"Little Amiya! How on earth are you flying?! And... wait, did you grow wings?!"
Because Flandre was so small and hovered directly behind Amiya, Warfarin hadn't spotted her at first—only those brilliant, lantern-adorned wings flaring out behind the Cautus girl's back. The sight made the hanging doctor blurt out the first absurd thought in her mind.
She quickly came to her senses, realizing Amiya hadn't suddenly sprouted glowing wings; someone was carrying her through the air.
As for who was carrying her?
Amiya tilted her head down slightly, revealing a small, golden-haired girl with ruby-red eyes and a silly, endearing smile floating just behind her.
"Hello there!"
Seeing pupils as vibrant and crimson as the most flawless gemstones, alongside a pair of cute, sharp fangs, Warfarin instantly recognized her heritage—a Blood Demon.
"Eh, a Blood Demon... wait, I'm a Blood Demon too."
Warfarin, who had been startled for a moment, let out a breath of relief after realizing who it was. "You're that little one named Flandre, aren't you?"
There was virtually no one aboard Rhodes Island that Warfarin didn't know, and it was even more impossible for a Blood Demon to walk the ship's halls without her knowledge. Thus, for a young Blood Demon who enjoyed the complete trust of both Kal'tsit and Amiya—and who happened to be this tiny—deducing her identity from the intelligence reports was a simple task.
"That's right, I'm Flandre!" After answering cheerfully, Flandre inspected the suspended doctor with a deeply curious gaze. "Is swinging up here fun? Flandre wants to play too!" she asked, eyeing the heavy ropes wrapped around the other's waist.
"Uh..." Hearing Flandre's innocent inquiry and meeting those bright, untainted eyes, even Warfarin couldn't bring herself to say anything utterly shameless.
"Shall we head back down first?" Amiya asked softly, feeling that having her feet dangling over open air was really not very secure.
"Okay!" Flandre smoothly lowered their altitude, landing lightly back on the steel plating.
The moment her boots touched the ground, Amiya felt an immense weight lift off her heart. She turned to Flandre beside her, her eyes widening slightly. "I really didn't expect you to actually be able to fly!"
Flandre pointed toward her vibrant, crystal-laden wings. "If I couldn't fly, wouldn't such a big pair of wings be a complete waste?"
Amiya couldn't help but burst into a lighthearted laugh at the explanation. "You're right! It would definitely be a waste for wings that look this amazing not to fly."
While the two girls laughed on the deck below, Warfarin, still hanging from the bridge, stared down at Flandre. "Little girl, I heard you caused quite a massive stir back over in Ursus! I asked Kal'tsit about it, but she would only give me the barest summary."
She swayed gently against her tether. "Since we're all free right now, why don't you tell me the full story?"
Flandre pointed up at her. "You're hanging way too high up! It's super tiring talking to you like this. How about we talk after you come down?"
Warfarin thought about it for a moment and agreed; craning a child's neck to look up at that angle really wasn't good for her posture. "Then it's a deal! We'll chat once I'm let down."
With that, Warfarin happily resumed swinging back and forth in the wind.
By now, many other Operators had gathered on the upper deck to get some fresh air. Amiya greeted the passing crew members while introducing various parts of the ship to Flandre.
"Most of the active Operators come up to the deck whenever they have free time," Amiya explained. "In Sister Lena's words, the internal layout of Rhodes Island is so dense and enclosed that staying inside for too long can easily cause mental fatigue. Coming out to the open deck to relax helps keep everyone's spirits healthy."
Flandre nodded in strong agreement.
Rhodes Island was a massive mobile fortress constructed entirely of heavy steel plating. While it wasn't as cramped as a naval warship, it could hardly be described as open or airy. The Operators had placed numerous potted green plants along the corridors—wherever they wouldn't block movement—to help ease the crew's stress. Still, staring at metallic grey bulkheads day after day was bound to feel stifling eventually.
For someone like Flandre, who was used to soaring freely across open skies, the interior of the landship felt particularly restrictive.
The two girls walked toward the bow of the ship. Currently, Rhodes Island was stationary, anchored in the middle of a vast, sweeping plain with the rolling mountain ranges of Rim Billiton visible in the distance.
Looking out at the distant peaks, Flandre suddenly took a light leap, vaulting over the protective railing amidst Amiya's startled gasp!
Instead of falling, Flandre's lantern wings flared open, and she soared joyfully through the open air, weaving through the wind currents as effortlessly as a fish gliding through water.
Watching Flandre move with such incredible freedom, Amiya couldn't hide the look of pure envy in her eyes.
Noticing her expression, Flandre looped through the air and hovered directly in front of Amiya, extending her hand. "Amiya, do you want to come up into the sky and see?"
Amiya recalled the weightless, floating sensation from earlier and was just about to shake her head in gentle refusal. But before she could move, Flandre gave her hand a gentle upward tug—and Amiya felt herself lifted effortlessly into the air!
"Ah!" Amiya cried out in surprise, looking over at Flandre.
This time, Flandre wasn't carrying her around the waist like before. Instead, she was simply holding her hand, guiding her through the air currents like a tethered kite.
If her hand hadn't been held so firmly in Flandre's grip, Amiya likely would have panicked from the sheer height.
Sensing Amiya's tension, Flandre offered a bright, reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid, Amiya! Just feel the breath of the wind. Imagine we are two little fish, and the vast sky is just a giant fish tank!"
Hearing Flandre's soothing words, Amiya's racing heart began to calm down. She followed the girl's advice, closing her eyes to feel the gentle breeze rushing past her face. Moments later, she opened her eyes and tentatively moved her legs in the air, a soft smile appearing on her face.
Flandre squeezed her hand cheerfully. "Let me take you higher!"
With a light beat of her wings, Flandre pulled Amiya upward, soaring several meters higher into the sky.
Down on the deck, several observing Rhodes Island Operators let out collective gasps of awe.
On a nearby watchtower platform, a tall Sarkaz wearing dark sunglasses watched the two young girls flying toward him on the wind, a helpless yet fond expression breaking across his face.
"Amiya!"
"Mr. Scout!" Amiya called out, feeling a brief touch of sheepish nervousness upon seeing the senior Operator standing on the lookout tower.
The man named Scout turned his gaze toward Flandre. "Is this flying technique of yours completely reliable?"
Flandre patted her chest proudly. "Just like how a Feathered Beast can fly naturally, I can fly too! It's pure instinct!"
"Instinct, huh?" Scout chuckled softly, though his expression remained watchful. "That's good to hear, but we need to make a firm agreement: you cannot take Amiya past the outer perimeter of the deck, and you aren't allowed to fly too high up."
Even though Flandre spoke with supreme confidence, the girl she was carrying was, after all, Amiya. Scout couldn't allow the young leader to face even the slimmest margin of danger.
"No problem at all!" Flandre agreed instantly. "Amiya, let's go!"
With a turn of her wings, Flandre pulled Amiya along, gliding smoothly toward the aft section of the deck.
"Is that a flying vehicle?" Flandre asked, pointing toward a large landing pad at the rear of the ship.
A large tactical helicopter was currently resting on the pad, with several logistics Operators busily unloading cargo crates from its side doors.
"That is the 'Good Boy' helicopter," Amiya explained brightly as they hovered above the pad. "If I remember correctly, it just returned from a long-distance run bringing in a fresh shipment of emergency medical supplies."
Amiya pointed toward an empty hangar bay nearby. "We have another transport aircraft named the 'Bad Guy,' but it's currently undergoing routine maintenance in the lower engineering workshop."