Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter: 120. What Year Is It Again? (2)

With no special place to go, I wandered around the market and accidentally spotted a butcher shop. I opened the door, hoping for a warm welcome from the owner, but all I got in return was complete silence. It seemed like he had no intention of doing business; even with the door open and a customer present, the butcher was completely absorbed in a book.

“I have a question.”
“Hmm? You’re bothering me…”

The man, who had been reading a blackened book that looked well-used, finally acknowledged my presence.

“Wait… Aren’t you that awakener who laid out those thugs earlier?”

He suddenly raised his voice.
“That’s right. How did you know?”

An awakener, huh? That’s something. But with villains stirring about, calling myself a hero feels a bit off.

“So, do you want some meat? We don’t have any monster meat here.”

The man said this as he lifted his hefty behind from the chair. Built like a muscle-bound square, his face matched the rest of his physique; if you were to visualize a muscle mass, you’d see him. When you think of a butcher, they usually have a bit more of a round figure, but not this guy.

“Not interested in anything like that.”
I’d refuse it even if he offered.

“Can I ask you something?”
“Ask whatever. Those guys have been annoying me, and if they came back, I might have just chopped them to bits.”

He glanced at the cleaver sitting on the cutting board. Compared to ordinary cleavers, it had a much thicker blade and an absurdly long handle—truly a vicious-looking weapon. If those thugs came back, would they be getting chomped on by that?

– What does it matter?

“Do you sell it cheap?”

I looked at the meat on display. Flies were buzzin’ around, but the pink meat didn’t seem to smell bad.
“Are you checking if it’s rotten? That’s not the goal. At best, you’d just get a stomach ache.”

That line was quite funny.
“Not like there’s any beef or pork, right?”
“Yeah, but it’ll cost you.”

I figured it wouldn’t be some bizarre monster meat, but that turned out to be quite surprising.
“Then, I’ll take about two ‘geun’ (a unit of weight) worth.”
“What’s a ‘geun’?”

Oh come on. Really?
“Right. Just pick out the good bits.”

The man said that and then started swinging the cleaver. The hefty trajectory of the chopping knife, the meat flying off as it was sliced cleanly.

For some reason, as I watched him, I couldn’t help but picture the thugs I had just beaten up being treated the same way, and I wished they wouldn’t dare come back here again.

After he was done with the meat and wrapped it up haphazardly in newspaper, I was about to leave when he said,
“Try some of the other merchants too; they’ll greet you warmly.”
“Sure thing.”

As I replied that and turned to leave, unable to resist, the butcher returned to his book.

What book was it that he was so absorbed in? Seeing that burly figure focused on a book sparked my curiosity, so I leaned in to look at the cover.

“Water Margin – Biography of Liu Bei?”

…Liu Bei?

I was taken aback and glanced down at the bag of meat I had just received.
No way, that can’t be right. Surely, he wasn’t that far gone.

With an uneasy feeling lingering in my gut, I left the butcher shop.

Following the butcher’s suggestion, I decided to browse other shops around.

First, I came across a fancy shop set up in a building. Then, a street vendor that, while not quite as nice, seemed to run a decent establishment. Lastly, I ventured into the sketchy alley stalls.

Was the butcher’s advice actually true? As I wandered the market, I felt a warm reception. Not that new information popped up out of thin air, but still.

There was a quaint general goods store with a snazzy sign and neat price tags.
“Do you know old man Ri?”
“I’m not familiar. Sorry about that. How about some rice cakes instead?”

“Just grab a bunch; I’m bringing these as gifts.”

A bread vendor with a cart piled with loaves.
“Do you know of an information broker by the name of old man Ri?”
“Oh, you mean that elder? I haven’t heard anything about him for a few years.”

“Has he… passed on?”
“No news like that has reached me.”

Well, that’s a relief?
“Then how about some bread? I’ll take it cheap.”

“Just give me a small bundle.”
I needed to stock up on food.

Piles of small white sticks laid out on the stall.
“Do you know old man Ri?”
“Nope.”

Seriously? How blunt can you be?

Scratching my head and about to leave, the man spoke quietly.
“Well, I know about him, but I can’t share.”
“He’s dangerous, you see.”

“That means he still wields some influence, huh? Thanks for the heads-up. I won’t need any further information.”
“Glad to hear that. Want a stick? Can’t give it cheap, though.”

“…What a prick.”

I checked out the other shops but came away with nothing useful; all I gained was a food belt around my waist that was filling up.

Thinking I had wrapped up a decent loop around the market, I plopped down on a chair in a corner and pulled out a candy.

It didn’t have a proper round shape and had a gray flour coating to keep it from being sticky. The only redeeming quality was its size. Considering how messy it was, the quality wasn’t too bad.

Kids would probably love it too.
With that thought, I popped a candy into my mouth. Sweetness brushed against my tongue.

As I looked up to pass the time, my view was filled with countless scraps of fabric and electric wires. Natural light, be it sunlight or moonlight, was hidden away by this artificial mess, with even slender beams unable to shine through.

A place forever shrouded in darkness, with no links to the outside.

After the establishment of the Association, the Korean government attempted to clear this chaotic area out with the Association’s power, but countless villains, monsters, and beasts fiercely resisted. The Association, meanwhile, couldn’t focus their strength on just one filthy spot.

