I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 75 Betrayal by Collaborators

Deep inside the headquarters of the Civil Defense Bureau, there is a top-level conference room.

The walls of the room are made of a special alloy that can absorb all sound and magical fluctuations, ensuring that any conversations that take place here will not be leaked to the outside world.

A huge round conference table sat quietly in the center of the room. There were eight seats in total, with the head seat being a special one, as it was reserved for the chief of the Civil Defense Bureau.

The remaining seven seats are reserved for the Council of Seven.

At this moment, Kui Piao sat in the chief seat, his calm gaze sweeping over everyone present.

To be precise, there were only three people present—the three councilors of the Council of Seven who were currently residing at headquarters—Tian Shu, Tian Ji, and Tian Quan.

On the remaining four empty seats, slightly blurry holographic projections were projecting. The light and shadow outlined four distinct figures, and even though they were just images, the aura unique to magical girls was not diminished in the slightest.

These four are the other councilors who were unable to come to headquarters in person due to official duties—Tianxuan, Yuheng, Yaoguang, and Kaiyang.

"—The reason for convening this emergency meeting should have been initially understood by everyone through the report submitted by Tianxuan."

As the host of the meeting, Kuipiao spoke first.

Before the meeting began, a summary of the relevant matters had been sent to all members—the "threat" that Tianxuan had personally encountered from the "evil Qinglan" from the future.

"—That's how it happened."

Kui-pyo looked around at everyone present: "Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"The choice we face is between 'handing over Noah to avoid a war with an unknown and powerful enemy' and 'protecting Noah and risking the destruction of our world'."

The first to speak was Tianquan.

"From a purely utilitarian perspective, the answer is obvious. Sacrificing an individual of unknown origin to avert a disaster that affects the entire world is, from any perspective, the decision that best serves the overall interest."

"I object."

Almost the instant Tianquan finished speaking, Yaoguang's holographic projection issued a rebuttal.

"Tianquan, the 'utilitarianism' you speak of comes at the cost of abandoning our principles. We are magical girls, our duty is to protect, not to betray those who seek our protection in order to survive."

"Noah has come to our time, asking for our help and demonstrating her willingness to cooperate. But the so-called 'messenger from the future' has brought only threats and orders to kill."

"If we succumb to such a being, what difference is there between us and those evil people who will stop at nothing to gain power?"

"Principles?" This time, it was Tian Shu who spoke.

"Yaoguang, your idealism seems far too naive at a time like this. This Noah isn't as good as we thought either. She's been hiding a lot of important information from us, hasn't she? Are we really going to go to war with the 'future' for this person?"

"Tian Shu is right," Tian Ji echoed, though her voice carried an undisguised worry.

"We know nothing about time travel. Since that future world can easily send messengers across time, who can guarantee they won't send an entire army here?"

"We simply cannot afford this risk. To gamble our lives for a 'principle'... I don't think that's a wise move."

Then, Yuheng's holographic projection emitted her usual cool and aloof voice—

"I think this might be a trap."

"Haven't you all noticed the problem? Two people from the future, one seeking cooperation, the other issuing threats. The one issuing the threats has consistently displayed extreme aggression and a desire for domination."

"While the party seeking cooperation has been somewhat secretive, she has at least proven her worth to us—she provided accurate intelligence about the 'empty box,' a huge threat lurking around us."

"Moreover, Yao Guang's conversation with her last time has already proven that her goal is to save the world."

"In this situation, it is problematic to choose to believe a 'messenger' who is full of threats and to execute an 'ally' who has already demonstrated the value of cooperation."

"Perhaps killing Noah is not a way to avoid war. On the contrary, this may be exactly what the other side, or some deeper being, wants us to do, to ignite the fuse of this war."

"I agree with Yuheng's opinion."

The projection of Tianxuan, who brought the intelligence, also spoke.

"That corrupted magical girl who calls herself 'Qinglan' speaks with an almost blind worship and obedience to 'that person.' It's a state that only comes from a completely twisted will. I think you all have your own judgment on the true nature of a 'unified order' that needs to be maintained by such means."

"However, I also cannot fully trust Noah." Tianxuan changed the subject and added, "She has also hidden too much from us. Before we figure out the truth about these two people, any hasty decision to take sides could lead us into an abyss of no return."

"Yuheng, didn't you see anything with your 'future vision'?" Kaiyang, who hadn't spoken until now, asked.

"I'm ashamed... there's too little information about the future, so I haven't seen any predictions about it."

After listening, Kaiyang fell into deep thought, and then she slowly spoke, "To be honest, I don't have a good impression of either of them. In my opinion, Noah and that future 'Qinglan' are no different. This is more like a 'civil war' from the future, and we are just bystanders caught in the crossfire."

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew increasingly tense as the members of parliament spoke. Everyone knew that continuing the debate would be pointless.

Kui-pyo listened quietly to everyone's speeches, and from beginning to end, no personal emotion was revealed on her face.

"Since we can't reach a consensus," she said slowly, "then let's proceed according to the procedure."

She stood up—

"Let's decide by vote."

"Issuance topic: 'Capture the magical girl codenamed 'Noah' and hand her over to a future messenger calling himself 'Seiran'."

Those in favor, please state your opinion.

The moment the words fell, Tian Shu, Tian Quan, and Tian Ji raised their hands without hesitation.

"Opponents".

The holographic projections of Yao Guang and Yu Heng raised their hands.

"Those who abstain."

Tianxuan and Kaiyang raised their hands in holographic projections.

"Then—the voting is over."

Kui Biao's voice echoed for the last time in the closed conference room.

"Three votes in favor, two votes against, and two abstentions. The resolution is passed."