The Bet with Pania
The carriage rang with screams of “Kyaaaak!!” and shouts of “Why the hell aren’t you crawling out? You all got a death wish?” and “Scrape it clean, you bastards!” The crash of breaking seats tangled with gunfire. From the howls mixed in, it sounded like they’d already killed a few as examples. Not my problem.
Pania and I lay slumped in the luxury seats like discarded rags, completely unbothered. Bandits, whatever—this was someone else’s story. Bandits couldn’t lay a finger on magical girls anyway.
“You don’t get the situation? Why aren’t these fuckers—”
I was savoring the lazy calm amid the chaos when the curtain suddenly flew open. A burly man with a shaggy beard stepped in, crude pistol raised in his right hand. I looked him up and down and clicked my tongue.
“What? You wanted me to crawl out?”
“Haha… No, ma’am. Please, rest comfortably. My mistake. I’ll be going…”
The moment he saw our outfits, the man bowed deeply and scrambled backward. He even gave the curtain a few polite pats to shake off the dust before leaving. Being a magical girl really was convenient at times like these.
“Hey. Wait a second.”
“Y-yes?”
At Pania’s call the man flinched like he’d heard a death sentence. The timid, small-animal reaction didn’t match his vicious face at all. No matter what his job was, any human surviving in this world knew better than to test a magical girl’s cruel whims.
“Cola and cider. More potato chips. Grab any other snacks while you’re at it. We can’t order from the attendant thanks to you people.”
The man stood frozen for a second, stunned by the absurd demand. His hesitation didn’t last long.
“Yes! Of course! Since it’s our fault, it’s only right that I bring them. I’ll be right back!”
It was never a request with options, so the outcome was obvious.
In the middle of every carriage corridor sat a bundle stuffed with precious metals—the haul his comrades had gathered. He walked past corpses sprawled across the floor and passengers huddled and shaking in the edge seats, guessing the job was nearly finished. All that remained was to jump off before the next stop and the day’s work would be done.
But there was one last chore.
Potato chips, cola, cider… Fuck. Why the hell am I doing this…
The man still carried the pride of a founding member. His organization was the largest in the region and had ruled the entire west for years. Once just another poor soul scraping by near Hespina City, he had gathered others like him and formed the gang. But that wasn’t enough to rob trains. The guards’ weapons would have cut them down in seconds.
To fix that, he had persuaded the current boss to join. After that it was all smooth sailing. One punch could explode a guard’s helmeted head. Dozens of bullets could riddle her body and she’d keep walking like nothing happened. She had never lost. Ever.
Even better, she never demanded a cut of the spoils. As long as they worshipped her and brought her whatever she wanted, she was satisfied. The perfect disposable murder weapon.
In short, the man’s efforts had been crucial in building the gang into what it was. And now here he was, digging through storage for snacks. The humiliation burned.
“Fuck. Fuck.”
He kept cursing under his breath. His comrades were probably already having their fun with the women they’d picked out, while he was stuck doing this.
After passing four bundles he finally stepped into the storage car.
“She looked like she had a nasty temper. What if I bring the wrong thing and she throws a fit?”
Grumbling, he pulled drinks from the fridge and rummaged through snack boxes. A shadow fell across him from behind.
“Job’s finished and you’re still rooting around like a pig?”
The man shot upright and snapped to attention.
“No, Lady Metis! I’m not taking them for myself—there was a request!”
Standing before him was a short-haired woman a full head shorter than him. The massive shield strapped to her back and the frilled fabric peeking between plates of armor stood out sharply.
“I don’t remember ordering anything like that. Our little one isn’t here to play servant, is she?”
The man was easily twice her size, yet the word “little one” brought no displeasure to his face. Next to her strength, he really was nothing but a child.
“That’s true, but… the other party is who they are.”
“Who they are? What, are they magical girls or something?”
“Yes…”
“Oh?”
Metis’s eyes widened. Even she hadn’t expected that. She tapped her foot on the floor, thinking. Each clack of her metal-plated shoe made the man’s head sink lower.
After a moment she asked, “So? Did they look rich?”
“You’re… thinking of robbing fellow magical girls? There were two of them…”
The man trembled. Even after learning the targets were magical girls, his boss was already calculating how to kill and loot them. Ignoring his warning completely, Metis dropped something even more shocking.
“Doesn’t matter. I win no matter what. So? Your answer?”
She was going to fight two magical girls at once. The man fought to keep his voice steady.
“They didn’t seem to be carrying much.”
“Broke, huh? Then leave them. And don’t bother with the snacks. The one you should be serving is me, right?”
He trembled again. She was saying she could erase two magical girls without breaking a sweat if she felt like it.
Lady Metis really is on another level even among magical girls…
With that thought, the man abandoned the bundles and followed after her.
“They’re taking forever with the snacks…”
Pania’s whining had been going on for thirty minutes straight. Looked like the bandit had decided not to come back. After waiting this long he should’ve realized something was wrong. The snacks didn’t matter, but I hadn’t expected him to ghost us. No human in this world would dare deceive magical girls. At least not without stakes worth dying for. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t been afraid of us.
