NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54 – The Virtue of the Magical Girl (4)
“Hello everyone! I’m O Insun, the researcher from The One Road!”
She introduced herself with a smile to the students she confronted while accompanied by her colleagues. Her demeanor was confident, her voice unwavering.
And why wouldn’t it be? She firmly believed that she was acting justly, working for righteousness and a greater cause.
‘With over a billion back home, do we really need to come all the way here for this?’
However, beneath that mask, her expression was cold. Although she moved according to orders as usual, she didn’t actually believe those orders were right.
“I imagine you all are aware of the great discovery we’ve made and why we’re here to talk.”
She continued with the briefing according to plan. What she explained was the same as the rumors that had already circulated.
“We have succeeded in uncovering some of the secrets of the Magical Girls. We’ve gotten a bit closer to understanding the powers they wield.”
She pulled out a small vial from her pocket. The bright yellow liquid inside was the subject of attention. Everyone’s eyes shifted toward the liquid, intrigued.
Seeing this, she smiled faintly. It was an obvious smirk, but nobody noticed.
[This is interesting]
Except for one person, who had been sitting with crossed legs, leaning back against the chair, having seen through her intentions from the start. They just chose not to intervene, seeking more information instead.
“Does that mean if we drink it, we become Magical Girls?”
“If you drink it…? Well, let’s say that’s a simple way to put it.”
In that moment, an excited male student raised his hand and asked the question. O Insun nodded, satisfied with the reaction.
‘I have to find a host with over 90% compatibility. No matter where in the world I have to search.’
Behind her mask, O Insun bit her lip. They had not come to this timing just for nothing. She had a heavy mission assigned by the higher-ups.
“Magical power is not just simple energy; it’s a miraculous force that can change the essence of things. Our researchers are studying this technology for the progress and peace of humanity. The reason we came to meet you all today is to challenge that together. Let’s show what we have achieved.”
She kept speaking with a smile. On the surface, her purpose was clearly ordinary promotion. In practice, she had acted and spoken only in relation to that.
At her command, a hooded colleague who had been standing nearby conjured flames in his palms. He was clearly a man, not some monster, meaning that what was happening was utterly out of the ordinary.
“Wow…”
“It’s real that we can use the power of the Magical Girls…”
Naturally, everyone was mesmerized by that power. She merely ended with a meaningful statement about hoping for their collaboration.
‘Assumed to be something that doesn’t exist here.’
But their real purpose had not yet concluded. While O Insun and the others were doing their jobs, one had slipped in among them, doing nothing but scanning the students.
“All duds. It’d be lucky if we salvage a few materials for other experiments.”
“Thanks to that crazy monster, this is such a hassle.”
The event that raked in money for the whole school was ending by the afternoon. O Insun, who had been noisy all morning, threw off her distinctive mask and frowned.
Not only was she dissatisfied; the others were too. This whole matter had been hastily arranged compared to the original plan.
The reason was the horrifying biological experiments revealed by the organization that had partnered with Mamute. Experiment subjects, whose consciousness and reason had been destroyed, manipulated by programs and electrodes, were indeed being artificially endowed with powers to exhibit superhuman abilities—something even the Magical Girls could not handle.
Seeing that, the higher-ups insisted that they hurry, fearing they would fall behind other factions.
“This fake serum…”
“Be careful what you say for now.”
O Insun scoffed at one of her colleague’s complaints.
The Magical Girl Serum showcased to the students today was actually a deception. After all, there’s no way that such a powerful force that breaks the rules would come from a serum. Of course, ultimately, they were doing all this in order to ‘create’ it, so it wasn’t an outright lie.
The fake serum was merely a means to attract attention. The real one was elsewhere.
“We, backed by the organization, cannot fall behind those mere criminal organizations. No one was here, right? Then let’s move on to the next school.”
O Insun grinned as she packed her things.
In the meantime, one of her accompanying colleagues had already finished surveying all the students. The result was a bust.
Meaning, they had no reason to stay there any longer.
*
“What the hell are they trying to do so openly?”
