I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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Really astonishingly, I mean to say, I can’t even believe it myself,

my circuit has been going haywire ever since Ha-yoon called me “Lily.”

Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing.

How can my name be “Happy Lily”?

I don’t know much about English names. I have no idea which names are classy, which are unique, or which ones seem outdated, so I had no clue where this “Lily” name stands in the realm of English names.

But if I were to evaluate “Lily” as a Korean, to be frank, it gives off the vibe that kids would probably like it.

A magical girl themed around flowers; this name sounds more suited for an elementary school girl rather than a high school student like me.

Well, if I were to nitpick, all the other names aren’t much better, but for some reason, “Lily” feels particularly childish. At least something like “Rose” would fit nicely.

However, even while thinking this, it seems I have grown quite fond of the name that Ha-yoon gave me.

Perhaps there’s only one reason for that.

Since childhood, I must have wanted to be a magical girl, just like Ha-yoon.

“Sigh.”

I brushed the dust off my head and let out a hollow laugh.

The dust wouldn’t come off easily. After the car crash, my hair was stuck with some oily residue, making the dust stick to it in clumps.

It’s irritating. My hair is long even. I haven’t really taken care of it separately, but still, if it gets split ends or breaks, it’ll surely hurt.

More accurately, it will hurt Ji-hye. When we lived together, Ji-hye always used to take care of my hair.

And she kept hers shorter than mine.

My white dress was a bit gray from dust and oil stains.

But it’s still better than my hair. I’d rather look like someone who just came back from a fight than look like some bride in an all-white dress.

…Anyway, speaking of magical girls.

I had already been referred to as “Black Magical Girl” and “Sixth Magical Girl” before, but now it feels like I’ve finally received official recognition.

Not really “official,” but… well, you know, feelings exist.

Even if it were to be recognized officially, I wouldn’t have felt this way if the other magical girls didn’t acknowledge it too.

“Hmph.”

After spitting the foreign substance I had in my mouth, I gripped the hammer tightly with both hands.

And then I jumped with all my might.

The white light burst forth dazzlingly from the spinning circuit, and at the same time, the propulsion part of the hammer lit up white too.

It strangely didn’t feel like I was being propelled. Could it be that my “thought” altered the rocket’s propulsion mechanism?

I held the hammer upside down.

I made it shoot out white light forward, trying to create something like a blade, just like Ha-yoon does.

Looking at the blade that flared out wider than the hammerhead… well, it’s a bit of a stretch to call this a sword.

More like an axe, actually.

Anyway, as I kept imagining tools, what can I say?

“Reliable yet dangerous objects” are just tools in my mind.

I’ve never chopped wood before, but—

Whoosh.

Seeing the hammer swing towards the alien, the creature reached out to catch it.

Was it instinctive behavior?

Perhaps my blade was duller compared to Ha-yoon’s. The white light looked somewhat blunt at first glance.

But originally, axes were dangerous not just because of their sharpness.

It also has to do with the sheer weight of that thick, heavy blade.

Plus, my hammer originally had propulsion devices on both sides. The hammer, forcibly altered by my intense “hope,” was using that “front propulsion device” as if it were a “rear propulsion device.”

While it didn’t have the tremendous thrust of a single, giant propulsion device—

Crack!

It still had enough weight and thrust to bury into the alien’s tough hand.

“…!”

The alien’s eyes widened.

“Scary, huh?”

I asked without thinking.

“I was scared too. Being a magical girl, that is.”

The pink blade made of magical power, the light beams that could not be avoided coming straight at me.

Even the fist-sized chunk of magical power, if it exploded, could burn everything around white, or the monstrous meteor of horrendous size.

Even the gauntlet covered in magical power was frightening. The mix of Rose’s magic effects in white and red made it even scarier. From a distance, it looked like blood was splattered from a fist.

I tightened the grip of the hammer’s handle and swung it wide to knock the alien away from me.

Bang!

The alien crashed onto the floor, smashing the concrete. A few cars got pushed away, but thankfully, most citizens watching our fight were scrambling out of their vehicles.

Thank goodness the alien couldn’t make rational decisions.

If it had fled like the combatants or snatched any random person like the alien I encountered before, it would have greatly restricted my movements.

“Graaah!”

The alien sprang upright in place, lunging towards me. Its legs moved like springs, launching it into the air comically, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

I raised the hammer—or rather, the axe—to block the punch flying towards my face with the hammer body.

Thud!

Even though it was a solid metal chunk, the sound startled me as I blocked its fist.

I staggered back, and the alien charged forward, throwing sequential punches.

A black blade had somehow appeared above its fist.

So that’s how it is.

How can it use something like that without reason or logic? Perhaps the circuit moves in response to the alien’s instincts.

I kicked the alien’s knee and rotated the axe blade back towards it for a downward strike. The short distance prevented a perfect response, but at least my blade posed a threat to the alien.

As the alien leaned sideways to dodge, a gap opened up again. I swung the hammer one more time, knocking it away from me, and backed up for some space.

