The Prideful Bandit

The man from the Western Bandits offered to set the price of the ring himself, but in truth, he had no real plan. Since the bet had been an impulsive one from the start, it couldn’t be helped. Still, I wasn’t worried. When it came to underhanded tactics, there was no one who could match Xena. The Xena mindset in my head would provide the optimal response for any situation. Speaking of which, the leader of the bandits was that Metis, huh… She was the one who rejected joining the Magical Girl Association, claiming she wanted to live freely in the wasteland. And this so-called freedom amounted to nothing more than robbery. The realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Metis, the magical girl of Pride. Her magic was a simple ability that only created a barrier around her, but simplicity also meant steadfastness. She was a magical girl who displayed an impregnable defense. Her protection was so solid that even enemies a step above her struggled to break through. Memories of guiding her back when I was still a fairy surfaced. I had taught her to combine barrier generation with shield techniques, focusing on the art of deflecting attacks with minimal force. If she had honed that skill, she might have reached the upper-middle ranks among mid-tier magical girls by now. In the original story, she was a mid-tier magical girl, after all. She might even possess the Metis-style shield technique.

So why could I, who had only just clawed my way into mid-tier, afford to act so relaxed against someone like her? Because Metis had terrible mobility. Even if she lost the fight, if I ran away immediately, she could only watch my retreating back and suck on her fingers in frustration. As long as I had insurance against the worst-case scenario, there was no reason to be afraid, right? And even though her defense was rock-solid, I had Gem’s overwhelming strength on my side. It was worth a clash.

Alright. Thoughts organized. Time to move.

Clap. Clap.

I quietly raised my hand and clapped twice. But there was no response. Frowning, I looked at Pania, only to find her staring back at me with wide, innocent eyes.

“......”

Facing Pania’s indifferent reaction, heat rose slightly to my face. What do I want? If I gave a signal, shouldn’t you have the sense to create a Gem for me? I wanted to snap at her, but I couldn’t. My ability was Pania’s hard counter, so in a direct confrontation I held the upper hand, but when facing other magical girls, I was always the one in the weaker position. If Pania recalled her dolls and ran away during battle, I’d be left like a sitting duck.

“Ahem, ahem! Make me a Gem. We should get moving soon.”

I cleared my throat and spoke as casually as I could manage.

But saying it out loud doesn’t have the same vibe! Frustration welled up, making me want to bite something. In the original story, Xena would pull out a handkerchief and chew on it whenever things didn’t go her way. Was I being influenced by that? Unfortunately, I didn’t have a handkerchief on me.

Pania, watching me, pulled out a Gem soul and infused it with power. The soul swelled, dyed in pink light. Soon, a bear doll wearing sunglasses and a tightly fitted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suit stood blocking the middle of the corridor.

“I’ll move first, so stay ten steps behind and follow. Since we made a bet, you should see how it plays out.”

Cheeky brat. She should worry about not making excuses herself later.

I connected threads to the Gem’s arms and legs. At the same time, an overwhelming sense of omnipotence surged from my toes. A heavy, unyielding power resonated through my fingertips.

“This is…?”

The man who had been prostrated on the floor looked up at the Gem with wide eyes. Suppressing the urge to feel smug, I spoke gently.

“Stay close to Pania and follow along. It might get dangerous.”

After speaking, I gave a slight twist of my fingers to manipulate the Gem. In response, the bear doll advanced, sweeping aside and smashing the firmly fixed seats as if clearing brush. Nothing hindered its path. The man opened his mouth to say something but ultimately stayed silent, sticking close to Pania as he followed the Gem.

“Looks like I’ll have to. I need to find the ring first.”

When we reached the end of the corridor, the Gem casually ripped the door blocking the train car off its hinges with one hand. The sight reminded me of an old video I’d seen—about a gorilla cracking open a coconut. One light smack with its fist and it split cleanly in two. With that thought, I sent the Gem ahead and stepped into the next car.

Immediately, I was faced with the corpses of passengers strewn across the floor and bandits lounging in seats, chatting away. But I had no business with them. My business was with the bundle sitting in the middle of the corridor.

The bandits gaped at me and the Gem. I savored their horrified gazes as I walked straight down the center of the corridor. Back straight. Steps smooth yet disciplined. This was the true dignity a magical girl should possess. The kind of dignity you’d never see from someone who’d gone down the wrong path and resorted to banditry.

With a slight twist of my fingers, the Gem flipped over the bundle on the floor and spilled its contents.

