Chapter Summaries

Larkspur confronted Moss over her betrayal and learned that Moss had completed a ritual to become a Molt-stage Aberrant Beast. As the transformed Beast Lord unleashed an invasion across Fangting City, it seized Larkspur’s magic and turned her own attack against her, piercing her in midair.

• Xia Liang and Moko explained that Cornflower was the name of the Sapphire gem on the Queen’s scepter, and that Larkspur would have taken the codename if she had become a Gem Scepter.
• Larkspur condemned Moss for sacrificing innocent lives, and Moss admitted that she no longer cared about anyone after her daughter died.
• Moss completed her ritual using an altar, Aberrant Beast flesh, and magical girls’ Heart Gems, then transformed into a gigantic Molt-stage moth.
• Aberrant Beasts spread through Fangting City as Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang defended Bai Jingxuan and Moko while retreating.
• The giant moth appeared above Lin Xiaolu, but Larkspur arrived and struck it with her Masterpiece.
• The moth erased Larkspur’s magic and redirected it at her, piercing her body with the Masterpiece.

Larkspur endured Moss’s attacks to protect Lin Xiaolu and the others, then deduced that Moss’s Rule let the person with the largest shadow control everyone else’s mana. She revealed that she could still unfold her Wonderland and summoned her damaged Magic Armament, Weave Destiny, to face Moss.

• Moss explained that Black Ash Dawn had used magical girl mana to cultivate an intelligent Aberrant Beast, and said Cherry Blossom’s death had supplied the mana needed for its latest experiment.
• Moss targeted Lin Xiaolu with mana spheres, and Larkspur repeatedly shielded her while Xia Liang’s Magic Armament shattered and injured her.
• Moss revealed that Larkspur had been her intended prey all along and that she planned to take Larkspur’s Mana Source to become King Molt.
• Larkspur deduced that Moss’s Rule made the person with the largest shadow take possession of everyone else’s mana, and pointed out the mana thread she had left behind Moss.
• Larkspur called forth her damaged Tailor’s Scissors and invoked her Magic Armament, Weave Destiny, as she prepared to fight Moss.

Larkspur used her Wonderland’s shared-fate Rule to strip the Aberrant Beasts of their bodies, saved Fangting City, and killed Moss after defeating her. As dawn came, Lin Xiaolu reached out to her, and Larkspur embraced her daughter and the other girls.

• Larkspur summoned her Wonderland over Fangting City and used its threads to restrain the Aberrant Beasts, while Moss’s Rule failed to affect the Wonderland.
• Larkspur used her scissors to cut away the Aberrant Beasts’ bodies through the shared-fate Rule, restoring transformed humans and destroying the true Aberrant Beasts.
• Larkspur’s scissors shattered as the cost of using her Magic Armament against a Rule, and she defeated Moss in a hand-to-hand fight before killing her with Masterpiece.
• Moss suggested that Larkspur would be consumed by hatred, and Larkspur questioned her about Anya’s death before Moss died without revealing who was involved.
• Lin Xiaolu, Bai Jingxuan, and Xia Liang approached Larkspur, and Lin Xiaolu took her bloody hand and asked her to go home.
• Larkspur accepted Lin Xiaolu’s hand and embraced her daughter and the other girls beneath the morning sunlight.

Margaret returned to Bai'an City and learned from Wood Lily that Inspector Larkspur had recently helped the city. Recognizing the description, Margaret became delighted and suggested that she and Wood Lily visit Fangting City.

• Margaret arrived in Bai'an City and visited the old music shop, where she woke Wood Lily.
• Margaret asked Wood Lily about recent events in Bai'an, and Wood Lily said Lantern had disappeared into an Aberrant Beast Nest before returning.
• Wood Lily recalled that an Inspector had come to help and identified her as Larkspur, a short girl with blue hair, blue clothes, and a large hat.
• Margaret recognized the Inspector as Larkspur and suggested that Wood Lily visit Fangting City with her.

Larkspur confronted Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye over the Investigation Institute's handling of the Fangting City disaster and negotiated for authority over three magical girls and information about Cherry Blossom's death. Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye revealed that the suspected killers were dead and Cherry Blossom's Heart Gem had been stolen again, then offered Larkspur the vacant director position at Fangting City's Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau.

