Chapter 130 – The Essence of Magical Girls (10)
‘Is it a melee type? Then I won’t lose!’
Jeanne aimed the knight’s lance, much taller than her own height, at Aria. Her highest stat was defense.
That unparalleled defense, combined with nearly 20 years of experience, boasted a myth of invincibility in close combat against martial artists.
With the lance aimed, Jeanne charged at Aria. Though standing at only 150 cm without a horse, her explosive speed surpassed that of a mounted knight, resembling a speeding tank.
“Ugh…?!”
However, when Aria blocked the destructive tip of the lance with her cross-shaped claws, Jeanne was taken aback as she saw the ground she stood on shatter and Aria was pushed back, albeit managing to hold her ground eventually.
“You have incredible strength!”
Retrieving her lance, she swung it with more determination this time.
‘That was fast.’
This time, Aria dodged it. As she moved at high speed, striking the ground and momentarily vanishing from sight, Jeanne instinctively maximized her defense, realizing she wouldn’t be able to keep up with that speed.
‘Just as I thought.’
As Aria left only an afterimage in her wake and suddenly swung her claws at Jeanne’s exposed side, Jeanne smiled faintly, convinced her defense would hold.
“Ugh?!”
But Jeanne’s eyes widened in surprise at the sharp sting she felt on her flank. A clear scratch was faintly etched onto her pristine white skin where Aria’s claw had grazed her.
“I can’t believe it. Is she SS-rank? Upper S-rank? I already know all the faces of those kinds.”
“…I’ve grown.”
“Grow? You’ve actually grown?”
Jeanne, in disbelief at Aria’s reply, chuckled incredulously. The word “growth” didn’t suit a magical girl who drew strength based on future potential.
As time passed, magical girls’ ranks and combat power would only rise due to mental maturity or experience, allowing for better movements.
Increasing one’s inherent power was impossible. That was common knowledge.
“If what you say is true, then those terrible beings who collaborated with monsters to grow are doing something utterly pointless.”
“I don’t really know the principles or reasons behind it.”
Aria shook her head at Jeanne’s incredulous words. While she knew she had grown, that was all she understood.
For some reason, she still hadn’t grasped how or why she had become stronger.
‘I just fight and smash things. That’s all.’
But one thing was clear to her. This realization came after she bet everything against the demon king, experiencing death once.
That single step taken to surpass her limits taught Aria what a genuine fight, fueled by true sincerity, truly meant.
“You… what on earth…”
Even a veteran like Jeanne, with 20 years of experience, flinched at the gaze of someone who had faced death.
But there was no time for surprise. Aria took another combat stance, and now Jeanne had to pull out her strongest armament to match her resolve.
“Enough! That’s it.”
That’s when Karin burst in, swinging a flail attached to a chain. With the flail imbued with magic, she barely managed to intervene and stopped Jeanne’s lance with her hand, quickly bringing the duel to an end.
“Karin! You’re interrupting my fight right now…”
“Shut up, you drill-headed idiot! This isn’t the time for this!”
Jeanne fumed at Karin, who had a familiarity with her as a fellow first-generation magical girl. However, Karin glared back, growling in irritation.
“It’s not the time? What on earth is…?”
Jeanne was taken aback at Karin’s frantic display. Karin’s expression and actions didn’t seem merely angry but rather incredibly urgent.
No, it was more than urgency; fear was also evident.
“Ah…”
The atmosphere around them had suddenly changed.
The heated ambiance from the sudden duel of high-ranked magical girls had shifted to a bone-chilling silence.
Fairies, mascots, and magical girls alike could not speak up rashly and were only glancing around nervously.
Swallowing dryly, Jeanne lowered her lance aimed at Karin and slowly turned her body.
“Why? Are you going to keep fighting?”
There sat a dark-haired girl on the second-floor terrace railing, swirling a drink in her glass.
“Ta, Takilas…”
“You told me to come out. You said you would challenge me. And yet, you’re fighting amongst yourselves.”
Takilas emptied her drink and grinned. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were somewhat glazed over.
It was obvious she was drunk.
“Oh dear. The ground feels too soft.”
As Takilas jumped down from the railing, she wobbled through the landing. The others exchanged anxious glances, unsure of what to do.
They witnessed the mascot Ren pulling at Takilas’s skirt and jabbering, only to be kicked away and sent flying, making them break out in a cold sweat.
