Faith
"...Is she asleep?"
"Meong! Looks like it, meong!"
I gave her a gentle pat one last time. Jeong Hanbyeol's head felt satisfying under my hand, just like any magical girl's did. There was something addictive about stroking their hair.
She seemed to like it too—her face lit up with a happy smile even in her sleep.
And—
'Good thing I made it in time.'
She didn't look badly hurt. No civilian casualties nearby either, so Kkamang must've handled things pretty well.
"...Kkamang, you around?"
"Nyang... you got here quick, nyang..."
In response to my call, a black shadow slithered up from the ground. Exhausted, Kkamang was sprawled out with its tongue lolling.
"I ran at full speed, you know?"
"Nyang... I worked my tail off today, so you gotta reward me big time, nyang..."
"...Yeah, good job. I'll up your limit, spend as much as you want."
"Nyaaang~"
I patted the hardworking Kkamang. It'd been a while since it got some real action, so this was pocket change.
Kwaaang!
Right on cue, a massive explosion rocked the distance. Looked like that thing was finally coming to.
-Kiiiiieeeek—!
Furious, it let out an ear-splitting screech. I immediately drew up my magic power.
"Shut it."
———!!
Its mouth snapped shut instantly.
...Did it even have a mouth to begin with? Whatever, it was quiet now, so that was fine.
'Trying to wake up our little chick while she's sleeping.'
Kids needed their sleep to grow tall. Especially magical girls.
Sleep was the best stress relief there was.
"Meong! Should I help too, meong?"
"Nah, Nureong-i. You're still hurt—no need to push it. Just rest easy~"
"Meong... Got it, Seol-hyun-nim!"
I stood, stretched, and spotted the monster charging in fast from afar, all hyped up.
'...Yeah, it does look weaker than in the original.'
Probably fallout from crossing over through the rift way too early in the timeline.
...It ignored everything else, but causality was crystal clear on stuff like this. What a world I hated.
——!
———!!
It unleashed a silent roar and swung its arm wildly.
Whoosh—Kang!
I raised my hand and blocked the blade hurtling toward my neck.
'Speed's still pretty threatening, though.'
This wasn't your average grade-2 rift spawn. Not even for a singleton from a double rift.
It'd been a while since I'd seen a monster this level.
"...Still disappointing, though. Was my bar set too high?"
———!!!
Kang! Kaang!
Its relentless barrage poured in. Yawning, I parried everything with one hand.
"Now, get lost."
——?!
Thwuck—!
I kicked it away, sending it flying far off. A dust cloud billowed where it crashed.
"...Way more anticlimactic than I thought."
"Nyang... how many opponents have ever even made you break a sweat, nyang..."
"Still, that thing's supposed to be pretty strong in the original."
It was the final boss of the first episode in part 2. Stronger than the protagonist at the end of part 1, so it matched.
Compared to that, this was basically a newborn.
"Isn't that better, nyang? You handle it, done and dusted, nyang."
"Right, meong!"
"Eh..."
If it were that simple, how nice. The world twisting causality just to pull this off wasn't a good sign.
Time to rethink things.
Like with all the villains I'd killed before.
Was it right for me to handle the entire accelerated part-2 plot myself?
'...This was supposed to be the trial for the protagonist and the other magical girls.'
Magical girls screwed by the world's bullshit would face countless incidents ahead.
Me babysitting them 24/7 forever? That didn't make sense.
What if I died? What if this happened after part 2?
Killing part-1 villains was unavoidable. I had to survive, and they'd already massacred people way ahead of schedule.
Waiting for the original timeline wasn't an option for me.
But now? Different story.
These two incidents made me think a lot. Time for a mindset shift.
'...At least.'
Let the protagonist and others handle what they could endure. I'd stand by.
...I'd arrived a bit early earlier but waited till Hanbyeol was on death's door before stepping in.
Every step was a stepping stone for the protagonist's growth.
'Feels kinda guilty...'
I wanted to make it so she never needed saving.
...I wanted to, desperately.
But knowing why this world obsessed over magical girls, optimism escaped me.
"Still, I can pull some strings..."
"What kinda strings, nyang?"
"Y'know, senior stuff. Like I've been doing."
Offer some guidance. Safer battlefields. Secretly protect civilians.
I could be the safety net.
What broke them wasn't their pain—it was others dying.
So if I covered that...?
'...Huh. Thinking