And then—

“Hoo!”

I leaped upward with all my strength.

The alien, regaining its stance, looked up at me, but I was already bringing down the axe from the air.

Bright light flowed from the white blade, and little thrusters behind me flared up, spewing flames.

The heat radiated from both lights.

The alien seemed to sense it too, crossing its arms overhead to protect itself with the blade—but—

Clang!

It was hard to describe the clash as just light meeting light.

A sharp noise like metal scraping against metal echoed,

Crack!

And a fissure appeared on the alien’s black blade.

Right. In a fight like this, mass matters most. The sharper the blade, the better it cuts.

Bang!

The black blade shattered. The piece that looked more like a splinter than light shot up before vanishing without a trace now that it lacked the aid of the circuit.

And below it, there was the alien’s head.

I didn’t hear the sound of a blade embedding itself in a person’s head.

The body of the alien was still protected by the energy of the circuit. While the blade broke, once it had blocked my tip, it had done its job. It had at least slowed my descent.

But still, the kinetic energy of that heavy metal was still there.

Though it didn’t hit directly, as I struck down that hardened black magical power, the mass of energy hit the alien’s head again.

While it may not knock it out completely, it was strong enough to destabilize its stance.

“…!”

The alien staggered.

As it lost balance and began to flail its hands to grasp at something,

I pulled back to dodge its grip and widened my stance before lifting the axe high over my head.

Then I slammed it down.

Crack!

The white axe blade speared right into the alien’s chest.

On the circuit, reinforced by my power of hope, the existing booster supported the strike, and because the alien’s mind was slighted at that moment, its defense weakened, the circuit split apart.

Fizzle.

Black smoke poured out from the circuit.

That was the end.

Thud.

The alien’s hand dropped to the ground. Confirming it wasn’t moving, I leaned down to check if it was breathing.

…It was.

No, more importantly, there didn’t seem to be any major wounds on the alien. It didn’t look like it would die from external injuries at least.

I may be the one who jumped out with a hammer bigger than my own height after ripping through a car, but this is pretty disgusting.

Looking around, I spotted people hiding at a distance.

All of them were watching us with terrified expressions.

“…?”

I heard sirens from afar.

With the circuit broken, I should be able to subdue it even without being a magical girl.

I made that judgment and soared into the sky, leaving the fallen alien behind.

The surroundings were a wreck. Just like always when I fight against aliens on the streets, the asphalt was cracked everywhere, and there were quite a few damaged cars as well.

I wonder if there are any injured people? I wouldn’t be able to check for sure just yet.

As I hovered above, police arrived to restrain the alien. They used restraining devices made from wires for capturing other aliens.

For some reason, there was someone waving both arms in the air while looking up at me, and based on their expression, it seemed to indicate “Leave this to us!”

…I just yelled at the police a moment ago.

Well, but it couldn’t be helped since I was in a hurry.

I turned back towards where I had come from.

“Is everyone okay?”

[We’re fine, Lily. We subdued the alien.]

The first to respond was Ha-yoon.

The way she keeps calling me… what is it? Code name? Nickname? Whatever it is, she seems quite pleased with the name “Lily” that she gifted me.

Maybe, just like I feel, she’s genuinely enjoying the fact that I’ve actually joined the magical girl team.

[We subdued things over here too. Although it got a bit messy, the police are cleaning up now.]

That was Rose’s voice.

[I got my share of alien too.]

[Me too.]

[…I finished restraining them all.]

So I guess that means we can take on at least one alien each now. Or maybe the aliens were separated from each other. Last time I had been under the influence of the despair circuit, making me stronger too.

I decided to think about the details later and said,

“What now? The first operation failed. Has the Chairman shown up?”

[No, not yet. Maybe they won’t show today.]

Cherry said.

[They have an excuse now. They can say they couldn’t attend because magical girls were operating illegally. Well, it’s technically not a lie.]

“Who’s to blame for this situation?”

If I’m being honest, if you ask “Who is to blame?” it is indeed us. We’re the ones who smashed things apart ourselves.

If we went higher above the government, it’d probably become a mess of tangled interests. Just like some international politics. Despite all the mutual disdain and hatred, it seems that the market is so intertwined that no one can easily back out.

That means normalizing a situation like that isn’t our job in the first place.

For now, taking down the notorious Noir Corporation, which has shamelessly plotted while using people as weapons, is the priority. After all, they are the ones who set up their headquarters here with the government’s backing, and talking it out would be pointless.

Even within the government, opinions could vary. I wonder how this world’s, this country’s government works. No, what are the other governments around the globe thinking?

Is there a government showing clear interest in “energy obtained by modifying humans”?

It never crossed my mind that the Noir Corporation would be operating carelessly. I have no idea how the investigation on the Earthlings is going, but if those “Earthlings” are artificial beings, and they alter human genes, claiming to not be “human,” then there surely must exist a government willing to authorize the use of that technology?

