NOVEL WEB Chapter 173
Magical Girl and Love Letter…
The last day of my stay in England.
Although it’s the last day, all that’s left to do is say goodbye to Bayern.
I got up from bed and stretched my body lightly.
Having a nice body is good, but I feel more at ease with a smooth stone.
Fortunately, in this state, I don’t have to worry about menstruation.
Since I lack the symbol of masculinity… If I keep thinking weird thoughts, Demon will get angry, so I’ll stop.
Demon expects femininity from me, but it’s difficult for a man.
“Good morning. I’ve got two bad pieces of news. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Why are both pieces of news bad?
(Whichever.)
“Understood. The former bad news: remember the magic that gouged the mountain yesterday? It seems it reached space.”
(Clouds were blown away, so it’s not strange if it reached space. So what?)
“It seems we destroyed a satellite.”
I see, a satellite… a satellite?
(Was it Earth’s satellite?)
“Yes. A rather important one for detecting monsters and magical girls was hit by Haruna’s magic. There was a barrier around the satellite, but it was pierced beautifully.”
That is indeed bad news.
Reparations probably won’t be an issue, but destroying it in the current situation where we’re troubled by monsters isn’t good.
(What’s the public reaction?)
“It hasn’t been announced yet, but Arongante made it seem like Ren did it.”
There’s going to be a meeting soon, so maybe they pinned it on me for appearances?
If Arongante took care of it, I think it’s fine, but I’ll silently apologize to Ren-san.
(Well, there’s nothing to be done about what’s already happened. What’s the other bad news?)
“Because Haruna fell asleep right away yesterday, I couldn’t lecture her… so be prepared.”
Demon had said they would lecture her about using the second form after yesterday’s battle, but after eating and taking a bath, she collapsed and fell asleep.
Yesterday’s fight wasn’t just physically taxing; it was mentally draining too since it was three against one with no chance to land a single blow.
It’s understandable that she fell asleep, I think.
(I’m sorry. She was tired yesterday.)
“I understand that, but saying I’d lecture her and then falling asleep right away…”
Even if you say “nee,” humans can’t resist sleep.
At least, this was bad news for me.
I’ll buy some tasty juice later to cheer them up.
More importantly, I need to take a bath and prepare breakfast.
(Please wait until we get back to lecture. By the way, what time is it now?)
“It’s about 6 AM.”
6 AM… I should hurry a bit.
I quickly took a bath, transformed, and prepared bread and a random side dish.
My strength increases slightly when I’m transformed, so it’s convenient.
Just as expected, Ren-san woke up and ate breakfast with me.
“Our mission in England ends today. How was Rinde?”
Rinde…
There were various things, but overall, she was a normal magical girl.
She had average feelings and jealousy.
I was a little surprised to learn she was Rinne’s sister, but she seemed timid, so I don’t think she’ll cause any more trouble.
“There’s nothing particularly noteworthy. By the way, when are we leaving?”
“If that’s the case, let’s go after we finish eating. Arongante must be waiting too.”
Arongante pinned the blame on Ren-san, but for self-preservation, I won’t say anything.
I only destroyed the mountain.
I know nothing else.
“Understood.”
Ren-san said “after we finish eating,” but she’s already done.
The only one who hasn’t finished is me.
As usual, I finished eating quickly, washed the dishes, and had the Demon put away the seasoning and groceries I had laid out. That completes the preparations.
“My preparations are done. Are you alright, Ren-san?”
“Yes. I only need to change clothes and pack a few things, so I’m ready.”
“Understood. Let’s go then.”
Ren-san placed her hand on my shoulder, and we asked the Demon to teleport us to the front of Bayern’s office.
When we entered the office, Bayern still looked busy as ever.
By the way, did we even make an appointment? Is this okay?
“Who is… oh, it’s you two.”
“We thought we’d return today as planned since England seems safe enough now.”
“I see. Thank you for the week. Especially yesterday, fighting the annihilationists was impressive. Although the Magic Bureau being completely destroyed was quite shocking, fortunately, there were almost no casualties.”
There may have been almost no casualties, but the Magic Bureau was in a terrible state.
It surely won’t be fixed in a day; they’re probably still dismantling it today.
“And the mountain Inie gouged will be repaired, so don’t worry about it.”
We aren’t worried about the mountain, but there are concerns about what came after.
For now, we’ll pretend we don’t know.
That said, it seems the reports were properly submitted.
It doesn’t look like Ren-san needed to be prompted.
“The Magic Bureau and the mountain—Arongante said they’d cover the costs.”
“That’s very kind of them. We’re finally getting back to normal, but economically, we’re still struggling. Please pass on our thanks to Arongante.”
“Understood.”
Speaking of economics, if a magical girl belonging to the Magic Bureau dies, part of their account is confiscated by the state.
I assume England has lost a fair number of magical girls, so taxes must be coming in, but it’s still not enough, I guess?
Well, it’s not something I should concern myself with.
“By the way, was Rinde helpful? I was so busy this week that I barely spoke with her. How was she?”
“Hmm. If there’s a next time, please tell her to practice cooking properly.”
Some people can cook well, but this time, our luck was bad.
I never imagined I’d end up cooking for others, but being able to season food to my taste was certainly appreciated.
Still, honestly, it’s troublesome, and deep down, I’d prefer someone else to cook for me.
“Haha. I’ll pass that on. Are you heading home now?”
“Yes. Let’s meet again if there’s another request. See you later.”
