Episode 138 – The War of Beliefs (8)
“Ugh, Aaaah!”
Tigger screamed with his eyes tightly shut. Others felt the same way. The massive sword of light with overwhelming energy was coming down, and they thought everything would evaporate in a grand explosion.
“…Ah… what?”
However, the anticipated massive explosion and chaos did not occur. The Sacred Sword transformed into a brilliant light and exploded in all directions upon impact.
“Holy Power only reveals its strength against evil. It’s a good thing for the innocent.”
“Huh… Haaaa…”
Thanks to the lack of civilian casualties that Tigger had feared, Shia scoffed while looking at the boss who had disappeared without a trace and the organization members who had been gruesomely burned.
Meanwhile, the citizens on the street and the assembled police were buzzing in awe as they experienced the healing powers of the Holy Power, noticing their lingering ailments and scars disappearing.
“Looks like it doesn’t go that far.”
Tigger muttered with a voice drained of energy.
The criteria for evil as judged by the Holy Power differed slightly from that of the Magical Girls. As a result, ordinary citizens who could be considered villains were not harmed.
Of course, there were those who had perished, like a high-ranking police official who became a casualty alone, but even Tigger ignored those.
“Alright. With this sorted out, let’s hurry back to Korea.”
“But it’s not over yet.”
Shia insisted as she turned the aftermath over to the authorities. She bluntly revealed to the broadcasting cameras that they had tried to kidnap Magical Girls and sell them abroad.
However, even though it seemed everything was coming to a good conclusion, Shia rejected Tigger’s suggestion to head straight to Korea.
“This world is growing with so much chaos and evil. Correcting all of that is impossible. But there are certainly some that cannot be ignored.”
“S-So, you mean to cross over to China and find out who’s behind that gang?”
Tigger, taken aback by Shia’s firm conviction, asked again.
Tigger struggled to find a way to explain the complex international situations and conflicts happening around them to her, who seemed completely unaware.
“Your actions could spark a war. This place, Earth, has complex relationships among powers and has a history of such events. If that happens, many will become sacrifices. Are you not worried about that?”
“They’re the ones kidnapping young girls to perform horrific experiments and seeking evil powers.”
Tigger tried to persuade her with a completely logical and reasonable argument. But her resolve was already unwavering.
“War? Sacrifice? What does any of that matter? It’s only natural to cut away the rotten flesh, and it’s only right to trample those who resist that judgment. Saving the ones suffering even at this very moment is the correct justice.”
“You…”
“Nothing can be gained through fear. There’s no hope in succumbing to evil and negotiating. Ignoring and hesitating out of fear of losing, that’s the true evil, and justice dies while evil occupies everything in this world.”
Her words left Tigger speechless. In a way, she possessed the most steadfast conviction of all existing Magical Girls.
She even had the power to prove her logic, making it hard to change her mind.
“Do you really think you can achieve all that by yourself?”
“Make the impossible possible. That’s the only way to fight evil. That’s the teaching of the Church.”
Shia did not waver a single bit.
Eventually, they soared back into the high sky, turning north at an even faster pace.
Of course, they didn’t leave the villains they encountered along the way behind.
Drug dealers and human trafficking rings active near the border. Almost every crime organization was judged by her indiscriminate and merciless hands. Not a single survivor remained.
As a result, her reputation surged rapidly. All the criminals in her path had begun to hide, desperate to escape.
“Something is targeting us.”
“What?”
“Something not human.”
And finally, when she reached the border area between Vietnam and China, she sensed something swirling around her and quietly gathered her strength.
“No way. It’s a Monster!”
Tigger soon recognized the identity of the enemy that was trying to attack them out of the darkness.
A grotesque creature, clad in black armor as if it were a shell, appeared out of nowhere and charged at them with a weapon resembling a sword in hand.
*
“Funny, just a few days ago, you couldn’t care less.”
“I said it was a matter of career. And they promised to send her to Korea, but now she’s operating in a completely different place. Yet it seems the end is certainly set here.”
“Aren’t we in a good position?”
I echoed Rene’s words upon meeting her again. While Rene was getting more worried about Shia heading towards China, I was unfazed.
After all, I was indifferent, and if I were to cause trouble, it was better to do it from the outside.
“But the presence of the Saint might provoke them to do something strange. Especially since her trajectory is clearly directed towards this country.”
“Then the Magical Girls will have no choice but to intervene appropriately. Even if the Saint goes on a rampage, there’s no justification for it. How would they know which country she’s from?”
Rene appeared to be giving the matter a serious thought, but ultimately her biggest concern was that this situation might be accepted as the new normal due to the current chaos, leading to full-scale wars between countries.
That was the last thing I wanted, as it would bring significant damage to me.
“Keep an eye on it. I’m more worried that those opposing the Saint could cause even more chaos.”
“…True.”
After openly directing Rene, I concluded that day’s meeting. I decided to observe how far the Saint would go with her radical actions.
“Am I making you feel bad by issuing commands?”
“Not at all.”
Before we parted ways, I subtly asked as I noticed her demeanor had changed from before. I had unwittingly ordered her around as if she were my subordinate.
However, Rene shook her head with a faint smile.
“On the contrary, I’m glad. If something unusual happens, I have to come and report back. Then we can meet again.”
“???”
“That’s enough for me.”
Grinning, she suddenly started to pat my head. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel bad at all.
“That girl’s personality has changed a lot. Is that her true self? She used to be so suppressed, observant, and apathetic.”
Watching Rene as she drifted away, I smirked. The version of her now was something I wouldn’t have seen if she hadn’t become a Magical Girl. She had genuinely grown.
With the chance I provided, she became a wonderful Magical Girl capable of manifesting her own will, and I felt quite satisfied with that.
“So are you really just going to sit back and do nothing? Even if she runs loose into China?”
“Not yet. The Saint may be the same. Perhaps she’ll take this opportunity to find her true self, obscured by her faith.”
Nodding at Ren’s words, I couldn’t help but wonder. At least Rene had gone through many things, but the Saint was a sheltered flower.
She might just change in response to the world’s tempests, just like Rene.
“…Can we be sure that such change is for the better?”
“That’s something to think about later.”
Returning to my room, I found the past few days to be quite comfortable. With my focus elsewhere, there was no need for me to act.
“Look at this. They’re saying the Silver Knight’s Magical Girl looks like early Takilas?”
Kim Soo-jung showed me a news article then.
“That guy resembles Takilas? Nonsense.”
“But it seems to many people, that’s how it looks.”
The news article genuinely compared me and the Saint, highlighting overwhelming power, merciless killings, and rising to Code Red in an instant, etc.
“They wrote the article just based on appearances. Sure, there are overlaps, but the direction of their beliefs is fundamentally different. It’s an article not worth reading.”
If the Saint saw this article, she’d probably have a fit. I felt equally displeased. I’m not a fanatic whose mission and duty are my life and destiny.
“Anyway, if she’s only targeting bad guys, isn’t that a good thing?”
“…You might think so.”
Kim Soo-jung seemed to have a favorable view of the Saint. It’s no surprise since I liked her too.
But it’s true that I had a chilling thought.
What if the Saint really plans to establish a church that believes in and follows the Celestial Realm here?
Famous Magical Girls naturally end up with fandoms surpassing ordinary celebrities.
Even if she starts out uninterested, once she gains followers who believe in her, no one can predict what kind of feelings the Saint might develop.
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