Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Story of Two Magical Girls
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"Haah..."
A thick sigh echoed through the room.
"Soa, enough with the sighing already."
Even with Lee Seobin's Magical scolding, Jin Soa's expression showed no sign of improving.
"But... I'm worried about everyone."
"Because you're not there?"
"Yeah. Why'd they have to schedule a meeting right now of all times?"
Because of an urgent meeting, unlike before, she had no choice but to sit out this Magical operation.
That was why Jin Soa kept sighing.
"And yet nothing important even came up..."
"Right? Why do something that could've waited till later today of all days? Soa, hear anything?"
"No, I only found out today too."
In reality, it was just a Magical meeting utterly devoid of any nutritional value.
Thanks to that, Jin Soa had been showing her unease from before the meeting started right up until now.
"Maybe I should go join them even if it's late?"
She was even offering to join late.
"Nah, they'll be fine. They even added extra personnel just in case, so don't worry too much."
"Still, I wanted to take down those fucking bastards myself."
She had her own personal grudge too.
Watching Jin Soa fidget restlessly, Lee Seobin grinned.
"Love sure is something. You've never fretted over anyone like this before. Right?"
"W-What are you talking about? I'm not worried about Siyul at all! It's the Magical Girls I'm worried about!"
"Oh? I never mentioned Siyul."
"Huh? N-No, I mean...! Ugh, whatever!"
Jin Soa fumbled through her words.
Lee Seobin put on a deliberately hurt expression.
"So you weren't worried about Siyul at all? You pulled him to the rear just to ditch him? Poor Siyul."
"T-That's not it. I was a little worried, but... anyway!"
Lee Seobin flashed a mischievous smile at Jin Soa's flustered state.
"Who would've thought? Our Soa, all worked up over someone she was growling at in the beginning."
"T-That was... yeah..."
Jin Soa reluctantly nodded.
Indeed, Jin Soa and Kim Siyul's first Magical encounter couldn't even be called amicable in empty words.
At the time, Jin Soa had unleashed her full Magical fury on Kim Siyul. Specifically, because of his comment about seeing her grandmother having sex.
If Kim Siyul had actually said he'd slept with them, Jin Soa would've killed him on the spot.
Well, she had no choice.
Jin Soa had thought the grandmother Kim Siyul mentioned was a Magical Girl.
The very existence she hated most.
"I get it. If you think he got tangled up with those fucking bastards, of course you'd react like that."
"Seobin, you're swearing up a storm too."
"I was a victim too, you know."
Of course, Lee Seobin despised them just as much.
"It's true that not everything about all women awakening as Magical Girls is a good thing."
Just as Lee Seobin said.
It was a problem stemming from every woman being a Magical Girl.
Jin Soa nodded.
"Yeah."
Upon awakening as a Magical Girl, the body transforms into the optimal form for wielding magic power and becomes fixed that way.
Naturally, appearance also shifts to the most beautiful version suited to that transformed body. Though there are individual differences.
In short, Magical Girls simply don't age.
Their lifespan greatly increases compared to ordinary people, and they gain maximum Magical immunity to various Magical diseases.
It was truly a Magical miracle. Their physical prime lasted until death.
However.
This only applied while they were Magical Girls.
If a Magical Girl submits her personal magic wand to the Magical Association and retires, all those benefits vanish.
Of course, this Magical regulation wasn't arbitrary. There was a Magical justification to prevent abuse in Magical crimes. And there were plenty of actual Magical cases.
But.
"Seobin, retiring doesn't require submitting the magic wand solely because of the risks, right?"
"Of course not. But don't go blabbing elsewhere. I'm only telling you because it's you, Soa."
The real reason for the regulation was something else.
The sole Magical purpose: to keep Magical Girls from retiring and ensure they stayed active as Magical Girls.
Once they were no longer Magical Girls, Magical aging was inevitable no matter what.
In other words: stay a Magical Girl or age gracefully into death.
"I figured as much. Retire, and even if your body stays the same, your looks and lifespan eventually revert to your actual age. I only learned recently from some friends."
"I actually wanted to change the regulation, but there were too many issues. Couldn't touch it."
"It's fine. I know how hard you work."
Thus, Magical Girls who retired had few ways to avoid Magical aging.
Only three.
Wait until the unprecedented Magical mandatory retirement age and get permission to keep their personal magic wand.
Or achieve feats on par with history's strongest Magical Girl for an honorable Magical discharge.
Or.
Flee without submitting the magic wand.
The third was mostly chosen by the elderly. They didn't want to fight as Magical Girls anymore but craved the benefits out of simple selfishness.
It was a no-lose gamble for them.
A life with little time left anyway. Better to go out swinging than submit the wand and wither away pathetically before dying soon after.
Fail and die, succeed and gain eternal youth.
