Episode 81 – What is Right (1)
“…Tae-jun will be fine. How about you, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Oh, I see.”
In a single room of the hospital, Chief Jang Woo-seok nodded with a dazed expression.
‘What on earth is this girl? She’s definitely a magical girl, right?’
The reason for his confusion was Lee Jin-ah, who was standing perfectly unharmed. She had been rescued from the underground facility where most things were shattered, but unlike Park Tae-jun, she looked completely fine.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
Despite being caught up in something that could severely impact even a robust adult, she didn’t even flinch, which only reinforced his suspicions.
“Let’s go out for now. If you’re fine, I’ll take you home.”
Jang Woo-seok took Lee Jin-ah and left the hospital room. Almost simultaneously, someone burst into the room.
A young man with a face strikingly similar to Park Tae-jun’s, who looked pale and on the verge of collapse, bit his lip upon seeing another distressed young man.
“Chief…!”
“Calm down. For now, there’s no danger to life.”
All he could offer was comfort.
Yet he knew that his consolation wouldn’t mean much to someone whose home had just been devastated.
“…”
Lee Jin-ah, who was briefly pushed aside, gazed at the scene with an inscrutable look in her eyes.
“I’m sorry for making you wait. Let’s go now.”
It took over an hour to calm the distraught young man. Jang Woo-seok, with a tired, haggard face, staggered out of the room and held Lee Jin-ah’s hand.
But just as they were about to exit the first-floor lobby, news broadcast captured their attention.
“Takilas…”
Jang Woo-seok fell silent at the sight of the magic girl appearing in the news. Just a day ago, that girl had existed in a completely different place.
However, today, Takilas stood before him, dispatching monsters that wore human disguises, even commanding him without hesitation.
“You were saved by her, right?”
“…Yes.”
Jang Woo-seok looked down at Lee Jin-ah, who was staring blankly at the TV as well.
“What do you think about Takilas? This is the first time she’s come out this boldly.”
He subtly probed, suspecting that Lee Jin-ah might be a magical girl herself.
“You seem quite annoyed… I mean, you look frustrated.”
“Frustrated?”
“She’s not the type to step up unless absolutely necessary.”
Lee Jin-ah nodded seriously, as if she understood completely.
‘I get what the Demon King is trying to do. He wants these humans to handle things themselves without interference, but it likely won’t be that easy, which is frustrating.’
Lee Jin-ah, or rather Plesea disguised as her doppelganger, smirked inwardly, confident in her deductions.
“We ought to prepare and endure, but will people actually follow along? Just like before, will it take sacrifices to motivate them?”
“I don’t know either.”
Jang Woo-seok flinched at Plesea’s words, unable to respond easily.
For one, he was someone who agreed with Takilas’s words. He had directly witnessed the terrifying power of the monsters, the devastation it caused, and the trauma and sorrow left in its wake.
But just glancing at the reactions of those around him, there was no dramatic response whatsoever.
Fear of Takilas didn’t translate to genuine reverence or horror towards the Demon King. It was merely considered a playful act from an odd girl, ‘just a psycho.’
‘What fools.’
Plesea laughed at them, accustomed to the highly sensitive reactions of the continent’s inhabitants towards the Demon King’s every word.
In the Demon Realm, there was no need for Takilas to persuade anyone. Her words enforced law and order.
“That’s absolutely not wrong. If we don’t prepare, we will be taken down.”
“I have faith. There are diverse people, and we’re evolving towards protecting and respecting that diversity. There are clear shortcomings, but also strengths. Even right now, there are those busy moving for our sake.”
Plesea advised Jang Woo-seok, who also did not disagree.
However, unlike Plesea, Jang Woo-seok still held on to hope. He believed that there was still hope and light in this world.
*
“What’s the current situation? How is the Foreign Information Bureau reacting?”
“They are, of course, responding sensitively and keeping a close watch on us.”
Inside the Magic Change Management Bureau located in the heart of Seoul, everyone was working diligently; no one was slacking off since Takilas’s warning.
All were genuinely preparing for the future, not dismissing the alerts.
“So, what are the results? According to Takilas’s warning, is the change really beginning?”
