READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 216
Late at night, a Magical Girl was indulging her selfish desires by raiding her mascot’s food stash.
Meanwhile, aboard the monsters’ spaceship in Earth’s orbit, a storm of disciplinary action had just swept through.
In the Transmission Room, Recovery Room, Maintenance Room, and Control Room—basically any room related to official duties—the ship had come to a standstill. Monsters were exchanging words.
The brief moment of relaxation, mistaken for a special vacation, was over.
“How long is this investigation gonna take?”
“Dunno.”
The period had stretched beyond 1 setr, now reaching 1.5 setr.
In Earth time, that’s about 90 days.
As the break dragged on, even the monsters, who had been relaxing without a care, began to feel a sense of crisis.
If there was something to do, it might be different, but even the games imported from Earth were running out.
With corruption investigations underway, information from other ships or Earth had been cut off.
The ship had become a floating prison in the middle of space.
The monsters in the cabins no longer knew why they were on the ship, spending their waking hours pondering how to pass the boredom.
“If this is how it’s gonna be, why don’t we just go home, Magical Girl or not?”
“Kekekeke.”
A joke tossed out casually erupted into laughter.
The monsters in the same cabin could relate.
If this is how it’s gonna be, why are we even on this ship? A simple, one-dimensional question.
One of the monsters, still shaking with laughter, turned to the one who had brought it up.
“Huhu, go ahead and try if you can.”
As if to say, “Who hasn’t thought of that?”
Yes, the ship was under investigation by the Rights Investigation Department.
Monsters assigned here were forbidden from moving to other planets or ships, regardless of reason.
Using a small spacecraft or transmission device would brand them as cosmic criminals.
Of course, the monster who suggested going home knew this.
If they hadn’t, they would have acted on it a setr ago.
“Damn it…”
A joke born out of frustration.
Cursing the powerless situation, they wrapped up the short skit in the cabin.
The Recovery Room’s executive position remained vacant.
Yellow Eye, the parachute executive, had been kicked off the ship, and rumors swirled that a renowned monster from the headquarters ship had been dishonorably discharged.
So why were they still stuck in endless, mind-numbing breaks without any proper work?
Some combatants blamed the vacancy in the Recovery Room’s executive position.
Even with an indestructible, near-infinite recovery device, medical knowledge was still required.
Talented individuals had no reason to come to this backwater with so much work.
“Hey, honestly, would you want to be the Recovery Room executive here?”
“Not a chance, who’d be crazy enough to come here?”
Even I wouldn’t come here, a simple and natural perspective as a living being.
Without any official explanation from the Rights Investigation Department, plausible theories solidified into accepted facts.
The monsters’ hopes shifted from “When will this end?” to “When will we get a new Recovery Room executive?”
Just as their endless wait seemed to drag on, a small spacecraft flew through the dark void and docked with the ship.
A monster watching from the cabin window.
Seeing something other than space debris touch the ship, they stared blankly for three seconds before reacting.
“W-what just arrived?”
Startled, they pointed outside with a body part, alerting their fellow monsters…
But the others didn’t even glance out the window, responding indifferently before continuing their conversation.
“What arrived? Nothing.”
“Leave it, he’s probably seeing things.”
“Looking for snack bread bettors, just come over.”
The monster who usually just stared blankly out the window.
The others pitied him, shaking their heads, thinking, “He’s finally lost it.”
“No, seriously! A small spacecraft just docked with the ship!”
From his perspective, it was a moment to go crazy and jump around.
But after such prolonged torture, most had already given up.
“Ah, here we go again, just go to the Recovery Room.”
But shortly after, a brief announcement echoed through the ship.
“Ah, ah, all combatants on board, please check the new transmission assignment chart. Repeating, all combatants on board, please check the new transmission assignment chart…”
It was like the ticking of a clock, restoring normalcy to frozen time.
A small glimmer of hope began to shine in the eyes of the monsters, who had been devoid of any light during the long boredom.
Why, how had everyone suddenly returned to normal duty?
Had the Rights Investigation Department found some document they were looking for?
