I Became a Demon Queen

Code Red (2)

“How’s your body? How is she, Dr. Heo?”
“Of course I’m fine, Director Oh! I personally… kuhup.”
“It’s not bad.”
The attending physician examining her in the hospital room contorted his face after being hit by something thrown. Oh Yun-seo smiled bitterly at this familiar sight as she approached her lying in bed.
“But it still hurts, doesn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
Oh Yun-seo smiled bitterly looking at her body wrapped in bandages.
This high school girl who now looks like an ordinary girl with flowing black hair is the S-rank magical girl Aria. She was also someone actively cooperating with Korea’s Management Bureau.
“Ungh… don’t say it so lightly. The internal rupture was severe, without a magical girl’s unique regenerative power, she would have died on the spot.”
He approached clearing his throat, brushing off the unconscious mascot stuck to his face that he couldn’t even see. At his serious voice, she also closed her mouth.
Dr. Heo Seung-hoon. He is Korea’s most famous magical girl researcher and doctor. Though she had actively cooperated, without his treatment such quick recovery would have been impossible.
“That child, Takiras…”
“About that… we still haven’t found her.”
At Aria’s attempt to change the subject, Yun-seo dropped her head and muttered powerlessly.
Because she felt ashamed. After all, without getting the Bureau Director’s approval, there was little Yun-seo could do on her own.
“That child…”
“She’s dangerous. That child will surely die.”
Aria declared. Yun-seo bit her lip.
Logically thinking, that was the right assessment.
“I saw the footage diverted from the police too. Her arm, you really broke it properly. Even with proper treatment it will take a long time.”
“…Other magical girls won’t just be watching.”
Aria nodded at Seung-hoon’s words. It was common sense to them. While magical girls often banded together, they also often opposed each other.
It had been 20 years. Even magical girls who were once pure grew older and gradually became worn-down adults.
Beyond simple achievements or realization of justice, once their power and interests became involved, reality became cruel.
It meant they could easily kill off competitors. Moreover, if that opponent was another magical girl who couldn’t receive legal help, and was injured at that.
“Lulu! Which company is that child from? Can they protect her?”
“Hiek! I-I feel like I’ve heard of that doll mascot before… but it’s probably not a big company.”
Aria called her mascot.
The winged bun-like mascot Lulu quickly racked his brain while wary of her fist.
“Probably a mid-sized company called Lana Land. But their headquarters isn’t on the Korean peninsula… don’t know why they suddenly dropped in.”
“That’s not good.”
She clicked her tongue and frowned. Usually the most reliable were magical girls from the same company. Even at the company level, they needed to protect their magical girls who were their assets.
Right now, this building where she was secretly hospitalized was also being guarded by another magical girl from the same company.
“Eun-seo, you really want to save that child.”
“…I think everyone should get a chance.”
Oh Yun-seo, who had been listening quietly, stroked her head with proud eyes.
“To atone for their sins, like me.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
Oh Yun-seo hugged her as she hung her head. Their relationship was special.
After all, it was Oh Yun-seo who first persuaded Aria, real name Lee Eun-seo, to defect to the Management Bureau. Oh Yun-seo was recognized for this achievement and rose to become the youngest Policy Office Chief in the Bureau.
“But seeing Director Oh rush here like this, seems you had different thoughts from the Director?”
“I won’t deny it.”
Oh Yun-seo nodded at Seung-hoon’s words as he watched them.
“Please help us, Doctor. Until Eun-seo recovers, I want to at least find that child’s whereabouts.”
“I’ll do that. But I am worried.”
Though Seung-hoon nodded easily, he also shook his head.
“That child, in my medical opinion, might be difficult.”
“She’s still just a child.”
“…Is she?”
He smiled bitterly and shrugged. Though Oh Yun-seo was firm, Aria’s expression hardened hearing his words as she lay in her arms.
‘A rookie? Absolutely not. That child was going easy on me.’
From her first clash with Code Red Takiras, she had already felt the wall. Not just in terms of skill but in other aspects too.
At least the madness in those blood-red eyes smirking at her was no less than any mutant or madman’s eyes she had seen.
‘Can that child really repent?’
