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ArabicArknights: The Scarlet Devil of Terra — Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Madam Fumizuki’s Afternoon Tea
‘Flandre doesn’t understand!’It had taken half a day for Flandre Scarlet to finally type out and send that message.’Flandre doesn’t need to understand!’
Alina’s reply arrived a moment later, the text reading as gentle and soothing as her actual voice. Flandre scratched her blonde head, staring at the screen. Since Alina said she did not need to understand, she simply tossed the complicated thoughts away and decided not to dwell on it any further.
Over the next few days, Swire did not suddenly pop up to scoop her into a suffocating hug and spin her around the room. Flandre was more than happy to enjoy the rare peace and quiet, spending her hours curled up reading books.
The only interruptions came from the cleaning staff sent by Madam Fumizuki. At first, the workers had been visibly terrified of her, keeping their heads down and scrubbing the floors in nervous silence. Now, they would greet her with warm smiles the moment they walked through the door.
Occasionally, while dusting the shelves, the aunties would gossip about how wonderfully well-behaved Flandre was, whispering that she was far less troublesome than the noisy little terrors wreaking havoc in their own homes. After all, every time they came to clean, they almost always found Flandre sitting quietly on the plush sofa, either engrossed in a heavy book or watching television with her arms wrapped tightly around a stuffed doll. She never ran around screaming. She never threw tantrums.
Unlike their own bratty children, who acted as if the sofa cushions were stuffed with needles and could not sit still for a single second.
“What is little Flandre reading today?” the auntie who had just finished mopping the floor asked casually, leaning on her mop before packing up to leave.
“Me? The book Flandre is reading now is called Originium Arts: Compendium of Evocation School Spells.” Flandre held up the thick volume, pointing to the cover. “The compiler written on it is Fremont. The content is very detailed. To be able to dissect Originium Arts to this extent, he must be a very impressive person!”
“Oh, I have actually heard of that book,” the auntie said, her eyes widening in surprise. “It is something only the top scholars at Lungmen University study when they specialize in those spells to prepare for the Celestial Masters Mansion exam. Little Flandre, you can actually understand all those complicated words?”
Clearly, the cleaning staff were not ignorant to the world around them. Seeing that the young girl genuinely comprehended the dense academic text, the aunties showered her with praise for a good while before finally taking their leave.
Flandre focused her attention back on the heavy pages.
Speaking of Evocation spells, Flandre felt she was quite adept at them. For example, the Laevateinn she summoned was actually a highly advanced combination spell weaving Evocation and Enchantment together., the vast majority of the Danmaku used in Gensokyo’s endless Danmaku battles were essentially pure applications of Evocation magic.
She had only become curious about this specific book after seeing the author’s name. This was a text personally compiled by the current Lord of the Liches. By reading it, one could accurately gauge the ceiling of magical theory in this world.
Closing the cover, Flandre decided that if Patchouli Knowledge ever saw this book, she would be completely unable to put it down. Back on Earth, humanity had entered an era dominated by technology, leaving very few who actively studied the arcane. Terra was entirely different. The Sarkaz’s obsessive research into incantations and Originium Arts had never ceased. The Liches, a race possessing a terrifyingly vast store of ancient knowledge, were even more tireless in their pursuit of witchcraft and spellcraft applications.
This 1090 edition of the compendium, while perhaps not the absolute latest version, contained countless theories and magical proofs that the magicians back on Earth could never even imagine. She decided to keep the book perfectly safe so she could give it to Patchy the next time they met.
Shortly after the cleaning crew departed, a crisp knock echoed from the front door.
Flandre blinked, tilting her head in curiosity. Both Swire and Ch’en Hui-chieh had their own keys to the apartment, and the cleaners had just left. Who would be visiting at this hour?
Could it be Hoshiguma?
She hopped off the sofa and pulled the door open. Instead of a towering, green-haired Oni, she was greeted by the sight of a stoic, white-haired ninja standing perfectly still on the porch.
“Good afternoon, Miss Flandre Scarlet. Madam Fumizuki requests your presence.”
