Reasons for the Dispute

"Identity issues do indeed complicate matters."

When this topic came up, Emerald's expression became slightly more serious. "Without a doubt, before we can truly place you on the throne, we will need His Majesty's approval first..."

"But we've had disagreements."

Larkspur emphasized her situation. "I don't believe that if I just reappear in front of her now, she will forgive and forget me."

"Then we'll probably have to examine the nature of the 'contradiction' you're referring to first."

Emerald looked somewhat curious. "So, would you mind sharing with us why you had a falling out with His Majesty in the first place?"

This question did not receive a timely response, as the Larkspur had fallen silent.

However, everyone present knew that the Larkspur was actually weighing the pros and cons, so none of them urged her, but simply waited quietly.

After a moment, the Larkspur sighed.

"After I left the battlefield, I had many questions in my mind."

She began, "Among these doubts are 'what exactly do magical girls chosen by the Magic Kingdom have them do?', 'what are magical girls in the eyes of the Kingdom?', and 'is the Interrealm truly unforgivable?' and so on. I can hardly remember many of these questions now. However, I have begun to question the meaning of my participation in that war and that slaughter. I have even begun to waver on the question of 'whether the Magic Kingdom represent justice.'"

"We all know that, young man."

Emerald explained lightly, "Let alone a country, even a small team or organization, as long as there are many people, there will always be all sorts of people, and there will certainly be bad people among them. No organization dares to guarantee its purity, not even Magic Kingdom."

"... My suspicion is not that there are bad people in the Magic Kingdom."

Larkspur paused for a moment. "What I want to know is, in that war, in that 'Garden Defense War,' did we become a shield for the good guys, or accomplices for the bad guys? Did our victory in that war indirectly contribute to the goals of some bad guys?"

"That's a bit of hindsight, young man."

Emerald tilted her head, propping her cheek up with one hand. "In war, we were already doing our best just to protect ourselves, not to mention the many civilians of Luen Nore behind us. By winning the war, we actually saved the entire Luen Nore, and even the civilians of countless Kingdom. How could that be a bad thing?"

"I know, I'm not saying we should surrender or hand over victory. Magical girls should protect everyone, magical girls should stop the invasion—that's a belief we all share. In that situation, we really had no other choice but to fight with all our might to repel the enemy."

Larkspur took a deep breath. "But precisely because of this, precisely because the magical girls I've seen are all so kind, so innocent, so noble, carrying the belief of saving all living beings, sacrificing their lives in all sorts of desperate situations... that's why I'm unwilling, and unable to accept it. I can't believe that this belief is being exploited, used by some people to realize their own ugly desires."

"Ha, that sounds like you're accusing me."

Emerald blinked. "After all, back then, I held supreme command in Luen Nore. I was the one who ordered those children to which battlefield to go and what orders to carry out. Or to put it more cruelly, I was the one who 'decided how they died'."

"But you're doing this to protect the city, not for some selfish reason, right?"

Larkspur looked at her expressionlessly. "After all, you personally went to the front lines and almost became the only Gem Scepter in history to be killed."

"I need to correct some rumors circulating about me: although I fought a tough battle, I wasn't actually in that much danger."

Emerald closed her eyes and waved her hand. "However, the rest of the parts are fine, young man. I'm glad you understand my efforts in this matter."

"That's one of the reasons I'm willing to cooperate with you."

Larkspur's gaze returned to the center of the table in front of her. "In short, because I learned some unsubstantiated rumors, and realized that the nature of the Interrealm War might not be so simple, and that the meaning of my comrades' sacrifices might be tainted, I was very angry. It just so happened that at that time, that person from the Rose Palace received me."

"You seem quite reluctant to address His Majesty as 'Your Majesty' properly," Emerald commented.

"I learned some of the truth from that meeting."

Larkspur ignored Emerald's words and continued, seemingly oblivious to her presence, "However, when I voiced my doubts and sought answers, the result was... disappointing."

"Your Majesty is unwilling to answer you?" Emerald asked.

No, she answered, at least part of it.

At this point, Larkspur's expression became somewhat puzzled. "But these answers either prove that this war was not pure, or they are very... strange."

"Strangeness?"

"That's right, I don't know how to describe it, but I feel like what she answered wasn't what I wanted to ask at all."

Larkspur carefully chose her words, slowly revealing the truth. "Even when she didn't want to answer certain questions and remained silent, that silence made me feel very..."

She stopped abruptly at this point.

As if finding the right words was extremely difficult, Larkspur paused for a long time before speaking again, "... Never mind, now that I think about it, it was probably just my imagination. Because at that time I was indeed a bit too sensitive, even overreacting to many things, which is why I had such a strange feeling because of a conversation."

"But one thing is certain: after learning that the Interrealm War was indeed an dishonorable, unjust, and even impure war, the anger in my heart overwhelmed all other emotions."

"I shouted at her, asking her what this country really considers magical girls to be, what our dreams, our beliefs, our feelings—the standards originally used to select magical girls—are all worthless. Must we trample all of these things into nothingness, making our efforts seem so ridiculous, before some people are satisfied?"

"But in that situation, she simply asked me one question in return."

So, are you willing to pledge your allegiance to me and become my Sapphire Scepter?

[If you swear an oath to me now, you can be crowned the Master of the Magic Affairs Institute as the "Hero of the Garden Defense War."]

This is a question that Larkspur still can't forget.

Upon hearing this question, the sheer complexity of emotions she felt—the anger that surged to her head, overwhelming all reason, the disappointment that extinguished all passion, and the grief that engulfed everything—was perhaps a first for her.

"... That's why I rejected her almost without hesitation, declaring loudly: 'I don't want this damn Gem Scepter. Those dead children, and those still lying in the sanatorium, each one of them deserves it more than I do. Do you want me to betray their sacrifices, steal their efforts, and become a Gem Scepter?'"

At this point, the answer was clear to everyone at the table. The Larkspur raised its head again and looked at them:

"And this is my final statement to her."