Sudden Alert

During the latter part of the patrol, Cornflower did not continue to discuss with Nina the right or wrong of her previous actions.

In her view, once something has been said and the other person has indeed taken it to heart, there's no need to repeat it. Rather than endless discussion, it's better to give the other person more time to think.

Therefore, the two focused on patrolling and inspections for the second half of the trip, occasionally exchanging a few words but not mentioning anything else.

The patrol situation in each zone was recorded, and a total of 7 landmines in poor condition were recovered. Just as the whole operation was gradually coming to an end, Cornflower began to consider which route to take to leave the minefield when the Magic Mirror she was carrying suddenly reacted.

"Wait a moment, the Magic Mirror is lit." She told Nina this, then took out the Magic Mirror and answered the call.

"Hello, this is the City Defense Army Command. Is this Cornflower?"

Then, a strange magical girl wearing an officer's hat appeared in the mirror, and she asked the following question.

"Yes." In the military, the division of labor between superiors and subordinates is clear, and it's quite normal to receive orders from superiors you don't know. Therefore, Cornflower didn't question anything, simply replying, "What are the orders?"

"Okay, contact with the Cornflower Squad has been confirmed."

The unfamiliar magical girl in the mirror lowered her head, seemingly writing something on the table, then looked up again, her expression serious.

"Here's the situation. Fairy from command just reported that Aberrant Beast has been detected in the southern part of the city, specifically within the area your team is responsible for. Based on the level of magical energy fluctuations, the target Aberrant Beast has reached the pupa stage or even higher in evolution. Please be sure to dispatch an experienced magical girl to handle it."

Such instructions are not unfamiliar to Cornflower.

Aberrant Beast are not a nightmare unique to the Material Realm; in the Magic Kingdom, they remain a troublesome and occasional calamity.

At the same time, just like in the Material Realm, these monsters are ubiquitous. Even if a comprehensive net is laid to prevent the Aberrant Beast from entering the city, they will still appear in the city from time to time, as if data is being refreshed. Even core cities like Luen Nore are not immune to this.

During the war, the magical girl corps throughout the Kingdom was temporarily reorganized. Now, Luen Nore no longer has regular garrisoned magical girls; the City Defense Army are the main force for dealing with these Aberrant Beasts.

Or rather, for Luen Nore, who are not currently on the front lines, these Aberrant Beasts that appear from time to time are the greatest enemies of these City Defense Army.

However, although it was a routine job, a few keywords mentioned by the other party during the call still alerted Cornflower.

"Pupa?"

She frowned slightly. "Why would Pupa Stage Aberrant Beast suddenly appear in the city?"

It's no wonder she reacted this way; the emergence of this news is practically a direct accusation of "incompetence" in her face.

The Cornflower Squad is stationed in the southern part of the city and is also responsible for the security of the entire southern urban area. As the squad leader, she is naturally the person primarily responsible.

To ensure nothing went wrong in her assigned area, Cornflower spared no effort in clearing out the Aberrant Beast over the past month. All the Aberrant Beast that appeared in the southern city were eliminated immediately, and even underground, places that might harbor filth, were thoroughly cleaned up by her team. In her mind, the city her team was responsible for was, if not the safest in all of Luen Nore, definitely among the top.

And now, the command center is telling her that a pupa has appeared in their jurisdiction?

It's important to understand that the evolution of an Aberrant Beast never begins from nothing, from egg to pupa. This Aberrant Beast must consume a large amount of food, whether it's humans, Fairy, or even its own kind. In the south of Luen Nore, a place where Aberrant Beast are exterminated as soon as they appear, there is certainly no space for an Aberrant Beast to develop in this way.

So, where did this pupa come from?

The vast majority of Aberrant Beast are born at the Egg Rank, perhaps a few are caterpillars, but almost none are pupae. Searching through the history of the Kingdom and the Material Realm, cases of Aberrant Beast being born at the Pupa Stage are extremely rare, events that a normal person would never encounter in their lifetime.

He'd hit the jackpot; such a rare occurrence had just happened to occur in his squad's territory.

The Cornflower evoked inexplicable emotions.

"The command center has marked the location of the Aberrant Beast, the City Lockdown Spell Formula have been activated, the Aberrant Beast' movement area has been restricted, and emergency evacuation notices have been sent to local residents."

On the other end of the Magic Mirror, the magical girl in command center, seemingly oblivious to Cornflower's feelings, continued her report, "We are currently lifting the magic usage restrictions on the corresponding district. Please proceed to the corresponding Mana-Free District as soon as possible. The Aberrant Beast will regain its normal mobility in 5 minutes."

"... Yes, I understand."

However, regardless of her feelings, Cornflower can only accept this fact now.

Time is precious, a consensus shared by her and the command. So, while some in the command might have questioned her for being passive and lazy, they simply informed her of the appearance of the Aberrant Beast without saying anything more. Similarly, even if she had doubts about the current situation, she wouldn't use the precious rescue time to question the veracity of the information.

Even if there really is a pupa, the question of how it came to be and who should be responsible is a matter to be discussed after it has been disposed of.

Let's go.

Having figured all this out, Cornflower ended the call through the Magic Mirror and turned to Nina: "Let's go see that so-called pupa together."

"Ah, yes, but... wait, a pupa?"

Nina nodded blankly at first, but after figuring out what Cornflower was talking about, she was suddenly horrified. "Do I have to go too?"

"That's right." Cornflower simply nodded. "The mission here is also in its final stages, so let's set off now."

"No, no, no, that's not the point. I mean... I have absolutely no experience handling pupae."

Nina shook her head vigorously, then shrank back. "What if I go and don't do a good job, and instead become a hindrance?"

"Ink Lotus".

Cornflower didn't directly respond to Nina's comment, but instead asked, "You're already at the Leaf Rank, right?"

"Yes, yes?"

"How many basic Spell Formula have you mastered? How many sets of prepared runes have you stored?"

"Well... I've learned all seven types. The preparatory runes are based on the standard, four sets." Nina's tone was evasive.

That's enough.

Cornflower nodded. "When it comes to handling the pupae, your skill level, while not that of a key player, will certainly not be a hindrance, so just come with me."

"Huh? Really? But I've heard that many pupae have Pupa Shell, and it seems that even a magical girl of my level can't break through its defenses..." Nina whispered.

"That doesn't matter, I'm here."

Cornflower swung her wand as if swinging a club, a slight smile on her face, but her eyes betrayed no hint of a smile.

"Dare to cause trouble on my turf? I'll smash this thing's shell to pieces."