The magical girl and the one who had entrapped another magical girl.
“If you agree to the conditions, I will help you.”
Among the four magical girls belonging to Miguria who were in a dire situation, Lily said this.
Iida thought it was foolish.
Magical girls capable of using healing magic usually lack offensive abilities and can barely defend themselves.
There are those who voice their desire to fight, but they are often stopped by others around them because it would only result in futile deaths.
The better someone is at using healing magic, the weaker their attacks tend to be.
Lily has the skill to heal not only Iida’s eyes but also Chris, whom even Jeanne found difficult to cure.
What could such a girl possibly accomplish?
It was understandable to have doubts.
Still, there was a part of Iida that believed Lily might be able to do something.
Though she claimed to be Jeanne’s disciple, Lily was no ordinary magical girl.
She was as delicate as a doll, her expression never changing, her lovely face marred by clouded eyes.
Her behavior and attitude were far from childlike, likely due to some hidden hatred within her.
She wasn’t an ordinary magical girl.
Thus, Iida decided to place his trust in Lily.
Iida summoned the commander Nestar and told him that Lily might be able to save the four magical girls.
Nestar looked skeptical, but they had to act immediately if they were to save the four girls.
Even if they sought help from another country, reinforcements wouldn’t arrive within five or ten minutes.
Partly because Iida had stated he would take full responsibility, he decided to go along with Lily’s suggestion.
Then Lily disappeared.
“Did she… teleport?”
“That’s impossible… Lily can only use healing magic! A magical girl who can do something like that… surely doesn’t exist…”
Indeed, such a magical girl shouldn’t exist. However, one name came to Iida’s mind.
Though he had never met Inny Flowering, he knew about her feats during the New Demon War.
He had witnessed firsthand how she defeated Dendrobium with overwhelming strength and single-handedly took down Mastidizaya.
Surely Lily was a different person; there was no way she could be the same individual.
But…
(What is this feeling… No, such nonsense isn’t possible…)
There had been cases where inhumane experiments were conducted to create clones of magical girls.
Although Iida thought it unlikely that Inie or Lily could have been subjected to such experiments, there was something about Lily that made him consider the possibility.
Lily had given them ten minutes.
Now all they could do was wait.
“Commander, about the video feed…”
“—Leave it on for now. But when the connection with the four girls is restored, please return it immediately.”
“Understood.”
If the magical girls’ devices and connections were restored, it meant the barrier had been lifted.
In that case, Nestar judged it would be fine to resume the video feed.
“Is that girl Lily really going to be alright?”
“I hope so…”
Though Iida had agreed to Lily’s terms, he couldn’t guarantee success with absolute certainty.
Yet her calm words carried weight.
“For now, we can only wait. If it doesn’t work out, I suppose my head will roll.”
“You’re quite the character…”
Suppressing their anxiety, Iida and Nestar waited for time to pass.
Unlike Iida, Nestar had work to keep himself occupied, but he was still restless.
“Commander! The connection has been restored!”
“Good, show it!”
About eight minutes after Lily disappeared—earlier than the agreed-upon time—the barrier vanished, and the connection was restored.
This indicated that either the monsters or the magical girls had perished.
However, the restoration of the connection meant the magical girls were alive.
And then…
Something landed on Iida’s shoulder.
“I’ve returned.”
“…”
For a moment, Iida couldn’t speak.
“…Were they saved?”
“Yes, as you can see.”
Immediately after Lily returned, the monitors displayed the four magical girls.
Their wounds, which had been present during the battle, were gone, and the four were speaking hesitantly with their operators.
“You’ve worked hard…”
“This was my initiative, so it’s fine.”
Normally, each operator would communicate one-on-one with a magical girl, but due to the circumstances, the speakers were turned on.
Listening to the conversation, Iida felt goosebumps.
“Suddenly, a magic circle appeared, and the monster was struck down in one blow. Then, while we were stunned, our wounds began to heal. We saw a small girl in a white coat far away, but we don’t know much more than that.”
That’s what the rescued magical girl reported.
It was unbelievable.
For one magical girl to possess such power…
Not only that, but her healing skills were on par with, or even surpassed, Jeanne’s.
And she was just a small girl.
She must have only recently become a magical girl.
(What exactly is happening in Japan…?)
Jeanne’s disciple, a magical girl with unfathomable abilities.
Thanks to her, the Miguria magical girls were saved.
