Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 134: A Warning

Vol 2 Chapter 134: A Warning

After finishing phone calls with the three juniors, Lin Yun lingered at the bar for a bit longer.

The drink recommended by the bartender was just what he needed—it didn’t make him feel tipsy; instead, its refreshing flavor actually cleared his head. The lingering sugary aftertaste from a day full of desserts also faded away with a few sips. Leaning back in his seat, he scrolled through his phone and replied to the last few work messages of the day before getting up to leave.

Before he left—though he wasn’t sure why—two young women, who looked pretty young but he couldn’t tell if they were Magical Girls, came over to strike up a conversation. Their words were a little too flirty for his taste. Lin Yun just gave them a few polite replies before making a swift exit.

He knew getting hit on in bars wasn’t unusual, but he had no interest in that kind of thing—and honestly, he shouldn’t be interested anyway.

Back at the alley near where he parked, Lin Yun stepped into the shadows and transformed.

On her way here, Veronica had already added the jacket Mohe gave her into the “casual wear mode” of the Gentian Gem, so when she activated the gem, she instantly returned to the same outfit she came in with.

But instead of heading back the way she came, she walked out through the other end of the alley, looping around to return to her parked car.

She knew there weren’t many surveillance cameras in the area, but it was still better to be cautious in case someone happened to be watching.

With her identity crisis narrowly avoided, Veronica got in the car, used her pre-registered magic signature to start it, and drove back to the Colorful Cloud Wetland.

Once back, the first thing she did was find Mohe to return the jacket. She also let her know where she’d parked, so Mohe wouldn’t have trouble locating the car later.

“Anyway, thank you so much. You really saved me today.”

Seeing Mohe accept the jacket, Veronica waved and said, “Well, I’ll head back now.”

“...Hey, wait a sec.”

But just as she was about to leave, Mohe called out, hesitating a bit.

“Something else?” Veronica stopped in her tracks.

“Yeah, it’s not that I need a favor, it’s just... I think there’s something you should know.”

Mohe tightened her grip around the folded jacket in her arms. “In about half a month, the annual assessment is happening.”

“That’s right,” Veronica nodded.

“But this year’s test will be different from before. And... there might be some serious danger involved.”

Mohe spoke in halting phrases, like every word took effort: “So if you know anyone planning to take the test... it’s best if they don’t. Or at least, be careful.”

“Danger?” Veronica furrowed her brows.

But before she could ask further, Mohe gave her a quick bow and rushed back into the cabin.

Judging by how quickly she left, that was probably the most she was willing—or able—to say.

Looking at the cabin, now once again shielded by barrier spells and impossible to see inside, Veronica stood there for a moment, deep in thought, then turned and left.

If the other party didn’t want to elaborate, there was no point in asking. And since it involved the upcoming assessment, she could discuss it with Emerald in a few days.

Asou Madoka had already mentioned to her that this year’s test would include a simulated large-scale Ravager disaster scenario, making it far more dangerous than in previous years.

Was that what Mohe was trying to warn her about?

For some reason, Veronica didn’t think so.

Judging by Mohe’s tone, the “danger” she referred to sounded more like unexpected interference—something going wrong—rather than the test itself being deadly.

If Mohe wasn’t lying, and Asou Madoka’s leaked info was also accurate, and considering this was a Queen’s Year when both the number and quality of test-takers were the highest in two decades...

Then it was likely that this year’s assessment would be a high-stakes gathering full of hidden threats and fierce competition.

Should she try to talk the juniors out of it and convince them to wait until next year?

That thought crossed Veronica’s mind again. Ever since Asou Madoka gave her the heads-up, she’d lost count of how many times she’d wrestled with that idea.

But when she’d brought it up with the three juniors earlier, they all seemed determined to face the challenge head-on. Now they’d even completed the check-in process. At this point, would they really back out just because she asked?

Besides, all she had were rumors. Asou Madoka’s info hadn’t been officially confirmed. Was it really worth asking them to skip the assessment based on unverified whispers? Wouldn’t that be overreacting?

Walking back while lost in thought, Veronica still hadn’t reached a conclusion, so she decided to shelve the issue for now.

There was another problem she had to deal with.

Lin Xiaolu probably hadn’t thought much about it when she bought it, but inside the Fangting City team’s vacation cottage... there was a candle that burned based on your birthday.

Yep—Veronica hadn’t forgotten that candle. Even if it hadn’t reacted through the screen earlier, it was still there.

She could’ve chosen to ignore it. After all, the candle might not light up. Based on how her father behaved when she was a child, her real birthday wasn’t actually February 14.

If the candle was only using some basic astrology spell to determine birthdays, then she’d probably be fine.

But what if it wasn’t just astrology?

Veronica knew full well how many bizarre functions a spell could have. Things like mind-reading, memory scans, or even historical recall—they all existed. These kinds of spells were high-level and complicated, and in theory, there was no way someone would use them on a birthday candle... but the thought still made her uneasy.

Maybe she should just let it go. If the candle lit up, it lit up. So what if the juniors found out her birthday? It shouldn’t immediately blow her cover, right?

She entertained that idea for all of two seconds before dismissing it. Even the tiniest slip-up could lead to a complete collapse later. If she kept leaving cracks in the story, eventually it would all fall apart.

She decided to deal with the candle with full force.

So when she returned to the cabin and saw the half-eaten cake sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by her juniors chatting nearby, her guard was already up.

“Ah, Veronica, you’re finally back! Took you long enough!”

As expected, Lin Xiaolu was the first to notice her return—and of course, the first thing out of her mouth was about the cake.

“We already celebrated my dad’s birthday. The cake’s been cut. Too bad you missed it.”

“Teacher!”

Bai Jingxuan, as usual, ran over to nuzzle her the second she saw Veronica, like an energetic puppy that never tired.

“There’s still some cake left,” Xia Liang added offhandedly while playing on her phone. “We saved a slice just for you, Little Senior.”

Clearly, she thought the most critical moment had already passed and it was safe to relax.

But Veronica knew she had one final trial ahead.

The cake table was right in the path she had to walk. Whether she ate it or not, she’d have to pass by—and stuck right on top of the cake was a candle shaped like the number “37.”

Though Veronica wasn’t good at spells, she still cast several layers of precaution.

First, she used a Perception-Dulling spell to soften her breath and footsteps.

Then she masked her magical signature to prevent anyone from detecting her through her magic aura.

Lastly, she cleared her mind and filled it with random, useless words—only then did she start walking forward.

One step. Two steps.

The cake got closer in her field of view. She casually looped her arm around Bai Jingxuan’s, drawing in a deep breath.

Three steps. Four.

She could feel herself getting tense. The tension naturally raised her magical activity—but thankfully, that was all internal and wouldn’t show on the outside.

Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

As she passed the cake, Veronica felt a pulse of magic scan her body. It was part of a spell—simple and unrefined.

So simple, in fact, that she could easily tell what it was checking: her heart rate and magical activity.

No doubt, ordinary people had heartbeats. But for a Magical Girl—whose body was made purely of magic—the key indicator was magical activity.

Just scanning that sort of thing? That was bottom-tier spellwork, even cruder than astrology.

But that was exactly the problem—this “scan magical activity” bit.

All her earlier preparations had been to guard against spells that could detect her real birthday. She’d cleared her mind, masked her identity, and since her real birthday wasn’t February 14, she should’ve been fine if this was some high-tech, astrology-enhanced, multifunctional candle.

And yet... this so-called high-tech candle that claimed to use astrology and all sorts of added features...

Turned out to be a cheap gimmick that just measured magical activity.

So, under the gaze of everyone present...

The candle lit up.