Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl Book 2: Chapter 5: Transaction

Vol 2 Chapter 5 Transaction

Death is a serious topic for anyone.

Lin Yun didn’t fear death, but he respected it. If possible, he would rather not see his life end prematurely, even if he didn’t have much ti left to begin with.

Of course, he wouldn’t let those thoughts show. So in Erald’s eyes, he still looked completely calm.

“You’re not afraid? Young man, you know you might die, right?”

The doll’s face displayed a fitting look of confusion. “I’m laying out the worst possible outco for you, and you’re still this unmoved. This deal is going to be hard to make, you know.”

“You didn’t say all that just to scare .”

Lin Yun crossed his arms. “You said it yourself—it’s a deal. So why don’t you tell your price first?”

“Kids these days… Don’t even know how to haggle anymore?”

From behind the desk, the doll sighed in a mock elderly tone. “Forget it. I’m not very good at this stuff anyway. Let’s just get straight to the part where I tell you what I can offer.”

“First of all, I need to make this very clear—any damage caused by overdrafting your power is irreversible. The Magical Armor and magic you lost are gone for good. They no longer exist, not even conceptually, so there’s no way I can help you get them back.”

“It’s like soone who’s lost a limb. The wound may scab over and heal, but the limb itself will never grow back. That’s what your true form is like now. You’re a wounded person with no healing yet. Not even a scab.”

“So?” Lin Yun countered.

“So, what I can do,” Erald’s voice echoed from the doll, “is help you recover from your injuries and safely use the power you still have left.”

“…The power I still have?”

Lin Yun frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied. “That doesn’t really et my needs.”

He knew exactly how little magic he had left. And in his view, even if he could use it safely, it wouldn’t be enough to face a truly dangerous enemy.

“Why do you assu that ‘Leaf-tier magic’ is all you have left?” the doll suddenly asked.

“This isn’t everything?” Lin Yun blinked in surprise and uncrossed his arms. “Are you saying I’m wrong? I can clearly feel how much magic I have. My Domain doesn’t work anymore. It doesn’t feel like there’s anything else left.”

“Domain is Domain, Magical Armor is Magical Armor.”

Erald’s voice was calm. “Don’t forget what a Domain really is, young man. Magical Armor is born from magic, but a Domain is born from the soul. Magic and soul reflect each other—just like Magical Armor and Domain are two sides of the sa true form. Your armor may be broken, but since you still have so Threads remaining, your Domain isn’t gone—it’s just dormant.”

“But I can’t feel it at all,” Lin Yun lightly objected.

“That’s normal. Just like how a person instinctively curls up or covers a wound when injured and bleeding, your true form has a protective chanism. Your subconscious believes your true form is broken, fragile—so it won’t let you expose the wound.”

Erald explained patiently. “If I’m not wrong, even before this recent battle, using your Domain was already incredibly difficult, even painful. That’s why.”

“In short, you’re a disabled person in terms of magic right now. To use your power again, you’ll need full rehabilitation—possibly even surgery.”

“Let’s use illness as an analogy. I can help you in two ways: first, healing your injuries and stabilizing your condition—patching up the damage to your true form. Second, providing you with an excellent prosthetic, so you can function normally again once you recover.”

“Your remaining power will beco a new whole. As your injuries heal, you’ll stop the decline of your magic—and you’ll be able to use your Domain again.”

The doll looked rather pleased with itself. “And not just your Domain. You might even… reclaim your Ability Blooming.”

Ability Blooming.

Lin Yun silently repeated the word and gripped the Heartstone in his hand.

How long had it been since he’d thought about that?

For any Bud-tier who beca Flower-tier, Ability Blooming was crucial—most of their power ca from it.

As a Magical Girl’s trump card, it was a very special state. Put simply, Ability Blooming was like a second transformation.

In that state, a Magical Girl’s abilities evolved, and both their magic output and soul-will strength would skyrocket. According to The Kingdom’s records, the most extre cases of Ability Blooming resulted in power boosts ten tis greater than normal.

And despite such overwhelming amplification, the only price was a temporary period of weakness afterward.

This was one of the key reasons Flower-tier Magical Girls were a world apart from Bud-tier ones. Even if a girl had weak magic normally, entering Ability Blooming let her overpower others with ease.

It was clear: if Lin Yun could use Ability Blooming in his current state, his power would multiply—far beyond what he had before.

And he was confident. If he regained that power, he wouldn’t fear any opponent.

That offer tempted him.

“What do I need to do?”

He looked at the doll and asked seriously, “Or rather—what do you need to do?”

“Heh. It’s simple. First, stabilize your condition. Then, co to our research lab. I’ll personally do a little surgery. Lastly, I’ll install the most advanced prosthetic.”

The doll sounded proud. “Don’t worry—it’s my exclusive technique. It won’t affect your core magic, just so minor tweaks to the damaged areas.”

“I can’t do it.” Lin Yun’s tone was flat. “Don’t tell you didn’t know.”

“You can’t? Oh—right, you actually can’t.”

The doll seed to realize. “That’s right. You rejected Her Majesty’s favor in person, so you’re under a travel ban, barred from entering the Magic Kingdom. Even with the alias Cornflower, I doubt they’d let you near the border. I can’t decide whether to call that rebellious or just bold... Ow!”

Its words were cut off by a small yelp—Lin Yun had pulled the chair from under it, making it fall flat on the floor.

“Don’t pretend. Dolls don’t feel pain, right?”

One hand gripping the back of the chair, the other resting on the desk, Lin Yun said coolly, “That dramatic tone doesn’t suit you, Chief. Let’s skip the fluff and make this more efficient.”

