Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 29: Crisis

Vol 2 Chapter 29 Crisis

The moment her identity as "Chrysoberyl" was called out, Veronica pursed her lips slightly and chose not to respond to the provocation.

She didn’t confirm or deny it, nor did she show any desire to continue the conversation. Instead, she adjusted her stance slightly and faced the Magical Girl before her with full vigilance.

Compared to those superficial things, what truly concerned her was the strength the other party had just displayed. The attack had been too fast and far too subtle.

There had been almost no detectable fluctuation of magic at all. Had Veronica not reacted in time, even that probing strike could have left an ordinary Magical Girl reeling.

Since the other side had chosen to attack, that alone placed their hostility on full display. Conversation and trickery were now meaningless. What remained was a direct contest of strength.

But Veronica knew her own situation well: she couldn’t win.

She didn’t believe that Claw Mark would send someone underpowered to retrieve the Beast Core. The Magical Girl standing before her, who called herself “Gladiolus,” was once a Flower Card—her current combat strength was surely no less than that of any Flower Card.

A Flower Card meant the ability to wield a Domain and Rules.

Right now, she had completely lost the ability to activate a Domain normally. If they entered a Rule-based battle, she’d be at a huge disadvantage.

To even the playing field, she had one final, desperate option: destroy the last form of Weaving Fate, her Magical Armor, and overdraw the power of her threads.

But even she knew—that wasn’t viable.

A Magical Armor is deeply tied to a Magical Girl’s True Form. If it were destroyed completely, no one could predict what would become of her. Best-case scenario, her Magic Source would vanish, and she’d lose all use of magic. Worst case… she’d be left in a vegetative state. Or die.

It wasn’t a risk she could afford to take.

Sure, it might defeat or even kill the enemy, but she would suffer equally—if not more. A move like that would do more harm than good. It wouldn’t even qualify as “winning.”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me I guessed wrong?”

Yuan tilted her head, setting down her wine glass. A puff of white mist escaped her breath, and the flush on her cheeks had faded somewhat. “You seem to be thinking about something... pretty dangerous. So let me just clarify something up front: we’re not here to fight to the death, you know?”

“Let’s set aside the Beast Core for now. I wasn’t lying earlier—if you really are Chrysoberyl, then our leader would sincerely welcome you to join us.”

“After all, I can sense your magic flow. You’re in pretty bad shape, aren’t you?”

As she spoke, Yuan’s eyes slowly narrowed. Her pitch-black pupils abruptly transformed into a pair of black-and-white double pupils. “Your True Form, Magic Source, and Heartstone—they’re all misaligned. It’s like a bucket with a hole in it, constantly leaking magic. For a normal Magical Girl to end up like this, she’d already be halfway to death.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, but you really don’t need to worry about me,” Veronica replied coolly. “If your advice is just to switch sides, I have no intention of turning into a Ravager.”

She didn’t believe Claw Mark’s tech could heal her injuries. Even Emerald, the top researcher of the Investigation Bureau, could only promise partial stabilization. What right did Claw Mark have to claim more advanced tech than the Bureau?

And even if it were possible, it would require betraying the Magic Kingdom—something she could never accept.

From a practical standpoint, she still held reassignment rights over Lin Xiaolu and the others. That authority was hard-won, seized through a slip by Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye. Staying a Magical Girl was the only way to maintain control and keep the girls from being dragged into the Kingdom’s power struggles. If she joined Claw Mark, those rights would become meaningless—and then how could she protect them?

Especially with someone like Bai Jingxuan among the juniors—a Magical Girl with such unusual circumstances. Veronica had just decided to guide her down the right path. If she defected now, what right would she have to teach that child?

And morally speaking, joining a notorious group like Claw Mark wasn’t even on the table.

Sure, they weren’t as depraved as Black Cinders Dawn, but they were still traitors to the Kingdom. They’d committed more than their share of crimes—definitely not the good guys.

So, her only real option... was to stall.

She was outclassed in a direct fight. Running wasn’t an option either—this was her turf, and her three juniors were still in the city. She couldn’t run from that. So all she could do was buy time.

And the reason for that delay: wait for Emerald’s backup.

Back when the magic mirror call was cut off, Emerald had clearly been about to say something. That meant she likely had a countermeasure in mind. Veronica had already reported the situation in the Countermeasure Bureau. If Emerald detected the enemy’s move, she would surely act.

Until then, Veronica’s job was to keep the fight from escalating—hold the battlefield in place and wait for reinforcements.

And so, the stalling game began.

She adopted a vague, half-skeptical, half-curious demeanor—keeping Yuan suspended between attacking and waiting.

Every time she turned down an offer, she made sure to leave some ambiguity, giving the other side something to keep talking about. She maintained the illusion of being reluctant, perhaps even tempted—giving off just enough hope for a “peaceful conversion.”

When Yuan mentioned her injury, she talked about pride. When the invitation was framed as a secret defection, she conveniently ignored the slight benefits that might have come from it. And whenever the pros were laid out, she responded with flimsy, easily countered rebuttals.

Back and forth they went, and surprisingly, Yuan got more and more talkative. What started as a standoff had somehow turned into a full-blown sales pitch about “the benefits of joining Claw Mark.” Veronica, meanwhile, spoke less and less. By the end, it even looked like they were old friends catching up—shoulder to shoulder, just as Yuan had boasted.

