The magical girl becomes a disciple.
As expected, or rather, as I already knew, even after waking up, my height remained shrunken.
Since there are no clothes that fit properly, I decided to wear a stuffed animal pajama set.
It’s a bit baggy, but at least it’s wearable.
Today, I’ve been told to go to Jeanne’s place, so despite the hassle, I must go.
“Good morning. I’ve received messages from various places. The most important one is probably Jeanne’s message asking you to come by at 9.”
(Understood. What time is it now?)
“It’s half past seven. You still have plenty of time. By the way, you should check messages from Arongante and Marin when you have time.”
Is Arongante’s message about the World Conference?
Marin’s is probably about me leaving earlier than planned.
The weather outside is clear, but there’s an impressive amount of snow.
The fact that the snow has accumulated means that Thalagong hasn’t returned yet.
Preparing breakfast myself is a bit bothersome, but at least I can eat without worrying about others.
After doing some light exercise and taking a slow bath, I ate soba noodles and finished my preparations.
Breakfast should be light; I’ll have a proper meal in the Fairy Realm later.
Cooking with this body is quite challenging.
Speaking of which, during the battle with Shengxi, my sword broke. I wonder if it will affect anything?
I also want to check the effects of contracting with Hermes, but it’s probably best not to do so until my body fully recovers.
My magic consumption is intense, and there’s also physical strain on my body.
“Shall we go soon?”
(Sure. Can you teleport me to the facility entrance.)
After transforming, I’ll transfer via Demon.
Dragging my overly large robe, I head toward Jeanne’s office, which feels strangely far away.
…No, I know the reason, but it’s frustrating.
Taking more time than usual to walk, I knock on the office door.
“It’s open.”
I jump to grab the doorknob, manage to open the door, and enter.
“Excuse me.”
Upon entering the office, Jeanne appears frozen in place.
“Jeanne-san?”
“…Sorry. I heard from Arongante, but you really have become smaller, haven’t you? Let me examine you first, so please sit over there.”
Following Jeanne’s instructions, I sit down and feel her touch my arm.
“Hmm. It seems there aren’t any issues with your health, but does this state persist even when you’re not transformed?”
“Yes. I’m supposed to return to normal in about a day. It’s like a side effect of Arcana.”
If what Hermes said is true, I should return tomorrow, but since things never go according to plan, will I return smoothly?
“I see. By the way, how are you holding up in combat?”
“It’s not impossible, but without a staff, it’s difficult to handle B-class monsters and above.”
Without a staff, there are many restrictions.
Even if I could hold it, I wouldn’t be able to move effectively while holding it, making me nothing more than a stationary cannon.
Besides, I feel my abilities have somewhat decreased compared to usual.
“Alright… Hmm, depending on Inie, would you like to assist me with my work if possible?”
Work—reminds me of volunteering. That time was supposed to end without issues, but Lockwert attacked us, causing chaos.
Moreover, due to the lack of a staff, my magic power was almost depleted, and if it weren’t for Glint, I would have been completely charred by the dragon.
(What do you think?)
‘Isn’t it situation-dependent? We can’t fight right now anyway. Also, taking the initiative isn’t easy.’
“What exactly does the job entail?”
“To visit the Magic Bureau where there aren’t enough recovery mages and help them heal. I am technically the world’s best healer, so this is my duty during such times.”
Jeanne’s healing magic surpasses other healers by far.
Though I shouldn’t say this, she likely carries deep darkness within herself.
In my case, it might be due to years of concentrated experiences.
However, what should I do…
I don’t feel like pushing myself to fight in this condition.
Not being able to fight seriously isn’t enjoyable.
Thus, helping Jeanne sounds fine, but I’m not particularly fond of appearing in public.
Wearing a hood would obscure my vision, and wearing it halfway defeats the purpose.
Additionally, given that I’ve made enemies, it’s risky to appear weakened like this.
“I don’t mind helping, but… ”
“Right now, if you disguise yourself, few people will recognize you as Inie. I checked the footage, and it ended when the battle did.”
Hmm, so very few people know about me…
Though it’s slightly bothersome, I owe Jeanne, so I’ll help out to repay the favor.
It’s only natural to pay back debts as a person.
“Understood. I accept.”
“That’s great.”
Jeanne gave a suspicious smile and brought out three sets of clothing.
“The outfits for magical girls have improved recently. Choose whichever you like.”
One is a lab coat like Jeanne’s.
Another is an animal-themed onesie that Mika would probably pick. This one only has the face exposed, so breathing seems easier, but why choose a rabbit?
The last one looks like prisoner attire.
