Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Their Respective Magical Fights
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Sora and Taishi quickly picked up the pace.
"Taishi, can you run? Won't it strain your injured arm from earlier?"
"No problem. It's already healed."
"That's a relief."
Their goal was obvious, of course. Just one thing.
"Then let's speed up a bit more."
"Got it."
To find the monster that had cast the Magical Hypnosis Curse on Ray and lift the curse.
Here's what had happened.
Kim Siyul's Magical red potion had been so potent that it actually strengthened Ray's Magical Hypnosis Curse even further.
At that moment, Kim Siyul suddenly made a proposal.
— "I'll handle holding that one down somehow, so you two take care of that monster bastard in the meantime."
He meant splitting their roles in two.
One side to restrain Ray.
The other to fight the monster.
Here, Kim Siyul took the former, while Sora and Taishi handled the latter.
However, Taishi seemed inwardly worried about leaving Kim Siyul alone, letting out a voice full of concern.
"By the way, is this really okay? An inferior species is just a regular inferior species."
"True, but we have no choice."
Indeed, there was no choice.
To lift the Magical Curse, they had to fight the monster, but the damn thing flew through the air.
Meanwhile, what about Kim Siyul?
"Senior can't do anything to the monster."
"Well, that's true."
He couldn't even fly, let alone use magic.
Getting close to the monster was impossible in the first place. Even if he barely managed it, he wouldn't land any meaningful Magical hits.
No one expected much from a regular human anyway.
Of course, Sora and Taishi couldn't fly either.
Still, their conditions were better than Kim Siyul's.
They had their own ranged Magical means, and especially Taishi's magic held an overwhelming advantage against Magical Curses.
So naturally, Kim Siyul ended up taking the role of holding out against Ray.
'He said himself that suited him better anyway...'
Well, he must have some ace up his sleeve. Considering the Magical feats he'd shown before, he probably had another trick prepared.
And.
— "Don't worry. I won't die."
Kim Siyul brushed off Sora's concerns.
— "I'm the Hero, after all."
Uttering that fictional title again.
So, it should be fine. Thinking that, Sora pushed aside Taishi's worries.
"He'll be okay. Senior doesn't die that easily. He's pretty good at dodging."
"True, he's like a Magical cockroach. Feels like he'll survive anywhere."
Of course, there was the option for all three to hold out until the other Magical Girls dealt with the monster.
That was definitely the rational choice.
The other Magical Girls could handle the monster, and now there was no more chain of Magical hostages holding them back.
But Kim Siyul rejected that option.
— "That monster... could we capture it alive if possible? Just make the curse lift by knocking it out or something."
Because of the reason to capture the monster alive.
Well, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. While killing monsters was the standard, there were cases of Magical captures.
Moreover, this target was a talking monster.
It wouldn't be easy given its intelligence, but considering they could extract information through various Magical means, the gains outweighed the risks.
— "There's something I want to ask it."
In fact, that's the reason Kim Siyul had asked.
Sora didn't know what exactly he was curious about that he wanted to interrogate the monster. But she didn't feel the need to pry.
It was because Kim Siyul's vibe had been off.
'Something...'
He was scary. Sora shuddered without realizing it.
It was just for a brief moment, but that Kim Siyul wasn't the one Sora knew.
It felt like staring at a sharply honed blade.
So Sora didn't ask.
She just thought, I see, and let it go.
As an aside, Sora's precarious mana levels also lent weight to Kim Siyul's proposal.
Right then, Taishi pointed it out.
"By the way, are you feeling better now? You looked serious earlier, like the inferior species said."
"I'm fine. I've recovered a lot."
No matter that it was chantless magic, it was still magic. She could feel her mana depleting rapidly each time she blocked a spell.
'Defense magic consumes a ton anyway...'
Honestly, even Sora hadn't been confident back then.
How long she could hold out.
Fortunately, Kim Siyul seemed to have considered Sora's limits to some extent. It was a guess, but close to certainty.
He kept asking about her condition mid-conversation. If she looked pale, he'd check if she was okay.
'He's thoughtful about stuff like this, which I'm grateful for...'
He seemed like someone who lived without a care, yet he had surprisingly thorough sides. Sharp eyes.
Another reason he reminded her of her sister.
He was definitely likable.
'No, but that lunatic actually...!'
