NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44 – Demon King Girl (4)
“…”
“Are you okay?”
A woman in a white gown looked at her with worried eyes. Next to her, an old hag was clucking her tongue and gathering up yellow talismans.
Kim Soo-jung slowly started to recall why she was here and what she had done, as her dazed mind began to clear.
“Just think of it as a terrible nightmare. It’s not your fault. It’s the work of the wicked monster’s spirits. You’re just a victim.”
The old hag opened her mouth as she saw Kim Soo-jung’s face twist in agony. “Forget it. Just consider it a bad dream.”
But saying that was easier than actually doing it. Although her body had been possessed by a spirit, the memories remaining in her brain were still intact. Kim Soo-jung recalled the things she had done and felt tormented.
Especially the actions she committed against her friend, who she could never afford to lose.
“I’ve done my part. You folks take care of the psychological issues. I’m not a psychiatrist.”
“Y-Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
Leaving behind Kim Soo-jung, who burst into tears and struggled while screaming, the old hag entrusted the follow-up to the psychiatrist nearby and left the room.
However, there was another reason for the hag, one of the best shamans in the country, to see someone: Kim Soo-jung wasn’t the only victim of possession.
“You, so not good.”
“Huh…? Why are you suddenly changing your words?!”
“Your spiritual abilities are too lopsided.”
Realizing the place was indoors, the hag clicked her tongue and put her smokes back in her pocket.
“The only thing I can do is help you connect with your guardian spirit, like other shamans. But you’re different. Your abilities focus solely on the power of purification, enough to chase away even your protective spirit. In my lifetime, I’ve never heard of such extreme power.”
“So, that means I can’t use this power?”
“You need to find another master. The problem is whether such a master even exists.”
The hag waved her hands dismissively as she passed Kim Soo-jung. It was only when the shock had worn off that Jeon So-hyun sighed heavily and staggered as she watched the hag vanish down the hospital corridor.
It felt like the flicker of hope she had held onto vanished in an instant.
‘Well, who am I to hope?’
Sitting down on a chair, she leaned weakly against the wall, reassuring herself that nothing had changed. All she had to do now was return to school, barely keeping her attendance, and live a life not much different from this one.
Thanks to the environment where she couldn’t focus on studying, her grades were bottom-tier, graduation was uncertain. Her life continued unchanged, unable to predict even the immediate future.
“…Takilas.”
As she unconsciously pulled out her phone and logged into the internet, she saw the name plastered everywhere.
The murderous magical girl, Takilas, who spilled blood every time she appeared and became a sensational topic all on her own.
The reason Takilas had become a hot potato not just domestically but globally was due to the mass slaughter of broadcasting station employees just two days prior.
“Those employees were executed alive for inciting the public with false reports to cause national division at the behest of external forces. Good job.”
Reading the sensational headline, she smirked. Public opinion on Takilas, who ruled over everything, had skewed mostly negative.
Even those who once praised her as a breath of fresh air began to feel anxious as her uncontrollable might disrupted the existing order, fearing that the blade might turn on them someday.
Of course, Jeon So-hyun was not among them. She was one of those who had benefited from Takilas’ killing spree.
Thanks to Takilas rampaging, she secured at least a semblance of a future and was able to escape her hellish life, resuming a life more akin to being human.
“Devil? Horrific psychopath? No, that’s absolutely not true. She definitely doesn’t just kill anyone.”
Jeon So-hyun had an evaluation of Takilas somewhat similar to Aria’s. They had crossed paths twice, and she had survived both encounters.
She still vividly remembered those red eyes looking down at her as she trembled on her knees.
*
“Are you really alright?”
“…Yes.”
“Let’s go for now. You need to rest a bit more.”
That afternoon, Jeon So-hyun looked at the facility’s teacher, Lee Sun-young, with a face that questioned if this was really alright, yet Lee Sun-young averted her gaze with a dark expression.
Eventually, Kim Soo-jung and Jeon So-hyun got into the vehicle to return to the facility.
– Treatment is necessary, but currently, it’s impossible. There won’t be any support funds. We need to look into whether there’s another way to obtain support.
– Does that even make sense? She’s in the facility.
– It’s because her biological father is alive. The law can’t be helped.
