Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl -
Book 2: Chapter 105: Border Inspection Station
Vol 2 Chapter 105 Border Inspection Station
The Magic Kingdom, Luen Noray Border Inspection Station.
This was the final stop for anyone entering the Kingdom through the Gate, and also the first checkpoint on every traveler’s journey inside. That’s why the Kingdom set up an inspection bureau here—to serve as the last layer of screening.
Of course, after passing both the Kingdom Express and the Gate's guards, very few lawbreakers could actually make it here. So, the inspection station had another purpose—to provide guidance to newcomers, making sure they didn’t lose their way upon arrival.
Standing at the entrance, Lin Xiaolu felt completely out of place.
The towering arches, grand halls, luxurious décor, and gilded walls were all way too extravagant. It felt so fancy she didn’t even dare to take a step, afraid she'd accidentally break some rule. All she could do was stand frozen at the Gate.
Besides, judging from their arrival time, Veronica should be stepping out of the Gate any minute now.
“She’s so slow.” Glancing at the time on her phone screen, she mumbled, “It’s been almost ten minutes. Did we really take this long when we came through? Don’t tell me something happened to her…”
“She should be fine, right? Didn’t Xiaoxuan say the guards already let her through?”
Next to her, Xia Liang also looked puzzled. “Could it be something went wrong inside the passage?”But none of them had the answer.
“I… I’ll go check the other side of the Gate.” After waiting a little longer and still seeing no sign of Veronica, Bai Jingxuan made the suggestion.
As she stepped forward, Xia Liang quickly grabbed her arm.
“Wait, wait! That’s not your bedroom door—you can’t just waltz in there.”
She gave a sheepish laugh and tried to reason with her. “It’s too dangerous. Don’t do anything rash.”
“But… Teacher, she…” Bai Jingxuan turned her head and started to speak, then stopped midway and corrected herself. “Maybe it’s because of me…”
“Even if it is, you still can’t just run into the Gate.”
Xia Liang sighed. “Let’s wait a bit longer. If nothing changes, we’ll ask someone.”
So the group waited another five minutes.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected happened. The Gate in front of them suddenly flickered, and a figure appeared at the entrance.
Once they confirmed it was Veronica stepping through, the younger girls finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Teacher!” Bai Jingxuan, who had been staring at the Gate the whole time, was the first to rush over.
“You’re okay?” Lin Xiaolu followed a beat later.
“Took longer than expected to get here. Did something happen?” Xia Liang didn’t react as strongly as the others, but she still approached with concern. “Xiaoxuan said she was held up by the guards at the entrance. Was it them?”
“…It wasn’t the guards. I just ran into a small issue while crossing the Bridge. It’s been resolved.”
Veronica gave a half-truthful explanation and stepped forward. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Now that everyone’s here, let’s get our entry paperwork done.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Lin Xiaolu still looked worried. “You don’t look too great…”
“I burned through a lot of magic.”
Veronica let out a tired-sounding sigh. “There was a spatial link fluctuation at the Bridge. I could’ve just waited it out, but I wanted to get here sooner, so I used magic to stabilize it.”
The so-called “spatial link fluctuation” was a rare issue at the Bridge—when the connection to the Kingdom on the other side was lost and the door couldn’t open. But the Kingdom had long since developed protocols to deal with it, so there had never been casualties.
Of course, that wasn’t why she had actually spent ten extra minutes on the Bridge, but it was a perfect excuse.
“Spatial link fluctuation?” Lin Xiaolu blinked, looking confused.
Sure enough, the unfamiliar term immediately caught the attention of the others.
Once Veronica gave a rough explanation and described the situation vaguely, the girls bought it and didn’t question further.
But with that concern put to rest, another question surfaced—one that had been lingering in everyone’s mind and was finally voiced by Xia Liang:
“Hmm… It’s good that it wasn’t the guards, but, about what you said on the way over…?”
“What I said?” Veronica was puzzled.
“Yeah, about those two guards. You said not to look or ask too much—sounded like some kind of ghost story.”
Now more relaxed, Lin Xiaolu joined in. “And I only got a quick glance, but I swear I saw something like wings on their backs… and antennae on their heads? What are they?”
This time, Veronica actually paused.
Unlike her story about the Bridge, she couldn’t really brush this off. As much as she didn’t want to tell the truth, it looked like she’d have to.
Was now the right time to tell them?
