Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Magical Mock Battle (2)
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"Do you remember?"
Those words suddenly brought it back to mind.
The messy-haired Magical Girl's earlier remark.
Unless you're someone truly close to her, don't bother with half-hearted kindness—just get lost.
Otherwise, you'd pay the price.
"It won't end as anticlimactically as last time."
She must be here now to collect that price.
And sure enough, behind this Magical Girl stood the exact three who'd been bullying Octopus before.
In other words, they'd been tormenting her on a dorm-wide scale.
The more I saw, the more repulsive it got.
"If you refuse, it doesn't matter. If the Magical slot gets pushed back, we can just wait until you accept."
She even drove the wedge in deeper.
She wouldn't let me dodge the mock battle no matter what.
"Accepting right now would be your best bet. At least you won't waste Magical time."
Sora and Whitey looked pretty flustered, clearly caught off guard by this turn.
"Senior, what happened? Why are they suddenly challenging us to a Magical mock battle? Higher ranks never challenge lower ones like this."
"Cancel it! Their Magical matchup is total shit! Fuck! They're all Magical pushovers!"
It was a perfectly understandable reaction.
Unlike us, all of them were at least Magical Corporal or higher.
Even if Magical Girl ranks weren't an absolute measure of strength, it still meant they had solid records and experience.
In short, there was a gap.
And now, Magical Girls with that gap were challenging us—more precisely, me—to a mock battle.
Just because I'd tried to help Octopus.
"What will you do?"
A threat disguised as a question.
"If you're still against it, we could recreate the situation from before. Though it won't end as nicely this time."
No, correction.
It was blatant blackmail.
Instead of answering, I silently turned to Octopus.
"……."
She hung her head, her face on the verge of tears.
Even after all this time, the nightmare from back then must have flashed vividly in her mind.
In that moment, her image overlapped with another.
The girl who'd started sobbing sadly as memories of rejection by everyone resurfaced.
Ignoring Octopus in this situation felt like it would shake the promise I'd made with her.
The precious promise that she'd become a Hero.
So, there was only one thing left to do.
Draw my sword. To remain a Hero.
"Have you decided?"
The Magical Girl pressed me again.
"Yeah. That's what you wanted."
"Good."
Whitey and Sora, sensing something off about how this was unfolding, urgently called out to me.
"Cancel it now! We haven't started yet, so it's fine! Wait for me—I'll do great!"
"Senior! If we're doing this, let me go first! I at least have a shot with my Magical!"
"Nah. They're fucked anyway."
I waved them off casually and stepped into the mock battle room.
"No way we'll lose, so set it to 'win' con."
"Senior! Saying that these days actually jinxes it!!!"
"Quit watching those damn Magical fails, you idiot!!!"
I left Whitey and Sora's shouts behind.
It felt like about two minutes of waiting.
"You're not surprised at all, surprisingly."
The messy-haired Magical Girl slowly appeared across from me.
"What about?"
"Why the Magical condition setup screen isn't popping up after entering the mock room. Why there's nothing inside. Why the Magical senses feel so hyper-realistic."
Well, I hadn't thought it was completely normal.
The sign outside said you could set conditions from inside, with example pics, but once I entered, nothing showed up.
An empty white space.
That was all I saw.
Plus, even though it was supposed to be virtual, the sensations were too sharp, which made me wonder a bit.
I'd just figured it was my first time in a mock room, so maybe loading was slow. But apparently not.
So.
"What did you do?"
She must've pulled some trick.
"We just picked the Magical conditions for you since it seemed like you'd have trouble choosing."
As if confirming my guess, the messy-haired Magical Girl nodded.
I didn't know how, but selecting someone else's conditions too? This bitch would eat both chicken legs if she had 'em.
Then a thought hit me.
She'd just said "we," hadn't she?
"So you did bring backup, you bitch."
"Well, yeah."
No sooner had the messy-haired Magical Girl finished than three more figures appeared behind her.
Each reminiscent of a hawk, a horse, and a squirrel.
"Not even surprised? Lame."
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
"She's a normie anyway, so it'll end quick."
I wasn't shocked or anything.
I'd half-expected this.
The reason was simple: bullies who ganged up on people didn't strike me as the fair one-on-one type.
Whether in another world or here, scum thought and acted the same. So this wasn't that shocking.
If anything, it was mildly surprising they'd come in a group knowing they'd get reported later.
But one thing I hadn't anticipated.
"Transform."
"Transform!"
"Transform."
"Transform!!!"
Was their transformation.
Not the act itself.
"……Hey."
"Yes?"
Their outfits were all armor.
True to Magical Girl form, plenty of skin showed, but key areas were decently protected.
