Outside the barren city of Kazdel
Inside a deserted cave
"Run! That girl is a monster, run!"
"Silver Coin, Copper Head, and Rusty Pen are already dead by her hand... Damn it, why the hell didn't you say beforehand that you kidnapped such a monster!"
"A Vampire monster!"
Another person cursed as he yelled at the person beside him, only to be shocked to find that while he had heard his companion's heavy breathing just a moment ago, now there was only the sound of his own voice.
A cold sweat broke out on his back, and he pushed his legs even harder to run forward.
After turning a corner, the cave exit was just over ten meters away.
"Almost there, almost there! As long as I can reach it!" The light outside the cave seemed to give him endless hope.
His exhausted legs felt a bit lighter, making him believe that as long as he ran out of this cave, he would gain freedom and his life.
But in the next moment, he felt his vision begin to distort, and a sharp pain surged through his body.
"No... Help..."
He wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't speak at all. His entire body was instantly folded into an inhuman shape, like a twisted ragdoll.
Click-clack... click-clack... The crisp sound of small leather shoes echoed from the cave. The newcomer didn't spare a single glance at the mercenary's gruesome remains, instead walking calmly out of the cave entrance.
"Kazdel is still too dangerous. It's a pity that princess has died and Babel has vanished into thin air; otherwise, that would indeed have been a good place to settle down."
The girl under the moonlight talked to herself.
She had short blonde hair, a white mob cap with frills on her head, and a pair of scarlet pupils.
She wore a thin, red Gothic dress.
Below her white bubble socks was a pair of small brown leather shoes.
Most striking were the pair of wings extending from her back.
But to call them wings wasn't quite right, for they lacked the feathers or bat-like membranes needed for flight. Instead, the bare, branch-like wings were hung with colorful, crystal-like objects.
If any Touhou fan were here, they would surely cry out, 'Second Sister!'
Because her appearance was virtually indistinguishable from the girl named Flandre Scarlet in Gensokyo.
But this Flandre was not that Flandre.
After all, a girl from Gensokyo wouldn't know anything about the continent of Terra.
Her memories were split into two parts: one was Flandre's life with her sister in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and the other was of a girl who loved playing Arknights and had fainted from anger after failing to pull the two 'big daddies' of the Laterano lineup in the Garrison Agreement even after gambling all her resources.
"Sigh, the Garrison Agreement really ruined me..."
Recalling what happened back then, Flandre still gritted her teeth.
Playing Kjerag without Pramanix, playing Unyielding Abyssal without Gravel, playing Sargon without the God, and even the Big Sister of Laterano left her in the Garrison Agreement. All of this was the designers' fault, a huge fault.
If she hadn't died of anger, she wouldn't have come to this world with Flandre's memories and body.
No... it should be that the Flandre who came to this world gained memories from another world about herself and this world called Terra.
So, am I just a character in a game?
At that time, Flandre was somewhat dazed and muddled due to the fusion of the two memories, and was then taken away by passing mercenaries.
After she woke up again and saw those mercenaries discussing selling her to some noble in Leithanien who liked little girls, Flandre's murderous intent took the high ground.
What followed was a bloody massacre.
Only after it ended, standing on the wilderness again, did her reason return to reality.
Although she had just killed so many people, she didn't feel the slightest bit of nausea, so she really must be Flandre.
As for the fact that she and this world were part of a game, she didn't mind.
After all, 495 years of memories remained perfectly intact in her mind. Although most of it was dull, she was still quite satisfied because of her sister's company.
With so many memories, she was definitely not some character in a game.
As for this world being fake?
Let the game's author ask those Sarkaz in the cave, who were twisted beyond human recognition, if they agreed.
"So, I should see if there's a way to go home!"
Flandre Scarlet sighed as she looked at the sky.
As for which home?
The Scarlet Devil Mansion, of course. She wondered if, after her appearance here, there was another Flandre Scarlet left in the mansion to accompany her sister.
If not, and she had gone missing, her sister would probably go crazy with worry.
After sighing again, she began to think about her next destination.
She had just heard several mercenaries talking about the news of Her Highness Theresa's death in battle. They mentioned that not long ago, they had chosen to leave for Leithanien to make a living and escape the final chaos of the war.
So the current timeline should be the summer or autumn of the year 1094.
In that case, there weren't many places she could go.
First, she passed on Victoria.
After all, the Military Commission had already infiltrated Londinium, the heart of Victoria. Not to mention that Victoria would fall into turmoil nationwide in a few years because of the battle in Londinium.
Even her identity... Once she was identified as a Sarkaz, Sarkaz wouldn't have a good time in Victoria after the battle of Londinium.
Then there was Leithanien.
It was indeed much better than Victoria, and even if one of the Twin Queens was trapped in the void later, it wouldn't affect the political stability.
But Leithanien, with its extreme feudalism and centralization, wasn't a great place either.
Moreover, Leithanien's Casters were everywhere. If a strange individual like her attracted attention, it would inevitably lead to no small amount of trouble.
Laterano was out of the question. Although it was relatively stable, her appearance, which looked inextricably linked to Vampires, would probably lead to the Sankta there pointing guns at her head even if they were in a stable mood.
Sargon, Columbia, and Bolivar were too far away, and she couldn't be bothered to travel that much.
Then she excluded the isolated Iberia, followed by Ursus.
Why exclude Ursus? Because that country was too twisted; they didn't treat people like humans at all. They claimed everyone was fuel for Ursus, but why were the ordinary people always the ones being burned while the ambitious high nobles were the ones being warmed?
So, nearby places suitable for living were either Siracusa or Great Yan.
Actually, she didn't want to choose either.