Well, likable in other senses too.
Anyway.
In the end, Sora and Taishi were now searching for the monster.
To capture it and lift the curse on Ray at the same time.
Of course, they didn't forget to ask the other Magical Girls for help first.
"Only one monster left that's casting Magical Curses, and it's a talking one?"
"Yes. So if possible, I'd like to request a Magical capture. We might learn info we didn't know."
"Got it. Yeah, capture makes sense here."
She explained as briefly as possible, but the Magical Girls readily agreed to help.
However.
"But jumping straight into Magical support might be tough."
"Why is that?"
Quick reinforcements seemed unlikely.
"Since it's a special monster capture, we need to prepare Magical capture wands separately. And we don't have them on hand right now."
"I see..."
"Capture's possible without them, but with unknowns, better safe. I'll grab them as fast as I can."
The first reason: full Magical prep for such a foe.
"Plus, some latent curses activated later, and suddenly too many Magical Girls are combat-incapable."
"I see..."
"Honestly, with current numbers, even just fetching the wands is tight. Without them, reorganizing takes time too."
Short-staffed was the second reason.
In other words, available Magical manpower right now was just Taishi and Sora.
Their decision was swift.
"Guess we have to handle it with just us two."
"The girl thinks so too."
Both had half-expected it.
"Honestly, the girl's worried. The inferior species won't last long."
"Well, he won't drop immediately. But against a Magical Girl..."
Even Kim Siyul couldn't stall Ray forever.
"Especially stamina'll be an issue. Black-haired inferior species aren't Magical Girls."
"No helping it."
They couldn't just wait for the Magical Girls' prep while uncertain of Kim Siyul's survival.
"And that Magical officer seems set on capture. Looks like she's using it as an excuse."
"Probably for Magical achievements. Special monsters score high. Should've just asked for help without the pretext."
Plus, they couldn't fully trust Magical Girls blinded by achievements.
So.
They had to risk it and capture the monster fast to lift the curse.
To boost Kim Siyul's survival odds and prevent Ray from unwanted kills.
To avert an unacceptable Magical tragedy.
"Even if the inferior Retriever kills the inferior species, Magical self-defense would probably apply."
"Uh, well..."
Well, whether it was tragedy or justice needed deeper thought.
Anyway.
How long had Sora and Taishi been running? They finally spotted the monster.
In the air, quite a distance from the building where Kim Siyul and Ray faced off.
There it floated leisurely.
"Taishi, see it?"
"Yes, the girl sees it too."
Coincidentally, the monster seemed to notice Sora and Taishi as well. Its grotesquely wide grin, visible even from afar, was proof.
Couldn't hear what it said, but it felt like the monster was saying,
You've come at last.
That vibe hit her faintly.
Sora gripped her wand tighter.
"Let's go!"
"Got it!"
Sora and Taishi charged at the monster. The Magical Girls' leg strength pounded the ground with heavy thuds.
In response, the monster's form began to change.
From a tiny dot.
To a faint silhouette.
Then, sharply into view.
"I'll finish you two off quickly too."
The monster raised both hands. Gray mist began whipping up fiercely.
The curse manifesting.
"Bloom!"
⟨ Lotus Bloom ⟩
Taishi swung her stone staff-shaped wand.
The manifested magic erased the gray Magical mist, blooming countless Magical lotuses.
"Tch. Annoying since earlier."
The monster voiced its blatant displeasure. But Taishi and Sora ignored it completely.
"Now!"
"Got it, Taishi!"
They just exchanged a brief signal.
Through the scattering Magical lotuses, Sora dashed forward, swinging her gohei wand.
From above to below, fiercely.
"May fire descend!"
A streak of blue flame plunged from the sky toward the monster. Unfortunately, the spell merely grazed it.
But Sora didn't falter. She simply prepared another spell.
'Sister, and senior. Please be safe.'
Wishing Ray and Kim Siyul unharmed.
And at that moment.
Kim Siyul was facing off against Ray.
More like a Magical stalemate than a direct clash. The surroundings were a mess, like after a Magical storm.
In the space still rippling with aftereffects, Kim Siyul stood before Ray, breathing raggedly.
"Ha."
With his mangled hand, fingers mostly gone, twisted and broken, practically just flesh now.
"The hero's fucked, shit."
Clutching his guts to keep them from spilling.