The Unbreakable Flower (6)

The Unbreakable Flower (6)

“This is top secret. Call Dr. Heo right now. Hurry!”

“Well, maybe we should go to the hospital…”

“No. It’s better if this doesn’t get out. We’ll handle it inside this building. We have no choice.”

Lee Min-hyung barely maintained his composure in the midst of the chaos. Honestly, he didn’t quite understand the current situation.

Their headquarters was destroyed by Aria, who was supposed to be on their side, then Aria turned evil, and Taquilath stopped her. Moreover, the almighty Taquilath was now severely injured and incapacitated.

‘Of course, this won’t guarantee security. But somehow…!’

Although Taquilath hadn’t said a word, he was showing what he thought was the best course of action.

Keeping this fact hidden and proceeding with utmost secrecy. There was one reason for this. He knew well that Taquilath was a kind of suppressor.

If rumors spread that the suppressor was neutralized, the suppressed things would immediately explode.

“We need security. Call Karin right away.”

“She’s currently working and is cursing, saying she’ll rip her hair out if we call her now.”

“Tell her to use any leave she wants – annual, sick, menstrual, whatever! We’ll compensate her somehow!”

He made thorough preparations, even calling in the most reliable and powerful bodyguards he could trust, just in case. To an outsider, it might have looked as if someone was trying to harm the incapacitated Taquilace.

“You’re a smart kid, so you’ll understand. There are too many people in this land who would be happy to know you’ve fallen. And common sense doesn’t apply to them. For their own purposes, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill even a child who can’t move.”

He explained the current situation to Taquilace, who was just staring blankly at him from the bed. He told her what he had done and why he had done it, and so on.

The purpose was simply to prevent Taquilace from misunderstanding anything.

“Hmm…?”

Thanks to that, he flinched when he saw her lips curl up slightly as she looked at him.

[You seem to be on my side]

“W-What is this?!”

Lee Min-hyung was startled to hear Taquilace’s voice ringing in his head.

“A-Are you alright?!”

[Part of my brain function is damaged, so I have problems moving my body, that’s all]

“How is that…”

[That’s not what’s important]

Not knowing that Taquilace’s ‘real brain’ was elsewhere, Min-hyung was dumbfounded by her nonchalant attitude, as if it were just a scratch on her finger.

[What do you think of me? Why… did you take the lead in creating Frontier?]

“That’s an unexpected question.”

He wiped away his cold sweat as he looked down at Taquilace. Looking down like this, she was just a small girl, but he had seen so many sides of her that he couldn’t help but remain tense.

“As the world changed, many people plunged into that sea of change. Just like the old Europeans who set sail in search of a northern utopia. The government of this country that established the Management Bureau is like that, the criminal organizations that have committed terrible crimes are like that, and those who mass-produce super soldiers claiming to replace magical girls are like that. But as we were shaken by every storm we encountered along the way, our Management Bureau, which was just a single ship, began to lose its essence.”

[Am I that storm?]

She snorted at Min-hyung’s words, pointing to herself at the mention of the word ‘storm’. However, his stern expression remained unchanged.

“Our purpose has always been one. To control the change brought by the appearance of Magical Girls and work for this country, its people, and justice. That’s why I created Frontier. After all, Magical Girls are also citizens we need to take care of, and the true justice we should pursue is protecting as many people as possible. That was the duty of a government official of this country.”

[So it was to protect the Magical Girls after all. Your conviction is firm. I… like it]

Taquilas’s voice showed interest in his unwavering eyes.

“So, taking this opportunity, I dare to make a request to you, Taquilas.”

Lee Min-hyung’s voice, which hadn’t wavered even when revealing his beliefs, now trembled. It was a voice that clearly showed he had made a big decision.

[Are you asking me to join Frontier? I’m afraid I’ll have to decline]

“What… why?!”

[…You don’t know about me. Is that all you think I am? A typhoon that appeared in the ocean of Magical Girls?]

Although Taquilas was only moving her eyes, Min-hyung realized she was mocking him.

At the same time, he recalled Taquilas once again. An enigmatic being with immense power that defies prediction. The only clearly revealed belief was that she pursued power and believed it to be justice.

