Wartime Old Dreams

The Larkspur had a dream.

In her dream, she felt as if she were back in the past.

In this past, what she saw was the scene of herself when she was still young, still innocent, still proud of being a magical girl, and thus answered the Kingdom's call to join the army.

At that time, Larkspur, or rather Cornflower, was the youngest and most promising Blossom Rank magical girl in the Magic Kingdom. Having just obtained her Letter Card, she displayed her skills in the assessment and had already begun to stand out, gaining some fame among the many magical girls.

This is why, when war broke out between the Magic Kingdom and the Interrealm, even though the Kingdom did not force magical girls from the Material Realm to participate, most of the magical girls from the Material Realm were unwilling to fight. Cornflower, however, chose to be the exception and resolutely went to the Kingdom.

Anya, or rather Sakura, went to the Kingdom with her.

This was not surprising, after all, Anya had always been like this; her overflowing empathy meant she would never stand idly by. Although Asō Madoka and Su Shengzi were not afraid of danger either, considering the city's safety, they ultimately stayed to guard the pavilion at the urging of the Seeder.

This was the first time the Fangting City Squad had split up since its inception, and at that time, probably no one expected that the impact of this war would be far more profound than imagined.

The Kingdom Army is mainly composed of three parts: magical girls, Mage, and ordinary soldiers. Among them, magical girls are responsible for single-target elimination of high-threat units, magicians are responsible for providing rear support using Spell Formula, and ordinary soldiers rely on manipulating magical weapons to create firepower suppression by leveraging their numerical advantage.

The Interrealm Allied Army is composed of Fairy, Mage, and Aberrant Beast. Fairy are the main fighting force, clashing head-on with magical girls on the front lines. Magicians provide rear support and use special techniques to control some low-level Aberrant Beast. As for the controlled Aberrant Beast themselves, they basically serve as meat shields and large-scale ground attack units, and are completely expendable.

Initially, when the intensity of the war was still under control, Cornflower and Anya were in the same company. Relying on their long experience fighting side by side, they were invincible on the battlefield and repeatedly repelled the Interrealm Allied Army in local battles. Considering that the main force of the Interrealm Allied Army was Fairy, the Kingdom side did not use too much force, and neither side suffered too many casualties.

But soon, this superficial kindness, based on goodwill, was torn apart.

From the first loss of territory to the first large-scale battle, and then to the first unavoidable mass casualties, not only did the Interrealm Allied Army no longer hold back, but the Kingdom Army was also completely enraged. When the seeds of hatred sprouted in the hearts of the originally kind magical girls, the intensity of the war inevitably began to rise. Both the Interrealm Allied Army and the Kingdom Army lost more and more combat power in battle after battle.

If it were just a loss of combat power, that would be one thing, but no one expected that the Interrealm Allied Army, in order to replenish its combat power, would start to frantically release more and more Aberrant Beast onto the battlefield. Some of these Aberrant Beasts were still under their Control Stage, while others were simply wild, attacking any living creature they saw and turning the entire battlefield into a complete mess.

As news of magical girls' sacrifices continued to arrive from the front lines, the Mage Army suffered countless casualties, leading to the first large-scale reorganization of the Kingdom Army.

Although Cornflower and Sakura are still rookie magical girls who have just received their Letter Card, their outstanding performance on the battlefield has earned them both promotions to squad leaders. Under the new organization, they are assigned to the City Defense Army of different cities. Cornflower assigned to Knowledge Capital Luen Nore, while Sakura is assigned to Domlia, the city of justice. Each of them leads a different squad to their respective posts.

At that time, Cornflower, if not exactly spirited, was certainly full of enthusiasm and determination. While repelling the enemy, she was also able to cover her comrades well, saving them from the battlefield on many occasions. Therefore, she not only had outstanding combat achievements, but also enjoyed a good reputation among her colleagues. This reputation eventually earned her the attention of the new legion commander.

"This is your squad member list. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me now."

With a few strokes on the Magic Mirror in front of her, the magical girl in front of Cornflower sent out a string of Fawo Runes. These runes seemed to have a life of their own, dancing in the air before finally landing on Cornflower's Magic Mirror and transforming into a list.

"Just to clarify beforehand, although I was the one who initially made the selections, the list has changed drastically after being reviewed by the Legion Command."

