The Golem's Secret
The security office beside the Magical Girl Association building, within Pania’s lingering magical traces. The interior was stuffed with tasteless décor—stuffed animals mounted on the walls, tiger pelts, a fireplace beneath them, and a red carpet spread across the floor. I nearly clicked my tongue but stopped myself. I hadn’t come here to critique gangsters’ tastes. I dragged a chair up to the office table and sat down. The carpet’s ability to swallow sound was the only thing I liked. At the same time, one of the thugs approached carrying a tray loaded with green-tea bags and instant-coffee mix.
“Magical girl, what would you like to drink?”
“Black tea. Not too bitter or astringent. Any variety is fine, but no tea bags. We have three minutes. No lemon, no milk—those things only ruin the aroma. And give me a cup that’s easy to hold.”
“I’m terribly sorry, but it may take some time. We haven’t prepared anything of that sort…”
“Ha. What do you mean, ‘anything of that sort’?”
“N-no! That’s not what I meant!”
When I narrowed my eyes, the thug trembled harder and bowed his head. I glanced at the clock on the wall.
“I’ll give you thirty minutes. Run.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
The gangsters scrambled out in a panic. Watching their retreating backs, I smirked, rested my elbows on the table, and propped my chin on my hands.
Truthfully, Zena’s favorite drink was cherry-flavored cola. Not black tea. Since I’d become Zena, my own palate had probably shifted the same way. Still, I’d deliberately asked for black tea—half to make these thugs suffer, because there was no chance they kept proper tea in this den, and half to maintain the image. Publicly, Zena pretended to enjoy black tea; it looked more refined. Though it felt like someone else’s story, it was mine now too. Asking for cherry cola would have seemed undignified, and I didn’t feel like doing it. In truth, the gradual transformation into Zena made me uneasy. My goal was to wear Zena’s mask and accomplish what Porim never could—not to become Zena herself. Yet watching these thugs scramble at a single word of mine, I wondered why I should keep suppressing it. I was Zena now, and Zena was me. That felt more natural. The arrogance, the refined speech, even the vanity—all of it came as easily as if it had always belonged to me. And I no longer wanted to return to the weak, pathetic Porim. There was no need to overthink it. Porim had simply become Zena. That was all.
‘Besides, I was never a real fairy to begin with.’
I was a human from another world, merely possessing a fairy’s body.
“We’re contacting Lord Gem right now. Please wait a moment.”
One of the large men who had been standing nearby spoke up. The same one I’d struck at the front gate. He’d been the first to address me back then, too. He must be their leader.
“Gem? Is he the mayor of this city? How long will I have to wait?”
The mayor of Talos City was Serafina, but I feigned ignorance and watched his reaction. The direct way to fish for information was to poke around everywhere, wasn’t it?
“No, Lord Gem is the chief of security, and the mayor is—”
“I don’t care about that. I asked how long I have to wait.”
I cut him off and pressed. The man fell silent, then bowed at the waist.
“We’ll contact him as quickly as possible.”
So there was no set time. His phrasing was impeccable. Still, I’d learned something: Gem was absent. When Pania appeared during the slum protest, he’d rushed over immediately. Was there something more important than that?
“Really? So I’m supposed to sit here like an idiot until this Gem person shows up?”
“Of course not. We’ve prepared some entertainment so you won’t be bored while waiting. Come in!”
Entertainment. They’d prepared something after all. At least their sense wasn’t completely hopeless. That thought collapsed the moment the door opened.
“Pleased to meet you! I’m Kim Seonghun. It’s an honor to attend to you, magical girl!”
“My name is Lee Seokmin. We’ll do our best to make your time enjoyable.”
I blinked, then turned to the large man.
“What are these parasites?”
“Do they not suit your taste…? If you tell us your preferences, we’ll prepare accordingly.”
“……”
Now they expected me to consort with these things. It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible—Teris was the only VIP who ever visited this city, and Teris was obsessed with gigolos. But I wasn’t Teris. Women would probably have been more effective. I waved a hand and stood.
“If it’s not too rude, may I ask where you’re going…?”
The large man grew even more tense. He must have realized my mood had soured with the gigolos’ arrival; he looked far more cautious than before.
“A walk.”
“That won’t be possible. We don’t know when Lord Gem will return… Ghhk!”
His words cut off. Five strands of magic thread had shot out and coiled around his neck.
“Khh… Why… why are you doing this?! If I misspoke, I apologize… Ack…!”
I calmly curled my index finger. The threads tightened another fraction.
