Chapter 85 – What Is Right (5)
“I can probably meet most of your requests.”
“Speaking of which, how about you guys?”
“I’m confident it will go well.”
Adele Bryant, the project leader of The One Road, lifted her teacup with a grim expression on her face, despite the smirk on her lips.
“As you know, for perfect success, collaborating with the Korean Government is crucial. We need to label the Magical Girls as illegal and completely eradicate their presence in this country.”
“Don’t worry about it. As long as we have results and justification, stirring public opinion will be a piece of cake. There’s a very fitting term for the masses in this country, do you know what it is? ‘Pigs.’ Yes, pigs.”
Hearing Adele’s words, Lee Jong-pil, the old man with a seemingly unfazed grin, emptied his teacup as well.
They had already mapped out their collaboration. All that was left was to execute the plan.
“We will remove any obstacles by any means necessary and help move the political landscape to allow you to operate freely, legally speaking. Banning the activities of the Magical Girls will be part of that.”
“…In return, your faction will become the backbone of this country’s political scene and hold eternal power. Of course, that’s up to other Powerful Figures, not a scientist like me.”
Having reconfirmed their intentions, Adele stood up, though her expression remained less than pleasant.
“Trash.”
From Adele’s perspective as a self-proclaimed innovative scientist, the old Lee Jong-pil and his gang were the epitome of despicable politicians.
Selling out their country, people, and beliefs for their own gain—such filthy politicians.
“Don’t worry too much about them. The party will handle that.”
“Oh, Team Leader.”
As she stepped away, someone in a lab coat approached her. It was O Insun, one of the team leaders from the Far East branch who had already entered Korea and was active there.
“What were the results of the eighth experiment?”
Yet, Adele did not think much of her either. Although they were both scientists, O Insun was a loyal member of the Communist Party, more committed to her country than to scholarly pursuits.
“Of course, it passed.”
“…That’s good.”
However, Adele could no longer disregard the team she belonged to. The results that enabled the production of individuals capable of manipulating magical powers had come directly from the Far East branch.
‘How did that happen? I had no expectations for that place.’
She knew something had triggered a breakthrough, but she had no clue what it was.
“Oh, right. I’m on my way to meet them now.”
In the vehicle, driving towards the research facility, O Insun trailed behind Adele’s car while making a phone call to someone.
“The plan is proceeding smoothly. We no longer have to secretly gather subjects. The Korean Government will take the lead in recruiting Experiment Subjects.”
“But the mental manipulation formula isn’t complete yet.”
“That can’t be helped. For now, we have to be satisfied with erasing the Magical Girls from this continent.”
She leaned back in her seat, exuding confidence. After all, their position had skyrocketed compared to before.
The achievements they had made were significant enough to be recorded in the annals of human history.
“…So, that mysterious being isn’t going to appear again?”
“I don’t care. We’ve already obtained everything we need.”
With a chuckle at her colleague’s words over the phone, she reflected on why they weren’t being more assertive, or rather, why they couldn’t be.
That was simply because this innovative technology had not been obtained purely through their results.
‘Whether it’s a monster or whatever, who cares.’
The image of the strange creature in a black hood that had visited her in the dead of night still lingered vividly in O Insun’s mind. The entity that had shared methods to implant magic into humans and formulas to control magic.
The arrogant being had made it apparent they weren’t pleased with their methods, but she dismissed it.
“The formula we have isn’t entirely complete, is it?”
“Of course, it’s not. But so what? That suspicious being seems to want to keep us on a leash, but we have plenty of opportunities. We’ll just experiment and analyze to fill in the gaps.”
She glanced outside at the sprawling city, filled with countless people. If they were to become the new order of this land, everything would belong to them.
‘Will the Magical Girls easily fade away? Perhaps they would have before, but the Magical Girls of this land are a bit special.’
But of course, to ensure that she had to eliminate the Magical Girls.
*
“I failed the test!”
“…Can you be quieter?”
During dinner time at the facility, the kids in their exam period talked only of tests. Nearby, our senior, Kang Jin-soo, was no different.