The ninja extended a hand, offering an elegant, gold-trimmed envelope. Flandre took it and pulled out the card. It was a formal invitation to an afternoon tea party hosted in the back garden of the Governor’s Mansion.
Flandre nodded, stepping out and following the ninja to a waiting luxury car.
Under Shirayuki’s silent guidance, the two handled through the rear courtyard and entered the lush, carefully manicured back garden of the Governor’s Mansion.
Upon stepping onto the stone pavilion, Flandre found three others already seated alongside Madam Fumizuki. Two were familiar faces: Ch’en Hui-chieh and Swire. The third was a graceful, lady-like rat spirit. The woman’s features immediately reminded Flandre of a certain treasure-hunting mouse named Nazrin. Digging through her recent memories, Flandre matched the face to a name: Lin Yuxia, the heir apparent to the Lungmen underworld.
At the moment, the two L.G.D. officers she knew so well were aggressively locking horns, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a sword. Only when Flandre’s footsteps echoed on the stone did Ch’en and Swire huff in unison, turning their heads away from each other in annoyance.
“Is this that little Vampire child?” Lin Yuxia spoke first, her sharp eyes curiously sizing up the young girl approaching the table.
Lin Yuxia was intimately familiar with the intelligence reports surrounding this girl. She understood exactly what kind of apocalyptic destructive power resided within this small, well-behaved, and completely harmless-looking child. If anyone were foolish enough to treat a monster capable of terrifying dozens of armed thugs into slaughtering each other as just an ordinary child, they would only guarantee themselves a miserable, bloody death.
“Hello, Big Sister. My name is Flandre Scarlet, you can call me Flandre!”
Flandre looked up at Lin Yuxia, pinched the edges of her skirt, and performed a flawless, elegant lady’s curtsy.
“You even have to learn this kind of strict etiquette?” Lin Yuxia stood up, returning a traditional Yan fist-and-palm salute, her tone laced with genuine curiosity.
“Because Big Sister said Flandre must be a well-bred and polite good sister! Flandre cannot let Big Sister lose face!” Flandre tilted her little head up, her chest puffed out with absolute pride.
Lin Yuxia nodded slowly, keeping her serene smile fixed in place while her mind raced. ‘So this little one comes from a family with deep, ancient heritage. A Vampire lineage that has existed for centuries but seemingly has no connection to the Sanguinarch’s Court?’
Her expression remained perfectly composed as she gestured gracefully to the empty, cushioned chair beside her. “Splendid. Come and sit.” She then cast a sidelong glance at the two sulking officers. “Hey, are you two not going to continue locking horns?”
Swire slumped into the chair next to Flandre, aggressively rubbing her temples.
“You are exactly the same as always, Ch’en. Nothing but stubborn muscles in that thick head of yours,” Swire complained bitterly. “I told you a hundred times. Before I even came back, I called my family saying I wanted to buy a small property over there. It is just that the family executives saw the market timing was right and took it upon themselves to buy up a bit more land. What is the use of blaming me for their corporate decisions?”
Swire felt entirely wronged. The land acquisition had been prepared well in advance. Absolutely no one could have predicted that a violent incident would erupt in that specific sector. It was a completely unforeseen accident that the situation had escalated into a political mess.
But Ch’en Hui-chieh remained immovable, her face carved from stone. No matter how Swire explained the timeline, Ch’en simply refused to believe it was a coincidence. Left with no other options to clear her name, Swire had run to Madam Fumizuki for mediation, which had ultimately led to this highly unique afternoon tea party.
“I have heard the details regarding this matter as well,” Madam Fumizuki finally spoke, her voice smooth and measured. “Although the Swire family is indeed suspected of taking advantage of a crisis, Beatrice’s initial contact with her family to purchase the land occurred two full days before the incident took place. Otherwise, even with the Swire family’s massive financial influence, they would never have been able to finalize a complete acquisition plan and free up the necessary liquid funds in such a short window of time.”
Madam Fumizuki turned her gentle gaze toward the young Vampire. “Besides, you should also know about the house purchase, Flandre Scarlet.”
Flandre nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right! Because Flandre liked it there, Big Sister Swire said she would buy a courtyard so we can go play anytime.”
