Chapter 718 - 273: The Name of Abimele

Chapter 718: Chapter 273: The Name of Abimele

Several hundred years ago, "Abimele" was once a surname recorded in the Magic Kingdom Royal Court registry.

The so-called Royal Court Clan, after a lengthy tradition, has its origins turned into segments of historical documentation. Generally speaking, it consists of the first-generation magical girls gifted the Heart’s Gem by the Queen herself as "Seeders," leaving their bloodlines in the long history.

Among the surnames engraved on these bloodlines, indeed, many talented and meritorious magical girls have emerged, which increasingly convinces people that the Royal Court bloodline is indeed closer to the Queen and the "essence" of magical girls.

The Abimele Family is no exception.

Historically, the Abimele Family was entrenched within the Five Major Institutes, centered around the Finance Court, influencing the entire Magic Kingdom. Just the Arbitrators alone, the entire Abimele Family produced no fewer than five, and they also had senior positions in other courts.

But truly, this family’s forte was commerce.

In the Abimele Family, most women were sent for detecting magical girl potential, and only those confirmed without it returned to the family to handle business operations. Male descendants mostly acted as merchants throughout the Kingdom. Their footprints covered the Magic Kingdom, and at its peak, they once established the largest commercial firm in the entire Kingdom. They were also one of the pioneers in the productivity revolution brought by subsequent Research Institutes; in the era when magic tools hadn’t reached every household, they were an indispensable part of the nation’s prosperity.

This great enterprise became an honor, honor brought pride, pride bred arrogance, and ultimately it invited disaster.

This disaster was named the "Tulip Scam."

A group of Abimele, deluded by profit and power, engaged in a commercial scam involving hype and speculation on tulips, inflating prices indefinitely, fooling citizens into a frenzy, passing the baton, and arbitraging from it.

This scam ended with the bubble bursting, the collapse of tulip prices, countless ordinary people bankrupt from buying tulips at high prices, and a huge economic impact on the Kingdom. As one of the main perpetrators behind this, Abimele was thoroughly audited jointly by the Finance Court and Civil Administration Institute afterwards.

Those magical girls employed in the Finance Court, who encouraged and handled this scam, were dismissed and sent to the most dangerous battlefields. The Abimele merchants involved in the hype faced huge economic penalties and legal sanctions.

After that, Abimele declined.

Magical girls bearing the Abimele surname were no longer favored by the Five Major Institutes; their surname only brought more scrutiny upon them. The Abimele commercial firm no longer received public trust, and the family’s commercial influence gradually shrank.

Power dwindled, population thinned, and by the time Heidi Abimele was born, "they were once a Royal Court Clan" had long become an old tale no one mentioned.

For various well-known reasons, her mother Mei Rouruna, or the magical girl known as "Stonegarlic," was not well received by the Five Major Institutes. But out of personal pride and a bit of family legacy persistence, Mei Rouruna chose to enlist.

In the military, Mei Rouruna met her lover—a male magician who served as a military clerk. They fell in love, got married, and gave birth to Heidi.

Their love was passionate and practical; although the Abimele surname bore scars, it was ultimately more valuable than a civilian surname. Coupled with the fact that Royal Court Clans always inherited through the maternal line, Heidi did not inherit her father’s surname.

Then, that man died.

Just as Heidi barely began to learn writing, he died in scorched earth due to a Remnant Beast assault.

After that, Heidi’s childhood was largely spent in the army with her mother.

She traveled with her mother across various battlefields, witnessing the two-worlds war from its early signs to raging flames, and her dreams sprouted on the battlefield; from that moment, she also wanted to become a soldier.

As Mei Rouruna’s rank rose and strength increased, she gradually began to have the leisure to worry about her daughter’s education, hence, when Heidi was confirmed to have enough magic power potential, she sent Heidi to the Silver Corridor.

Heidi’s magical girl career thus began.

Her magical girl codename was determined to be "Tulip," which was so glaring when paired with her "Abimele" surname. But according to rumors, magical girl codenames are not all randomly bestowed; sometimes they involve the Queen’s will, containing her blessing or warning.

Mei Rouruna, or Stonegarlic, disliked this codename, but she had no right to change it. She merely told Heidi that if anyone mocked her for this codename, she should retaliate without hesitation.

Heidi, on the other hand, wasn’t so concerned.

In fact, at the time, she thought her receiving this codename so closely related to the Abimele Family was perhaps no coincidence? If this codename indeed contained some kind of Queen’s will, did it mean the Royal Court was actually observing her growth, watching the future of this surname?

From that moment, young Heidi believed she bore the hope of family revival.

She graduated from the Silver Corridor with excellent grades and worked diligently after becoming a magical girl. She joined the army as desired and, due to her magic armor abilities, was assigned to the logistics medical department. There, she could fully accumulate and express her talents; soon, her excellent healing ability, conscientious work attitude, ample cultivation, and empathy towards soldiers earned her the affection of many.

