Mint's Conditions

Mint certainly showed great "sincerity".

In a subsequent conversation with Lin Xiaolu, she stated that although she was not a direct participant in the Black Ash Dawn operation, she could provide a list of the "Beast Child" involved in the assessment. In other words, as long as the Research Institute and the Magic Affairs Institute kept a close eye on the actions of these Beast Child during the assessment, they would eventually be able to discern something.

However, in exchange, Mint hoped that the people on the other side of the Kingdom would not alert the enemy.

"I don't want the organization to know about my 'betrayal'."

She bluntly expressed her thoughts to Lin Xiaolu: "If the Kingdom closes in too quickly, they will easily find out that I leaked the list, and even if I am Beast Child, I will be severely punished."

"After wiping out all these infiltrators in the Kingdom, you can just stay in the Kingdom. The people from Black Ash Dawn can't possibly come all the way to the Kingdom to take revenge on you, right?" Lin Xiaolu asked rhetorically.

"The Black Ash Dawn is full of madmen, especially the Advent Faction and Restoration Faction. If they really believe I ruined their plans, then I'm afraid I'll never have a peaceful day in my life."

Mint finished her drink and, somewhat bored, stirred the ice with her straw. "Besides, my parents are still in the Material Realm."

"...Ah..." Lin Xiaolu immediately fell silent.

No further explanation is needed; as a magical girl, she understands Mint's concerns perfectly.

"Without a doubt, I am a very selfish person."

Seeing that Lin Xiaolu didn't respond, Mint continued, "I hope my family is well, and I also hope my future life will be fulfilling. Although I was born in the Black Ash Dawn, I don't believe I've done anything evil. I want to continue being a magical girl, get the White Card certification, and even the Letter Card and Flower Card certifications in the future, becoming a great person."

"But all of this is predicated on the premise that my identity cannot be exposed, whether on the side of the Kingdom or on the side of Black Ash Dawn."

At this point, she closed her eyes. "So I hope you'll spare my life, otherwise my days ahead will be too difficult."

Lin Xiaolu fell into thought.

Although she wasn't good at this kind of thing, she knew she had to give a proper response here, otherwise it would be like breaking the olive branch that Mint was extending.

"... You say you haven't done anything wrong?"

After thinking for a while, she felt that she couldn't draw a conclusion based on the information she had, so she asked again, "But you're clearly already Beast Child?"

"I Feeding Rite Aberrant Beast, not humans."

Mint smiled helplessly, "I don't want to tell you about experiences that aren't suitable for children, so just know the general idea. We, the Black Ash Dawn, aren't a monolithic group. With so many people, there will inevitably be some different ideas. I, my guardian, my mentor, and I are the more progressive ones. We aim to use the power of the Aberrant Beast for the benefit of humanity, not to use it like those lunatics who want to create some kind of cult."

"But you still lock children up with Aberrant Beast and make them fight them?"

Lin Xiaolu stared at her. "And coming from someone from Black Ash Dawn, how can I possibly believe it?"

"You don't need to believe me now; time will prove everything I've said." Mint sighed. "So? After all I've said, you should at least give me an answer?"

Lin Xiaolu did not respond immediately, but instead analyzed the situation in her mind.

The current situation is that people from Black Ash Dawn and Claw Mark have infiltrated Luen Nore, and there are even special beings like "Beast Child" who have mingled into the examination hall as examinees. These people are undoubtedly plotting something that is detrimental to the Kingdom and the magical girls.

In response, Mint offered to provide a list of these Beast Child.

In return, she requested that Lin Xiaolu and others not reveal her identity as the source of information to the Kingdom, and that the Kingdom not make any moves that might alert them, but rather observe the situation and wait for the right opportunity to act, thus ensuring that she, the "mole," would not be exposed by the Black Ash Dawn.

In other words, she, the "mole," wanted to remain anonymous.

Without a doubt, if Mint wasn't lying—that is, if she hadn't actually done anything wrong and didn't intend to in the future—then letting her go in exchange for being added to the Black Ash Dawn infiltration list would indeed be a good deal.

But how credible is it for someone from Black Ash Dawn to claim they're not a bad person?

Lin Xiaolu felt her head heating up.

"... I can't make this decision myself, but I can ask my captain for you."

After careful consideration, she chose to let her mind go.

"Cornflower?" Mint blinked.

"Hmm." Lin Xiaolu naturally knew that the Cornflower the other person was talking about was Larkspur. In fact, since arriving in the Magic Kingdom, she had heard this name more and more often. However, no matter how many times she heard it, the name still gave her a subtle sense of unfamiliarity and alienation, as if every time Larkspur was called "Cornflower," the distance between them would grow a little further.

At first, she was secretly pleased to learn about Larkspur's past, but as time went by, she now didn't even want to say the name aloud, so she just vaguely answered Mint's question.

She didn't notice that after confirming that she could contact Cornflower, Mint's bored expression instantly brightened.

"If we're looking for Cornflower... well, that might not be a bad idea."

She mused to herself, "No, perhaps Cornflower would be a more suitable notary? After all, rumors say she has considerable conflict with the Kingdom Royal Court..."

"Hey, you! Don't talk bad about other people's captains in front of them."

Lin Xiaolu narrowed her eyes in displeasure. "Or do you just want to fight?"

"I understand, I understand, it was my fault."

Mint raised her hands. "I think contacting Cornflower is a good idea, well, a really great idea!"

Her seemingly euphoric state, as if she had suddenly taken stimulants, made Lin Xiaolu look suspicious.

"What the hell?"

She couldn't help but scrutinize Mint: "Are you plotting something?"

"What kind of conspiracy could there be in making a phone call?"

Mint rubbed her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "Come, let me speak with Cornflower... no, let me report on the situation!"

Lin Xiaolu suddenly realized that suggesting calling Larkspur might have been a mistake.

"You're here to report?"

"Yeah, what else?" Mint retorted.

"Why?" Lin Xiaolu protected her phone.

"Because I have the most specific information, the message I convey will be more accurate."

Mint retorted confidently, "If I have you relay the message, wouldn't the information be distorted?"

It must be said that there was some truth to what she said. So much so that after a brief moment of hesitation, Lin Xiaolu stopped questioning her and instead dialed Larkspur's number.

--[Hello? White Rose?]

The call was answered in less than three seconds.

"Uh, that, Larkspur?" Lin Xiaolu stammered, trying to find the right words.

[You say.]

"I've met with the magical girl who took the exam with me. We were right; she said she's from Black Ash Dawn and can provide a list of Black Ash Dawn members who infiltrated the exam hall. But she has some requests I need to discuss with you..."

Is she next to you?

"Um."

[Okay, let her pick her up.]

Lin Xiaolu hesitated before handing the phone to Mint.

For some reason, even though everything seemed normal at the moment, her intuition told her that something... ominous might happen next? However, this intuition had no factual basis, so she chose to suppress that strange feeling.

So, it was Mint's turn to speak.

She smiled and greeted them in her clear, crisp voice:

"Ah, hello, Lady Cornflower?"

"[Yes, it is. What are your conditions?]" The voice on the other end of the phone was cold and rational.

However, Mint seemed completely unconcerned about this attitude.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that after hearing just one sentence, she suddenly closed her eyes under the watchful eyes of Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan.

She cupped her face in one hand, tilted her head back, and took a deep breath:

"Aaaaaaaah! It's me! Oh my god, I can stop breathing now!"

Then, it let out a strange scream that was utterly inhuman.