Chapter 100 – Lord of Despair and Hatred (10)
“Has it begun?”
In a scene still dealing with the aftermath, she was among the crowd gathered in front of the police line. The magical girl Rene, stepping out into society.
Thanks to an unidentified hero, things had been more or less managed before she had to step in, but the problem wasn’t just this location.
The “seeds” that had already begun to reveal their presence had spread nationwide and were starting to rampage.
Fortunately, they had anticipated such events and had been preparing in advance, allowing most situations to be barely resolved before escalating.
“There must be a central point. A link that dazzles and corrupts people.”
Rene also realized what Takilas had anticipated.
Those who became seeds were definitely just ordinary individuals. The fact that they turned into monsters overwhelming magical girls and the superhuman special task force was thanks to their hatred and despair manifesting as magical power.
“I need to find those with deep emotional scars, persuade them, make them rampage, and plant them in designated locations… This is definitely not something I can do alone.”
Rene assumed the existence of collaborators working with the monsters. It didn’t matter whether they were fellow monsters or manipulated locals.
After all, if there were knowledgeable collaborators in this society, she could somehow track them down.
“I don’t know if this is even possible.”
Muttering absentmindedly, she activated a magic spell that others couldn’t see. A detection spell of sorts that she had designed herself—perhaps it could uncover some clues.
The principle was simple: it tracked negative magical energy. Naturally, the natural negative energy that existed in the surroundings began to latch onto everywhere.
But Rene modified the magic to apply to people.
The magical energy ordinary people possessed was so minimal it could be considered nonexistent. Obviously, it shouldn’t trigger a detection of either negative or positive energy, but Rene believed things were different this time.
“…I see something.”
One eye began to glow softly as Rene started to scan her surroundings. The range of this detection spell was barely several dozen meters.
But Rene didn’t mind. If she could snag just one connection, reaching the main body wouldn’t be too hard.
“You’re working hard. You’re truly smart.”
“What’s that?”
And there was someone watching her from across the street. Park Tae-jun, who was next to Lee Jin-ah, scratched his head watching her quietly chuckle.
“Looks like things are about to get complicated.”
“These days… it’s getting scarier. The world.”
The children across the street, like Rene, were watching the accident scene.
Having joyfully played in the karaoke for hours, they realized the chaos that unfolded and were engulfed in fear.
“U-Um, should we head home soon?”
So they agreed to wrap it up and go back to their respective homes. Soon, only Kim Soo-jung, Lee Jin-ah, and Park Tae-jun, who shared the same direction, remained on the street.
“It’s common for monsters to run rampant, but if you look at these incidents, there’s a clear commonality.”
“Huh?”
“It’s that their insides are unstable. And in a bad way.”
At that moment, Lee Jin-ah boldly spoke up. At her frank statement, Park Tae-jun shot her a glance. Kim Soo-jung next to them also questioned if she knew Lee Jin-ah was a magical girl.
Lee Jin-ah responded with her trademark smirk. The easily confused Kim Soo-jung continued to show no suspicion about what Lee Jin-ah was saying, as her behavior had remained constant since they met.
“They said they’d turn ordinary people into monsters. So, what…”
“Be careful, you two. People always harbor negative energy inside them. Emotions are like that, especially in this complex and giant society these days. They cunningly exploit that.”
Lee Jin-ah warned the anxious Kim Soo-jung and Park Tae-jun to be cautious around people. Now was not the time to be passive and victimized.
“Of course, with efficiency in mind, such a weak emotion isn’t of much use. Anyway, the trash that has used others as emotional trash cans will soon find themselves buried under that same refuse they can no longer tolerate.”
She smirked, her gaze catching on Rene’s busy figure.
Unless a direct threat came, she had no intention of stepping in herself. Instead, similar to how she had hinted to Jeon So-hyun, she hoped to guide the magical girls, including Rene, and her own created Jeon So-hyun, to solve the problem themselves.
