I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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Let’s set our priorities for what I want to do first. I think my mind has cleared up a bit.

No matter what the purpose was behind the kidnapping of Pang-pang, dragging it out for too long would be disadvantageous for us.

Having received consent from the other magical girls, I decided to act immediately.

First, I stepped out of the room to meet the government official waiting outside the orphanage.

I then asked directly.

“What does the government want?”

They wouldn’t be helping us without any conditions.

I couldn’t predict how much help they would actually provide, so if I thought what they expected was unreasonable, I would just refuse and find a way on our own—but—

“Our goal is to overpower the Noir Corporation.”

Seemingly having made up their mind to say just that, the official responded immediately.

I was unsure of how high their rank was, or what authority they held in our negotiation process, so I glared at them menacingly as they started to ramble some sort of excuses.

“I’m sorry. In fact, until recently, magical girls were considered a target for surveillance.”

“I can feel that just by looking at you without any explanation.”

“… Yes, I’m sorry.”

Was it sincere, or was it just to flatter us? I decided it didn’t really matter. What I wanted was something different from that.

Above all, there’s nothing to gain from provoking this person. To put it bluntly, this person is probably just a subcontractor working for a large corporation’s customer service. There’s a high chance that they wouldn’t be able to grant any significant request I might have.

At this point, it might be better to send someone of sufficient rank, but if a higher-up came, I would likely react negatively again, so they probably thought about it and sent this person.

The government official I met last time seemed higher up than this one, anyway.

“… Please, go on.”

“Yes. To explain… While there was an opinion that magical girls should be suppressed if necessary due to their status as targets, we’ve reached the conclusion that it is not the right answer in the current situation. Given the circumstances of the situation.”

“You need our power to overpower the Noir Corporation, then?”

“That’s correct.”

Finally, they were being honest.

I believed this was no lie.

It was possible to fight the Noir Corporation with police forces, or even military forces if necessary. However, there’s a great chance the costs of conflict wouldn’t match up. Furthermore, if someone actually died in a police or military engagement, then the situation would become much more complicated.

While the government could easily brush off the death of a soldier or two, if that route led to blockage for a route going deeper, problems could occur. Even though it wouldn’t be a significant issue for the collective, it could be disastrous for an individual caught in that situation.

And if anyone in that group thought they didn’t want to be in such a position, they would surely think about ‘outsourcing’ the job.

If there are those who survived after fighting the forces they fully committed to create from the Noir Corporation after separating themselves from the Federation, they might want to hire them as mercenaries.

Moreover, since they aren’t bad for national image either.

“We need to know the scale of the Noir Corporation. They should be a force that the six of us can handle.”

“If the Noir Corporation shows any immediate reaction, it seems their forces aren’t that large-scale yet. They’re probably more focused on escaping this country as soon as possible.”

“So, the current chairman of the Noir Corporation hasn’t left South Korea yet?”

“Of course. I can assure you of that.”

I was a little surprised by that statement from the government official.

“How do you know?”

“It’s simple when you think about it.”

Instead of the official, James, who had been on the table, spoke up.

“In this country, only Iris and you can create warp points without any significant setup. However, this personal warp point only allows movement to random locations. Your warp point… well, there’s really no easy way to explain it. Those two are simply not part of consideration from the start.”

James’ gaze turned toward the official.

“Furthermore, to possess large-scale manufacturing facilities and supply exclusive devices in the universe, there’s no meaning in one individual escaping like that.”

“That’s right. You would need to directly launch into space from the surface, or use a large-scale warp point.”

And large-scale warp points are typically managed by the state or the Federation.

There are a few warp points in South Korea, but compared to those constructed by the Federation, their scale is much smaller, and the distances you can travel are relatively short. Above all, the administration is conducted by the state. They hadn’t directly joined the Federation and only advanced beyond nominal civic exchanges.

The entities constructing these warp points are not only the Noir Corporation. Even if it’s said that it was constructed by the Noir Corporation, they won’t be able to utilize it directly.

“So what are they planning?”

“If they could temporarily occupy the relevant area with force, using it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. After going outside, using the warp points would be relatively free.”

The reason it’s hard to launch into space from the surface is that planets are always moving.

Once you get outside into space, utilizing warp points becomes much easier.

So, it means the crazy ones might be thinking about launching a terror attack on the most important facilities of the country and escaping far away… or maybe not.

“There’s also the method of escaping overseas. Right above this country is a certain entity that wishes for the ‘downfall of the Federation,’ isn’t there? More than anything, that place treats its citizens as disposable resources.”

“…….”

Hah.

