Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

Chapter 65, The Second Traitor

Bang.

The rose was slammed against the wall with tremendous force and slid down the wall.

Two demonic thugs on either side of her were rubbing their fists together, their faces full of sinister smiles as they slowly approached her.

Behind the thugs stood a middle-aged man wearing a T-shirt with the company logo. He looked worried, holding a cigarette between his fingers, taking a deep drag, and looking through the wisps of smoke at the staggering Rose.

"Those are already reserved by other customers, miss. If you like pets, you can take a look at our other little guys in cages. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

The middle-aged man exhaled a breath of stale air, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness and exhaustion, "To resort to robbery is simply underestimating us."

Despite the excruciating pain in her back, Rose swung her hand, holding her giant scythe horizontally in front of her, the blade pointing straight ahead.

In her other hand, she was tightly cradling a puppy whose back was covered in crimson stripes and whose eyes were not yet open.

Describing it as a 'puppy' wouldn't be accurate. Although it was only the size of a palm, it was trembling wildly. From its writhing posture to its rapid breathing, everything about it revealed an extremely primal hunger.

The tiny body was desperately tilting its head back, trying to open its mouth wide and swallow the magical girl in front of it whole.

"Besides, you are a magical girl, and that weak, dying monster is of no value to you."

The middle-aged man flicked his cigarette ash, beckoned to her with his finger, and said, "Give it back, and I won't kill you."

Thorn Rose stared intently at the two demon thugs who had blocked all her escape routes.

The one on the left looks unremarkable, but from his wide sleeves hang disgusting light gray tentacles. As he walks, the tentacles leave a long, foul-smelling trail of slime on the cement floor.

The one on the right was covered in a thick, hard layer of mud armor, with several sharp, conspicuous rock horns protruding high on its back.

She recalled what her teacher had said when he was instructing her.

The abilities of demons are closely related to the calamity beasts they contract with, and they inevitably retain certain traces of that calamity beast on their bodies.

By carefully observing these traces, one can roughly determine the type of ability they possess.

All the calamity beasts are offspring of the "Four Nightmares".

The Thousand-Faced Nightmare of Illusions, the Distorted and Majestic Radiance, the Monarch of the Fallen White Night, and the Madly Passionate Prisoner each govern different domains.

The legendary "Thousand-Bearded Nightmare of Illusions" has countless tentacles that can corrupt the mind, which matches the characteristics of the tentacle man on the left; "Twisted Majestic Radiance" can command inanimate objects, causing lifeless matter to submit and change its form. All non-biological calamities such as water elementals and lava elementals are related to it, which corresponds to the stone man on the right.

These two henchmen were only one rank higher than him.

If she uses the protective magic artifact granted to the Arbiter by the [Kaleidoscope Prison], she might have a 20-30% chance of escaping at the cost of her life.

but……

Rose's gaze passed over the two thugs and landed on the last man, a middle-aged man with a worried expression who was smoking. Her hand, gripping the giant scythe, trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Although she didn't know his abilities, she was definitely no match for him.

After analyzing the situation, she chose to negotiate.

Thorn Rose took a deep breath and spoke loudly, "I am from the Yin Palace..."

"Stop!"

Before she could even give her name, the middle-aged man suddenly made a "pause" gesture impatiently.

At his command, Rose's upper and lower lips stuck together, and she could no longer open them.

This is!?

Her eyes widened.

"Oh dear, you seemed to be about to say something very troublesome."

The middle-aged man scratched his head in frustration, threw his cigarette butt at the ground, and stomped it out. "If you were to say it out loud, things would probably get very complicated. I'm just a lowly clerk with a fixed salary, running errands on site. I hate dealing with these kinds of convoluted and troublesome jobs."

He gave a friendly smile and asked in a questioning tone, "How about this: you, you rob my goods in the street, caught red-handed; I, after discovering the theft, retrieve the goods immediately and give you a proper reprimand. That's the end of it, how about that?"

"..."

Rose's face had turned deathly pale. She found that not only could she not speak, but even her mouth was slowly dissolving from her face.

Unable to resist, because the body was no longer under control.

Seeing this, the two demon henchmen chuckled and continued to approach her.

救…

A silent scream escaped her lips, and just before she was about to tear off the snowflake pendant from her neck, the scene before her eyes suddenly spun around her.

The feeling of weightlessness vanished in an instant. When she came to her senses, Rose found herself on the rooftop of an extremely tall building. A cold, hollow wind howled from above, stinging her face.