“We cannot ascertain if it’s the work of monsters. However, it’s certain that something is happening.”
Oh Yoon-seo, with a tense expression, presented organized data to Director Lee Min-hyung.
Comparative figures showing discrepancies before and after the emergence of Dimension Gates clearly indicated an increase in unexplained disappearances and fatalities in the country.
“…I cannot confidently say this is clear evidence to shift people’s perceptions.”
He sighed while reviewing the data. He could say something was happening, but it wasn’t enough.
“If only Takilas could cooperate, it would be much easier.”
“But Director…”
“I know. She informed us, and from now on, it’s up to us to manage things. But from the start, she seems far from a typical magical girl.”
With a bitter smile, he stood up as he received a call.
“Let’s head down. It seems everyone has gathered for negotiations regarding our new regulations for everyone’s sake.”
The senior officials of the Bureau, including him, headed towards the highly confidential underground facility. It was where the summoned magical girls were awaiting them.
“The atmosphere is no joke…”
At that same moment, as Lee Min-hyung and Oh Yoon-seo set out, the magical girls gathered in the Bureau’s underground were keeping their distance, eyeing each other warily.
Aria felt the same, while the mascot Lulu fluttered around her nervously, mumbling.
The heaviest atmosphere stemmed from the silver-haired magical girl, Karin, who sat slouched and puffing smoke from her sixth cigarette.
“Thanks for coming, everyone.”
Director Lee Min-hyung appeared just then, his gaze immediately locking onto Karin.
“Especially you, Karin. I didn’t expect you to show up.”
“I’d rather not have come. I regretted it after being doggedly called in for not showing up the day after that event. Why did I provoke that rabid dog?”
Karin flicked the ash from her cigarette and without a shred of a smile, lit up another one.
“But I had no choice. In the end, I am a magical girl, and part of this world.”
“…Thank you. I believe everyone here came with the same mindset. They trust that Takilas’s warning is real and came out of genuine concern for this world.”
He inclined his head towards Karin, naturally continuing the conversation. He had already laid out his plans.
“Our circumstances have changed. Thus, we need a force that surpasses our company, dispositions, and achievements… especially seeing the example set by Casilena. They demonstrated that even magical girls could break conventions and unite.”
Oh Yoon-seo chimed in. Despite being a well-educated and experienced elite, her slightly trembling voice indicated her earnestness.
“Trust us. As members who must live together in this world, let’s unite. A true cooperative organization of humanity and magical girls, Frontier. Let’s overcome this crisis and carve out a new world.”
The launch of the new project, supported wholeheartedly by Chief Yoon-seo and Director Min-hyung, was none other than the shockwave-inducing first magical girl organization, Casilena.
Observing the crisis at hand, Oh Yoon-seo decided to create a new order that stepped outside the existing framework.
“Magical girls are not subjects to be managed but partners to cooperate with. Magical girls, too, are not separate beings; they deserve protection and concern from this society.”
“I still can’t believe it. The contradictions, shamelessness, and ugliness shown by adults. How can you prove that you aren’t trying to use us? I trust you, Chief, but not everyone is as pure as you. What are others doing right now? The politicians in Congress? The bureaucrats in the administration?”
Aria coldly spat as she glared at Oh Yoon-seo. Anticipating her anger towards the flawed system, Oh Yoon-seo sighed bitterly and lowered her head.
“There aren’t just bad people! I, too, fulfill my duties as a civil servant of this country. Our only goal is to save people.”
“To speak as an adult, there will certainly be wrongdoers anywhere, anytime. I acknowledge that. I remained silent, conforming to that system all this time. However, I also believe that there is a clear distinction between good and evil on this land. And the good should not be sacrificed to defeat evil. What needs to be protected must be protected.”
Min-hyung firmly cut in.
Thanks to that, the decision now lay with the magical girls.
Will they continue down the existing path?
Or will they embrace uncertainty and make a new decision?
“I promise one thing.”
With that, Min-hyung made his declaration.
“No matter the circumstances, even if our opponents are unknown, our Frontier will not yield to injustice. We will not use you.”
It was a dangerously bold statement for a civil servant feeding off the country’s welfare, but he pressed on aggressively.
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