Chapter Index

    What is Right (10)

    What is Right (10)

    What is Right (10)

    A fountain of blood. And madness.

    This was no longer about grudges or revenge. It was intense hatred and the rampage of a crazed beast.

    “Kyaaaaaah!!!”

    A female employee’s ear-piercing scream echoed. Manager Oh Young-soo’s corpse fell like a rotten tree. His face, having suddenly lost a massive amount of blood, was pale, and his bloodshot eyes remained open, unable to close.

    It was a pathetic and insignificant end, so different from how he used to open his mouth and boast while alive.

    ‘Kill… Kill!’

    At the sight of that insignificant piece of meat, his mind now completely lost all reason.

    The power imbued in the dagger given by the mysterious stranger took everything from him in exchange for fulfilling his resentment and revenge.

    “Eeeek! Run!”

    “H-help! Someone save us! Ahhh!”

    Amidst the terrified people frantically running away, the blood-covered man tightly grabbed the arm of the female employee, Seo Ji-yeon.

    “Let go! You crazy bastard, I’ll report you for sexual harassment…ugh.”

    Terrified, she struggled and whimpered. However, threats no longer worked on him as he gripped her face with his hand.

    He was no longer the upright young man who endured workplace bullying while gritting his teeth to support his sick single mother and pay for his sibling’s tuition. Now, he was just a demon consumed by hatred.

    “Gack…guh…”

    He repeatedly stabbed her abdomen with the dagger in his hand. Until blood gushed out like a fountain, intestines spilled from the torn wound, and her eyes rolled back.

    ‘Kill…them…’

    After committing two murders, a slimy purple substance began to ooze from his body and cover it. Along with this substance enveloping his body, his sanity completely disappeared.

    “Hurry! Move quickly!”

    “It’s a monster. We must catch it!”

    That’s when they entered the building. The Awakened Special Forces wearing protective gear and suits.

    They arrived at the scene with all their might.

    “Over there!”

    “Take it down. Before the Magical Girl arrives!”

    There was only one reason why the higher-ups were pushing them. Performance, solely for faster and more accurate results than the Magical Girl.

    ‘Ah…mom…’

    Watching the Special Forces member cross the hallway as if flying with his last breath, he mouthed words and reached out his hand with his last remaining sanity.

    It wasn’t an intention to attack. He was just hoping for salvation.

    “Elimination complete. It wasn’t that strong.”

    However, his head exploded like a watermelon from the large-caliber bullet fired by the special forces agent. The incident that occurred in broad daylight was concluded as the agents swarmed in to surround his collapsed corpse.

    “The frequency of monster activities is increasing. It seems that Takilas’ warning is proving to be true.”

    “Good. Everything is proceeding according to plan.”

    Adel Bryant, an executive of The War Lord and advisor to the Awakened Special Forces, as well as the research director, received a separate report in his research lab in Seoul. The report included the recent monster rampage incident at the government building.

    “A total of 112 incidents reported so far. Our special forces have handled 65 of them independently.”

    “There were no conflicts, you say.”

    “…That’s correct. Although we’ve had quite a few confrontations with magical girls at the scenes, they withdrew obediently when we warned them of initiating attacks and actually threatened them.”

    There was an interesting point in the report. Although they were prepared for conflicts with magical girls and even ready for potential public opinion battles, the magical girls seemed to have received some kind of order to avoid conflicts with them altogether.

    ‘Do they know who would lose if we clash? They’re quite smart. There must be some ulterior motive.’

    He frowned but soon shook his head. Political issues were for politicians to handle, not his job.

    However, as someone who had prepared a special law that would allow the arrest of magical girls in case of a clash with the officially recognized Awakened Special Forces, he felt bitter. Especially since he had plans to conduct experiments on the local magical girls they would capture.

    “Inform former congressman Lee Jong-pil. Tell him to proceed with having the media report on the special forces’ achievements as planned, and that it’s time to revise the bills.”

    “Yes, Director. But I’ve heard that recent suppression operations have been too violent and radical, leading to an increase in people complaining about damages. Especially among the monsters, there are those who manipulate the minds and bodies of victims, and their families…”

    “That’s not our jurisdiction. Leave that to Lee Jong-pil, to the politicians. Knowing his nature, he’ll surely crush such minor opposition without hesitation.”

    He shook his head before the sentence was even finished. Sacrifice is inevitable. Discard what needs to be discarded for the greater good. That was his thinking.