In front of her stood a person completely covered by sunglasses and a baseball cap, standing quietly on the edge of the rooftop with their back to her, looking down.

"That was too reckless."

The other person turned around and spoke calmly.

"With the evil master not around, even if you have that necklace, you shouldn't be wandering around this black market alone."

The rose loosened the silver snowflake pendant on her chest, staggered to her feet, and demanded, "Who are you?"

The other person took off their sunglasses and baseball cap.

"Magical Girl Crimson Robe? What are you doing here?"

Rose recognized the other person immediately.

She came here to help her teacher track down the other party.

"As a 'fugitive' being hunted by the [Kaleidoscope Prison], if I want to hide in Yin City, I naturally have to seek help through some unconventional means." Jiang Yi had bright purple hair like violets. "The demons here can help me temporarily avoid the gaze of the 'Black Judge'."

"If that's the case, why show yourself now?"

Rose did not relax at all, gripping the giant scythe tightly again and staring intently at her opponent.

"I've come to see you," the woman in crimson replied bluntly.

"Looking for me?" Rose was slightly taken aback.

Ignoring the giant scythe that could be swung at her at any moment, Jiang Yi turned to gaze at the void beyond the rooftop. "This barrier can block most spying magic. Even your teacher can't see what's inside right now. I've been wanting to find an opportunity to talk to you about it..."

She held out her hand: "How about we make a deal?"

Rose remained silent, wary, and did not accept the outstretched hand.

Jiang Yi clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers lightly. A dark purple cigarette, made of magical energy, appeared at her fingertips, emitting wisps of smoke.

She took a deep drag and exhaled a smoke ring: "I've always been curious why the three great magical kingdoms have to reappear in the world at this particular time. Are they really the protectors of the magical girl community, as they claim?"

"As one of the three great kingdoms, the Kaleidoscope Prison is responsible for judging the sins of magical girls. Who gave them this power? And by what right can they be fair?"

"The Black Judge will adjudicate fairly the actions of each of us."

Rose responded in a low voice.

"That's right, that's the problem."

Jiang Yi nodded in deep agreement, "What exactly is that Black Judge? All along, it has been your teacher 'Dingguang' who has been representing the Kaleidoscope Prison. No one has ever seen the true ruler of the kingdom. I want to find out about this."

She enthusiastically invited again, "So, become my informant."

Rose frowned: "Are you from the Affairs Bureau?"

"It is possible."

"I regret to decline."

Rose shook her head without hesitation.

Jiang Yi wasn't in a hurry, and said with a half-smile, "I can give you what you've been dreaming of."

"For example?"

"intelligence."

The purple-clad magical girl parted her red lips slightly and uttered those two words lightly.

She flicked the ash from her cigarette: "Don't you want to know the real reason your brother died back then? Who was the murderer? Who should be held responsible? What you heard from Dingguang was ultimately just a fragmented piece of information forcibly reconstructed using the magic of tracing back to the source."

Rose's expression remained impassive, but deep down, her heart skipped a beat.

Even this tiny fluctuation was detected by Jiang Yi.

"Your brother, Du Manjiang, was once the renowned 'Grey Key' of the Holy Temple's Disaster Relief Institute. Oh... to put it simply, he was an elite squad leader."

The man in crimson robes exhaled clouds of mist. "He is a confidant of the Holy Spirit, and the calamity beast he has contracted is among the strongest below the Holy Spirit."

"After the Disaster Relief Institute was destroyed, he fled at the command of the Holy Spirit. Strangely, instead of fleeing to the other side of the ocean immediately, he perished together with 'Magical Girl Raven' a month later."

The Crow.

Rose frowned; she was the older sister of the foolish Eaglet.

The magical cigarette in the crimson-clad woman's fingertips burned completely, turning back into a wisp of purple light that drifted away in the wind: "That's all you know, isn't it? But aren't you curious about what exactly happened between them back then? Why did Du Manjiang, who should have flown far away, stay? And why did the [Kaleidoscope Prison] come to you six years later, asking you to atone for your brother's sins?"

"You know?"

Finally, Rose couldn't resist and tentatively spoke up.

Jiang Yi shook her head: "I don't know, but I can use oath magic to assure you that I will help you find the records from back then." She paused, then smiled, "And you only need to do two things for me."

Without even thinking, Thorn Rose still refused outright: "I will not betray my teacher."

"No, no, you misunderstand. I'm not interested in your teacher."

