Chapter 303 Secret Talk
When the airship reached the highest point it could reach, the waiters brought in the dinner dishes from the kitchen, and the dinner officially entered its second half.
Perhaps it was because the topic that everyone was talking about at the beginning was too explosive, so the content of the second half of the conversation became much duller. Of course, it may also be because everyone could feel that the protagonist of this dinner - Delphinium herself was not in a good mood.
The employees of the Magic Institute who were able to sit in this occasion were not inconsiderate people. Even if there were a few slow-thinking ones, they would honestly follow the atmosphere and not cause trouble. So after that, this dinner party actually had more of an atmosphere like a social gathering in the material world.
The subordinates of the Demonic Affairs Institute kept chatting with Delphinium, trying to please her, and even flattering her, with red wine glasses in hand. Delphinium responded to them with the social etiquette that had almost become muscle memory. In an instant, amid the clinking of glasses, the previously somewhat cold atmosphere suddenly eased a lot.
Apart from the details of the action being mentioned from time to time, no one talked about the distribution of interests, mutual calculations or the like. Everyone was chatting about the gossip of the Magic House and the rumors circulating in the upper class. If seen by someone who didn't know the situation, they would probably think that this was just a harmonious and friendly exchange among magical girls.
Finally, the dinner ended in a joyful atmosphere with both the guests and hosts enjoying themselves.
Until the end, no one asked Delphinium what she thought about the operation or what instructions she had. Even Emerald was just making random jokes, as if she wasn't the one who used a quarter of Runnore as bait earlier.
But Delphinium knew very well that it was not that they didn't care, but that they chose to wait for her response in this way.
Before leaving, the last person who came forward to toast Cuiqiao was Zhe Helan. However, unlike her previous boasting, this time she specially chose an occasion when everyone else had left and only she and Cuiqiao were left.
"Mr. Cornflower."
She bowed lightly and lowered her voice, "If what I said before is what I should say as the Director of the Magic Academy, then now I would like to convey some of my personal opinions to you."
She raised the wine glass in her hand and paused. "Regarding the question you asked me before, what exactly do I think about the plan of 'nominating you to become the Scepter of Gemstones'. From a public perspective, the Magic Kingdom needs a Sapphire Scepter, the Magic Affairs Institute needs a dean, and we employees need a leader with real power... But, I personally don't have a very clear idea."
"My reason tells me that you are the most suitable person to be the Sapphire Scepter, and the one who has the greatest hope of using this power well. But my emotion also tells me that if that happens, you will inevitably lose something in the process."
"I have only been in this country's power structure for less than twenty years. During these twenty years, many magical girls of the same period may still be sighing in despair over karuta, or even frowning over a few scratches on the cards, but I have already taken the position of the Teaching Selection Department."
"Many people would say that I have a natural talent for politics and that I am a natural politician. My talent allows me to be ahead of others. But I know that this is not the case. I entered the workplace, or officialdom, with a certain goal and dream in mind. I spared no effort to climb up in order to achieve a certain ambition. But when I climbed to this position, I found that I had already changed beyond all recognition compared to when I first started."
"I wonder if you have heard of the story of 'The Ship on the Sea', where a ship is constantly damaged during its drifting, and parts are constantly replaced until all the parts on the ship are replaced. Is it still the same ship?"
"Compared to my past self, who I am now, is probably about the same as these two ships."
When she said this, there was no expression on her face, but Cuiqiao could feel that she was not mourning the passing of time in front of her, but was actually confused and thinking about this question: "Those 'old parts' that are worn out and replaced are what I call 'lost things'. Although they will be replaced with new parts, those disappeared parts are destined to never come back again."
"Looking back now, I can't even remember what functions those 'old parts' had, or how they affected me in the past. But there is no doubt that when they were discarded, I, the magical girl 'Orizuru Ran', was gradually becoming a completely different individual from the past."
"If possible, I don't want you to follow my path."
"Perhaps your willpower is stronger than mine, perhaps your faith is more noble than mine, perhaps you can resist the alienation brought about by the environment, and even become the one who changes the environment... I will fantasize like this to convince myself that you are very suitable to become the Gem Scepter."
"But in the end, I found that it still didn't work. I felt that I needed to tell you my concerns. I was worried that if you became the Gem Scepter, you would gradually become unlike yourself."
"Please believe that in this country, in this world, there are many people who hope you will change, but there are also many people who do not want you to change. There is no doubt that I respect you from the bottom of my heart and want to be loyal to you as you are now, but if I must push you to the position of power, I actually don't understand it... because I don't want you to change too much."
"So, if you are dissatisfied with our work or have any opinions about the topic, I actually hope you can tell us instead of choosing to remain silent. Because if you do that, I will actually feel very uneasy."
"I think I should emphasize to you that we are truly loyal to you, not just for the position of the 'Gem Scepter'. In other words, if you really hate these things from the bottom of your heart and don't want to become the Gem Scepter, we will not withdraw our oath. Rather, if that is the case, please tell me your new goal, or tell us, then it will be more convenient for us to serve you."
"That's all I want to say. I hope it can serve as a real reference for you, rather than just accommodating myself for the sake of our 'group'."
After saying this, Zhe Helan drank the red wine in her glass and gave Delphinium a somewhat inexplicable smile.
But when the other party said this, Delphinium felt even more confused.
"Totally loyal to me? Not to the Sapphire Scepter?"
The other party chose to lower her voice, which meant that she didn't want this conversation to become the center of everyone's attention, so Delphinium also took the initiative to lower her voice: "Why? What's the point? If you exclude this identity of 'former candidate for the Sapphire Scepter', I am even just a nominal inspector of the Investigation Institute. I have nothing to do with your Magic Institute or even the Research Institute."
The smile on Zhe Helan's face became even wider.
Without explaining immediately, she just put the wine glass in her hand aside, then her expression gradually became serious, and she slowly straightened her already tall body.
Then she raised her hand and gradually moved her palm to her temple, with her palm facing outward.
"Rosam ducat, Luna servet."
She spoke in a very standard national accent, a sentence that was very familiar to Delphinium: - "I hope that no matter what form it takes, you can get what you want. God bless you, sir."
(End of this chapter)
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