Han Jae-jung Failed to Escape!
Han Jae-jung Failed to Escape!
Magical Girl Golden Age.
Setting aside whether the webtoon actually existed, his experiences so far suggested its content was reliable.
And based on that, the highest mortality risk right now belonged to Red Vega.
Her way of charging recklessly at every enemy with no fear was perfectly suited for a short life, unless protagonist plot armor or some other luck kicked in.
Unlike the original, multiple variables were in play here. The luck that existed in the original might vanish.
Red Vega’s mortality rate looked fairly high.
With that in mind, Han Jae-jung made his request.
“...No! I really can’t do that!”
But Red Vega shot the request down in an instant.
“A magical girl shouldn’t be afraid of that sort of thing! Granted, these are my standards, but... we are the people who protect civilians! The moment I abandon that principle because I think my life is too precious, I’m disqualified as a magical girl!”
Resolute. Han Jae-jung suppressed a sigh and arranged his face into a bitter smile.
“Su-sure, I can see how I might look anxious. You’ve seen it too, haven’t you, Mr. Han Jae-jung? That my performance has been lackluster lately.”
“Huh? No, there’s no way.”
“No! I know! They’re saying the divinity who boasted an undefeated record has fallen to earth... Red Vega, plummeting faster than the fastest has-been comet!”
“Who the hell says that? These shitty human bastards haven’t changed even after Virgo—I mean, no. That must have been really hard on you.”
“You don’t need to pretend! I understand why you’re anxious, Mr. Han Jae-jung...!”
Red Vega surmised that Han Jae-jung’s words were rooted in anxiety. An anxiety that had crossed into distrust. The question of whether this person could protect her. The sort of doubt any civilian might naturally harbor toward a hero.
“But don’t worry! Even if I lose, I’ll never give up!”
A magical girl who always worries about others isn’t used to being on the receiving end of that worry. The tendency was the same even for a rookie. In practice, anyone who sympathized with a magical girl was likely to be branded a jobless idiot with too much time.
Don’t waste your time worrying about pretty girls who earn way more money than everyone else.
Red Vega planted her foot on the bench and declared boldly.
“Actually, my dream lies beyond an undefeated record! It’s none other than the North Star! To become a star that everyone can trust and follow!”
“You mean Sky Polaris?”
“Yes, exactly! She’s my idol! The first magical girl! The strongest magical girl who protects love and peace!”
Her eyes shone like the sun.
“I want to follow in Polaris’s footsteps!”
Red Vega clenched her fist—a child burning with dreams. A flame with the will to sacrifice herself for her dream without yet forgetting her innocence. A blue spring with far too much left to burn before only ashes remain.
“Isn’t that tragic? Polaris died fighting a monster in mutual destruction.”
“That’s a cool thing in its own right! Because she never gave up on love and peace until the very end and fought to the last!”
So her claim that she isn’t afraid of death originates from this dream.
Feeling the vivid emotions he’d never grasped just from reading a webtoon, Han Jae-jung could reach that conclusion.
“I want to become the next North Star. A star that clearly lights the path even in a dark sky.”
One additional fact surfaced in his mind.
The name of the author of the webtoon Magical Girl Golden Age.
It had definitely been Polaris.
When he’d read it, he’d wondered if the author was doing some meta-fictional self-insert power fantasy by using their own name in the work. But until the original’s ending, there was no direct appearance beyond the mention.
Is that name just a coincidence? Or does some conspiracy lie hidden? He still didn’t know, but it was worth suspecting.
He’d investigate Polaris later.
Though, digging through media sources would be hard.
...He’d probably have to go through archives or something.
“So... I’m sorry...! I can’t make that promise.”
Red Vega smiled sheepishly and apologized.
“...No, I’m the one who should apologize. The counselor was far too rude to the client. I just said that because you seemed to be overdoing it lately, Miss Red Vega. Please forget it.”
Han Jae-jung answered with a bitter smile as though it were nothing. He’d expected the refusal. It hadn’t been meaningless. The moment words leave your mouth, they’re remembered.