“Did you really get every answer right?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Soo-jung looked incredulous, continuously badgering me about my score. As if there was any chance I’d miss middle school level questions.
“The important thing isn’t that.”
Yet the tests I had already taken and the ones I was set to take tomorrow no longer mattered.
The TV in the dining room was broadcasting news. The One Road, along with the country’s government, moved quickly as if they’d been waiting for the moment.
“They’re recruiting people. For a newly established special task force.”
“Why? Do you want to join?”
Kim Soo-jung muttered absentmindedly as she watched the news.
The content was about them recruiting suitable candidates to become awakened individuals by implanting magic circuits.
“…I don’t know.”
She, who had once expressed her desire to become a Magical Girl and grow stronger, hesitated, seemingly confused. This reaction made my brow twitch slightly.
Implanting processed magic stones as power sources and embedding circuits to release them in the body. Even if it was inefficient, there’s no doubt it’s a technique achievable in the Demon Realm.
However, my aversion to it stems from the fact that such actions ultimately ignore one’s vessel and result in self-cannibalization.
“Once you decide, there’s no going back. Is that power really yours?”
“No! You don’t know! You’re always so relaxed, as if it doesn’t matter if you lose something.”
I mentioned it without much thought, yet her reaction was a bit extreme, causing another kid seated across from us to look shocked.
Of course, Kim Soo-jung was taken aback by her own statement and fell silent, glancing around.
“…I’m sorry.”
Then she picked up her tray and left first. I didn’t chase after her. I didn’t particularly feel bad. I had some idea of what she was feeling.
“But that’s not the only problem. Will that girl be the only one shaken? There are many who yearn for power for their own reasons in this land. They won’t have trouble finding replacements for their forces.”
[I know that too.]
As I plopped some rice into my mouth, I agreed with Ren, who was chattering away above me.
[So what?]
Still, I didn’t want to move according to Ren’s wishes.
“Their intentions are clear. There’s talk in the political news about formally recognizing the special task force created by The One Road. What does that mean? Aren’t they trying to drive the Magical Girls out of this land?”
“Th-that’s…”
“You all need to stop that.”
In the garden in front of the dining hall, I sat alone on a bench and discussed matters with Ren and the others.
“They want everything to go smoothly. They expect me to step up and just kill them all. My reputation precedes me; there shouldn’t be an issue with the public.”
“But you’re a Magical Girl now. The entire situation is precarious!”
“Shut up. Who do you think you are, trying to use me as a tool now?”
I growled while grabbing Ren by the collar. It was true that The One Road was a pain, and I found them irritating. But I also didn’t like how the Fairies were just sitting back, doing nothing.
“Then what the hell do you intend to do? I acknowledge it. The current Fairy Council isn’t very capable. But if you don’t take action, the Magical Girls might completely be pushed out of this land!”
“As you know, my image has been long buried. While you guys might be fine, that’s definitely not the case. If I rampage without justification, people will surely blame me—and the Magical Girls. It’s what they intend to create, after all. With the media and speakers at their disposal. You don’t know how terrifying manipulation and fabrication of public opinion are in this era.”
“Is you stepping in not a solution? Then what are we supposed to do?”
Ren flailed his arms in frustration.
As he mentioned, if I carried on doing as I pleased as I had until now, the consequences would be severe. This was a war of public opinion and influence amongst the factions.
So, how could we turn people and public opinion towards our side?
“The Magical Girls, including Rene, need to step up. They can’t continue to bumble around in competition for results anymore. They must protect their own interests.”
I decided to meet with Rene. She is politically savvy and surely would have her thoughts on the matter.
However, personally, I wanted the society itself to resist rather than rely solely on Rene.
Could it really be that everyone in this land is oblivious to how toxic The One Road is? Absolutely not. There must be those in the political sphere or government who would stand against them.
I intended to view them as allies and lend a helping hand.
“This is getting interesting.”
Now that I had come to this point, I felt a certain thrill. The memories of the time as the Demon King, dealing with diplomacy and psychological tactics, surfaced vividly.
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