Finding Remilia in the dining room, Flandre looked up as her elder sister offered a small, firm nod.
"Eirin spoke with me regarding this, and I gave my approval." Remilia paused briefly before continuing in her usual commanding tone. "Whitesmith is an exceptionally vital Operator for Rhodes Island. Once you enter that operating room, you are to follow Eirin's directives to the letter."
Flandre Scarlet nodded dutifully, turning her attention to the freshly prepared meal Sakuya Izayoi placed before her.
After finishing her lunch, Amiya accompanied Flandre to the Medical Department to meet with Dr. Kal'tsit.
Inside the central office, Kal'tsit and Eirin Yagokoro were conducting a final review of the surgical parameters. Sensing their arrival, Kal'tsit raised her head slightly.
"You will be in complete command of Whitesmith's surgical procedure," Kal'tsit said to Eirin. "I will lead the auxiliary medical staff to support you."
Her sharp gaze then shifted down to Flandre. "I have heard Warfarin and Closure discuss the nature of your unique ability, and I have analyzed the operational footage. However, surgical intervention is a delicate endeavor, and the patient lying on that table is an irreplaceable partner to us all. Should you experience any discomfort, fatigue, or uncertainty at any point, you may request an immediate pause. Every single motion must be executed under the most stable and secure conditions possible."
"I understand," Flandre replied solemnly. "Don't worry, I'll follow Eirin's lead."
Eirin reached out, resting a gentle hand on Flandre's shoulder. "Hearing that reassures me. First, let me walk you through the operational schedule and your specific responsibilities."
Stepping aside, Eirin carefully broke down the process.
The assignment was conceptually straightforward. Whitesmith's internal Originium crystal density was exceptionally high. During the procedure, Eirin would employ a specialized pharmacological technique to force a concentrated mass of active Originium particles toward a specific coordinate on the patient's skin surface.
This localized concentration would trigger rapid crystalline growth at the targeted site before it could spread outward into healthy tissue.
Flandre's duty was to target the newly formed Originium clusters the precise moment they emerged and execute her Destruction ability upon Eirin's command.
This method would swiftly pull concentrated Originium out of the bloodstream and internal organs; once Flandre pulverized the exterior crystalline clusters into fine dust, the residue could be cleanly extracted from the body.
While simple in theory, the technique carried immense tactical risk. Should the Originium particles fail to gather at the intended site and instead manifest near vital organs, Whitesmith would not survive the table.
To mitigate this, Eirin, Kal'tsit, and Warfarin had conducted extensive preliminary trials on Infected test beasts. Today marked the very first human application—and Whitesmith had personally volunteered to be the primary patient.
Following rigorous decontamination protocols and donning a specialized sterile protective suit, Flandre stepped into the operating theater.
Scanning the room, she noted a full contingent of medical personnel.
While Eirin stood at the primary surgical station, Warfarin sat before the central telemetry suite, closely monitoring the patient's vital signs. Outside the wide observation bay, Kal'tsit stood alongside several senior physicians, watching the operating table intently.
Beside the table, Anto and several medical Operators whom Flandre recognized from their previous encounters during the Reunion incident stood ready as surgical assistants.
As Flandre approached, the team offered quiet, respectful nods.
"Flandre, step up here. Today, you are our lead surgeon," Eirin instructed, pointing to the primary position beside the table.
Flandre climbed onto a pre-arranged high step stool, giving her an unobstructed view of the patient and the target site.
Once the preliminary preparations were finalized, Eirin looked over at Flandre. "We are about to begin. Flandre, are you ready?"
Flandre offered a resolute nod.
Eirin smoothly administered a localized injection beneath the surface tissue. An assistant immediately sealed the site with a custom-built, transparent collection housing connected to a bio-vacuum unit.
Within minutes, visible crystalline structures began forming at the injection site. The moment the main spire reached the size of a single grain of rice, Eirin issued the prompt: "Flandre. Execute Destruction on the target now."
Flandre locked her gaze onto the micro-target. Visualizing the singular structural point of the newly formed crystal, she reached out her small hand and squeezed.
Clack.
The Originium crystal instantly disintegrated, atomizing into microscopic dust within the sealed chamber. The collection apparatus hummed to life, pulling the pulverized particles directly out through the vacuum tube.
"First phase successful. Continue!" Eirin noted with satisfaction.
A collective sigh of relief washed through the observation room and the surrounding assistants.
"Vitals stable. Blood-crystal saturation decreasing," Warfarin reported at exact intervals.
Once, twice, three times...
As each target zone was cleared, Eirin systematically prepped the next cluster. The meticulous process stretched onward into the late evening.
Throughout the lengthy procedure, Kal'tsit had quietly harbored concerns that continuous use of such a potent ability might induce mental exhaustion or precision drift in a young child. Yet Flandre delivered a performance that caught everyone off guard. Her hyper-focus remained absolute, her control flawless from start to finish.
"Operation complete. Commencing final stabilization," Eirin finally announced.
Muted cheers echoed through the theater and observation deck.
Warfarin stared at the real-time diagnostic readout in disbelief. Previously, Whitesmith's blood Originium crystal density sat at a critical 0.52 u/L, with a cell-Originium fusion rate of 23%. Following the procedure, her blood density had dropped dramatically to 0.37 u/L, and her fusion rate was suppressed to 17%.
The therapeutic breakthrough was monumental. It instantly reclassified Whitesmith from a critical, high-risk patient to a stable, manageable status.
This success illuminated an entirely new horizon for Rhodes Island. While Oripathy remained fundamentally incurable, this method meant the clinical severity of high-risk patients could be reduced by a full degree—granting them precious, extended lifespans.
Furthermore, while Flandre's singular Destruction ability was uniquely suited for this trial, the core extraction methodology could eventually be adapted for specialized precision machinery, making broad clinical deployment viable across Terra.
Flandre's participation had not only validated Eirin's radical procedure, but her instant, flawless execution had reduced the total operative duration by more than a third.
As the team exited the surgical suite, the gathered medical staff broke into spontaneous applause. Warfarin declared exuberantly that the clinical data gathered today was enough to publish dozens of groundbreaking medical papers that would shatter conventional theories across Terra, cementing Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical's authority forever.
Slipping out past the congratulatory crowd, Flandre let out a long, heavy yawn. The sheer physical and mental fatigue of remaining under the harsh surgical lights since noon finally washed over her in full.