Transform into a magical girl after getting off work-Chapter 660 - 218: Sacrificial Child

As the saying goes, one wrong step leads to many others, and for Mint, when the Arrowroot in the maze found her, many things began to spiral out of control.

This loss of control eventually led her to choose to "lay her cards on the table" with her two teammates in this manner, and then, things unexpectedly went awry.

Looking at the two people in front of her who were already showing signs of caution, Mint seemed stunned, as if pondering something. After a moment, she gradually lowered her hand that had been rubbing her hair, closed her eyes and muttered to herself: "Whatever, there's still room for negotiation, it's not like we've hit a dead end."

"You two, have any questions, go ahead and ask."

She exhaled deeply, seemingly trying to calm herself down: "I'm not denying it. If you two truly are unliberated Sacrificial Child, real Magical Girls, then in your eyes, I am your enemy. But before things really escalate, shouldn't you have something to ask?"

This strange, self-directed performance left Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan utterly perplexed. After exchanging a glance, they realized neither of them could understand what kind of trick Mint was playing.

"Stalling for time?" Lin Xiaolu guessed aloud.

"Is there a trap?" Bai Jingxuan had her own thoughts.

They didn't bother hiding their discussions from Mint. After all, with the situation developing to this point, there was no need for either side to conceal anything.

"Neither." Mint replied straightforwardly.

Not only that, she pulled out a block from the pocket of her hoodie and placed it on the coffee table, gently pushing it towards Lin Xiaolu.

This startled Lin Xiaolu, to the point that she instinctively gripped the Heart Bud, ready to defend against a possible attack. But soon she realized, it wasn't what she thought.

Mint really had only tossed her an item.

Lin Xiaolu looked closely, finally seeing what Mint had pushed over—it was actually a piece of Heart Leaf glowing with magical power. Judging from the magical power fluctuation emanating from it, it was Mint's own Heart's Gem.

"…What does this mean?" Lin Xiaolu questioned aloud.

"Showing my sincerity. I don't want to fight with you, rather, I hope we can have a good conversation." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Having regained her composure, Mint took a sip of the drink in front of her, looking calm: "You can check, this is my Heart's Gem, it's genuine. If I plan to fight you later, you can directly attack my gem and incapacitate me."

"What? You are… huh? You Black Ash Dawn folks really have something wrong in your heads." Lin Xiaolu held Mint's Heart's Gem, momentarily at a loss for words.

"If I don't do this, you might outright call the Sheriff, or even alert other Magical Girls, right?"

Mint smirked: "That girl Bo Xue over there, though she hid the movement well, my ears are sharp, I heard the sound of pressing the phone, huh?"

Bai Jingxuan looked at her with an innocent expression.

"Don't come up with that excuse."

Mint rolled her eyes: "In any case, can we continue our conversation now? Miss this village, no more inn."

"Let the Research Institute people arrest you, they could still get the so-called secrets from your mouth, right?" Lin Xiaolu held Mint's Heart's Gem, yet didn't immediately agree.

"Hmm, probably, they would know, but you certainly wouldn't."

Mint remained calm, knowing full well she had already considered what Lin Xiaolu just said: "And, they would also know that today, I met two Magical Girls with Residual Beast Magic in Emerald District."

Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan's breaths momentarily stilled.

"…I'll say it again, I have no idea if I have any Residual Beast Magic on me, don't pin weird labels on me."

Lin Xiaolu looked unfriendly: "As for Bo Xue, her situation is special, members like yourselves from Black Ash Dawn aren't qualified to drag her down."

"I understand, I understand, your Captain is Cornflower, after all, she holds some sway in the Kingdom, right?"

Mint appeared unbothered: "But are you sure you want matters to escalate to needing her to call in favors? Hear me out, perhaps there's a better way? After all, come on, my gem is still in your hand, right?"

Lin Xiaolu fell silent.

She pondered for a while, exchanged another glance with Bai Jingxuan, and finally made a decision, looking back towards Mint:

"First question, what is your purpose in coming to this city?"

"My own purpose is for the examination, to get my White Card."

Mint answered without hesitation: "As for Black Ash Dawn's objective, I know only that some Beast Child accompanying us this time have tasks to execute during the fourth examination."

"Don't you have any task?" Lin Xiaolu frowned.

"If I say 'no' you probably wouldn't believe me, right?" Mint shrugged: "But I can honestly tell you, Black Ash Dawn is actually a big organization, like how a group of Magical Girls often have different objectives, we are the same."

"You mean even though you are Black Ash Dawn, you aren't participating in any actions this time, just here as an examiner?" Lin Xiaolu looked unconvinced.

"If I really were involved in a task, wouldn't I at least know who my teammates are? And not mistake you two?"

Mint looked vexed: "Not to mention, I thought you were here to execute some task, originally wanted to spectate the drama."

This reply left Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan speechless.

If Mint really knew more internal details, she indeed had no reason to make such a low-level mistake. Rather, her current situation in the café, being caught in such a standoff, itself indicates an "unprofessional" reflection.

