plumnovel Book 2: Chapter 182: Arrival
Book 2: Chapter 182: Arrival
Vol 2 Chapter 182 ArrivalWhile many young Magical Girls in the Silver Gallery were still rushing around to form teams, in an ancient building somewhere in the academy district, a grand and luxurious hall had its massive door opened.
Countless Magical Girls serving the Royal Court stood silently at the doorway. None spoke or raised their heads;all were lined up on either side of the door in a respectful and solemn posture, silently pledging allegiance to an unseen presence.
Inside the door, footsteps echoed.
The footsteps drew closer and closer until they reached the threshold of the doorframe, then without hesitation stepped into the space.
It was a group of girl knights clad in armor and uniforms, their expressions grave. Their attire lacked any of the usual flamboyance of ordinary Magical Girls, instead appearing neat and uniform. The black—or rather, a deep dark color mixed with gray—uniforms added a sense of solemnity to their ranks. Their postures were upright and proud, eyes fixed straight ahead, filled with alertness as if the entire world could turn into their enemy at any moment.
The orderly formation advanced quickly with the clinking sound of armor, passing through the door. Trailing behind these knights were two women dressed magnificently.
Or rather, one appeared to be a “woman,” and the other was a “girl.”
The “woman” was wrapped head to toe in a black habit adorned with luxurious decorations. A mask covered her eyes, with a blood-red ruby embedded above the bridge of her nose at the center of the mask. A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips, but aside from the synchronized footsteps with the group, her entire body was lifeless, like a walking puppet.
The “girl,” on the other hand, wore a white princess gown with a pale pink diamond necklace hanging around her neck. Her light pink hair was styled into a pair of low twin tails that draped over her shoulders, the tips slightly curled. She held her head arrogantly high, arms crossed, wearing an expression of dissatisfaction, scrutinizing the hall outside the door.
All the Magical Girls present recognized these two, or rather, anyone working for the Royal Court knew them—Scepter of Ruby and Scepter of Diamond were the top two authorities in the entire magic nation.
Yet even these two merely existed as supporting figures within the formation at this moment. Though surrounded by many knights, they were essentially walking as escorts to clear the path for someone.
About several meters behind them was a complete personnel vacuum.
Vacuum is not quite accurate—it was more like there was only one person in that entire area.
It was a somewhat petite figure, passing alone through the door of the hall. Her footsteps were so light as to be almost imperceptible, yet each step landed on the heartbeat of everyone present. The sound, though soft, was like a mountain shaking.
Around her spread a hazy, ethereal glow, as if shrouded by a layer of mist, preventing anyone from seeing her true face. The only visible features were her waist-length black hair and the small, jewel-encrusted crown atop her head.
Silence.
Except for the two Scepters of Gems, every Magical Girl almost held her breath. Apart from the advancing footsteps of the guards, no sound disturbed the scene.
Only after the entire formation passed through that door and two winged guards stepped out behind to gently close the door did the atmosphere lighten slightly.
Within the kingdom’s “Five Capitals,” each city had a gate leading to the Rose Palace.
However, the right to pass through this gate, even for the authorities of the Five Capitals and Five Courts—namely the Scepters of Gems—was not granted lightly. Only in extremely urgent situations could one pass through this gate to report to the Rose Palace.
Other than that, only the queen herself could pass freely and even bring a retinue.
“Who here is from the Magical Affairs Court?”
After the silence, the girl in the white princess dress with light pink hair, walking in the center of the formation, spoke up: “Is today’s assessment ready?”
“Reporting to Lady Purple Diamond, it is us.”
A Magical Girl stepped out from the crowd, cautiously responding to the girl: “The assessment should be starting soon now.”
“Hmph… then the timing is just right.”
The girl known as “Purple Diamond” narrowed her eyes slightly, a scrutinizing look on her face: “By the way, I remember hearing that someone among you was the invigilator for the written test?”
“That is correct.” The Magical Girl lowered her gaze, unwilling to meet the girl’s eyes.
“Was there a problem during the written test?” The girl’s merciless voice still came from above her head.
“…Yes.”
The Magical Girl from the Magical Affairs Court pressed her lips and quietly replied: “A dangerous individual of unknown intentions deceived candidates into using the Chaos Technique during the exam.”
“What are the investigation results? Who did it?”
The girl’s tone turned harsh: “Daring to cause trouble at such an important occasion, and actually succeeding? Your Magical Affairs Court and Research Court are becoming increasingly useless.”
The Magical Girl from the Magical Affairs Court dared not reply and only stammered: “N-not yet…”
“Not yet?”
The girl’s voice, cold and emotionless, echoed through the hall.
“It’s been a few days since the incident, one day or two? Are you saying His Majesty is about to go to the Silver Gallery to observe the ceremony, yet your people haven’t cleared the dangers on site?”
“Sorry.” The Magical Girl continued to lower her head.
“I’m talking to you—why won’t you look at me?”
The girl pressed on: “Do you people in the Magical Affairs Court not even know how to report your work?”
“…Sorry.” The lowered-headed Magical Girl raised her head slightly, her eyes reddening.
“You’ve made it this far, yet you can’t even do your own job well. When problems arise, you just cry like a child.”
The girl crossed her arms, disdain clear on her face:
“You are supposedly the only one among the Five Courts directly under His Majesty, yet every one of you in the Magical Affairs Court is so lazy and useless… it’s truly unbearable to watch.”
Her words made all the Magical Affairs Court members present avert their gaze.
No one liked being insulted so bluntly in such a setting, but the speaker was the Scepter of Diamond—and behind her stood the one silently watching everything. Even if they wanted to defend themselves, they feared saying the wrong thing might bring worse consequences.
The atmosphere, which had just slightly relaxed, grew heavy once more. Just as everyone was bracing for a storm, another voice interrupted everything.
“The time to depart has come.”
The woman dressed in the black habit, her eyes covered by the masked eyepiece, spoke in a hoarse, magnetic whisper: “All is ready;do not delay.”
“What do you mean?” The girl turned her head toward the habit-clad woman.
“It’s time to go to the examination site.” The habit-clad woman faced the girl, her gaze seeming to pierce through the eyepiece: “His Majesty eagerly anticipates this ceremony.”
The girl slightly widened her eyes and glanced back at the figure behind her, who still stood unmoving, silent.
Yet even so, the girl did not look again but closed her eyes and said coldly: “Magical Affairs Court, lead the way.”
“Yes, understood!”
The Magical Girl from the Magical Affairs Court immediately felt as if a great pardon had been granted. Along with several others, she stepped to the front of the formation, taking on the role of guide.
The formation resumed moving.
Silent, solemn, heavy. Probably no one had ever imagined that in a year as joyous as the “Queen’s Year,” the Royal Court’s team would carry such an atmosphere.
Yet everyone present felt nothing unusual. Supreme authority must be accompanied by supreme dignity;no one questioned it, no one reflected on it.
The massive crowd passed through the hall and exited through another door, leaving the ancient building behind.
The petite figure walking in the vacuumed area paused briefly before stepping out the door.
Bright sunlight streamed past her, shining on the magnificent golden floor, yet no shadow was cast.