Meeting on a Narrow Road

"Gladiolus?"

In the empty reception room, a voice with a faint, mechanical quality emanated from the Magic Mirror in Larkspur's hand. "Are you sure this is the codename?"

In the mirror, the round, chubby doll was struggling to hold the Magic Mirror with its claws, and it spoke to the Larkspur to confirm.

As for Larkspur herself, she leaned against a tightly closed wooden door, expressionless as she stared at the Magic Mirror in her hand, nodding, her azure hair swaying in the breeze.

"Yes, that's right. Can you find it? I can't confirm if this code name is real. Based solely on the information provided, I suspect she might be from Claw Mark, but aside from some unverified claims, there's no other substantial evidence at the moment."

After leaving the dinner table, unable to contain her excitement over the Heart Gem, Larkspur rushed to an empty reception room next door and locked the door behind her.

Unable to immediately undo her transformation due to the out-of-control Heart Gem, she took out the Magic Mirror she carried with her and contacted the Emerald.

The reason is simple: currently, the only thing in Fangting City that can handle this matter Emerald.

She didn't know the true strength of this magical girl who called herself "Gladiolus" and seemed to come from Claw Mark, but she had a clear understanding of her own current level—she wouldn't even be able to gain the upper hand if Sparrow came again, let alone this person who was clearly stronger than Sparrow.

"Let me see... Wait a minute, I need to have my assistant contact our friends at the Magic Affairs Institute."

Emerald's voice was slightly ethereal, perhaps because her true self in a distant Kingdom was doing something else, but she still emphasized the word "friend": "You might have to wait two or three minutes."

"Okay." Larkspur nodded expressionlessly. "Thank you for your help."

"It's nothing serious, far from being a problem."

The doll in the mirror waved its paw. "But what exactly happened on your end? A magical girl with Claw Mark infiltrating the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau is quite unusual. As far as I know, White Wolf and her subordinates always avoid contact with ordinary people."

After hesitating for a long time, Larkspur finally told the fabricated story of being arrested on the street for dining and dashing, to explain the whole situation. She added at the end, "This is what I've heard so far; the facts still need to be verified."

"It sounds a little strange... but it doesn't seem impossible."

Emerald remained remarkably calm. Instead of questioning Larkspur's words, she began to analyze the situation seriously. "While most magical girls in the Material Realm are familiar with human cities, the native inhabitants of the Kingdom and the older generation who have lived Kingdom for too long are completely unfamiliar with these things. I've even had researchers among my staff get lost in the Material Realm before, and when they were found, they had been wandering the streets for half a month."

Are people from your Kingdom really alright?

"I already said, we need to say 'our Kingdom's here! Show your unity, young man."

Emerald said earnestly, "Look, your current predicament is the result of not listening to your elders. I've been advising you to get treatment as soon as possible, but you kept questioning and delaying. Now that something's really happened, you still need my help. Shouldn't you reconsider the deal I proposed?"

"I'll consider it afterward," Larkspur replied expressionlessly. "So, have you found out about the other party?"

"Don't rush, it shouldn't be long enough... Ah, found it, Gladiolus."

Emerald abruptly changed her mind halfway through her sentence, accompanied by the sound of turning pages, and said with a hint of thought, "Hmm, there really is such a person."

"Is it a fake?" Larkspur then asked.

"It shouldn't be."

The voice on the other end of the communicator softened slightly, clearly Emerald was reading something. "My investigation shows that 'Gladiolus' is indeed the magical girl who defected with White Wolf more than ten years ago. Before defecting, she was an arbitrator in the Finance Institute and also a Flower Card, and it seems she knew White Wolf a long time ago."

"... She wasn't lying?" Larkspur asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Not everyone is like a scheming brat like you, young man."

The doll in the mirror shook its head. "Magical girls are synonymous with purity and kindness. Young girls are like that, and even a respected elder like myself possesses noble and beautiful qualities. Among the runaway magical girls, there are quite a few with simple hearts."

The last trace of emotion vanished from Larkspur's already expressionless face.