• Larkspur accused Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye of concealing what the Investigation Institute knew about Black Ash Dawn's activities in Eastern Hua Prefecture.
• Larkspur demanded authority over White Rose, Little Brocade, and Bo Xue, and Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye agreed to arrange their transfer under Cornflower's authority.
• Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye told Larkspur that Black Ash Dawn members suspected of carrying Cherry Blossom's Heart Gem had been found dead in the Wasteland, while the Heart Gem had been stolen again.
• Larkspur rejected the conclusion that Cherry Blossom's killer was dead and said the investigation should focus on identifying whoever took the Heart Gem.
• Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye asked whether Larkspur wanted to become the director of Fangting City's vacant Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau position.

Hu Yan reflected on the writing and plot changes behind Volume One of Off-Duty Magic and previewed the Magic Kingdom-focused second volume. The author announced a four-day break before updates resumed the following Monday.

• Hu Yan described the scenes that inspired Volume One, including a middle-aged man transforming into a magical girl and Larkspur confronting Hong Siyu.
• Hu Yan explained that Hong Siyu was changed from a traitor into a controlled former teammate, while Moss became the true villain.
• After Larkspur encountered a Pupa Stage Aberrant Beast around Chapter 30, Hu Yan cut the parallel detective plot and shifted the story toward major events.
• Hu Yan previewed new characters, teammates, Gem Scepters, and Claw Marks in Volume Two, Cornflower at the Tower's Peak.
• Hu Yan announced a four-day break to adjust the writing schedule and refine the outline, with updates resuming next Monday.

Two weeks after the Full Moon Festival attack, Tian Sheng struggled to understand his strange moth dream and newfound Control Stage mana while working for the rebuilding Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau. Li Yingwei sent him to deliver the Third Squad’s combat records to the newly appointed director, and Tian Sheng entered the office after spotting a mana thread like the one from his dream.

• Tian Sheng remembered dreaming that he had become a moth and had been saved by a mysterious figure connected to him by glowing threads.
• Tian Sheng learned that his mana had unexpectedly risen to the Control Stage after the attack, and he continued to wonder whether his moth dream had been real.
• Li Yingwei invited Tian Sheng to lunch and told him that a new director appointed by Heavenly City headquarters would soon address the bureau.
• Li Yingwei persuaded Tian Sheng to deliver the Third Squad’s combat records to the director’s office in his place.
• Tian Sheng noticed a faint mana thread vanish at the director’s door, then entered and saw the stern middle-aged new director behind his desk.

On his first day as director of the Fangting City Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, Lin Yun questioned Tian Sheng about his unusual performance and forgotten memories, but an aftereffect forced him to transform into Larkspur and send Tian Sheng out. Lin Yun resumed work amid the bureau’s disorder and prepared to address its employees.

• Tian Sheng reported that his squad had found no Beast Shifters, and Lin Yun noted that none of the squads had encountered any.
• Lin Yun questioned Tian Sheng about his rapid growth in magic power, his moth dream, and his missing memories of the Black Ash Dawn attack.
• Lin Yun’s Heart Gem lost control, transforming him into Larkspur, and he used magic to send Tian Sheng from the office.
• Larkspur explained that the transformation was an aftereffect of overloading her damaged Magic Armament two weeks earlier.
• Lin Yun reviewed the bureau’s troubled state after Moss’s death and prepared to give his first speech to its employees.

Lin Yun exposed six Black Ash Dawn infiltrators during his first bureau-wide meeting and announced plans to equip the Special Operations Department with Magic Armaments. After leaving the meeting, he found a mysterious Fairy Doll waiting in his office.

• Lin Yun abandoned the dull work report and accused the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau of being compromised by traitors feeding information to Black Ash Dawn.
• Lin Yun confronted Pei Zhengchang with surveillance footage, and Pei Zhengchang attacked him before the Security Department took him away.
• Lin Yun exposed Lü Yan and four more suspected Black Ash Dawn infiltrators, who were captured as their colleagues turned against them.
• Lin Yun announced that the Special Operations Department would receive Magic Armaments and ordered the bureau to eliminate every Black Ash Dawn cell in Fangting City.
• After the meeting, Lin Yun returned to his office and found a green, lab-coated Fairy Doll sitting in his chair and greeting him.

Lin Yun confronted Emerald, the Research Institute’s Chief, who revealed that she wanted Moss’s Beast Source in exchange for further inventions and services. Emerald then explained that Lin Yun’s damaged Heart Gem and leaking magic power were weakening him and could eventually shorten his life.

• Lin Yun identified the Fairy Doll speaking to him as Emerald, the Research Institute’s Chief.
• Emerald said the Magic Armament, surveillance system, and treatment for Morning Glory were Research Institute products, then offered Lin Yun more inventions.
• Emerald asked to trade for the Beast Source left by Moss, but Lin Yun refused to hand it over without knowing how she would use it.
• Emerald described Lin Yun’s failing Heart Gem, weakening magic, unstable True Form, and the risk that his body would not survive the prolonged magic leakage.

