I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I’m feeling filthy.

I was doing well so far.

I found something I could do. I thought I wouldn’t have to resent the world for dropping me here anymore.

But just one thing, the fact that people only found out I live in an orphanage has caused me to think about so much more.

In a way, this shouldn’t be something to despair over.

It’s just that I had a ‘mom’, right?

She didn’t seem like an evil person. At least, she didn’t ask me how much money I had as soon as she saw me, and she didn’t seem overly concerned about me being a Magical Girl.

Well, I am a Magical Girl, and if it hadn’t made the news that I live in an orphanage, we probably would never have met.

So really, maybe I should be happy about this—

Bam.

I swung the hammer. The Alien’s head stretched out, whipping around like a tentacle, and I smashed it down with the hammer. Whack, and the tip of it got squished against the head. It tore beautifully apart and blood splattered everywhere.

More blood than what was running down my shoulder.

“———!”

The Alien’s scream was gruesome.

That person must have been ordinary before coming here. I don’t know what they were doing on Earth. Maybe they were in business, or perhaps they were a tourist, or they could have been one of the combatants I fought against.

But I don’t need to know everything.

…Yeah, no. Right now, I have to somehow knock this Alien out.

It would be nearly impossible to kill it even if we all threw ourselves at it. Its healing speed is absurdly fast. Even if we land a hit, with the technology in this world, it should be fine.

…But honestly, I don’t know. Suffering is never a good thing in any situation.

“……!”

Thoughts keep invading my mind. Just a little while ago, I wouldn’t have had such concerns.

I had people beside me, and those who fought alongside me cheered me on.

“Riley!”

Someone called out my Magical Girl name. A bullet flew toward me, exploding in mid-air with a bang. The successive attacks aimed at me were halted in their tracks.

Seo-hee rushed beside me, blocking the tentacle with her fists.

The other kids were doing the same. Ha-yoon, Yeon-woo, Chae-yeon. Everyone was giving their all from their positions.

“Haa, haa.”

Meanwhile, for some reason, I felt slightly out of breath.

The wand in my hand was slowly getting heavier.

When I first picked up a heavy object, I thought I was managing it okay, but now it felt like my strength was slowly draining away from my fingertips, that kind of feeling.

No, not yet.

I have a role to play. I might not be the one who causes the kids to lose.

Gripping the wand again, I examined the circuit. The speed of it was considerably slower than usual. It wasn’t enough for my transformation to break, and the hammerhead was still intact, but thoughts kept swirling in my head.

Could that person really be my ‘mom’?

Either way, it felt like a dead end. If she truly is, I’d have to care about her from now on. Others might laugh at me, but thinking about someone entering the personal space I built up for myself, someone who still feels like just a stranger—my ‘mom’—it’s just unpleasant.

I had just started to see the path forward and figured out how to handle my relationships with friends; I didn’t want everything to get tangled over that one thing. I know it’s selfish, but I can’t help it.

I felt the same way when I transitioned from my past life to this one.

Although it might sound ridiculous to others, once I managed to scrape by on my own, started to build human relationships, obtained certifications or licenses, got a job, and saved up some money.

Just for a single poorly written comment, I lost everything and fell alone into this world.

And just as I desperately climbed back up—

“Riley!”

I heard someone calling me.

I ran. With all my might. I jumped back into the fight among the other Magical Girls, battling the increasingly growing tentacles. Now that I looked at that Alien, its head resembled a sea anemone. It had fewer tentacles than a sea anemone I knew but they were longer, thicker, and moved in a disgustingly creepy manner.

“Riley!”

“Got it!”

I swung the hammer down once more.

The tentacle I struck sank heavily into the ground. This time, the tip didn’t get cut off and I managed to hold it down.

For just a moment, I let out a breath. Once I set the heavy hammer down, I felt a little bit relieved.

The kids also surged forward without cutting off that tentacle. Perhaps startled by one tentacle on the ground, the Alien extended its remaining ones toward me.

And then a gap was created—

Pshhh!

“Riley!?”

I heard Ha-yoon calling out to me.

