Episode 90 – What’s Right (10)
Fountain of Blood. And Madness.
This was no longer about grudges or revenge. It was intense hatred and the rampage of a crazed beast.
“AAAAAAAH!!!”
The ear-splitting scream of a female employee echoed through the air. Manager Oh Young-soo’s corpse fell like a decaying tree stump. His face, spewing a large amount of blood, was pale, and his bloodshot eyes stared blankly, unable to close.
It was such a pathetic and disgraceful end, so contrasting with how he used to boast and chatter while alive.
“Kill…kill!”
At the sight of that insignificant hunk of flesh, he completely lost his sanity.
The power embedded in the dagger given by the mysterious monster took everything from him in exchange for fulfilling his resentment and revenge.
“RUN!”
“Please, someone save me! AAH!”
While terrified people frantically fled, he clutched the arm of female employee Seo Ji-yeon tightly.
“Let go! You crazy bastard, I’ll report you for sexual assault… Ugh.”
Terrified, she struggled and whimpered. But any threats to him no longer mattered.
He was not a decent young man who endured workplace harassment to support his sick single mother and pay for his younger sibling’s tuition; he was merely a hatred-filled evil spirit.
“Ugh…gurgle…”
He repeatedly plunged the dagger he held into her abdomen. Blood gushed like a fountain, and her innards spilled out as her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Kill…me…”
After experiencing two murders, a thick purple slime began to ooze from his body, covering him. And with that slime, his rationality began to vanish completely.
“Quick! Move quickly!”
“There’s a monster. We have to catch it!”
It was then that they entered the building: the Awakened Special Task Force, equipped with protective gear and suits.
They arrived at the scene with every ounce of their power.
“There it is!”
“Take it down. Before the Magical Girls arrive!”
The reason the higher-ups were pushing them was simple. Results. Only faster and more precise results than the Magical Girls.
“Oh…mom…”
Seeing the task force member dashing through the corridor as if flying, he used the last of his sanity to mumble and reach out his hand.
It was not an act of attack. He only hoped for salvation.
“Target neutralized. It wasn’t that strong.”
However, his head exploded like a watermelon from the high-caliber bullet fired by the task force member. His collapsed body was quickly surrounded by the rush of team members, bringing the incident in broad daylight to an end.
“The frequency of monster activity is increasing. The warnings from Takilas are proving to be true.”
“Good. It’s progressing as planned.”
Adele Bryant, an executive of the Onward organization and advisor for the Awakened Special Task Force, received a report in her lab in Seoul. It included the recent incident of a monster rampage at the government office.
“A total of 112 reported incidents so far. Of those, our task force handled 65 on our own.”
“There were no clashes.”
“Right. While there have been several confrontations with the Magical Girls on-site, they retreated quietly when we warned them and posed real threats.”
There was an interesting point in the report. Despite preparing for potential confrontations and possible public relations battles with the Magical Girls, they all seemed to have received some orders to avoid clashes with them.
‘Do they understand that fighting will only hurt them? They’re somewhat clever. They must have some hidden agenda.’
He frowned but soon shook his head. Political issues were the purview of politicians; what he needed to do was separate from that.
However, given the fact that the Awakened Special Task Force, recognized by public authority, was prepared to arrest Magical Girls should a confrontation arise, it left a sour taste in his mouth. He had plans to experiment on any local Magical Girls he captured.
“Inform Lee Jong-pil, former congressman. Have the media report on the task force’s achievements and suggest making adjustments to the laws.”
“Yes, but Director. I’ve heard that the recent suppression operations are becoming too extreme and radical, leading to an increase in complaints from the public. Particularly, there are some monsters manipulating the minds and bodies of victims, and their families…”
“That’s not our jurisdiction. Leave that to Lee Jong-pil, the politician. Knowing his tendencies, he’ll likely crush any such minor backlash without hesitation.”
He shook his head before his words could finish. Sacrifices were a given. He would boldly discard anything that needed to be sacrificed for the greater good. That was his way of thinking.