Lin Yun learned that his Wonderland might be dormant rather than lost, and Emerald offered to repair his True Form and help him reclaim Flourishing Bloom in exchange for the Beast Source. Lin Yun withheld his agreement until he understood Emerald’s motives, while she proposed that he secretly enter the Magic Kingdom next year and asked him to find a site for her research institute in Fangting City.

• Emerald explained that Lin Yun’s lost magical power could not be restored, but his injuries could be healed and his remaining power rehabilitated so he might unfold his Wonderland and regain Flourishing Bloom.
• Emerald proposed that Lin Yun travel to the Magic Kingdom for surgery, but Lin Yun pointed out that he was forbidden from entering; she suggested creating a false magical-girl identity for him to use in next year’s certification exam.
• Emerald offered Lin Yun her share of the Magic Affairs Institute’s authority in exchange for his agreement, but Lin Yun asked what secrets the Beast Source held before accepting.
• Emerald said Lin Yun had five months to learn about her and consider the trade, and announced that she would establish a private research institute in Fangting City.
• Emerald asked Lin Yun, as Director, to find a suitable location for her research institute.

Lin Yun encountered Tian Sheng on the train after work and learned that Tian Sheng had recovered fragments of his memories from an Aberrant Beast attack at an orphanage. Tian Sheng believed he had seen a Magical Girl with green magic power, which might explain his strange dreams and sudden increase in strength.

• After seeing footage of Larkspur as Cornflower on Tian Sheng’s phone, Lin Yun quietly tried to avoid speaking with him at the station.
• Tian Sheng spotted Lin Yun, boarded the train with him, and asked why the director chose to commute by light rail.
• Tian Sheng told Lin Yun that he had reconsidered their earlier conversation about the orphanage and remembered encountering an Aberrant Beast there.
• Tian Sheng said he also remembered seeing a Magical Girl’s green magic power and suspected it was connected to his strange dreams and sudden growth in strength.

Larkspur wondered whether Bai Jingxuan’s rare healing magic was connected to Tian Sheng’s transformation, but decided to ask her later. The next day, Bai Jingxuan returned from the orphanage and stormed into the director’s office at the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau.

• Larkspur considered asking Emerald about Offsetters and Bai Jingxuan’s possible role in Tian Sheng’s changes.
• Lin Xiaolu told Larkspur that Luoming District had been quiet, as the three younger Magical Girls continued managing their assigned districts.
• Nini prepared dinner at the Secret Base while disciplining Moko, and Xia Liang said Bai Jingxuan had returned to the orphanage to look for something.
• Larkspur decided to wait until the following evening to ask Bai Jingxuan about Tian Sheng.
• The next day, Bai Jingxuan returned alone from the orphanage and barged into the director’s office at the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau.

Lin Yun screened Tian Sheng and the other Third Squad members for beastly mana, then met Bai Jingxuan, who had come to join the fight against Black Ash Dawn. After Bai Jingxuan revealed her desire for revenge, Lin Yun refused to let her take part and ordered Tian Sheng to escort her outside.

• Lin Yun sensed beastly mana within Tian Sheng while screening him and the other Third Squad members for Magic Armaments.
• Bai Jingxuan entered the director's office and asked to join the slaughter of Black Ash Dawn, citing Larkspur as her example.
• Tian Sheng supported Bai Jingxuan's desire to attack Black Ash Dawn, but Lin Yun argued that adults should keep children from bearing the burden of killing humans.
• Bai Jingxuan said she wanted revenge because Black Ash Dawn had caused her parents' deaths and killed Cherry Blossom Senior.
• Lin Yun refused to let Bai Jingxuan participate and told Tian Sheng to take her outside.

Lin Yun tried to stop Bai Jingxuan from joining Bureau operations to take revenge, urging her to consult her teacher, Larkspur. When Bai Jingxuan revealed that Moko, Xia Liang, and Lin Xiaolu had told her Lin Yun planned to marry Larkspur and might adopt her, Lin Yun abandoned his plan to reveal his identity and asked what else Lin Xiaolu had said.

• Lin Yun returned to his office and found Bai Jingxuan still waiting after Tian Sheng failed to persuade her to leave.
• Lin Yun refused to let Bai Jingxuan join operations unless she gave up her desire for revenge and told her to seek her teacher's advice.
• Bai Jingxuan argued that Lin Yun should let her avenge Cherry Blossom Senior, but he insisted he would not let her kill anyone.
• Lin Yun considered revealing that he was Larkspur so he could dissuade Bai Jingxuan as her teacher.
• Bai Jingxuan said Moko had told her Lin Yun and Larkspur might become a couple, then said Lin Xiaolu had told her they might adopt her.
• Lin Yun decided not to reveal his identity and asked Bai Jingxuan what else Lin Xiaolu had told her.

