The magical girl becomes a designated target for elimination.
Was it a miracle?
Or perhaps, was it an illusion?
A magic circle enveloped Inie, her arm regenerated, and her wounds healed.
The white robe dyed blue and transformed into a mantle.
Instead of a hood, she wore a bifurcated hat with round pom-poms at the ends.
The colors were divided into blue and yellow, with patterns adorning various parts.
Even the staff, which should have been her weapon, changed form, transforming into two crystals.
“What on earth is this?”
“This… isn’t an awakening, is it? I can’t understand it myself, but perhaps…?”
The magic circle dispersed, revealing a drastically changed Inie.
It was something incomprehensible, different from the awakening known to Arongante.
No one present could understand the transformation that had occurred in Inie.
If there was anyone who could comprehend it, it would be the witch alone.
When Inie opened her eyes, they revealed mismatched odd eyes of blue and yellow.
The blue eye remained as murky as ever, while the yellow eye shone brightly, as if believing in future possibilities.
Her appearance now differed greatly from that of the previous White Mage, resembling more of a jester.
And thus, Inie, who had been standing at the brink of death, had revived.
Mastidizaya, having been blown away, regained its footing, aimed a cannon at Inie, and fired a freezing laser.
The crystals that were once a staff moved before Inie and deflected all the lasers.
“That crystal just deflected all those lasers…”
“Such a feat shouldn’t be easily achievable even by a high-ranking warrior. This is impossible… What drives her?”
The spectators, who had previously averted their eyes from the pitiful state of Inie, began watching the spectacle unfold, captivated by Inie’s resistance against Mastidizaya’s attacks.
Despite struggling so much earlier, Inie now toyed with Mastidizaya as if twisting a baby’s hand.
Thus, from somewhere, a voice arose.
“A monster.”
As Inie cast her spell, a magic circle emerged from the crystal, binding Mastidizaya.
Unlike the previous chains, Mastidizaya could not resist this time.
Feathers and flowers erupted from the magic circle, enveloping Mastidizaya.
Mastidizaya emitted a groaning roar but soon fell silent.
As the magic circle dissipated along with the feathers and flowers, nothing remained where Mastidizaya once stood.
“Is… is this a victory?”
“Yes. Inie has repelled Mastidizaya and saved nine magical girls.”
This should have been a joyous occasion.
Yet, no cheers rose.
Indeed, Marin, Mika, the academy group, Thalagong, and others who knew Inie were rejoicing.
However, the rest were terrified by Inie’s overwhelming power.
The world wasn’t forgiving enough to accept Inie’s transformation.
Moreover, it was perceived as far too abnormal compared to what was considered an awakening.
Unlike the silent spectators, one of the dignitaries from the Magic Bureau was greatly alarmed upon witnessing Inie’s battle prowess.
This man, having been incited by the witch, was responsible for instigating these events.
Had everyone perished, his actions might have gone unnoticed.
But with Inie surviving and the other magical girls returning safely, an investigation would undoubtedly commence, potentially exposing the man’s misdeeds.
Though the witch assured him it would be fine, the man wasn’t foolish enough to trust her completely.
Therefore, he decided to exploit Inie’s transformation.
“Perhaps Inny Flowering has connections with the witch. Hence, she must be restrained.”
He stated this as if it were a plausible claim.
Additionally, Inie’s position wasn’t favorable.
Despite being under Thalagong’s protection, she was a stray, unaffiliated with any organization.
Furthermore, Japan’s Magic Bureau had once used forceful methods to incorporate Inie.
Thus, leaving such a powerful Inie untouched was deemed a poor strategy.
Nevertheless, everyone understood that imprisoning her outright would enrage Thalagong.
So, the order was given to bring Inie to Thalagong for questioning, maintaining plausible deniability.
The plan was to isolate Inie and coerce her, underestimating her as merely a young girl.
Even if Inie escaped or was let go by Thalagong, they believed there would still be ways to handle the situation.
Of course, upon receiving the command, Thalagong nearly punched a hole in the wall out of anger.
Still, Thalagong wanted to understand the changes in Inie.
Thalagong had once fought Mastidizaya in a simulation, alongside Arongante long ago.
Among SS-rank monsters, Mastidizaya was rare in not summoning familiars, making it one of the stronger individuals. However, when classified more specifically, it ranked in the lower tier of SS class.
During the simulation, Thalagong managed to defeat Mastidizaya despite some difficulty.
Now, Inie had completely dominated an opponent that even Thalagong struggled against.
How could Thalagong not be curious about such an Inie?
However, the simulator room remained inaccessible, and Thalagong hurled spells at the barrier.
Other magical girls and fairies couldn’t approach due to the display and could only watch from afar.
Suddenly, the barrier disappeared.
An explosion caused by Thalagong blew the door off its hinges.
The first sight was of a blood-soaked Inie.
Upon reflection, the words of the witch came back to mind.
Death in the simulation meant death in reality.
There was no way Inie, who had been at death’s door, could remain unscathed.
Thalagong’s face twisted in sorrow as he tried to call out to Inie, but Inie’s figure faded away.
With Inie’s disappearance, the gruesome state of the room became apparent.
All the fairies operating the equipment were killed, leaving no survivors.
Thalagong entered the simulator and looked around.
On the monitor, the magical girls trapped in pods were displayed, with the pod that presumably contained Inie stained with blood.
Realizing the situation was dire, Thalagong attempted to prevent other magical girls and fairies from entering, but it was too late.
The dead fairies and the one missing magical girl painted a grim picture for Inie, who was already under suspicion.
“This… this is terrible. Ugh!”
One of the magical girls vomited upon seeing the room’s condition and left.
The fairies, though pale-faced, entered and surveyed the area.
“What happened to Inny Flowering?”
Thalagong couldn’t respond.
“Could it be…?”
“That’s wrong! It’s not like that!”
“However, can you really believe that in this situation?”
The flow of events began moving in the direction desired by the Magic Bureau official.
News of the simulator room incident quickly reached both the Fairy Bureau and the Magic Bureau, leading to a verdict.
It was decided…
“Inny Flowering’s Magical Girl status will be temporarily revoked. Furthermore, all Magical Girls are requested to apprehend Inny Flowering. If she resists, she will be classified as a designated target for elimination, with no regard for life or death.”
This was the official stance of both the Fairy Bureau and the Magic Bureau.
At this turn of events, the witch laughed and continued advancing her plans.
Innie now had no allies.
To save the world, she had turned humanity into her enemy.
And thus, further despair would descend upon the world.
Magical Girl Name: Inny Flowering
(Japan) Ranking: Out of Rank (Temporarily Revoked)
Age: 11 years old
Weapon: Staff
Abilities: Magic + Healing (Possesses the ability to enter barriers) + Unconfirmed transformation ability
Elimination Record:
SS+: 1
S: 11
A: 4
B: 50
C: 70
D: 20
E and below: 0
Notes:
In the first battle of the New Demon War, she fought without her weapon and blindfolded but defeated her opponent with overwhelming power.
The Magic Bureau took this seriously and hastily changed the method of the second day’s battle.
However, due to an attack by someone claiming to be a witch, she ended up battling an SS-class monster alone and successfully eliminated it.
From the changes that occurred in Inny Flowering during that battle and her subsequent actions, issues were identified, leading to her becoming a wanted individual.
Consequently, her Magical Girl status was temporarily revoked.
However, many magical girls and some civilians oppose the Magic Bureau’s judgment.
As for Inny Flowering herself, her whereabouts are unknown, and the truth can only be awaited from her own words.