And their magic wands had turned into matching weapons.
Longsword, shortsword, spear, blunt weapon.
In that instant, déjà vu hit again.
Even grosser this time.
"Those outfits—knights?"
"Yes, as you see."
That explained it.
Why I'd instinctively loathed this messy-haired Magical Girl who used honorifics.
They were the same.
Identical.
To the knight captain I'd seen in that other world.
The one hailed as noble had refused a girl's desperate plea to kill the Demon King.
Politely, with extreme honorifics. But no order, so impossible—insisting on formal requests, droning on with textbook bullshit.
Yet after I killed the Demon King, he'd finally hauled his ass over.
Of course, to kill me.
─ "Villain who dares call yourself a Hero."
─ "How many innocents have you made weep and toy with that filthy tongue? How much innocent blood stains those hands?"
─ "Thus, I shall end this evil here and now."
─ "Remember this. It will be the last name you hear."
─ "My name is Knight."
Disgusting.
That knight captain hadn't budged for the girl's plea, but rushed faster than anyone once I was marked a criminal.
I'd been furious. He was nothing like the knights I knew.
What was a knight, anyway?
From the weak's view, through the weak's eyes—beholding the frail like them.
For the justice they must protect, for good deeds, nobly wielding the sword.
Knight's don't draw blades for grand reasons.
Not for valor, strength, or superiority.
Simply.
Because it's right.
Just.
Obvious.
That's all.
Thus, a knight's name is Knight.
Having cast aside their own, just one knight.
That's the knight from novels I knew.
I admired and revered their romance. Knowing I could never be one.
But.
That other world had not a single noble knight like in stories.
And neither did this world.
These Magical Girls called themselves knights, yet differed utterly from novel knights.
Though, judging by her earlier words, I could somewhat understand.
─ "Living like that just tires you out. Who appreciates unasked good deeds?"
She'd probably been hurt by people scorning her kindness to the weak and twisted from it.
Plausible. Good souls disillusioned by humanity often fall.
But I couldn't accept it.
Drawing the sword for the weak doesn't always end beautifully.
Not all weak are good.
So some deem such acts failures.
Knights too.
Even knights are mere humans.
They can deny inevitable failure and warp.
But.
Even so, a knight must keep drawing the sword for the weak.
Embracing failure's endurance.
Rising from despair.
One step forward again.
Novel knights always had.
At that moment, the messy-haired Magical Girl stepped forward, spinning her longsword a couple times.
"Just so you know, the Magical conditions we picked aren't anything special."
Then aimed it at me.
"Just permanent injury, unseen by all."
Private match, Magical Safety OFF.
"We won't kill you, but no guarantees. Everyone 'slips' sometimes."
In other words, this bitch planned assassination.
"What if it wasn't me who came in?"
"Wouldn't change a thing. Forgot who we usually mess with?"
Finally, the messy-haired Magical Girl spoke calmly, indifferently.
"Any last words?"
Last words.
Of course.
"Thanks."
"Pardon?"
Her face stayed the same, but doubt flickered in her eyes for the first time.
"What did you...?"
"Thanks."
That's what I'd planned anyway.
Truth was, I'd intended to pick Magical Safety OFF right after entering.
Reason was simple: end it permanently, no loose ends.
But they'd picked it for me.
Even with Private added.
Hid my skills from others unintentionally, but not bad. Actually good.
No need to show squadmates the gruesome process live.
So, truly grateful.
Meanwhile, the other three took my words as provocation, glaring with mocking sneers.
"You're so fucked now. Why thanks? Total Magical psycho?"
"Ha, no Magical sense at all."
"Hey, I go first."
The squirrel-like Magical Girl stepped up, assuming position.
"You won't even breathe against my swordsmanship?"
"Oh, getting to see that sword style again."
"Yeah, my Magical swordsmanship's kinda famous!"
She smirked.
I nodded seriously.
"Definitely. Sow Butt View Sword Style is famous."
"No! That's not it!"
"Ah, sorry. Missed the slight stance diff. Good form, girl."
"Too late for ass-kissing! You don't even know the Magical stance!"
"I do, swear on my mom."
"Spit it out!"
I beamed brightly at the fuming Magical Girl.
"It's Palace Sow Spread Legs Stance. Right?"
"You fucker!!! Swore on your mom—what kinda bullshit Magical stance is that!!!"
"Ain't one—how could it be, dumbass."
"I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
The squirrel-like Magical Girl gripped her shortsword wand and charged like lightning.
A do-or-die moment.
The oncoming Magical Girl unleashed the lightning gathered at her blade's tip with full force.
"Squirrel Thun─!"
"New Moon."
Amid the raging lightning, the moon rose.