Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Magical Girl (4)
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The moment I saw what Il-ho had written, my pupils began to shake violently.
"Ah, no! That can't be!"
Before I could even think, a cry of denial burst from my lips.
Il-ho kept her head bowed with an anxious expression, even after hearing my words. Her shoulders slumped, and the light had faded from her golden eyes.
She wasn't crying, but she had the look of a puppy convinced it had been abandoned. Why? How could this be?
'What did I do wrong?'
Scattered fragments of confused thoughts swirled in my mind before snapping into a single picture.
Ah.
Il-ho was a Dragon Fang Soldier, the first guardian born to protect a young dragon from threats. In other words, she had been created to protect me.
And now, the very 'object she needed to protect' had just demonstrated S-Rank firepower right in front of her eyes.
Il-ho thought her reason for existing had vanished.
I could instinctively read her thoughts in those eyes: anxiety over whether she would be remade into a weapon, and the loyalty that demanded she accept it anyway.
"Um..."
What should I say? My head was spinning. I couldn't pretend to be weak at this point.
My mind raced.
"Il-ho, listen carefully."
Il-ho slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were still filled with unease.
"It's true that I've gotten stronger. But this is just like installing cannons on the walls of a king's castle."
"...?"
Il-ho tilted her head slightly.
"Do cannons alone stop all the enemies? No way. If someone breaches the walls, those cannons are just useless scrap metal. If they get close and kidnap you, you're done for—nothing you can do but get dragged off. And once you're captured, you'll spend the rest of your life having your scales plucked out."
I pointed at my tail to demonstrate. Il-ho glanced up slightly to gauge my expression.
"But Il-ho is an incredibly strong and fast bodyguard knight. The ultimate guardian who can take down any assassin or kidnapper and protect the castle from within."
At those words, a faint glimmer returned to Il-ho's face—just a little, but enough. Her slumped shoulders straightened a bit.
But that wasn't enough. It was a bit embarrassing, but I couldn't skip the most important part.
"And..."
I averted my gaze, too shy to look at Il-ho directly.
"No matter what anyone says, Il-ho is my little sister. I wouldn't abandon family just because they're powerless. Even if you had no strength at all, I'd keep you by my side forever. Got it?"
Il-ho froze for a moment at my words, then bashfully nodded her head.
I pulled her into a tight hug. Her arms didn't return the embrace out of shyness, but her tail didn't lie.
Il-ho's tail was wrapped around mine.
The mood in the car on the way back home had lightened considerably.
Il-ho, as if her earlier gloom had been a lie, was peering out the window at the scenery, her tail swishing happily. Seeing her like that put my mind at ease.
'...Dealing with kids is tough after all.'
I'd never imagined Il-ho was sticking with me out of that kind of sentiment. But true to a child's nature, her mood lifted right away. I'd have to pay more attention from now on.
The car was gliding smoothly down the road in this peaceful atmosphere when—
Ring ring ring—
A bell tone rang out in the quiet car. It was Yu So-jeong's phone.
"Yes, this is Yu So-jeong. Yes... Yes."
The longer the call went on, the more her expression hardened.
"Understood. I'll take care of it immediately."
After about a minute, she hung up.
Her face looked oddly exasperated, so I asked cautiously.
"...Miss So-jeong, is something wrong?"
"A situation update should have arrived on Awakener Lee Da-yoon's phone. It would be best if you checked it yourself."
It seemed the call had been about something involving me.
Puzzled, I picked up my phone. Il-ho scooted over to peek at the screen with me.
[Director Joo Deok-hwan]
A direct message from the Management Bureau Director. When I checked the contents, I couldn't help but let out a baffled noise.
"...Huh?"
He'd sent a long message along with a single news link. The preview of the news was utterly absurd.
World's No. 1 Creator 'Midas' Declares War on Korea: "S-Rank Is a Lie."
Midas? That Midas?
Arthur Miller, the American S-Rank creator known for successfully crafting S-Rank items. Someone with zero connection to me. There had to be a reason he'd sent the link anyway.
I swallowed hard and tapped the news link. The video began to play.
A neatly dressed blond white man in a sharp suit stood on screen. A massive American flag loomed in the background. Camera flashes erupted everywhere—it looked like a press conference.
The man opened his mouth with a confident smile. Fluent English flowed out.
[Recently, I heard a very intriguing rumor from a small country in the Far East. An anonymous creator produced two S-Rank weapons.]
He paused, shrugging his shoulders.
[Frankly, it's a childish hoax. Probably a ploy to negotiate better prices in item deals with the U.S. government.]
What? A hoax? A ploy?
Ridiculous and absurd. It was so outrageous I couldn't even laugh.
He continued in an arrogant tone.
[But fine. I'm a generous man. If this ghost of a creator truly exists, I'll give them a chance to prove it.]
Midas's eyes stared straight into the camera.
[The method doesn't matter. You don't have to show your face or can use any tricks you want. Just craft an S-Rank item with the materials I've prepared. But do it in front of America's eyes—and the cameras of the entire world.]
Midas on screen continued with a relaxed expression.
[If you truly produce an S-Rank item, I'll gift you one of my personal collection pieces.]
He gestured to an object on a table beside him, covered in black velvet cloth. An assistant pulled the cloth away at his signal.
A multi-layered glass case. Inside gleamed a golden chalice.
[The 'Eternal Chalice'. An S-Rank material item.]
An S-Rank material item. Something impossible to obtain easily.
[Ghost. If you truly exist, step into the sunlight.]
With that, the video cut off.
Silence filled the car. I stared at my darkened phone screen for a long while.
Ghost? Me?
Calling me—a perfect, mighty Gold Dragon—a mere fake conjured by the government?
"Ha, unbelievable."
I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Il-ho, sitting beside me, seemed displeased too. Her tail was thumping irritably against the seat: thwap, thwap.
She pulled out her whiteboard, scribbled furiously, and showed it to me.
— Should we hunt him?
"Yeah, Il-ho. That guy's a total jerk, right? Doubting people without cause."
I stroked her head as I spoke.
"But we don't need to kill him."
More than anger, what burned hotter was my competitive spirit—and my greed.
"I'll win for sure."
A gleaming golden S-Rank item. Between Midas and me, obviously I was the one who suited that gold better. And I wanted to prove it.
"Miss So-jeong. Please tell Director Joo that I'll accept Midas's challenge."
"...Understood."
She immediately started making a call somewhere.
Midas, Arthur Miller.
World's top creator? The greatest creator to make an S-Rank weapon?
Sorry, but he'd have to relinquish that title now.
If he was staking an S-Rank material, all I had to do was demonstrate SSS-Rank skill.
Not long after arriving home, a call came from the Director.
"Awakener Lee Da-yoon. Are you really planning to accept the challenge?"
"Yes. Time to show them what we're made of."
"Show them? Absolutely not!"
Director Joo Deok-hwan's urgent voice exploded through the phone.
"This is a trap. America's ploy to uncover your identity using the S-Rank material as bait."
"So what if it's a ploy? They're offering real S-Rank materials."
"Exposing a national top-secret like your existence just to take it is insane. It's a loss for the country."
"Still, I can't just sit here while they call me a ghost."
"It's just petty trash talk. No need to pay it any mind."
Of course, I'd expected this reaction. But I wasn't unprepared.
"Don't worry. I've got a plan."