Long after Warfarin led the young girl out of the chamber, Closure remained frozen in front of the monitoring consoles, replaying the diagnostic logs over and over as if stubbornly refusing to accept the evidence of her own eyes.
Before long, the heavy access doors slid open once more. It wasn't Warfarin returning, but Senior Operator Pith accompanying Dr. Kal'tsit.
The unprecedented test results had already been flagged and transmitted across the security network while Closure was conducting her real-time data analysis. Pith happened to be in the adjacent research wing when the alert came through, and Kal'tsit immediately brought her along, while notifying several of Rhodes Island's top Arts researchers to examine what Flandre Scarlet's "Originium Arts"—which Closure had filed under a baffling "diagnostic failure"—really entailed.
After systematically reviewing every single sensor log and high-speed visual recording, the entire group fell into a profound, heavy silence.
Rhodes Island's diagnostic suites were equipped with state-of-the-art Originium Arts analysis technology, comparable to the most advanced facilities across Terra, and this specific training center housed their finest arrays. Yet, the data displayed across the high-resolution screens left the seasoned researchers feeling utterly powerless.
The readouts unequivocally confirmed that the instant disintegration of the targets was directly linked to Flandre's physical action.
However, the diagnostic equipment failed to detect a single interpretable causal link between her hand gesture and the physical destruction.
Uninterpretable, unresearchable, and unquantifiable.
That was the absolute, definitive verdict rendered by the landship's most advanced machinery.
They replayed the high-speed footage frame by frame, zooming in on the micro-environmental particle density, yet uncovered nothing. The total lack of signatures left the senior Casters deeply frustrated.
What they could conclude with absolute certainty, however, was that Flandre's capability was terrifying beyond measure. Despite requiring direct line-of-sight visual contact, it was completely undetectable by any known Arts scanner, and the reaction time from initiation to target structural failure occurred almost at the millisecond level.
If such a power were ever deployed for high-value assassination, it would be virtually unsolvable.
As long as Flandre maintained an unobstructed view of a target... she could simply wait along a path of travel, and the very instant her quarry walked past, a single, effortless squeeze of her fingers would result in immediate, catastrophic structural failure. She could then casually turn around and walk away without leaving a single trace of Arts signature for investigators to trace.
While the Rhodes Island researchers remained locked in intense debate, Flandre had already skipped back to the central library under Warfarin's watchful escort.
Stepping into the quiet reading room, she spotted Remilia Scarlet browsing through a tall bookshelf. Flandre crept up silently behind her before suddenly pouncing onto her elder sister's back.
Having sensed Flandre's presence long before she took a step, Remilia casually reached back with perfect precision, catching her sister by the arms and hoisting her up. "Where did you wander off to just now?"
Flandre pointed toward Warfarin, who was standing nearby offering a polite nod of greeting. "It was Dr. Warfarin! She wanted to see Flandre's ability, so we went down to the testing range for a quick demonstration."
Remilia turned her gaze toward the white-haired, crimson-eyed Sarkaz woman. From the distinct scholarly aura surrounding her, it was clear she belonged to the intellectual, research-focused side of the vessel's staff.
"That is Dr. Warfarin, one of the central pillars of Rhodes Island's Medical Department," Eirin Yagokoro remarked softly, speaking up from a plush armchair nearby. "She has achieved extraordinary breakthroughs in Oripathy management and cellular pathology. In fact, her published medical treatises were among the core references we utilized to study local Oripathy back when we first arrived."
Eirin had been taking a break from her medical evaluations that evening and had dropped by the library to sample Terra's local literature. Seeing Remilia and Flandre, she had joined their quiet alcove. Observing the cautious look Remilia directed toward the unfamiliar Blood Demon, Eirin gracefully offered the introduction.
"So that is who she is," Remilia noted, her expression softening slightly. "I recall seeing the name 'Mr. Blood' credited across several of the foundational medical texts Flandre read previously. I certainly did not expect the author to appear so young."
Due to the fragmented communication networks across Terra, the distribution of scholarly literature was far more restricted than in other worlds. Consequently, any medical treatise capable of achieving cross-national publication was undeniably a masterpiece of higher learning. Such reference works were utilized by medical practitioners across every major empire, and their authors were held in immense esteem.