It’s certainly plausible that evil organizations would join forces with other evil organizations.

Anyway, regardless of the direction taken, it’s just on the verge of a situation where it can be described as ‘the current government’s incorrect decisions putting the lives of citizens into the hands of the company and even arming the worst enemy.’

And we had already far exceeded the golden time. Most of the time spent was chasing after me.

I think I understand now why they are so desperate.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I completely trust them.

“So, are you saying the government will give us the authority to deal with the company without any conditions?”

If said in a positive light, that seems to be the case.

“That is…”

“Aren’t there any conditions?”

Facing the official, I put my elbows on the table and rested my chin on my hands.

The official glanced around nervously before finally speaking in a voice that barely reached a whisper.

“… For smooth cooperation, it would be best if all magical girls could be within a range where the government could contact them…”

So there were indeed conditions.

In short, they wanted to create a story to put us under their control, while justifying that the urgency of the situation made it necessary.

For a moment, I weighed those conditions back and forth in my mind.

Cooperating with the government is, from my personal feelings, complete nonsense. I want to smash the government, the company, the Federation, and everything else into pieces. They are the three entities that tormented me.

However, at the same time, to find Pang-pang quickly, I ultimately have to cooperate with a country that has authority over various facilities.

“Then let’s make a contract with a bit more detailed conditions.”

That was my reply.

“And those conditions will be proposed after collecting the opinions of the six of us along with Cherry and James. There won’t be any additional negotiations. We don’t plan to set any unreasonable terms, and we’ll make sure to write down clearly what we can’t back down on.”

The government’s official’s face lit up at my words.

Was this related to their career? Looking back, I’m not even sure if this person is really a government official. It might be someone separately hired by the country; I’ve heard specialized negotiators can be called in from outside.

I wasn’t so sure if they were a real expert, though.

“Thank you!”

That was all the government official said.

Apparently, they hadn’t considered the option of forcibly overpowering us to make us cooperate.

Or maybe they were prepared for negotiations to fail at this stage. There’s no way to see what cards they have until they play them, so they wouldn’t push too hard on this side either.

*

That doesn’t mean the negotiations ended right then and there.

Why would negotiations be called negotiations if that were the case? This side sets all kinds of conditions, and that side needs time to look over those conditions.

Of course, both sides are pressed for time in the same way, but we still had to clearly outline what needed to be done.

In case the situation becomes urgent, we agreed to take action without negotiations and returned to our room in the orphanage.

“Ji-hye, I’m sorry.”

I said to Ji-hye, who was outside the door just before closing it.

Saying I was sorry wasn’t just lip service; it was sincere.

This room was originally our shared space. So, I felt quite bad for pushing Ji-hye, who was one of the original owners of the room, outside.

But there was nowhere else I could trust like this, anyway. There was a chance someone else could have set up cameras or recording devices here too. However, if that’s the case, it means I can’t trust the places they prepare either.

It was only after coming to this world that I started to become so suspicious of others. No matter how bad I became, I never used to be like this.

… Or maybe that’s just my true nature coming to light.

“I’ll be right back.”

Saying such a thing to my closest friend, my only family member was also a painful task. So once again, those words were sincere.

Hoping for a lot wasn’t what we desired anyway.

“It’s okay.”

Ji-hye said with a bright smile.

“I know you’re right behind the door.”

“…….”

For a moment, I found myself unable to say anything in response to that.

She would know that I could escape at any moment beyond that door.

Was it just that she wanted to believe that?

“Yeah.”

At least this time, I didn’t want to betray that faith.

Alright. This time, absolutely.

*

Once the door closed, Ji-hye’s heart began to race even faster.

What exactly did I just say moments ago?

Ji-eun already knew she could move quite far even within that room if needed. And of course, ‘if needed’ is something that can’t be avoided. Ji-eun has gone through a lot until now, so saying “don’t run away no matter what happens” was far too harsh a thing to say.

Yet, what Ji-hye just mentioned seemed to suggest the opposite.

I know you’re there beyond the door.

That wasn’t meant to carry any force behind it. It was just something that slipped out instinctively.

Every time I had let her go again, wishing her good luck, I regretted it each time.

When a family member, who had been with me all this time, is far away and in a state where I don’t know if they are safe or not, all Ji-hye can do is worry.

Communication is cut off. It’s impossible to visit her.

Even with a different family, they would likely have reacted similarly in the third instance.

… Even though I knew I shouldn’t feel that way.

“…….”

Ji-hye, who had stood at the door for a while, finally let her shoulders droop and leaned against the wall.

Knowing Ji-eun’s ability, she couldn’t feel entirely reassured.

