Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Starting from a Small Curiosity
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The next day.
"...Ugh, it hurts like hell."
I had to mutter those words as soon as I opened my eyes, staring at my left arm wrapped tightly in bandages.
"Well, of course it hurts when there's a hole in your arm. It's not like we can go to a magical girl specialist hospital like we used to."
And sure enough, there was that irritating voice from beside me. He was peeling an apple and popping slices into his mouth, smirking as he looked my way.
"I got help from a contact in the underworld and had it treated roughly, but you'll need to rest for about a week. At least it won't leave a scar, so that's a relief."
From what he said, after I passed out, they went to some back-alley doctor for basic treatment.
"...Thanks."
I had my doubts about whether it was a real doctor, but what could I do? He's my boss, after all. I had to trust him on this.
Thud.
But his reaction was weird. Bell, who had been smugly eating his apple, suddenly dropped the piece he'd been about to put in his mouth. His eyes shook like there was an earthquake as he stared at me, stammering incoherently.
"What's with that reaction?"
"Did... Ha-yul just say thanks to me...?"
This guy, seriously. What the hell did he think of me all this time?
"You wanna die?"
"Ah, there we go. That's the Ha-yul I know."
I vowed right then: once my wounds healed, the first thing I'd do is sew that damn mouth shut.
"So, what about Seon-ah?"
"I sent her to the convenience store to cover for our no-show part-timer♥"
Bell stood up, telling me not to worry about part-time gigs for a while and just rest easy. Without thinking, I reached out with my one good right arm and grabbed his sleeve.
"Hm? Need something?"
My face burned just thinking about it, but given the situation, I had no choice. I steeled myself and carefully opened my mouth.
"...I'm hungry. Get me something to eat."
*Nom nom nom.*
"You know, I always think this."
*Munch munch.*
"Ha-yul, you eat like a squirrel."
*Munch munch gulp.*
In the end, thanks to Bell—who came back with a mocking grin, saying he had some cream buns he'd bought as snacks for himself—I finally filled my stomach.
"Ah, I feel alive again."
"Wow, you actually ate them all."
Even as he subtly nagged about how those were several days' worth of snacks, I shot a glare at the cheap bastard. Fine, I'd buy him enough to burst later. With that thought, I changed the subject.
"Anyway, what happened to Helena?"
"Topic change is too quick, Ha-yul."
"Spit it out."
"Well, you probably guessed. She'll need some recovery time, but she can come back without much issue."
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue at Bell's casual shrug.
―And now, the next news.
I quietly watched as he pulled up the news on his phone and casually set it on my stomach.
"Better if you see the rest for yourself."
Come to think of it, right after the Demonic Beast was defeated, another alert went off and the city turned to gold. It would've been harder for it not to make headlines.
―Yesterday, the Yeksam-dong area suddenly turned to gold, sparking a huge buzz.
―The Magical Girl Support Division explained that a retired magical girl who happened to be nearby stepped in to deal with Robelia's sudden appearance after the Demonic Beast was defeated...
From the news, Helena's gold magic had enveloped the whole city, so even with the battle in the urban area, there wasn't much damage.
"......"
Even thinking back now, she was absurd. Protecting the entire city by wrapping it in gold while still fighting me like that—it hadn't even crossed my mind during the fight, but it was ridiculous.
"Bell."
"Yes?"
I shoved aside the news droning on about city damage and a few wrecked cars.
"I think I need to get stronger."
"Obviously."
Finally calming down, I locked eyes with Bell, who smiled softly at me without his usual smirk.
"You always hold back on magic power, Ha-yul. Even now when you don't need to."
Bell explained that the magic power he'd transferred to me wasn't something to waste on trivial acceleration spells.
"How about it? Want to learn some magic from me?"
Soon, he started pitching it with a sleazy tone like a street peddler, his shady intentions plain as day.
"......"
Learning magic, huh.
Truth be told, magical girl magic was mostly theory-free... brute force stuff that made you wonder, Why does this even work?
My acceleration spell was a byproduct, if anything. After ages analyzing magical girls, I'd barely managed to create something even normals could use with magic power alone—then tweaked it through trial and error to suit me.
"I dropped out of high school and barely passed the GED."
It had taken forever just to drill that acceleration spell into my head. Could someone like me handle real magic? With that in mind, I sheepishly confessed my embarrassing past.
"But you still passed the GED?"
"If I didn't, the boss said he'd stop me from being a magical girl."
"What a good guy."
"Yeah. He is."
These talks always dragged up guilt about Boss—Uncle Ji-seong—that I'd buried deep. I didn't want to dwell.
"Anyway, I'm not that smart. You sure it's okay?"
From what I knew, magic research and commercialization involved PhDs and top experts nationwide, and new spells were rare even then. Could I really do it? When I voiced my doubts, Bell's face was priceless.
Huh.
Even I, who'd known him a while, wanted to smack that infuriating smirk off his upturned nose.
"Don't worry. That's for normals learning magic. Not worthy of you, Ha-yul. Your acceleration spell so far? Same deal."
First thing that hit me: You knew and never said a word till now?
"Would you have listened if I told you earlier?"
True enough.
"Wow, you're shameless."
He was wrong for reading my mind without asking, but... time to bend a little.
"Then I'll take that as a yes... I'll adjust your shifts on my own. Got it?"
"Thought you'd say no."
"You do it 'cause it's fun, right? Then you gotta."
He lightly booped my nose with his finger.
"For now, just focus on resting. World conquest comes after health."
With a gentle, caring look—like he was relieved I wasn't hurt worse—he sighed worriedly and left the room, grabbing a basin of water and a couple towels. He'd probably wiped my forehead all night.
"......"
What a weird guy. A villain dreaming of world conquest, yet so damn likable.
-Crown Theater Troupe was annihilated about 20 years ago by the magical girl Aruel. The reason they've resurfaced now, after two decades, remains unknown...
Suddenly, I recalled Bell's past from that news clip.
The suited Bell I saw often now. Back then, his eyes were sharper, murderous even, glaring at the camera like the epitome of a vicious villain. What story turned that man into who he was now? And who was the guy beside him, said to be Crown's first leader?
"...Kinda curious."
How to put it? Not like I wasn't serious before. That didn't fit. Did I finally want to stick with him for real? That felt off too. Bottom line... I wanted to know Bell's past.
What was Crown like? Why unchanged after 20 years? What were his old comrades like? When did world conquest first spark?
One thought led to another, wild hypotheses popping up. With nothing but time on my hands—overkill, really—I was just spinning and discarding nonsense when...
Bzzz...!
My phone on the nightstand buzzed with a message. Wincing, I grabbed it, unlocked the screen, and froze, pain forgotten at the shocking popup.
Magical Girl Raiser: New SSR Magical Girl
'Traitor Robelia' Pick-Up Incoming!
...These bastards?