It was the absolute truth. The initial idea had been raised by Flandre herself. Flandre was a good child, and she absolutely could not sit by and let Swire take the blame for trying to buy her a playground.
“See? See!” Hearing Flandre’s testimony, Swire shot Ch’en a triumphant, vindicated glare.
Ch’en merely turned her head toward the garden, refusing to engage.
“However,” Madam Fumizuki continued, the temperature of her voice dropping just a fraction. “What the Swire family did this time was indeed a bit unscrupulous, and there is heavy suspicion that they used the authority of the L.G.D. to help extortion. Therefore, the Governor and I have reviewed the situation and discussed a preliminary solution.”
Madam Fumizuki smiled, though the expression did not quite reach her eyes. “Since the Swire family has already paid for the land, we naturally cannot force your corporate branch to return it. But you must take proper care of the displaced people in that small town. Even if their family members committed crimes and broke the law, the law only punishes the primary culprits. It does not strip innocent families of their homes.”
She took a slow, deliberate breath. “As for the purchase price, Lungmen will dispatch official experts to re-evaluate and estimate the true market value. You cannot acquire other people’s homes at the suppressed price your family used during the chaos. If that predatory price is exposed to the media, it will cause a massive negative impact on both the Swire family and Lungmen’s administration. Of course, if your family cannot swallow the adjusted cost all in one go, Lungmen is more than willing to provide a sum of money to co-invest…”
Madam Fumizuki had finally bared her fangs.
“Wait, that’s not right!” Swire bolted upright, her feline ears twitching in alarm. She was no fool. Her family had offended the locals to secure the land, and now the Lungmen government was swooping in to pick the ripest fruit. Wouldn’t that mean she lost both her public reputation and her profit margin?
“Ahem, I think the Swire family’s finances should be perfectly fine to handle it…” Swire stammered, her previous confidence evaporating into thin air.
“Hmm?” Madam Fumizuki did not argue. She merely picked up her porcelain teacup and took a slow, elegant sip, letting the silence stretch until it became suffocating.
“One-third! One-third, and no more!” Swire finally cracked, throwing her hands up in defeat. “After all, I am the one who lost face here!”
Knowing that she would never leave this table without bleeding a little territory, Swire surrendered the shares.
“Of course,” Madam Fumizuki said, her warm smile instantly returning. “Your grandfather has actually already sent over the finalized cooperation agreement. He stated that this matter was entirely helped by you, so naturally, you should be the one to sign the official documents.”
Madam Fumizuki raised a hand and beckoned. Shirayuki, who had silently slipped away moments prior, reappeared from the shadows carrying a leather-bound folder. She presented the drafted contract directly to Swire.
It was a flawless checkmate. The old patriarch of the Swire family had completely predicted his granddaughter’s every move.
“If everything was already settled behind my back, why did you have to put me through all this trouble…” Swire grumbled bitterly, reluctantly uncapping a pen and signing her name on the dotted line.
“You shouldn’t say that. Your grandfather values you very much, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to study these political maneuvers just to teach you a lesson,” Madam Fumizuki said gently. She handed the signed document back to Shirayuki and clapped her hands twice.
On cue, a line of servants emerged, bringing out tiers of exquisite pastries and steaming teapots.
When the server reached Flandre, they placed a highly customized spread before her: a delicate cup of specially brewed black tea, and a small, beautifully decorated cake layered with rich cream and thick, clotted blood.
These were the exact culinary details Flandre had casually described when chatting with Swire about her daily diet back in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. When Madam Fumizuki had previously interrogated Swire about Flandre’s habits and preferences, Swire had spilled every detail. Thus, this exclusive, imitation Scarlet Devil Mansion menu had been carefully crafted by the Governor’s private chefs.
Flandre picked up the teacup and took a careful sip. The bitter edge of the premium black tea was perfectly balanced by the sweet, metallic richness of fresh blood. It was incredibly enticing. She took a bite of the cake, the texture making her appetite soar instantly. Swinging her legs happily beneath her chair, Flandre showered the food with praise, declaring it the most delicious meal she had eaten since leaving the Scarlet Devil Mansion.