After the Mist-person left so boldly, Blazing Flame steadied her mind and continued sweeping the Caesar Grand Hotel for any remaining monsters.
30 minutes later, Blazing Flame and Sapphire successfully met on the fifth floor of the hotel.
After confirming that both were safe, and that there was no trace of monsters left in the hotel, the two of them left to meet up with Meteor.
By the time they exited the hotel and found Meteor, it was already completely dark.
Looking at Blazing Flame and Sapphire as they appeared before her, Meteor scratched her head somewhat sheepishly.
“Um… this Miss made a mistake and accidentally let two Shadow Beasts escape.”
“The two monsters you let escape — was one a middle-aged man and the other a monster wrapped in black mist?” Sapphire asked.
“Huh? How did you know?”
Meteor was quite surprised, not understanding how Sapphire knew what the Shadow Beasts she let go looked like.
Sapphire raised an eyebrow slightly. Looking at Meteor’s confused expression, she explained, “When I met with Blazing Flame, she already told me about those two Shadow Beasts. They are very strong, so it’s not your fault.”
“I see. So Blazing Flame already ran into those two.” Meteor looked at Blazing Flame with great interest.
“Quick, tell me! What special abilities do those two monsters have?”
Feeling both Sapphire and Meteor turn their gaze toward her, Blazing Flame remained silent for a moment before explaining.
“That middle-aged man can use Hypnosis. The effect isn’t very strong; you should be able to resist it.”
“Wow, Hypnosis! That sounds like an ability from some bad manga!”
Meteor’s eyes sparkled, as if she had heard something incredible.
Beside her, Sapphire’s brow furrowed upon hearing this, feeling a wave of displeasure.
All of these Shadow Beasts possessed abilities that posed a massive threat to ordinary citizens.
It was truly a nuisance.
Watching their reactions, Blazing Flame shrugged helplessly and spoke the truth about the Mist-person.
“As for the other Mist-person… it’s a bit tricky.”
“It seems to be able to hide its presence, and it can make me feel as if my body is sinking into a swamp, unable to move.”
“It’s very strong — stronger than both the Bomb Beast and the Nightmare Monster we dealt with before.”
Hearing Blazing Flame evaluate the Mist-person this way, Sapphire and Meteor instantly perked up.
They were all well aware that among the three Magic Girls of City A, Blazing Flame was the strongest in terms of individual combat power.
Since Blazing Flame had put it that way, they certainly wouldn’t fare any better when facing that Mist-person.
After thinking for a few seconds, Sapphire looked at Blazing Flame and asked, “Blazing Flame, what does that ‘sinking into a swamp’ feeling feel like? Can you describe it specifically?”
“Yeah, I can.”
Blazing Flame nodded and began to recall the sensation she felt at the time.
When she encountered the Mist-person, her body felt as if it were bound by something, making her unable to move.
It was completely different from the deceleration released when Sapphire went into an Emotion Outburst; it was more like having strength but being unable to exert it.
It was like…
“That swamp-like feeling was like being pressed down by something, making it impossible for the body to exert force.”
“A crushing sensation?”
Sapphire keenly picked up on a keyword and sought confirmation.
Blazing Flame nodded slightly. “Close enough. Anyway, it just felt like the body couldn’t use its strength, and I had to use even greater power to break the shackles.”
“Even greater power…”
Hearing this explanation, Sapphire frowned, feeling somewhat irritable.
Blazing Flame was already the Magic Girl with the greatest physical strength among them.
If even Blazing Flame couldn’t easily break free from the Mist-person’s ability, what were they supposed to do when they encountered it?
Were they supposed to just stand there and wait for death?
…Wait.
Sapphire suddenly noticed something odd.
She looked at the dejected Blazing Flame, then at the bewildered Meteor, and finally looked down at herself for a moment, sensing an anomaly.
If that Shadow Beast was truly so strong, why hadn’t it ever actively shown itself?
Based on Blazing Flame’s words, it was definitely an intelligent Shadow Beast, and it had likely been stationed in City A for a long time — it was just that she and Meteor had never discovered it.
If the goal of the Shadow Beasts was to kill all humans, they could have closed the net long ago, couldn’t they?
They could have killed her and Meteor when they first debuted and then proceeded to destroy the entire city.
Such a task shouldn’t be difficult for a Mist-person.
But why hadn’t it done so?
In fact, during this Caesar Grand Hotel clearing operation, the enemy hadn’t even taken the initiative to attack them.
It simply took a middle-aged man and left right in front of them without engaging in battle.
What exactly was the goal of these Shadow Beasts?
Sapphire pondered deeply, searching for an answer.
Unaware of Sapphire’s worries, Blazing Flame shook her hands, looked around the surroundings casually, and said to the two of them, “Do you have any other plans? If not, I’m heading back first.”
“Eh? Blazing Flame is going back so early? Do you have classes tomorrow too?” Meteor asked curiously.
“…You make it sound like there are Magic Girls who aren’t students.”
Though she knew her age was different from the vast majority of Magic Girls, Blazing Flame couldn’t help but retort.
Aside from her being a university student, the other Magic Girls were basically…
Well, one could call it child labor.
It was for this very reason that Blazing Flame always felt strange and was unwilling to actively reveal her identity to others.
Being a literal man yet able to transform into a Magic Girl was weird enough; but then, she was also significantly older than the other Magic Girls.
This was completely contrary to common sense.
If things continued to develop this way, there might even be middle-aged men becoming Magic Girls in the future.
‘What a terrifying future!’
“Ahem, that’s true. Everyone seems to be a student.”
“It’s getting late. This Miss needs to go back and rest as well, so I’ll take my leave first.”
“See you later, Sapphire, Blazing Flame.”
To ease the awkwardness, Meteor gave a dry cough and hurriedly departed.
After Meteor left, Blazing Flame didn’t stay much longer. After bidding farewell to Sapphire, she flew off in the direction of her university.
Watching the retreating backs of Meteor and Blazing Flame, Sapphire tilted her head slightly, her mind still occupied by the situation surrounding the Shadow Beasts.
She remembered when she signed her contract with the Magic Fairy, Dice.
Dice had once told her things like Shadow Beasts being the natural enemy of humans.
Perhaps Dice knew something, which was why those words were said back then.
Should she go ask Dice?
Sapphire hesitated, looking at the Magic Staff in her hand, but ultimately did not summon Dice.
For some reason, Sapphire felt that she shouldn’t ask Dice this kind of question.
She had a vague feeling that only the truth she saw with her own eyes could provide the answer she wanted.
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