Based on her belief that those who were left behind had no worth living, she planned to train them for whatever enemies might arise in the uncertain future.
*
“There are too many. Should I filter them out?”
Even after the sun set, Rene continued her search. But she couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Almost everyone had a hint of that gloom within them.
“Disappointment, despair, fear. Do the people of the Empire feel this too? Those who bless and praise the royal family, do they hold these emotions inside?”
The roots of those feelings were in stark contrast to the magical girls who pursued light.
Having tasted the darkness of a giant city, filled with dazzling brightness that couldn’t be compared to her homeland, she was hit with the realization that just because external appearances and technology improved, it didn’t guarantee people would be happy, and that unwavering, solid governance and a strong northern country weren’t the definitive answers.
“Did Aria already know that and try to fight against it?”
Holding her phone awkwardly while touching the screen, Rene muttered as she skimmed through news articles about Aria.
After their encounter and conflict, Aria had become fixated on absurdity and corruption. Even now.
Whether monsters ran amok or people died, she showed no interest, focusing solely on political opinion battles and power struggles.
It was also a realization that people’s excitement over the castle that she had created wasn’t just a vicarious satisfaction for powerless weaklings, but rather the normalization of absurdity.
“Hey, pretty student.”
“…Are you… talking to me? No, are you scared?”
“Of course!”
In that moment, someone grabbed Rene, who was about to take another step.
‘There’s a strange power within her.’
She looked like a pleasant middle-aged woman. But the moment Rene saw her, her eyes narrowed.
“Do you have a moment?”
‘Found another one! But she looks a bit calmer.’
It wasn’t just Rene who sensed something from the other person. The middle-aged woman, who boldly grabbed her arm, also sparkled with her glasses.
‘A new martyr!’
With that smile, the woman looked at Rene’s reflection in her glasses and became convinced.
The glasses, a bestowed item, served the purpose of detecting negative energy. Ironically, she mistook Rene’s detection magic for unique negative energy.
“It’s not suspicious. You’re struggling, aren’t you? I know everything.”
“It’s hard. Yes, it is hard.”
While still cautious about her identity, Rene decided to play along to uncover her true nature.
Of course, her response about being hard was purely because she had been walking for a long time.
“Right? I don’t know what’s going on, but… if you could solve it, would you believe it? If you could tear apart and kill those who gave you despair and the ones you hate.”
The woman pulled Rene’s arm and whispered in her ear. In an instant, Rene’s body stiffened.
Something felt off.
‘Was it worth the run?’
“How?”
“Come on. I won’t do anything harmful to you. You can have your revenge. You can rid yourself of it all.”
The woman, mistaking Rene’s momentary shock for engagement, seductively whispered while almost yanking her arm.
Most of the “seeds” were already in a state of mental instability, so it was likely they would fall easily with just a little push.
“…Alright.”
Of course, Rene, who had set her sights on a target, put on a show and seemingly went along.
Where she led Rene was a van. Inside were several people already sitting there, looking dazed.
“Look at this. We don’t lie. We have no interest in your background. We just really can give you a chance.”
Before boarding the vehicle, she showed Rene something. It was none other than some writhing black parasite-like thing.
“Don’t be surprised!”
She grabbed Rene’s hand tight as she reacted to the wriggling creature. Soon, Rene felt it burrowing into her body through her palm, and she bit her lip.
‘How arrogant.’
Realizing the creature was a mass of magical energy formed of negativity, Rene raised her magical power and annihilated it as it crawled up her arm.
“Is the proof enough? With that power, stronger power, you can achieve what you want.”
Unbeknownst to the woman, she assumed Rene was shocked like others and chuckled.
“Let’s roll! We’re heading to the ‘Monastery,’ not the main base!”
After bringing Rene into the vehicle, they soon set off. Even without detecting negative energy, it was clear from their expressions that she was loaded alongside other “seeds,” traversing through the night streets across the city.
Of course, the gaze looking outside was lit with entirely different emotions than the rest.
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