Chapter 55 – The Virtue of a Magical Girl (5)
“Wh-what? A Magical Girl?”
“That’s right, Your Highness.”
That night, Seria couldn’t help but be shocked by Rana’s words. A mysterious being from another race had barged into her bedroom in the Demon Realm and was uttering something completely unexpected.
“What on earth does that mean? A girl who uses magic? I’m no girl; I’m a woman who can still bear children!”
“…W-well, it’s just a name; it doesn’t really matter. What do you think about becoming a being that brings justice and hope to people?”
Rana flinched at Seria’s frown but continued her explanation with great effort.
It was only natural to be nervous. It had been a long time since she had to pitch directly, and with Takilas watching, she couldn’t treat this like an ordinary Magical Girl situation.
“Isn’t it better to venture into a different appearance, a different identity, and a different world than staying stuck in this place?”
“A different world…”
Rana’s keywords of escapism and freedom successfully shook Seria’s heart.
Even if Takilas showed her pity and guaranteed her freedom, it was impossible for her to take the initiative in this Demon Realm. With her strong sense of independence, it was honestly hard for her to endure.
The mere opportunity to move on her own will, not as a caged bird or a trophy in a showcase, was too sweet to resist.
“If you accumulate new experiences like that, it will definitely help you in this life as well.”
“I-I’m in!”
In the end, Seria couldn’t withstand the temptation. It was a proposal that was too difficult to refuse, even for someone like her. Seeing her immature demeanor despite her attempts to act grown-up, Rana chuckled faintly.
“Perhaps you might just become a true Magical Girl.”
Murmuring bitterly, Rana handed her a connector.
Just like Takilas used the connector to connect with Yggdrasil and gain a human body to become a Magical Girl, Seria was also heading to where Yggdrasil was using the connector like other Magical Girls.
“It’s a kind of magical stone inscribed with spells using specific circuits.”
“…How do you use it?”
Amidst all this, she pierced through the secret of the connector and showed interest. While Seria vanished, Rana remained in the empty room, still twitching on the floor alongside Yuria, who hadn’t yet recovered from being electrocuted.
“This can’t be happening…”
“With such a recommended existence, it’s clear that a special girl has come.”
In Yggdrasil’s space, in the middle of the universe, unlike with Takilas, Seria couldn’t hide her astonishment. She had neither the knowledge of this colossal cosmic tree nor the knowledge of the universe itself, and most importantly, she could understand what ‘standing’ Yggdrasil was at that moment.
At the very least, an existence like hers was far surpassed by this superior entity.
“Don’t freeze too much. Didn’t you already face the Demon King and talk to him?”
“Y-you know the Demon King?”
“…Of course. It seems the Demon King has been quite considerate of you.”
Yggdrasil’s eyes, shining in various colors, twisted slightly as it smiled faintly. As it said, Takilas had done everything she could to hide her true power when facing her.
It was a skill learned from living the life of a Magical Girl on Earth, almost effortlessly.
“Anyway, come here. Regardless of what the Demon King did, you have come here purely by your own choice, which means the final choice remains.”
Yggdrasil beckoned her forward. Just as it showed Takilas, Yggdrasil was about to tell her what a Magical Girl truly was.
“Though the meaning has greatly faded due to the intense competition amongst my children… Originally, a Magical Girl is a sentinel that leads the world, and herself bearing wounds, to the right path.”
“I understand what that means.”
Seria couldn’t take her eyes off the images Yggdrasil was showing her.
The sight of Magical Girls in battle was something she was all too familiar with, but the overwhelming aura emanating from it was unmistakable.
The heat, the energy, and the intensity.
At the very least, that was the life she longed for, one where she wouldn’t merely be used as a disposable item even though she was the princess, escaping the suffocating palace for training.
“Then it’s the last choice. Will you make your decision?”
Noticing that Seria was wavering, Yggdrasil urged her to choose.
“I will. I choose to be a Magical Girl.”
Naturally, she accepted the proposal. There was no reason to refuse it, after all. Just like with the other Magical Girls, Yggdrasil infused its power into the connector.