Must be someone with enough power to ignore us, then.
The curtain flew open again. This time it wasn’t the bearded bandit. It was the man whose eyes had met mine when we first boarded.
“Why did it take so long? My neck was about to snap from waiting. Hurry up and give it here.”
Even though the person had changed, Pania didn’t seem to care. She probably thought he was just another errand boy. As long as she got her snacks, the messenger didn’t matter. But his hands were empty, so this clearly wasn’t about snacks.
The man just hunched his shoulders and trembled. Sweat poured down his face. He couldn’t even meet our eyes; all we saw was his lips being chewed raw.
“What the hell is this supposed to be…”
The instant Pania’s brows furrowed, the man dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.
“Please…! I’m begging you, help me! Just think of it as saving one life… If you help me this once, I swear I’ll never forget this kindness!”
Asking a favor of magical girls while looking like he might faint from terror. A request worth risking his life for. I had no intention of listening, but I was curious enough to hear him out.
Pania stared down at him silently. That was unexpected. I’d thought she’d pull out her axe and split his skull open immediately.
Her lips finally moved. “What is it? Speak.”
She was actually willing to listen.
It's all just a scheme to use you. They're only bowing their heads because it's beneficial. They won't feel even a bit of gratitude on the inside, you know? They're probably just thinking about how to squeeze you for more. Get a grip.
Those words the man had spoken beneath Talos City’s guillotine echoed in my head again. What kind of mood was she in? Meanwhile the man kept his forehead glued to the floor, still shaking.
“I told you to speak! You planning to stay like that all day?! If you’re not talking then get out!”
She really had no idea how to handle people. Yelling at him right now would only make things worse. This was exactly when a silver tongue was needed.
I stepped between them.
“Calm down. The man came to make a request, didn’t he? Let him catch his breath and speak calmly. Since it’s clearly a matter worth risking his life, we can at least wait until he gathers his thoughts.”
Lift them up gently, then slam them into the dirt—that was Xena’s specialty. Or rather, it was mine now.
It seemed to work. A trembling voice rose from the man’s bowed back.
“I… I want my ring back…”
“A ring?”
“Yes… The engagement ring I was going to give my fiancée was stolen by the bandits. It’s a gold band with a small red gem. It’s not worth much, but to me it’s a treasure no amount of money could replace. I won’t ask for anything else. If I can just get the ring back, I’ll do anything… Please…”
My interest died instantly. That was it? A trivial errand.
“Which car did they take it in?”
Pania’s tone was still hostile, but her words were unmistakably affirmative.
“What? You’re actually going to help him? Since when do you have a conscience?”
“Stay out of my business. I won’t cause you any trouble, so just rest here. I can handle it alone.”
“W-wait! You can’t go alone! There’s only one bandit group operating in the west, and they’re infamous! Their boss is a magical girl!”
“Did you just say magical girl?”
The man’s desperate interruption made me stand up.
“Yes… Her name is Metis. I’ve never met her, but given the size of their gang, she must be one of the stronger ones…”
Metis. The magical girl of pride. That shield-wielding lunatic. In the original story her defense was unmatched, but here she was playing bandit queen? This world really had gone completely off the rails. Even magical girls were finding pride in robbery now.
Still, knowing the opponent was a magical girl made it my problem too. I threw Pania’s own words back at her with a smirk.
“Stay out of my business. I won’t cause you any trouble, so just rest here. I can handle it alone.”
“You—!”
It was ridiculous to let Pania fight a magical girl by herself. Looked like I had to step in. Honestly, it was perfect timing. I could test the new magic puppet Jem I’d acquired.
I had no idea how strong Metis was, but she couldn’t be strong enough to threaten me. A real powerhouse would rule a city, not lead some bandit crew. I leaned close to Pania’s ear and whispered.
“Why the sudden urge to help him? Weren’t you the one saying people won’t feel any real gratitude even if you help them?”
“Just… because he begged with his life on the line. And he said it’s something no amount of money could replace. You might not understand, sister, but there are things in this world that can’t be priced. Things you can’t buy no matter what you offer.”
I’d thought she was heartless, but she had a sentimental streak after all. I couldn’t relate, though.
“There’s nothing in the world—object or feeling—that can’t have a price put on it.”
“No. There is. Because I’ve received it.”
Her eyes didn’t waver at all. So she could make an expression like that too? My palms itched. If I could shatter that gaze, I could completely break Pania’s spirit.
I whispered into her ear again.
“Then how about a bet?”
“What kind of bet?”
“I’ll show you that man putting a price on his own ring without any threats.”
“Bullshit.”
“Loser grants the winner one request. Of course, truly unreasonable demands can be refused. Deal?”
Fulfilling my original purpose of giving magical girls trials while seizing control of this shaky partnership—that was the real goal of this bet.
“One request… and unreasonable demands are off-limits… Fine. I accept.”
At her answer I smiled, lips curling upward. This bet was already mine. After all, lifting someone up only to slam them into the dirt was Xena’s specialty.