Chapter Summaries

After Ink Lotus warned Larkspur that something dangerous might happen during the upcoming assessment, Larkspur weighed whether to discourage the juniors from attending but decided to wait for more information. Back at the cabin, she tried to keep her birthday secret from a candle on the cake, but it lit up as she passed.

• Larkspur returned Ink Lotus’s coat, and Ink Lotus warned her that this year’s assessment might involve danger.
• Larkspur considered whether the warning concerned the simulated Great Beast Calamity and whether the juniors should withdraw, but postponed deciding until she learned more.
• Larkspur worried that the birthday candle at the cabin might reveal information about her and resolved to avoid exposing any flaws in her identity.
• Lin Xiaolu told Larkspur that the others had celebrated her father’s birthday and saved cake for her, while Bai Jingxuan and Xia Liang greeted her.
• Larkspur concealed her True Form and approached the cake, but the candle’s simple spell scanned her magic activity and lit up.

After a magical candle exposed that Larkspur shared Lin Yun’s birthday, the Fangting City Squad assumed she had been hiding the date. Larkspur decided to accept their celebration rather than risk more lies, and the day ended with her sharing cake with them.

• A birthday candle marked “37” lit as Larkspur approached, revealing her birthday to the squad.
• Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan asked why Larkspur had not told them it was her birthday, while Xia Liang echoed their surprise.
• Lin Xiaolu began preparing a second birthday celebration and urged Larkspur to sit with them.
• Larkspur weighed whether to deny the birthday or accept it, then chose to go along with the celebration.
• Larkspur told the juniors she had not celebrated for years, and promised to tell them next time.
• The squad sang to Larkspur, who ate the cake as February 14th came to a close.

Larkspur fell asleep after a tiring day and dreamed of Cornflower teaching Nim Krigios how Magic Output and Mana Consumption affected combat. Cornflower explained how to balance abilities and preserve resources against intelligent enemies, while Nim admired her captain.

• Larkspur put aside her worries and fell asleep in her magical girl form.
• In Larkspur's dream, Cornflower taught Nim to maintain flight while firing mana bullets and notice how the combined actions weakened her attacks.
• Cornflower explained Magic Output as the rate at which a magical girl could use mana and Mana Consumption as the portion spent maintaining abilities.
• Cornflower advised Nim to reserve some output for defense and explained how experienced enemies could exploit predictable mana use.
• Nim praised Cornflower and revealed her admiration, while Cornflower reminded her that she had to clean the camp's second floor.

Nina fussed over Nim after her training and worried that she was burdening Cornflower, while Nim encouraged her anxious sister ahead of their scheduled fortification inspection. Nina dreaded facing Cornflower because she believed she had failed as Nim’s instructor, and she accidentally pulled Nim’s hair while trying to reassure herself.

• Nina checked Nim’s equipment and asked whether she had behaved well around Cornflower, and Nim said the captain had praised her.
• Nim reminded Nina that she was scheduled to inspect the fortifications with Cornflower and teased her for avoiding the captain.
• Nina recalled that she had bribed the legion commander to place herself and Nim in Cornflower’s squad, and she still felt guilty about it.
• Nina remembered that her lessons had been ineffective, so Nim had started asking Cornflower directly for help with her questions.
• Nina resolved to face the afternoon inspection despite her anxiety, then accidentally pulled Nim’s hair as Nim complained.

Cornflower confronted Nina about avoiding her, and Nina admitted she felt she had failed to guide Nim properly. While inspecting the minefields, Nina used her Magic Armament, Grip of the Present, to immobilize a dangerous mine as Cornflower removed it.

• Cornflower asked Nina why she had been avoiding her, and Nina said she felt she had failed to teach Nim well enough.
• Cornflower told Nina to stop assuming others blamed her and to speak honestly rather than retreating into apologies.
• Cornflower spotted a leaking minefield, and Nina used Grip of the Present to hold a trigger-sensitive mine motionless.
• Cornflower pulled the mine from the ground and sealed it in a special container while Nina maintained her grip.
• Cornflower praised Nina's ability and reflected that its power to freeze objects made Nina well suited to battlefield work.

