Flandre paused for a brief moment, and after noting that everyone was thoroughly invested in the topic, she eagerly picked up where she left off.
"The prophecy specifically seems to dictate that Theresis will meet his end entirely alone, seated upon the grand throne of Victoria. But how should I put it regarding this specific decree from the Cyclopes? The vision itself is remarkably vivid, yet incredibly vague at the same time." She tilted her head, her colorful wings shifting slightly. "Because the archive contains no record of a timeline, no description of the process, just this one inexplicable sentence left behind."
"That sounds entirely impossible," Clever spoke up, her voice small. "That is Theresis we are talking about; how could a ruler of his caliber ever..."
Throughout the earlier confrontation outside the gates, she had curled up inside the vehicle, lying perfectly still like a corpse to avoid drawing any attention. She had only summoned the courage to move after the carriage had pulled far away and she was certain the Regent had not followed them.
"And why exactly shouldn't he?" Meiling chimed in from her seat. "That Regent certainly possesses a decent physical foundation, but when all is said and done, he is merely a single individual." She cracked her knuckles with a grin. "As long as one is made of flesh and bone, there will inevitably come a point where their energy runs entirely dry. Victoria is a massive empire, after all, and their military commands a vast fleet of those landships. No matter how formidable Theresis might be, he cannot simply shrug off a concentrated bombardment from naval artillery, can he?"
Meiling's expression carried a mix of lingering satisfaction and disappointment. Among the entire group that had emerged from the capital, Theresis was the only individual who had registered as a genuine threat to her spatial awareness. It was merely a pity that, given his high station as a supreme commander, the man was not in a position to easily indulge in a personal duel.
She also harbored a strong suspicion that in terms of pure martial technique, while the Regent might be slightly less refined than herself, the gap between their skills was remarkably narrow. Furthermore, the man was a master of armed combat, whereas she relied entirely on hand-to-hand mechanics; by leveraging the natural reach and cutting edge of his greatsword, he could completely close the remaining distance. If they had actually clashed in earnest, it would have easily required over a hundred rounds of exchange before a victor could be determined.
"By the way, Meiling, you looked incredibly cool during that skirmish!" Flandre chirped suddenly. She lunged forward, scrambling onto Meiling's back and wrapping her arms around her neck, shaking her vigorously. She was clearly a tiny bit dissatisfied that her companion had gotten to play the heroic protector all by herself while she was left to spectate from the sidelines.
"That was entirely due to Miss Flandre choosing to hold back her power," Meiling replied smoothly, knowing precisely how to soothe the child's pride. "If Miss Flandre had chosen to step forward and unleash her arts, there wouldn't have been a single target left standing for me to handle."
Flattery of that caliber worked like a charm; upon hearing the compliments, Flandre's mock irritation vanished instantly. She began excitedly trading banter with the gatekeeper, each praising the other's incredible strength in a continuous loop of mutual admiration.
Sitting across from them, Remilia felt a row of dark lines practically manifest across her forehead as she listened to the boisterous chatter.
"That is quite enough, you two."
The moment the mistress spoke, the pair instantly fell silent, sitting up straight with perfectly obedient expressions.
Once the compartment had quieted down, Remilia turned her crimson gaze toward the only outsider present in the vehicle. "Clever, do you harbor any specific plans regarding your next destination?"
Clever blinked in surprise, pointing a finger at her own nose. "Me?" She had spent the last several days under the assumption that she possessed zero personal autonomy in this company.
"As for my plans..." She fell into deep thought.
The local cells at Rose Riverside had not issued any fresh directives recently, and her various associates were currently occupied with their own respective assignments. Consequently, she was entirely free to enjoy a period of leisure.
Her original intent had been to return home for a quiet spell before attempting to analyze the shifting political tides within Londinium; after all, the sudden movements of the military council had terrified a great number of organizations across Terra. But given the revelation they had just discussed, such observation seemed entirely redundant. If Theresis was fundamentally destined to perish within those city walls, it meant his grand campaign was systematically incapable of achieving long-term success. Londinium had transformed into an exceptionally dangerous quagmire, and she possessed zero desire to wade into such muddy waters.
"I don't actually have any pressing matters to attend to for the foreseeable future," Clever answered honestly.
"No plans whatsoever? That is wonderful news!" Flandre bounced in her seat, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "You must come along and travel with us!"
