word that they will kill all the Infected they captured tomorrow at noon.
It's meant to deter our Infected compatriots in this area.
Many of our people are in there, including the Peter father and son.
I know you have the strength, and you can fly.
I want you to take me to the front lines and assist me in rescuing those Infected."
After Talulah finished, she looked at Flandre expectantly.
Flandre nodded. "Sure. Just like I said before, as payment for living here and to keep Alina from being sad for everyone, I'm willing to help you with this."
After saying that, she climbed out of bed.
"Do you need to prepare anything?" Talulah asked.
Flandre Scarlet shook her head. "No, I can leave anytime, as long as you're ready."
Talulah patted the long blade at her waist.
"Then let's set off now!"
After stepping out the door, Flandre Scarlet reached out her hand to Talulah.
"Hold my hand tight, and be careful not to fall!"
After Talulah and Flandre gripped each other's wrists, Flandre gave a light tap on the ground with her feet, and the two of them shot into the air.
Talulah pointed in one direction with her other hand. "This way."
Then, Flandre, holding Talulah, quickly flew away from the settlement under the light of the twin moons.
Only after they had left did Alina look in the direction they flew, hands over her chest, silently praying in her heart.
"You must come back safely, everyone."
Under Talulah's guidance, the two soon arrived outside a factory area.
Talulah looked at the factory buildings not far away and nodded to Flandre.
"This is it. All the people they captured are locked inside this factory building.
There are about five squads, roughly fifty members of the Reconnaissance Squad inside.
This time, the Reconnaissance Squad and the local garrison teamed up to trap us.
Fortunately, Patriot and the Shield Guards have already pinned down the garrison in another direction, so our only opponents are the Reconnaissance Squad members left here."
Talulah explained the enemies they had to face to Flandre once more.
"So, like we said on the way, save everyone. As for those Reconnaissance Squad guys here, if they do anything to interfere, I don't have to leave any alive, right?"
Flandre Scarlet showed a slightly crazed smile. It wasn't that she loved slaughter, but if there was a 'compliant' opportunity for it, she had no intention of holding back.
Talulah paused upon hearing Flandre's words, then nodded heavily.
"To ensure the safe evacuation of the Infected, if the enemy shows any resistance, you may deal with them as you wish."
"Give me ten minutes. In ten minutes, you come straight in to pick up the people."
Considering the factory area wasn't small, Flandre Scarlet replied after thinking for a few seconds.
"Don't you need me to go with you?"
Talulah asked with some concern.
"No need. My fighting style is a bit rough; it wouldn't be good if I accidentally caught you in it.
Get ready to time me, I'm going in."
Before Talulah could try to stop her, Flandre Scarlet turned into a streak of light and charged toward the towering observation post in the factory.
Boom!
Just as the people in the factory were on guard for any reckless Infected coming to rescue the prisoners, the observation point above, equipped with large spotlights for reconnaissance, suddenly exploded.
Communication with the people inside was instantly lost.
"Enemy attack!" everyone screamed instantly.
But after the explosion, things suddenly went quiet.
They looked left and right but saw no sign of an enemy.
"What's going on? What's the situation outside?"
The voice of the officer in charge, who had been about to doze off inside, came over the walkie-talkie.
"Reporting, sir, the watchtower exploded," someone replied.
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"
The officer said as he walked toward the monitoring room.
Then he saw on the monitors that the original watchtower signal had disappeared, and on other cameras that could see the watchtower's position, only debris remained where it had once stood.
"What's happening? Where is the enemy?
Where are they attacking from!"
He asked in disbelief.
"I don't know, I didn't see... Ah!"
Before the person responding could finish, they let out a shrill scream, and then there was silence.
"Hello? Hello! Dammit, what on earth happened!
Have Squads Two and Three go to the entrance; kill whoever comes in!"
The officer picked up the nearby walkie-talkie and roared.
"Yes!"
Only one voice came back over the walkie-talkie.
Just as he was wondering if everyone else had gone to the bathroom or died in their sleep, the door behind him was slowly pushed open.