Now Red Vega would occasionally recall these words. That someone wished she wouldn’t lose her life.
That alone was enough. Simply conveying a small awareness.
“No! I’m grateful! That you thought so deeply about my life... it’s proof you’re getting brighter, isn’t it? And thank you for worrying about me! That’s the first time I’ve heard that from anyone besides my seniors!”
“It wasn’t rude?”
“Not at all! I felt how much you care about me, and it made me really happy! Thank you!”
“That’s a relief, then.”
Red Vega’s expression was radiant. She wasn’t lying. But looking at this client, she felt a sense of déjà vu.
The way he spoke and the situation were entirely different.
Yet something...
‘The Big Dipper Monster...?’
He overlapped with the concern that monster had once shown her.
‘No, what a rude thought!’
Red Vega shook her head vigorously, brushing the thought away.
How could a human possibly resemble a monster? Could there be an insult more severe?
This was altruism—the result of a mentally unstable client’s contemplation of death. A noble heart that should never be compared to anything else.
‘I’m sorry....’
Red Vega bowed her head and apologized internally. Han Jae-jung, having no clue why, could only look bewildered.
Then, to change the mood, she looked around and took in the scenery of the river. The rapids that had been frightening when seen at night were soaking in the morning’s leisurely calm and looked quite beautiful.
“O-oh, by the way! The river is pretty!”
“Yes, it is... I see why people seek healing in nature. Lately I’ve been so busy I couldn’t catch my breath, but it’s nice to have some leisure like this.”
“Right?!”
Fortunately, Han Jae-jung played along well. Red Vega bit into her doughnut with relief.
The occasional birdsong and the quiet walking path, the blue river flowing wrapped in sunlight, the coolly blowing breeze. Silence lingered where they’d exchanged their wishes and dreams. It was closer to a comfortable quiet of contentment than an awkward silence blooming with discomfort.
‘This is nice....’
He’d been right. She’d been so busy lately that she’d had no time for leisure. Every hour had been a chain of tension. She’d even pulled an all-nighter coming here today. That taut string of tension had finally loosened.
Afterward, they finished a box of doughnuts while spending time in light conversation far removed from serious topics like death. It was a comfortable time where nothing needed to be worried about.
Once the leisurely meal ended, Red Vega reached a conclusion.
’...Could the choice of location have been considerate too...?’
Was it because she’d be reminded of her role and unable to rest easily if they went inside the counseling office, so he’d deliberately held the session in nature? Because of these dark circles?
Had he been considerate because he saw her as a kid?! She was the counselor!!
‘I’m the one who should be considerate...!’
Red Vega felt ashamed of her own inexperience at receiving consideration when she was the one who ought to be giving it.
“S-so, um, is there anything difficult lately or...”
She had to conduct the counseling properly. She shouldn’t have let the conversation drift away earlier. She should have respected the client’s feelings! Red Vega opened a topic with the attitude of a father broaching a conversation with his teenage daughter.
[Ahem, Guardian....]
At that moment, her mascot spoke to her.
[Dispatch....]
Because her mascot could share its user’s thoughts, it knew exactly how much its words would spoil the moment. But it had to speak. In the end, these public-service activities had a lower priority than magical girl duties.
With a timid tone, walking on eggshells, the mascot delivered orders from headquarters.
“...Right now?”
“Did a dispatch order come in?”
“N-no! Nothing came in at all yet!”
“Looks like it did.”
Han Jae-jung smiled and peeled away her flimsy lie.
“It’s fine. I already said everything that was frustrating me. And the time... it’s already been over an hour, hasn’t it?”
“An hour...? That long already?!”
“Yes, the counseling time is already over. Please feel free to go.”
[Guardian, I’ll give you the location.]
“Ugh... fine! Next time I won’t let you be considerate!”
Red Vega snatched up her mascot and sprinted off.
Watching her retreating figure, Han Jae-jung stood as well.
[Transmitting location data.]
「Yeah....」
He’d been needing to get moving soon anyway.
[Proceed to the designated location and defeat the monster.]
**
A tiresome quest, but compared to before, my motivation was relatively clear.
