Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 86: The Crisis Ends

When Veronica hurried anxiously toward the last marked location of the tracking spell, the area had already been evacuated.

Without their leader, the remaining black-robed figures were no match for the few Magical Girls. Realizing that the tide had turned against them, they scattered like frightened birds. Aside from a few reckless ones, none chose to resist—some fled, while others surrendered.

Other than their leader, the black-robed man they called "Bingchu San," the rest were merely magic users. Everyone knew that magic users had no chance against Magical Girls.

Most of the elderly and children in the orphanage had been rescued, but a few caregivers and security personnel had sacrificed themselves in the struggle. The atmosphere at the scene was heavy with grief.

Veronica descended from the sky, landing at the orphanage entrance. She focused her magic perception, quickly picking up on the remnants of the battle.

It wasn’t difficult to spot them—the place was in ruins. The cracked pavement was barely recognizable, and the surrounding area was covered in the scars of magical bombardment.

Then, she saw three Magical Girls gathered together.

To be precise, Xia Liang had de-transformed and was lying on the ground, a green-haired Magical Girl—one Veronica had never seen before—enveloping her in a soft glow of magic, while Lin Xiaolu sat nearby, slumped in exhaustion.

The sight made Veronica’s heart clench. She quickly landed and ran toward them in small, hurried steps.

"I’m late—what happened?" She anxiously looked at Xia Liang, only to see that she was enveloped in green magical light, her eyes closed, her face serene.

"Ah, Veronica, you’re here! Did you already defeat your enemies over there?"

Lin Xiaolu’s eyes lit up when she saw her arrive, her voice carrying a trace of joy. But then, she lowered her head, her expression dimming. "I’m sorry… I made a mistake in the middle of the fight, and Xia Liang… to protect me…"

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Because Xia Liang’s injury was indeed caused by her carelessness. If not for the sudden surge of that unknown white magic within her, the entire team might have been wiped out because of her blunder.

She had already prepared herself for blame, but she didn’t want to see disappointment in Veronica’s eyes.

"...No way…"

Hearing Lin Xiaolu's words, Veronica’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She had rushed here as fast as possible after handling her enemies, but even so, an accident had still happened.

Xia Liang had actually… died.

Not knowing what to do, she knelt down gently, cradling Xia Liang’s hand in her own, gazing at her peaceful face in silent sorrow.

She remembered the girl’s usual bright smile, recalled the times Xia Liang had confided in her about her past, about her longing for love.

And now, she was gone. Everything she had dreamed of was lost to her.

Veronica had personally approved her as a Magical Girl, believing she could protect this talented young girl. Yet, a single crisis had proven her wrong.

"I’m sorry… If only I had realized something was wrong sooner… If only I had arrived earlier…" She closed her eyes, her voice heavy with regret.

—"Um… Junior? What are you talking about?"

Before she could finish, a familiar voice interrupted her.

Veronica froze, eyes snapping open in confusion.

Xia Liang was looking at her with a puzzled expression, a slightly awkward smile on her face. "Sorry to interrupt, but, um… I’m not dead?"

Veronica was stunned.

She stared at Xia Liang for a few seconds, then turned to Lin Xiaolu, who looked equally awkward. Finally, she glanced at the green-haired newcomer, who seemed just as lost as she was.

"…If I had arrived earlier, fewer innocent people would have died."

She mechanically finished her earlier sentence, her voice emotionless, like she was reciting from a script.

Then, she straightened up, trying to regain her composure. "I’ll go check on the orphanage, assess the casualties and injuries, and notify the Countermeasure Bureau."

"We already did that."

But even this escape route was blocked. Xia Liang, in her usual casual tone, said, "The first thing we did after the battle ended was contact the Countermeasure Bureau. Your phone was the one that wasn’t reachable—we were actually planning to go look for you later."

"Actually…"

She narrowed her eyes playfully, smirking. "Junior, did you think I was dead? Were you really sad? Were you mourning for me?"

The whole scene instantly erupted.

"Wait, Veronica, you thought Xia Liang was dead?"

Lin Xiaolu finally understood the strange conversation and let out a surprised cry. But the next moment, she saw Veronica’s expressionless face turn toward her, and she realized she had said something wrong. Panicking, she waved her hands, explaining hurriedly:

"No, I never said that! I just meant she got hurt protecting me! I was already reflecting on it!"

She was completely unaware that her attempt to shift responsibility had just shattered the last shred of dignity Veronica was holding onto.

Nearby, Bai Jingxuan also pieced together what had happened. She looked at Veronica, who had rushed in with her hair slightly messy, clearly flustered and worried. Her expression turned… complicated.

She wanted to laugh but restrained herself—these were her seniors, after all.

Still, in her eyes, this junior, who looked younger than herself, had run in, misunderstood the situation, and nearly started mourning her still-alive teammate. It was unexpectedly… endearing.

She had assumed Veronica was cold and hard to approach, but after hearing her speak, she realized that wasn’t quite the case.

She mused on this in silence.

"…It’s fine as long as you’re okay."

On the other side, knowing she couldn’t recover from this blunder, Veronica could only nod stiffly, responding dryly.

Then, she couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Lin Xiaolu.

"This isn’t really the right thing to say here, is it?"

Still lying down, Xia Liang shook her head, looking at Veronica with clear, earnest eyes. "Junior, didn’t you notice? Xiaolu was the MVP in this fight."

That snapped Veronica back to reality.

She finally realized—the battle had ended before she even arrived.

Xia Liang was too injured to fight; the green-haired girl didn’t look in great shape either. Only Lin Xiaolu, though exhausted, was completely unharmed.

Xia Liang was right. This battle, which Veronica had believed was unwinnable without her, had been won by these three newcomers. And at the heart of it was her own daughter.

Glancing around at the devastated battlefield, trying to piece together how fierce the fight must have been, she then turned to look at Lin Xiaolu.

Hearing her name mentioned, Lin Xiaolu tensed. Seeing Veronica’s gaze, she realized—she had been so afraid of being scolded that she had even forgotten to take credit for their victory.

She had wanted to speak up, but when she recalled everything she had thought and felt during the battle, her ears turned red.

Under Veronica’s gaze, she merely nodded, a bit reserved. "Yeah. We won."

Veronica’s expression softened.

She had been overprotective of these newcomers, never expecting them to defeat such an enemy on their own.

Maybe, in this case, she had been too cautious. But having her cautious beliefs overturned like this didn’t make her upset—it made her proud.

The earlier embarrassment didn’t seem to matter as much anymore. Thinking about the heavily injured Ravager she had taken care of on the way here, then looking at the three girls before her, she understood.

"Well done," she said, voice warm with approval. "I’m proud of you all!"