After a quick moment of thought, weighing the pros and cons, Veronica finally spoke, keeping it short:
“They’re fairies.”
She raised a finger to her lips in a hush gesture right as the expected reactions burst out.
“Eh!?”
“Huh?”
“Seriously?”
Just as she’d anticipated, the girls’ exclamations came one after another. Luckily, her gesture came early, so they quickly remembered they were in public. After a brief commotion, they quieted down—though that didn’t mean their curiosity was satisfied.
Veronica knew that too, so she offered a little more:
“As you saw, there are fairies in the Kingdom who look almost human. But they’re rare and incredibly secretive. Even within the Kingdom, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see one in that form.”
“But we saw two guarding the Gate…” Lin Xiaolu pressed.
“The Gate is an exception. A very rare one. It’s important enough to warrant fairy guards.”
Veronica lowered her voice. “Besides the Gate, the only other place you might see humanoid fairies is the Royal Court. You don’t need to worry too much—just know they exist.”
“Fairies that look like humans… Are they powerful?”
Bai Jingxuan, thinking back to being stopped by the guards, asked a question only she would think of.
“That’s…”
Veronica considered for a moment. “If I had to give an answer—yes, very powerful.”
The girls fell silent, processing that answer.
After all, most fairies they’d encountered before—aside from Semi from Claw Mark—had no combat ability. “Cute” or “charming” fit far better than “strong.”
As they walked down a long corridor, they finally arrived at the final immigration checkpoint.
Compared to the prior inspections—on the train and at the Gate—this one was much more relaxed. Travelers just needed to show their ID, chat a bit with the inspector, give a brief account of their situation, and they’d be cleared to enter. If a traveler was uncertain about where to go next, the inspector would even help guide them.
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“Name?”
“Alias: Gentian.”
“Magical Girl?”
“Yes.”
“Purpose of return to the Kingdom?”
“Certification.”
“Any violation records?”
“None.”
The inspector—an older man—chatted casually with Veronica as he scribbled on the form in front of him. After jotting down the last note, he set the form aside and handed her ID back.
“All right, you’re cleared. Welcome back to the Magic Kingdom, Miss Gentian. One reminder: if you’re entering a No-Magic Zone, please wear this wristband.”
He lifted the ID slightly, revealing a silver bracelet beneath it.
Veronica nodded and took both the bracelet and her ID, inspecting the band for a few seconds before holding it up and asking,
“What does this do?”
She was only pretending not to know. As “Gentian,” she had to ask. But the truth was, she’d known for years—this type of band had existed for over two decades. It was a Magic Indicator Wristband.
By Luen Noray law, when Magical Girls or Magicians entered the city’s No-Magic Zone, they had to wear one. The bracelet would suppress their magic flow and prevent magic release. If someone used magic or entered without wearing one, it would trigger an alarm and notify the city guard.
Anyone who felt this infringed on their privacy was free to simply avoid the No-Magic Zone.
So, what exactly was a No-Magic Zone? Simply put, it was an administrative district in Luen Noray.
As one of the Kingdom’s core cities and home to the Court of Research, Luen Noray saw a constant flood of people.
There were schools backed by the Court, scholars conducting studies, Magical Girls and Magicians here for training, ordinary folks working in related industries, and waves of tourists from across the Kingdom and the Material World.
With a permanent population in the millions and a transient population in the tens of millions, Luen Noray was enormous.
To manage this scale, the city was divided into four major districts:
No-Magic Zone – the largest by land area. As the name implied, most spells were prohibited here. Magic release was heavily restricted, and everyone—Magical Girls and Magicians alike—had to abide by ordinary human laws. This was the heart of civilian life, including homes, markets, shops, inns, taverns, etc. Limiting magic ensured safety for the general public.
Academy Zone – home to many foundational magic schools for those with talent aiming to become magicians. But the real reason this zone had its own district? Two world-renowned institutions:
Tigalor, the Kingdom’s largest research university, trained elite spell scholars and magic engineers. Some graduates even joined the Court of Research as full members.
Silver Gallery, the Magical Girl training school, for children identified before age ten as potential Magical Girls. They’d undergo three years of training before their “Blooming.”
These two schools were the core of the Academy Zone.
Emerald District – named after the Jewel Scepter, this district floated above the city. Reserved exclusively for Magical Girls, fairies, and magicians, it was much smaller but lush and peaceful. The perfect place for a vacation.
