After the Fierce Battle

After the great battle, the Aberrant Beast's savage roars and the explosive sounds of clashing magic finally vanished.

Wetland Park returned to its rightful tranquility in the dead of night.

As the lingering magical ripples and smoke dispersed, all that remained in the woods were the monster's remains.

The mysterious girl in deep blue withdrew the magical threads spread throughout the area, and the tiny scissors in her hand turned back into a wand. With a few light leaps, she arrived beside the corpse, retrieved a brooch-like object from its neck, and specks of starlight emerged from the Aberrant Beast's body, gathering toward it.

After examining it briefly from a distance, Lin Xiaolu figured out what the girl was doing.

She was collecting the Aberrant Beast's "Echo."

An "Echo" was the collective term for the residual magic and soul fragments left behind after an Aberrant Beast was defeated.

Magical Girls defeated Aberrant Beasts, obtained Echoes from them, and handed them over to Seeders. The Seeders then sent the Echoes back to the Magic Kingdom, which assessed a Magical Girl's contribution based on the strength of the Echo and issued corresponding rewards.

That was the reward system between Magical Girls and the Magic Kingdom.

Although Lin Xiaolu had been the first to discover the Aberrant Beast and engage it in battle, the mysterious Magical Girl who had suddenly appeared was undoubtedly the one who delivered the final blow. Naturally, she was the one to collect the Echo.

Lin Xiaolu made her way closer and walked over to the mysterious girl.

She did not care much about things like Echoes. There was something else she wanted to say.

However, before she could speak, the mysterious girl asked first, "You're a rookie, aren't you?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah."

Caught off guard by the question, Lin Xiaolu answered instinctively before remembering that she had something to say as well. "Um, thank you so much for helping me..."

"Where is your Seeder? Didn't it tell you not to challenge an Aberrant Beast beyond your ability by yourself?"

But the mysterious girl's words came like a barrage of cannon fire, giving Lin Xiaolu no chance to continue. "And where are your companions? Didn't you notify them before setting out?"

Listening to the questions, Lin Xiaolu felt dizzy. "A Seeder? Companions? I'm alone..."

"Huh?"

The mysterious girl lowered her eyelids as she looked over, her face full of disbelief. "You're alone? No, aren't you Fangting City's Magical Girl?"

Lin Xiaolu answered awkwardly, "Um... that's right. Is there a problem?"

The mysterious girl did not answer her.

Or rather, her gaze was no longer on Lin Xiaolu. It had shifted to the Fairy—Moko—who had been standing nearby all this time, trying to make itself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Hey, Fairy over there. Are you this child's Seeder?"

Moko had been hiding behind Lin Xiaolu and constantly avoiding the mysterious girl's gaze. Only after being called out did it reluctantly crawl out. "Um, hello?"

"Is 'hello' really an appropriate way to brush this off?"

The mysterious girl planted her hands on her hips, sounding rather aggressive. "I have a whole lot of questions for you. Why is this city—Fangting City—in this state?"

She pointed at the bewildered Lin Xiaolu. "Such a large city, and there's only one rookie Magical Girl who can't even use a Magic Armament?"

"This child has probably participated in fewer than five battles. In other cities, rookies like her need to be led by at least a Leaf Rank Magical Girl before they can fight. You threw her in here alone to duel a Looper. Were you trying to get her killed?"

Moko hurriedly shook its head. "No! I never wanted Xiao Lu to die!"

Lin Xiaolu also explained from the side, "It has nothing to do with Moko! I was the one who insisted on continuing tonight!"

"Why?"

The mysterious girl folded her arms, clearly determined to get to the bottom of things. "Where are the other Magical Girls in Fangting City?"

"I don't know..."

"Hmm?"

Moko's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and it looked thoroughly guilty. "I-I mean, I don't know..."

"What are you saying? I can't understand you."

The mysterious girl remained expressionless. "A Seeder doesn't know where the Magical Girls in its assigned city are?"