Great slums existed across various countries:
– Britain’s Enfield Factory
– France’s High Union
– China’s Yangtze River
– Japan’s New World
– America’s Las Vegas

Every country had its massive slum, and thus the Association decided to neglect the slums for 15 years, thinking that controlled chaos was better than disorder.

Ultimately, it was just enough time for a new generation to surface. An entire cohort born not knowing the outside world, growing up only in these sprawling slums.
Kids.

While my friends and allies were too busy with their own lives to notice, it seemed like that era had truly arrived.

Sure, there’s Linshua too, but Linshua had always belonged to this side…
“A child who knows nothing of the past… More and more kids like that are sure to pop up. Interbreeding with monsters will also become more prevalent.

And then, we will fade into obscurity.
It was never my intention to seek some kind of benefit from this, but facing these outcomes head-on makes me reflect a lot.

It’s not about regretting my acts as a hero.

Could I have done better?
Could we have barged in here, compromised with reality, and rebuilt everything anew?
If I had dove deeper into the filth, would I still have met the likes of Tang and the twins I encountered yesterday?

Regret over an unanswerable past drew me into a relentless chain of thoughts.
Probably, it’s this very place that keeps me anchored, unchanged by the past.

In the shadowy market corner, beneath the flickering lights, sitting on an oily chair, I found myself succumbing to a vague sense of lethargy, rolling the candy in my mouth as I closed my eyes.

I have no idea how much time passed.
“Are you sleeping?”

“I’m not.”

Hearing the voice, I opened my eyes.
“I’m here on behalf of Teacher Ri. Is this the heroic Lee Haram?”

Well, this was unexpected.
“Did you hear I was looking for someone?”
“The market is where information converges.”

True enough.
Was this the quicker route? I had thought my efforts were in vain, but they actually came looking for me.

“Are you going now? The old man is waiting for you.”

At that, I slightly turned my head to look at my conversation partner. A regular-looking guy dressed in nothing but rags.
Yet, since his left arm was pressed against his belly and his right arm was slightly raised, it hinted that he likely had a weapon tucked into his side.

Was it perhaps a trap? I looked around, but I could clearly see the gray bag—the symbol of old man Ri’s family—tied to his waist.

So it wasn’t a trap after all.

“It might be tough right now.”
“Is that so? When should we have you over?”

Should I toss out a bait here?
“Do you know how many of us there are?”

Upon hearing my question, the man seemed to ponder for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Aren’t there three of you? We can’t get an accurate reading on that end.”

Given his slow response, he doesn’t appear to be from the info side, more like a combat type, perhaps.

Let’s ask one more thing.
“Do you really think it’s three?”
“Based on the information we’ve gathered.”

Seems they haven’t figured out that I ran into those kids.
Well, who could know everything if they didn’t have clairvoyance?

“Well, meet me here at noon tomorrow. I’ll bring my party along, so be prepared.”
“Excuse me, but how are you related to the other two? We can’t take in anyone suspicious.”

Well, that just makes sense.
“They’re both my students.”

…Are you going to introduce them?
That thought tightened my chest, I wanted to puff some emotional smoke, but…
“Yeah, if things go south, I’ll be here often anyway.”

Not having any candy nearby, I bit down hard on the stick I had. As a result, the candy shattered, but my regard for emotions felt akin to a relief following the candy’s destruction.

“I’ll pass that along. But you ought to keep in mind that the results might vary according to what the old man says.”
“Let it be.”

If I don’t get recognized, that’s just how it goes. Even so, I probably won’t come around much, so it’ll just be a minor inconvenience for me.

Pushing demands onto local collaborators won’t yield positive results, and experience and data can attest to that.
“See you again tomorrow.”

The man wrapped up the conversation, vanished among the crowd.

Was it the sheer mundanity about him? The moment I turned my attention elsewhere, I lost sight of him completely.
“If only the Association’s tail teams were this competent.”

With the power of a hero, and yet possessing tracking skills at a level akin to that of an average person…it must be the pressure of potentially dying if they slip up. Or maybe it’s just how they were raised? I wouldn’t know; that’s beyond my control.

Still, my heart remained restless, and I pulled a silver stick from my pocket and bit down on it. In that moment, I let out a stream of emotions.

Not yet, I didn’t want to go back.
Having accomplished my goals today more easily than I thought, I had time to spare quietly.

To recompose myself.
I used my regrets and emotions as fuel and decided to sharpen my focus inside again.
After tossing the stick back into my pocket, I got up.

Then, I made sure to take in the scene around me.

A place twisted with violence and pollution, utterly different from the seemingly peaceful and restful exterior.
Back when humanity was on the brink of extinction, it bore a resemblance to what lay before my eyes.

A society ruled by violence, rage, unreasonable chaos, and manipulation. I could never allow such a society to come back. Humanity must not be pushed into the Otherworld; that’s the very outcome represented right before me.

A rotting heap, a collective of strife and loathing.
And at their end…

I glanced down at my feet.
“…Pathetic.”

Slowly rising, I shifted my path toward where I needed to be.
Toward the future, toward my students.

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