Chapter 54
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Black-Skinned Magical Girl (2)
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Black was the Magical Girl assigned to protect the Middle East and Africa.
Why that was, I had no idea. Maybe it had something to do with her dark skin?
'Humans are so weird. Judging people's worth by skin color.'
In the Empire, where races came in all varieties, that sort of thing never happened. Whether your skin was red or blue, everyone was equal as citizens of the Empire.
Were there just too many people on Earth? With billions of them, maybe discrimination scaled up accordingly.
'Black, huh.'
Was there a more blatant or tone-deaf naming sense than that?
Calling her Black just because of her skin color! It was like calling an East Asian Yellow!
Of course, Yellow was East Asian... no, that's not the point!
Anyway, to meet her, I had to head to Itaewon in Korea.
'Korean mixed heritage, so she lives in Seoul. Easy enough to find.'
Itaewon, where so many foreigners lived, was a mishmash of styles. After the war with the Empire, nationalities had blended, creating this scenery.
It looked chaotic at first glance, but somehow harmoniously so. It eased the mind, like the Empire's cities where all races mingled. Yeah... I should come here more often.
'Black lives in that club over there? Pretty remote spot. She's loaded—why live in a dump like that?'
According to Doctor Rico, this club was where Black frequented.
There was a peculiar rule: everyone had to have a black spade tattoo or drawing on their body.
...What did that even mean?
Drawing a tattoo with maki wasn't hard, so I sketched a black spade on my arm and cautiously approached the club entrance.
"The drawing."
Two tall, muscular black women stood guard at the entrance, arms crossed, radiating intimidation.
I showed them the design on my arm as instructed. They stared at it intently, then looked slightly baffled.
"...For real?"
They seemed utterly perplexed. I started getting anxious, worried they might not let me in.
"Go ahead."
Luckily, no such disaster occurred. Still looking puzzled, they stepped aside for me.
The club's interior felt like any other: blaring music, murmuring crowds. But it had a more dreamlike haze to it.
'Hm... atmosphere's not that special. But I can tell this place is seedy as hell.'
The sexual depravity was obvious at a glance.
The disproportionately high number of black women and the packs of white men trailing them...
Those sleazy bastards couldn't hide their lechery in their posture or expressions.
'A Magical Girl in a dump like this.'
For some reason, every Magical Girl seemed off her rocker.
Of course, I already knew those bitches were a bunch of lunatics.
Green was the psycho trying to buy a guy's body in a game, Yellow ran a yakuza drug ring.
Blue... well, a 30-year-old hag calling herself a Magical 'Girl'?
'And now a Magical Girl haunting sleazy joints. Ha, hilarious.'
I barely stifled a laugh as I scanned the club. Faint traces of mana dotted the area here and there.
That confirmed Black operated here. I just had to follow her trail.
'Man, Korea's got places like this? Didn't they wipe out all entertainment spots after that crime eradication declaration three years ago? Yellow's gang too—do they overlook crime syndicates run by Magical Girls?'
Then again, if they wanted, Magical Girls could topple the World Government easier than kids snacking. Maybe they turn a blind eye to these little "escapes" from daily life.
Following the mana-marked footprints led me naturally to a corridor descending into the building's basement. It grew darker and emptier inside.
'...What is this, a nutjob convention?'
Deeper underground, the corridor walls widened until a massive plaza opened up.
Looking around, I saw black people in robes milling about.
For some reason, I couldn't let them spot me. They hadn't noticed me yet, so no immediate crisis...
I used a concealment technique to erase my presence and trailed the robed figures. Conveniently, they headed the same direction as Black's trail.
"You said the declaration's tomorrow?"
"Huh? I think it's today."
"Oh yeah? Time flies these days."
The two chatted idly as they crossed the plaza, which felt like some villain's lair. No lights anywhere, but they navigated flawlessly without even a lantern—clearly familiar with the path.
They kept walking, and walking, past the plaza to what looked like a theater.
'Multipurpose room, huh.'
Definitely not your average club. I followed them into the "multipurpose room."
The sight inside, like a musical theater, was jaw-dropping.
Countless robed figures filled the red seats, heads bowed like churchgoers at mass.
And in the center, surrounded by them...
'Black...?'
Her face was hooded, nearly fooling me, but it was unmistakably her. The powerful mana radiating from her body screamed Magical Girl.
Towering robed figures flanked her—likely holding important positions.
'Something about a declaration. What the hell... is she planning a rebellion with these people?'
A Magical Girl-led revolt. No number of divisions could stop that charge.
I quietly slipped into an empty seat, curiosity piqued about what she'd say.
"Looks like everyone's here."
Black murmured into the mic. The audience was already silent.
With no interruptions, her speech seemed ready to begin. Gripping the mic tightly, she spoke clearly.
"I have a dream."
She quoted a famous black pastor. I knew the line, so I found myself listening intently.
"This dream is deeply rooted in Itaewon."
Black paused there. Just a couple sentences, but they seemed to stir something inside her, making the next words hard to come by.
"I have a dream."
And then it flowed out effortlessly.
"A dream to exterminate all inferior races and nations, and build our paradise in their lands!"
...Wait, what did I just hear?
A line from that novel I read for culture points once, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, suddenly came to mind.
[...Distinguishing by ethnicity is pointless. Bad apples exist in every group, regardless.]
Spot on. Only worthless scum bother dividing people by race.
Hitler that lunatic tried it and failed spectacularly, didn't he?
"We'll burn their inferior nations to the ground, tear them apart, rip them to shreds, and erase them from history!"
"Woooaaah!"
...But a Magical Girl—no, a supposed guardian of justice—spewing that garbage?
'Nazis to the core!'
Unlike Nazis, though, this bitch actually had the power to make it happen. Terrifying.
If Black sprinted at full speed, the sonic boom alone would level a city.
Killing hundreds of thousands in seconds.
'Holy shit... what a psycho bitch.'
Even scarier were the robed fanatics going wild over her drivel.
They waved their hands like they were high, cheering her nonsense. It sent chills down my spine—like a bomb about to blow.
"We'll spread the truth that black skin is superior to white!"
Glancing at the hands peeking from their robes, they were dark-skinned—clearly black or Arab.
"...Hold up! A rat! Some white rat scum crawled in here!"
One of the robed figures beside Black rasped in a dying voice.
And shockingly, stared right at my seat.
'I hid with maki, though?'
Before I could dwell, Black fixed her gaze on me and shouted.
"Looks like the superior race's first sacrificial lamb has arrived."
She glared wide-eyed as she said it.
Holy fuck, this is insane.