She bit her lip. Clearly that bottomless deep abyss and that power which was darkness itself. For the first time since her defection after realizing her sins through Oh Yun-seo’s persuasion, her conviction wavered.
“So where will you start? You can’t even borrow the Bureau’s power.”
“Hah, obviously we need to find her true form.”
Oh Yun-seo, preparing to leave at Seung-hoon’s point, was confident.
“We already have many clues. First we just need to find a child with an injured arm.”
“If she’s moving in absolute secrecy like us.”
“…Though that possibility is low.”
Of course there were flaws. Anyway, judging that moving quickly was most important, Oh Yun-seo hurriedly left.
“Director Oh is always working hard.”
“The Director tried to help children like me too.”
“Well, from my position more research samples would be good too.”
“…You know my proportion in that research is high, right? By the way when can I be discharged?”
Aria glared at Seung-hoon who was snickering. After all, the reason he became an authority on magical girls was because Aria actively cooperated with physical examinations and experiments.
“You should be fine for daily life tomorrow. But stop activities for a while. If the wounds burst internally it will be hard to treat.”
“Tomorrow…”
She quietly clicked her tongue. Lulu the mascot covering his face with wings at hearing she needed to rest from activities for several days was extra.
“Achievements… how many days… then the company ranking…”
“Shut up Lulu.”
“But!”
“Want to get hit again?”
Early morning. Aria with Lulu on her head crossed the crowded hospital hall.
She was planning to go home after discharge.
“A-anyway. Let’s stop caring about that crazy rookie now. I know it! Nothing good will come from getting involved with that crazy bitch!”
“…She could be suffering inside too.”
“You don’t really seem to think that though?”
“…”
She was at a loss for words.
Because Lulu’s point was true. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t see the gloomy look unique to negative magical girls in the rookie, Takiras.
‘But killing is wrong. Like me… she can surely get help.’
She forcefully shook her head. She wasn’t just meddling and obsessing needlessly. She was doing this because she experienced it herself.
Even more so because she believed she found the true path after meeting Oh Yun-seo.
“Mu-mutant!!”
“Aaaah! Run!! Run away!!”
But just as she was about to leave the hospital. The peaceful hospital was engulfed in panic.
Along with people’s screams, the first floor windows shattered from a strong impact from outside.
“This..!”
“Q-quickly escape!”
A large muscular monster appeared in the parking lot. Aria’s eyes widened seeing it.
The opponents who appeared along with magical girls, mutants.
Their purposes were varied. But the overwhelmingly common purpose, and the method of achieving that purpose, was slaughter.
“But!”
“Didn’t you hear the baldy doctor! He said to rest for a while!”
Lulu flapped his wings and pulled her sleeve with his mouth. Since it was true that Seung-hoon said absolutely no fighting, her eyes wavered.
With an enemy right in front of her. It was hard to stay still while people were dying.
“Eyaaah!”
“A magical girl!”
At that moment, someone appearing from the sky smashed a blue spear into the body of the mutant who was tearing apart a car trying to harm people.
“Hena…”
A magical girl from the same company, who was standing by to guard her.
Her colleague who succeeded in the first strike immediately retrieved her spear, aimed at the enemy’s body and flew.
“Oh no, this one’s level is too high!”
But her colleague who started advantageously with the first strike staggered at the mutant’s rage-filled roar, then took its following punch, dropped her spear and crashed into a nearby car flying through the air.
The mutant contorted its already twisted face and roared.
[Magical girl! Will! Kill!]
It began condensing green energy in its widely opened mouth.
Seeing that, Aria instinctively moved to transform.
“Let go Lulu! Hena will die!”
“N-no. Is your body yours?! Your body belongs to our company!”
Lulu bit the connector and persistently held on.
“Ah..”
She sensed it was too late. However, the breath attack didn’t end up hitting her colleague.
“Kuruk…”
“Your breath stinks, bastard.”
Black shadows along with a black uniform jacket on shoulders fluttered.
An arrogant tone and overwhelming powerful presence matching that arrogance.
A red-eyed girl who had brought shadows rippling across the entire parking lot was stepping on the mutant’s head crushed into the ground with her black dress shoe.