During patrol, Cornflower received an urgent order from Command about a Pupa Stage Aberrant Beast in her squad’s district and prepared to confront it. She reassured the inexperienced Nina that she could help, then led her toward the threat.

• Cornflower and Nina finished their patrol, recorded conditions, and recovered seven malfunctioning landmines.
• Command contacted Cornflower and reported a Pupa Stage Aberrant Beast in southern Luen Nore, ordering her squad to respond before it regained mobility.
• Cornflower questioned how a Pupa had appeared in her carefully patrolled district but agreed to deal with it before investigating further.
• Nina worried that her inexperience would make her a burden, and Cornflower confirmed that her Leaf Stage, seven basic Spell Formulas, and four reserve rune sets were enough to help.
• Cornflower told Nina she would break the Aberrant Beast’s Pupa Shell and set off with her toward the Mana-Free District.

Cornflower and Nina confronted a gigantic Aberrant Beast that broke free of Luen Nore’s City Lockdown Spell Formula. Cornflower identified it as a Half-Molt, and as the pair struggled to survive its attack, she prepared to act with her ruler.

• Cornflower and Nina arrived to find a huge Aberrant Beast trapped in Luen Nore’s cracked City Lockdown Spell Formula.
• Cornflower recognized that the Beast was too large to be a Pupa and identified it as a Half-Molt.
• The Half-Molt tore through the cage and leaped at Cornflower and Nina, who manifested their Magic Armaments.
• Cornflower asked Nina to restrain the Beast, but Nina could not overcome its greater magic power.
• Cornflower pulled Nina out of the Beast’s pounce with threads, drew a small ruler from a vortex, and told Nina to lower her head after she counted to three.

Cornflower used her Measurement and Fixation Magic Armament to turn the Aberrant Beast’s charge against it and then immobilize its body. The beast was pinned in place, leaving Cornflower and Nina in control of the fight.

• The Aberrant Beast pursued Cornflower and Nina through the deserted streets, spraying dangerous slime as it attacked.
• Cornflower measured the distance between the beast’s claw and a nearby building, then told Nina to duck as its momentum tore apart its arm and hurled it into the ground.
• Cornflower fixed the distance between the beast’s mouthparts and the crater, preventing it from raising its head.
• When the beast tried to tear free, Cornflower fixed the distances between its limbs and the ground, forcing it to drop to its knees.
• Cornflower’s power was revealed as Measurement and Fixation, which locked measured distances at unchanging values while her magic lasted.

Cornflower and Nina discovered that the Half-Molt’s Rule was turning magic power into corrosive liquid as it shed its pupa shell and built a nest. The Half-Molt escaped Cornflower’s restraints, while both magical girls and their attire began to melt.

• Cornflower restrained the Half-Molt but sensed that danger remained and stopped using the Ruler Magic Armament to conserve her magic power.
• Cornflower and Nina felt increasingly damp and suffocated as sticky fluid spread through the streets.
• The Half-Molt molted its pupa shell and regained its freedom, while Cornflower’s threads went limp when they touched it.
• Cornflower realized the Half-Molt’s Rule was making its surroundings and the magical girls wet with corrosive fluid.
• Nina’s attire and body began to corrode, and Cornflower saw that her own hand was melting as the Half-Molt used the fluid to build a nest.

Cornflower and Nina fought an Aberrant Beast that was forming a slime nest around them, while its Rule melted their bodies and drained their mana. Cornflower cut the concept of Corrosion Resistance, Nina halted the nest, and the Beast rotted apart.

• Cornflower realized the Aberrant Beast was building a temporary nest from slime and that its closing walls would trap her and Nina.
• Cornflower told Nina to use her Magic Armament to stop the slime, but Nina lost her balance as her body began melting.
• Cornflower could not cut through the Beast's slime, mana, or nest, so she changed her target to Corrosion Resistance and closed her scissors.
• Nina focused her ability and stopped the slime from rising at the nest's opening.
• The Beast halted, cracked apart, roared, and completely rotted away.

Cornflower used Weave Destiny to overcome the Aberrant Beast’s corrosive Rule and set up a decisive attack while Nina neared exhaustion. The Beast’s claw was cut into countless chunks, but its fate remained unresolved.