The woman in crimson held up two fingers. "The first thing I want is for you to arrange for me to enter the 'Witch Trial,' and for you to personally judge me during the trial."

"As for the second matter, I want you to report to me everything you heard or saw related to the 'Evil Lord' at the Yinfu Entertainment Center, in great detail and without reservation."

Cheng Chen?

Rose was taken aback. She never expected that the conversation would suddenly turn to him.

Seeing the bewildered and confused look in Thorn Rose's eyes, Crimson Robe helplessly spread her hands: "Anyway, these are the conditions. If you can accept them, then come and sign the oath."

After saying that, she slowly opened her five fingers.

A complex hand seal radiating a faint glow was formed in front of her in the blink of an eye. A blank space was deliberately left in the center of the hand seal, so that as long as Rose infused it with magic, the inviolable oath magic would take effect.

After a moment's hesitation, Thorn Rose stepped forward.

Two different colored magical forces intertwined, illuminating the entire rooftop.

"very good."

Sensing the validity of the contract, Jiang Yi nodded in satisfaction. "I will do my best to help you gain the trust of the evil master. Just let me know if you need anything."

Rose withdrew her hand, her chest rising and falling slightly.

She didn't know if she had made the right decision, but there was no going back now.

"This is a trade fair held by 'Ink Cat Residence.' We're investigating a demon named 'Night Owl.' Have you heard of him?" she asked.

The woman in crimson looked over with a strange expression.

Rose felt uneasy under her gaze and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"

"First of all, I've never heard of any 'Ink Cat Residence,' and secondly..." Jiang Yi paused before replying, "The guy who organized this trade fair is 'Asura Lord' Yan Nian."

……

"Would you be willing to act as a go-between for Yan?"

Inside the attic, after Yan Nian asked the question with a smile, the air fell silent.

Yan Xi almost couldn't help but shout out, begging Cheng Chen not to agree to him.

Cheng Chen simply tapped his fingers on the back of the sofa, seemingly deep in thought about the other party's proposal.

Yan Nian did not urge him at all and politely refilled his teacup.

Cheng Chen finally stopped tapping his fingers and looked at the steaming teacup: "What Boss Yan just said has really broadened my horizons."

"To be honest, although I'm a local, I've always been focused on improving my strength and have never really had any in-depth interactions with the other demons in Yin City. But..." He suddenly changed the subject, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, "I personally really like magical girls."

He picked up his teacup but didn't drink it. Instead, he turned his gaze to the magical girl Yuanxi, who was obediently serving him. "Appreciating them, watching them, raising them, changing them—it seems Boss Yan is on the same path."

"Beautiful, fragile, and fleeting."

Yan Nian extended his broad, warm hand, the back of which Yuan Xi held as she poured tea for him. "Who wouldn't love that?"

Yuanxi responded silently with a gentle and admiring gaze.

He sighed: "To be honest, Mr. Cheng, my wife was once a magical girl."

"Oh?"

Cheng Chen straightened up and listened attentively.

"They were sworn enemies, they became friends after fighting, and then fell in love..." Yan Nian sighed, "It's a very cliché development. Young people these days don't like to hear this kind of story anymore."

"Excuse my intrusion, but your wife is now...?" Cheng Chen cupped his hands in greeting.

"She's dead, she's been dead for almost a hundred years."

Yan Nian's tone was surprisingly calm. "President Cheng, don't let my appearance fool you. I'm actually 420 years old. I've personally seen off several batches of people, including my wife, friends, and even my children. The sad thing is, I'm still in my prime, not even halfway through my lifespan... In the long future, I'll have to witness many more of these kinds of separations and deaths."

"We have a much longer lifespan than ordinary people, and as time goes by, all that remains are some insignificant past events."

The lifespan of trenches.

Cheng Chen tried hard to keep a straight face. His gaze shifted downwards and landed precisely on Yan Nian's fingers: "I didn't expect Boss Yan to be such a sentimental person."

Yan Nian instinctively covered it for a moment, then released it again, continuing to gently stroke the faded ring on his ring finger.

"Please excuse my poor performance, Mr. Cheng."

"I'm the kind of person who gets bored easily, so I really admire those who can stick to liking someone or something for ten years straight." Cheng Chen gave a thumbs up. "Boss Yan's loyalty is admirable. There are no bad people who like magical girls. I'll take this job!"

Eh?

Yan Xi, who was hiding behind, looked up and stared blankly at the expression on Cheng Chen's face.

No, what's the connection?

What utter nonsense are you spouting?!

……