Or had some complex procedure finally reached its conclusion?
No one knew the reason, but the monsters, on the verge of going insane from being cooped up, finally sprang to life.
With renewed vigor, they headed to their respective duty stations.
However, some monsters expressed skepticism as they returned to work…
“So, we don’t have a designated executive, and the position is still vacant?”
“No word on that… so probably?”
These were the monsters assigned to the Recovery Room.
Even when Yellow Eye, the clueless executive, was in charge, they had managed the ship’s Recovery Room duties flawlessly. But the absence of an executive was a big deal.
Even if something went slightly wrong, having an executive to share the burden was crucial.
Still, to rejoin the cycle of duty, they silently headed to their workstations.
With a soft *whoosh*, the Recovery Room door opened, as lifeless as their hollow hearts.
Even the intensive care unit was empty.
The Recovery Room should have been filled with nothing but silence.
Yes, it should have been.
“Good work, monster friends!”
“Huh…!?”
But there, greeting them with lively enthusiasm, was an unexpected guest.
Medic Tentacle, who they thought had left for the headquarters ship.
He stood before them, his tentacles firmly planted on the ground.
The Recovery Room monsters were stunned.
Had they finally gone mad after the long break?
Thinking they were hallucinating, they rubbed their eyes.
But no matter how much they rubbed or poked, Medic Tentacle was clearly there.
“I’m back!”
“Woooooah!!!”
A joyous cheer echoed through the Recovery Room.
The nearby cabins also heard the cheer, causing the monsters to twitch.
At the center of the changing tide, he was always there.
After the joyful reunion, before diving back into work, a brief conversation ensued.
“What happened? We thought you were gone for good…”
“Ah, about that… here’s what happened…”
Medic Tentacle began his explanation.
First, he asked if they knew about the recent incident involving Yellow Eye and her father.
Having lived through the fallout, they couldn’t help but know.
Nodding, Medic Tentacle continued.
The incident had caused an uproar, even on the headquarters ship and its affiliates.
While the results were impressive, it was discovered that there had been scheming to parachute someone into Medic Tentacle’s executive position.
Medic Tentacle, both a beneficiary and victim of the scheme, was given two choices.
“Stay in that position, or return to your original post… that’s what they said.”
Medic Tentacle swirled his drink, reminiscing.
Since he was back here, it was clear he had chosen the latter.
After taking a sip, he gazed out at the cosmos through the glass and muttered.
“This is… you know that Earth saying? Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon…”
Better to lead a small group than to be at the bottom of a large organization.
The Recovery Room monster nodded in agreement, understanding the metaphor.
“Ah.”
“Though, being an executive here isn’t exactly a walk in the park…”
Medic Tentacle scratched the back of his head, adding that the ship’s environment made the metaphor imperfect.
With multiple executives running the ship, no single executive could dictate the ship’s direction.
But overall, the metaphor wasn’t too far off…
“Better to be one of several heads than the very end of a tail.”
Crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling, he continued to share his feelings like a lesson.
Regardless, with his return, the ship was back to normal operations.
To make up for the backlog, the monsters set off for Earth with clear eyes and determined spirits.
[The Monsters’ Three-Month Silence: What Was the Intent?]
[Global Re-emergence of Monsters: ‘Peace is Over’]
[China, Which Claimed ‘No Need for Magical Girls,’ in Chaos Over Nationwide Monster Re-emergence]
[‘Finally Getting Our Tax Money’s Worth,’ Social Media Reacts to Re-emerging Monsters]
Free from the cycle of boredom, the monsters resumed their vigorous duties.
While they were in high spirits, the nations that had been pushing for the abolition of Magical Girls were thrown into chaos.
A flood of news articles poured in.
Watching it all with indifference were a Magical Girl and her mascot.
Having been a Magical Girl for over a decade, she was a veteran.
Unfazed by the chaos or sudden changes…
“What’s this? Did they dig up the front yard again?”
“Next time one shows up, let’s catch it and ask.”
“Good idea.”
She calmly discussed future interrogations.