Durandal hadn't taken Elysia away just to bail Eden out.
If that were the case, given Elysia's personality, Durandal felt she'd be spending all her time rescuing new members from awkward situations every time someone joined—and never get anything else done.
That just wasn't realistic!
The reason she took her away was simple: Durandal had noticed something—
Ever since the Flame-Chasers' official website went live and their temporary office address was listed online, the bait she'd laid out had finally lured someone in.
Durandal's senses were sharp.
Back in the meeting room, she'd caught a faint, unusual sound.
Eden's request for help was merely an excuse Durandal used to leave—after she'd both heard the noise and finished discussing official business.
"Durandal, you…"
As Elysia started to speak, Durandal gently pressed a finger to her lips.
The soft, warm touch of Elysia's lips gave Durandal a slight pause.
Noting that Elysia had indeed quieted down, Durandal withdrew her hand as if it were nothing.
After that, the two moved ahead quietly, keeping their footsteps light.
Durandal led the way, heading toward the source of the faint noise, while Elysia followed close behind, her expression somewhat complicated.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what she was feeling, but Elysia had a hunch that by the end of the day, she'd be filling a whole page with a certain someone's name.
Soon, Durandal found a small robot emitting a low hum, hidden in the floor gap right above the meeting room on the second floor.
Elysia's attention was also drawn to the robot, and she glanced at Durandal questioningly.
Durandal didn't answer. Instead, she stared at the robot, particularly its faintly glowing red eyes, with a peculiar expression.
"I know you can see me," she began, then added without hesitation, "Vill-V, if you want to know the truth about your teacher's death and the disaster that happened earlier in Siberia, why not come to me directly instead of resorting to these little tricks? Face to face, I'll tell you everything I know."
On the other side, Vill-V fell into deep thought as she watched the transmitted video feed.
--+--
Fire Moth Base—
"Blanca, what brings you back?"
Seeing her former assistant Blanca appear in the laboratory, Mobius looked puzzled.
This version of Mobius, unlike the smaller one that had mimicked Elysia's way of speaking, more closely resembled the Dr. Mei who later became a high-ranking official in Fire Moth.
She radiated the rationality, rigidity, and emotional detachment typical of a scientist.
Well… given Dr. Mei's reputation within Fire Moth, it wasn't hard to imagine why she later tried imitating Elysia.
Blanca seemed surprised by the question. "Doctor, you haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
Mobius had been buried in research lately, analyzing the results from dissecting the first Herrscher's corpse, with no time to spare for outside matters.
"Fire Moth's upper management plans to send you to Nagazora City as a technical advisor, to support a sister organization under the United Nations called the Flame-Chasers. Both my husband and I have been assigned to accompany you," Blanca explained.
Mobius set down what she was holding and turned to Blanca. "Are you serious?"
Blanca nodded. "I wouldn't dare lie about something like this."
Mobius fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "When do we leave?"
"In three days," Blanca replied. "And to ensure your trip goes smoothly, the organization has arranged three assistants for you."
With that, Blanca brought the three in and introduced them one by one: "This one, with hair similar to yours, is Klein. These twin sisters are Fuxi and Nuwa. An easy way to tell them apart: Fuxi, the older sister, has a blue streak in her hair, while Nuwa, the younger sister, has a red one."
Mobius glanced over the three, her gaze lingering a bit longer on Klein, then nodded with little enthusiasm.
That was only natural—anyone suddenly being "reassigned" would be in low spirits, and Mobius was no exception.
Being "sent away" likely meant she would no longer enjoy the same privileged research conditions she had within Fire Moth.
"You mentioned your husband is also part of the team?" Mobius asked again.
Blanca nodded. "To ensure your safety, Ato will accompany you as a guard, along with Emile and a few others."
As Blanca listed the names, Mobius frowned even more deeply.
Though she wasn't well-versed in matters outside her research, that didn't mean she was completely oblivious.
Hearing the names Blanca mentioned, Mobius quickly noticed a common thread: all of them were somehow connected to her.
Blanca and Ato were prime examples—Blanca was her former assistant, and Ato was Blanca's husband.
The only one she wasn't familiar with was Emile; she couldn't figure out why he'd been included in the team.
From the looks of it, Fire Moth intended to send her away for good, with no plans of bringing her back.
Why else would they bundle up everyone connected to her and send them off too?
It was as if Fire Moth had already decided Mobius was no longer one of them, and to prevent information leaks, they were removing her contacts as well.
Still, Mobius didn't rush to the council to protest.
She simply asked, "Can I take the equipment I purchased myself and my own research projects with me?"
Blanca nodded. "Of course, Doctor. Let me help you with that."
--+--
Meanwhile, at the Fire Moth soldier base, Emile—who had received the relevant notice days earlier—had already cut short his training and begun packing his personal belongings.
His mind was filled with what Durandal had told him at the site of the Second Honkai Eruption:
"I can give you time to think it over. But soon, you'll see exactly why I believe joining Fire Moth is a waste of time."
Back then, he'd thought Durandal was just being dramatic.
But after returning to Fire Moth, the subtle exclusion and surveillance he faced confirmed her judgment perfectly.
And now, he was finally about to break free.
Though it wasn't his own decision, fate had twisted and turned until he ended up joining the Flame-Chasers after all.
--+--