Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

77 – Someone’s Bestowal of Honors

Consciousness was muddied.

I couldn’t quite grasp things. Where was I? Why was this suddenly happening to me?

Only unanswerable questions.

If I could say I knew one thing.

Darkness.

Nothing but blackness surrounded me. A space of pure ebony, not a single ray of light.

I couldn’t see anything, hear anything, grasp anything.

Was I standing? Lying down? Or simply drifting, unbeknownst to myself?

Had I even opened my eyes at all?

It felt as if every sense was being denied.

But perhaps my returning consciousness was working. Fragmented memories tangled together, offering a clumsy glimpse of my journey thus far.

Starting with the battle against the magical girls who harassed the octopus, then being pushed into a disadvantageous position, and finally, being impaled by a sword, my insides becoming a mire.

However.

My consciousness remained hazy.

There was still something I couldn’t recall.

“Why…”

Did I fight?

I couldn’t quite remember the reason for the battle. Was there truly a reason to strike and be struck with such ferocity?

No.

Or, to be a bit more precise…

For what, then, had I drawn my sword?

Before, it was simply to survive, that I’d taken up steel, but this time it was entirely unrelated to me.

Just the affairs of another, a stranger.

A separate incident that I could safely disregard.

And yet, how did I come to be wielding a sword?

I truly couldn’t recall. It felt like there was a crucial reason I mustn’t forget…

“What was it…?”

But my question stirred no echo. It merely dispersed, futile.

It felt as if my very being was cast adrift from the world, left alone in the darkness.

Like a stranger, belonging nowhere.

That instant.

I will ask you.

A voice echoed.

A voice strange and solemn, defying any attempt to determine its gender or age.

If pressed, one might lean towards feminine, but I couldn’t be certain. That’s how utterly bizarre it was.

What is your name?

A voice that pierced to the heart. There was no hostility, but the oppressive force it carried was immense.

I don’t know why, but I was struck by the sudden realization that I absolutely mustn’t answer carelessly, or superficially, right now.

Perhaps it was because my consciousness was still hazy.

It was just, a feeling.

I couldn’t say for certain, but the vague impression…

…was like encountering a being both familiar and alien.

At that moment, once more the solemn voice echoed, pressing me for an answer.

I ask you again.

What is your name?

“Hero.”

Strangely, the word “Hero” escaped my lips before the three syllables of Kim Shi-yul.

Whether it was because I still hadn’t regained my senses, or because my thoughts hadn’t yet recovered enough to utter my full name, I couldn’t say.

However.

There was no need for denial.

The words weren’t wrong, after all.

Kim Shi-yul, the individual, wasn’t important here. A single warrior would suffice.

To offer an answer not of conscious thought, but of instinct, not of pretense, but of raw sincerity.

*Do you take up the sword because this action is righteous?*

“No.”

It couldn’t be called righteous. In the first place, I knew nothing. There might be no innocent among them. Or, perhaps, their actions were truly just.

*Do you take up the sword because this decision is correct?*

“No.”

I didn’t think it was correct. Perhaps there were countless better decisions to be made. It was merely a choice of violence born of self-righteousness and obstinacy.

*Do you take up the sword for a noble cause you must defend?*

“No.”

There was no grand cause. Only a favour granted to one side out of personal self-interest.

*Do you take up the sword for pure goodwill?*

“No.”

It wasn’t goodwill. And certainly not pure. Moreover, the victim wasn’t perfectly virtuous. Perhaps, to some, they were a vile villain.

A dubious underdog.

Merely such a being.

In that instant, it struck me suddenly.

“Ah.”

Why hadn’t I known?

Why hadn’t I remembered until now?

It was such a simple answer.

I wasn’t taking up the sword for righteous actions, nor for a correct decision, nor for a noble cause to defend, nor even for pure goodwill.

Even so, I had just now remembered the reason I wanted to take up the sword. In the past, now, and in the future, I would gladly wield the sword for one and the same reason.

Truly, it was a laughable tale. To have forgotten something so important until it came to this.

*Then, for what do you take up the sword?*

I do not take up the sword for a grand righteousness.

Nor do I take up the sword for a sublime good.

Just that.

“A promise.”

Not a contract demanding recompense for disobedience, nor a command delivered by some absolute authority, nor a providence declared by an omnipotent being to be obeyed.

“The promise to become a hero.”

A single, hollow promise, tossed out carelessly.

— “Hey, that hero thing you were talking about.”

