Transformation or Death

Chapter 20

Han Jae-jung Failed to Escape!

The Heyday of Magical Girls.

Leaving aside whether that webtoon actually existed, the content itself seems reliable based on my experiences so far.

Furthermore, according to this, the one with the highest mortality rate right now is Red Vega.

If it weren’t for the protagonist’s buffs and luck, her reckless charge towards every enemy would be a recipe for an early demise.

Unlike the original work, there are many variables at play here. Even the luck present in the original may disappear.

Red Vega’s mortality rate can be seen as quite high.

Han Jae-jung considered that and conveyed a request.

“…No! That’s still not possible!” However, Red Vega firmly rejected this request. “A magical girl must not fear such things! Of course, that’s my standard… But we are the ones who protect the citizens! The moment I betray that principle out of concern for my own life, I’m disqualified as a magical girl!”

“Well, I may have seemed anxious. You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? My recent performance has been lacking.”

“Huh? No, that can’t be.”

“No, I know! I’m being evaluated as a fallen hero who boasted an undefeated record, crashing down like a short-lived comet – Red Vega!”

“Don’t say such things? These damn people have changed even after giving up Virgo… Ah, no. You must have been very tired.”

“There’s no need to pretend! I understand your anxiety…”

Red Vega inferred that Han Jae-jung’s words were rooted in anxiety. Distrust exceeding anxiety. Can this person truly protect her? The kind of doubt that a citizen can naturally have towards a hero.

“But don’t worry! Even if I perish, I’ll never give up!”

The magical girl who is always concerned for others is often unaware of being on the receiving end of such concern. Even as a newcomer, this tendency is the same. In reality, those who sympathize with magical girls often end up being treated as useless fools.

Telling them not to waste time worrying about the pretty girls who earn tons of money.

Red Vega defiantly declared, propping her feet up on the bench.  “In fact, my dream goes beyond just being undefeated, it’s to become the North Star! To be the star that everyone believes in and follows!”

“You mean Sky Polaris?”

“Yes, that’s right! She’s my idol! The first magical girl! The strongest magical girl who protects love and peace!”

Her eyes shone as brightly as the sun.

“I want to carry on Polaris’s legacy!”

Red Vega, her fist clenched, was a girl burning with dreams. A spark still untainted by cynicism, with the resolve to sacrifice herself for her dreams. A vibrant spring with much more to burn.

“Isn’t that a tragedy? Polaris perished while fighting a villain, right?”

“That’s what makes it so amazing! She fought to the very end without abandoning love and peace!”

The statement that death is not feared originated from this dream.

Han Jae-jung was able to reach this conclusion, feeling the vivid emotions that he couldn’t when simply reading the webtoon.

“I want to become the next North Star. A guiding light that shines clearly even in the dark sky.”

Additionally, he was able to recall one more fact.

The name of the author of the Magical Girl Heyday webtoon.

It was undoubtedly Polaris.

At the time of reading, he had thought the author was just inserting their own name into the work, attempting some form of meta-fiction self-insert. But there was no direct appearance of the author aside from the mention at the end.

Is that simply a coincidence? Or is there some hidden conspiracy? He doesn’t know yet, but it’s certainly worth investigating.

He’ll look into Polaris later. It’ll be difficult to dig through the media, but…

Scouring through literature might work.

“So… I’m sorry… But I can’t make that promise.”Red Vega apologized sheepishly.

“…No, I’m the one who should apologize. I was too rude to you, the counselor. I just said that because you seemed to be pushing yourself too hard recently. Forget about it.”

Han Jae-jung responded with a bitter smile, as if it was nothing. He had expected the refusal. It wasn’t meaningless. The moment those words were spoken, they were recorded.

Now, Red Vega will occasionally recall those words. That someone wishes for her to not lose her life.

That alone is enough. Just to convey a small sense of caution.

“No! I’m actually grateful! That you gave such deep thought to the matter of my life… It’s proof that I’m getting brighter, isn’t it? And thank you for worrying about me! This is the first time I’ve heard such words, aside from my seniors!”

“Was I not rude?”

“Not at all! I’m so happy to hear that you care about me! Thank you!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Red Vega’s expression was exceptionally bright. She wasn’t lying. However, she felt a sense of familiarity when looking at this client.

The tone of voice, the conveyed situation, all different, but…

Something…

‘The villain of the Big Dipper?’

It overlapped with the concern he had previously expressed.

‘No, what an impertinent thought!’

Red Vega shook her head vigorously, dismissing that idea.

How could a person be compared to a villain? What an absurd notion.

This was the altruistic sentiment expressed by a mentally unstable client after reflecting on death. It was a noble heart that should not be compared.

‘I’m sorry…’

Red Vega bowed her head, silently apologizing. The bewildered Han Jae-jung could only react with confusion.

Then, she tried to change the mood by looking around at the riverside scenery. The turbulent river that had seemed terrifying at night now appeared beautiful in the tranquility of the morning.

“You know, the river is quite pretty!”

“Yes, it is… I can understand the reason for finding healing in nature. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath, but it feels good to have this moment of leisure.”

“Exactly!”

Fortunately, Han Jae-jung responded well. Red Vega sighed in relief and took a bite of her donut.

The occasional bird calls, the peaceful walking trail, the blue river flowing under the sun’s embrace, the cool breeze, in the silence that remained after exchanging their dreams and aspirations, there was a comfortable tranquility rather than an uncomfortable awkwardness.

‘This is nice…’

As he had said, she had been too busy recently to have any leisure time. Every moment was a continuous tension. She had even pulled an all-nighter to come here today. That taut string of tension had now loosened.

