Chapter 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Interlude - Each One's Story
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mom, Dad.
I hope you've been well.
It's Siyul.
You must be wondering what the hell this is, some punk who never even calls suddenly sending a letter. Honestly, I feel a bit shameless about it myself.
Actually, I'm not even sure if writing this letter is the right thing to do. I don't even know if you're alive or dead.
Anyway, on my way to base, they suddenly told me to write a letter to my parents, so here I am. Figured I'd at least say hi.
Yeah, I'm in a car right now. A police car.
Writing this is fucking hard.
Handcuffs aren't helping, either.
At least the cake is good. No way that asshole actually bought it for me.
You'll probably say, "A letter out of nowhere, and what the hell is this about a police car and handcuffs? And cake?"
I get it. Honestly, even I think this whole thing is bullshit.
No, everything is bullshit.
Graduate high school, go into the army, get discharged, and suddenly get dragged to another world.
Go through hell there, come back, and now I'm a deserter.
And now they want me to be a Magical Girl.
Believe it? Yeah, no, you probably don't.
Me neither. What the fuck is life?
And everyone's calling it "Magical." What the hell is this Magical crap anyway?
Anyway.
Still, after ten years in that other world, I finally got that stable job you always wanted for me.
Judge? Nope.
Prosecutor? Close, but not quite.
Doctor? I healed my own body before, but no.
So what is it?
A job where you wield a sword, but barely survive on ridiculous life force.
Yeah, I was a Hero.
Not like in those typical novels where you suddenly become a Hero with otherworld perks and go on a rampage invincible. Nothing like that.
Truth is, I wasn't a Hero from the start.
I won't go into details here. Save it for when we meet. Paper's running out anyway.
Anyway, right now, I'm a Magical Girl.
I didn't change gender or put on a Magical Girl outfit, but apparently that's what I am. If you're alive, you'd know better than me.
From here on, it's what they told me to write.
My time as a Magical Girl lasts until I get my Magical Private First Class rank. After that, unless I go for Magical Corporal, I'm discharged.
On paper, I'm a deserter, so I guess I have to serve the rest somehow.
What, it's just a Private First Class, Magical or not.
Yeah, back to the army. Fuck.
You might say Magical Girls aren't the army, but it sure as hell is. They said I'm stuck for two years straight.
Like the old air force. Some Magical Girls fight in the sky, so it's not totally wrong.
At least leave is generous, but if I can't go home, it's the army. Not that I have a home.
Anyway.
Discharge when I hit Magical Private First Class. The good news is, even without it, two years and they let me go.
If I want out early, rack up merits like the Magical Girls and promote.
It's not like the old days, hunting defectors or rebels.
Simple: kill a bunch of Monsters, same as Magical Girls. Just heard this myself.
Of course, no plans to rush out blindly.
What can a useless guy like me do?
So, I'll just hang in there moderately until I can leave.
Won't be easy. Two long years. Lots of leave, but that means hanging with Magical Girls even more.
Bound to cause friction. We're so different.
But don't worry too much.
Who am I?
Not F-grade, a solid 'A-rank.'
Piece of cake for me. Still pisses me off, but whatever. I'll coast until discharge time.
Plus, I said I'd cause trouble, but would I really?
I'm the most well-behaved A-rank there is.
Anyway, I'll visit after discharge.
Or before, if possible.
So, please be alive. I have so much to say.
Honestly, dissing dead parents feels kinda shitty.
Great for roast battles, but still.
Anyway, that's it. No more space, and looks like we're here.
Gonna end it here.
Take care.
Hope we meet someday.
— Kim Siyul, A-rank Magical Girl (not F-grade).
P.S.: Remember when I said to take the house deposit and buy No□pia stock? You beat the crap out of me.
Why'd you do that?
I was showing you the path to success.
Learn stocks from me.
"Haa."
The Magical Nurse let out a deep sigh.
"Life's a bitch."
It had been one hell of a chaotic day.
Off-duty, but suddenly called in for a Magical aptitude test. And the subject? Not a woman—a man.
Utterly incomprehensible, but what could she do? Nurses do as they're told.
However.