"I am willing to believe you, Your Excellency."

She nodded. "Leaving aside some controversial issues, the person who came to Fangting City is very likely a rogue magical girl with Flower Card fighting skills and rich combat experience."

"In other words, this is an enemy whose strength is no less than 'Moth', and may even be greater. The entire Fangting City Magical Girl Squad might not be a match for her right now. If she wants to do something next, no one here can stop her."

"So, Your Excellency, what do you think is the purpose of a magical girl from Claw Mark appearing in Fangting City at this time, if she truly has some kind of goal?"

The other party claimed to be "looking for Cornflower," but even if they were looking for someone, they must have some other purpose that required finding that person. Based on Larkspur's own deduction, the other party's visit was most likely for no other reason than...

"The Beast Source, right?"

Emerald agreed, "Indeed, if I could think of this, there's no reason why White Wolf wouldn't. She betrayed her Kingdom for two Beast Source, so there's no reason she wouldn't be tempted by the one you have."

"I might not be able to protect this from a Flower Card in top form."

The Larkspur stated the facts calmly. "If the other party uses force, or even uses the safety of Fangting City as leverage to demand the Beast Source from me, I will need your assistance."

"My assistance? You mean you want me to help you defeat that 'Gladiolus'? Unfortunately, my true form is still in the Kingdom and cannot come to Fangting City."

The doll in the Magic Mirror shook its paw. "This clone of mine is basically incapable of fighting. Let alone Flower Card, even your juniors could easily defeat this clone."

It spoke with such certainty, as if it were truly powerless to do anything about it, but the Larkspur remained silent, simply continuing to stare blankly at the Magic Mirror.

The doll in the Magic Mirror paused for a few seconds, seemingly waiting for something. Seeing that the Larkspur didn't react at all, it couldn't help but say somewhat boredly, "What an unlovable young man! Couldn't you at least say something to me at a time like this?"

"So?" Larkspur nodded. "What's your plan?"

"You're so sure I'll help you?" Emerald found it rather strange. "What if I really can't? After all, this has nothing to do with me, right?"

Larkspur sighed helplessly, "I don't think a person with Gem Scepter should say something like 'the traitor's attack on the city has nothing to do with me.'"

"From a magical girl's moral standpoint, yes," Emerald retorted. "But I am, after all, Gem Scepter. Even with noble character, I must consider the greater good."

"From a purely economic standpoint, you probably wouldn't tolerate anyone else coveting this Beast Source."

The Larkspur calmly analyzed, "You specifically came to Fangting to build a research institute, so it's clear that your initial intention was to conduct research here. Even if our deal is successful and the Beast Source is handed over to you, you should also consider the possibility of Beast Source being stolen."

"Hmm... it seems there's no way to refute that. Such clear thinking is truly impressive, young man."

The doll in the mirror first struck a thoughtful pose, then nodded in agreement. "Then I'll tell you. Don't worry about it. Even if the other party really is the defector 'Gladiolus,' there will be more to come..."

--"Thump!"

Before Emerald could finish speaking, Larkspur felt a strong impact coming from the wooden door behind him.

The door to the reception room was suddenly pushed open, and the Larkspur, who had been leaning against it, was knocked to the ground. The Magic Mirror in her hand flew out and landed several meters away, leaving only the Emerald in the mirror calling out in confusion.

Larkspur stood up, supporting himself on the ground, and looked back towards the doorway. He saw that the magical girl who called herself "Gladiolus" had somehow appeared behind him and was looking him over with great interest.

"As expected, my intuition was right, it's a magical girl!"

She still held the wine glass she'd brought from the table, her cheeks flushed slightly with alcohol. "Semi, you lost the bet!"

"She really is a magical girl?"

The Black Cat Fairy floated out from behind her, looking at the Larkspur with some suspicion. "It is... but it's strange, why don't I feel anything at all?"

"I've said it before, your Fairy perception methods are too simplistic."

The girl smiled confidently, "In this area, I'm more professional than you are."