‘No matter how I look at it, there aren’t many things more important than winning over a magical girl who’s entered the city.’
If it was that important, it would have reached Gem’s closest aide. The fact that he was blocking even a simple walk confirmed it. This man knew where Gem was and what he was doing. Squeeze him a little harder and the information might come out.
“Then tell me. How long do I have to wait?”
Threads strong enough to lift a boulder the size of a man’s torso. They posed no threat to a magical girl, but to a human they were lethal. A neck bone would snap with ease. Of course, this gangster didn’t know that. So I demonstrated by tightening my finger once more. The gigolos watching turned deathly pale. I smirked at their terrified faces.
“Scared of something like this? You’ll face far worse things soon enough.”
Serafina cared more about power than men, so the gigolos of this city would eventually fall into Teris’s hands, sooner or later. And the fate of any man who landed in Teris’s palm was already decided. You understand? Before a magical girl, you lot are no different from flies. This is that kind of world. So don’t dare defy one.
“Tell me. How long do I have to wait—and where that bitch Gem is and what she’s doing. Don’t even think of defying me.”
“Ugh… ugh… kuh… J-just a moment… Lord Gem is…!”
When he finally tried to speak, I loosened my finger slightly. The threads remained coiled around his neck.
“Kuk, cough…! He went to the northern district… It seems some demon remnants appeared…”
“You should have said that earlier.”
It was internal city business, so revealing it to an outsider like me must have been difficult. In that light, his silence made sense. But nothing beat violence. Besides, it wasn’t someone else’s story—I’d been in the same position before Serafina. Still, demon remnants? Wouldn’t armed humans be enough for small fry like that? Had an executive-level demon appeared? Executives and above should have been slaughtered down to their distant relatives by the magical girls. How could any still exist…?
“I’ll go meet the security chief myself. No need for an escort.”
. . .
“Still a damn city.”
Stepping out of the office, harsh sunlight beat down on my head. Corpses hung from the gallows like laundry drying on the shimmering asphalt. I’d spent quite some time in the slums, yet nothing here had changed. Beyond the well-paved road between the tall buildings, a familiar object caught my eye—a beverage vending machine. I hadn’t had anything to drink. Might as well quench my thirst. I walked over. Cherry cola sat in one corner slot. I’d considered smashing the machine, but there was no need. I sent threads from my fingers into the dispenser slot and pulled out a can. With a satisfying pop, I brought it to my lips. The carbonation scratched pleasantly down my throat, followed by the sweetness of cherry.
“Khh…”
This was it. This was a drink.
While walking and sipping, a familiar blue sign came into view.
【 From here: Serafina Memorial District 】
Serafina Memorial District, my ass. They should’ve just called it the northern district. The moment I tossed the empty can onto the pavement, vibrations traveled through the sidewalk blocks. I looked up. Between the buildings, a massive shape began to emerge.
“A golem…?”
Not a demon? I broke into a run across the blocks. What the hell was going on? It had been reported as demon remnants, yet here was something that was neither demon nor magical girl? Before long I spotted Gem confronting the golem. Should I ambush him? In a one-on-one fight it would have been impossible, but with Gem’s attention fixed on the golem, a surprise attack could put him in real danger. It was an opportunity—yet I couldn’t move. I still didn’t know where that golem had suddenly come from. Better to hide and observe for now.
The dull gray giant loomed over Gem. Up close, though, it hardly deserved to be called a golem. It looked like nothing more than several square boulders crudely stuck together.
“Damn it, where the hell did this thing come from…?!”
Beyond a collapsed building, Gem was adjusting his gauntlets. Why was he fighting alone? Where was Serafina? The answer came quickly.
‘Inspection day. That explains why they gave her three whole days just to organize the magic-tool list.’
Serafina periodically toured every city under the pretext of presidential inspections. Her real purpose was to monitor the other mayors. It revealed her obsession with the throne. But that obsession had worked in my favor today.
“Uwooooor!!”
The golem slowly swung its fist. The stone fist smashed through buildings in its path as it flew forward—slow and clumsy, despite its power. At this rate, Gem’s victory was only a matter of time.
‘Let’s see where this thing came from.’
I focused and analyzed the golem’s magic. Fortunately, the analysis ability had remained even after I took Zena’s body.
“……”
This magic… felt familiar. Something was wrong. Had the analysis failed? That couldn’t be. Was it because my body had changed? I analyzed it again. The result was the same.
‘Pania…? No way…’
The magic flowing inside the golem was unmistakably Pania’s.