Just as the instructor was worrying, he watched Flandre flip right past Flame Blast and begin examining the complex schematics for Meteor Fall on the subsequent page.
...
The teacher instantly felt all the strength drain from his body.
After all, that particular spell... even Elite Operator Pith had only ever researched its theoretical framework and never attempted to execute it in live combat.
In his revised view, Flandre was simply an extraordinary academic genius whose theoretical comprehension far outpaced her physical Arts output. Since she could dismantle and optimize high-level Magic models with such fluid ease, basic mathematics naturally required zero effort from her—the arithmetic taught to the other children was practically kindergarten-level by comparison.
When the math period concluded, Amiya hurried over to Flandre's desk.
She had noticed the teacher standing beside Flandre for an unusually long time with an extraordinarily complex expression; his emotional shifts had been so turbulent that one could sense them without even relying on Originium Arts. Naturally, Amiya was intensely curious about what Flandre had been drawing to provoke such a reaction.
Stepping close, Amiya caught sight of the dense stack of paper on Flandre's desk—all covered in intricate Magic models that had been meticulously dismantled, re-engineered, and refined.
...
"Do you really enjoy studying Magic that much?" Amiya asked curiously.
"It's alright! Patchy is the one who's truly obsessed with it," Flandre replied offhandedly. "It's just that every time I finish reading a book, Patchy grills me with questions. If I haven't researched every detail thoroughly and fail her pop quizzes, she hits my palms with a ruler!"
Flandre paused slightly, then added, "Of course, none of that applies to water-element Magic."
"Eh?" Amiya blinked, puzzled. "Why do you specifically single out water Magic?"
Flandre explained matter-of-factly that because she disliked water—and her sister hated it just as much—they completely abandoned all studies regarding the water element when researching arcana.
"But water-based spells encompass such a massive portion of fundamental magic!" Amiya said, somewhat concerned that Flandre might become overly specialized and imbalanced in her studies.
Flandre nodded cheerfully. "I know! But not liking it just means not liking it. I like fire, so I master those spells super fast. I hate water, so except for the most basic tricks, I can't even cast them."
As Flandre spoke, she put on a willful, stubborn pout like any ordinary child, causing Amiya to burst into a rare, bright laugh.
"If you don't like it, you don't like it!" Amiya smiled gently. "By the way, our next period is physical education. Flandre, do you want to join us?"
Amiya pointed to the class schedule posted beside the blackboard; right after mathematics was indeed physical training.
"Sure!" Flandre clapped her hands enthusiastically.
Together with the rest of the children, they headed out to the open deck of Rhodes Island.
That was right—Rhodes Island's physical education classes were routinely held out on the upper deck.
Their instructor was a broad-shouldered, dependable middle-aged man wearing dark sunglasses and sporting a rugged, scruffy beard.
"Hello there, little ones! It's Big Brother Ace meeting you all again," the man called out with a warm, easygoing smile.
"Ehhh~?!" the children chimed in unanimous disbelief.
Given Ace's heavy beard and weathered features, he looked at least thirty years older than any of them. While a crown prince might wait sixty years in line for a throne, there was certainly no 'big brother' who looked thirty years older than his students.
Ace stroked his beard and offered a grand explanation. "There is a saying: 'A man without hair on his lip cannot be trusted to handle a job well.' This beard of mine is a symbol of calm, steady dependability."
"Uncle Ace, are you implying that Dr. Kal'tsit isn't dependable enough?" Flandre immediately stepped forward, pinning a tremendously serious accusation straight onto Ace's shoulders.
Ace's expression froze instantly. Good grief—he hadn't expected a hidden landmine among the crowd of kids!
"H-How could that be?!" Ace stammered, recovering quickly. "Dr. Kal'tsit is a woman! Women don't grow beards, so we don't judge their steady dependability by facial hair!"
Flandre let out a mischievous, childish giggle. "Uncle Ace, you've got a point. But previously, when that colleague of yours named Logos was over in Ursus..."
She tilted her head, continuing innocently, "After the whole event ended, I described his performance to a scholarly professor. The professor criticized him until there was nothing left! That must be because he doesn't have a beard and isn't steady enough, right?"
...
Hearing her words, the off-duty Operators gathered along the deck railings could no longer hold back their laughter.
Good grief—first she dragged Kal'tsit into the mud, and now she was throwing Logos under the bus!
Before Ace could process that, the young girl pointed toward the high watchtower. "And that uncle up there—is he being punished with lookout duty because he doesn't have a beard either?"
...
Ace instinctively looked up. Scout was currently leaning over the high railing, relaxed and enjoying the sea breeze. Sensing the gazes of the crowd below and seeing Ace leading the class, Scout assumed Ace was introducing him to the kids, so he casually raised a hand and waved down at them.
Ace turned his attention back to the little girl who had spoken. Hmm... she wasn't a standard student from the onboard school, but she looked remarkably familiar.
Wasn't this the young girl named Flandre who had arrived on the landship recently?
He certainly hadn't expected her innocent queries to almost send his blood pressure through the roof. If nothing else, her natural talent for pinning outlandish accusations and inciting casual chaos was enough to make Ace's scalp tingle.
Of course, the colleagues she mentioned would at most laugh it off if they ever found out. But if this were taking place in the treacherous political court of some foreign empire, her casual remarks could trigger a political bloodbath.
Deciding it was best to steer clear of further verbal traps, Ace quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Ahem! That's enough chit-chat for now. Our physical education class today isn't meant for loafing around on the deck."
"Everyone, form up behind the marked track on the deck surface," Ace clapped his hands to draw the children's attention, pointing toward the painted running lanes nearby. "Let's start with ten warm-up laps!"
Upon hearing the order, the children lined up and began jogging over toward the track.
As Flandre trotted past Ace, he kept a sharp eye on her and warned playfully, "Running means actually running, young lady. No cheating by using your wings to fly!"
He was well aware that Flandre possessed the ability to fly, but running on foot and floating through the air were two entirely different physical exercises. Although Flandre could easily fly dozens of laps around the perimeter of Rhodes Island without breaking a sweat, forcing her to run on two feet might prove a different story.
Flandre didn't bother arguing. Running on foot was a bit tedious, but it wasn't a real challenge for her.
For ordinary children overflowing with boundless energy, a warm-up run was simple enough—and for Flandre, whose physical strength far surpassed that of an average adult, it was practically effortless. She fell into step right behind Amiya, maintaining a relaxed, casual pace.
Noticing Flandre keeping pace beside her, Amiya leaned over slightly while jogging. "Your breathing rhythm is a bit off, Flandre. Running like that will make you tired very quickly! Follow my rhythm: exhale~~ inhale~~ exhale again~~"
Amiya carefully demonstrated the proper aerobic breathing pattern while running, and Flandre quickly adjusted her breath to match.
Watching the two girls jog together from a short distance away, Ace offered a quiet, approving nod.
Although Rhodes Island couldn't permanently retain Flandre or the powerful figures from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, building a genuine, warm relationship with them carried immense benefits without a single downside.
If Amiya ever encountered a dire crisis in the future that Rhodes Island lacked the strength to resolve on its own, this bond meant they might be able to request a helping hand from the mansion's formidable residents.
Thinking of this, Ace's gaze toward Flandre grew considerably warmer and gentler.
As for her sticking outlandish accusations on him earlier—he didn't mind in the slightest. She was just a playful child, and it was entirely natural for kids to tease adults. Even if she had done it on purpose, an adult holding a petty grudge against a little girl would only invite endless mockery from his fellow Operators.