The Distortion of Magical Girl Blue Colette
The mansion used as a base by the witches.
Normally, only Rinne is there, but today, unusually, Lockwert and a witch were also present.
“You seem to be in quite a good mood.”
In the room where Rinne usually reads books, the witch was humming a tune while sipping tea.
“Perhaps. I finally got to see something interesting after so long.”
“―Was it Inie’s thing?”
“Yes. I never expected it to turn out like that. According to my predictions, I thought both Inie and everyone else would die.”
Among S-Rank beings, Mastidizaya is one of the single strongest.
Initially, they planned to deploy a weaker monster, but due to Inie’s presence, they hastily decided to use this creature.
The witch had noticed during their meeting that the Demon had lost its original power, but considering that Inie had defeated M·D·W, they took extra precautions.
Inie struggled to break the restraints of Mastidizaya, gradually becoming battered and solely on the defensive.
As if mustering her last strength, she broke the final restraint, only to be stabbed in the abdomen and meet her end.
“That power is probably from The Fool, but generally, an Arcana contract is limited to one person. However, Inie didn’t use the power of a Demon but instead used The Fool’s power. How do you think she managed that?”
The witch asked Rinne.
After taking a sip of tea, Rinne shared his thoughts.
“The only plausible explanation is power transfer, but what happens to the Arcana then?”
“The Arcana is a sentient force. Such an act would cause its annihilation. Yes, it would vanish completely.”
For some reason, the witch chuckled softly.
“Until now, we’ve seen people die trying to protect others or wither away in despair, but I never expected someone to appear who would transfer their power.”
Within the Arcana, The Fool was the first to die after transferring their ability.
In this world, unprecedented events keep occurring.
The witch found this amusing.
“But you weren’t expecting much from Inie, were you?”
Although concerned about Inie, the witch hadn’t placed much hope in her.
She was likely the weakest among contractors, a magical girl with no promising future.
Even though she possessed two forms, her strength wasn’t worth worrying about.
“I have no interest in weaklings. However, this might be a bit entertaining. After all, she holds the power of two Arcanas.”
“But isn’t the power of the Arcana potent? Can she endure it?”
All members of the Destructionist faction are informed of everything the witch knows, including the remaining Arcanas and their abilities.
There have been instances where contractors exceeded their limits using Arcana powers and died.
Even with the power of two Arcanas, she wouldn’t be able to utilize it.
“It may or may not happen. Isn’t it common in stories for ordinary people to defeat great evils?”
“That’s just a story. To begin with, defeating you is impossible.”
Rinne, who knew the witch’s true identity, understood how powerful she was.
There probably wasn’t a magical girl in this world who could defeat the witch.
“Probabilities always change. Though, I don’t intend to lose.”
“In that case, good. What’s next?”
The witch pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Rinne.
“…I see. It’s distasteful, but intriguing.”
“Since the Magic Bureau is playing along nicely, it would be kind of them to provide some music, wouldn’t it?”
Due to the witch’s whimsical assistance, the internal affairs of the Magic Bureau were in chaos.
Some were frantically trying to capture Inie, while others secretly attempted to contact the witch.
The branches were relatively stable, but the headquarters in various countries were dysfunctional.
“Well, Lockwert. Could you place this on the designated man’s desk?”
While silently eating sweets, Lockwert received an envelope while listening to their conversation.
The envelope was thick, and something hard inside could be felt.
“Understood. By when should it be delivered?”
“By the morning of the 31st, please. That way, we’ll have something interesting to watch at the start of the year.”
“Understood. I’ll eat this, rest, and then go.”
After finishing her tea, the witch slowly stood up.
Having completed her business here, she was moving to the next location.
“Is there anything else to take care of here?”
“For now, everything is proceeding according to plan. Just be careful not to get overwhelmed. See you later.”
As usual, the witch disappeared into a magic circle.
“So, what was written on that paper earlier?”
“Oh, this? That’s a secret. But, it does relate to the contents of the envelope, doesn’t it?”
Lockwert slightly pouted and muttered under her breath to Rinne.
