Herman lowered his head and fell into thought. After careful consideration, he felt that being the first person ever praised by The Herta was actually quite reasonable.
After all, in the past, The Herta had always been alone. She simply had no friends.
After reaching that conclusion, Herman looked at The Herta and said, "Alright, I understand now. You were praising me just now. Thinking about it carefully, for someone with wisdom like Herta's, that really does count as praise!"
"After all, you are now the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society. If someone possesses wisdom equal to yours, that person is a genius too!"
"Hmph. Good that you understand!" The Herta gave a soft snort, then said to Herman, "Now, continue asking the Herta Magic Wand whether it has any other hidden functions!"
"Alright."
After agreeing, Herman opened his eyes and asked the Herta Magic Wand whether, aside from magic bullet spells, it possessed any other magic.
The Herta Magic Wand answered seriously, "There is one more small spell. But Madam Herta probably won't be too satisfied with it. It allows you to ride the wand and fly."
Before Herman could respond, an excited voice erupted from The Herta's soul within their mental world:
"Flying on a wand spell? That's so cool! This is exactly what I want a magical girl to look like—! I want to try it. Herman, give my body back to me!"
"Alright, alright."
Herman agreed with a smile.
In an instant, control of the body shifted as their conscious awareness switched places. The Herta Magic Wand noticed the change, but remembering Herman's earlier instruction to obey Herta's commands, it did not flare up and instead remained quiet.
The Herta excitedly grabbed the wand and said, "Herta Magic Wand, activate the flying spell. Now!"
"Now? Very well, Herta No. 2—the dissociated Madam Herta."
The wand replied and slid beneath The Herta, supporting her body as it carried her into the air.
The Herta was still dissatisfied with being called "Herta No. 2—the dissociated Herta," but that dissatisfaction was quickly overwhelmed by the exhilaration of levitating into the sky.
At first, she was somewhat unaccustomed to riding a wand midair. Her body swayed from side to side, and she nearly fell.
Fortunately, The Herta truly was a genius. Aside from being unable to cook, she learned everything quickly.
After only a brief adjustment, she had mastered flying on the wand.
She even opened the window and shot out at a ninety-degree angle, breaking the sound barrier. In just two or three seconds, she soared a thousand meters into the sky. From that altitude, everything on the ground looked as small as ants.
A refreshing sense of liberation welled up from within her heart.
But The Herta felt it still wasn't enough. She continued ascending, piercing through layer upon layer of clouds. At that moment, even the sun seemed larger, and the wind grew stronger.
She even saw an airplane flying straight toward her. She could clearly see the captain and co-pilot inside the cockpit, their eyes wide with shock.
In her good mood, The Herta even waved at them—and at the passengers who could now see her true body.
This sight triggered waves of startled cries inside the cabin:
"An immortal? A monster... or a Pathstrider?!"
"With that outfit, she definitely isn't a Pathstrider. She's a witch!"
"No, she should be a magical girl?!"
...
Amid the astonished shouts, The Herta pressed one hand against her pointed hat and gripped the Herta Magic Wand with the other, accelerating forward. Soon, she vanished from the sight of the passengers and pilots.
Of course, news of a witch—or magical girl—appearing still surged onto the trending lists.
The reason was simple. Someone had captured a breathtaking photo of The Herta in flight.
The blue sky, white clouds, the magical girl in black stockings and a pointed hat, and the violet-black wand—it was a scene so beautiful it looked like a painting.
This unusual event naturally drew the attention of the highest authorities of the Blue Federation.
An emergency meeting was convened immediately.
The Federation's Grand President folded his hands on the table and rested his chin upon them as he spoke. "The lady in the photograph is, without question, Herta!"
A senior official from the Federation's weapons technology department added, "And that is absolutely not any unmanned aerial device currently in service within the Blue Federation!"
Another senior official said, "That's stating the obvious. What kind of drone looks like a wand? That shaft is so thin it couldn't even fit a full circuit board!"
Yet another official raised a finger and pointed out a crucial detail in the image. "Has anyone noticed the gemstone at the very front of the wand Miss Herta is riding? It's emitting a violet-black glow. That is clearly not sunlight reflection!"
The Minister of Information made a conjecture. "Is it possible that Miss Herta has completed development of a new product—the Soul Gem?"
The Minister of National Security widened his eyes. "A Soul Gem that grants people the ability to fly?"
"No. If it were only that, it would never attract cooperation from three superpowers of the universe," the Grand President speculated. "Judging by Miss Herta's attire... perhaps it can even allow people to transform into magical girls?!"
The Minister of Information showed a look of realization. "If that's the case, no wonder she can collaborate with the Interastral Peace Corporation, the Xianzhou Alliance, and even the Family."
The Minister of National Security spoke gravely, "If everything is as the Grand President has speculated, then immediately arrange for the trending topics to be taken down. Before Miss Herta finalizes cooperation with those three superpowers, we absolutely cannot allow the Eastern Federation to discover that our Blue Federation has produced a true genius—a prodigy of the universe!"
"Otherwise, Miss Herta may face assassination attempts. Although our National Security Department specialists are protecting her and her safety is most likely guaranteed, Miss Herta's well-being concerns the rise of our Blue Federation. We cannot afford even the slightest risk."
"Additionally, we must remind Miss Herta that before signing cooperation agreements with those three superpowers, she must ensure strict technological confidentiality!"
"If the technology leaks—no matter the reason—then the Soul Gem factory will never be established on The Blue, within the Blue Federation!"
Upon hearing the Minister of National Security's words, the Grand President of the Blue Federation nodded solemnly and swept his gaze across the conference room.
"The Minister is correct. Deploy more specialists to secretly protect Miss Herta. Furthermore, Lanvelle is to contact Miss Herta immediately and ensure her side strengthens technical security to prevent leaks."
"Yes!"
The Minister of National Security and Lanvelle responded in unison.
The machinery of the state was mobilized once more. Large numbers of security personnel disguised themselves as snack vendors, water sellers, delivery couriers, and food delivery workers, stationing themselves around The Blue's First University, ready to protect the genius Herta at the first sign of danger.
At the same time, Lanvelle took out her phone and called Herta to check on her.