Chapter 46: Denial, Tragedy, Handmade Gun

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Haha! Mwahahaha, Mwahaha!”

A cheerful yet crazed laughter from a man.

If this place wasn’t an abandoned detached house in a corner of the ruins, about five neighbors would have come to complain about the volume.

“Our great leader has finally lost his mind.”

“Ha, ha, ha!”

And the laughter of an idiot following suit.

“Don’t copy me, you crazy bich.”

As always, Maryjane smacked Soda Pop on the head, but Jimmy’s laughter showed no sign of stopping.

“This is truly amusing. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something so entertaining.”

“Are you talking about Sanguine Obsidia?”

“Yes. I didn’t truly expect the thing dwelling within her to be the vessel, and I’m still half-convinced, but regardless of the outcome, I felt a desire to watch over her until the very end.

The woman by her side as well.”

Maryjane and Soda Pop might have known about Sanguine Obsidia personally, but they had no way of knowing who the person beside her was.

“It’s my personal interest, unrelated to our objective. At least for now.

Still, with failures in France and South Africa, I can’t help but feel a greedy desire to see even a sliver of possibility.”

As always, they could only surmise that their leader had seen something they could not see or know, something far away.

He always spouted plausible ideals about strengthening humanity’s capabilities and breaking free from the spirits’ dominion, but he never revealed his true objective.

And Maryjane never uttered the quite plausible guess that this true objective involved borrowing the power of some divine being, a malicious one at that.

She kept her mouth shut even more tightly in front of their comrades scattered across the globe.

Even if she was just a puppet, she didn’t want to end her wretched life.

“I don’t want to get any more involved with Sanguine Obsidia, or Wizard in Violet, or those psychos.

A few more fights and I think I’ll really die.

Though maybe it would be for the best if this blue-haired moron died.”

“I’m not a moron!”

“Right, right. Here, eat this.”

Handing her a large lollipop with the face of some famous Japanese magical girl on it, Soda Pop’s eyes lit up like a puppy’s as she took it, put it in her mouth, and trotted over to lie down on the sofa.

“I used to think her mental age was her real age minus ten, but now I think she’s gone so far off the deep end it’s minus twenty… I do envy her for living without a thought in her head, though.”

“Isn’t that what makes Miss Soda Pop so unique?”

To Saint Jimmy, Soda Pop’s personality or mental age was of little importance.

In any case, she followed him, and the pseudo-magic engine embedded in her body was functioning normally.

He would be sad if the pseudo-magic engine went berserk and she died, but that would be the sadness of having consumed several spirit corpses.

“Oh, whatever.”

Maryjane was well aware of this, but in the end, there was nothing she could do.

Neither Maryjane nor Soda Pop had any choice but to be dragged along in the grand story woven by this grotesque gentleman in a thick coat and silk hat, this bizarre fiend who changed his face depending on who was looking.

“…Whatever, just finish telling me about what’s next.

It’s not like the demons’ terrorism will cause any problems, and the Korean Magical Girl Association is planning to scour the entire country to find and kill Sanguine Obsidia sooner or later.”

Sanguine Obsidia’s name was appearing more and more in the media. In the news, on current affairs programs.

Well, no matter how much time passed, there was no sign of life getting better, so they needed an easy-to-understand villain like that.

And it was even better if that villain was a criminal who had brutally murdered hundreds of people.

Maryjane thought so as she lit a marijuana joint roughly rolled in newspaper.

“Well, you have nothing to worry about.

The conversation went quite well. Our role is purely that of an observer.

Miss Maryjane, you will just have to help the Magical Girl Association clean up the monsters a bit, and be my eyes so I can watch the battle between Sanguine Obsidia and them.”

“Oh. Sweet deal.”

“Miss Maryjane, your unrefined remarks and the habit of your inner thoughts leaking out… well, yes. I understand that it’s not easily fixed.”

Still, Maryjane, who was at least articulate despite her occasional strange remarks, and even the childishly nonsensical Soda Pop, were far better than the association president Yu Ji-hye, who started every conversation with a curse.

Far better even compared to the other comrades of the Conclave.

‘You crazy son of a bich.’

When Jimmy contacted Yu Ji-hye again, she started by cursing at him.

For her, who put considerable effort into her public image, to speak like that gave him a good idea of what kind of image he held in her mind.

The face he glimpsed through the black walkie-talkie was also filled with rage. If she had known he was also watching her visually, she surely would have flown into a rage.

Jimmy had no particular excuse for the incident where Soda Pop☆Ritalin and Maryjane destroyed the warehouse.

If he had said, ‘Isn’t it obviously more fun that way than just quietly capturing and handing over Sanguine Obsidia?’