Something even more baffling was right in front of her now.
She'd glanced at it earlier, but looking again, it made even less sense.
It was the result of the Magical aptitude scanner.
'What the hell?'
The result itself wasn't completely off.
Mana centered precisely where the heart is.
But nothing else. No spread.
Standard male mana observation.
Females are different. Mana radiates from the heart throughout the body.
Like Magical blood vessels. Flowing with mana instead of blood.
That's why men can't manipulate mana.
Obvious logic. Even if a Magical car is full of Magical fuel, if the roads are blocked, it ain't going anywhere.
Mana's there, but meaningless.
No pathways for it.
Women, on the other hand, can wield it freely.
'Assuming they're Magical Girls.'
They reinforce their bodies with mana or channel it through personal magic wands at extremities to cast spells.
Excluding Magical Girls, only one other type distributes and uses mana like that.
Monsters.
Unlike Magical Girls, Monsters don't need wands, but their spells lack the power.
Anyway.
'Not the point.'
This Kim Siyul guy's results matched a typical male's perfectly.
Except for two bizarre things.
First, the sheer volume of mana.
Impossible to mistake for a normal person's.
If innate...
'What a waste.'
Truly regrettable. Sincere.
If Kim Siyul were female, he'd be a Magical powerhouse, sooner or later.
On par with today's top Magical Girl consultant.
Makes sense.
Mana is magic's base resource.
Efficiency varies, but more mana means stronger, more frequent spells.
But.
Impossible, but if acquired...
'Is that even possible?'
Hard to believe.
Ways to boost mana exist: intense emotions, enlightenment, Magical elixirs.
Applies to all genders.
But the fastest, most effective method is different.
'Dying and coming back, probably.'
Experiencing Magical near-death.
Vague, but proven by countless cases.
Surviving Magical Girls from Monster invasions have more mana than recent awakenings.
But.
For a non-Magical Girl civilian to reach this level?
A few brushes with death? No way.
'At least...'
Double digits minimum.
No, triple.
Even that was doubtful.
Living with death as a constant companion, every moment.
'What the...'
Has he been through? Unimaginable for a mere nurse.
Yet, something even stranger.
'Color's one thing, but the shape?'
Mana color and form vary per person, affecting women most.
Visible Magical changes from mana: hair color and body form.
Mana spreads body-wide, dyeing hair its color.
Body optimizes for mana use. Not as extreme as transformation, but overall enhanced.
Transformation also influences: spell color and type.
Example: top Magical Girl's mana is white sun-shaped.
Her unique magic: White Sun.
She just punches Monsters to death now, but that's magic too, right?
'Spells trigger Magical disaster alerts...'
But.
This mana color and shape? Unprecedented in her long nursing career.
Nearly a white circle, but not quite pure.
Two anomalies.
First: outer edge crushed, bound by string-like things.
Second: irregular border. Jagged in spots, smooth others. Black spots inside. Third shadowed, like eclipsed.
To her experienced eye, it looked like trauma in recovery.
'Eaten away,' regrowing fresh.
'Something.'
Magical injury?
Fleeting thought.
'Nah, no way.'
Absurd.
Mana isn't physical; can't be wounded.
Even if body parts lost or devoured, mana unchanged.
No being has ever consumed mana. Human or Monster.
Absolute. Mana's fully analyzed.
"Hoo..."
The Magical Nurse sighed, pondering.
Her first order on Magical duty: subject is a hardcore 12-year deserter.
Record any anomalies as 'none.'
No matter what he says.
What results show.
But.
'Is that right?'
Far from normal.
Vast mana.
Freakish form.
Passing it off felt wrong.
'Better to...'
Flag it separately. Kim Siyul reeked of Magical otherness.
She hesitated.
Record 'none'? Report up?
Decision quick.
'Not my problem.'
Reporting means grilling from brass.
Already dragged in off-duty; no need for extra hassle.
Not reporting: straight home.
More sleep time.
'Night shift soon...'
If blamed later, she followed orders. What more from one nurse?
'Fire me if you hate it, assholes.'
She typed indifferently.
Special Notes: None.
Nothing mattered more than clocking out Magical-fast.