In fact, little was known about what she wanted or what kind of being she was.

“Right. What exactly do you want? Who are you really?”

[I’m just an ordinary Magical Girl. Don’t expect too much from me. If I step in, I could surely destroy all the annoying things. The One Road? The various countries behind them? Even if I crush all those things with my own hands, what would be left for you and me?]

Taquilas spoke in a reproachful tone, narrowing her eyes.

Although he couldn’t speak of the detailed circumstances, Min-hyung succeeded in reading something from her tone and behavior.

“You act like an outsider. Even though this world is clearly the one you’ll live in, you act as if your growing influence would be meaningless.”

“I, have, always, told, you.”

“…!”

“You, must, become, strong, your, selves.”

Taquilas’s mouth opened, and although broken, proper language flowed out. It was thanks to her self-regeneration ability that slowly but surely healed her physical wounds.

“I have no intention of directly helping you. Because you need to become strong on your own from now on. But I do cheer for you. Those guys are sneaky and dirty, which annoys me.”

“Really… you don’t intend to step up?”

“You never know. If they directly ‘challenge’ me. Or if they try to harm my ‘original body’ that’s living quietly.”

Takilas, who had quickly corrected his clumsy language skills completely, now smiled faintly.

‘I can’t say it doesn’t feel good to get calls from everywhere during vacation’

Of course, she didn’t say everything either.

***

“Huh, well now.”

“There’s no need to bother. It’ll all heal soon anyway.”

“That might be true. You’re an existence outside the norm, little one. But your right arm, it seems that won’t be coming back.”

This doctor who introduced himself as Heo Seung-hoon brought in a bunch of strange machines and examined my body under the pretext of treatment.

It’s just an ordinary magical girl’s body anyway. There’s nothing to find even if he examines it. But he had some unexpectedly sharp observations.

“A teenage girl with her right arm amputated overnight… it would be stranger not to find this.”

“That’s not your problem to worry about.”

I wiggled my legs and got off the bed. Except for my completely vanished right arm, all injuries had healed.

“The director might have told you, but there are many who could target you. Even if you’re the strongest magical girl, when you’re not transformed…”

“That’s not it. Can’t you grasp that a new type of super soldier called Special Forces has appeared, not using serums or drugs? It’s not physically impossible for magical girls to use their powers without transforming. It’s a difference in concept.”

“T-then, are you saying you can use your powers even without transforming!?”

“Yes.”

His eyes widened in surprise. He seemed to not have grasped the concept of magical power yet.

Above all, I had no intention of revealing my true form in the first place.

“Plesia.”

“D-Demon Lord!”

After leaving the Management Bureau, I summoned Flecia in a deserted place. Flecia was shocked to see my miserable state.

“Who on earth did this to you!”

“Transform into my appearance right now. Make sure the arms are intact. And since I left in the middle of school, go and take the scolding for me.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to fix my arm.”

I planned to have Flecia temporarily cover for my real appearance while I repaired my arm in the meantime.

“W-What do you mean it’s impossible? What nonsense is this?”

“It’s not a lie, Demon Lord.”

However, Yggdrasil, whom I forcibly connected to through the Connector, calmly uttered words that were horrifying from my perspective.

“To put it bluntly, your performance is insufficient. To repair your body, we need to use the energy from the achievements you’ve gained, but the recent capture of one Smalilian is not enough to fix your body to match your status. In fact, constructing a Magical Girl’s body is not very efficient compared to the power invested.”

“Damn it.”

I had no choice. After all, Yggdrasil was the source and root of Magical Girls.

I rushed out immediately and looked down at the city with fire in my eyes.

For the first time since becoming a Magical Girl, I searched for villains for the sake of achievements. Fortunately, this world is overflowing with evil people. With just one finger, I could…

“Hah.”

“C-Calm down. It won’t take long anyway, right?”

I barely regained my senses after having such frightening thoughts. Ren, who was watching me cautiously, wasn’t wrong. After all, there’s no shortage of villains, so taking them down shouldn’t be difficult.