    ***

    “They say a monster went on a rampage at the district office in broad daylight. During our lunch break!”

    “Wow, that’s crazy.”

    It’s now the last break time. The kids are buzzing with chatter. It’s been like this lately. Ever since society became a bit chaotic, or more precisely, since the day I held a press conference about the monsters.

    The hot topic is, of course, the monsters. Scary, horrifying evil that could be lurking anywhere. And the two groups that eliminate this evil – the Awakened Special Forces and the magical girls – are also consistently the subject of gossip.

    “They’re moving so busily with performance competition. The press… no, these biased speakers are consistently packaging things.”

    Taking a sip of juice through a straw, I also looked at the news on my phone. Of course, I could clearly see the intention of the press agencies to boost the Special Forces and ignore or downplay the Magical Girls, but thanks to that, I identified which ones to filter out.

    “Hey, you don’t have to do this.”

    But then. I heard a voice mumbling absent-mindedly next to me. It was Park Tae-jun, the owner of this desk I’m leaning on and sitting in the chair.

    “Do what?”

    “Forcing yourself to be by my side.”

    He smiled bitterly and lowered his head. After recovering, he became a different person. It’s not strange, considering he lost his parents to terrible monsters and nearly died himself.

    “I’m really fine.”

    “Don’t talk nonsense. I move only by my own will. It’s my heart.”

    I snorted at that sight. I understood he was hurt, but I hated seeing someone hurting themselves by falling into despair when they could clearly overcome it. After all, this guy is also one of my connections.

    “…You’re really amazing. Even after experiencing that. Aren’t you scared?”

    “Scared, you say. Of what?”

    “Monsters.”

    Park Tae-jun’s eyes trembled as he mentioned monsters. Clearly the eyes of a being gripped by fear.

    Seeing how he shrinks whenever stories and incidents about the recently increasing monsters are mentioned, I can see why he keeps his mouth shut and acts like he doesn’t exist.

    “I’m scared because I don’t know when or where those monsters will appear. The manager, hyung, says he can’t sleep because he’s afraid he might suddenly change.”

    Park Tae-jun expressed severe trauma. He’s already seeing a psychiatrist, they say. No matter how mature he is, a kid is still a kid.

    “Then what about me. Do you think I’ll change too?”

    “That, well… honestly, it’s hard to imagine, but still… yes.”

    “Then what should I do to reassure you?”

    I chuckled and said,

    “Then just answer this one thing for me.”

    But suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, he became serious and grabbed my hand. I was slightly surprised and couldn’t pull my hand away.

    “Are you a Magical Girl?”

    Amidst the noisy chatter of students, Park Tae-jun’s words, which he had struggled to say, stuck in my ear. Well, I hadn’t particularly tried to hide it deeply until now, so it’s natural to be suspected.

    “If I were a Magical Girl, would that make you less suspicious?”

    “M-Magical Girls are said to have a symbol.”

    Maybe because I didn’t particularly deny it. Park Tae-jun’s eyes, which had flinched for a moment, wavered even more.

    “If you have that symbol, I could always believe you.”

    “If I do that for you, what will you do for me?”

    “…”

    At my question, his mouth closed. In the past, he might have boasted about money or whatever, but now he was a different person from before.

    “If you believe me, I’ll believe anything you say too. That’s all I can do for now.”

    The answer that came out was quite satisfactory. The talent to realize what his true value is and what the other person wants. It will be quite a strong weapon for him.

    “That’s right.”

    I smiled faintly and showed Park Tae-jun the back of my right hand with my fingers spread.

    “I’m a Magical Girl. Although I couldn’t step forward at that time.”

    At the same time, the ring-shaped Connector that I had kept invisible until now appeared smoothly. Even though he had expected it, his eyes widened in disbelief.

    “I don’t care that your personality has changed. But hurting yourself through self-torment after managing to survive is something you shouldn’t do to me or to the person who saved you.”

    “…I’ll believe. Anything. Because I promised.”

    Park Tae-jun, who had started hiccupping, nodded repeatedly.

    The mood was strange.

    Both with Kim Su-jung and now, what I was doing wasn’t befitting of the pinnacle of the Demon Realm. Compassion, sympathy, consideration… things that only the weak cling to. Yet, as I practiced these, I felt a corner of my heart becoming more peaceful than when I was in the Demon Realm.

    I wonder if this is what they call healing.

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