As she ascended step by step, gradually returning to her mother’s corps, her career soared forward.

Her reputation in the army grew louder and louder. Although she was in charge of logistics and medical duties, she still played quite a critical role.

The army has many complex application scenarios and high ability usage frequency, which allowed her capabilities to be fully utilized and developed.

Her magic bloom progress steadily increased, Seed, Bud, Leaf, Bloom, and at twenty-something, she was already an elite at Bud Level.

"Army’s Blessing," "Saint Hand of Salvation," "Command Headquarters’ Angel"—various titles were placed on her by admirers. Countless admirers could line up from the logistics medical department’s entrance to the training ground. Colleagues from other corps and juniors from the same department all trusted her deeply.

Everything seemed to be developing for the better, until one day, on a most ordinary morning.

Tulip suddenly felt sick.

In her view, chaotic images intermittently flashed before her eyes; at first, they only appeared sporadically, and she couldn’t discern what those images really were. Until later, as the images increased in frequency and eventually formed several complete scenarios.

She saw disaster.

Luennolay breached, corps suffering heavy casualties, countless comrades perishing, her mother Mei Rouruna also to lose her life here.

Was it a prophecy? Or a hallucination under pressure? Tulip didn’t know. But she was troubled by these things.

She told her mother what she saw, feeling that something was wrong with her state and hoping for some comfort. But after hearing it, her mother unexpectedly did not treat it as a joke.

"This may be your unique talent, Heidi."

That’s how her mother evaluated it.

"But we are soldiers, part of this city’s City Defense Army. No matter how fierce the next battle is, someone must stand here."

And that was her attitude.

What happened afterward was known throughout the Magic Kingdom.

Heidi’s "premonition" came true.

And more ironically, as the premonition came true, she also almost lost everything.

Family, comrades, juniors, and even... abilities.

After the war, Heidi became a "cripple" among the Magical Girls.

Heidi’s Magic Armor ability, named "Contract," has a subtle connection with her eye-catching code name.

Her Magic Armor is a feathered pen. With this pen, she can freely modify the "price" of any item. Or rather, its outward "value." As long as it doesn’t violate the basic laws of this world, there are no restrictions.

By using this ability, she can alter a bloody wound into a minor scratch, or change an imminent death’s remaining lifespan to "a few more days."

The only cost is that her total magic power would be used as some form of "collateral."

The greater the extent of reality being rewritten, the more of her total magic power is used as collateral. And when a minor scratch heals, or when an injured person is timely rescued thanks to their extended lifespan, the "collateral" magic power gradually thaws, and eventually returns to her.

In this sense, as long as her magic power can bridge the gap between reality and fantasy, what she does approaches "rewriting reality."

Heidi used this ability to help her comrades, earning their trust and affection.

Then, in the war that destroyed everything for her, along with countless corpses, it became a "bad debt."

She kept using her ability to save people, but the comrades she dragged back from the brink of death couldn’t escape death the next time. The total magic power she used as collateral grew larger and larger, until at last, she had no more magic power to give, helplessly watching the people she just saved perish completely.

So she lost her magic power.

The magical girl Tulip became a person unable to perform "magic."

She resigned from her military post, left the battlefield with her mother’s relic, and gave up the surname Abimele, rejecting everyone, including Cornflower’s goodwill, who claimed to be "entrusted by Stonegarlic."

She didn’t want to go anywhere, just wanted to stay away from Luennolay.

Until a crisis later, in a desperate situation, the woman known as the Purple Diamond, then a Gemstone Scepter, found her.

"It’s a bad debt? Then flee." She spoke lightly, but for Tulip at the time, it was the most likely path, "Yes, just switch accounts. Come with me, I need you."

"...What do you need from me?"

"I need an Abimele."

"What can you give me?"

"Let you become an Abimele again."

Thus, Tulip became the Golden Snake.

The noble girl who once strived to restore her family became part of an armed force opposed to this country.

The surname Abimele indeed seemed to grant her some talent; within Claw Mark, she managed its income and expenditures. Under her leadership, this organization, once beset by various difficulties and obstacles, gradually developed and grew.

By now, she has lived as the "Golden Snake" for nearly as long as she had lived as "Heidi" and "Tulip."

Heidi, Tulip, Golden Snake. Three names, comprising her entire life.

And now, having never owned Bloom, she truly realized her abilities after becoming part of "Claw Mark."

"Eternal Augustus."

That was a name that seemed cursedly connected to the surname Abimele, representing "the most expensive Tulip" during the Tulip Mania centuries ago.

Facing the Gemstone Scepter, she used her Magic Armor to make her first "valuation" of herself.

—First, alter her total magic power.