Afterwards, they spent time engaging in casual conversation, moving away from the serious talk of death, as they finished off a whole box of donuts. It was a comfortable time, free of any worries.

Having finished their meal, Red Vega reached a certain conclusion.

‘Could it be… That even the location was a consideration?’

If they had gone to the counseling office, her role would have come to mind, making it difficult for her to truly rest. Perhaps that’s why she intentionally chose this natural setting for the counseling session? Because of these dark circles under her eyes?

She was the one being considerate! She is the counselor here!

‘I’m the one who should be considerate…’

Embarrassed by this role reversal, where she was the one being cared for instead of the one providing care, Red Vega decided to properly engage in the counseling.

“Hey, have you been having a hard time lately…”

She needed to properly counsel the client. She shouldn’t have just brushed it off earlier. She had to respect the client’s heart. Red Vega adopted a fatherly tone, as if speaking to a troubled teenage daughter.

[Protector, there’s an emergency call.]

The mascot suddenly spoke up.

[You have to deploy.]

As a telepathic mascot, it was aware of how disruptive this was to the counseling session. But it had to convey the message. These public service activities ultimately have lower priority than magical girl duties.

The mascot spoke in a timid tone, carefully observing the situation.

“…Now?”

“Did an emergency call come in?”

“Ah, no! Nothing has come in yet!”

“So one is about to come in, huh.”

Han Jae-jung smiled, calling out her little lie.

“It’s okay. I’ve already said what was bothering me. And the time is… Already over an hour, isn’t it?”

“Over an hour…?!”

“Yes, the counseling time is up. Go ahead and leave without worry.”

[Guardian, I’ll send you the location.]

“Ugh… Alright, I won’t receive any special treatment next time!”

Red Vega snatched up the mascot and rushed off.

Watching her retreating figure, Han Jae-jung also stood up.

[I’ll transmit the location information.]

“Alright…”

He had to get going as well.

[Go to the designated location and defeat the villain.]

*** 

Ippotranslation

***

This quest is extremely annoying, but the motivation is more concrete than before.

There was the original reason for not wanting to die, and recently I’ve also heard that I can even recover my memories.

On top of that, I can solve the issue of child exploitation, it’s a triple win.

‘The problem is that my own will isn’t involved in this.’

But isn’t that how life is in general? We’re not as free as we’d like to be due to factors like capital and time. At least this belt has saved me many times, so I suppose that’s worth something.

Of course, I’m planning to just dump it in the ocean someday.

[Since autonomous flight is possible, this is meaningless.]

“That was just an idle thought. Anyway…”

I looked around to check the number of enemies. The impression I got was that there aren’t many villains.

“Grrrr….”

From the presence I feel, it seems they’re not even A-grade. At best, they’re B-grade.

Has Libra finally run out of funds to create villains?

After all, the cost of creating villains is money, so that’s a reasonable assumption.

But of course, that’s just a delusion. Libra is the don of the underworld, ruling like a king through the use of drugs and villains as mercenaries.

Even as we speak, they’re likely making money in real-time. To only send out this level of forces? 

A magical girl could probably take care of them in just a few minutes. Distributing this little power like this, they’ll just get picked off one by one.

‘Well, it’s not my business anyway.’

I placed my hand on the belt and turned the buckle. A cheerful click sounded, and a voice came from the belt.

[PHECDA]

Phecda. 

One of the stars of the Big Dipper, originating from the bear’s thigh. 

Another name for it is Tianji, the jewel of the sky.

But there is one more name for it.

It is none other than the celestial bead.

Green armor covered by deep blue armor. It was a massive, imposing set of medieval-style plate mail. The armor flowed over my shoulders and down my arms, forming two massive iron ball-like objects in my hands.

Tianji. These two celestial bead-like iron balls in my hands seem capable of easily crushing anything.

The design is hideous, but the performance is outstanding.

Whoosh.

As the balls spun, a powerful wind was generated.

The swirling winds gradually gathered and compressed, taking on a visible form.

Dozens of wind spheres formed, clustering around Tianji.

Booming!!!

The Tianji, now shrouded in blue winds, started spinning furiously, creating deafening sounds.

The air pressure was heavy.

But there was no need to advance.

I could just stand my ground, and they would come charging at me.

“Graaaah!!!”

Roaring unintelligibly, three or so villains came rushing in.

My only task was to simply swing my fists.

[SET. Leakage of the Celestial Bead (Tianji Louwai).]

No matter how compressed the winds gathered by the Tianji, they would ultimately be released.

There are no eternal secrets, and no eternal seals.

As I swung my fist, the Tianji, filled with blue winds, struck their bodies powerfully.

Shreeek!!

The compressed winds were released, tearing and mauling their flesh. The sound of the rushing winds, the sound of skin being ripped, the sound of the air being released like a large firecracker, these various deafening sounds mixed together, assaulting my eardrums.

Of course, the bodies of the villains that were the source of this din were torn apart and scattered.

[Successful Leakage of the Celestial Bead (Tianji Louwai). Reproduction rate 78%. Defeated all villains.]

‘Is that it?’

Saying that usually means more will come.

[Quest complete.]

‘So it really is over.’

As I was about to use Alkaid, through the smoke from the exploding villains, someone approached.

“I’m glad. You acted as I expected.”

It was Libra.

“I thought this bait would be perfect for someone like you who only takes down villains.”

What’s that supposed to mean? I unhesitatingly turned the belt’s buckle.

[ALKAID.]

‘Huh?’

…But I couldn’t activate it.

[ALKAID activation failed. ALKAID activation failed. Unable to locate the star at the moment.]

I raised my head. Libra’s scale was covering Alkaid’s star.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

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