“Eh?” Suhō froze for a moment.
The young girl before her lowered her eyelids, staring at her own empty hands.
It was as if the heat and passion of her recent transformation and battle had burned away all the emotions within her heart.
“I don’t remember anything.” “I woke up here, and I’ve been fighting ever since.” Suhō’s eyes widened.
Amnesia?
In these “Outlands” teeming with magical creatures, she had forgotten everything, left with only this kind of combat instinct that was like a conditioned reflex and an extreme vigilance against the outside world, fighting alone until now?
“How could this be…” “Momo.” The young girl slowly raised her head, looking at Suhō and Elwen.
“Magical Girl Momo.” “The only memory left in this body.” – Seeing Suhō, whose face was written with shock and heartache, and Elwen, who had remained silent but whose eyes showed changing emotions, Leon’s heart settled slightly.
The language the two people before her were speaking was not any she had ever heard before, yet the existence of the Soul Link allowed her to excavate the common sense called prophecy from this body, understanding without any hindrance what they were saying, and even speaking this language herself after a short period of adaptation.
They should not be monsters, but beings who could communicate, and had even shown goodwill toward her.
But at this moment, Leon’s condition was indeed very poor, so she did not let down her guard.
The chant and emotional resonance from just now had released a torrent of flames beyond imagination, but as a price, the mana in her body had also been almost completely exhausted.
This single attack had completely drained her.
Admittedly, this indeed gave Leon new inspiration and direction, meaning that even after a successful transformation, by relying on the manipulation of words and emotions, one could still exert a very strong influence on power.
But on a strategic level, this was actually a quite dangerous mistake, after all, she had originally not planned to waste all her mana on that Head Maid.
Mana seemed to be linked to physical strength, stamina, and so on, and although running out of mana would not cause injury or trouble, it would lead to the loss of all combat effectiveness.
Leon now felt her spirit become quite scattered, as if she couldn’t muster the energy for anything.
However, relying on her monstrously strong willpower, she was still forcing herself to think at high speed.
The last time she entered the game, before dying from exhaustion, she seemed to have felt someone approaching.
Was it them?
Then it seemed that fighting head-on against these enemies all this time was a bit foolish.
It seemed that asking them for help from the very beginning would have been an easier path.
But…
if she hadn’t gone all out to burn herself in that clash, it was an unknown whether they would have been able to discover her.
Still, meeting other Magical Girls was indeed something she had expected.
The background and situation of this trial were still completely shrouded in mystery.
Therefore, Leon had already made a plan for when she encountered someone she could communicate with, as well as the complete logic for her current identity.
The trial required her to play the role of Momo and not be recognized as an outsider, but it had given her no memories at all.
This was undoubtedly fatal, after all, dying here was not scary, but being recognized would directly sentence the trial to failure and lead to an immediate settlement.
And judging by her own situation, Magical Girls’ senses had always been keen, so it was not impossible for them to notice emotional fluctuations or something similar.
The most perfect plan she could come up with was to tell the truth.
Since the words “I don’t remember” were the truth, they should be enough to handle most situations.
For her, the identity of an amnesiac was the best cover.
It meant she wouldn’t have to explain why she was here, and it could also hide her lack of common knowledge about this world.
Most importantly, she wouldn’t be exposed after meeting people the original body knew.
At this moment, Momo’s cherry-red eyes were already fixed on Elwen’s.
“From the way her gaze has been shifting and filled with all sorts of complex emotions just now…” She recognizes me.
Have we met before?
As if sharing a telepathic connection, Elwen also snapped back to her senses and looked at her, nodding.
“That’s right, you really are Momo.” Her tone was certain as she said earnestly, “You are a member of the Magical Girl Association, an ‘Outland Investigator’ just like me.” Suhō’s eyes widened.
“Eh?
Elwen-senpai actually knows Momo-senpai?” This time, Elwen shook her head.
“You can’t say I know her.” “The past you and I were indeed not very familiar, but at least I’ve seen you, I recognize your face, and also your transformed appearance.” “…” “Ah, this is a good thing!” Suhō let out a long sigh of relief.
“At least once we’re back in town, as long as Senpai comes back to the Association with us, we can quickly find people who know her!” But her expression still held a hint of worry as she looked at Elwen and asked, “Then why did Momo-senpai lose her memory?” “Too many things could have happened.
After all, this is the ‘Outlands’, a disaster area formed by the Abyss’s power eroding reality.
The pollution is extremely severe, so nothing is surprising.” Elwen explained, “So the risk of one’s mind being affected or even having memory disorders certainly exists…
Even ordinary people spend their whole lives lying in hospitals for that.” “But honestly, as long as you survive, everything else can be figured out.” The girl named Momo blinked expressionlessly, then lowered her head again to look at her own body, as if accepting this premise.
“Is that so…” “I understand.” She nodded, saying no more.
Each sentence was just a few short words, devoid of any warmth, containing only a wary strangeness and estrangement, as well as a faint sense of bewilderment.
This deepened the pity in Suhō’s eyes.
Senpai really doesn’t remember anything except transforming and fighting…
Just like embers that had completely burned out, leaving only a lingering warmth.
“Let’s get out of here first.” Elwen didn’t explain further, giving her a deep look.
“This isn’t the place to talk.” – The terrain of the Black Mist Forest was outrageously complex.
All around were identical, withered ancient trees and a black mist that lingered without dispersing.
There were no obvious landmarks or reference points, and the decaying soil beneath their feet further concealed the original path.
The slightest misstep would lead to losing one’s way.
Yet, Elwen, who walked at the very front, moved with extraordinary ease.
She didn’t consult any maps, nor did she use any magic to scout the way.
She simply kept her hands in the pockets of her tactical jacket, strolling through the dense forest as if in a leisurely garden.
Where to turn, where there were tangled roots to avoid, she seemed to know it all by heart.
That level of proficiency gave the impression that she had walked this path alone thousands of times.
It was only under Elwen’s precise guidance that the return journey was surprisingly smooth, without any trouble.
“We’re here.” Elwen, who was leading the way, came to a halt.
Leon raised his head and, through the gradually thinning black mist, saw the so-called exit.
It was a sight that could trigger a person’s megalophobia.