Chapter 125 – The Essence of Magical Girls (5)
“When angels bother us, we obviously have to retaliate!”
[…Is that their plan?]
“If dying and disappearing is their plan, I’ll accept that.”
[Wow.]
In a hurry, I called for a meeting and instructed everyone not to react emotionally and to report anything unusual. I explained the reason for my concern, and their responses were something else. They insisted that even if it was angelic trickery, there was no way they would back down.
For the demon race, who equate defeat with death, it was a legitimate stance.
[If the end is defeat, then no matter how well you fight, it’s still just defeat. For true victory, at least inform me.]
“Understood.”
At least I managed to caution them. However, it seemed I would have to deal with more distractions, which left me feeling uneasy. I already had matters to sort out on Earth, and I couldn’t afford another mess here.
“Are you going there again?”
[…Yeah. I like it there, and it’s fun.]
When I wrapped up the meeting and returned to my room, the butler Robert, who followed me, quietly spoke up. Now back in my human form, I absentmindedly fiddled with my skirt.
“Everything is as the Demon King desires, but there’s a chance that problems could arise.”
“I’m aware of that.”
Robert cautiously offered his advice. I understood what he meant. While I might not mind other things, leaving my post while the Celestial Realm was moving wasn’t a wise choice.
“Two birds with one stone, right? But it’s natural to want to catch both birds.”
“Of course, my King. As the ruler of the Demon Realm, there should be nothing you cannot grasp.”
When I smirked and spoke, Robert nodded in agreement. That helped me refocus my thoughts.
Nothing was out of my reach. If there was interference, I would crush it by force. That was my path, and how a Demon King should act.
“I’ll be back soon.”
However, moving around aimlessly like before was no longer possible. I would probably have to shuttle back and forth a little more frequently.
This was no longer just a casual vacation; it had become an entirely different life.
“Huh.”
The moment I crossed the Dimension Gate, the scenery changed entirely. I found myself in my room on the highest floor of the Demon King’s Castle, staring down at the dim cityscape that sparkled with neon lights.
“Shall we revive her immediately?”
“Gabi, can you do me a favor?”
I handed Aria, whom I had brought along, to Gabi. When Aria woke up, I didn’t want to be seen.
Gabi accepted Aria from me and prepared to descend to the ground to get to work.
It was a straightforward task. All she had to do was unlock a simple latch, and then Aria, reconstructed with Asmael’s power, would awaken once more.
“I’m off.”
Thinking they would take care of it, I turned and headed toward the facility, returning to my spot after being away for quite a while. Plesea had already noticed my presence and appeared on the roof in her pajamas.
“Welcome back. Just wait over there.”
“It was uneventful… but are you okay? I saw the news.”
Plesea transmitted the memories of what had happened while simultaneously frowning. She had watched the chaos I had unleashed through the news.
“It’s nothing new.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to uproot them entirely? From what I understand, the ones you dealt with are just a fraction.”
From Plesea’s perspective, now that she had acclimated to this world, my actions seemed incomprehensible.
Well, it would be illogical for a Demon King to allow those who dare to oppose them to run free.
“Right now, I’m a magical girl before anything else. My goal isn’t to dominate this world. To cultivate the best soldiers, I need some sandbags. You know very well that I haven’t directly gone out and smashed things during an unification war.”
“That’s true.”
As I explained my intentions in comparison to the Demon King’s army during my formative years, Plesea nodded in understanding. In actuality, at that time, I recognized the Demon King more as a commander than a warrior.
A commander who doesn’t obsess over battle but nurtures subordinates to ultimately secure victory.
To cultivate such soldiers, I needed plenty of foes, unaware of their own insignificance.
“Now, return. Personally, I think I handled everything just fine.”
After sending Plesea back to the Demon Realm, I returned to my room alone. The only sound was the breathing of Kim Soo-jung, who was deep asleep.
I lay back on the bed and switched on my phone.
“Do you know what’s about to happen in a few days?”
Ren, looking like he had a lot to say, crawled up and plopped himself on my chest.
“What’s going to happen?”