“…Well, ultimately it’s all just a justification.”

Right.

I’m not exactly an upright person.

To be honest, I’d prefer to just cut off all interest in politics and live leisurely reading manga. Who wouldn’t want to live a life with a lot of money, leisure, and no particular work?

I just wanted to convince myself that what I’m doing isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

[Hmm? Lily, what was that?]

“Nothing, Blossom.”

I snapped back to reality thanks to Ha-yoon’s words.

“This was something I had already considered. If we don’t catch the Chairman, he’ll undoubtedly hide somewhere safe and criticize us.”

And it probably won’t be soon. It could take a few hours, or even a few days.

At least for now, it looks like the Chairman will be able to postpone being questioned.

[But you’re now in a position where you can’t receive government protection.]

Rose emphasized.

Yeah. If I get arrested as a suspect, then I’ll be in the government’s protective custody from that moment on.

The reason why magical girls can barely be seen as legal is that we didn’t openly oppose the government. As long as the government doesn’t dismiss us, it’s best to refrain from initiating anything.

[That’s where we should start. Do you have any idea where he might escape to?]

[Not yet. We barely have any solid evidence. It may be possible we didn’t even start the chase from the beginning.]

That was James speaking.

“Then let’s make a mess of the main office first.”

I proposed.

[I’ll go with Dalia and Delphinium.]

Rose said. There was already a wind sound layered in her voice.

“Let the others scout the surroundings. Don’t cut off communication, and Ha-yoon… No, Blossom and Iris, stick with me.”

[Okay!]

[Understood.]

Saying that made me feel strange. Considering Rose was the one suggesting this split, it might have been her design all along.

If she merely wanted a condition to warp to safety in case of an emergency, she could have stuck with Iris instead of Dalia or Delphinium.

…Well, in a pinch, I could always warp directly to the Noir Corporation’s headquarters myself anyway.

For some reason, I couldn’t shake the image of Ha-yoon looking unusually delighted from my mind, but I shook my head to brush the thought away quickly.

*

Plan B was to raid the headquarters.

However, I never thought the Chairman would hide away in the main office knowing we were chasing him, so I planned to confirm only the most vital parts and escape immediately.

Meanwhile, the other group headed towards the orphanage where I grew up.

I’m not sure if it’s fortunate or unfortunate, but I really don’t have many weaknesses.

No family, no friends, no partner.

If I had to count, I guess Ji-hye and the orphanage kids would count as family. They would be family in a sense, but they weren’t truly family by blood or law.

Because of this, if viewed from the enemy’s perspective, there would be a clear means to threaten me. Moreover, during my time with the company, I had shown just how precious Ji-hye and the orphanage were to me.

There’s no telling whether the Chairman would pull a similar stunt again like last time.

But if he tries to go that route again, I don’t intend to sit back and let it happen this time. It’d be better to turn it into an opportunity for a counterattack.

…Well, personal feelings did mix in there a bit.

Of course, if Ji-hye is family, then she’s the only true family I have in this world.

If we’d just been bickering, and not treasured each other, I wouldn’t even have a reason to think of them as family in the first place.

Last time, Ji-hye was in a government facility. I had run away even leaving her behind then.

I hadn’t even found out how she’d been since. I’d made all sorts of excuses, but if I really wanted to figure something out, I probably could have.

With all kinds of conflicting emotions mingling, Ji-hye has always been a source of guilt for me.

If I were to drive there by car, it would have taken about thirty to forty minutes, but flying straight through made it much faster.

“What’s that…?”

The one with the sharpest eyes among us, Iris, muttered in surprise as she looked towards the orphanage.

I saw it too.

There were already police swarming around the orphanage.

I felt a sinking sensation in my chest and increased my speed, flying towards them as quickly as possible.

“…What’s happening?”

As I descended with a voice filled with personal feelings, a few policemen guarding the entrance of the orphanage hurriedly stepped aside.

“This place was attacked last time, so we received orders to provide protection.”

The police answered my question as if they had practiced it a few times.

“…Protection?”

Indeed, Ji-hye must hold some value from the government’s perspective. I had shown excessive concern every time I referred to her.

“Can I go in?”

“Yes, of course!”

Once I spoke, the police cleared a path for me.

Two people who landed behind me.

I walked towards the orphanage and carefully opened the door.

Inside was quiet.

They couldn’t be sleeping. It’s still morning. The kids who should be going to school must have already left for school, but the teachers and pre-school children should still be here.

It felt eerily silent.

…Perhaps due to last time’s incident.

Thinking that made my heart tighten.

As I removed my shoes, they reverted to their original appearance from before my transformation.

Leaving the shoes at the entrance, I cautiously stepped inside.

Hearing my footsteps, the teacher peeked out from inside, glancing over at me.

“Ji-eun!”

The teacher called out as she rushed out.

And as soon as that name was called, hurried footsteps came running towards me.

“Ji-eun!?”

The one who shouted and crashed against the hallway wall was, of course, Ji-hye.

 

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