Yu Ji-hye would never have understood, so he quietly listened to her anger.

Though he did tune out for a few minutes in the middle to make lemonade for the recently returned Soda Pop.

‘And, were you the ones who leaked the information about the simultaneous demon terrorist attacks to the press?’

‘Oh, yes! We are grateful that you recognize our efforts for the advancement of humanity. How did you come to think so?’

‘We also interrogated a captured demon and got the information, and you were the only ones who came to mind who would leak it to the press.

There are some suspicious aspects to thinking you have significant intelligence capabilities… It’s more plausible to assume you have some sort of information-gathering or precognitive ability.

It’s not like there aren’t magical girls with such unique magic, and I figured you could replicate a similar ability.’

Indeed. Jimmy nodded his head.

It was a good thing to be able to convey his intentions directly without needing a complicated explanation.

It wouldn’t be a problem even if the Magical Girl Association knew he had a power similar to precognition, as there was nothing they could do about it.

‘Exactly as you say! It is unacceptable for the government, for the Magical Girl Association, to hide the truth. We must reveal the truth to the public and give people the opportunity to recognize the danger. Even if the terrorism of mere demons is no big deal!’

His voice grew louder and clearer, becoming a speech.

‘Each and every human must rise up and stand against the monsters.

What’s more, with opponents as weak as the demons and the monsters they command, this is an unparalleled opportunity.

Many will die, but what is such a sacrifice if a hero who overcomes adversity can be born?’

With every word Jimmy spoke, a vein popped on Yu Ji-hye’s hand gripping the walkie-talkie, which he could see very clearly, but Jimmy continued his oration in an even more excited tone.

‘Rather, seeing someone close to them die, the survivors will realize that death is a fear that one can neither get used to nor escape from, and they will rise up and become a beacon that overturns the stagnant, slowly dying state of affairs!’

‘As expected, you’re completely insane… So, are you planning to interfere again in this matter?’

‘Of course not. Demons, monsters, they are nothing but the dregs of a dead world.

They are nothing but false shadows that must be eliminated for the sake of the true god! Therefore, we shall also lend a hand.

If you provide the coordinates, Miss Soda Pop☆Ritalin and Miss Maryjane will step up. Ah, yes.

I promise there will be no collateral damage, which you are worried about. Well, this is a notification, not a proposal.’

‘Ah, right. Do as you please. I don’t care anymore…

But if you interfere even a little, if you come into our sight, if even one civilian is harmed, I will kill both of your proud subordinates with my own hands, so you know.’

The conversation went something like that.

Just like when he had contacted her before, it was a conversation where Saint Jimmy just rattled on about what he wanted to say to Yu Ji-hye, but that was unavoidable.

Because Yu Ji-hye, Wizard in Violet, had ultimately chosen to remain a human, and a magical girl, clinging to the weak magic given by the spirits.

She could not become a comrade of the Conclave.

If she had agreed with Jimmy, he could have even told her Sanguine Obsidia’s identity and information, but…

It was a shame, though perhaps her mind would change when she eventually faced her true limits.

No matter how strong a magical girl is, even as strong as Eclipse, for example, she cannot face the so-called A-class monsters, creatures that could exterminate the human race on Earth with just a slight movement.

He was sure she was not unaware that the current civilization only exists because those monsters are quiet, so it was a shame that a human as overflowing with talent as her was trapped by the limits of a magical girl.

Humanity must quickly rise up on its own and cast off its shackles under the true god.

“After this is over… yes, I’ll give you a vacation for a while. How about visiting your hometown to pay respects at a grave?”

Pushing the thoughts into the back of his mind, Jimmy continued his conversation with Maryjane.

“That’s none of your business. Tsk, I’m going out, so you can look after that idiot or whatever.”

It seemed he had touched a painful memory, but Jimmy didn’t particularly care.

To Jimmy, be it the tragic pasts of Maryjane and Soda Pop, Yu Ji-hye’s goals, Sanguine Obsidia’s story, or the paean to humanity he always had on his lips, they were all just stories that held a momentary interest, not worth elaborating on.

Only one thing was important.

Whether Sanguine Obsidia, the lump clinging to her chest, was truly related to his god—that fact alone.

No, even that wasn’t important.

To him, who prided himself on being a spectator and a playwright, all that mattered was the thrill of the moment when the story continued, the stage was set, and the finally built stage collapsed and was dismantled.

“Well then, shall I make my move as well? Hmm.

If Miss Sanguine Obsidia doesn’t work out… I think it would be fine to talk to Miss Ahn Yujin.

Miss Soda Pop☆Ritalin should also start preparing to hunt monsters soon. Ah, and you’re not supposed to kill the people I’ve pointed out here.”