Emerald Library – virtually nothing was publicly known about this zone, other than it being home to the Court of Research. Anyone caught trying to sneak in was never seen again—or came back “five years old” after five years, depending on whom you asked.
Even Magical Girls couldn’t enter without a Flower Card ID or direct affiliation with the Court. Others would be turned away—or arrested for trespassing.
These four districts defined the structure of Luen Noray.
Education, research, shopping, and vacation—these were the city’s core themes.
“So basically, we’re supposed to head to the Emerald District and find a place to stay?”
“Shouldn’t we check in at the Academy Zone first for the certification?”
“I’m hungry…”
As dusk fell in the No-Magic Zone, the girls stood near a wooden map board outside the border station, already deep in debate.
It took them several minutes just to understand the map, and several more to figure out their destination—but even then, they couldn’t agree.
Naturally, when a group can’t agree, the next step is to ask the authority figure. So Lin Xiaolu turned to Veronica.
“Ver—err, Gentian! Where should we go now?”
The question pulled Veronica back to reality.
She blinked, shook her head to clear her thoughts, and answered as calmly as ever,
“Let’s head to the place we’re staying first. It’s getting late, and carrying all this luggage around isn’t practical. You can check in a few days from now.”
“Yay!”
Lin Xiaolu jumped on the spot, then turned to Xia Liang smugly.
“Well? Aren’t you excited to finally see the Kingdom? Is it castles and fairy tales? Steam and towers? Or cake carpets and chocolate rivers? Ah… my long-lost magical homeland…”
As she melted into her fantasy, Xia Liang ignored her and kept fiddling with something on the wooden board.
Feeling a bit neglected, Lin Xiaolu pouted and walked over to look at the map too.
“Anything else on here?”
“Scan for the full map.”
Xia Liang pointed to a tiny icon on the side of the board.
“Scan? Huh? What do you mean?”
Lin Xiaolu blinked. “Are you joking? There's signal here?”
“…I tried it. Full bars.”
Xia Liang chuckled, flashing her phone screen.
Lin Xiaolu stared at her phone. The signal bars glowed at full strength.
She slowly looked back at Veronica.
“Of course there’s signal.”
Veronica looked at them like they were being ridiculous. “This is the Magic Kingdom, not some wasteland.”
“But—but it’s a magic kingdom… Shouldn’t people use something more whimsical? Like messenger owls or talking snail phones…?” Lin Xiaolu hesitantly gestured in the air. “And I thought Magical Girls used Magic Mirrors to communicate?”
“Magic Mirrors need magic. Phones don’t.”
Veronica pointed to her phone. “Besides, the Material World’s communication systems were built using tech from the Kingdom. Why wouldn’t the Kingdom use its own inventions?”
“Oh, right.”
Xia Liang was already over it and opened a map app. “Wow, this even works with regular apps? You can zoom in, check transit routes…”
Lin Xiaolu clutched her ears.
But Xia Liang kept scrolling. “Wait, this map covers the whole Kingdom? You can even look up Domlia?”
“Stop! Stop ruining my image of the Kingdom!”
Lin Xiaolu squatted down. “This isn’t how it looked on TV at all! My magical dream Kingdom isn’t like this!”
“Don’t be so stiff. Look—this ad says there’s a Fairy Forest theme park nearby, and online tickets are 10% off…”
Xia Liang’s eyes glinted as she leaned over with her phone.
“Back off! Don’t shove your phone in my face!” Lin Xiaolu retreated.
“There’s also this influencer fairy tea shop. Check-in, upload a photo, second drink half-off. Only 300 meters from us…”
“I’m not listening! Stop talking!!”
The two girls chased each other around, one coaxing, the other resisting, until Veronica finally stepped in before they ran off entirely.
“All right, if everything’s set, let’s go.”
She waved them over, one arm supporting a visibly exhausted Bai Jingxuan. “The car we booked is here. The driver’s waiting, and says there’ll be a fee if we’re late… Huh? What’s wrong with White Rose?”
“Nothing.”
Xia Liang caught Lin Xiaolu, who had collapsed dramatically at the mention of “extra charges.” “She’s probably just too excited and ran out of steam.”
“That can happen?”
Veronica tilted her head but didn’t press the issue. “Then let’s help her into the car. But White Rose, you really should pace yourself. Getting excited is fine, but don’t burn out before the fun starts.”
“…Okay.”
Lin Xiaolu’s reply sounded like a frozen fish pulled out of an ancient glacier.
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