Bayern let out a dry laugh, but it can’t be helped.
While the country benefited, the Magic Bureau was destroyed.
They probably don’t really want us to come back.
With that, my final task in England is complete, and all that’s left is to return via the teleporter.
We left Bayern’s office and headed towards the teleporter.
As we approached, a familiar magical girl stood in front of the teleportation room.
(Rinde. How was her behavior since yesterday?)
“One marker was set, but she hasn’t left home. And she hasn’t met anyone either, I believe.”
Then there shouldn’t be any danger, but what business does she have here?
She didn’t seem as frightened as yesterday, but she looked slightly worn out.
Upon noticing me, Rinde approached and handed me an envelope.
“…What is this?”
“I want you to look at it later. And… I’m sorry.”
Rinde pressed the envelope into my hands and fled somewhere like she was escaping.
“Is it a love letter? You can’t ignore that.”
“There’s absolutely no way that’s true.”
After all, Rinde’s sister and I are enemies, and indirectly, Rinde tried to kill me.
That said, considering she said “sorry,” it’s probably some kind of apology letter.
I’ll check it later; for now, I’ll slip it inside my sleeve.
“Hmm. Well, that’s fine. Let’s head back then.”
“Yes.”
We informed the teleporter staff of the coordinates and entered the teleporter.
“Ahh, welcome back.”
“Thanks, is Arongante around?”
Upon returning to Arongante’s base, a fairy at the reception greeted us.
“Yes. There’s no record of her being out for two weeks, so she should be here.”
Living at the base is possible, but it seems I haven’t returned home for a while…
Dark circles might be forming under my eyes again.
Compared to the Magic Bureau, the small teleportation room led us to Arongante’s office.
Without pressing the intercom outside the office door, Ren-san simply walked in.
What does she plan to do if someone is inside?
Well, Ren-san will likely get scolded, so I’ll follow her in too.
“You’re back. Please sit down first. I’ve already heard the report, but how was England?”
As always, Arongante was working intensely, clinging to her chair.
Though the dark circles aren’t deep, it’s clear she’s tired from the atmosphere.
“The overall quality was poor, and the food was terrible.”
The food was only bad the first time when Rinde cooked; afterward, I handled it.
Despite that, she mostly started her sentences with compliments like “delicious” or “good.”
Was the rough cooking of a man really that good?
“The food issue requires extra caution. Was the food prepared by English people?”
“We had it made once, but afterward, Inie helped with the cooking. She seems destined to be a good bride in the future.”
Lady Ren giggled, but I categorically deny becoming a bride.
Though the future is uncertain, I have no intention of letting my body grow further.
All thanks to Sora.
“Inie cooked… Thalagong would probably get angry if he finds out.”
“If that happens, help me. I find Thalagong a bit intimidating.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Though their attributes and personalities are opposites, I didn’t think their relationship was particularly bad.
“Your discomfort is Ren’s fault… However, I didn’t expect actual annihilationists to appear. How was the battle?”
“My side managed to escape, but it seems I wouldn’t lose in normal circumstances. It’s unclear what would happen if I were affected by that drug.”
After all, Ren-san’s role was merely to buy time.
I feel like Ren-san could break through a witch’s barrier, and Rinne’s choice was reasonable.
“Is that so? How about Inie? I’ve only heard that she defeated three opponents, but I’d appreciate a detailed account.”
“Understood.”
In accordance with the agreement with Rinne, I omitted Rinde and recounted the battle.
Being teleported to a different coordinate and trapped within a barrier.
Becoming a 3 vs. 1 situation but somehow winning.
I kept quiet about the simultaneous release of Arcana and the body exchange using Sora.
It’s not that I couldn’t talk about it, but objectively speaking, it might be mentioned that it puts physical strain on me, and I might be told to visit Jeanne again.
Also, I remained silent about the conversation with Rinne and the memory stick given by Rinde.
This depends on the content, I suppose.
While trying to summarize the story as much as possible, I kept quiet about the crucial parts.
“That’s about it. I believe Ren-san has reported the rest, but essentially, we treated the victims of the destroyed Magic Bureau.”
“Understood. So, the number of annihilationist members defeated totals five… Reports indicate that lower-ranking magic users were also taken down here, but it appears Inie was the only one to defeat upper-level members.”
That’s all there is to say about such a report.
Their side can create barriers and teleport.
Since their power surpasses even mediocre rankers, if they choose to flee, it’s easy for them to escape.
In my case, I manage to defeat those who come to kill, but if they opt to run, there’s nothing I can do.
Lockwert serves as a good example.
It would be ideal to seal their magic, but since I lack such means, there’s no way to prevent them from fleeing.
“They’ll flee when at a disadvantage, so it can’t be helped that we can’t defeat them.”
“But if we don’t defeat them, we won’t have a future…”
“Changing topics, I have one report from our side.”
With Ren-san’s report concluded, Arongante resets the tone.
A report from Arongante.
It’s undoubtedly about the satellite, isn’t it?
“Regarding the mountain destroyed by Inie, it seems the effects didn’t end there.”
“The mountain… Could it have reached space?”
“That’s correct.”
Arongante picked up a remote control and pressed a button, projecting an image onto the wall of the office.
It showed a half-destroyed satellite.
It was utterly wrecked and clearly non-functional.
“As you can see, the satellite directly in line with the gouged mountain was damaged.”
Yeah, I heard this from Demon, but can you two stop staring at me like that?