• Nina asked whether they had defeated the Aberrant Beast, and Cornflower said its magic power was still melting, showing that it had not given up.
• Cornflower measured how long her magic threads could last and found they survived for three seconds as Nina struggled to maintain Grip of the Present.
• Cornflower fixed the distance between her thread and the Aberrant Beast at ten, then cut the ruler with her scissors to bring the thread and the Beast’s body together.
• Cornflower pulled the thread, spreading it into a web inside the Aberrant Beast as the three-second limit ended.
• The Aberrant Beast reached for the magical girls, but its outstretched claw broke into countless chunks of flesh.

After defeating the Aberrant Beast, Cornflower and Nina flew back to camp and talked about the battle. Nina confessed her jealousy and self-doubt, while Cornflower reassured her that she had trusted Nina as a teammate; the moment became a treasured memory for Nina.

• After reporting the Aberrant Beast's defeat, Cornflower and Nina left the district and flew toward camp with gifts from the residents.
• Nina told Cornflower that she admired her calmness and skill in battle, while Cornflower praised Nina's contribution against the Half-Molt.
• Nina admitted that praise of Cornflower had made her jealous and that she had avoided her because of those feelings.
• Cornflower said she was only hurt by Nina's avoidance and reassured her that she had trusted her as a teammate during the battle.
• As the two flew through the sunset, Nina treasured Cornflower's smile as a memory she would carry for years.

After Emerald confirmed that Larkspur’s Heart Gem had healed, Larkspur weighed Ink Lotus’s warning about a dangerous assessment and asked Emerald about Tulip. Emerald revealed that Tulip had defected to Claw Mark.

• Emerald completed Larkspur’s follow-up examination and confirmed that her Heart Gem had healed, but warned her not to try Flourishing Bloom in the laboratory.
• Larkspur thanked Emerald and considered Ink Lotus’s warning, concluding that Ink Lotus’s abrupt departure might have been an explanation of the danger.
• Larkspur asked Emerald whether she remembered a Magical Girl codenamed Tulip, carefully avoiding Ink Lotus’s name.
• Emerald recognized Tulip as Lycoris’s girl and told Larkspur that Tulip had defected to Claw Mark.

Larkspur learned from Emerald that Tulip had defected to Claw Mark and struggled to understand why former comrades had joined the organization. She decided to keep Ink Lotus’s contact secret while warning Emerald about a possible threat at the Kingdom Assessment, and Emerald asked her to attend a dinner gathering that night.

• Emerald told Larkspur that Tulip had defected to Claw Mark and was likely one of its core members.
• Emerald said many Claw Mark defectors came from the Luen Nore City Defense Army, possibly because of the Garden Defense War’s aftermath.
• Larkspur questioned why Ink Lotus and Tulip would join Claw Mark and decided not to reveal Ink Lotus’s whereabouts.
• Larkspur resolved to pass Emerald the warning about danger at the Kingdom Assessment without exposing her source.
• Emerald told Larkspur to dress formally and join her that night so she could introduce her to some people.

Larkspur accompanied Emerald to a dinner aboard an airship, where Emerald fulfilled the promise she had made as part of their deal. The gathered Magical Girls knelt before Larkspur in the Magic Kingdom’s formal pledge of loyalty.

• Larkspur rode with Emerald to a secluded takeoff point while wondering who had been invited to dinner.
• Emerald explained that the meal would take place aboard an expensive Flying Kitchen airship and said someone else was paying.
• Emerald reminded Larkspur that their deal included resolving the Heart Gem issue and another condition, leading Larkspur to realize the dinner involved Emerald’s contacts in the Magic Affairs Institute.
• Emerald and Larkspur entered the dining room, where more than a dozen Magical Girls stood to greet them.
• The Magical Girls curtsied to Larkspur and knelt in a formal display of loyalty.

Larkspur arrived at a secret gathering of Magic Affairs Institute leaders who pledged their support and welcomed her as a potential head. After Emerald explained that the Royal Court would not learn of the gathering, Larkspur agreed to consider taking control and asked what authority the assembled members held.

