Chapter 66: Omen (3)

Miko didn’t trust anyone but herself.

That included Hojoon, who had served as her right-hand man for years.

She always anticipated the possibility that Hojoon might betray her.

“Hojoon.”

Miko opened with his name, trying to read his reaction.

The only reason Janwol was still alive was thanks to Hojoon’s obstinate persistence.

To Miko, it meant that Hojoon was solely responsible for Ianna draining the Control Bureau’s—her own—vast financial resources.

The sight of her once-loyal servant, who used to obey her like a trained dog, stubbornly insisting on keeping Ianna alive was, to say the least, aggravating.

‘…Is he planning a revolt?’

Hojoon, who had followed her orders without a word until now, was distancing himself from her the moment he gained a shred of authority.

This was why she never trusted people.

Give them even a handful of power, and they bare their fangs at their master.

They show their ugly desperation, resorting to any means to climb higher.

They lose all sense of their place.

Using Hojoon like a hunting dog was a thing of the past.

He had always wagged his tail and lowered himself before her, which is why she’d let him keep his post.

But if he had been blinded by that petty hunger for power, she might have to make a decision.

Like a dog put down after the hunt.

Just like all the other mutts she had culled before.

If Hojoon couldn’t overcome his place in the heavens, he too would be crushed.

Miko had seen enough kinds of people to draw a conclusion.

Hojoon was no different from the rest of those despicable humans.

In her experience, people never failed to disappoint.

Every single one of them eventually raised a hand against her.

A disobedient dog needs a stick.

Boiling the dog that has outlived its usefulness is a law as old as time.

“What are your thoughts on Janwol…?”

Miko had no real reason to keep Janwol alive.

That might change if Ianna rolled over and swore fealty to her.

But right now, Ianna was looking at her with visible unease.

That worried smile looked oddly fitting on her petite face.

Even Miko’s most beautiful personal maids couldn’t compare to Ianna’s looks.

There was sorrow written all over her expression.

Miko had always adored Ianna’s appearance.

But that didn’t mean she could ignore the current situation.

For the cost of maintenance, Ianna was utterly useless.

She couldn’t even be used to entertain and win over others, nor did she serve as a usable weapon like a magical girl.

The most Ianna could do was be a public face.

But even that had reached its limits.

The magical girls were reaching their breaking point.

They seemed to be catching wind of the purge plan.

The Judgment Committee’s funds were running dangerously low.

What was needed now was a scapegoat to redirect the magical girls’ anger.

Ianna was the perfect sacrifice—an ideal candidate to die in a blaze of disgrace.

It pained Miko as well, but it was all Ianna’s fault for becoming what she was now.

It was a tragedy born of putting trust in others.

‘How hollow it all is…’

Miko still kept the pendant Ianna had given her when they were young.

For some reason, she had believed she could trust Ianna—just a little.

Inside the pendant was a family photo.

A photo of her mother, whom she could never see again.

It all felt so hollow.

Even Janwol, once the pinnacle of magical girls, had ended up like this at the hands of her own kind.

‘The unbroken shall always fall’

The line from a classic text she had read countless times came unbidden to her mind.

The rise and fall of all things.

It applied to humans, too.

Miko decided, from this point forward, she would trust no one.

Janwol had been famous for her sociability as a magical girl.

She had approached everyone first—and now she was paying the price.

The more Miko looked into Ianna’s uneasy eyes, the more paranoid she became.

She wondered if, next time, it would be her in Ianna’s place.

Why was Hojoon so bent on keeping Ianna alive?

Was he perhaps colluding with Stephen and the other opposing factions?

Was he preparing to stab her in the back at the decisive moment?

Miko couldn’t afford to let her guard down even for a second.

The Control Bureau’s capital came solely from the Judgment Committee.

It operated much like a corporation.

She, Stephen, and other shareholders had invested their capital in the Bureau.

Naturally, it wasn’t out of some noble desire to protect humanity.

The value of magical girls was limitless.

They could be handed over to prominent politicians and conglomerates around the world as sexual relief, drawing in massive investments.

They could be used to threaten governments and extract national budgets.

The Bureau’s advanced bioengineering had already helped countless billionaires extend their lives and regain youth.

In short, just possessing magical girls meant endless profit.

Of course, the risk of berserk outbreaks wasn’t negligible either.

Magical girls were weapons.

The rich treated them as playthings or luxury items, but their true essence was war.

War against the misangche.

War against other oversight agencies.

The one and only agreement they had all reached was to never deploy magical girls in human wars.

Their immunity to conventional weapons meant they could easily destroy global balance.

The agencies, obsessed with maintaining the status quo and making money, wouldn’t want that.

Miko shared the same thought and watched Hojoon’s expression carefully.

The answer was already determined.

Unless Hojoon intended to break with her, he needed to say one word: “disposal.”

“…I think she’s incredibly useful.”

“What did you just say?”

But what came out of Hojoon’s mouth wasn’t what Miko expected.

“The Director is doing her best for all of us. To discard someone like that would be wrong, wouldn’t it?”

Was Hojoon losing his edge?

She had selected him as her aide based on those eyes filled with despair.

Had he forgotten his place?

“Hojoon, speaking of plans in front of Anna is—”

“It’s fine. The Director has already joined our cause.”

As everyone turned to Ianna with wary eyes, she flinched and looked down, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

She still couldn’t meet anyone’s gaze.

Stephen felt pity for her, but he was more interested in what Hojoon was about to say next.

“The Director has volunteered to personally distract the magical girls. It’s a role only she can fulfill.”

“…Explain it properly.”

The magical girls’ discontent must’ve reached its limit by now.

At the semiannual ‘Board Meeting’ where global oversight agencies convened, there had been warnings of magical girl rebellions.

The sudden disappearance of the agency overseeing the Mediterranean and Europe was widely believed to be the result of such a rebellion.

Was Hojoon trying to buy more time using Ianna?

Miko folded her arms and began to think deeply.

If there was any flaw in her, it was personality alone.

Paranoia, personality disorders, obsessive possessiveness, distrust—aside from those, she was perfect.

She believed that herself.

Her grandfather had reclaimed status and wealth after divine descent.

Her father had built one of the top corporations across Japan.

And she was now trying to seize both power and military might.

Three generations of unmatched excellence.

Her looks, too, were second to none.

Ianna might be cute and pretty, but not even close to Miko’s level.

Men didn’t prefer childlike girls like Ianna. They liked women like her.

There was no competition in terms of charm.

The same went for Hojoon’s young daughter, who hadn’t yet shed her baby fat.

Besides, she wouldn’t last long—soon to be consumed by the curse of the magical girls.

Heosang? That woman had no elegance or refinement.

Her western looks didn’t suit Eastern aesthetics.

Perfect in every way, Miko now found herself slightly shaken by Hojoon’s words.

“We’re well aware of the magical girls’ discontent. If we provoke them further, it will turn into rebellion. The only option now is to slow the purges.”

“…You do understand my position, right, Hojoon?”

Maybe bloodlines really couldn’t be hidden.

Miko was seriously considering cutting Hojoon off.

“Heosang has gained a supporter.”

“…What?”

“She’s in contact with several countries, including Israel. You know what happens if she gains allies and builds a faction.”

A chill ran down Miko’s spine, and she swallowed reflexively.

She couldn’t help but remember the largest war in human history, just half a century ago.

A man who had appeared in Austria, bringing strange winds with him.

An oversight agency?

No.

A monstrous traitor who left an indelible stain on world history.

As Hojoon continued, even Ianna found her mouth agape, unable to help but listen to every word he said.