Time slipped away in the haze of conversation. Veronica even had the spare brainpower to secretly tap her phone a few times, sending alerts to the three juniors: “Dangerous enemy present. Do not engage.”

But delaying had its price.

Maybe it was the alcohol. Or maybe the coercive, persuasive vibe of the conversation just naturally gave off weird signals. After a few more rounds of stalling, Veronica realized the dynamic was starting to... shift.

Yuan, being the older one, was clearly starting to treat her like a child. The conversation shifted from “recruitment” to something more like a grown-up trying to coax a naïve kid into coming along.

If things kept going like this, the stalling might last all afternoon—but not everyone could be manipulated by Veronica’s tactics.

“Wait a minute. Yuan, did you say Chrysoberyl’s condition is really bad?”

Semi suddenly cut in. “So she can’t really fight right now?”

“Hm? Oh, for sure.” Now rather comfortable, Yuan even reached out to pat Veronica’s head. “Even from here, I can feel the wild surge of her magic. She has almost no control left. I doubt she can use more than a tenth of her strength.”

“Then why are you wasting time talking?!”

Semi pointed at Veronica. “She has the Beast Core. She’s right here. Why not just capture her? Bring her and the core back, and the mission’s basically done!”

“You’re not wrong,” Yuan nodded thoughtfully. “But I don’t really like fighting the injured. You know the saying—‘a tiger down on its luck shouldn’t be bullied by dogs.’ It feels meaningless to defeat a strong opponent when they’re weak.”

“Oh come on! Not with this fairness obsession again!” Semi groaned. “Once we bring her back, the Leader can fix her Magic Source, and then you can have a fair fight!”

“…Wait, that’s an option?” Yuan blinked, then turned to Veronica. “You hear that? That’s what it’s suggesting.”

Veronica looked at Yuan, then at Semi, and for the first time... felt a chill down her spine.

If Yuan had been half-suspicious and half-curious before, now there was only one thing in her gaze: predation.

Like a wolf staring at a rabbit.

She probably didn’t mean to eat her or anything, but if she got taken back to Claw Mark’s leader, it wouldn’t end well.

Should she try to run?

The thought crossed her mind—but before she could act, Yuan had already slipped an arm around her shoulder, smiling.

“—Alright then, shall we go?”

“…I’m not entirely convinced about your ideology yet,” Veronica said coldly, forcing composure despite the icy fear crawling up her spine. “We might need to talk a bit more.”

“No worries. We’ve got a long road ahead of us. Plenty of time to chat.”

Yuan grinned, and from who-knows-where, produced a pair of handcuffs. “But just in case, I’ll need to restrain you a little. Can’t risk you causing trouble in the Wasteland.”

Veronica recognized them immediately—the same handcuffs Yuan had worn in the interrogation room. Who knew when she’d swiped them? Not a single Countermeasure Bureau staffer had noticed.

She fell silent again.

The cuffs weren’t a real threat on their own, but the magic suppression spell inscribed on them wasn’t fake. If Yuan knew how to modify them, and she likely did, Veronica could end up completely powerless if they went on.

But refusing would trigger a fight.

And if that happened, she’d lose. Whether it was capture or defeat, the result would be the same.

So... what to do?

Her mind raced—rapid-fire planning, rejection, calculation. But when you’re this outmatched, every plan seems futile.

“Returning to the Kingdom will restore your strength.” That had been Emerald’s proposal. Reasonable at the time. But who could’ve predicted that, less than a month after the Moon Festival, an enemy on par with Moth—or maybe stronger—would show up in Fangting City?

Even if she still had her scissors intact, Veronica wasn’t confident in her odds. And now, injured, she had no chance.

She tilted her head slightly to meet those black-and-white eyes—and felt her heart sink. Her clenched hand slowly loosened. It was almost rising, as if surrendering.

CRASH!

Suddenly, glass shattered violently at the guest room window.

—“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

A fierce wind from the upper floors swept in, and with it, a figure streaked into the room at blinding speed.

Streaks of purple-red magic shot from the figure’s hands, lashing toward Yuan. Calmly, Yuan raised her hand to block, only to find her simple spell utterly ineffective. The barrier shattered instantly.

Her eyes narrowed as the magic around her thickened into a strange pool of silvery liquid. Only then did she manage to stop the attack.

In the same breath, the intruding figure grabbed Veronica by the back of the knees and neck, whisking her to the other side of the room.

Bathed in flickering violet-red light, Veronica looked up—and saw a face that was both familiar and strangely unfamiliar.

It was someone she’d seen not long ago. But this face looked younger, less mature.

A pale face, tinged with determination. Twin ponytails hung on either side of her neck, framing soft but resolute purple-red eyes beneath neat bangs. Her expression was meek, but as she held Veronica firmly, she didn’t budge an inch. Her fighting spirit radiated out so intensely, it made her slim frame seem towering.

“You’re safe now.”

She lowered her gaze and gave Veronica a bright smile, then spoke words only they could understand:

“Because the Magical Girl has arrived!”

—“Magical Girl, Badge ID No. 41422. Morning Glory. Protection mission—begin!”