Chapter 245: Negotiation, Meow?

Silver Bell really wanted to advise Song of Parting not to concern herself with this sort of thing.

Although she trusted Song of Parting’s judgment, from a standpoint of personal interest, this matter was indeed… quite a thankless task.

But looking at the serious gaze in Song of Parting’s eyes, Silver Bell knew she wouldn’t be able to talk her out of it.

Fine, then. She would consider it repayment to Song of Parting and give her her full support this time.

Silver Bell wasn’t worried about her own reputation. As a social outcast anyway, she had never expected to make a name for herself in terms of workplace relationships.

Silver Bell spoke with a firm tone, “How do you need me to help? Should I take the initiative to find the Association’s higher-ups and make a request? O-or, should I go with you to negotiate, or… m-maybe we should just forget it…”

The further Silver Bell spoke, the weaker her voice became, and the urge to retreat began to sprout in her heart.

However, Song of Parting had already draped an arm around her shoulder.

“You don’t need to put in that much effort. I’ll take Qiuli to speak with the Minister of the Magic Girl Squad first. You just need to come in and help provide a guarantee after we’re done talking, Bell—”

“Before that, let me take you to meet Qiuli,” Song of Parting laughed brightly. “I think you’ll definitely get along with her. It’s about time you made more friends, Bell.”

“I, I don’t need to make… n-never mind.”

The words of refusal faltered and were swallowed back down. Song of Parting’s smiling eyes made it impossible for Silver Bell to say no.

But it really was strange. To take the initiative to help her make friends… even as a friend, Song of Parting shouldn’t be this concerned with her affairs, right?

It felt like Song of Parting was always excessively considerate of others…

Besides, Silver Bell didn’t believe she could get along with a bounty hunter’s Corpse Collector.

She had a feeling the other party would be the type of bully covered in tattoos with a face full of scars.

Ah, ugh….

On the day of the talk, Song of Parting indeed didn’t make things too difficult for Silver Bell.

She stood expressionlessly outside the Minister’s office, her body ramrod straight.

“Come on in, we’ve finished talking—”

Inside the office were Song of Parting and that young girl with chestnut-colored hair, as well as the Minister with his legs crossed and a thin layer of stubble on his face.

“Whew…. The request you’ve made is truly thorny, Little Elegy,” the middle-aged man scratched his messy hair and looked up at the expressionless Dragon Princess.

“So, if I’m following Little Elegy’s logic, you’re also going to vouch for this Corpse Collector, Silverflame Dragon Princess?”

The Minister of the North Blossom City Magic Girl Squad was very different from Miss L.

Miss L was the type of white-collar worker who looked very capable, while the Minister of North Blossom City… Silver Bell had been a bit nervous the first time she met him.

The Minister looked like the kind of middle-aged man who was perpetually listless yet very difficult to deal with.

Thus, when faced with this question, Silver Bell first remained silent… then continued to be silent… then gave a cold, silent nod.

The middle-aged man took a sharp breath.

During their first meeting, he had felt that the Silverflame Dragon Princess was a difficult person to handle, but he hadn’t expected her to be even more terrifying when it came to official business.

Even without saying a word, she exuded such strong pressure.

“Have you thought this through? Recommending a former Corpse Collector to work for the Association? Setting aside the enormous risk of having to hide her identity from the public, it’s not good for internal morale either.”

The middle-aged man decided to at least attempt to be reasonable. He took out a glass and poured half a glass of water into it.

“It’s a very simple principle: he who touches pitch shall be defiled. Look at this glass of water —”

The man took out his usual instant coffee powder, adding just a tiny bit. The once clear water was immediately stained with a murky color.

“Just like that. No matter how much water you add, the glass as a whole won’t change. But as long as a little bit of filth is mixed in — even just a tiny bit — it will have an indelible impact on the whole.”

“Have you thought it through? What should be done at a time like this? Our Association is made up of Magical Girls who symbolize justice and light.”

Silver Bell said nothing. She stared fixedly at the cup for a long while, then suddenly picked up the pitcher expressionlessly and began to pour water.

She showed no intention of stopping even as the water reached the brim.

“Th-this is just a nonsensical, stubborn argument,” the middle-aged man clearly hadn’t expected Silver Bell to make such a move. “And even if you keep adding water, it’s impossible to completely erase the traces…”

Silver Bell remained silent, her hands as steady as a mountain. The water was on the verge of overflowing.

“I understand what you mean. You can stop pouring…”

The surface tension of the overflowing water could no longer hold. The flow collapsed and spilled over like a waterfall, snaking across the tabletop and dripping from the edge onto the floor.

“Hey, hey!” The middle-aged man stood up in shock. “There’s no need to go this far!”

Silver Bell’s pitcher remained tilted. The winding stream had already made a mess on the table.

Until not a single drop was left in the pot, the originally cloudy water had indeed become clear again. Without looking closely, one couldn’t tell there had been anything wrong.

Silver Bell stared intently into the Minister’s eyes. After a long while, she squeezed out two words.

“I’m sorry.”

The pressure!

The middle-aged man began to sweat. The Silverflame Dragon Princess in her Transformation State was already tall in stature, and since he was currently sitting, Silver Bell’s downward gaze even made him feel a flicker of killing intent.

She was applying pressure, wasn’t she? The Silverflame Dragon Princess was absolutely threatening him and applying pressure!

“H-how about this? I’ll help you report this matter to the higher-ups. I will also report this… Miss Corpse Collector’s situation truthfully, according to what Little Elegy said. If the people above nod their heads, I’ll help handle the rest of the hiring process. How does that sound?”

The middle-aged man decided to at least pass the final decision along.

Although he was theoretically the Minister of the Magic Girl Squad, a powerhouse like the Silverflame Dragon Princess wasn’t someone he could control!

One was a member of the strongest Magical Girl Team from The Chaos, and the other was the face of the Tianqi Church.

Even if these two didn’t have official titles, their status was right there.

Why should he stand in their way when they were being so stubborn? Better to let the people above worry about such things.

Song of Parting blinked. She hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

She had originally only wanted Silver Bell to stand there and support her; she hadn’t expected Bell to be so skilled at applying pressure.

Qiuli also looked at Silver Bell twice. This was her first time witnessing Silver Bell’s power. As expected of the Silverflame Dragon Princess, she really was terrifying.

And so, the matter was settled pleasantly. After Song of Parting sincerely apologized to the Minister and helped clean up the desk, the group left the office.

As they walked away, Silver Bell’s hand remained in the same position it had been in earlier.

“That was amazing, Bell!” As soon as they left the office, Song of Parting couldn’t help but grasp Silver Bell’s hand. “I didn’t expect you to be so dependable at the critical moment.”

“Hand, hand…”

“Hmm? What?”

“My hand… it’s numb. My hand went numb just now, waaaah…”

Silver Bell’s expression instantly collapsed, and she began to wail.