Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 28: Meeting on a Narrow Road

Vol 2 Chapter 28: Meeting on a Narrow Road

“Tang Changpu?”

In the empty reception room, a faint electronic-mechanical voice came from the magic mirror in Veronica’s hand.

“Are you sure that’s the alias?”

Inside the mirror, a chubby plush doll was struggling to hold onto its own magic mirror with its paws as it confirmed with Veronica.

As for Veronica herself, she leaned against a tightly shut wooden door, gazing blankly at the mirror in her hand. She nodded, her sapphire-blue hair swaying slightly.

“Yes, I’m sure. Can you look her up? I can't confirm if the alias is real. Based on what she said, I suspect she’s from Claw Mark, but aside from some unverified claims, there’s no solid evidence yet.”

After leaving the dining table, Veronica had rushed straight into a vacant reception room next door, unable to suppress her Heartstone. She locked the door behind her and, unable to cancel her transformation, pulled out the magic mirror she kept on her and contacted Emerald.

There was no other reason—currently, in Fangting City, only Emerald could handle a matter like this.

She didn’t know what level of strength this self-proclaimed “Tang Changpu” held—this Magical Girl suspected to be from Claw Mark—but she was very clear about her own capabilities. Even if Sparrow came at her again, she wouldn't fare well, let alone against someone clearly stronger than Sparrow.

“Let me check... hang on a bit, I need my assistant to reach out to someone in the Court of Magic.”

Emerald’s voice was a little faint—likely because her real body was still busy somewhere in The Kingdom—but she still emphasized the word “friend.”

“Might take two or three minutes.”

“Okay.” Veronica nodded blankly. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Still a long way from troublesome.”

The plush figure in the mirror waved a paw.

“But seriously, what happened over there? A Magical Girl from Claw Mark directly infiltrating the Countermeasure Bureau isn’t something you hear every day. As far as I know, White Wolf and her crew usually avoid interacting with civilians.”

Veronica hesitated for a long moment, but eventually decided to tell her the totally made-up reason—that Tang Changpu had been arrested in public for dining and dashing.

“That’s just what I’ve heard so far. The facts still need to be confirmed.”

“It does sound a bit ridiculous... but not entirely impossible.”

Emerald remained calm, not even questioning Veronica’s story. She even started analyzing it seriously.

“Most Magical Girls in the Material World are familiar with human cities, but the native-born or long-term residents of The Kingdom have no clue. One of my researchers even got lost in the Material World once. Took us half a month to find her, and by then she’d been living rough the whole time.”

“Is there really no problem with people from your Kingdom?”

“I keep telling you, you should say our Kingdom! Show some team spirit, young one.”

Emerald sighed, full of elder wisdom.

“You see, this is what happens when you don’t listen to your seniors. I’ve told you time and time again to get treatment early, but you just kept doubting and putting it off. Now that something’s actually happened, you come crawling to me for help. Don’t you think it’s time to reconsider the deal I offered?”

“I’ll think about it after this.” Veronica replied flatly. “So, did you find anything on her?”

“Hold on, not yet... ah, wait, found it. Tang Changpu.”

Halfway through, Emerald suddenly corrected herself. A flipping sound followed as she began reading.

“Hm... she’s real.”

“She’s not an impostor?” Veronica asked.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

Emerald’s voice slowed slightly as she scanned the records.

“According to what I found, ‘Tang Changpu’ was indeed a Magical Girl who defected with White Wolf over a decade ago. She used to be an Arbiter in the Court of Finance—and a Flower Card, no less. She’s also known to have been acquainted with White Wolf early on.”

“...So she wasn’t lying?” Veronica was confused.

“Not everyone’s as calculating as you, you little gremlin.”

The plush figure in the mirror shook its head.

“Magical Girls are the embodiment of purity and goodness. That applies to both young girls and to dignified seniors like me. Even among defectors, there are plenty of pure-hearted ones.”

Any last trace of emotion drained from Veronica’s already expressionless face.

“I believe you, Your Excellency Chief.”

She nodded.

“Putting aside some more debatable issues, this means that the person who came to Fangting City is likely a defected Magical Girl with Flower Card-level combat strength and considerable battle experience.”

“In other words, someone who is at least as strong as Moth, if not stronger. The entire Magical Girl Squad in Fangting likely wouldn’t stand a chance against her. If she has any intentions beyond just showing up... there’s no one here who could stop her.”

“So, Your Excellency Chief, what do you think a Magical Girl from Claw Mark would want, showing up in Fangting City at this specific time?”

She claimed to be looking for Chrysoberyl. But even if she was, there had to be a deeper motive—something that required Chrysoberyl’s presence to fulfill. Based on Veronica’s own guess, the real target was likely...

“The Beast Core, right?”

Emerald agreed.

“Exactly. If I could think of it, there’s no way White Wolf couldn’t. She defected over two Beast Cores—why wouldn’t she want the one in your possession?”

“I probably can’t protect it from a fully-armed Flower Card-level opponent.”

Veronica stated calmly.

“If she uses force—or even threatens Fangting City’s safety—I’ll need your help.”

“My help? You mean you want me to fight Tang Changpu? Sorry, my real body’s still in The Kingdom. I can’t get to Fangting.”

The plush in the mirror shook its paw.

“This projection doesn’t have any combat ability either. Forget Flower Cards—even your juniors could beat it easily.”

It sounded completely incapable. But Veronica didn’t respond—she just kept staring silently at the mirror.

After a few seconds, the plush seemed to be waiting for something. Seeing that Veronica said nothing, it sighed in boredom.