The magical girl who presented the list looked exhausted, with heavy dark circles under her eyes making her appear quite haggard. She put a pipe in her mouth, took a deep drag, and then squinted as she exhaled smoke. "So even if you're not satisfied, if you curse me, or want to change people, I can't guarantee I can help you. I advise you to try to pick some other topics, so we can both save some energy."

"... What's the meaning?"

Initially startled by the incompetence of her new superior, Cornflower quickly regained her composure and looked at the list in her hand. "Could it be that many squad leaders were dissatisfied with the list and wanted to replace them?"

"Not many, but not few either."

This magical girl, who doesn't care about her image at all and is puffing on a Cornflower in front of her subordinates, is the current commander of the City Defense Army, codenamed Lycoris. It is said that she is a powerful karuta (Flower Card player) who was transferred from the front line. A month ago, she experienced two hellish, death-level battles. Her True Form was overwhelmed, so she was transferred to the City Defense Army as an officer.

Compared to areas directly bordering the Interrealm World Gate, the City Defense Army face significantly less combat pressure. Although small groups of enemy troops may use Spell Formula to cross the front lines and approach the city, their overall scale is small, and they can be easily dealt with using pre-placed traps. Apart from this, the City Defense Army's tasks are limited to clearing out any remaining Aberrant Beast in the surrounding area and maintaining the defensive fortifications set up outside the city, making them essentially the "rear area."

"As you know, too many people died in the previous Second Defense Line Battle. Even the Magical Girl Squad is severely short-handed. So, for this reorganization, the higher-ups temporarily recruited a lot of new people."

With dark circles under her eyes, Lycoris radiata stared blankly at Cornflower: "I won't lie to you, adding these new recruits to the unit was a key requirement for this personnel arrangement; each squad had to have at least one. And, how should I put it, this batch of 'new recruits'... there might be a significant difference in their qualities."

You mean this?

Following the other person's words, Cornflower quickly found a name on the list in front of her. The name was "Nim Craigios," and the age of the person with the name was marked in rather small print—10 years old.

In the Magic Kingdom, 10 years old is the minimum age limit to become a magical girl. Even if a child is younger and has been found to have magical girl potential, they must first be sent to the Silver Gallery to receive basic education.

In other words, this child's age is already close to the minimum age for magical girls, yet she's on her team's roster.

"Ah, that's right. That child just became a magical girl last month, and she can't even fly properly yet. In short, she's a complete novice."

Lycoris shook his pipe. "Our legion got three 10-year-old girls this time, who don't know anything. Congratulations, your squad has one now."

"Is this what you meant by requesting a replacement?" Cornflower squinted at the list she had received, her expression subtle.

"That's right, but as I told you, I can't guarantee I can help you switch. After all, apart from a few overly compassionate philanthropists, no team wants to be assigned such a burden."

Lycoris radiata shrugged rather nonchalantly. "If no other team is willing to take this 10-year-old, then she'll have to go to your team."

"I think I really want to curse you now, Commander."

Cornflower gave a solemn military salute, then said in the same serious tone, "Although we haven't known each other for long, it couldn't have been anyone else who put her in my team from the start, right?"

"Then curse me all you want. I've been cursed at in front of my face countless times in my life. My thickest skin is my face."

Lycoris exhaled a puff of smoke. "I'm not going to put on airs and pressure you. We're at war right now, and many things that seem cruel in normal times are ultimately unavoidable. Normally, a girl this young would never be able to join the army, let alone go with the guards to hunt down an Aberrant Beast. But now we really have no one else. If they don't go to the battlefield, the enemy will be faced with even weaker and more helpless civilians."

"But since they've already gone to the battlefield, I still hope they can learn something, grow, and even survive this war, instead of being thrown out as cannon fodder in ignorance. To meet this condition, I must put them in trustworthy squads."

"This is why I chose you, Cornflower. I've reviewed your file. You're a genius, a natural leader, and most importantly, you have excellent character. In just three months in the army, you've saved the lives of over twenty comrades in more than ten battles. Do you know what the magical girls in your squad called you before?"

"What?"

Clearly, the affirmation in Lycoris's long speech pleased Cornflower somewhat, so her resistance lessened a little, and a hint of curiosity appeared on her seemingly emotionless face. "I'm quite confident in this regard, I know people will praise me behind my back, but is it someone who's a benefactor, or a top soldier or something...?"

"No, they said you're the 'nanny's scepter'."

At this point, Lycoris radiata puffed out her cheeks and flared her nostrils, clearly wanting to laugh but desperately trying to hold it back, "If being a 'nanny' is a power, then you can now take up this power and become Gem Scepter."