"You're a magical girl from Fangting City? What are you doing here?"

However, Semi completely ignored her and instead looked at Larkspur with a tense expression. "Was it that man who told you to come?"

Just now at the dinner table, Yui suddenly said that she sensed the magical power of a magical girl, and then walked straight towards this room. Although Semi felt that this behavior was a bit reckless, she had no choice but to follow.

Even after following the kite into the adjacent meeting room, it still didn't know whether the magical girl from Fangting City came with good intentions or hostility, or whether she knew that it came from Claw Mark. Without knowing this information, it didn't know what action to take.

To be honest, Semi did not want to resolve the issue through force.

It was always concerned that Cornflower of Fangting City possessed considerable strength, and that a direct confrontation would result in utter defeat. In its view, the risks of a direct battle far outweighed those of outsmarting, communicating, or trading; it should not resort to combat unless all other options were exhausted.

That is why it tries to use dialogue to confirm the other party's attitude and find out if it has really been exposed.

"I've received notification that an unknown magical girl has entered the pavilion."

In response, Larkspur downplayed the issue, not mentioning Lin Yun's actions in detail, and briefly stated her reason for being there, "So I came to confirm your identities and purpose."

"Confirm identity?"

Semi's ears perked up noticeably, but he quickly relaxed again. "What do you want to know?"

"Your code name, Certification Card number, position, and mission."

Just like Semi's idea, in order to avoid escalating the conflict and causing the two sides to fight directly, after a brief thought, Larkspur decided to use the same tactic again, pretending not to know that the other party was Claw Mark: "This may be a bit offensive, but I need to make sure that you are really magical girls from the Kingdom."

Her attitude also confused Semi.

It had prepared itself for a tough battle after its side was exposed. However, the current attitude of the Larkspur suggested that it was not yet certain that they were Claw Mark, which meant that there was still room for maneuver.

Should we talk about it again?

Thinking this, it was about to continue following the Larkspur's words when it saw the kite reach out and block its way.

"You don't need to act anymore, little girl."

She looked slightly tipsy, but her tone was firm. She shook her head with a smile, "I just heard you say the word 'Beast Source' behind the door. You obviously know why we're here, right?"

"Huh?" Semi turned to look at her, somewhat surprised.

The Larkspur's originally indifferent expression became even more tense.

"In that case, there's no need to hide it any longer. We are from 'Claw Mark,' and we came to Fangting City to retrieve the Beast Source from Cornflower, and incidentally to complete some other missions."

Yuan brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip. "You're a magical girl from Fangting City? Then you should know where Cornflower are?"

"... Your goal is indeed the Beast Source." Seeing that her intentions had been exposed, Larkspur stopped pretending. She took a few steps back, picked up the Magic Mirror from the ground, and stuffed it into her sleeve. The wide cuffs of her dress made the Magic Mirror look like a storage bag, and there was no sign of it bulging from the outside.

After doing all that, she looked at the assembly in front of her with some wariness. "What do you need it for?"

"Want to know?"

Reeking of alcohol, Yuan took a few steps closer to Larkspur, her height, more than half a head taller than Larkspur, creating a sense of intimidation. "Then answer my question first, little girl. Do you know Cornflower? Do you know where Cornflower are?"

The Larkspur raised her head, meeting her gaze without fear. "I have no obligation to answer your questions..."

However, before she could finish speaking, a sudden sense of alarm arose in her heart. She felt a chill run down her spine, as if some danger was approaching.

Clang!

Without a moment's hesitation, Larkspur almost instinctively activated her Magic Armament, the silk threads overlapping behind her to form a shield-like Masterpiece, blocking the attack from behind.

However, she only managed to block the attack. She couldn't even see what was attacking her.

Worse still, after she activated her Magic Armament, she realized that trouble was yet to come. The iris in front of her looked at the threads surrounding her and revealed a knowing smile.

"... Although I already had a feeling it was you, I still had to test my skills to see if it was really you."

She gently placed the wine glass on the table beside her, the tipsy look on her face gradually fading.

Cornflower.