Chapter 25: Harbouring Hope (1)

“Hojoon, this wasn’t part of the deal.”

Inside Hojoon’s private office, known for its impenetrable security.

In a place where everything within the Bureau was monitored and bugged in real time, this was the only place where secrets wouldn’t leak.

“Your absence over the past month has been significant. This reassignment was inevitable. There’s no predicting when a Misangche will appear.”

“…Fine.”

Heosang responded in a remarkably calm voice.

After a brief encounter with Ianna, she had regained her cold judgment.

Likely because she hadn’t used Lemegaton or her abilities recently.

The ether energy stored within a magical girl’s body diminishes slowly, much like how radiation toxicity fades over centuries.

It naturally dissipates outward.

Of course, a magical girl who refrains from using Lemegaton for decades or centuries could be freed from madness and return to a normal state.

But of course.

No such magical girl had ever existed.

They were immortal, but not unkillable.

Lifespans varied from one magical girl to another.

Some couldn’t even last a few years, while rare cases like Ianna lived for decades.

Doctors estimated that if a magical girl never used Lemegaton again and lived an ordinary life, she might live up to 150 years.

But no one had ever reached that age.

They all followed in the footsteps of those who came before.

They fulfilled their duty, protected the world and the weak.

As a result—

Magical girls met colourful ends.

Some took their own lives before going berserk.

Others were hunted down by fellow magical girls after losing control.

Still others were devoured by Misangche, assassinated, or met various other ends.

None ever died of natural causes.

Heosang’s goal was only to raise Cheonching—to awaken her second Lemegaton.

In fact, she felt Hojoon had done her a favor, letting her raise Cheonching quietly in an unmonitored place.

To build her own power base.

Heosang’s mind was clearer than ever.

She felt refreshed, having finally satisfied long-suppressed urges, and the current situation wasn’t so bad.

She turned her gaze toward Han Hojoon, looking up at the man who appeared twice her size.

A sly, unreadable face.

Just like her, he was scheming something.

Something like—

Usurpation.

Hojoon was like a pious monkey climbing toward a higher place.

She was sure of it.

Hojoon was one of her kind.

Ambitious.

“You destroyed the files?”

“Yes, of course. Surveillance on the two of you has been completely lifted. All the accumulated data has been deleted.”

“Good. I’ll trust you.”

Their deal was simple:

In exchange for the silent burial of what she and Cheonching did to Ianna, Heosang would help Hojoon once.

Just once, no matter what it was.

In return, Hojoon would grant her access to his intelligence web throughout the Bureau and dismantle all surveillance on her and Cheonching.

He even swept under the rug the chaos she had caused by wrecking the Bureau’s communications network.

No matter how she looked at it, it was a deal in her favour.

Hojoon was giving up too much.

‘…Why?’

It couldn’t be pure goodwill.

This was a man who abandoned even his own daughter, Byeolmuri, to danger.

Hojoon, whose mind was always a few steps ahead, was now bowing this low to her?

To disarm her.

They appeared to be on the same ship, but their destinations were completely different.

All Heosang wanted was to reign over the monkeys and reestablish a proper hierarchy.

She wanted to hold all power so that no magical girl would die a senseless death again.

She wanted to be a magical girl admired by all, like Ianna.

But.

Hojoon didn’t seem driven by lust for power.

He was staring off into something far more distant.

Fundamentally unhinged—one of the few truly mad monkeys.

At the perfect moment, he would strike.

Once their cooperation was over, he’d try to eliminate her by any means necessary.

Of course, she would never fall for such a trick.

She had Cheonching, after all.

For a monkey’s last-ditch effort, it was almost cute.

They had enough in common that she actually liked him.

If he didn’t bare his fangs, she’d even consider letting him keep his Deputy Director post.

She rated him highly.

Just like her lieutenant, he was loyal to that wrecked Ianna and helped her purge magical girls.

“But are you sure it’s okay to drop the surveillance? They probably have no idea what we’re up to.”

“They can’t stop us anyway. In that case, it’s smarter to go with the tide. And besides, you two still have your obligations to fulfill.”

Lies.

Hojoon still held ‘that button’—the one that summoned all magical girls without question.

He was testing her reaction.

“…Alright.”

Silence passed between them.

“Harsa, let’s go. I’m bored.”

“Cheonching, I told you to use your magical girl name inside the Bureau.”

“…I like the name Harsa better.”

Cheonching cut in, tightly grabbing Heosang’s hand.

Hojoon instinctively stepped back.

He felt he shouldn’t approach any further.

That same ominous feeling he always got from his daughter was pouring off Cheonching now.

“We’re leaving.”

“…Understood. The helicopter is ready.”

“No need. Just put the monitor up. I’ll teleport us.”

In an instant, the energy radiating from Cheonching vanished.

‘…Was that just my imagination?’

It was strange enough to make him wonder.

Heosang didn’t seem to notice, but Cheonching clearly had something he didn’t know about.

‘Well…’

Not his concern.

They were already on the board as pieces.

Large injection marks lined her neck.

They were all from tranquilizers.

The orange sedative, when gulped down the throat, instantly calmed her swelling emotions.

Brought back reason. Allowed proper judgment.

Today made it the fourth one.

Recently, she had been roaming the Bureau’s halls with her lieutenant.

She was on medical leave.

In hindsight, a lot had happened in that short time. So much that it overwhelmed Ianna.

Her head ached like it would split.

Everything felt tangled.

Each day terrified her.

At least until she was sedated.

Her body could now easily handle three or four shots a day.

Though excessive use diminished the effect, it was enough to function.

“We’ve arrived.”

“…Oh.”

As the heavy iron doors opened, a massive SCREENX-like theater appeared with images across three walls.

Creak—

She sat down, and the video began to play.

Nothing particularly special.

Mothers and daughters holding hands, mischievous children playing in parks, busy office workers on the street—ordinary life unfolded scene by scene.

All of it was the everyday peace magical girls had protected.

The dedication they gave to prevent unjust deaths, to protect the weak.

She couldn’t stop the tears.

To know her efforts weren’t in vain.

That the innocent weren’t dying needlessly.

That daily life carried on—brought joy to Ianna’s body.

It calmed her heart.

Seeing the smiles of children alone made her happy.

The devotion of magical girls might not be remembered or rewarded, but at least there would be proof.

That everyday life was the proof.

She wanted a better future for everyone.

Not senseless death at the hands of Misangche—but a valuable, peaceful end in the arms of family.

Dying in the arms of a loved one was the greatest happiness.

Surely.

She could no longer do anything with her body like this.

But she wanted to prove it.

That she hadn’t been wrong.

That her sacrifice wasn’t meaningless.

That magical girls didn’t die for nothing.

Ianna simply wanted to prove that.

To be acknowledged.

Because the only thing that filled her hollow heart—was magical girls.

…

The video was short.

Creak—

She resumed wandering the Bureau aimlessly.

It was better than staying alone in her room.

Besides, if she stayed alone, Heosang and Cheonching might show up.

Though her body longed to grow closer to those two, her mind refused.

After what they’d done, she couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened.

Keeping a reasonable distance—just enough to avoid hostility—was the best approach.

Even if the misunderstandings had somewhat cleared, many obstacles remained.

The novel was only just beginning.

‘…Still.’

Maybe holding hands wouldn’t be so bad.

Creeeak.

“Director.”

“…Yes?”

Her lieutenant stood before her.

She gently wiped away the tears from Ianna’s eyes with both hands.

Then softly whispered:

“Would you like to go outside today?”

Her lieutenant seemed to glow with light.