Vol 2 Chapter 168 Before the Exam

Veronica’s busy schedule, obvious to anyone with clear eyes, naturally could not escape the notice of her juniors.

Back when they were in Fangting City, if Veronica focused intensely on certain periods, going out early and returning late, they would still show some curiosity and concern. But this time, they surprisingly remained silent.

Without a doubt, this was because Veronica had proactively revealed what she had been busy with recently.

Striving to become the Scepter of Gems was such a correct and lofty goal in the eyes of most Magical Girls that no one could raise any objections.

In fact, in the first few days after stating this fact, Veronica could feel that Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan were almost afraid she might run away one day. Whenever there was a chance to be with her, Lin Xiaolu would always firmly grab a corner of Veronica’s clothes, while Bai Jingxuan would do her best to get close to her.

This strange atmosphere naturally left Veronica both amused and exasperated. After repeatedly explaining that becoming the Scepter of Gems would not affect her continuing to stay with the Fangting City squad, the juniors finally relaxed a little.

But even so, during the following period, the juniors behaved in an excessively obedient manner.

Whenever Veronica returned to the Colorful Cloud Wetlands near midnight and wanted to check on their study progress, she always found that all three had completed the tasks she assigned. And when she corrected certain questions, she quickly received the right feedback.

However, correspondingly, Veronica’s bed became increasingly crowded.

Even though their room was quite spacious, enough to place four single beds, in the first few days after arriving at the Colorful Cloud Wetlands, everyone still dutifully slept on their own beds. But after a few days of adjustment, something changed.

At first, only Bai Jingxuan would pitifully ask to sleep together with Veronica. Considering she was still young and this was not the first time, Veronica agreed.

After a few days, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang naturally noticed this. At first, Lin Xiaolu sternly scolded Bai Jingxuan for disturbing Veronica at night. But after a couple of days, she followed suit, clutching a pillow and squeezing into the bed with Veronica and Bai Jingxuan, and soon they were all pushing against each other’s sleeping space in the middle of the night.

At this point, it was basically impossible for anyone else to lie down on Veronica’s single bed.

Xia Liang then cleverly pushed her own bed over to join with Veronica’s bed, instantly freeing up space.

As compensation, Xia Liang also joined them at night.

Thus, the original arrangement of four single beds had completely become a mere decoration.

To be honest, at this point, Veronica had somewhat resigned herself to this tolerable level of intimacy. After all, she was essentially playing the parental role in these girls’ hearts. Their willingness to be closer to her was a sign of their trust, which was a good thing. Moreover, the daily exhaustion over the past half month made it easy for her to fall asleep soundly despite the cramped space.

The problem was that these kids’ sleeping habits were far from good.

Bai Jingxuan was relatively well-behaved, mostly sleeping quietly in her own spot without disturbing others much. But Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu were truly a handful.

Xia Liang’s sleeping posture needed no explanation. Veronica had accompanied her to sleep more than once. Once asleep, Xia Liang liked to grab onto something and never let go, almost like a strangling hug, which was quite uncomfortable. Lin Xiaolu was the most exaggerated of the three. Her sleep involved everything from pawing at others, somersaults, biting hair, to drooling without missing a single thing.

Every morning when she woke up, Veronica often found herself unable to move. One arm was held by Xia Liang, and her body was firmly pressed sideways by Lin Xiaolu, who had almost turned sideways across her. Lin Xiaolu’s mouth often contained a few strands of Veronica’s hair, which were soaked in saliva and dripping wet...

This indirectly caused Veronica to wash her hair every morning, and the shampoo scent couldn’t escape the noses of the Magical Affairs Court employees. Within a few days, they developed the strange misconception that Cornflower had obsessive cleanliness, bathing several times daily, and they put extra effort into cleaning the office. Only after Veronica repeatedly stated that she was not a neat freak did the matter gradually die down.

As for whether she should drive the juniors away and make them sleep properly in their own beds, Veronica had considered it, but ultimately gave up.

She clearly understood that the juniors behaved this way largely because of her.

She had said she planned to become the Scepter of Sapphire, and even though she declared she wouldn’t leave the squad, it probably still made the girls feel some uncontrollable distance.

To dispel this sense of alienation, the juniors tried to finish their coursework as early as possible, and spent more time with Veronica when she returned to the Colorful Cloud Wetlands. Obviously, they didn’t want to waste their time together on study and teaching, but rather wanted to chat, have more intimate moments, and savor some warm time together, even if it was already late.

