Hearing Frostnova's words, the atmosphere became heavy once again. Talulah's eyes showed her confusion. "Of course, I can only be Talulah, so what exactly happened?"
Buldrokkas'tee reached out and gently pressed his hand against her forehead, only lifting it after a long while. "I felt no traces of witchcraft." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"What exactly happened?" Talulah discovered that she could seemingly only turn her head for now. Frostnova recounted the events of the previous night.
"So I fainted, and then my whole body was seriously injured?" Talulah was somewhat bewildered. "You think Kashchey did this?" If Kashchey had that kind of ability, why didn't he use it on her on the battlefield? She would have been dead for sure. There was no way she'd still be alive and breathing like she was now.
So what was Kashchey's aim? Recalling the events of last night, Talulah felt something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.
"Waking up is a good thing; the Old Stubborn One predicted you'd be in a coma for a long time." Frostnova stood up; now that Talulah was awake, there would be much less trouble. Before leaving, Buldrokkas'tee asked the initial question again: what did she think of Patriot's methods?
After thinking for a while, Talulah stated that since His Excellency Buldrokkas'tee had successfully stabilized the situation, she would temporarily reserve her opinion. However, she still felt that the Infected should not kill one another; even if their views differed, they could go their separate ways. At worst, if one path succeeded, they could help the others along.
Hearing her finish, Buldrokkas'tee finally breathed a complete sigh of relief. Talulah's thinking was clear, and her will remained firm; it could be confirmed that she had not been corrupted by the Immortal Black Snake. Of course, this could also be a pretense, but if it were fake, the opponent would eventually show a flaw. He would keep a close eye on Talulah's condition at all times.
After Buldrokkas'tee left, Alina threw herself into Talulah's arms and wailed; she had been terrified last night and hadn't dared to sleep all night long. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the image of Talulah collapsing in pain. As she cried, she eventually drifted off to sleep. Talulah wanted to reach out and pull a blanket over her, but she was powerless to do so.
Just then, the door was pushed open. Flandre Scarlet's head peeked in from outside. Talulah looked up, saw Flandre, and managed a difficult smile. "Flandre, do me a favor and cover Sister Alina with the blanket next to me."
Flandre floated in, picked up the blanket to cover Alina, and then looked at Talulah. "How do you feel? Is your body any better?" Talulah showed a surprised expression, not expecting Flandre Scarlet to care about someone. "Much better, thank you for your concern! Were you scared last night?" Talulah asked.
"Are you talking about that black stuff on you?" Flandre Scarlet asked. "You could see it!" Talulah looked at Flandre Scarlet in surprise. "Mm-hmm, of course! When that black gas started coming out, Flandre saw it, and then Flandre crushed that black gas. Isn't Flandre amazing?"
Flandre Scarlet put on an expression begging for praise... "So the reason I fainted was... you?" Talulah didn't know what kind of expression to make. "Er, I lost control of my strength just a tiny bit, but Flandre thought your body was so great, Talulah, that it would definitely be fine." Flandre Scarlet showed a slightly embarrassed and bashful expression.
"Alright, can you still see that black gas now?" Knowing the reason, Talulah felt completely relaxed. She had indeed wondered before if her mind had been unknowingly controlled by Kashchey; now she understood that Kashchey had indeed tried to control her, but Flandre had dealt with it. Although the method was a bit too reckless—at least regarding the injuries on her body, she feared they wouldn't heal for a week or two.
Fortunately, it was winter, and with the continuous blizzards lately, most people wouldn't be going out. It wouldn't be a major problem for Talulah to lie down for a few days. Having set her mind at ease, Talulah only felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
After a while, Flandre sensed hurried footsteps approaching; she opened the door and walked out. It was Frostnova who arrived. Flandre shook her head at her. "Sister Talulah and Sister Alina just fell asleep. Do you have something to see them about?"
Frostnova looked at Flandre. "You'll do as well. According to intelligence, a mysterious opponent has come from the southwest. The Old Stubborn One has already gone there, but I'm worried. I originally wanted to tell Talulah that I'd go myself. But since you're here... could I trouble you to go assist the Old Stubborn One?"
Flandre nodded, indicating no problem, and then asked for the specific direction. After all, while she wasn't directionally challenged, she couldn't tell north from south at all under this blanket of white snow. After Frostnova pointed out the direction, Flandre flew quickly toward the place where Buldrokkas'tee had departed.
Ten minutes later, she saw Buldrokkas'tee and the army of Shield Guards. In front of them was a pitch-black figure emitting an unknown aura. The snow around that person had been dyed black, looking even colder. Flandre tilted her head and flew in front of the opponent. "Rumia? No, you're not Rumia!" Flandre Scarlet looked disappointed.
Her vision had been obscured by the snow, and combined with the opponent's pitch-black appearance and the negative aura, she really thought it was that youkai that occasionally appeared at the Misty Lake.
On the ground, Buldrokkas'tee looked in surprise at Flandre. She seemed completely unafraid of the aura on the Emperor's Blade, and even looked curious. She had just said a name, 'Rumia', to the Emperor's Blade, and then quickly denied it. So she knows a woman who was similarly contaminated by Demons? Buldrokkas'tee speculated.