"But... aren't you all a tightly knit family? I would simply be..." Clever glanced at the other faces in the compartment. Over the course of the week, she had pieced together the fact that everyone in this circle belonged to a grand estate known as the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Among them, the short but impeccably dignified Remilia was the undisputed mistress of the household, while Flandre—the child who had originally swept her away—was her younger sister. The remaining three individuals served as Remilia's personal academic companion, chief maid, and estate gatekeeper. The sole reason they had embarked on this cross-continental journey was because Flandre had slipped away from the mansion on a solo excursion, leaving the rest of the household with no choice but to venture out and locate her.
"We are family, certainly, but that doesn't imply we cannot invite new companions along for the journey, right, Big Sister?" Flandre asked, turning an expectant gaze toward Remilia.
"However..." Clever hesitated, feeling a bit out of place.
"There are no 'howevers' about it," Flandre interrupted, her tone dropping into a slightly intense, unyielding register as she stared directly into Clever's eyes. "You have nothing to do, and we are simply wandering, so what is there to worry about? Could it be that you simply do not wish to play with Flandre?"
Sensing the faint, erratic edge of wild unpredictability lurking beneath the child's phrasing, Clever's survival instincts flared. She immediately nodded with absolute conviction. "Of course I want to! No one in their right mind would ever turn down an opportunity to travel with Flandre!"
The tension dissolved instantly, and a radiant smile broke across Flandre's face. "Hehehe, really?"
"Without a doubt!" Clever maintained the reassuring line of conversation, prioritizing her safety above all else.
"Then it is officially settled! Clever, you shall remain by my side for the rest of the holiday," Flandre declared loudly.
Remilia offered no objection to the arrangement. In her estimation, while Clever's combat capacity was practically nonexistent, the girl was remarkably perceptive and possessed a sensible nature. Just as her name implied, she carried a useful bit of cleverness. Having her and Meiling occupy Flandre's attention would ultimately save the mistress a considerable amount of administrative worry. After all, the pair of Flandre and Meiling has a lot of brawn but not enough brains.
As twilight began to blanket the region, the carriage rolled to a stop within a vast, uninhabited stretch of wilderness. Clever immediately volunteered to assist Sakuya with pitching the large travel tents, though Flandre kept darting between them, inadvertently hindering their progress at every turn.
Noticing the logistical knot, Meiling announced she would take a stroll through the surrounding brush to see if she could secure some fresh game for the evening meal. By the time she wandered back into camp carrying a pair of plump, freshly caught Feathered Beasts, the primary shelter had only just been securely staked into the ground.
As for Flandre, she was currently crouching directly beside Remilia, her hands covering her head in a comical display of defeat. It was glaringly obvious that if the mistress hadn't physically removed her from the construction site, the tent would have never been erected.
Catching sight of Meiling's return, Flandre poked her head out from behind her sister's cloak. "Wow, look at those two massive birds!"
The moment Remilia turned a stern gaze her way, the child instantly ducked back out of sight. Remilia shook her head with a quiet sigh, deliberately walking away toward the edge of the clearing to afford her sister some space.
Once the mistress walked away, Flandre bounded over to Meiling's side, watching with immense fascination as the gatekeeper began preparing the game for the fire.
In the distance, Remilia's lips twitched slightly. She turned to join Patchouli, who was waiting near a stone outcrop.
"You simply spoil that child far too much," Patchouli remarked with a knowing smile, fully aware of why Remilia had steered her so far from the center of camp for a chat.
She watched Flandre's energetic silhouette move across the clearing—one moment crouching beside Meiling's preparation station, the next racing over to inspect the roasting spit Sakuya was managing, before finally darting across the grass to watch Clever feed a portion of dry fodder to the resting beasts of burden.
Remilia shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "There is very little to be done about it. Who else is Flandre but my own flesh and blood?"
Later that evening, the companions gathered in a comfortable circle around the crackling campfire to enjoy their dinner.
As they ate, Clever looked up from her bowl and curiously inquired about the specific route they intended to follow next.
"Our route?" Remilia mused, setting down her teacup. "We shall likely chart a course directly into the borders of Leithanien for a leisurely tour."
According to the itinerary they had established, the carriage would head due east into the spires of Leithanien to experience the local musical culture and traditions. From there, they planned to journey south into the territories of Siracusa, execute a broad detour through the industrial sectors of Rim Billiton, and ultimately conclude their holiday at the mobile facilities of Rhodes Island.
There, they would finally reunite with Eirin Yagokoro and the rest of their companions.