Episode 123 – The Essence of a Magical Girl (3)
“Did you just throw that bomb and vanish? Well, that’s just typical of her.”
“The chaos is immense. It seems we really didn’t expect Takilas to take action.”
“If you act too hastily, you must pay the price.”
With no sleep and catching up on all the developments, Lee Min-hyung chuckled as he sank into a plush chair.
From the start, those who miscalculated ended up shattered in one strike, and the aftermath left them unable to manage the situation properly.
Some of the politicians who had been moving with them were keeping their mouths shut. It was proof they hadn’t come up with a countermeasure yet.
“This is actually better. Thanks to Takilas blatantly mentioning it, we have something to strike back with. They started off disadvantaged anyway.”
“So… how do we respond now, Director?”
“Contact Jo Ui-seok and the U.S. ambassador. We’ll all coordinate to ensure there’s no escape route for them.”
The opponent had crossed the line.
There was no grand justification, turning to terrorism to capture Takilas, who was merely one of the magical girls and had saved countless people.
They even teamed up with monsters to experiment on magical girls.
If even some of these facts were properly exposed, the opponent would be left incapacitated. Even if they had a fit about foreign intervention or ignored it, it didn’t matter.
At the very least, the influence through The One Road would completely vanish. That was enough for now.
“Takilas, the double-edged sword, has done enough. To avoid being cut by it, our role is crucial.”
He had no intention of defying Takilas’s words. Those who ignored her had all met horrible ends.
‘She’s watching, isn’t she?’
Left alone for a moment, he stared blankly out the window.
After the tumultuous events of the previous night, Takilas had gone missing, but now no one could afford to ignore her.
*
“Looks like someone is really interested in me.”
“Isn’t that to be expected?”
As I muttered while digging in my ears, Ren sighed in disbelief. But I lifted my right hand and clenched my fist.
It’s normal. Yggdrasil had actually healed my body based on my achievements.
“You won’t ignore my achievements just because my arm is fine, right?”
“It’s hard to ignore now. You came looking for me.”
Ren was still on about achievements. Well, that was the foundation of this system, so it was only natural.
“But I have a lot to do right now.”
Looking up at the bright morning sunshine, I took out a pure white orb from my pocket. I sensed a faint vibration. I wondered if Aria could feel or think anything in this state.
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. Is it really possible to resurrect a being reduced to that state?”
“It’s definitely not easy. But it’s not impossible either. Ren, you go stick by Plesea. From now on, I need to become something other than a magical girl.”
I let Ren go. He looked displeased, but since he already knew my true identity, he held back any complaints.
“I could at least watch.”
“That may be true, but where I’m going isn’t my hometown; it’s possibly the most dangerous place for me.”
Ren subtly mentioned wanting to visit the Demon Realm, but I couldn’t indulge that. Where I was going this time was not the Demon Realm.
“So just wait here.”
I opened a Dimension Gate and returned to the Demon Realm. My room, always neat and familiar.
Gabi, who had arrived first, was waiting.
“Gabi. Go fetch Robert.”
“Understood.”
I had Gabi call the housekeeper, Robert. At the same time, I completely shed my familiar magical girl appearance.
From a girl, I transformed into a writhing mass of tentacles — a monster, as I welcomed Robert.
“Demon King. It’s been a while since we last met.”
[You probably have a rough idea, Robert, but it seems I need to formally meet because I have something to discuss.]
“Who would dare refuse the Demon King?”
[The angels of the Celestial Realm.]
“…What?”
Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even Gabi, who already knew, looked troubled, biting her lip.
Of course. The Celestial Realm and the angels were antitheses to the Demon Realm and demons. The hatred and disgust towards each other were ingrained in their instincts.
Naturally, I hadn’t been a complete demon from the start, so I had some freedom from that instinctual curse.
[I’m not going to say it twice. Contact them officially. Ask if we can meet informally first.]
“…As you command.”
Robert squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. He looked like he made an enormous decision.
Honestly, I wasn’t particularly worried. I was the first Demon King in history to have spoken with the angels of the Celestial Realm, so I wasn’t that concerned. They might be cunning and arrogant, but they weren’t beasts that couldn’t communicate.
In fact, they shared some political goals similar to mine.
“I’ve received a response.”
And not even a day had passed before they replied to our request for a meeting.
“They’ve accepted the request…!”
[Good. Of course, they should.]
I scoffed lightly. In reality, they had no choice. I had suggested a treaty for peace, and they secretly hoped for it as well.
Rumor had it they were divided and subtly jockeying for power themselves. Despite acting superior, they were ultimately just beings derived from humanity, after all.
“They’ve requested for the Demon King to meet secretly in a neutral location arranged for the secretive meeting. It’s said that Saint Elysia will be waiting there.”
[I’ll handle it myself, Robert. You and the others act as though nothing happened and behave naturally. I officially contacted them as the Demon King, but this is kind of a personal matter.]
“I can do that, but Demon King, they are hypocritical beings, and we can’t know their true intent.”
[They are bound in various ways anyway.]
Robert habitually showed concern — no, disgust — but I judged more objectively.
They had their desires, and I had mine.
Not even our inherited instincts and destinies could control our desires. That’s why I could talk to them.
[I’ll be back.]
Not wanting this personal excursion to be made known, I quietly left the Demon King’s castle, accompanied only by Gabi, who was already aware of the situation.
The neutral zone was a buffer area resembling the DMZ, where the Demon Realm met the continent; since our agreement, it had become a wild area with no actions taken by either side.
“I understand that you wish to use the angels’ power to resurrect that child. However, I don’t think they’ll grant such a request without some cost.”
[That’s true. But I believe I have many cards on the table.]
On our way, I coolly agreed with Gabi’s insinuation.
I was confident. After choosing a different path than any other Demon King, it was them who were taken aback like never before, preparing for a great war.
The demons I led were the same, but they too were experiencing peace for the first time in history.
Initially, they must have cheered. I still remembered their adorable faces when they thought the Demon Realm, including me, was terrified of them and gained the upper hand.
However, unlike all demons who obeyed my commands as the strongest, ignoring absurdity and injustice, they had too many captains.
In their newfound peace, they had ultimately become flustered and disorganized, wasting that precious time.
[So, if I share a few words, they’d surely show interest. Our power is ironically growing based on peace.]
“Oh…”
Gabi’s eyes sparkled.
Personally, I thought the balance between the Demon Realm and the Celestial Realm had already collapsed. Ironically, the cause was the peace they continuously shouted about while opposing us.
Knowing that, they still couldn’t change this situation. They’d become too strong to engage in an all-out war, unable to guarantee a future.
“Look, there they are.”
[They’ve already caught on. Is this your first time seeing their faces? This is the illustrious Saint Elysia.]
The meeting spot was an old castle now lying in ruins, a place where no one had come. A few humans from the Church stood, nervous faces as they awaited us.
I narrowed my eyes as I spotted a girl with light blue hair standing among them.
“I greet the ruler of the Demon Realm. I am Saint Elysia.”
She nervously introduced herself, bowing respectfully as I approached through the broken castle gate.
[Let’s cut to the chase. I have nothing to say to you, Saint; summon Archangel Asmael immediately.]
I extended a tentacle to point at her.
Anticipating this, she nodded with a determined expression.
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