"People should age gracefully, not pull that shit, those fucking bastards."
"Couldn't agree more, Soa."
That was how Magical felons were born.
Of course, not all elderly did it. Far more willingly sacrificed for younger Magical Girls.
Conversely, some young Magical Girls pulled the same stunt.
All driven by pathetic desires to escape their dutiful Magical obligations.
"So many good people, yet why do we all suffer because of a tiny fraction of fucking bastards?"
"Tell me about it, Soa."
In the end, it was the fault of a few.
Naturally, Magical Girls stepped up to apprehend them, catching most.
But there were Magical casualties in the process.
Not figuratively.
Literally.
During the Magical apprehensions, the targets went berserk with magic, injuring most Magical Girls big and small.
Some even died.
"Seobin, you're all healed from back then, right?"
"No problem. Fully recovered, obviously."
Lee Seobin waved it off casually, but she had been one of the severely injured Magical Girls at the time.
Her Magical aftereffects were so bad she nearly miscarried.
That was how much innocent Magical blood was spilled by the majority of Magical Girls.
All because of a few Magical egoists.
"Still disappointing we didn't catch them all."
Even so, some Magical felons escaped the Magical Girls' encirclement.
"Sorry, Seobin. I should've done better."
"Why apologize? It's not your fault, dummy."
"But..."
"Drop it. Water under the bridge."
Of course, the Magical Association didn't just sit idle. They took their own Magical measures.
Magical organizations might be pathetic at large scales, but their collective power wasn't something an individual could ignore.
They couldn't freeze Magical bank accounts, but they made normal Magical economic activity practically impossible.
In the end, the Magical felons who stole wands and went into hiding had two choices to survive.
Work at a Magical brothel.
Or upload videos to Magical OnlyFans.
Either way, they were selling their bodies.
That was why Jin Soa had been truly furious at Kim Siyul.
Why else would those damn bastards who deserved to be torn apart still be alive?
Obviously because people kept giving them money. Morons blinded by appearances, seeking to satisfy their Magical lust.
Where there's Magical demand, supply persists.
"This should be the last time. Right, Soa?"
"I hope so."
Of course, for an outlier powerhouse like Jin Soa, it hardly mattered.
Who would dare take her personal magic wand just because she decided to keep it?
It was the same Magical logic as no rat daring to bell the fierce cat.
"But Soa, aren't you eligible for honorable discharge? I think so, at least."
"Yeah. It's come up a few times before."
Jin Soa had the qualifications to apply for Magical honorable retirement right now.
"Then why are you still sticking around?"
"Well..."
Simply put, two reasons kept Jin Soa from retiring. Closer to her being unable to retire.
Her inherently kind Magical nature.
"Worried the others will struggle without you?"
"No, well... kinda..."
"Not that, then..."
And.
"You're staying because you still haven't found it, right?"
"...Yeah."
She still hadn't found the 'unusual' Monster that attacked her sister.
The nation drove her sister to Magical ruin.
But the 'unusual' Monster turned her into a living Magical corpse.
That was why Jin Soa hadn't retired.
Staying a Magical Girl even slightly increased her chances of finding that 'unusual' Monster.
She could wield more Magical influence as an active Magical Girl than after retirement.
And.
"I'll kill it..."
It made Magical vengeance a bit easier.
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence descended.
To lighten the suddenly somber mood, Lee Seobin smiled faintly and clapped her hands.
"A-Anyway, glad the misunderstanding with Kim Siyul got cleared up. Thought it was gonna be a disaster back then."
But Jin Soa didn't smile.
Instead, she spat out her confusion unfiltered.
"But that still doesn't make sense. Who goes looking for some naked grandma they don't even know isn't a Magical Girl? Isn't that just insane?"
"True..."
Lee Seobin trailed off for a moment, then forced a smile to continue. Though she couldn't stop her lips from twitching.
"B-But he didn't see it on purpose, right?"
"Who shows off something that fucked up on purpose? And where could you even see something like that? A dumpster? Actual hell?"
"Yeah... point taken."
The two Magical Girls fell silent, lost in endless Magical chaos.
At that moment, Jin Soa slowly opened her mouth.
"Anyway, I hope everyone's safe. Siyul too, obviously."
"Soa, is that all?"
"If I had to add one more..."
Jin Soa trailed off slightly, then continued slowly.
"I hope Kim Siyul doesn't get seduced by those fucking bastards and sleep with them."
"Why worry about that? No way it'll happen."
"Really?"
"Of course. You don't trust me?"
"Of course not."
And so, two Magical flowers of laughter quietly bloomed in the barren room.
But even those two Magical Girls didn't know.
That Jin Soa's worry was unexpectedly valid.
Because right now, Kim Siyul was moments away from entangling with the Magical felons.
Just.
"Ah, fuck."
The direction was off. That's all.