“By the way, the disguises are apprentice, relative’s child, or prisoner. Choose whichever you prefer.”
“Apprentice.”
There’s really only one choice. A relative’s child isn’t bad, but I dislike onesies too much.
And prisoner is clearly a joke.
What kind of crime could someone this small possibly commit?
“If that’s settled, change in the room over there.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
(Akuma.)
“Understood. I’ll transform you quickly.”
Holding the lab coat, I briefly glow, changing from the robe into the lab coat.
Additionally, the clothes I was wearing underneath transform into black clothes and pants.
“Convenient, isn’t it? Is this also the power of this Arcana thing?”
“Yes.”
Sometimes I change normally, but when it’s troublesome, Akuma takes care of it.
The downside is that Akuma only lets me wear chosen outfits.
“I see… Saving time on changing is helpful. Normally, we should hurry, but would you like a cup of coffee?”
Recently, due to injuries, many magical girls have withdrawn from active duty or decided to retire.
Also, regular citizens are suffering significant harm, so we should hurry.
But…
“I’ll have some.”
“Hmph. I thought you’d say that.”
Coffee brewed by Jeanne is always exclusive and superior to what I drink at home by one or two grades.
I should enjoy it while I can.
Jeanne goes to prepare the coffee and returns shortly with two mugs.
“Sorry for the wait. While we’re at it, let me explain the details of the assistance. First, we’re headed to Miguria to work. Connections with other countries are weak here, so they need support. Afterward, we’ll finish in China. The main focus will be on magical girls, but if we have time, we’ll help civilians too. By the way, all my disciples are currently incapacitated.”
Just when they needed extra hands, I showed up.
Is this good luck or bad?
“Understood. I’ll work hard to repay the coffee.”
“That’s fine. Well then, for the alias… How about Lily?”
Simple, but better than being called Taro or Goyemon.
“That works for me.”
“In that case, today, you are my disciple, Magical Girl Lily. Nice to meet you.”
Lily and Inie.
They sound similar, and even though it’s a pseudonym, it feels familiar.
I doubt I’ll mix them up.
After drinking a cup of coffee and taking a short break, we head toward the teleportation device.
However, one problem arises.
—My legs are slow.
Jeanne is probably around 160 cm tall.
Compared to me… well, let’s not dwell on it.
“I’m not particularly fond of children, but someone like Lily is acceptable.”
“Is that so?”
Currently, I’m piggybacking on Jeanne.
While having both hands free in emergencies makes sense, my dignity is shattered.
Let’s talk with Jeanne, but interrupting her humming feels rude, so I’ll gather information just in case.
(Miguria’s info, please.)
“Got it. Ignoring population and the total number of magical girls, this country focuses on training magical girls, but their overall strength is still questionable. Three rankers have fallen victim.”
Three… losing three out of ten significantly weakens their forces.
There’s no replacement of equal caliber, so it must be tough.
“Also, because there are few magical girls capable of healing magic, their fighting capability keeps declining. The healers themselves are under immense pressure, and in about two weeks, the country may lose its structural integrity.”
It’s quite dire.
Now I understand why Jeanne needs to go there.
Though I recall hearing that Miguria focuses on magical girl training, it seems they struggle with healing magic.
Perhaps it’s because their hatred is directed towards the world rather than just monsters.
It makes sense that there are few with healing inclinations in a place like Miguria, where they desperately try to survive.
(What about the connections between countries that Jeanne mentioned?)
“Connections, or rather, Miguria lacks relationships with other nations because supporting them offers little benefit.”
Ah, usually, military or border issues necessitate international relations, but with magical girls replacing armies and borders becoming irrelevant in this era, land is abundant.
There hasn’t been a war since I was born, and as long as someone fights the monsters, everyone welcomes it.
For major countries, they’re convenient expendable pawns, aren’t they?
(By the way, wasn’t there a magical girl from the New Demon War who survived? Are they still alive?)
“They’re officially registered, so they’re alive. But… well, you’ll meet them if you go, so it’s a surprise.”
That feels like a flag for my identity to be revealed, but am I really safe?
I didn’t actually converse with anyone during the New Demon War, and at that time, I wasn’t focused on specifics.
Frankly, aside from Dendrobium, I’ve forgotten their names.
Ah, except for the one from Australia whom I met recently; I still remember their name.
While conversing with Akuma, Jeanne finishes her humming, and we arrive at the teleportation device.
“Well, teleporting while I carry you might leave a bad impression, so let’s step down for a moment.”
“Understood.”
I step down from Jeanne’s shoulders and enter the teleportation device together.
I can only pray that nothing goes wrong.