*
“Apparently, a monster went rampant at the district office in broad daylight. Right during our lunch break!”
“Wow, that’s crazy.”
It was now the last break period. The kids were noisy. It had been like this for a while now, ever since society got a bit chaotic, precisely since the day I held the press conference about the monsters.
The topic was, of course, monsters. Terrifying, dreadful, the lurking evil that could be anywhere. And the two groups, the Awakened Special Task Force and the Magical Girls, regularly found themselves in the spotlight.
“It seems they’re busy rushing around due to performance competition. The media… no, the biased outlets keep wrapping things up.”
Sipping my juice through a straw, I checked my phone for news. Of course, it was evident that the task force was being boosted while the Magical Girls were being neglected or belittled, but that helped me filter out the right people to watch.
“Hey, you don’t have to go through all that trouble.”
At that moment, I heard a murmured voice next to me. The owner of the desk I was leaning against, Park Tae-jun, was sitting in his chair looking blank.
“What do you mean by ‘all that’?”
“I mean you forcefully staying by my side.”
He bitterly smiled and hung his head. Ever since his recovery, he had changed. Losing parents to horrific monsters and nearly dying himself had taken its toll on him.
“I’m really okay.”
“Stop talking nonsense. I only move the way I want. It’s my choice.”
I scoffed at that. I understood that he was hurt, but I couldn’t stand the sight of him wallowing in despair and injuring himself when I knew he could overcome it. After all, he was one of my connections.
“…You’re really something else. After going through that. Aren’t you scared?”
“Scared? Of what?”
“Monsters.”
Park Tae-jun’s eyes shook as he spoke about monsters. It was clearly the gaze of someone gripped with fear.
When discussions about the increasing number of monsters arose, he shrank back; it’s clear now why he had been silent, like someone who had lost their voice.
“I’m scared of not knowing when or where that monster might show up. The director, my brother, might suddenly turn on me too. I can’t even sleep.”
Park Tae-jun was expressing severe trauma. I heard that he was even going to a psychiatrist; no matter how grown-up he was, he was still just a kid.
“So, do you think I could change too?”
“Well, that’s… honestly, I can’t imagine it, but… yeah.”
“If so, what can I do to reassure you?”
I laughed and said that.
“Then just answer this one thing for me.”
But then he suddenly looked serious as if he had thought of something and grabbed my hand. I was a bit surprised and couldn’t pull my hand away.
“Are you a Magical Girl?”
Among the noisy chattering students, Park Tae-jun’s words pierced my ears. Well, I hadn’t really tried to hide it deeply until now, so it was only natural for him to be suspicious.
“Would it lessen your doubts if I were a Magical Girl?”
“They say Magical Girls have a token.”
Since I didn’t outright deny it, his eyes trembled even more; he clearly couldn’t believe what he had just said.
“If that token exists, you would always trust me, right?”
“If you could prove it, what would you do for me?”
“…”
At my question, his mouth went shut. In the past, he would have bragged about money or something, but now he was a different person.
“If you trust me, then I’ll believe anything you say. For now, that’s all I can give.”
The answer he provided was quite satisfactory. Understanding what his true value was and what the other person desired, that talent could become a strong weapon for him.
“Exactly.”
I faintly smiled and showed him the back of my right hand, where the fingertip was exposed.
“I’m a Magical Girl. Even if I couldn’t step forward back then.”
Simultaneously, the ring-shaped connector that I had kept hidden appeared slowly. Although he had expected it, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“I don’t care if your personality has changed. But it’s not right to remain alive and punish yourself after everything that has happened, both for me and for the person who saved you.”
“…I’ll believe you. Anything. I promised, after all.”
Finally, Park Tae-jun began nodding his head repeatedly, even starting to hiccup.
It felt strange.
Like with Kim Soo-jung, what I was doing now was not very fitting for someone from the pinnacle of the Demon Realm. Compassion, sympathy, consideration… actions typically associated with the weak. Reflecting on these feelings made my heart feel calmer than during my time in the Demon Realm.
Could this be healing?
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.
