Politely refusing others' offers of help, Emerald Sparrow walked to a nearby office chair by herself and sat down. It was only after a few minutes, with explanations from several institute employees, that she finally understood the situation.
"...Forget it, let it be as if it never happened."
Even though she now knew why she was bumped into, Emerald Sparrow had no intention of pursuing the matter. She considered the person who ran into her to be just an ordinary clerk, and since it wasn't done intentionally, she was inclined to let it go: "You don't need to put on such a serious face. Just relax."
The unspoken part was that by accepting this way of entering the Magic Institute Branch, she was here to deal with important matters, and had no time to focus on such trivialities.
The important matter was, in fact, quite clear: to adjust the security and defense plan for the upcoming assessment according to her ideas.
For procedural legitimacy, it was necessary to discuss this within the Magical Affairs Institute; for efficiency in communication and concerns about confidentiality, Emerald Sparrow couldn't remotely direct this work.
In the end, she had to think of a way to sneak into the Magical Affairs Institute without drawing attention.
The official entry of the main institute's personnel was through formal channels, arriving on the pretext of attending meetings with Luennolay and the Research Institute, so even the branch could check the full list of names. To avoid any discrepancies being found later, Emerald Sparrow couldn't openly mix with the crowd and had to choose this method based on Zhe Helan's suggestion.
Both Zhe Helan and Emerald Sparrow were fully aware that at this stage, they couldn't reveal their plans to anyone. Even though most of the clerks at the local branch were likely without deep backgrounds or exceptional abilities as magical girls—such magical girls wouldn't end up in such a small branch—there are always exceptions, and no one could guarantee that all employees at this branch would side with their faction.
Not to mention the possibility that there might be members of other Magical Affairs Institute factions among the branch employees. If they learn about the Research Institute's plot and report it, they would be in serious trouble.
Emerald Sparrow now knew that regarding the issue of "whether to support Cornflower's return to the position of the Sapphire Wand," the attitudes of the five factions within the Magical Affairs Institute varied.
The faction close to the Research Institute, known as the "Green Faction," not only included two-realm war veterans like Zhe Helan, but also native Luennolay citizens like Delphinium and He Wanglan, who grew up in the city and experienced the war firsthand as civilians. While being close to the Research Institute, this faction also highly regards Cornflower, who was once promoted as a war hero, leading to the current situation where they plot for Emerald Sparrow's ascension to the Gemstone Scepter with Green Faction's support.
Likewise, the Investigation Bureau faction, which is closely allied with the Green Faction and self-referred to as the "Yellow Faction" within the Magical Affairs Institute, engages in frequent interest exchanges and collaboration with the Green Faction. This faction is equally enthusiastic about securing a Gemstone Scepter for the Magical Affairs Institute. Plus, Golden Green Cat's Eye herself had interacted with Emerald Sparrow multiple times previously, making her the logical first target for recruitment.
The remaining three factions are not easily categorized as "friends."
First is the "Red Faction," close to the Civil Administration Institute, which has never expressed an opinion on whether a Gemstone Scepter is needed. They mostly prefer not to align closely with any faction, remaining aloof unless Civil Administration Institute's plans or proposals face obstacles, at which point they exchange interests with other factions. Otherwise, the magical girls of this faction are the most idle in the Magical Affairs Institute.
Then there's the "Crown Faction," which maintains the Royal Court's control and also desires a Gemstone Scepter to further secure the nobles' grip on the Magical Affairs Institute, expelling the other four factions. Unfortunately for them, they believe that this Gemstone Scepter should not be Cornflower.
The Crown Faction has reservations, even an aversion, to someone like Cornflower, who dared to "anger the Queen" and viewed him as a "rebellious person." In their view, the future Gemstone Scepter of the Magical Affairs Institute should be a noble by birth, impeccable in lineage, ability, and spirit—a "one of their own." They are dedicated to promoting a Gemstone Scepter from within their own faction and have been trying to get their candidate into the Queen's vision.
Even so, the Crown Faction isn't the hardest to win over. According to Zhe Helan's depiction, the biggest obstacle to Emerald Sparrow becoming a Gemstone Scepter stems from the "Purple Faction," which is close to the Finance Court.
Their attitude is quite clear: "The Magical Affairs Institute does not need a Gemstone Scepter."
Although in earlier years, the Finance Court's attitude hadn't been , both the remnants within the Finance Court and the Magical Affairs Institute's Purple Faction sensed a clear change in the power aspirations of the Diamond Scepter at a certain point.
The specific manifestation is that in the past two decades, the Diamond Scepter appeared more frequently within the Magical Affairs Institute compared to other factions, sometimes even blatantly supporting the Purple Faction. Moreover, the Finance Court's inherent powers were tightly held, with little leaking out.
Such behavioral logic naturally fostered stronger loyalty and a sense of belonging among the Purple Faction's magical girls to the Diamond Scepter. Oftentimes, they saw themselves as an extension of the Finance Court within the Magical Affairs Institute, rather than being considered members of the Magical Affairs Institute. Thus, they are committed to tirelessly maintaining the interests of the Diamond Scepter, absolutely refusing to cede them to others.
As for these kinds of attitudes from the Finance Court and the Purple Faction, grassroots magical girls may only find it somewhat odd, ultimately just noticing "a slight change in the Diamond Scepter's style." However, at the level of Zhe Helan and Emerald, it's naturally understood that this change is not due to "the Diamond Scepter changing," but rather because "the person holding the Diamond Scepter has changed."
According to Emerald's description, the current Diamond is a high-profile individual with deep aspirations for power. Having been the shortest-tenured Gemstone Scepter, he has a strong desire to maintain his prestige and consolidate power, displaying aggressive hostility towards anyone daring to challenge his authority.
Additionally, the Royal Court, attempting to cover up the "Purple Diamond's defection" scandal, has never publicly announced that the Diamond position has changed hands. Despite numerous rumors among the populace, there's been no official acknowledgement, leaving the current Diamond to still operate under the "Purple Diamond" name. Such circumstances understandably make the current power-driven Diamond even more psychologically imbalanced.
"From her perspective, as someone loyal to the Royal Court and active in actions, to quietly hide behind the position of Gemstone Scepter like a thief is intolerable. Meanwhile, you, Cornflower—an irreverent, arrogant person—aim to ascend openly to the position of Sapphire Wand; this must be highly unacceptable to her."
When discussing the current Diamond, Emerald also gave Emerald Sparrow a precautionary warning: "Therefore, our forthcoming actions must strive to avoid the Crown Faction while definitely concealing from the Purple Faction. Only when they owe us significant favors should we use that as capital to negotiate with them. Otherwise, they will certainly disrupt our plans."
To guard against potential Crown and Purple Faction members in the branch, Emerald Sparrow resorted to sneaking into the Magical Affairs Institute disguised as luggage, leaving no evidence for the outside branch clerks.