However, there was something slightly different this time. Seria could utilize her own magical power without any separate cost.
“But thanks to that, your potential remains unchanged. You’ll be a Magical Girl capable of further growth… Truly precious.”
Yggdrasil watched curiously as Seria pressed the connector and transformed for the first time.
Her transformation flowed according to the existing standards that reflected her nature and inner self.
Her color was bright gold. Her long, flowing golden hair shrank to a bob cut, and her silk pajamas morphed into a body-hugging white dress.
However, even as she transformed, her original beauty didn’t fade away.
“Ahhhh! Ugh…”
However, after the transformation was complete, Seria felt a sense of emptiness and looked down at her body, gasping as she stumbled over her dress’s hem, revealing her deep neckline and thighs.
*
“If I had known this would happen, I should have changed my clothes somehow.”
Recalling her encounter with Yggdrasil, Seria tightly shut her eyes. Being a member of royalty, she was accustomed to wearing multiple layers of skirts, so the feel of the wind against her bare skin was odd. Let alone the fact that she was exposing such skin to others.
“That’s amazing. They seemed to be at least A-ranked monsters!”
“…S-so, do I just go back now? The people are starting to gather!”
The mascot Fluffy, resembling a fluffy ball of fur, was a veteran sent on a special mission from Rana.
Yet, unlike her who was nervously clutching her dress hem for fear of exposing her underwear, Fluffy was merely in awe, intoxicated by her power.
In fact, Fluffy couldn’t comprehend why she was feeling embarrassed in the first place.
“I don’t get it. Why are you embarrassed? Right now, you’re Magical Girl Rene. You’re not your original self. Nobody knows your true identity.”
“Th-thats…”
“And is that really embarrassing? Why does each Magical Girl have different forms and designs? The level of exposure in the outfit symbolizes your repression. Are you truly ashamed?”
Fluffy’s words pierced her heart.
Being repressed, that statement wasn’t wrong. The fact that she was a completely different existence was the same. Right now, she was not Princess Seria; no one would recognize her.
This place was a different world, and she herself was also a completely different existence.
“You’re not wrong.”
Eventually biting her lip, she let go of the hem of her dress with the sound of her high heels clicking. The wind blew, lifting her clothes, revealing her white legs between the splits of the dress.
Instinctively, she forcefully held back her rising embarrassment. That embarrassment wasn’t her instinct; it was merely an acquired cultural bias.
“To find my true self.”
Her pounding heart gradually calmed down. As she resolved to shed all the rules and restrictions she had ingrained while living as Princess Seria Rene Raose, what came wasn’t shame but a feeling of liberation.
“You look more elegant and noble than any Magical Girl I’ve seen. So don’t lose yourself.”
Fluffy, having given her a firm warning, offered sincere advice. Thanks to that, she regained her composure completely.
“I want to see other places as well.”
“I’ll guide you about this place called Earth. Your performance will naturally accumulate over time.”
Regaining her composure, what appeared in front of her was curiosity and interest about the unfamiliar world she was still not fully aware of. For a naturally inquisitive witch like her, there couldn’t be a better opportunity.
“Wait. What’s that?”
But just as she was about to move…
A presence approached them. Fluffy narrowed her eyes upon spotting it above the girl’s head with a gleaming silver tiara.
“Ahhh! Pwahh…”
It flew through the sky like a cannonball, screaming as it got closer and then landed with a thud on the rooftop where they were.
It looked like a dog plush that resembled Fluffy.
“Ren…!”
Fluffy recognized her junior and took a breath.
“Ren! What happened?!”
“The c-crazy girl sent me to deliver a message…!”
“What?”
Fluffy, flustered, couldn’t understand Ren’s jumbled words.
After all, it was unimaginable for a Magical Girl to ‘throw’ their mascot to convey a message about meeting at a designated place.
“The Magical Girl Takilas, who belongs to our company, wants to see the newbie; she said to deliver that message.”
“Takilas…”
Ren, having barely regained her composure, looked at Seria, and she of course recognized that name, her eyes widening in surprise.
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