“So rude… Even if it’s , you shouldn’t yank a lady’s chair out from under her. I’m a staunch pacifist, you know. That kind of treatnt really lowers my opinion of you, junior.”

The doll grumbled as it got up and dusted itself off with its tiny paws. “The Material World really is deteriorating these days. Do youngsters not respect their elders anymore?”

—“Hello, Security Departnt? Please co to my office and remove this suspicious oversized doll to the trash room.”

“Hey—hey!”

Erald’s lazy voice instantly shot up a few octaves. “Don’t be so hasty! Wait a sec—I haven’t finished yet. I do have a way.”

Lin Yun glanced at the doll on the floor but said nothing.

“Ahem, anyway, I can give you a way in. You know the Certification Test is coming up, right?”

Erald cleared her throat. “At that ti, tons of new Magical Girls will flood into The Kingdom from across the Material World. You can blend in with them and sneak into the Kingdom—then co find in Luennore.”

“Blending in won’t change my identity,” Lin Yun said flatly.

“Then don’t use your real identity. We’ll fake one.”

The doll crawled back onto the chair and lay down again. “Starting today, we’ll create a new Magical Girl record in the Court of Magic, completely fabricated. Co next year, you can use that identity to register for the test.”

“You Jewel Scepters can just make up Magical Girls now?”

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow, then quickly realized it wasn’t surprising. “The Four Grand Courts’ reach into the Court of Magic is that deep already? Does she know you’re doing this?”

“Ah, the whole ga of power and politics relies on unspoken truths.”

The doll crossed its little arms. “As long as everyone agrees sothing doesn’t exist, then politically, it doesn’t.”

“You just insulted yourself, you know.”

“Sitting in a seat that’s not yours, enjoying power that isn’t yours—of course you’ll end up doing things you don’t like.”

The doll looked up at him. “Being a Jewel Scepter isn’t sothing you can enjoy with a clear conscience. Especially not when your peers are all grabbing for power. Sitting still just ans waiting to be eaten.”

Erald’s words were veiled, but Lin Yun understood: the Jewel Scepters were engaged in a delicate power balance, and soone was pushing all the others—forcing them to play along.

There was only one person who fit that role: the Director of the Investigation Bureau.

“So, you really don’t like our Director.” Lin Yun murmured.

“I said we could skip the unpleasant topics.”

The doll spread its paws. “And to help you sneak into The Kingdom, power like this is essential. At least for now, it works in our favor.”

“No argunt there.”

Lin Yun nodded. “Though I’m not thrilled about how you dress it up.”

“Oh? Are you going to say ‘it was mine to begin with’? How cute.”

Erald’s voice lengthened again, laced with subtle aning. “If that’s how you see it, I won’t deny it.”

“I’m not that naïve.”

Lin Yun shook his head. “Power in The Magic Kingdom is backed by strength. Even if I’d accepted that offer back then, I didn’t have the confidence to manage so many people.”

“That’s not a given.”

The doll gave a strange smile. “But tell you what—if you agree to this deal, once you co to Luennore and finish the surgery, I’ll hand over my portion of the Court of Magic’s authority to you. How about that?”

The office fell into silence.

Lin Yun stared at the doll, whose soft, furry face bore a smile that didn’t seem fake. Relaxed and easygoing, she seed completely unconcerned by the weight of her words—as if she didn’t realize how shocking they were.

Before today, if soone had told Lin Yun that soone would casually offer a quarter of a Kingdom departnt as a bargaining chip, he would’ve thought it a joke.

He didn’t think it was just favoritism. If she could make that offer, there had to be another reason.

“…What exactly is the Beast Core? What’s the secret behind it?”

That had to be the reason.

Erald was after the Beast Core—and offering this kind of deal ant she saw incredible value in it.

What kind of value could possibly equal a quarter of the Court of Magic? Lin Yun didn’t know. But he could guess.

“So, do you accept the deal? If you do, I’ll tell you.”

The doll leaned lazily back into the chair.

“…If you don’t tell , I probably can’t accept it,” Lin Yun said slowly.

“Really? I’m offering you the return of your Ability Blooming, extended lifespan, and even a quarter of the Court of Magic—and you’re not tempted?”

“A deal that seems too good to be true usually hides risk. I don’t want to make a terrible mistake for short-term gain.”

“‘Terrible mistake’? That’s a bit harsh. Are you saying getting the Beast Core is inherently a bad thing? What kind of image do you have of ?”

“Jewel Scepter.”

“Ugh! Using what’s supposed to be a title of honor like a slur—how underhanded, junior!”

Erald looked quite offended, but Lin Yun said nothing, simply staring back at her calmly.

He didn’t believe in miracles. He needed a reason—sothing solid.

After a short silence, Erald finally spoke again.

“Well, we still have ti. The next Certification Test is five months away. That gives you ti to get to know —and decide if this deal is worth it. Trust . My charm will win you over. You’ll co to see my sincerity.”

“What do you an?” Lin Yun asked.

“I an, from now on, I’ll leave this doll body here in Fangting City, and I’ll set up a small personal research lab.”

Erald drawled. “If you run into anything curious—or just want to know sothing—co find .”

“A lab? When?”

“Not built yet. No set location.”

“…Is that why you ca to ?”

“Yes. That’s also why I’m here today. I imagine the Counterasure Bureau has the resources.”

Having lounged long enough, the round, plush doll finally sat up—really just rolled a bit in the chair. Her deep erald eyes fixed on Lin Yun, lazy but with a hint of teasing.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you to find the perfect spot for my lab, young man—no, I an, Director.”