Agreeing

When Larkspur returned to Rainbow Cloud Wetlands, perhaps because she returned earlier than expected, or perhaps because Lin Xiaolu and her group were doing something else, in any case, the viewing cabin belonging to the Fangting City Squad was still empty.

However, she didn't have time to pay attention to these things at the moment, because there was something more troublesome that she needed to deal with.

--Ink Lotus also lives here.

Not only did they live here, but Ink Lotus's cottage was only a few hundred meters away from the cottage where Larkspur and the others lived.

When Larkspur further verified the information with Ink Lotus, she realized that among the group of magical girls she had encountered near the hot spring the previous night, the one who felt familiar was Ink Lotus herself.

However, even then, Ink Lotus was wearing a mask, which is why Larkspur didn't recognize her.

"So why wear a mask?"

Having discussed the matter to this point, even though Larkspur had tried her best to suppress her unnecessary curiosity, she couldn't help but ask the question now.

"A disguised identity," Ink Lotus replied.

"Why do we need to disguise ourselves?" Larkspur still found it strange.

"To complete the mission," Ink Lotus added.

"The mission of the Kingdom?"

"The mission of the Kingdom."

"Oh, I see."

"Um."

Although Larkspur still felt something was amiss, judging from Ink Lotus's tone and expression, he didn't seem to be lying. And based on her experience in judging people, Ink Lotus wasn't someone who was very good at lying.

"Speaking of which, how did you recognize me?" After a moment's thought, she decided to address another question first.

"How did you recognize me?" Ink Lotus asked, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't the captain the captain?"

Slightly taken aback by the other person's words, Larkspur paused, then reorganized her thoughts. "Like you, I also disguised myself for the mission."

"Disguise?" Ink Lotus looked at Larkspur in confusion, her gaze lingering on his face and limbs for a few seconds before she asked, even more puzzled, "Where?"

"Hairstyle, clothes, and then... maybe makeup?"

Larkspur listed her thoughts in a somewhat uncertain tone. "I think I'm still different from the person I was twenty years ago, right?"

"Ah, that seems to be the case."

Ink Lotus then belatedly nodded. "The captain doesn't have long hair anymore."

"... That's it?" Larkspur really didn't know what other attitude she could express, so she could only blink helplessly.

"Yeah, because a captain is a captain. Even though you say you've changed, I don't think you've changed."

During this brief pause in the conversation, Ink Lotus had already reached her hut, raised her hand to activate Spell Formula, and unlocked the door after a flash of light.

"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" she asked, turning her head as if to speak calmly.

"No."

Larkspur politely declined, saying, "Your companion should be here too, right? It would be strange for me to disturb you like this."

Upon hearing this, Ink Lotus He took a few steps into the viewing room, seemingly going inside for a quick look.

Then, she stepped out again, dispelling the visual Partition Spell Formula that had been attached to it, and showed the inside to the Larkspur:

"It's alright, they're not here."

"... Anyway, I won't trouble you anymore. Let's leave it at that for today."

Larkspur continued to politely decline, saying, "It's getting late, it would be better for you to go back and rest."

She didn't know who Ink Lotus's companions were. Although she was disguised, considering that Ink Lotus ignored the false identity of "Gentian," she became somewhat insecure and began to worry whether her companions could do something similar.

She was fully aware of the Cornflower's fame in the Magic Kingdom; it wasn't arrogance, but rather an objective fact that she used to be very famous. Therefore, she needed to minimize contact with people who might recognize her, even though her injuries had improved.

"Learn."

Ink Lotus clearly wouldn't presume to know what Larkspur was thinking. She simply knew Larkspur was unwilling, so she didn't bring it up again and instead asked, "Then, tomorrow..."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Larkspur agreed.

She accepted Ink Lotus day.

It wasn't just out of social niceties; there was also some genuine feeling. After all, with her return to the Kingdom, those past events she had intentionally set aside inevitably resurfaced. She didn't want to be too indifferent to her old teammates who had gone through thick and thin with her, especially Ink Lotus, who was quite special among them.

After spending the afternoon together, she could clearly tell that the other person wasn't in a good state, at least not a positive or upbeat one, which was quite worrying. Therefore, perhaps she needed to find out more about the other person's situation and consider what she could do.

However, the two had lost contact for too long, and Larkspur didn't want to get too involved with someone she barely knew, or Peering Stage their life before they opened up. Therefore, before delving into their past experiences, it was necessary to accept Ink Lotus's kindness, agree to have a meal together, and briefly reminisce about their past relationship.

"We'll see each other again tomorrow."

After receiving Larkspur's confirmation, Ink Lotus nodded, lowered her gaze slightly, took two steps back into the room, and stood by the door, softly muttering something like "Success." Then, as if remembering something, she looked up:

Do you need me to drive you there?

"... I have errands to run tomorrow morning." Upon hearing this, Larkspur averted her gaze.

"Where to? I can pick up the team leader at noon."

"It's quite far, and cars probably aren't allowed there, so it's not necessary. We can just arrange a meeting place."

Intuition told Larkspur that if she stayed, Ink Lotus would go to great lengths to "show off" her convertible, so she decisively ended the conversation.

"Okay, that's settled then. I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, she prepared to turn around and leave.

"... Rosam ducat, Luna servet."

Almost simultaneously, just before Larkspur tried to flee, Ink Lotus suddenly said something out of the blue behind her.

This was a sentence that had no connection to their previous conversation, but Larkspur knew what it meant.

"Rose guides the way, moon guards the return journey"—this was the oath sworn by soldiers during the war twenty years ago, used for greetings and farewells. The rose symbolizes the Rose Palace, while the moon in the traditional language of the Magic Kingdom is often associated with death, eternal sleep, and other elements. This oath was the soldiers' promise to each other: to defend the glory of the Magic Kingdom with their lives.

She turned around and found that Ink Lotus had indeed raised his hand at some point, palm facing outward, and was giving her a fairly standard Kingdom Army salute.

Larkspur suddenly felt as if she had glimpsed something, and perhaps that thing was the reason why Ink Lotus was in this state.

"The rose guides the way, the moon watches over the journey home."

But she didn't turn to discuss these things at this time.

Instead, like Ink Lotus, she bid farewell with an oath, and then raised her hand, trying to strike that unfamiliar yet seemingly familiar military salute.

But she couldn't do it.

Her hand was halfway raised, but she couldn't lift it to the side of her head. The Larkspur's movements seemed to be stuck by something, abruptly stopping in mid-air.

So she put her hand down.

"See you tomorrow."

She said this to Ink Lotus, and then walked towards her own little house.