Chapter 49: In the End, Corona Couldn’t Let Go
In the ward of the Tongzhou City Mage Corps Hospital, where the magical girls were recovering, Polaris was carefully feeding spoonfuls of chicken soup to Jin Yan, who was propped up by Abyss.
When Elizabeth returned after her conversation with Corona, Jin Yan was fully awake.
Elizabeth administered a healing alchemical potion, giving Jin Yan the strength to sit up and sip the soup.
“Mmm~ Sister Elizabeth, your chicken soup is so fragrant!” Jin Yan said, squinting happily as she praised Elizabeth’s cooking.
“Heh, you’ve got a sweet tongue, kid. That compliment’s more than enough for me,” Elizabeth replied, beaming as she watched Jin Yan lap up the soup like a little red-haired puppy.
Corona, now in her white-haired, red-eyed guise, looked on with a comforted expression at the heartwarming scene of the younger magical girls together.
It reminded her of their own youth.
She recalled Yuehua’s first mission, when the aftershocks of Descent Day still lingered in the northwest desert.
Their four-person team—Corona, Yuehua, Scarlet, and Haiyin—was tasked with eliminating the ferocious beasts roaming the sands.
When Yuehua first saw a beast, she charged in recklessly, like a brash boy.
Predictably, the Tier-Seven elephant-like beast swatted her into the desert.
At the time, Yuehua was only Tier-Six.
She spent days in the hospital afterward.
If the sandy terrain hadn’t cushioned her fall, Yuehua might’ve ended up as “Yuehua paste.”
While Yuehua recovered, Corona fed her small bites of food, just as Abyss was doing for Jin Yan now.
Yuehua had been shy at first but gradually warmed up.
Thinking of Yuehua’s adorable expression as she waited to be fed, Corona’s lips curved into a faint smile.
What’s got you so happy? Elizabeth sent via telepathy.
Nothing, just remembering when I fed Little Moon like this back in the day. She was so cute then, Corona replied mentally, meeting Elizabeth’s eyes.
Elizabeth paused, then sent back:
Back then, Yuehua was the junior we all looked after… but she grew so fast, soon standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us, even taking care of us. She paid a heavy price.
Little Moon pulled us out of that hell.
If she were here watching these kids laugh and play, she’d be happy too, right?
She would be, Elizabeth transmitted.
Suddenly, heavy, steady footsteps approached the ward.
Both Elizabeth and Corona sensed it instantly.
The door was knocked, and a deep male voice called out: “Hello, I’m the director of the Magic Affairs Bureau, here to visit the injured magical girls.”
Elizabeth rose first to open the door.
As it swung open, Lu Xin’s pupils briefly contracted, locking onto Elizabeth’s legs with a half-smile before shifting to her face.
“Hello, I’m Elizabeth Dracula, president of the Magical Girl Association,” she introduced herself.
“Hello, I’m Lu Xing, director of the Tongzhou City Magic Affairs Bureau. Lu as in deer, Xing as in starlight,” Lu Xin said, quickly composing herself with a serious expression.
After the introductions, Elizabeth stepped aside, allowing Lu Xin to enter with armfuls of bags.
“Hello, girls,” Lu Xin said, her gaze sweeping over Liu Lian, Abyss, Jin Yan, and Polaris in greeting.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“I’m Lu Xing, director of the Tongzhou City Magic Affairs Bureau. I was tied up handling matters related to the Tier-Seven beast incident, so I’m a bit delayed. Please forgive my tardiness.”
She lifted the bags in her hands. “I brought some supplements for you. Take a look.”
With that, she set them down.
“I believe this is our first meeting,” Lu Xin said, smiling with her hands clasped in front of her.
For everyone in the room except Elizabeth, it was indeed their “first” encounter with the bureau director.
The director was elusive, rarely seen, as if hiding some shady past.
Yan Huimeng had once told the rookie magical girls that the director’s defining feature was a big, bushy beard.
A big beard?
Polaris stared thoughtfully at the director’s beard, feeling a vague sense of familiarity.
Abyss, too, was curious about the director.
She’d never seen her in person during her time at the Magic Affairs Bureau’s equipment department.
Given what her mentor said about taking a post at the bureau, the director and her mentor must be close.
Jin Yan, however, was indifferent to the director—she was too focused on finishing her soup before it cooled.
Unlike the others, Liu Lian sensed something familiar in the director’s face—something… mysterious?
She was puzzled.
Part of her wanted to use her authority to pierce the familiar veil of mystery, but she feared exposing her own disguise or causing friction with the director.
After all, Lu Ming was still affiliated with the bureau, and Liu Lian didn’t want her actions to stir trouble.
“You must be Flash, on loan from the Jiangbei City Magic Affairs Bureau for training,” Lu Xin said, approaching Liu Lian and sizing her up.
“Yes, Director. I’m Flash, but I’m not transformed right now, so please use my real name,” Liu Lian said, standing and giving a slight bow.
“Haha, my apologies. I almost forgot the magical girl code of conduct,” Lu Xin said, chuckling and scratching the back of her head.
As Liu Lian straightened, she got a clear view of Lu Xin’s face.
Though aged, the contours beneath the beard suggested he’d been handsome in his youth.
But why did his face feel so familiar?
Suddenly, it clicked—she recognized the trace of a concealed mystery in her mind.
Acting on instinct, Liu Lian—no, Corona—used a sliver of her authority to dispel the mental veil.
Everything fell into place.
She forced herself not to look at Lu Xin.
Lu Xing… Lu Xin?!
Corona’s mind reeled.
Everything connected.
She’d planned to distance herself from Yuehua’s family, but fate had other plans—she’d run into that man here.
A flood of emotions surged within her.
Despite claiming she’d let him go, she realized she never truly had.
She’d only been avoiding the issue, running from the truth.