Karl Heinz, a director of H Group, crossed one leg and smiled broadly. It was as if he trusted the Magical Girl aiming from afar.
Of course, no matter how powerful the Magical Girl might be, Heinz doubted she could penetrate Vira’s barrier. Besides, there hadn’t been any reports of her firing magic at citizens in other cities.
What does the Magical Girl Association care about the most? They work hard to shed the image of magical girls as threats to citizens, making them look more like friendly neighbors or idolized heroes. Even if this wasn’t City H but City E, launching magic at citizens would be risky for them.
There’s not much chance of the Magical Girl taking aim here. Not unless things get really dire…
“Getting attacked now would be pretty troublesome.”
Recently, City E had been struggling due to villainous attacks from City B. Even though Evilus Corporation had a firm grip on the area, the belief that City E was a villain-free zone was proving untrue.
Moreover, after that incident, they had marched into City B and forcibly acquired Baphomet Corporation, making the political situation quite precarious. If they ended up clashing with a major corporation from City H in this situation, other cities might unite to attack Evilus, thinking of E’s expansion plans as threatening.
“…Do you know I’m a member of Scholar?”
“Yes. I’m aware. It took quite some time to discover you took the Magical Girl with you because of that.”
“Do you know that members there receive protection from various cities and governments?”
“Indeed, Scholar members do receive support from corporations. But that doesn’t make them untouchable, does it?”
Karl Heinz said as he let his smile turn into a grim scowl.
“You should just stick to being a bookish nerd. Don’t meddle in other fields.”
I frowned slightly and met Heinz’s gaze.
“…The Magical Girl belongs to H Group?”
“I would appreciate it if you referred to her as a specialty of City H!”
“Alright, I’ll send her back.”
“That’s a wise decision. We didn’t want to make an enemy of Evilus Corporation, after all.”
Seemingly surprised by my agreement, Heinz quickly proceeded with business. He terminated the contract between me and White Pang and even paid the penalty for it.
He was keen on completely severing my ties with the Magical Girl.
Having wrapped up matters swiftly, Karl Heinz asked me to send White Pang back to City H by the end of the day. I nodded and looked down at the torn contract.
“Then, I’ll take my leave. Make sure the Magical Girl returns to City H today.”
I watched Heinz walk away with a smug grin, and then turned to look at the table in silence. Perhaps feeling sorry for me, Vira, who had been standing guard close by, came over and patted my shoulder.
“You did well, Eight. If a fight had broken out, you might not have been harmed, but the citizens would have been at risk.”
“…Phew.”
“Eight?”
“Pffft—!”
I burst into laughter, unable to stop myself. The research on the spirits had been wrapped up long ago. Even if Karl Heinz hadn’t come, I would’ve sent the Magical Girl back to City H soon enough.
However, since they went out of their way to pick a fight and tarnish my reputation and that of my organization, I’d have to get even.
“You just want me to stick to my books, huh?”
As you wish. I’ll pen my revenge like a proper nerd. After all, the pen is mightier than the sword.
And some pens, even more so.
* * *
“─Director, was that really necessary?”
Inside the vehicle heading back to City H, Karl Heinz chuckled as he looked at the Magical Girl who dared offer him advice. Did she really think she had become something since he hired her?
Still, Heinz forced himself to hide his true feelings and smiled.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The man seemed impressive in his own right… Did you really have to provoke him like that?”
“Haha! Scholar members aren’t just bookish nerds. Definitely not.”
Scholar members are among the most brilliant scholars in the world. Genius among geniuses, ranking in the top five if humanity were lined up.
While it might not be quite right to call such a person a mere nerd, they aren’t someone you absolutely mustn’t provoke.
“But it’s not like Scholar only has one member… Plus, the value our corporation creates can’t just be replicated with science.”
“Is that so…”
“Yes, exactly. No one can replicate it.”
By the time the vehicle reached City H, Karl Heinz felt a shiver run down his spine—a feeling of ecstasy kissing his soul. Here it was, an area that neither science could interpret nor replicate.
It was the authority exclusive to the Fairy Queen, with whom Heaven’s Company in City H had a contract.
Recognizing the potential of this field early on, Karl Heinz made a deal with the Fairy Queen to ensure that these things could only occur in City H.
The reason Magical Girls and World’s Enemies appeared only in City H among the 26 cities was precisely due to this.
“Director! Are you back from a business trip?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“I see! Have a happy day!”
Upon reaching the company, Karl Heinz looked at the departing employee who had just warmly greeted him. The employee only had three fingers on one hand.
It was due to a recent industrial accident. Yet, the employee had no complaints. Losing just two fingers was happiness compared to losing his entire hand.
For the same reason, employees at H Group boast the lowest wages compared to time spent working across the 26 cities. Yet, no one complains.
They’re just happy to have a job.
“Yes, be happy today too.”
Thanks to the unimaginable work intensity, low wages, and a contented workforce, H Group saw significant growth.
Products from H Group spread all over the world. And there’s only one reason this was possible. It’s thanks to the Magical Girl and World’s Enemy that exist solely in City H.
World’s Enemies feed and grow on human unhappiness. In other words, no matter how much humans might feel despair and misery, it’s not a significant problem.
We can’t share this with others.
This is why he’s so sensitive about people taking the Magical Girl. The Fairy Queen had said that Magical Girls and World’s Enemies were like two sides of a coin. If the Magical Girl should leave for another city, a World’s Enemy might appear there too.
If a World’s Enemy were to appear in another city, other cities might notice the uniqueness of City H and attempt to steal away the Magical Girl to enjoy the same benefits.
A technology capable of producing contented slaves would be a coveted authority by any ruling power.
Was there a need to provoke a Scholar member?
No, there wasn’t. However, there was no reason to fear them either. As a sponsor familiar with the kind of research conducted by Scholar members, Karl Heinz had no reason to fear Eight or any other members.
After all, science couldn’t reach the domain of magic. The Fairy Queen had said that she had never seen such an unrivaled authority in her life.
Karl Heinz had faith in the Fairy Queen.
“Director! There’s an emergency!”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“I’m terribly sorry, but this is an urgent issue…”
“What could be so pressing?”
“Please turn on the TV.”
At the urgent plea from the subordinate who rushed in, Karl Heinz, though frowning, obediently turned on the TV. He was greeted by the usual news channel.
[Breaking news: An unidentified monster has appeared in City G, and the city’s heroes are currently confronting it.]
The news anchor said, while showing a video uploaded on social media. Upon seeing the pixelated monster in the video, Karl Heinz’s face started to stiffen.
The other people in the city hadn’t caught on yet, but having encountered these monsters daily, Karl Heinz recognized it immediately.
It was a World’s Enemy.
Something that was supposed to appear only in City H.
“…Why is that there?”
He didn’t have time to be shocked. Before Karl Heinz could think of a response, the news anchor delivered yet another breaking news.
[Ah…! We have a new update identifying this monster as a World’s Enemy! To reiterate, it’s a World’s Enemy! This creature, which had only ever appeared in City H, has suddenly shown up in City G, raising questions…]
“Send the Magical Girls at once! Immediately!”
“Y-Yes!”
Karl Heinz shouted.
He couldn’t complacently allow World’s Enemies to roam other cities. Losing City H’s exclusive status would be unacceptable.
While he yelled at his subordinates, the news anchor spoke once more.
[We’ve just received reports of small creatures claiming to be spirits appearing in City A.]
“Oh, my God.”
Karl Heinz felt a cold shiver run through his spine.
Something was happening.
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