Chapter 34: Claw Marks

This elderly female director looked to be about sixty years old, with deep-set features and a spirited gaze; though there were some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and on her cheeks, her expression was stern yet not lacking in amiability.

She wore a dark brown wool coat, her greying blonde hair neatly combed back, and she appeared quite capable; at this moment, she was watching Lin Yun with a faint smile.

A Westerner?

Some guesses arose in Lin Yun’s heart, but he did not speak them aloud. Instead, he nodded calmly in greeting: "Hello, Director. May I ask how I should address you?"

"Just call me Moss; titles are all empty names."

The woman said this in a calm tone: "Please, sit. I believe we will have much common ground."

Lin Yun followed her lead and sat in the chair before the desk, exhaled, and looked up: "I came here today not for anything else, but because I need to know the truth."

"The Bureau of Extraordinary Strategy holds many truths unknown to the public. Which one do you need to know?"

Moss gestured horizontally with one hand, making a welcoming motion: "Perhaps we could start by discussing your situation?"

"My situation should already be known to your bureau; I will not dwell on the details."

Lin Yun nodded, appropriately making his tone sound a bit nervous, then cut straight to the point: "At the funeral two years ago, I met a young woman who told me that my wife was actually a magical girl."

"Afterward, I began to sort through my wife’s belongings and found a secret diary, which indeed recorded her life as a magical girl. Moreover, according to what was written in that diary, she had already sensed certain hidden crises before she died."

This statement was thirty percent true and seventy percent false; only the information he had obtained was real, while the means by which he obtained it were entirely fabricated. To prevent the other party from doubting his story, Lin Yun tried his best to make his words and actions consistent, maintaining eye contact with Moss to verify the sincerity of his words.

"I am just an ordinary person. Faced with such transcendent existences, there is nothing I can do but treat it as an unexpected disaster. Even if I know there was another reason for her death, I have no power to investigate. The last thing I can do is follow her final wishes and raise our child well."

He stared intently into Moss’s eyes: "It’s just... as you already know, I inadvertently noticed that my child has also become a magical girl."

"My wife died because she was a magical girl, and what about my child? I cannot predict her fate, and if something were to happen to her as well... I am sorry, but just thinking about such a future makes me feel suffocated."

"So I must ask you. I feel I have the right to know: who exactly is the murderer? And, can you protect my daughter?"

After finishing this sequence of words, he let out a long breath and lowered his eyes: "Sorry, I may be a bit emotional."

He did not expect to deceive the other party entirely with lies, so most of these words were true feelings. The only difference was that the real him did not believe the Bureau of Extraordinary Strategy could protect his daughter, and he had long since chosen to take action himself.

"…I am very sorry to make you bring up such painful past events."

After hearing his statement, Moss closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then spoke: "As for the murderer you mentioned who killed your wife, that is actually the reason I wanted to meet with you alone. Mr. Lin Yun, husband of Miss Sakura."

"Why?" Lin Yun sensed the special implication in her words.

Moss kept her eyes closed, her expression somewhat serious: "Because this is merely a guess of mine, and it is not convenient to speak of it outside of a private setting. To the outside world, especially within the Bureau of Extraordinary Strategy, the following remarks could be said to be very contrary to our core principles and philosophy."

"What do you mean?" Lin Yun’s gaze narrowed slightly.

Opening her eyes, Moss folded her hands on the table, fingers interlaced: "…Mr. Lin Yun, do you think that the magical girls in this world all represent justice and fight to protect people?"

"…Isn’t that the case?"

Her words caught Lin Yun off guard, and a hint of vigilance rose in his heart: "If magical girls did not step forward, ordinary people would never be able to live so easily."

Although he refuted her, he had another answer in his heart to Moss’s question. It was just that "Lin Yun" had no reason to know it.

"I very much hope that is the case, and it is precisely for that reason that the Bureau of Extraordinary Strategy was established, but clearly, that is not the reality."

Moss did not doubt him and sat up straight, looking at Lin Yun: "Magical girls fight for protection primarily due to the emotional biases brought about by their real social relationships, and more importantly, due to the management and constraints of the state. In reality, if a magical girl abandons morality and conscience and dares to oppose the state, it is entirely feasible for her to inflict this power of harm upon humans, or even her own companions."

"…Unbelievable." Lin Yun echoed.

"Yes, unbelievable, but very logical."

Moss nodded: "And precisely because of this, there are rebels, and even defectors, among magical girls."

"Breaking away from the constraints of the magical state, using this power to commit evil, harm others, seize power, and act recklessly—such magical girls do exist."

"In recent years, there has even been a group of such magical girls gathering together, secretly opposing the state while brewing conspiracies for certain goals. I don't even know why they can walk alongside the Remnant Beasts; they are the same as the Remnant Beasts... no, they are even more dangerous and are existences that must be avoided."

"And based on some of their characteristics, as well as what they call themselves, this group of defecting magical girls is known as 'Claw Marks'."

This sentence was what truly made Lin Yun feel surprised in his heart.

He actually knew what Moss had said earlier; it was true that the magical state had defecting magical girls, but as far as he knew, such magical girls would be marked as wanted targets by the state and were mostly pursued and arrested by investigation teams, with very few succeeding in their defection.

As for their numbers being large enough to form an organization, or even walking alongside Remnant Beasts, that was unheard of. "Claw Marks" was a term he had never heard before. He had never known such a group of people existed.

So he appropriately expressed confusion and followed up: "My wife’s diary never mentioned this name."

Moss shook her head: "Because their appearance is a matter of only the last few years; even I only learned of it through some coincidences. It is quite normal that Miss Sakura’s early diaries did not record it."

"You mean, my wife’s death is very likely..." Lin Yun frowned.

"I believe Miss Sakura’s death should be related to Claw Marks, because according to her contact, Miss Sakura was a very powerful magical girl who had been fighting for many years. Theoretically, if a Remnant Beast appeared that even she could not defeat, then such a Remnant Beast would have already destroyed Fangting City."

Lin Yun knew exactly what Moss was talking about.

As a magical girl, Anya was powerful enough to resolve ordinary Remnant Beasts with ease and often went out alone; otherwise, she could not have casually guarded Fangting City for over twenty years.

And the current strange phenomena in Fangting City, if they were truly the work of this group of magical girls called "Claw Marks," could all be explained accordingly.

It was just that there were still some things he did not understand, such as the present moment.

"Then, why are you telling me this?"

Looking at Moss, Lin Yun asked slowly: "If there is truly a risk in saying these things, why are you telling me, an ordinary person?"

"…I said, we would have many topics in common. Because seeing you, I cannot help but think of my former self."

Moss still had a kind expression, but there was an indescribable loneliness in her words:

"My daughter, when she was still alive, was also a magical girl."