"Found~ you!"
When the officer turned around, he felt his pupils shrink.
A little girl around ten years old was standing at the door.
Her face, mouth, and her entire body were covered in nauseating blood.
And what terrified him most was that she was still clutching two pulsing hearts in her hands.
Upon seeing the bat wings on the girl's back, the officer finally broke down completely in fear.
"Blood Demon! Dammit, why is there a Blood Demon in Ursus!
Please, don't kill me. I'll give you money, I have lots and lots of money... please..."
Before he could finish, he felt a pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a large hole had appeared in his chest at some point; the place where his heart should have been was empty.
Before losing consciousness, he looked up and saw the girl open her mouth and swallow the heart that should have belonged to him in one gulp.
"Tastes good. As a reward, I'll leave your body intact."
Then she looked at the others in the room, her lips curling into a sweet, villain-like smile.
"Let's eat!"
A few minutes later, Flandre walked out of the room, sucking her fingers and humming a little tune.
Then she checked the time.
"Less than ten minutes. It seems I'm still quite strong!"
Turning her head, she saw a nearby restroom, where a mirror reflected her appearance.
Walking to the mirror, she looked at her blood-soaked self.
"What, I thought you'd refuse. So enemies can be killed and eaten, but friends can't.
Your standards are really low!"
Cupping her face in her hands, Flandre's eyes grew redder and redder.
Just then, three more Flandres walked over. After they merged into one, her gaze dimmed.
The clothes that had been bloody just a moment ago were now clean, with only some bloodstains remaining on her face and mouth.
Flandre Scarlet looked at her rational self in the mirror, gave a sweet smile, and then clapped her hands together lightly in front of her chest.
"Thanks for the meal."
Then, after a simple wash with water to clean herself up, she skipped over to the main gate.
She happened to see Talulah quickly approaching with a dozen people.
These people were scouts under her command, and it was their intelligence that had allowed her to find this place.
To avoid detection, they had been scattered and hiding in the surroundings, only gathering around Talulah after receiving her signal to assemble.
"How is it?" Talulah asked.
"Unless there's a rat with incredibly good luck, there shouldn't be any resistance left inside."
Flandre tilted her head and said cheerfully, a finger to her lips.
Talulah nodded and pointed toward the factory building.
"Everyone follow me, go rescue the people quickly."
Watching Talulah and the others go in, Flandre leaned against the main gate and waited for them to come out.
After another ten minutes or so, people began coming out one after another.
Many of them were injured, but those who could walk didn't have very serious injuries.
The most seriously injured were carried out on temporary stretchers.
The way everyone looked at the girl by the gate, who was humming a tune and swaying her head, was very complicated.
Because they all knew their lives had been saved by this girl, and logically, they should be very grateful to Flandre, their savior.
But when they came out, they had also seen the state of the dead.
Most had distorted expressions and were missing their hearts.
Where did all those hearts go?
Recalling her identity as a Blood Demon, many people shuddered again.
They couldn't think about it, and they shouldn't... Soon, Talulah walked out with a relaxed expression.
Flandre Scarlet looked up at her.
"How is it? No one missed, I hope!"
Talulah nodded. Since she had chosen to use Flandre Scarlet's power, she had long been mentally prepared.
At least the sight of those Reconnaissance Squad members who had only lost their hearts was much better than she had expected.
"Indeed, no one was missed. And Flandre, you killed them so fast that they didn't have time to use many of the weapons and equipment they had prepared. Plus, there's still some equipment in the factory that hasn't been moved, which is enough to make up for our losses this time."
Talulah also showed a rare smile.
Then she turned to the Infected behind her.
"We have to evacuate immediately. Before the Ursus army notices that this place has lost contact."
People carried those who needed carrying and took what they could.
In less than half an hour, hundreds of people had stripped the factory clean, leaving only an empty building and the dead Reconnaissance Squad members inside.
"Thank you" While walking back, Talulah looked at Flandre standing beside her and said softly.