Only then did they seem to realize I was after their loot. Flames of hostility flared in the bandits’ eyes. Even though their shock had instantly turned to enmity, none of them moved. If they’d had the guts to challenge a magical girl, they would’ve already challenged their boss and died.

“Now then. Let’s take a look.”

I lightly lifted my foot and stirred the items scattered on the floor. Most of the contents were gold bars, rings, and other precious metals and gems. Occasionally, a diamond-studded watch or expensive wine caught my eye. There were too many rings. Would I even be able to find it?

After rummaging through the valuables with my shoe for a while, I discovered something unexpected. A handkerchief with a luxurious black background and pink embroidery. What did it say? Was it a brand name? Honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested in which brand it was. I probably wouldn’t recognize it anyway. But luxury items were a great help in maintaining a magical girl’s dignity. Luxury goods needed an owner with matching elegance. And the only ones with that kind of elegance were magical girls.

“This is nice.”

I neatly folded the handkerchief and slipped it into my inner pocket. A good find. But of course Pania wouldn’t stay quiet.

“I just picked up one thing, didn’t I? What do you mean ‘my own stuff’? Hey, sir. Come here. Is the item we’re looking for among these?”

At my call, the man came running like a dog wagging its tail for its owner. The sight made something stir in my chest again. If this kept up, I felt like I might unconsciously do something undignified. Once we reached the sanctuary of the ancient magical girls, I’d have to look for a magical tool that could calm the mind.

The man crouched on the floor and frantically rummaged through the valuables. At that sight, the flames in the bandits’ eyes grew into a massive inferno. They could no longer even control their expressions. Their faces twisted horribly, and the sound of grinding teeth occasionally echoed.

─ THUD!

The moment the man spoke, his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head jerked slightly as a heavy impact rang out. A sharp pain followed right after.

When I turned around, a bandit holding a nail-studded club was staring at me, his face pale blue.

It seemed he couldn’t hold back any longer, but he clearly didn’t know. If crude cold weapons like that could kill a magical girl, the government would never have lost. Actually, this was perfect. The fact that one of them had stepped forward meant their hostility had reached a dangerous level. And that dangerous level could be crushed by making an example out of one of them. It wasn’t for nothing that Serafina had set up a gallows in front of the Association.

I reached out toward the bandit and fired a thread. The blue-glowing thread began to wrap around his body.

I slowly twisted my hand, bending his arms and legs. Crack. Crunch. Every time the sound of bones twisting echoed through the corridor, the flames in the bandits’ eyes began to dim. Eventually, the body of the bandit who had attacked me curled up into a perfect ball.

Amid the creaking sounds, the bandit groaned and struggled to speak, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. It was probably something worthless like begging for his life. I kicked the curled-up man, sending him rolling down the corridor. But the bandit, who had been rolling vigorously toward the door of the front car, stopped in the middle of the corridor. And the woman who caught the ball looked me and the Gem over before speaking.

So you’ve finally shown yourself. Metis, the magical girl of Pride.

─ BANG!

She slammed the massive shield she carried on her back onto the floor for all to see.

Metis let out a small snort at my words.

She had a point. No one would dare talk back no matter what nonsense she spouted.

When Metis appeared, relief washed over the bandits’ faces. Their trust in her power seemed immense.

“Well, well. I left you alone because I heard you were just some mutt, but here you are trying to rob me first. This is a first.”

Metis leaned against the shield embedded in the floor and fanned herself as if she couldn’t believe it. Every time she waved her hand, her plate gauntlets clinked. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The sight made tension rise within me. The fact that she could show such composure in front of an enemy might mean she didn’t see me as a proper opponent.

Unlike me, she remained perfectly calm.

She was right, but I had no idea who she was talking about.

Metis frowned slightly. She didn’t seem to like my answer. She pointed at the corpses of the passengers scattered on the floor and let out a hollow laugh.

I had no intention of giving a boring sermon, so there was no need to make excuses. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The time when magical girls could be corrected through persuasion had long passed. What they needed was tribulation.

I had no interest in extras. My interest lay only with magical girls.

She was willing to take on both me and Pania at once? That was a statement that could only come from someone with absolute confidence in her own skill. My heart began to swell with excitement. Now that Part One had ended, just how strong was Metis?

I checked her information.

… ......?

What the hell is this?

My eyebrows slowly rose, and my brow began to furrow.

This bastard… is she fucking with me?