For Warfarin to appear so youthful while possessing a catalog of works revered in every nation proved she was a genius among geniuses.
"I have heard that Dr. Warfarin originally conducted her clinical research in total isolation outside the major cities," Eirin Yagokoro added with a mild smile. "After all, her specific bloodline heritage meant that most civilized territories were unwilling to accommodate her presence. It was Dr. Kal'tsit who personally traveled out to invite her to join Rhodes Island. Supposedly, she was deeply moved by the gesture and gladly accepted the offer..."
Hearing Eirin's explanation, Flandre's facial expression became somewhat strange.
If the scattered memories from her alternative knowledge weren't mistaken...
Warfarin had indeed been "invited" aboard by Kal'tsit. But in that legendary encounter, she was "moved" in the sense that Mon3tr had pinned her to the spot so thoroughly she literally didn't dare move a single muscle! As for how genuinely "happy" she had been at that exact moment... Flandre felt it was probably best not to pry too deeply.
Still, Rhodes Island undeniably provided Warfarin with a safe, state-of-the-art research environment and an endless supply of clinical samples gathered from across the continent. Once she settled in, she had zero desire to leave. Although this Blood Demon doctor could be somewhat "extreme" when pursuing her scientific curiosities—frequently earning herself a stint hanging beneath the bridge courtesy of Kal'tsit—one had to admit she was the true backbone of the Medical Department right behind the Old Lynx herself.
Seeing that Remilia and Eirin held no hostility regarding Flandre's impromptu testing session, Warfarin let out a quiet sigh of relief. Selecting a thick medical volume from a nearby shelf, she gave a polite nod and retreated to a private reading desk to resume her research.
As for Flandre's earlier demonstration... since none of the diagnostic arrays could capture any Arts signatures, Warfarin simply pushed the mystery to the back of her mind. If it couldn't be investigated with current apparatus, there was no point in wearing her brain out over it. Her core expertise lay in Oripathy pathology anyway; theoretical Arts phenomena were better left to specialized Casters like Pith and Logos. She had a mountain of active research projects to finish, so her plan was to complete her clinical paperwork first and request the formal evaluation reports from Pith later to see if any secondary data overlapped with her own studies.
Once Flandre confirmed that Warfarin harbored no ill intentions, Remilia didn't press the matter any further.
The Scarlet household settled back into their routine, each picking up a volume to flip through the pages until late into the night, when they finally retired to their private suite to rest.
The moment she stepped across the threshold of their bedroom, Flandre let out a long stretch, preparing to dive straight into her soft bedding.
Shiver—
Suddenly, an intense, icy chill ran right down her spine!
She whipped her head around, only to discover Remilia standing firmly in the doorway, completely blocking the exit with a sweet, dangerous smile.
Oh no! Not good!!
In that single instant, every single cell in Flandre's body let out a sharp, alarm-bell scream!
Before she could invent a clever excuse or find a gap to slip past—
Remilia suddenly pounced forward!
"My dear little sister," Remilia purred with a downright villainous grin, pinning Flandre down on the bed before she could even react. "Did you truly believe your Big Sister had already forgotten about your sneaky thievery in the dining hall this evening?!"
Remilia reached out, ruthlessly pinching Flandre's soft cheeks while holding her firmly in place. "Today, I am going to remind you what the absolute authority of an elder sister feels like! You are completely doomed, Flandre Scarlet!"
Flandre flailed her short arms and legs in a desperate attempt to resist, but having lost the tactical initiative, one mistake led directly to total defeat.
And so, she was soundly subdued by Remilia and subjected to a thorough, dignified spanking.
A short while later, Flandre lay curled up in the center of the bed, tightly wrapping herself in the thick blankets until only a pair of teary, indignant red eyes remained visible to the outside world.
"Big Sister is a huge meanie! Waaaah~~~ it hurts!"
Having delivered her fierce protest, Flandre didn't even give Remilia a second glance, stubbornly turning her face straight toward the wall with an expression that declared she was officially refusing to speak to her sister for the rest of the night.