“The gathering of the magical girls for the banquet. It’s really just around the corner.”
I tilted my head in confusion, and then Ren reminded me of something I had forgotten.
“Does that even matter? Can’t I just skip it?”
“They’re definitely going to talk about you there; are you seriously considering brushing that off? It’s better to show up and let them know they can’t pull anything. You hate troublesome things, right? Preventing that is essential.”
Ren flapped his ears incredulously. He wasn’t wrong. Now that my position was drastically different from before, preventing annoying issues beforehand was necessary.
“Since I have no work to do now, anyway.”
Searching the news on my phone, I shut it down with satisfaction.
After I shattered the very plans of The One Road, as I had bragged, our counterattack had begun.
The enemies, either dazed or unprepared, were being beaten as I revealed evidence and testimonies piece by piece.
If I successfully drove the enemy back, it would reduce the tedious antics that had dragged on.
“Feeling a sense of normalcy after a long time?”
The memories transmitted by Plesea were merely a piece of information. In reality, I was returning to a sense of normality after quite a while.
An ordinary life as an unremarkable middle school girl. Compared to the rough life of a magical girl or Demon King, it was refreshing, and I found myself quite interested in this lifestyle lately.
“What are you up to?”
“Hehehe… woke you up?”
And having Kim Soo-jung snuggled next to me after waking up was just part of this life.
*
“Get ready for breakfast.”
“Ugh.”
Lee Jin-ah smiled and pushed away Kim Soo-jung, who was stuck to her like a cicada on a tree. Though Kim Soo-jung giggled and moved aside, her expression changed slightly while Lee Jin-ah yawned and walked into the bathroom.
‘She’s definitely changed. She was the same until she fell asleep.’
Kim Soo-jung sniffed the air. The strong scent lingering on the bedding was a mix of Lee Jin-ah’s shampoo and body wash.
But her natural scent was different. Having become accustomed to sticking close to Lee Jin-ah, Kim Soo-jung reacted strongly to the change in Lee Jin-ah’s scent after nightfall.
Her scent was definitely stronger than when they lay together before sleeping. Conversely, this meant that the concentration of shampoo and body wash smells had diminished.
It wasn’t just a matter of time passing; they repeated this action daily, so the drastic change from last night was noticeable.
‘It’s not just today; it happened before.’
She even remembered that it had happened previously.
Plesea’s ability didn’t extend to replicating the scent of the shampoo on her body, so Kim Soo-jung, confident she understood Lee Jin-ah better than anyone, had pinpointed this overlooked detail.
‘I’m sure she sneaked out while I was sleeping. But is that even possible?’
Ultimately, Kim Soo-jung’s conclusion led to the idea that Lee Jin-ah had been sneaking out.
“What’s taking so long? Are you ready?”
Her thoughts continued until Lee Jin-ah entered, shaking her wet hair off.
“Want a drink?”
“Sure.”
That morning, as the two prepared to head to school, they casually shared drinks brought by Kim Soo-jung while waiting for their ride.
Normally, Kim Soo-jung would have enjoyed watching Lee Jin-ah use the same straw she had, but today her mind was more complicated.
“Sneaking out at night? That’s impossible. It’s one thing if she told me first.”
In the end, while Lee Jin-ah momentarily left the room, Kim Soo-jung poured her thoughts out to her upperclassman and friend, Kang Jin-soo.
Upon hearing Lee Jin-ah sneaked out at night, he shook his head.
“But are you sure she actually went outside?”
“You said it’s impossible.”
“…I feel like Lee Jin-ah could pull it off. Honestly, it’s a bit scary. When she talks, it feels like I’m having a conversation with an adult.”
Kang Jin-soo, who had declared that Lee Jin-ah was scary, glanced around while whispering. Kim Soo-jung scoffed at the absurdity of finding Lee Jin-ah intimidating.
“Of course. The way she looks at you is different. Just look closely. It’s truly scary when she sees someone she doesn’t know. She’s coming this way.”
As she spotted Lee Jin-ah walking back toward them, Kang Jin-soo promptly sealed his lips.
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