This concludes the conversation.

Ignoring Cornflower's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, Lycoris had an appointment to speak with other squad leaders that day, so she quickly sent Cornflower away from the command post, telling her to get acquainted with her squad members.

You stinky old hag.

Cornflower mentally labeled her superior in a rather unflattering way, and before leaving, she made a face at the headquarters when no one was looking.

However, this scene was witnessed by a military officer passing by around the corner.

"Oh, um, what I was doing just now was..."

Cornflower stammered, trying to find an excuse to explain her actions, but before she could say anything, the military officer in front of her smiled gently and patted her on the shoulder.

"It's okay, I understand."

The military commander said this, then turned his head and clicked his tongue in the direction of the Lycoris.

Clearly, this legion commander's reputation and prestige within the organization were far from satisfactory.

According to Lycoris herself, she really disliked and was not suited for the position in the rear. Rather than handling supplies and personnel arrangements, and dealing with documents and battle reports in the rear, she would rather continue to fight to her heart's content on the front lines. However, the transfer to the rear was a kind offer from above, and she could not refuse, so she reluctantly took this position.

It seems that what she said was indeed true, otherwise she wouldn't have managed to manage the relationships within the legion in this way.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the roster for Cornflower's combat team had been finalized. Whether she liked it or not, the matter was settled, so she soon met with her team members as promised.

At 15 years old, Cornflower is normally at an age where she's neither too old nor too young for a magical girl, but her height is rather unconvincing. To maintain some authority within the team and avoid being treated like a child, she tried her best to keep a serious expression and greeted all 11 members earnestly, emphasizing the duties of the City Defense Army and the team's discipline.

Its content is nothing more than how to maintain defensive fortifications in peacetime, how to deal with enemies that may appear at any time, and how to deal with those occasionally appearing Aberrant Beast, as well as the code of conduct for soldiers, and so on.

The military discipline of the Kingdom Army varies in strictness depending on the target group. For ordinary soldiers, the discipline is naturally extremely strict, with strict restrictions on everything from posture and walking to daily habits to ensure obedience to orders. However, for magical girls, the military discipline is much more lenient, generally only requiring subordinates to obey orders from their superiors and not to desert in battle—basically the bare minimum.

Those who originally formulated the military discipline probably knew that magical girls' strong personalities were difficult to restrain, and that suppressing them would only provoke a stronger backlash, which is why the rules were set so leniently.

Indeed, that was the case. No matter how much Cornflower emphasized that she was the captain and the officer, and that soldiers should obey and respect their officers, she was still surrounded by several older magical girls after her speech. They treated her like a child, asking her all sorts of questions, and some even pinched her cheeks.

It took considerable effort to get rid of the unruly team members. Of course, Cornflower hadn't forgotten her true purpose for this trip: to meet with the 10-year-old team member, Nim Cregios.

She herself was ultimately just a magical girl; her appearance made her look somewhat like a child, but her actual strength and combat experience were not a problem. However, this team member was a real child, and her qualities in all aspects clearly did not meet the standards of the Kingdom Army. In order to prevent her from becoming a weakness in the team in future battles, she definitely needed to give her some guidance beforehand.

However, to her surprise, before she could even go to find the child herself, another person came to her door.

"I'm so sorry, Captain."

The first thing to do upon meeting someone is not to greet them, but to apologize. And it's not just a simple polite greeting; it's a deep bow, almost lowering the head to the level of the abdomen.

Cornflower, a newcomer, didn't know the name of the person in front of her. It was only after comparing her appearance with the list that she learned the identity of this magical girl.

--Nina Craigios, 14 years old, is the older sister of 10-year-old teammate Nim, and also a member of her own team.

The reason the two sisters were in the same squad was actually Nina's request to the legion commander: her younger sister was too young, and if it was unavoidable that she would be assigned to the army, then at least she should be assigned to the same squad as her sister.

In the end, Legion Commander Lycoris did agree to the request. Not only that, she also specifically looked for a candidate to ensure that the squad leader was someone she could trust. After this process, only Cornflower became the unlucky one.

It's impossible to say she had no emotions. While Cornflower didn't resist helping others, she didn't like being forced into babysitting; the two weren't the same thing. So she admitted that even knowing the responsibility lay not with the other party, but with the military high command who had conscripted inexperienced fighters, her attitude wasn't exactly friendly when she first met the elder of the two sisters.

