Veronica gazed coolly at Sparrow, who lay unconscious on the ground. As she stepped forward, Favored Runes slipped from her sleeve, floating through the air. Soon, they landed on Sparrow’s neck, settling around her Heartstone Gem, forming a glowing blue mark that resembled a collar.
That wasn’t all. Next, she conjured a Magical Barrier, creating a dome that enclosed Sparrow entirely.
This was one of the specialized spells that every Investigation Bureau magical girl was required to master—one that only the Bureau had access to: Anti-Magic Sealing.
Its activation had strict conditions; it could only be used after completely subduing an opponent. True to its name, this spell sealed off all access to magic and transformation, with the duration varying based on the caster’s magic reserves.
Veronica had no intention of killing Sparrow. According to the information she had gathered, Claw Mark was a high-priority target of the Kingdom, and turning over a live captive could yield valuable intelligence.
She had her own conflicts with the Kingdom, but that didn’t change the fact that Sparrow and her group had caused enough chaos in Fangting City to push past her tolerance.
If she had been hesitant before, she wasn’t anymore. The decision was final—once this was over, she would have to call in the Countermeasure Bureau.
Only after handling everything did she take a few unsteady steps back, dispersing the lingering magic around her body.
No one noticed, but her forehead was already drenched in sweat.
But she wasn’t surprised.
This was an old wound.
Her True Form was damaged, her Heartstone Gem shattered—everything Sparrow had said was true.
What Sparrow didn’t know, however, was that Veronica’s injuries were even worse than she imagined.
Which meant her other assumption was also correct—despite having once reached Bud-tier, Veronica could no longer manifest her Domain.
It wasn’t just her Domain—even the most fundamental trait of a magical girl, her magic reserves, had been severely diminished by her injuries. That was why she always fought with extreme conservation, minimizing magic usage.
The overwhelming power she had displayed just now hadn’t come from nowhere. It was the result of forcing her Magic Source into overdrive—pushing herself to her past peak at the cost of further aggravating her injuries.
Doing so briefly returned her to her prime, but the price was immense. Her True Form and soul wounds would worsen, triggering unbearable headaches. The longer she maintained peak magic, the more intense the pain became—until she inevitably lost consciousness.
Her injuries had played a major role in why Lin Yun had retired as a magical girl.
Originally, she hadn’t planned to resort to this method in her fight with Sparrow. She had intended to play weak, draw the battle into a prolonged engagement, and slowly deplete Sparrow’s magic reserves through counterattacks—while also gathering information along the way.
It was the safest and most efficient approach.
But the moment Sparrow mentioned that Lin Xiaolu might be in danger—whether it was true or not—Veronica knew she couldn’t afford to delay.
Even if it was just a precaution, she had to finish this quickly.
So she had forced out all her magic, ended the fight in an instant, and captured Sparrow.
Now, the next step was to notify the Countermeasure Bureau to collect the prisoner, then head straight for the last location she had sensed Moko’s presence to figure out what was happening.
But just as that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly remembered something—her phone had been knocked away during the battle.
And now, she was no longer where it had fallen. If she went back to retrieve it, she would lose too much time.
As she scanned her surroundings, she spotted a nearby bystander who had been watching.
Without hesitation, she walked over and extended her hand toward the slightly dazed man.
“Excuse me, could I borrow your phone?”
It wasn’t until the words left her mouth that she realized—the man looked oddly familiar.
No, not just familiar—far too familiar.
Wang Tengfei, meanwhile, stared blankly as he handed over his phone.
His mind held only one thought: It’s really Cornflower.
The girl standing before him, even after more than twenty years, was still instantly recognizable.
He had changed, aged—but she remained the same as back then. It was as if time had stopped for her.
He spoke without thinking, watching as the girl swiftly tapped on the phone’s screen with both hands.
Then, he saw her fingers pause.
Just for a split second.
The hesitation was so brief that he almost thought he imagined it.
But in the next moment, she continued as if nothing had happened, inputting a phone number and raising the device to her ear.
As she waited for the call to connect, her gaze fell on him.
Her expression remained unreadable, but her tone carried a faint trace of curiosity.
Recognizing him as her General Manager, and hearing him call out her former alias, Veronica found herself at a loss for what to feel.
Wang Tengfei opened his mouth, searching for words.
In his youth, he had indeed been a fan of Cornflower.
Back then, her sudden disappearance had left him with countless questions, regrets, and confusion.
Now, he realized—he couldn’t remember those questions anymore.
No matter how deeply he had admired her, no matter how much regret or frustration he had once felt, all that remained now were just words.
The emotions had faded, just like old photographs left too long in the sun—still recognizable, but washed out.
The vibrant colors of the past had dulled, and with them, all the lingering emotions.
“…I used to be a fan of yours.”
After all that searching, this was the only sentence he could find.
Veronica looked at him for a moment, then nodded slightly.
She didn’t know what else to say, either. Google seaʀᴄh 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Then, as the call connected, she heard Hong Siyu’s voice on the other end. Without another word to Wang Tengfei, she quickly relayed the situation and location, giving detailed instructions on securing Sparrow.
Only after confirming everything did she hang up and return the phone.
As he absentmindedly took back the device, Wang Tengfei hesitated before asking, “…Are you… Lin?”
The moment the words left his mouth, it was as if the surrounding air had chilled.
Veronica’s previously calm, distant expression instantly froze.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then, inwardly sighing, she thought: So, he figured it out after all.
Back in the General Manager’s Office, she had been forced to transform because of Sparrow’s direct attack on the office building.
She had tried her best to keep Wang Tengfei from seeing, only changing at the last possible moment before leaving—but clearly, her precautions hadn’t been thorough enough.
At this point, explaining would only make it worse.
So she simply withdrew her hand and, in an almost indifferent tone, replied:
“In the real world, sometimes you need a little disguise.”
That was all she said, leaving Wang Tengfei to interpret it however he wished.