However, Iida couldn’t help but feel as much fear as gratitude…
—
Apparently, she kept her promise.
It was supposed to be a quick strike and a quick defeat, but it took longer than expected because I had lent my staff to Jeanne.
Without the staff, incantations take longer, eating up a bit of time.
Still, it was within the margin of error, and since everyone was saved, it’s fine.
“You seem to have kept your promise.”
“Yes, thank you very much for your help.”
I teleported precisely onto Mr. Iida’s shoulder and waited briefly before Commander Nestar approached me.
The command room was bustling with questions about how they survived, but I’ll leave a small reminder.
“I didn’t do anything. Is that okay?”
“…So that’s how it was. No, it’s rude of me to ask. I’ll keep it to myself. Sorry, Mr. Iida.”
“It’s fine. We’ll take our leave then.”
After seeing Commander Nestar bow slightly, I left the command room.
It had been about 30 minutes, but it was a rather intense period.
“Are you tired at all?”
“I’m fine.”
Since I hardly moved, there was no mental fatigue from using magic. If anything, I’m slightly sleepy.
Is this the common thing where young children need a nap or their stamina won’t last?
Well, worst-case scenario, I can dispel sleepiness with recovery magic, so I’ll fix it if necessary.
“Got it. Let me know if anything happens. I’ll continue the tour.”
Next, I was shown waiting rooms, teleportation chambers, the cafeteria, simulators, and more without any major issues.
Some staff members tried to talk to me, but upon seeing me, they quickly ended the conversation and left.
Among the magical girls who approached me, there were some who tried to dig for information, but Mr. Iida chased them away.
Even someone like me gets recruited, meaning magical girls must be in short supply. I think the situation will improve soon since Jeanne and I healed them, so bear with it for a little longer.
After about an hour of the tour, Mr. Iida’s device rang, signaling that Jeanne’s treatment was complete.
At the entrance of the Magic Bureau, Jeanne was just arriving, so we managed to meet up without crossing paths.
A staff member seemed to have replaced Mr. Iida but greeted us briefly before leaving.
“Good job. It sounds like it was tough for you too. Since Lily made the decision, I won’t say anything, but don’t overexert yourself.”
It wasn’t tough, just a little assistance.
Even against SS-rank threats, S-rank opponents aren’t much of a challenge anymore.
“And thanks for the staff. Normally, lending weapons isn’t done, but it’s fine now.”
I received the staff back from Jeanne.
“By the way, I want to ask you something later. Count on me.”
“Understood?”
Hmm? Was there something?
Since it’s something I can’t ask in front of Mr. Iida, it’s probably about abilities or Arcana, but worrying about it won’t help.
“Is it okay to go to the last branch now?”
“Yeah. Thanks to Lily, my magic power hasn’t decreased much. Let’s get it done.”
“Understood.”
We went to the teleportation chamber and headed to the final treatment location in Miguria.
On the way, we crossed paths with the four magical girls we helped earlier, but they merely tilted their heads, so it seems they haven’t realized who I am.
I kept my distance and carefully positioned the magic circle above the monster’s head to avoid being noticed, so I doubt anyone saw me.
“This is the last one. There are no critically injured individuals, but there are cases of broken bones and poisoning. Please take care of them.”
“Got it. We have other countries to visit, so let’s wrap this up quickly.”
After teleporting and exiting the teleportation chamber, someone was waiting for us.
A fairly well-built man who looked Japanese.
“What happened to the Director?”
Apparently, he’s not the Director. Why is he waiting here?
“There’s been a slight issue… I’ll explain on the way. Please follow me. And I’m Deputy Director Amakaze.”
“Understood, but does this mean Jeanne needs to step in?”
“Yes.”
Amakaze… That name sounds familiar. Who was it again?
(Are you aware?)
‘He was the former Director of the North Kanto Branch. The one who tricked Haruna into a trap by collaborating with a witch.’
Oh, the Director of the North Kanto Branch.
I don’t know why he’s here, but considering Marin’s attitude when we met at the base, did he leave the North Kanto Branch and come here?
(Why is he here?)
‘It’s a second chance kind of thing. He got transferred to Shirokigawa after showing remorse. There were conditions attached, though.’
(I see. If he’s truly repentant, I have no complaints. The damage was minor.)
More importantly, what’s the problem?
I can guess roughly, but bad luck…