The attack I would normally block without thinking caused more wounds on my body. It’s okay. I’m still okay. It hurts, but it’s a wound that would heal anyway.

So long as it’s not fatal.

The other kids seemed to know that too and focused on defeating the Alien first.

Yeon-woo used magic to prevent other tentacles from coming at me. Jua shot the tentacles that Yeon-woo couldn’t block with her gun. The exploding bullet in the air acted as a shield for a moment.

The bullet soon flew in another direction, starting to hit the Alien’s body. It didn’t faint immediately; instead, the Alien started glowing even more.

“Riley!”

I felt more wounds appearing all over my body. They weren’t severe wounds. It’s okay. I can handle this.

Chae-yeon was freezing the area around us. Especially near the Alien’s feet. Just like from a cartoon or a game, ice was slowly rising and binding the Alien’s legs.

It didn’t just stop there; with its head being an anemone, it made sense if its body was a similar creature. After all, since its arms also had tentacles, it wouldn’t be too strange.

Suddenly, the surrounding temperature dropped, making its movement slow down.

“Haah.”

I exhaled mist. No matter how much I concentrated, Chae-yeon’s magic was basically area magic.

Ha-yoon and Seo-hee arrived at the Alien’s body. Both of them swung their magic-coated swords and fists toward it.

Crack, and I heard the sound of the frozen Alien’s body cracking. It wouldn’t die from just that. They were skilled enough to control their strength.

“Riley!?”

I heard someone calling for me again.

While I was getting occasionally beaten by Ha-yoon and Seo-hee, the Alien continued to glare at me.

Overall, it looked incredibly furious. No matter what happened, it seemed like it desperately wanted to take me down—

Swoosh!

Blood splattered.

A deep wound cut across my arm. My white Magical Girl outfit turned red.

When I came to my senses, I realized I had caught a tentacle flying rapidly toward my neck with my bare hands. The tentacle was wrapped around my arm.

As if I were struck by a whip decorated with broken glass and metal scraps, wounds broke out all over my arm, causing blood to spill.

“Riley!”

The kids shouted my name in unison.

I tried to reply.

But—

“Ji-eun!?”

Someone called my name that way.

From far back, amidst the crowd behind the police.

I turned back without realizing it.

And my eyes met with a woman who was looking down at me from a height.

It was a familiar face. If I were to count how many times I’ve met her in life, it really wasn’t that much.

But there’s no way I could forget. I had just seen her not long ago.

The one claiming to be my mom—was that person.

“Ah.”

I unconsciously murmured.

The sound from my bleeding left wrist came to an end.

And just like I was receiving all the pain, I felt an overwhelming wave of agony wash over me. As if a wall collided—

Someone called my name, but by the time the circuit stopped, I couldn’t lift my hammer anymore.

I heard gunshots and the sound of magic scattering.

But it seemed everyone was just a bit late trying to finish off the Alien all at once.

Usually, it wouldn’t matter.

THUD, a sound came from somewhere in my waist.

After that, I have no memory.

*

When I came to my senses, I was in a hospital room.

It wasn’t a hospital. Rather, we must have arrived at the Magical Girl HQ.

We might have stopped at a hospital first.

I blinked while staring at the ceiling.

When I raised my hand, it was completely fine without a single scar. My waist should be fine too.

But still, my body hurt.

…In that last moment, was I despairing over that person’s existence?

So then…if, if that’s the case.

If that person really is my biological mom, wouldn’t I ultimately be used by the Noir Corporation?

If not, she would have approached pretending to be my mom to deceive me.

Either way, it’s the worst. Really.

All the blame lies entirely on me.

“Ji-eun!?”

As if realizing I had only opened my eyes without a sound, it took Ha-yoon about a minute to notice.

“Ji-eun, are you okay!?”

Her voice eased my tension a little.

“What about the Alien?”

“Is that what you’re worried about right now?”

Ha-yoon shook me while shedding tears. Ouch.

“…….”

Indeed.

What I should really be worried about is something else.

What about the circuit?

 

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