Why apologize?

"I... I'm really worried about my younger sister, so I'm asking the legion commander to arrange for her and me to be in the same unit."

The girl Nina was petite and thin. Although she had transformed into a magical girl, her all-black attire still gave her a somber impression. She bowed deeply to the Cornflower, then raised her head, her slender neck instinctively shrinking back, her expression uneasy. "I know my sister is very immature and will definitely hold everyone back, so I'm sorry..."

"Are you talking about Nim Craigios?"

Cornflower pretended to flip through the list, adopting an arrogant attitude as if she hadn't cared about this matter before but now needed to confirm the information. "Hmm, indeed, the information shows that she only became a magical girl last month? That does sound troublesome."

"I'm sorry." Nina bit her lip.

"This is the military. One apology is enough, because an apology alone won't solve the problem."

Cornflower said sternly, "You need to understand that as your commander, I am responsible for the entire team. Sometimes, lacking a usable combatant can put everyone in a difficult situation."

"I know." Nina didn't refute it.

"So? What are your plans?" Cornflower scrutinized the other person's behavior.

"I... I know my sister is immature, but she's always been a good girl, very obedient, so she'll adapt quickly... But please, Captain, don't abandon her before then, give her a chance."

Nina lowered her head again. "Until then, in exchange, please give me the most dangerous missions in the squad."

"Are you serious?" Cornflower frowned.

"... Yes."

Do you really have this ability?

Cornflower pressed on, "Dangerous missions often mean important matters. Are you trying to tell me that you're capable of completing such a mission without messing things up?"

Nina blinked, her expression somewhat blank.

"I... I don't think I can do it..."

After a long pause, a look of despair crossed her face. "Then, what should I do? Can you accept money? No, that's not right, I gave all my Echo to the legion commander before, and I haven't Echo yet..."

"Stop, wait a minute, what did you just say?"

Cornflower raised her hand to stop her. "You gave all your Echo to the legion commander? Why?"

"She said that if she gave me money, she would let Nim be with me..."

Tears welled up in Nina's eyes. "So I gave it all to her... Should I have kept some for myself?"

"Explain clearly, what exactly happened?" Upon hearing this, Cornflower's brows furrowed.

Under her persistent questioning, Nina finally stammered out the whole story:

The two sisters lost their parents at a young age due to attacks by Aberrant Beast, leaving them to depend on each other. Fortunately, both sisters were found to have the potential to become magical girls during a test, so the older sister became the pillar of support, becoming a magical girl at a young age and raising her younger sister by hunting Aberrant Beast.

As for her younger sister Nim, because her older sister is a magical girl, she was able to be sent to the Silver Gallery to study at a very young age. She has already received three years of training and has acquired some theoretical knowledge. However, it is precisely because of this that she barely passed the minimum age requirement for magical girl selection and was chosen as a magical girl at the age of ten. Then, at an age when she should not have been exposed to the battlefield, she was sent here because of the spread of war.

By this time, Nina, the older sister, had been serving in the army for some time. When she heard the news, she felt like the sky had fallen. So, overnight, she took out all the Echo she had accumulated over the years as a magical girl and went to find the legion commander, Lycoris, who was said to be able to influence the personnel arrangements of the Luen Nore City Defense Force. She prayed that even if she couldn't keep her sister away from the battlefield, at least she could be in the same squad as her sister.

In fact, in most magical girls' minds, even the older sister Nina is only fourteen years old, and most magical girls at that age are still considered newcomers. Although Nina is quite talented, having already obtained White Card at the age of thirteen, and even having a good chance of obtaining Letter Card in the assessment next year when she turns fifteen, matching the legendary record of Cornflower, she is still only a White Card at this stage.

In this war, the White Card magical girls can only be considered "not cannon fodder," but they are far from being "capable of being the main force." The ones who can truly determine the outcome of a local battle are at least card -Letter Card like Cornflower.

A White Card magical girl with a child who had only been a magical girl for a month was naturally disliked by the many captains who were looking to replenish their forces. The story ends like this: the two of them were bundled up by Lycoris, who had been bribed, and thrown into Cornflower's squad.

"... That jerk."

Cornflower's mind was already filled with the image of Lycoris radiata's face, half-dead, half-smoking pipe. She couldn't help but clench her fists, wishing she could rush back to command post right now and punch that stinky face. But when she saw Nina's almost tearful expression, she sighed helplessly, "So, the reason you were able to get your sister and yourself into the same squad was because the legion commander took your money?"