However, through Rinne’s reluctance to share, Lockwert could gauge the value of the information written on the paper.
“Thank you for the feast. I’ll be going now.”
“Ah. Be careful not to get caught. Your abilities are too valuable to lose.”
With that, Lockwert left the room, leaving Rinne alone.
“Really, if she’d cleaned up before leaving, that would have been nice…”
The table summoned by the witch and the remnants of the sweets remained, and Rinne tidied them up alone.
1
“Seriously, why am I always given such simple extermination tasks? What is the Magic Bureau thinking?”
Blue Colette grumbled while eliminating the assigned monster.
Not long ago, she used to work in tandem with Star Nail, but since Star Nail became unwell, she had been operating solo.
Together, they could handle B-Rank missions and sometimes even A-Rank, but alone, she could barely manage C-Rank.
As a result, she earned less money than before, and the missions became monotonous.
Blue Colette had argued with Shirokigawa and Amakaze that she could handle B-Rank missions alone, but they ignored her.
Her behavior had worsened compared to when she worked with Star Nail, causing her to become increasingly disliked by others.
“Operator, I’ve finished the extermination.”
“Confirmed. This concludes the current mission. Good work.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She ended the call and pulled her spear from the dirt-exposed ground.
Originally, the road had been neatly paved with asphalt, but now it was unrecognizable.
“Tch, neither Nail nor Marin are any fun. If we’re magical girls, we should be more free to do as we please.”
To Blue Colette, who believed that they were chosen beings with powers beyond those of ordinary people, it was incomprehensible why Star Nail would agonize over killing civilians or why Marin would maintain impeccable conduct.
In frustration, she slammed her spear into the ground, sending dirt flying.
“…Should I head back?”
Just as Blue Colette was about to shoulder her spear and leave, the scenery abruptly changed, and a suspicious figure appeared, cloaked in a black hood.
“You seem quite restless.”
“―Are you definitely a witch? Is there something you want?”
Blue Colette kept her spear ready, cautious of any sudden movements by the witch.
She understood they were trapped within a barrier, which caused the shift in scenery.
“There’s no need to be so tense; I won’t do anything to you. Don’t you desire power?”
“…”
“Power to overcome those stronger than yourself. Power to knock others down. Power to silence those who irritate you. You should want it, Blue Colette.”
Blue Colette’s grip on her spear wavered slightly.
The witch slowly approached her.
“Magical girl. You were supposed to be a chosen existence, yet you’re tangled up in restrictions and exploited by the Magic Bureau. Younger magical girls grow stronger than you, ignoring your presence.”
The witch produced a vial containing liquid and showed it to Blue Colette.
“If you drink this, you’ll obtain power equivalent to Enhanced Form. After that, you can do as you please.”
“…Will I really gain power?”
“Yes. You’ll undoubtedly obtain the power you desire.”
After pondering for a moment, Blue Colette accepted the vial and shook it lightly.
Since becoming a magical girl, Blue Colette had not experienced rapid growth in strength.
She had been surpassed by junior magical girls and Marin, leading her to lash out at Star Nail in frustration.
If the witch’s words were true and she could gain power…
Charmed by the witch’s sweet promises, Blue Colette drank it all at once.
“Ah! This! This is it! Haha. Ahahahaha!”
Blue Colette began laughing wildly as she underwent a dramatic transformation.
Her spear grew larger and more spiky, emitting an ominous aura, and geometric patterns emerged on her body.
Horns sprouted from her head, and a single black wing unfolded from her back.
No longer was there any trace of the magical girl once known as Blue Colette.
“With this power, no one will look down on me! I won’t lose to anyone!”
“If you’re satisfied, then I’m glad. Do as you wish. Although, I already know the outcome.”
Finally, the witch handed Blue Colette a device to create barriers.
Despite the witch’s explanations, her voice didn’t reach the laughing Blue Colette, who dismissed her with a shake of her head, and the witch disappeared somewhere.
And thus, Blue Colette vanished from the North Kanto Branch.