“This is insane.”
Jeon So-hyun clicked her tongue as she read the message sent by Lee Sun-young from the front seat, leaning her head against the chair. It was absurd that she couldn’t receive help due to absentee parents who didn’t even act like they were her real parents.
– Well, it’s better to keep some distance from Jin-ah, right?
– Considering her, that’s probably the right thing to do…
She glanced at Kim Soo-jung sitting beside her. No matter how she looked at it, the dazed expression staring blankly out the window wasn’t normal.
Meeting another victim of possession in this state didn’t seem like a good idea. Above all, if Lee Jin-ah showed any signs of rejection, it could completely shatter whatever remnants were left.
“Hey. It’s been a while since you’ve been somewhat sane?”
“J-Jin-ah.”
But the person in question wasn’t a normal girl, nor was she even a standard human. Jeon So-hyun and Lee Sun-young got out of the car and froze in place, facing the beautiful girl with short hair, Lee Jin-ah, who seemed to have been waiting for them as if she already knew.
“St-Stop right there!”
“What? Shouldn’t I be the one to cry out and reject you?”
Lee Jin-ah smirked, looking at Kim Soo-jung, who hid behind Jeon So-hyun. Kim Soo-jung’s body trembled, not hearing anything at all.
‘She’s going to hate me. She’ll resent me. She’ll leave…’
The source of that overwhelming anxiety was the obsession and dependency that the evil spirit had used as a conduit. More than anything, Kim Soo-jung was terrified that Lee Jin-ah would be scared of her and ultimately leave.
“Jin-ah, for now, just go inside, okay? We’ll arrange for you and Soo-jung to use different rooms…”
“Teacher, you don’t know the cause. What did the psychiatrist say about it?”
“Th-That…”
Lee Sun-young flinched and looked away. She had definitely said something. The best course of action for Kim Soo-jung was to stay close to Jin-ah, but in order to ensure Jin-ah’s safety—who was the object of her obsession—it was better to separate them.
“It should be okay to be together.”
“No way! Right now, Soo-jung is hurt. For your safety until she’s better…”
“It’s fine, really.”
Lee Sun-young shook her head, but the moment she looked up at Lee Jin-ah, her eyes flashed a fierce red. The sudden change in atmosphere made Lee Sun-young take a sharp breath and stagger.
‘This…’
At the same time, a blue spark flickered from Jeon So-hyun’s body.
‘What the…’
The human named Lee Jin-ah, and the magical girl and Demon King of another world, Takilas. She was astonished at the blue spark bursting forth from her.
It was an unexpected blow coming at an unexpected time from an unimaginable source.
“D-Danger!”
Ren, who was sitting lazily above her head and was invisible to others, shouted in alarm, but it was too late.
She was hit directly by the spark that burst from Jeon So-hyun, soaring meters into the air and landing with a crash.
‘This insane… Purification Power? They said it was a standard spiritual ability…’
She gulped, feeling slightly dizzy. The Demon King’s power and the Purification Power represented two extremes that transcended the very essence of power like fire and water.
Watching the others rush towards her, she quickly began strategizing a countermeasure. After all, being a little startled didn’t mean that with a single bucket, she could extinguish a raging inferno.
“I’m fine.”
“You…”
“By the way, what an interesting power you have. Are you a magical girl too?”
Jumping back up, she smirked and pointed at the bewildered Jeon So-hyun. Jeon So-hyun, who was in complete shock, could only gawk at the finger pointing at her.
“That’s not it. But really, are you okay?”
“I’m just a little surprised. Let’s not make this worse, okay? Teacher, just tell the higher-ups adequately. After all, they don’t care about us that much.”
She discreetly pointed behind her. People were coming in response to the noise. Ultimately, the final decision lay with the responsible teacher, Lee Sun-young.
Feeling overwhelmed by the complex situation, Lee Sun-young squeezed her eyes shut and finally nodded.
“Let’s go. You should rest today too.”
Lee Jin-ah grabbed the hand of the Kim Soo-jung who was standing there dazedly.
Jeon So-hyun could only watch in astonishment as the scene unfolded before her eyes.
‘Why did my power react to her?’
However, it wasn’t like nothing remained.