"Um, I'm sorry, I should have left some for you," Nina replied, sobbing.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I don't want your money."

Cornflower, looking helpless, pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to the other person. "Alright, wipe yourself off."

This also resolved one of her doubts: what kind of person could persuade the commander of the City Defense Army to change his personnel arrangements?

She had initially assumed the two sisters came from powerful and influential families and were using the war as an excuse to gain prestige by coming to her place, so she was naturally somewhat resistant. Now, however, she realized they were just naive children who had been swindled out of their money by that scoundrel, the legion commander. The nature of the situation was not what she had imagined, so her attitude softened a bit.

"Thank you." Perhaps feeling that her tearful appearance was unsightly, Nina accepted the Cornflower handkerchief.

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and although Nina wore a sour expression from beginning to end, her attitude was indeed humble enough to be described as subservient, so Cornflower couldn't bring herself to speak ill of her. While Nina was wiping away her tears, Cornflower thought it over and finally came up with a proposal that sounded reasonable.

"... Fine, I'll say it again, I don't want your money, but considering your and your sister's special circumstances, I can't just leave you without making any arrangements."

Trying to appear serious, Cornflower coughed twice, cleared her throat, and mimicked the tone of adults she remembered speaking, "And since you asked for it yourself, I'll grant your wish and assign you a very dangerous and difficult task."

"Yes." Nina, having wiped away her tears, also straightened her expression, revealing a look of resignation.

"For the next month, you will be in charge of mentoring the new magical girls in our team, teaching them basic battlefield skills, and striving to ensure they don't hold the team back."

With her chin slightly raised, Cornflower adopted a condescending posture, her height below the other person. "If you can't do that, then you'll all be deemed unsuitable for the Kingdom Army's requirements. I'll ask the company commander to continue the report and have you all removed from the Kingdom Army."

Nina held the handkerchief that Cornflower offered, her expression somewhat dazed.

Seeing that she didn't respond for a while, Cornflower raised her voice a little. "Can you do it?"

"Ah, yes, yes, I can do it."

Responding to the other person's question in a low, almost dreamlike voice, Nina subconsciously raised her handkerchief and wiped away the tears that were about to well up again. "Thank you so much, I'm so sorry."

"Your voice is too soft, I can't hear your determination. Tell me if you can do it?" Cornflower raised her voice again.

"I can do it!" This time, Nina finally shouted it out at the top of her lungs.

"Very good. From now on, you are an official member of my Cornflower Squad. Therefore, I will only call you by your code name from now on."

Extending her hand, Cornflower slightly curved the corners of her mouth, revealing a relatively gentle smile:

"Looking forward to your performance, Ink Lotus."

The Larkspur opened its eyes in a flash of white light.

It took her quite a while to realize that the source of the white light was the bedside lamp, and then she realized where she was.

She was at the Research Institute, in the Emerald's private laboratory, just receiving repair and treatment for the Heart Gem.

"Woke up?"

Larkspur's actions did not escape Emerald's eyes. She shifted from a reclining position in the chair to a sitting position, and then manipulated the wheeled chair to move to the treatment bed. "I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you. How are you feeling?"

"I had a dream, a dream about something from the past."

Larkspur sat up from the treatment bed, rubbing her head. She shook her head and noticed the Heart Gem placed to the side of the bed. "Apart from feeling a little dizzy, I feel alright. How are you doing?"

"The surgery went perfectly; your Heart Gem is now perfectly fine."

With her legs crossed, Emerald wore a smug expression. "Apart from those two pitiful Magic Armament that you completely destroyed yourself, you should now be able to use all your abilities from before you were injured."

"All abilities?"

The Larkspur looked suspicious, then slightly opened one hand, revealing several silk threads shimmering in her palm. She then realized that the soul pain that had been like a leech when she used the Magic Armament had disappeared, and she no longer seemed to feel uncomfortable when using Magic Armament.

Thinking this, she snapped her fingers again, and a silver-white wall appeared beside her—this time she was trying out her own Wonderland. The entire unfolding process was incredibly smooth, without any stagnation or discomfort, even better than her experience before the Full Moon Festival.

At this moment, the Larkspur's expression had changed from doubt to surprise.