"...Then another question, you said I have Residual Beast Magic on me, what exactly does that mean?" Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu quickly adjusted her mindset and continued to ask.

"It means what it means, what else could it mean?"

Mint continued to sip her drink: "Didn't I say already? To the eyes of a Beast Child like me, the magical power fluctuation of Residual Beast Magic is like a light bulb, impossible to mistake."

"But how come I don't know about it?"

"Why ask me? Isn't it your own fault for being so useless?"

Mint wore a mocking expression: "But then again, from a sensory standpoint, if the Residual Beast Magic on Little Sister Bo Xue is like a 100-watt household light bulb, then the Residual Beast Magic on you is probably like a burning out matchstick. It's stronger than an average person, but so weak that you must be the weakest among Sacrificial Children."

"Ha? Who are you calling weak?"

Lin Xiaolu was immediately a bit upset, but soon realized that she had no reason to compete on this matter: "Having more Residual Beast Magic, can that even be a good thing? Less is better!"

"The Royal Court doesn't care if the Residual Beast Magic is strong or weak on you when they come for people, as long as it's there." Mint said in a shadowy tone.

"So, you're saying I really do have Residual Beast Magic on me?" Lin Xiaolu persisted in her questioning, unwilling to give up.

"Yes, I'd even say, if Little Sister Bo Xue were to seriously sense it, her answer would be 'yes' too." Mint asserted confidently.

So Lin Xiaolu looked at Bai Jingxuan.

Bai Jingxuan hesitated, glanced at Lin Xiaolu and then at Mint, and finally moved a little closer to Lin Xiaolu, closed her eyes. After a long time, she slowly lifted her eyelids:

"... I find it hard to say clearly, it's really too faint."

"Faint means?" Lin Xiaolu's mouth twitched.

"... It's kind of like it's there, but so weak it feels like a hallucination." Bai Jingxuan said softly.

"Hahaha!"

This time Mint laughed out loud: "As a Sacrificial Child, you're a total bottom feeder!"

"So what are these Sacrificial Child and Beast Child you're talking about?"

Lin Xiaolu glared at her viciously: "Why would I be happy about having a talent for being a villain?"

"Wrong, wrong, a Sacrificial Child isn't 'a talent for being a villain'."

Mint had a look of 'you don't get it': "Actually, even though the name doesn't sound good, a Sacrificial Child is a one-in-a-million talent for humans."

"How so?"

"A Sacrificial Child is someone with the talent to use Residual Beast Magic as their Magic Source without affecting their mind or body."

Mint said proudly: "In other words, only a Sacrificial Child can utilize the power of a Remnant Beast while remaining human."

"... How is that different from those so-called Claw Marks?" Lin Xiaolu frowned: "Don't they still retain a human form after transforming?"

"They seem similar on the surface, but they're quite different. Claw Marks simply utilize Residual Beast Magic to replace the Magical Girl's Magic Source. Essentially, their body contains only one fundamental type of magic, but they use Residual Beast Magic to mimic the power of Magical Girls."

Mint shook her head: "Their abilities as Magical Girls become incomplete, they have hardly mastered the abilities of a Remnant Beast, and are extremely inefficient in using Residual Beast Magic."

"Then what about Sacrificial Children?"

"They are the same as Magical Girls, just like Magical Girls can gain power through Kaihua, step by step obtaining the powers of Seed, Bud, Leaf, Bud, and Flower."

Mint put down her glass: "Sacrificial Children can remain in human form and through 'Food Sacrifice', step by step advance from Egg, Inchworm, Pupa, Shed... until they ultimately possess abilities that fully parallel the entire lifecycle of a Remnant Beast."

"Moreover, if a Sacrificial Child happens to be a girl, and gets the chance to sign a contract and become a Magical Girl, can you guess what path this Sacrificial Child would take?"

Her hands rested on both sides of her glass, revealing an exceptionally refreshing smile: "The answer is, they'd become an existence like us."

"Don't use 'us' like that, even if I have this disgusting potential, I've never accepted any Residual Beast Magic."

Lin Xiaolu was visibly displeased: "So what about Beast Children then, how are they different from Sacrificial Children?"

This time, Mint didn't immediately respond.

She looked at Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan with an eerily calm gaze, but Lin Xiaolu continued to meet her gaze defiantly. It was only after a long while that Mint began to speak again.

"The essence of a Beast Child is also a Sacrificial Child, except a Beast Child is a Sacrificial Child that completed round after round of Food Sacrifice, surviving selection."

She softened her voice, as if reminiscing: "Mixing hundreds of Remnant Beasts and one equally-ranked Sacrificial Child in a cage, which would remain sealed over the next month."

"A month later, the last surviving Remnant Beasts become materials for Ash Guards and Ash Envoys to create Beast's Viscera."

"And if the one who survives is the Sacrificial Child..."

"Then she will become a Beast Child."