Chapter 117 – The Unyielding Flower (7)
“What the hell kind of performance do they want from me?”
“Even with the considerable results from the monster Smalillian, it shouldn’t be too much. With your power, it won’t take long to fill them up.”
Yggdrasil said it shouldn’t take that much effort. If it were up to my strength, I could achieve it in no time.
But just because they said so, it doesn’t mean I should go around chasing after clueless people or posting nasty comments online like some petty fools.
I probably needed to take down a few thousand of them, and I really didn’t want to do that.
“This is such a hassle.”
I frowned while looking down at the city. Just after I fixed my body and revived Aria, I had to attend the upcoming [Banquet] hosted by the Fairy Council.
“Well, could it be a way to clear your head? Just like when you first came to this world, becoming an ordinary magical girl and achieving results.”
“Not really. The situations back then and now are just too different.”
I scoffed at Ren’s words. Back then, I hadn’t yet made a name for myself. But how would it be now? If I showed up on the street in my current form…
“What the hell! It’s Takilas!”
“Is that for real? Not just cosplay?!”
“We… we have to run…”
That’s how chaotic it would get.
“Look, Ren. I just landed here without doing anything, and look at all this?”
Even though I merely landed in the middle of the street, the reactions from those around were overly dramatic, throwing everything into chaos. There were those cheering for me, others amazed, but most looked terrified and cautious.
That fear was the result of the reputation I had built up.
It’s no wonder, in an age where lives are lived on social media, that people who are probably addicted to likes would hesitate to even point a camera at me.
“With Plesea safely acting as me, it’s going to be tough to infiltrate or disguise myself as my actual self.”
The moment I took a step, countless stares followed. Even common folks, who probably weren’t looking for trouble, looked like they had no intention of approaching me. It seemed better just to hunt down the monsters wreaking havoc lately instead.
“Hey! Takilas!”
At that moment, while others were keeping their distance and just watching, a courageous soul approached me.
“You’ve got guts. What do you want, kid?”
“W-what’s with your arm?”
The one who approached me was just a child, looking hardly older than a kindergarten or early elementary school student. Ignoring the worry of his pacing mother, he came up to me and pointed at my arm.
Under the uniform jacket, my empty right sleeve hung limply. It seemed that only then did others notice.
“Did you get hurt? By that monster back then?”
Using pure innocence as a shield, the child asked outright. I couldn’t help but chuckle. A magical girl can’t touch this innocent kid, not even if the sky split apart.
“Yeah, I did.”
After some brief calculations, I decided to just dive right in.
Landing right in the middle of the street in broad daylight was a rash act born out of frustration, but actually, it clicked that maybe I could use this.
“So you can’t fix it?”
“I don’t know that either. Is that all you came up to me for? You worried about my arm?”
I chuckled as I spoke, and the little boy nodded.
“You’re a good kid. Of course, I don’t know how you’ll change as you grow up. Now, go back to your mom.”
I sent the little guy back to his mom. She seemed worried that I might do something harmful, her relief coming out as tears of joy.
“So, what are you planning to do now? You’re making a scene and spreading rumors about your injury?! There might be those who are after you, haven’t I warned you?”
“That’s exactly why I’m doing this.”
I smirked at Ren, who didn’t understand my plan.
Indeed, Director Lee Min-hyung from the Management Bureau and the veterans of the Frontier warned me that there were those targeting me.
But what I heard was this: quality results, not lowly petty criminals, would come looking for me on their own.
“So I’m just trying to perform as much as I can. I figure if I show weakness, they would come looking for me first.”
“Are you insane?”
Ren acknowledged my bold plan with an affirmation. It was indeed quite a clever method, if I did say so myself.
Still, there was one problem; the results required might spiral out of control. I decided to worry about that later.
After all, I felt justified in acting as I pleased.
“Takilas!”
And the prediction came true in an instant.
Instead of the roar of results, it was a pale-faced Rene who flew in with shock.
“Was that true? Aria is the one…”
“My arm can be healed quickly, so for now, I’ll just do a show for you, so don’t worry.”
I moved to a secluded area and explained the situation to Rene. Grasping it quickly, she nodded.
“Then we won’t bother you any further.”
“Right. You all said you were still recovering.”
Naturally, both the Frontier and Casilena suffered damages in the battle against Smalillian. Their activities were bound to be stifled.
“However, I’ve heard an odd rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“It seems that some information has leaked through the mascot into the company.”
While we were talking, Rene provided me with a clue I hadn’t been aware of.
“Hmmm, a magical girl in the Special Task Force.”
The clue was none other than a tip-off that a magical girl might be mixed in with the recent operations of the Special Task Force.
I was intrigued. I wondered what schemes those sly folks could come up with this time.
Moreover, there’s a high chance that ‘those who are after me’ would be them.
“Honestly, I don’t care what schemes those idiots are plotting. My attitude remains the same.”
“…Understood.”
“But they’re cautious folks. They won’t act hastily with simple methods.”
At that moment, a bright idea sparked in my head. It was about enhancing the bait to catch the prudent big fish.
“Rene, you need to help me out here.”
If they thought a wounded, weakened magical girl with nowhere to go was worth going after? Even if that magical girl is the self-proclaimed strongest, those fools would surely want to take their chances.
*
“Monster! It’s a monster!”
“Run away!”
This place is a large metropolitan area in the southern part of the Republic of Korea. While Smalillian was primarily active in areas with a high population, other monsters didn’t have such limitations.
This wide spectrum of creatures, each with its own motives, was diverse and unpredictable.
“Quickly! As fast as you can!”
“The reported monster is one that attacks young women and drinks their blood!”
The Special Task Force stationed in this city dispatched their members urgently. Armored with their respective powers, this special unit quickly disembarked from their vehicles and approached the monster.
“Kiheeet! Khihit!”
The revealed form of the monster was that of a giant blood-sucking bat with three pairs of wings.
“Kiheek?!”
However, the Special Task Force was a step behind. Someone else was already in battle with the monster.
“Is that… a magical girl?!”
“Yikes! Team leader! It’s Takilas!”
They recognized the magical girl fighting the monster. The very same magical girl, known for being the strongest, who had just recently lost part of her arm.
“Hmm, so the rumors were all true? She can’t show her real form because of her injury and is just wandering around?”
The team leader recalled the countless rumors about Takilas, shaking his head. Despite her saying nothing, people had woven all sorts of plausible stories about her situation.
“Team leader, what should we do now? According to regulations…”
“Are you crazy? Do you want to die?”
The team leader was aghast at his teammate’s words, pulling the team back. Quite a few had already met their end due to just getting in Takilas’s way.
Knowing that, he wanted no part of it.
‘Injured or not, she’s still formidable.’
Indeed, Takilas effortlessly subdued the oversized monster. The bat, as large as a small truck, lay bloodied and defeated beneath her feet.
Just as she was about to finish off the monster…
“Wait! S-stop right there!”
With an awkward voice, A-ranked magical girl Lina appeared, halting Takilas’s actions.
None at the scene expected this encounter.
“It’s about subduing the monster. You want me to stop?”
“Defeating monsters is right. But you, you must follow the rules we’ve set.”
Takilas didn’t shy away from revealing her killing intent. Thanks to that, Lina’s awkward attempts at enunciation from the textbook didn’t go unnoticed.
“Casilena maintains order. If you disrupt that, I will stop you.”
Lina’s hands trembled, her face pale.
Of course, this wasn’t due to her inability to act; rather, she was genuinely terrified at the prospect of engaging in combat with Takilas.
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