Without pausing, after realizing that her injuries seemed to have really improved, she clasped her hands together in a pose she hadn't done in twenty years. As she made this gesture, the Thread Magic Armament around her obediently wrapped around her fingertips, and the starlight, as if alive, flowed along the threads, eventually forming a silver-blue silk bud on her hands.

Gazing at the flower bud, the Larkspur seemed slightly dazed for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"Grand Flourishing Blossoming-- "

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Emerald practically pounced on her to stop Larkspur from going any further. "Don't Flourishing Bloom in someone else's lab! And I wasn't finished yet. You can use all your abilities, but it's best to hold off on Flourishing Bloom for a few days!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? You've lived in the Material Realm for so many years, how could you ask such a stupid question? Have you ever seen an ordinary person in the Material Realm go for a run right after abdominal surgery?"

Emerald frowned. "I told you, it's just that your injury has healed, but the repaired parts need time to settle and fully stabilize. It's like the sutures in surgery; if you move around carelessly, you'll mess up the wound."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, the Larkspur stopped her preparations for the Flourishing Bloom move. "How much longer exactly?"

"Seven days? Ten days? It won't take long anyway, since I performed the surgery."

Emerald waved her hand. "To be on the safe side, just wait until the assessment begins. In the meantime, try to rest as much as possible and avoid fighting; your wounds will heal faster that way."

"I see."

Larkspur took her Heart Gem, flipped over, and jumped off the treatment bed. "In short, am I now fully recovered in my True Form?"

"Theoretically it's been restored, but in reality it might be different. To be specific, you should have seen the statue, right?"

Emerald said casually, "You smashed a stone statue, then picked out a few pieces and destroyed them completely. After that, you used glue to piece the remaining pieces back together into a pile of rubble. That's what you did before."

"It sounds a bit rough," Larkspur commented.

"Who can argue with that? After all, only young people like you would dare to abuse your bodies like that."

Emerald sighed, "The work I did in the Material Realm was to wash away your inferior glue and put the remaining fragments of your statue back in their original positions. After we came here, I used the Love Source to fill in the pieces that had completely disappeared, ensuring that the remaining fragments were in their proper places. But this repair is not perfect."

"Why?"

"Because I'm just a craftsman, not a sculptor."

Emerald spread her hands. "What I can do is fill in the gaps with new stones, but I don't carve. These stones that are used to fill in the gaps are just stones; they are not part of the carving."

"Who can carve it?" Larkspur asked again.

"Nobody."

Emerald shook her head. "At least for now, there is no one capable of carving it, not even His Majesty."

The Larkspur fell silent.

"So what I'm telling you is that your True Form may seem to be functioning normally now, but some things that have been lost will not come back, and they cannot withstand another injury."

Emerald leaned on the edge of the treatment bed, her face serious. "If you continue to sacrifice your Magic Armament so casually, next time, you, or rather 'Lin Yun,' will disappear from this world."

"... I see."

After a moment, the Larkspur nodded. "Thank you for reminding me."

This was not a promise, because Emerald was genuinely considering her feelings and offered this suggestion out of goodwill.

The two chatted for a while longer, mostly with Emerald giving instructions. Then, since it was past noon, Emerald sent Larkspur away, saying she needed to take a nap.

"Then I'll be going now," said the Larkspur standing at the gate.

"Let's go, just remember what I said."

Emerald had already dragged out bedding and pillows from somewhere, and lazily replied, "Go back the way you came. The people at the door know what to do; I've already explained everything."

"Okay," said Larkspur, and then turned to close the door.

"Oh, right."

Just before she was about to close the door, Emerald in the lab suddenly spoke up again, "There's something small I forgot to tell you before. This treatment has a tiny, very minor, and insignificant side effect. But overall it's not important and won't affect your life or your combat. You might notice it later."

Side effect?

By the time Larkspur understood the word, he had already closed the laboratory door. Once the door was closed, the laboratory vanished into nothingness, so he could no longer question Emerald.

Contemplating what this "insignificant" side effect might be, Larkspur stepped out of the Research Institute, but soon she sensed that something was amiss.

Although it wasn't very obvious, she always felt that the corridor she walked through when she left was a little longer than the corridor she came through.

Moreover, there seemed to be some subtle differences in my field of vision when I was walking.

This discrepancy quickly turned into an ominous premonition. Before leaving the Research Institute, Larkspur found a mirror, confirmed that her current appearance was no different from before, and then took out her Magic Armament, using the length of the silk threads to compare her body data.

She quickly realized what was wrong.

--My height seems to have shrunk by two centimeters.