There was the original reason of not wanting to die.
And recently, I’d also heard that I could recover my memories as a secondary benefit.
On top of that, I could solve the problem of child labor exploitation. How great was that?
Truly three birds with one stone.
‘The problem being that my will isn’t involved.’
Well, isn’t that just life? Not to this degree, but most people have their freedom constrained by capital, time, and so on. This belt had saved my life plenty of times, so I could consider this its price.
Of course, someday, I planned to toss it somewhere like the ocean.
[I believe that would be meaningless, as autonomous flight is possible.]
“Just a thought. Anyway....”
I looked around and confirmed the number of enemies. My immediate impression was one thing.
There were few monsters.
“Grrrrr....”
From the presences I could sense, they didn’t even seem to be A-rank. B-rank at best.
Had Libra finally run out of capital?
Since the price he pays to create monsters is money, the thought was plausible.
Of course, it was a futile delusion. Libra was the underworld’s godfather. He lorded over it like a king, through drugs and monster mercenaries.
He’d be earning money in real time even now, and he’d send a force of barely this level?
A magical girl could resolve this in a few dozen minutes. Sporadically scattering this much fighting power would only lead to being defeated piecemeal.
‘Well, I guess it’s not my concern.’
I raised my hand to the Belt and turned the buckle. Along with the satisfying click, a voice emitted from the Belt.
[PHECDA]
Phecda.
One of the Big Dipper’s stars, named for the bear’s thigh.
Another name for it is the Celestial Pearl.
A star shining in the heavens.
Yet there is one more name for it.
That is none other than the Jade of Heaven.
Over the green armor, indigo armor was equipped. It was a heavy, massive suit of armor that brought to mind a medieval knight. The armor flowed over the shoulders and wrapped down to the arms, then generated in both hands enormous iron spheres that resembled great jade orbs.
Celestial Pearl. Two spheres that looked capable of easily crushing anything had formed in my hands.
The design was grotesque, but the performance was outstanding.
Whoosh.
As the spheres rotated, a great wind stirred in response.
The wind, which had howled like a storm, gradually compressed and gathered, beginning to take on a form discernible to the naked eye.
Dozens of orbs made of wind appeared.
One by one, the orbs converged upon the Celestial Pearl.
Booooom!!!
Soon the Celestial Pearl, wreathed in blue wind, rotated madly with a deafening roar.
The pressure of the air was heavy.
But there was no need to advance.
If I held my ground like this, they’d come running to me on their own.
“Kreeegh!!!”
Scattering incomprehensible howls, roughly three monsters charged.
All I had to do was swing my fist.
[SET. Heavenly Secret Unleashed.]
No matter how much the wind gathered by the Celestial Pearl is compressed, it will eventually be released.
In all things, there is no eternal secret and no eternal seal.
When I swung my fist, the Celestial Pearl, charged with the indigo wind, slammed mightily into their bodies.
Craaash!!
The condensed wind was released, tearing and crushing their flesh. The sound of the wind howling, the sound of flesh being shredded, the sound of a great firecracker going off as the air was liberated. Multiple thunderous noises mingled and pounded against my eardrums.
Naturally, the bodies of the monsters who had been the source of this cacophony were ripped to shreds and scattered.
[Heavenly Secret Unleashed manifestation successful. Replication Rate 78%. All monsters have been defeated.]
‘Is it over?’
Whenever I say things like that, more usually appear.
[Quest complete.]
‘It really is over.’
Impressed, I was about to switch to Alkaid when someone walked through the smoke blooming from the monsters’ explosions.
“How fortunate. You acted just as I expected.”
It was Libra.
“For someone like you who only defeats monsters, I thought this sort of bait would be ideal.”
What was he saying? Without hesitation, I turned the Belt’s buckle.
[ALKAID.]
‘Huh?’
....But I couldn’t activate it.
[ALKAID manifestation failed. ALKAID manifestation failed. Cannot locate the current star.]
I raised my head. Alkaid’s starlight was resting upon Libra’s Scales.
This crazy son of a—