The fear of the thought that she might just disappear like that weighed heavy on Ji-hye’s heart.

—The feeling that she was entirely helpless, that there was nothing she could do for Ji-eun only pressed down harder on Ji-hye’s spirit.

*

It didn’t take long to draft the agreement.

We had already spent quite a bit of time together, sharing our thoughts.

Although initially, I was the one making unilateral demands, there’s no way a person can endlessly act as the sole demander.

Moreover, strictly speaking, the magical girls had only done their respective jobs diligently.

… Even if something had gone wrong, we had already repaid that debt sufficiently.

I had risked my life when I stormed the headquarters that day. I wanted to say what I wanted to say, even if I collapsed there.

The reason I could still be alive until now—at least the reason I didn’t end up in the same miserable state as the alien—is because there were beings fighting alongside me.

Besides, I was already being treated as a magical girl by now.

“Then shall we go with this?”

As I looked around, I asked again.

The children all nodded in serious expressions.

The demands we had made were hastily prepared, and there might be countless loopholes if examined legally.

Perhaps the government would try to exploit those loopholes to avoid fully meeting our demands.

… When the time comes, what then.

We can just not listen to them back in our own way anyway. After all, the government is also on our side due to our power.

Our demands were largely as follows.

First, we wouldn’t make much of a fuss over the things we did until now.

Most of the damages we incurred were due to us attacking the Noir Corporation or fighting aliens. At the time, we couldn’t know exactly what the Noir Corporation was doing, but now that the details are out, we can say we fought to ‘prevent that.’

Although the magical girls wore expressions of discomfort upon hearing James’ idea, we had no other options.

Next, since we planned to turn a blind eye to our misdeeds, we would not allow our forced mobilization.

This clause didn’t hold much significance. It was just to ensure our movements didn’t appear like we were doing something because someone else told us to do it. We wanted to show that cooperating with the government wasn’t an act of submission but a condition for mutual respect.

Of course, the expression ‘government’ can’t equate us. No matter how you cut it, the constitution states that the government derives its power from the people. To argue that merely six of us hold the same status as all of that would necessitate imposing sanctions against us.

Thus, it’s not an employment relationship, but one of cooperation.

And to prove that, the government shouldn’t imprison or watch us. I never thought the government would listen to us without question, but at the very least, they couldn’t come out openly against us after promising.

“…….”

After reading through the list we had drafted once more, we all let out a collective sigh.

Whether this was due to what we had done, or if the Noir Corporation had deliberately started something at this timing, there’s no certainty yet.

For other matters, we could gain information one piece at a time through the information from the government.

They probably wouldn’t stay quiet either now that they were under pressure.

“Then….”

I said, furrowing my brow.

“Where are we supposed to stay from now on?”

At my words, the kids fell silent.

The gear we have can be moved again. Given that my clothes were stained black, I would overflow with energy in that regard.

The problem is, where to put the things that have been moved.

Since the government agreed to reach out to us, we needed to stay nearby. But at the same time, the government and the Federation couldn’t interfere too much in our lives.

In that case, it means we’d end up discussing putting our bases somewhere in Seoul—

“… Should we go back to school?”

Jua asked seriously.

Yeah. We’re still all students. Ha-yoon, Jua, and I are 2nd-year high school students, while the others are in their 3rd year.

Now that we live in Seoul, the reason for not going to school diminishes a bit.

We had said we would be fine even if we stayed an extra year, but these kids would still worry. Even if it wouldn’t be a big deal to lag behind for a year, we couldn’t predict how our parents would react to the situation.

“Let’s put that off for now.”

I couldn’t remember which classes I should be attending in a semester. I still didn’t know how we could handle this legally.

There was so much I didn’t know. I thought I had managed things relatively well during the past few months, but now things were becoming overly complicated again.

Ultimately, we had no choice but to step outside without deciding anything other than the agreement.

Outside the door stood Ji-hye, who was still waiting.

When our eyes met, Ji-hye beamed brightly.

The emotion contained in that smile was genuine joy. It was as if she found pure happiness in the fact that I hadn’t disappeared.

“…….”

I suddenly realized just how much we had depended on each other.

After being placed in the same church, and then being brought to the orphanage operated by that church, we had both gone through struggles that brought us to this point together.

Perhaps I had taken the bond between us too lightly.

“Today, where are we going?”

Ji-hye asked again. Meaning something similar to the promises she made earlier to wait for me.

I hesitated for a moment, but eventually I could only respond with uncertainty.

“No…”

It wasn’t a lie.

At least, I didn’t think it was a lie.

 

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