If she rejected them, it would undoubtedly hurt their feelings and add cracks to their relationship, something Veronica did not want to see.

She could feel the impact her revelation had on the juniors and had once reflected on whether she should have told them so early. But no matter how much she reviewed it, she believed revealing the truth half a month ago was not a mistake.

Veronica knew that in Lin Xiaolu’s mind, being a Magical Girl was supposed to be a role filled with fairy tale colors. If possible, she wanted her daughter figure to immerse in that beautiful dream for as long as possible. In that dream, there were no complicated adult calculations or sad farewells and changes... but unfortunately, real-life Magical Girls were not fairy tales.

As the juniors’ abilities as Magical Girls became increasingly comprehensive and their combat skills more reliable, they were destined to become more independent individuals.

Previously, she had taken on too much, even solving problems without telling the girls, which was acceptable in their early stages because they were too fragile to face risks directly. But now that they had grown to this level, she needed to selectively share some truths to cultivate their independent thinking.

At this stage, Veronica had only disclosed the neutral information that she might become the Scepter of Gems, but in the future, when the juniors advanced to senior Leaf-rank or even Bud-rank, the secrets related to Black Ember Dawn and Claw Marks, as well as the kingdom’s confidential affairs, would inevitably be unveiled to them gradually.

Furthermore, when the juniors fully matured to stand on their own, capable of surviving in this world without her, it would be time to end the disguise of Veronica and Lin Yun’s true identities.

And all of this depended on the upcoming exam.

If the juniors passed smoothly, obtained their certification badges and Magical Girl numbers, it would mean their official independence, and Veronica should let go more. Conversely, if they failed to get the badges, Veronica would have reason to continue the current coexistence pattern for longer, much longer...

“Time’s up! All examiners, the testing venue is now open!”

A shout from ahead interrupted Veronica’s thoughts.

Coming back to her senses, standing among the crowd, Veronica quietly used her flying ability to raise her line of sight, looking over the human wall in front of her. She gazed toward the Silver Gallery gate not far away, where the proctors were slowly opening the gate, revealing the magnificent building behind it.

The candidates became somewhat noisy for a moment, clearly anxious after the long wait, yet the crowd did not move forward at all because the examiners at the entrance were still verifying each candidate’s identity one by one.

They held special scanners to verify the authenticity of the admission tickets, simultaneously detecting the candidates’ magical power fluctuations and reserved profiles, while also checking various physiological features to ensure absolute accuracy before letting anyone pass.

Perhaps because of the previous long dull wait, once the gate opened and the exam hall began to admit candidates, the crowd around Veronica became considerably louder.

For a moment, Veronica subconsciously recalled her own experience taking the qualification certification exam when she was young.

Among the crowd, some people gazed longingly at the exam hall, almost wanting to break through and rush inside;

some tightly gripped their books, silently reciting words, trying to memorize more until the last moment;

others gathered in small groups sharing how unprepared they felt—some of which might be true, but mostly just words to lower their own psychological expectations and ease nervousness.

Some candidates were full of confidence, as if the certification badge was already in their pocket upon arrival;

some were cautiously hiding their weaknesses, observing other candidates while planning their exam strategies in their hearts;

some were carefree;

some serious;

some appeared wise yet simple;

some were cunning and calculating.

Without a doubt, the most outstanding young Magical Girls of this generation had almost all gathered here, and from now on, this stage belonged to them.

Veronica released the magical energy supporting her feet, returned to the crowd, and blended in like a drop of water in the ocean without causing any ripple.

She had no need, nor should she be, the protagonist of this grand event.

What she should do was protect this youthful hope, this spirited dream, and witness its budding, branching, and blossoming moment.

Thinking this, she suddenly felt that the hardships of these days had finally come to fruition. A subtle refreshing feeling made her exhale deeply, feeling inexplicably gratified.

Perhaps whether it was the attending queen or the accompanying Scepters of Gems, they all held such feelings at this moment—witnessing the debut of the nation’s next generation and then looking forward to their future.

Let me have a good look at this generation of Magical Girls, she thought.

No need to hide talent, no need to politely decline, no need to follow rigid rules.

Give your all, show everything, fight for the limited slots, fight for the chance to be the center of the stage.

Only that honor is the best testament to effort and sweat.