“You really are an unlovable junior. Can’t even throw me a line in moments like this?”

“So?” Veronica tilted her head. “Do you have any ideas?”

“You’re really that sure I’ll help you?” Emerald found that a bit odd.

“What if I actually don’t have a way? This doesn’t concern me, technically.”

Veronica let out a quiet sigh.

“I don’t think someone with a Jewel Scepter should be saying things like ‘a traitor attacking a city has nothing to do with me.’”

“From a Magical Girl morality perspective, sure.” Emerald countered.

“But I’m still a Jewel Scepter. Even with a noble heart, I have to consider big-picture interests.”

“And from a practical standpoint, you wouldn’t want someone else to lay hands on the Beast Core either.”

Veronica kept her tone composed.

“You came to Fangting specifically to build a research facility. That means you intended to study the Beast Core here. Even if our deal goes through and I hand it over, you still have to worry about someone taking it from you.”

“Mm... can’t argue with that. Your logic’s solid. You’re sharper than you look, junior.”

The plush figure first adopted a thoughtful posture, then gave an approving nod.

“Alright, I’ll tell you this much—you don’t need to worry. Even if that is the real ‘Tang Changpu,’ there’s going to be...”

—Bang!

Before Emerald could finish, a heavy impact slammed into the wooden door behind Veronica.

The door flew open, and Veronica—who had been leaning on it—was thrown to the floor. Her magic mirror slipped from her hand, skidding several meters away. All that remained was Emerald’s confused voice calling from the mirror.

Veronica braced herself on the ground and looked toward the door—only to see the self-proclaimed “Tang Changpu” already inside, eyeing her with amusement.

“Ha! I knew it—my senses never lie. You’re a Magical Girl!”

She still held the wine glass from the dining table, her cheeks flushed with drunken color.

“Semi, you lost the bet!”

“She really is a Magical Girl?”

The Black Cat Fairy floated out from behind her, staring at Veronica with suspicion.

“She is... but weird. I couldn’t sense a thing.”

“I told you, your Fairy senses are way too limited.”

The girl smiled with confidence.

“In this area, I’m way more professional than you guys.”

“You’re a Magical Girl from Fangting City? What are you doing here?”

But Semi didn’t follow her lead. Its body tensed as it looked toward Veronica.

“Did that man from earlier tip you off?”

At the dining table, Yuan had suddenly said she sensed Magical Girl magic and walked straight toward this room. Semi thought it was reckless but followed anyway. Now inside, it still wasn’t sure—was this Fangting Magical Girl friendly or hostile? Did she know they were from Claw Mark?

Honestly, Semi didn’t want to solve this through violence.

It still feared Chrysoberyl had immense power, and clashing head-on would ruin everything. To Semi, fighting was far riskier than negotiating. Unless they ran out of options, battle shouldn’t even be on the table.

That’s why it tried to talk first—to confirm whether they’d been exposed.

“I received a report of an unidentified Magical Girl entering Fangting.”

Veronica avoided mentioning Lin Yun, keeping her explanation vague.

“So I came to confirm your identity and intentions.”

“Confirm identity?”

Semi’s ears perked slightly but soon relaxed.

“What do you want to know?”

“Your aliases, badge ID numbers, rank, and mission.”

Just like Semi had feared, Veronica also chose to de-escalate. She pretended not to know they were from Claw Mark, giving them a chance to talk.

“I apologize if it seems rude, but I need to verify you’re really Magical Girls from The Kingdom.”

Her attitude puzzled Semi.

It had prepared for a fight—fully expecting to be exposed. But Veronica’s tone made it seem like she hadn’t confirmed their identity yet, which left room for maneuvering.

Maybe they could keep talking?

That’s what Semi thought—just as it was about to continue, Yuan raised a hand to stop it.

—“No need to keep pretending, little girl.”

Her expression was flushed, but her voice was firm as she smiled and shook her head.

“I heard you mention ‘Beast Core’ behind that door. So clearly, you know why we’re here, don’t you?”

“Huh?” Semi looked at her, stunned.

Veronica’s indifferent expression grew tenser.

“In that case, no need to hide it. Yes, we’re from Claw Mark. We’re here to retrieve the Beast Core Chrysoberyl has—and take care of a few other tasks along the way.”

Yuan took another sip of wine.

“You’re a Magical Girl from Fangting, right? Then you must know where Chrysoberyl is?”

“...So your target really is the Beast Core.”

Now that her bluff had been seen through, Veronica stopped pretending. She stepped back a few paces, picked up the magic mirror from the ground, and tucked it into her sleeve. Her loose-fitting dress coat acted like a hidden pouch, hiding the mirror without any visible bulge.

She finished this, then cautiously eyed the pair before her.

“What do you want it for?”

“You wanna know?”

Yuan’s breath smelled of alcohol as she stepped closer. She was nearly a head taller than Veronica, and the height difference created a palpable pressure.

“Then answer my question first. Do you know Chrysoberyl? Do you know where she is?”

Veronica looked up, meeting her gaze without fear.

“I have no obligation to answer your question—”

But before she could finish, a chill ran down her spine. Her instincts screamed danger.

Clang!

With no time to think, Veronica instinctively activated her Magical Armor. Threads twisted into a shield behind her just in time to block the surprise attack.

But that was all it did—block. She didn’t even get a look at the attacker.

And what was worse—after using her armor, she realized things were about to go downhill. Yuan had seen the threads and now wore a knowing smile.

“...I had a hunch, but now I’m sure after testing your skills.”

She gently set her wine glass aside, the drunken flush fading from her face.

“Chrysoberyl.”