Regardless, based on her previous strength, her arrival was beneficial. At this moment, that Emperor's Blade was also extremely surprised. The fear aura of a Demon was no joke; even a firm-willed warrior would feel fear standing before him. But he saw not a single trace of fear in the eyes of this girl. For a moment, he even doubted whether the Demon inside him was still functioning.
Flandre flew back to Buldrokkas'tee's side. "Old Stubborn One, what is this guy doing with a lump of weird stuff stuffed inside his body?"
Hearing Flandre's form of address, the disciplined Shield Guard legion couldn't help but waver. They all knew this was Frostnova's nickname for Patriot. Generally, she would only call him that in private. But Flandre Scarlet didn't know that. Buldrokkas'tee's name was long and tongue-twisting, and she wasn't willing to call him 'Lord Patriot' like the others.
Patriot, meanwhile, was surprised that Flandre could discover the Demon inside the Emperor's Blade. "You can see it!" Buldrokkas'tee asked. "Yeah, it's much more conspicuous than that guy in Sister Talulah's body, but it's different; this one is a bit more disgusting." Flandre Scarlet answered.
The Emperor's Blade not far away felt his heart tighten upon hearing their conversation. He looked warily at the girl flying in mid-air, and in the next second, he reached out his hand. A magic orb carrying powerful negative energy shot from his hand directly at Flandre Scarlet.
"Watch out!" A massive shield instantly blocked the front of Flandre Scarlet; the magic orb exploded, without affecting Patriot in the slightest. Flandre Scarlet poked her head out from behind the shield. "He launched an attack on Flandre, does that mean Flandre can kill him now!"
Hearing Flandre Scarlet's words, that person felt himself instantly targeted by a powerful force. "Wait!" Buldrokkas'tee's halberd blocked the front of Flandre Scarlet. He looked at the Emperor's Blade not far away. "Leave, and I will let bygones be bygones. Stay, and there will only be death!"
The Emperor's Blade hesitated for less than a second before decisively turning and leaving the area. "Why let him go?" Flandre Scarlet asked in confusion. "If he lives, we are safe. If he dies, Ursus will be enraged. We will not be safe." Buldrokkas'tee explained with great patience.
Flandre Scarlet shook her head, indicating she didn't understand at all, but Buldrokkas'tee was an adult; as a good child, she would respect an adult's opinion.
After watching the opponent leave, everyone slowly retreated toward the base camp. After returning and learning the visitor was an Emperor's Blade, Frostnova was also filled with lingering fear. After all, in Ursus, an Emperor's Blade was a more terrifying name than the Reconnaissance Squad.
The death of an Emperor's Blade was never a small matter. Their movements were all reported; if one died, the Ursus army would arrive to purge all suspicious places in the vicinity. No one would be spared. That was why Buldrokkas'tee had stopped Flandre's attack.
The next morning, in Alina's room, several people surrounded Flandre Scarlet in the center, holding a "public trial." "So you're saying Talulah being injured like this was caused by you, Flandre?" Alina looked incredulous.
"No, no, no, I helped Sister Talulah crush that pitch-black thing inside her body; I just didn't expect to use a tiny bit too much strength." Flandre Scarlet raised her hand, using her thumb and index finger to gesture a tiny distance.
"This isn't Flandre's fault; none of us discovered that Kashchey had actually placed a curse inside my body," Talulah said with rare gentleness.
"Although Talulah has to lie down for a while, Flandre's intention was good," Yelena added. "And this time, according to Flandre, she crushed most of the power of the Immortal Black Snake; it will be even harder for Him to try and control Talulah now. When winter is over, we can look for a master of Arts to help. Old Stubborn One, do you have the contact information for any of those Liches or Banshees?"
"Are you talking about Banshees? I know one!" Flandre Scarlet raised her hand. "Ah? You even know a Banshee?"
"Remember Rhodes Island? If I remember correctly, there's a Banshee there, code name Logos, name... Aefanyl... it seems to be that name. He is a Banshee, and also a descendant of that Banshee Queen, Laqeramaline." Flandre Scarlet said haltingly, exploring the memories of the person she had merged with.
"Is that true!" Buldrokkas'tee spoke. He knew the power of the Banshee Queen. Her offspring would certainly not be some weakling.
"Anyway, after the new year, we'll know when the people who went to Rhodes Island return." With this matter, Alina was no longer angry with Flandre. Instead, Frostnova looked at her with curiosity. "Speaking of which, you've been here for so long... what exactly is your Originium Arts?"
Flandre scratched her hair. "Flandre can see some things; those things are connected to others. As long as Flandre destroys those things, the things connected to them will also be destroyed."
She had Alina pick up a paper ball and place it on a desk. Flandre stood at a distance and made a gentle gripping motion. The paper ball twisted for a moment, then crumbled into a pile of scraps. "Just like that!"
"What about us?" Frostnova asked curiously. "Everyone has them, but I'll try my best not to touch those of my friends."
Alina thought of the enemies in the snow who had suddenly exploded without Flandre even touching them. "Then wouldn't it be very dangerous, like if you accidentally touched one?" Frostnova asked in shock. Flandre Scarlet shook her head. "No!"