— “That kind of stuff only exists in fairy tales, it’s not real. You already met them, so you know.”

— “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Who’d do anything for you in this messed-up world without expecting something in return? Right?”

A single, preposterous promise that the world scorned.

— “So.”

A single, trivial, paltry, wretched, and miserable promise exchanged under a forlorn moon.

— “Might as well give that hero thing a shot, while I’m at it.”

Thus, a precious promise that could never be broken.

In order to keep that promise, to remain a hero when we meet again someday.

Even if the whole world ignores it, even if only one person acknowledges it, I want to become that one person’s hero.

And so, I took up my sword.

A brief silence descended, before a solemn voice returned, slowly peeling it away.

If that is so.

Trivial, paltry, wretched, and miserable.

And therefore, more precious than anything else.

Take up your sword, my hero.

“Of course.”

— Chyararararak.

The sound of chains being released.

In that instant, all my senses returned to normal. The interior of the Magical Simulation Room came into view, and the figures of the magical girls gradually sharpened.

Everything was the same as before.

Except, there was something different.

They all wore expressions of doubt.

“Who… are you…”

“No, seriously, what is this! How are you still alive!”

“How could this be? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Those who, moments ago, were so quick to mock and ridicule me were now visibly flustered.

“C-Captain! We definitely finished him off, didn’t we!”

“Yes, undeniably so. I felt it, and look, here are the bloodstains and bits of viscera.”

“M-Me too! Look at this! That b*stard’s blood and brain matter are plastered all over!”

“Then…how is this possible?”

The reason became clear soon enough.

I realized it faster than I could process their panicked words.

My body was recovering.

Of course, the wounds weren’t fully healed; blood still seeped out in places. The lingering ache of agonizing pain clung to me tightly.

But it wasn’t nearly as severe as before.

At least, it was far better than moments ago.

However, the true difference lay elsewhere.

“Oh.”

My body felt lighter. Incredibly light.

It was as if something that had been binding me had loosened a little further. I had the distinct feeling that now, I could accomplish just a bit more than before.

I didn’t know precisely why this was happening.

It was merely a vague sense, a feeling.

Well, even that was enough.

Meanwhile, the magical girls, their initial shock fading, gripped their wands and slowly approached me.

“I have absolutely no idea how you managed to recover in that state…”

The magical girl with disheveled hair steeled her resolve.

“But, in any case, our task remains the same.”

She raised her wand, now transformed into the shape of a sword.

“It’s simply…a slight extension of our work.”

Encouraged by her words, the other magical girls grasped their wands, openly displaying their animosity.

“Ha, damn it. This time, we’re really finishing him. He’s already in such a state; one good hit is all it’ll take.”

“I’m tired too, but not nearly as tired as that b*stard.”

I wouldn’t deny it.

They weren’t entirely wrong.

My body was restored only to the barest minimum. Not as bad as before, but still difficult to move. Honestly, even breathing felt a little burdensome.

The mentally accumulated fatigue was no different. If I relaxed even a little, I felt like I would lose consciousness just like before.

A step away from the precipice. Not the worst, but I could confidently say it was the next worst thing.

But.

Strangely, I didn’t feel like I would lose.

That I would lose…

I couldn’t even begin to imagine—

“Ah, damn it. Not that. Get out of my head.”

I didn’t know exactly why, but I had a feeling that if I thought like that, I would definitely lose. This time, it felt like something I should never, ever mention.

Well, anyway.

Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

Even if I look like this, I am the Lunar Champion, wouldn’t it be a little disappointing if all I did was swing a sword?

So, I’ll have to show them something, even if I overdo it.

Facing the magical girls who were approaching with the same formation as before, I asked.

“You guys, do you like the moon?”

The magical girl with messy hair squinted slightly, unable to understand my sudden question.

But maybe it wasn’t a question she couldn’t answer at all. Or maybe it was due to a kind of compulsion to answer any question sincerely.

She narrowed the distance and calmly opened her mouth.

“Well, if you ask me if I like it or not, I do like it. When you see it at night, it has a certain charm, doesn’t it?”

Of course, the other magical girls ignored my question and were busy spewing curses and mockery.

“It’s useless anyway, isn’t it? Why are you asking about that now?”

“Who cares about the moon? Just die here quietly, you psycho b*stard.”

Of course, whether they did that or not, I just smiled quietly.

Whatever the reason, I got an answer.

“Really?”

You like the moon, huh?

That’s a relief.

In that case…

“Wolchul (月出).”

Let’s go watch the moonrise.