"Mm."

"Even though they're all Magical Girls you personally contracted?"

"Um..."

"Even though every one of them has to be registered and recorded with the Magic Kingdom?"

"Uh... there's no, no reason I have to tell you, right?"

Moko was visibly shaken, but it still stubbornly argued, "I may be a Seeder, b-but I'm not obligated to casually tell an outsider Magical Girl about the distribution of local personnel, am I?"

The mysterious girl nodded as though she agreed. "True. You make a very reasonable point. Keeping information confidential is an excellent Seeder's good quality."

Hearing that, Moko felt that the other girl's tone had softened and let out a long breath. But before it could finish exhaling, the girl's next sentence froze its expression again.

"Then what if I told you I'm an Inspector?"

"N-No way! D-Don't try to trick me!"

The pink cat Fairy cried out, flailing its limbs. "Y-you-you-you don't you dare l-l-lie to me! I-I-I-I don't believe you just happen to be—"

Squatting nearby, Lin Xiaolu clicked her tongue in amazement. "Moko, you're shaking like you got electrocuted."

The mysterious girl looked at Moko with deep suspicion, but she still seriously pulled a badge-like insignia from her collar. With a light touch of her finger, shining magical circuits activated and revealed the design on its surface: a deep blue Base Color, flower patterns engraved above, and a name faintly written in Fawo Runes on the left, though it was blocked by her outstretched finger. There was also a crown-shaped shining icon, beside which the number "41076" was written in ornate script.

She flashed the badge briefly, then put it away before Moko or Lin Xiaolu could read the words on it.

"Although you probably heard it just now, let me introduce myself properly."

She swept a cool gaze over the Magical Girl and Fairy before her, raised her chin, and spoke with reserved pride. "I am an Inspector of the Magic Kingdom, Magical Girl Larkspur, Flower Card certification number 41076. I will now conduct an on-site investigation into Fangting City's abnormal situation. I hope you will cooperate."

The cat-shaped Fairy's eyes widened. "Aah?"

"Aah, aaahhh..."

The tremendous shock left Moko able to squeeze out only hoarse, muted cries. Finally, it lifted its head dazedly. "Meow meow meow? Meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow!"

Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened as well. "Moko has started talking nonsense!"

"Ah—It's real!"

After a brief struggle, the cat Fairy could not help grabbing its own ears and shouting in despair, "Fine! I admit it! I'm not Fangting City's original Seeder, okay? I ran away on my own!"

"I only came to this city last month myself! I was supposed to be coming here to join a senior I knew, but when I arrived, I found that this city had absolutely nothing!"

"Senior Nini wasn't here at all! There weren't any Magical Girls in this city either! Instead, the moment I arrived, I encountered an Aberrant Beast attack! Then I discovered that I had somehow already been appointed the Seeder here!"

Lin Xiaolu wore a shocked expression. "Huh? Then does that mean... back then?"

Moko gave a bitter smile. "Yeah, that Aberrant Beast was after me. I was desperate at the time, and when I saw that you seemed to have the talent to become a Magical Girl, I chose you!"

"Then why did you tell me I was a once-in-a-century genius destined to become the greatest Magical Girl?"

"I made all that up!"

"You also said that Aberrant Beast had randomly appeared there to attack civilians!"

"I made that up too!"

"Huh? What? You, you liar!"

"I am a liar! I'm awful!"

Seeing that the relationship between the human and Fairy before her was on the verge of collapse, the Magical Girl calling herself Larkspur had no choice but to stop their pointless quarrel. "All right, you two, stop for now."

With a grave expression, she pressed down with her palm. "I need to confirm this once more. That Fairy... your name is Moko, right? You said you only came to this city last month, and at the time, you found neither its Seeder nor its Magical Girls?"

Moko, having completely given up, nodded with a gloomy face. "Yes, that's right."