“Hey, you there, councilman. You’re the host here, go break it up.”
“Me?! Me?!”
Cursing under her breath for giving a drink to a child, Karin passed the responsibility onto the fairy councilman, who had been watching Jeanne and Aria’s duel. Everyone’s gaze quickly shifted to him, making him panic and flutter his wings.
There was no way out for him. He was a fairy and the host who invited everyone.
“Cough!”
Ultimately, he had no choice but to step forward, albeit trembling and trying to maintain a dignified appearance.
No wonder, as both the moderate and hardline factions had a common understanding—never provoke Takilas.
“Now, this is enough, Takilas. You seem quite drunk right now.”
He blocked Takilas’s advance, trying his best to appear dignified and polite.
Though his authority had been diminished as of late, he was originally a fairy who firmly held the reins over the magical girls. With many eyes on him, showing fear and hesitation in such a situation would bury his dignity even deeper.
However, Takilas was not someone who could be stopped with mere words.
“Are you the first challenger?”
He froze as Takilas suddenly grasped his shoulder, looking up at him with her crimson eyes.
“Kraaack!”
The next moment, he instinctively formed his barrier to defend himself thanks to his animal instincts.
Even if he hadn’t been struck by Takilas’s shadow tentacle, he was pushed back and sent flying, trailing after Ren, who had been sent off in the distance.
“This is insane.”
“…Sound the alarm. Quickly.”
Everyone in the area felt a life-threatening danger regardless of status or race at the sight of the fairy councilman being taken down in one stroke. Initially surprised by Jeanne and Aria’s duel, it seemed like child’s play compared to what was about to unfold.
An overwhelming force was on the verge of rampaging. The smell of alcohol wafted through the air.
*
“Get the other girls to evacuate. As for this situation, we will hold them off!”
“Got it. Fairies, prepare the sealing formations immediately!”
In a life-or-death moment, the fairies and magical girls united in purpose.
It was rather satisfying. Even though the focus was on me, they gathered to channel their determination against a common enemy.
‘Please stop this madness. What good does it do to cause such a ruckus?!’
As I recalled Ren desperately shouting while tugging at my skirt, I couldn’t help but grin.
Ren knew that I wasn’t actually drunk and that I was intentionally stirring this chaos. Though she firmly opposed it, I was confident this spontaneous plan wouldn’t be so bad.
“Stop it, Takilas. I’m the one you came looking for. Don’t attack anyone else!”
“Oh really?”
SS-rank magical girl Jeanne rushed in front of me, aiming her lance at me. As I felt the shadows I had spread envelop the area, I smiled faintly at her gritted lips.
“…Jeanne. Why aren’t you still fighting? After nearly 20 years as a magical girl, what is your belief?”
“W-What do you mean so suddenly?”
Surprised by my question, she fumbled, yet the tip of her lance remained steady.
“I fight to exterminate evil and save citizens, whatever it may be. That simple and obvious thing is my belief.”
“Right. That’s how it should be.”
Her answer was satisfying enough to make me laugh louder. Jeanne was a steadfast and noble magical girl. A warrior equipped with the maturity that the young Aria lacked.
But even that wasn’t enough.
“Most magical girls are different. They get swept along by their surroundings, hit walls in reality, losing their beliefs and ultimately losing that light. No. You cannot do that. Regardless of what your belief is, you must burn yourself for it. That is the essence of the magical girls designed by Yggdrasil.”
I felt horns sprouting from my head, pushing against my uniform hat. Simultaneously, my body began to rise into the air.
The reason I was doing this was simple.
I wanted the magical girls to grow stronger. I hoped they would fight without losing their paths. Only then could I charge them with more troublesome tasks.
However, magical girls of this era found it hard to grow. There were too many hindrances.
That’s why I devised this. What they needed most for growth was an achievable goal—an opposing force.
If I could raise them up as strong adversaries, I could easily play the role of the villain. After all, being adversarial and getting insulted used to be more familiar to me than my daily meals back during the early days of being a demon king.
If I could only provoke them into giving birth to those who genuinely aimed to surpass me—be they a hundred or even just ten, that would be a success.
Proof of that stood right there. Below me, Aria gazed with her eyes filled with determination.
“Ugh!”
“Move already!”
…And the warnings directed at the fairies who were trying to play around were merely a bonus.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