“Each one is a killer, with malice beyond that. It was definitely a bit unusual.”
I chuckled at Ren’s mutterings as he sat above my head, looking out the window. The researchers from The One Road had arrived today.
Research on magical powers was quite the hot topic globally, but it felt suspicious to me.
“Ugh… It does seem like they’ve seen some results. Usually, humans would only be able to contain mana by using mana stones. However, those guys just now didn’t use mana stones. They didn’t become monsters, nor were they copies of monsters or Magical Girls.”
“In other words, they’re a new breed of humanity.”
I nodded at Ren’s solemn statement. They were different from the subjects I had met so far. They had actually integrated magical power into their bodies, retaining their consciousness and controlling it for their use.
“By the way, about what you mentioned earlier, I just heard from my dad?”
At that moment, Park Tae-jun approached, scratching his head. He had diligently done what I asked and brought back the information.
“Spill it.”
“The One Road. They do have a branch in Korea, but originally, they are supported by the Chinese government and have their headquarters in China. There’s a lot of noise about them on the internet already.”
He relayed the facts he had verified. Their nationality didn’t matter to me, but it was indeed intriguing.
“Hmm, they’re one of those well-known organizations among us, huh.”
Ren shuddered as he spoke about China’s peculiar characteristics. This was in stark contrast to the other countries that couldn’t control their Magical Girls.
“They control hundreds of Magical Girls, using them as their private soldiers. Fairy companies struggle there. No matter how young or inexperienced, the Magical Girls there voluntarily pledge loyalty to the Communist Party. It’s incomparable to how the Magical Girl Aria cooperates with the Management Bureau here.”
“So?”
“It was only natural for the humans in this place to become interested in the miraculous power of magic, something they couldn’t wield. If they succeed, I was convinced they’d actively exploit the Magical Girls loyal to them.”
Ren finished explaining, looking troubled. Though it was a topic I was unaware of and hadn’t cared about, it was interesting enough to keep my attention until the end.
In short, it was one of the few places where criminal organizations could push forward various experiments under state authority.
“Well, I wouldn’t say other places are vastly different, but I can’t deny they are incomparable.”
I returned to my seat, folding my thoughts. It wasn’t like they didn’t have their justifications, so killing them didn’t seem necessary. But then again, why should I bother putting myself out there first?
“…Other Magical Girls probably don’t mess with them for that reason, either. If they do, they might have to face countless Magical Girls on their home turf.”
“I don’t care about that. What bothers me is why they’re here messing around instead of staying in their own country.”
Simple cooperation and legitimate promotion? If that were the case, I wouldn’t care at all.
What worried me was the looming potential disruption to our newfound peace and fun time.
“And if there is a problem, I’m sure they’ll handle it well enough.”
I looked at the rambunctious kids with a faint smile. Among them was Kim Soo-jung. The ruckus was not caused by the visitors who just left.
I turned on my phone, following the kids’ lead.
Ever since they emerged, Magical Girls had always been celebrities, even surpassing entertainers. The stronger and more mysterious they were, the more so.
“Hmm, is that a new recruit from our company? Looks like Fluffy is in charge.”
Ren murmured while watching the video on my phone. As a mascot, he certainly had a keen analytical side regarding the Magical Girls.
“She looks a bit older. Maybe a high school student? Not as gloomy as you, and her personal color is a bright golden hue. But with that short skirt and outfit, her legs and chest are a bit exposed. Seems like she has some repressed feelings…”
“But she’s incredibly strong.”
I scoffed.
In the video, Seria unleashed a massive magical circle into the air, obliterating a rampaging monster in a single strike.
The live-streaming Magical Girl content creator zoomed in on her face, which was glowing beautifully bright.
However, having spoken with her once before, I knew it wasn’t excitement from battle that made her flush, but rather embarrassment over her exposed body.
“Shall we go welcome our junior then?”
Since she came here, she would eventually learn my identity. I planned to give her a welcome ceremony without any pretense. Magical Girl to Magical Girl.