"But you were still able to choose this one..."

Lin Xiaolu raised her hand. "My name is Lin Xiaolu."

Larkspur turned back to Moko. "You were still able to choose to contract with Lin Xiaolu and make her a Magical Girl?"

Moko hung its head. "Mm."

Larkspur pressed on, "In other words, you were not originally a Seeder, but after arriving in Fangting City, you discovered that you had been appointed its Seeder?"

Moko continued nodding. "Mm."

"Unheard of."

Larkspur pinched her chin in thought. "The Magic Kingdom's transfer orders shouldn't be issued so casually. Didn't you try contacting the Kingdom to find out the specific circumstances?"

At those words, Moko, already looking gloomy, lowered its head even further.

That gave Larkspur some unpleasant suspicions.

"You... don't tell me..."

She could not help pointing at the cat Fairy before her.

Moko tilted its head aside and closed its eyes.

"Yes. When I ran away, I cut off every means of communication I had."

"This is bad. My head is starting to hurt."

Larkspur could not help supporting her forehead with one hand. "So all valid sources of information are now gone, no one knows what happened in Fangting City, and the current Magic Side defensive strength is close to zero?"

"That's right, exactly! Inspector, you have to help us!"

Moko immediately tried to curry favor. With its naturally adorable Fairy appearance, it came forward with tearful eyes and a pitiful expression, hugging Larkspur's shoulder.

"Tonight was already incredibly dangerous. If you hadn't suddenly come here, Xiao Lu and I would have been wiped out! At this rate, we definitely won't be able to withstand the increasingly powerful attacks of the Aberrant Beasts!"

"Stop flattering me! Let go first!"

Larkspur frowned and swatted it aside. "You need my help? How am I supposed to help?"

Moko, having been pushed away, was not annoyed at all. It put on a slightly ingratiating smile. "Well, you just need to contact the Kingdom and request a few reinforcements first. If they could be other Flower Card holders—"

"Flower Cards? You wish."

Larkspur shot it a sidelong glance. "And unfortunately for you, I can't contact the Kingdom either, because I don't have a usable Magic Mirror with me."

The cat Fairy covered its mouth. "You can't contact them? Don't tell me you ran away too—"

"No. I was authorized by the Royal Court to act independently outside."

Larkspur slightly raised her eyelids, cutting off its baseless speculation. "The communication issue is entirely my own personal problem. I don't want to explain it for now."

Things seemed to have reached an impasse. After learning that reinforcements could not be requested, Moko returned to looking utterly despondent, while Larkspur appeared to be thinking about something.

To be honest, she was a little angry. She was even considering whether she should at least punish this Fairy, the "main culprit," in the name of an Inspector. But based on her past understanding of just how unreliable Fairies were as a group, bullying them was the most meaningless thing she could do.

Before she could make a decision, Lin Xiaolu, who had been left to the side and forced to listen to incomprehensible jargon for quite a while, finally found a chance to speak. She hesitantly raised her hand.

"Um, Miss Larkspur...?"

Larkspur turned to look at her, her expression somewhat strange. "Just call me Larkspur."

"Then... Larkspur?" Lin Xiaolu called tentatively.

"Why are you hesitating so much?"

Larkspur raised an eyebrow slightly. She was clearly not very satisfied with Lin Xiaolu's reaction, but she did not pursue it further and returned to the matter at hand. "If you have a question, ask it quickly. You don't need so many formalities."

"Ah, then..."

Lin Xiaolu took a slightly hesitant deep breath. Her gaze drifted for a moment before she closed her eyes and clasped her hands before her chest.

"I-I think it was amazing!"

"Huh?" Larkspur froze.

"I mean, you told me to watch your battle, and now I feel amazing. I'm so excited! No, I'm moved!"

After shouting out what was in her heart, Lin Xiaolu seemed to abandon all her reservations, speaking faster and faster. "Even now, the trembling in my heart won't stop. My heart has been beating so fast!"