Lin Xiaolu reflected on her resistance to her father finding another partner and came to believe that her dead mother had appeared in a dream to approve of Larkspur becoming her stepmother.

• Lin Xiaolu recalled suspecting that her father and Larkspur had a secret relationship after seeing her father leave home and Larkspur arrive during the Full Moon Festival battle.
• Lin Xiaolu realized that she sensed her deceased mother, Anya, in Larkspur despite their very different personalities.
• Lin Xiaolu dreamed that Anya handed her to a woman with blue eyes who seemed to be Larkspur.
• Lin Xiaolu woke and concluded that Anya had visited her in the dream and approved of Larkspur becoming her stepmother.

Larkspur confronted Lin Xiaolu, Xia Liang, and Bai Jingxuan over their rumors, but Bai Jingxuan revealed that she had called Lin Yun “Dad” and told him about Lin Xiaolu’s theory. Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan then began calling Larkspur “Mom,” leaving her speechless as the chapter ended.

• Larkspur scolded Lin Xiaolu for deciding that she and Lin Yun were romantically involved, and reprimanded Xia Liang for encouraging the theory.
• Larkspur softened her response to Bai Jingxuan, while Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang protested the difference in treatment.
• When Xia Liang asked how Larkspur had learned about their conversations, Bai Jingxuan admitted that she had accidentally told her Dad.
• Bai Jingxuan explained that Lin Yun had accepted being called Dad, and Lin Xiaolu took this as evidence that Larkspur was meant to become her stepmother.
• Xia Liang suggested that Larkspur was not ready to become a mother, prompting Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan to call Larkspur “Mom” repeatedly.

Lin Yun struggled to handle Bai Jingxuan's belief that he was her father while trying to keep her from joining the purge. After Bai left with candy, an electronic female voice teased him by calling him “Dad,” and Lin Yun turned to confront the Chief.

• Lin Yun considered how to resolve his daughter's misunderstanding, Bai Jingxuan's adoption hopes, and her dangerous intentions without revealing that he was Larkspur.
• Bai Jingxuan called Lin Yun “Dad,” and he asked her to stop because they did not yet have a father-daughter relationship.
• Bai Jingxuan asked to join the purge, but Lin Yun refused and offered her candy to persuade her to go home.
• Bai Jingxuan accepted more candy for Sister Xiao Lu, said she would return the day after tomorrow, and left the office.
• The Chief called Lin Yun “Dad” in a teasing electronic voice, and Lin Yun told her to stop joking around.

Emerald drew Lin Yun to her newly completed research facility by revealing that Bai Jingxuan, codenamed Bo Xue, carried the scent of an Aberrant Beast. She explained that Bo Xue’s magic was innately aligned with beasts and that, had she not become a magical girl, she would have become a natural-born Beast Shifter.

• Emerald told Lin Yun that her private research facility was complete and invited him to visit.
• When Lin Yun asked about Bai Jingxuan, Emerald said the girl carried the scent of a beast and had unusual magic.
• Emerald agreed to explain Bo Xue’s magic in exchange for Lin Yun visiting the facility.
• Lin Yun notified the Bureau that he was leaving and went with Emerald.
• Emerald explained that Offsetters had shifted Magic Base-Color Attributes, giving them magical characteristics associated with more than one faction.
• Emerald said Bo Xue’s magic was innately inclined toward beasts and that she would have become a natural-born Beast Shifter if she had not become a magical girl.

Emerald brought Larkspur to her secret research institute and offered to use a treatment bed to stabilize the severe damage to her True Form. When Larkspur grew suspicious and tried to leave, Emerald began revealing that her real purpose involved the Beast Source and Claw Mark.

• Emerald showed Larkspur the hidden institute and explained that its treatment bed could help stabilize her injuries before repairs in the Kingdom next year.
• Larkspur agreed to test the treatment bed, but Emerald told her to remove all her clothes while the doll avatar watched.
• Larkspur became suspicious of Emerald’s motives and left the treatment bed, then challenged Emerald over the data she wanted to collect.
• Emerald admitted she had brought Larkspur there for another purpose and promised to explain why she needed the Beast Source.
• Larkspur refused to return without hearing something substantial, so Emerald offered to start by telling her about Claw Mark.