• Zhe Helan and the other Magic Affairs Institute members introduced themselves and knelt before Larkspur, welcoming her as the Sapphire Scepter candidate.
• Larkspur privately questioned Emerald for revealing her true identity, and Emerald said everyone present could be trusted to keep it secret.
• Larkspur asked the assembled members to rise and said she preferred they treat one another as colleagues because she was not a true Gem Scepter.
• Emerald explained that the members had gathered to recognize Larkspur and that the Royal Court would not learn of their meeting.
• Larkspur asked what authority each person present held.

Larkspur learned that the Magic Affairs Institute’s authority was divided among five Education Selection Officers, whose factions and outside alliances kept them from exercising most of their formal powers. Zhe Helan explained that her faction served the Research Institute, leaving Larkspur to confront an Institute widely regarded as a power vacuum.

• Zhe Helan explained that two Royal Court nobles served as deputy directors and five Flower Card magical girls held authority as Education Selection Officers.
• Zhe Helan said her faction liaised with the Research Institute and that the Institute’s authority had been carved up among outside interests.
• Larkspur asked what powers Zhe Helan’s faction could exercise, and Zhe Helan described its formal duties while admitting they were rarely carried out.
• Larkspur understood that competing factions and mutual obstruction had left the Magic Affairs Institute unable to get most affairs done.
• The chapter recounted how a corrupt six-sided spy exploited the Institute’s power vacuum, rose to the Strong Flower Stage, and was arrested before defecting.

Larkspur learned how the Magic Affairs Institute’s factions traded favors and why Emerald wanted her to take control. The chapter ended with Zhe Helan affirming that the Institute wanted its own Gem Scepter.

• Zhe Helan explained how factions used the Research Institute’s name and exchanged favors to advance proposals within the Magic Affairs Institute.
• Zhe Helan described the noble families’ influence over the Education Selection Office and explained why the vice directors stayed impartial.
• Emerald told Larkspur that she wanted her to become a Sapphire Scepter allied with the Research Institute, so the Magic Affairs Institute could function normally under its own Scepter.
• Larkspur pressed Zhe Helan for her true position, and Zhe Helan said that the Magic Affairs Institute wanted a Gem Scepter of its own.

Larkspur explained why she could not accept the Sapphire Scepter position, citing her exile and her need to pursue revenge. Zhe Helan and Emerald addressed her concerns, persuading her that the role could help her investigate Cherry Blossom’s death while still allowing her to leave the Kingdom.

• Larkspur told Zhe Helan that her exile and her plan to seek revenge prevented her from becoming the Sapphire Scepter, though she was now willing to work with the Royal Court to change the Kingdom.
• Zhe Helan said she and Emerald had plans to resolve Larkspur’s concerns and explained that the Sapphire Scepter did not need to remain at the Magic Affairs Institute to handle routine work.
• Emerald told Larkspur she could take subordinates and seek help when pursuing her revenge, rather than risking her life alone.
• Emerald revealed that the Investigation Institute had previously pursued Cherry Blossom’s case, but its investigation had ended with the claim that the murderer was already dead.
• Larkspur was persuaded that becoming the Sapphire Scepter could let her reopen the investigation into Cherry Blossom’s death, and she asked how her exile could be resolved.

Larkspur explained that she had fallen out with Her Majesty after the Garden Defense War because she suspected the magical girls’ sacrifices had served corrupt interests. When Her Majesty offered to make her Sapphire Scepter and a celebrated hero, Larkspur rejected the offer, leaving her return to the position dependent on resolving their conflict.

• Emerald said Her Majesty’s approval would be needed before Larkspur could become Scepter again, and Larkspur warned that their past conflict could prevent it.
• Larkspur recalled questioning whether the Magic Kingdom’s cause and the Garden Defense War had been used to advance the aims of bad people.
• Emerald defended the war’s victory, while Larkspur said she believed the magical girls’ noble faith might have been exploited.
• Larkspur described confronting Her Majesty with her doubts and feeling that the answers she received were either troubling or unrelated to her questions.
• Her Majesty offered Larkspur the title of Hero of the Garden Defense War and the position of master of the Magic Affairs Institute if she swore loyalty and became her Sapphire Scepter.
• Larkspur rejected the offer, saying the fallen and injured magical girls deserved the position more than she did.