"I've loved Magical Girl anime ever since I was little. I thought the Magical Girls in those shows were cute and powerful, able to do so many things I wanted to do but could never accomplish. They shone so brightly!"

"I wanted to change myself. I wanted to forget the things I hated. I wanted to fly away from the suffocating life I was living. So when I learned I could become a Magical Girl, I was incredibly happy. I thought my dream could finally come true!"

At that point, she finally paused for a moment, and her voice slowed. "But after becoming a Magical Girl, I realized that aside from regularly fighting disgusting monsters, nothing had changed. I still hated everything around me. I even hated myself."

"But just now, when that Aberrant Beast was about to kill me, when I thought I was about to say goodbye to this hateful world, you appeared, Larkspur!"

"Your battle was so cool! So beautiful! It was like a Magical Girl from an anime had appeared before my eyes, like a character from a fantasy had become real. So I was really, really moved!"

Lin Xiaolu's series of heartfelt cries moved Larkspur somewhat.

Because she had never known that her daughter felt this way.

That was right. Her daughter.

Larkspur was Lin Yun.

Lin Yun had driven dozens of kilometers from home to the park. To save her daughter from the Aberrant Beast, she had transformed into a Magical Girl again after nineteen years.

She had not immediately told her daughter who she was. Instead, she had put on airs, used the identity of an "Inspector," and deliberately spoken with an aggressive attitude only because she wanted to intimidate the Seeder called "Moko" and make it easier to draw information from it.

She had not expected that she would successfully intimidate it, yet gain almost no information at all.

Other than learning that Moko was an amateur and that Fangting City's situation was grim, she had learned nothing new.

Instead, her daughter Lin Xiaolu's words had completely caught Lin Yun off guard.

"And aside from the battle, your weapon has great taste too!"

While Larkspur remained silent, Lin Xiaolu continued talking animatedly. Her eyes shone as though stars were glittering within them. "It has such Qi and Potential! It makes you feel steady and dependable!"

"Your face is so cute, and you're so tiny and cute!"

"Your outfit is really pretty too!"

"The way you speak is so cool!"

This string of praise, which was even somewhat embarrassing, left Larkspur increasingly at a loss. Though she still wore a cool expression, the corners of her mouth had begun twitching despite herself.

Lin Xiaolu fired off a barrage of compliments until, at last, she bowed deeply.

"So, I want to become a Magical Girl like you. I want to become the person I dream of being. Could you teach me?"

Those words struck Larkspur far too hard.

She could not help wondering how things had turned out this way.

Since Lin Xiaolu had been born, their father-daughter relationship had lasted fourteen years. Yet over those fourteen years combined, she had never heard so much praise from her daughter. Especially the words, "I want to become someone like you." Even when their father-daughter relationship had been at its best, Lin Xiaolu had never said anything like that to her.

But those words, which moved her so deeply, now put her over a fire.

Her daughter admired and longed for the "Larkspur" she was playing so much. Could she still reveal the truth at a moment like this?

If her daughter learned that the Larkspur who had descended from the sky and earned her admiration was actually that detestable old man, she would probably be very disappointed.

She might even hate her more, making it even harder for them to communicate in the future.

As those thoughts sprang into her mind, her vision blurred. Moko had come over again with tearful eyes, wearing an expression of deep sorrow.

"Inspector—"

"Miss Larkspur!"

Lin Xiaolu also looked over with stars in her eyes.

Both the human and the Fairy gazed at her with pleading expressions. Their pitiful faces were right in front of her, and Larkspur felt her thoughts gradually growing muddled.

Combined with Lin Xiaolu's earlier praise, it gave her, who had long suffered from her distant relationship with her daughter, a feeling of warmth she had not experienced in a long time. Less rational thoughts began to take the upper hand.

"O-Okay?"

Under those circumstances, Larkspur made a promise that her former self would never have agreed to.