"Alright, if I need anything, I'll definitely ask you for help, Tallulah."
Alina smiled very proudly, clearly very happy with Tallulah's arrangement.
For the next few days, Flandre Scarlet stayed very quietly in the house, learning to read and write with Alina.
By the time Tallulah remembered her and came over, she found that Flandre was already barely able to carry out some simple conversations.
"She's learning that fast?" Tallulah asked in surprise.
"Flandre is very smart. Except for some flaws in her rolling 'r' technique, she was already literate, so learning a new language naturally isn't that much trouble."
Alina looked at Tallulah very proudly.
"By the way, tomorrow I'm going to take the little things I've been weaving lately to exchange for some grain with the people in the nearby village. Flandre hardly ever goes out except for a morning exercise. I want to take her out for a walk, is that okay?"
Tallulah looked toward Flandre Scarlet.
"I've said before that Flandre is no different from anyone else. She can go anywhere she wants, as long as it's not a restricted area we've set up."
Alina happily picked up Flandre.
"Then little Flandre will accompany me on a trip tomorrow!"
Seeing the girl's happy appearance, Flandre nodded.
Early the next morning, Flandre and Alina each set out from the village carrying a bamboo basket on their backs.
Along the way, many people, especially children, were greeting her.
Among them, Flandre noticed someone looking at her with eyes full of hostility. She followed the gaze and saw a white-haired boy.
He looked as if she had stolen his favorite toy.
"Mephisto... or should I call you Ino for now?"
Flandre Scarlet recognized the other party.
A villain who was both hateful and pathetic.
Admittedly, his experience was worthy of sympathy. If not for that external malice, perhaps he could have become a somewhat famous singer.
But that was no excuse for him to inflict his own pain onto others.
Especially since the people he hurt the most were his companions, his comrades-in-arms, and the Infected who believed in him.
Moreover, after Alina's death, Tallulah—possessed by the Black Snake—deliberately indulged him, magnifying his inner distortion. The development of such an extreme personality was also a reason for his tragedy.
Of course, to be fair, if she had suffered the same treatment and had no one to guide her, the outcome probably wouldn't have been any better than his.
But still, as the saying goes, the moment he inflicted his pain on others, he had already stepped onto a path of no return.
It's just that there's still some time before he completely turns bad. With Alina and the righteous version of Tallulah around, the little demon in his heart has nowhere to be released.
"Who is that white-haired child?"
Only after leaving the village did Flandre deliberately ask.
"You mean Ino? He's a very pitiful child.
Oh dear, I've been helping you with your literacy lately and have neglected him a bit... After we get back, I'll take you to meet him and the other children. Even if you're only spending one winter here, I hope you can make friends.
Besides, learning is fastest when communicating with people."
Considering Flandre's situation, Alina spoke very slowly and gestured as she talked, finally making Flandre understand about seventy or eighty percent of it.
"Make friends with other children?" Flandre Scarlet thought for a moment and did not choose to refuse.
The two continued walking and teaching, not arriving at their destination—outside another village—until noon.
Flandre pointed to her wings.
"I won't go in. Be careful yourself, I'll wait for you here."
Alina also knew the reason. She nodded and took the bamboo basket Flandre handed over, hanging it in front of her chest.
"Alright, then I'll go in first. If I'm lucky, I'll buy you two pieces of candy in a bit."
After saying goodbye to Alina, Flandre lightly leaped onto a small hill not far away.
From here, she could see everything happening in that village.
Flandre kept her eyes on Alina, watching her enter the village and quickly start peddling the small woven items she had made everywhere.
The things she wove were very exquisite and highly practical, so they sold quickly. In less than an hour, everything was sold out, and then she began purchasing the food the village needed.
There was a lot of food, enough to fill two baskets. Watching her walk out with some difficulty, Flandre lightly bit her lip.
Just then, she saw several thuggish-looking people quietly following behind Alina.
"Seeking death!"
A flash of killing intent crossed Flandre Scarlet's eyes.
Not long after Alina walked out of the village, she saw Flandre jump down from a nearby tree.
"Oh my, a girl should be more ladylike; you can't climb so high."
Alina criticized gently.
"Mm-hmm, I'll be careful.
Let's go quickly!"
Flandre glanced behind her. This place was still very close to the village; shouting loudly might attract the villagers' attention, so those people were just trailing behind and hadn't made a move yet.
"Alright. By the way, Flandre, look what this is!"
As Alina answered, she pulled two pieces of candy from her pocket and held them out to Flandre.
"Candy!" Flandre tilted her head. As a Vampire, candy wasn't a necessity.
To be precise, the sweetness she could taste from candy wasn't much.
But seeing the happy look on the proud yet playful Alina, she still carefully tucked the candy away.
After the two continued on their way, the people behind followed again.
After walking for about ten minutes, Alina looked behind her in confusion.
"Was there some noise just now?"
Flandre shook her head indifferently.
"It might be some small animal passing by. After all, winter is coming, and animals have to eat their fill before winter, otherwise it's hard to survive the season."
"Is that so? But I clearly heard a cry!" Alina craned her neck to look back again, but there was nothing except the sound of the wind.
"Maybe it was the cry of a wild beast!
Sister Alina, we should go, or we won't get back to the village by nightfall," Flandre replied haltingly.
Considering Flandre had only just learned some Ursus language, this slight abnormality was automatically ignored by her.
"True! Let's hurry back, lest the road becomes hard to walk when it gets dark."
Alina turned and pulled Flandre toward the distance.
A few minutes ago.
Several thugs who had followed all the way from the village:
"There's a kid with that woman."
"What about the kid?"
"I mean, why didn't she take the kid into the village... Could she be..."
"Shh, do you want to die... As long as that woman isn't an Infected, it's fine.
We'll just snatch the stuff and leave. Those two backpacks of grain are enough to last us most of the winter."
The one in the lead warned.
He knew what the other person meant—wanting to follow them to find an Infected settlement, then go back and report to the Reconnaissance Squad to collect a reward.
But he had heard some rumors that there was a powerful Infected settlement nearby with military support.
Although reporting an Infected settlement could bring in a considerable income, one had to be alive to spend it.
So his idea was that since the other party often came to their side, they would just tell the Reconnaissance Squad she had ties to the Infected and let the Reconnaissance Squad find them themselves.