NOVEL WEB Chapter 5
The rescued magical girl. Her name is Marin.
Magical Girl Marin had been leading a busy life ever since two other Magical Girls from the same North Kanto Branch were sent for re-education.
Even without those two, the North Kanto Branch was already struggling with a shortage of personnel, but now there was only one full-time Magical Girl left. No matter how numerous the lesser foes might be, it was still hard to handle everything alone when others could manage with five to ten people. It was certainly a tough situation, almost like being Black.
The higher-ups did call for backup occasionally, but fundamentally, Marin had been handling things on her own. This was partly due to Marin’s character, but also because she didn’t want to burden others with cleaning up after fools, which would have been ridiculous.
Marin fights using close-range combat with a sword and mid-range attacks with a bow. The power of her sword strikes can split the earth, and her arrows can pierce through rocks, focusing heavily on firepower. However, this consumes a lot of magic power, making consecutive or prolonged battles difficult for her.
She knew her weaknesses, but still believed that she could manage on her own. That’s what Marin thought.
About two days before the return of the girls who were sent for re-education, Marin received a dispatch request. That day, she had already completed around five monster eliminations, which was sufficient for the North Kanto Branch.
There were about ten more requests, but those had been taken care of by Inny Flowering.
“Is it correct that we cannot call for backup since the monster is expected to be B-Rank?”
“Yes. A-Rank monsters have appeared in Fukushima and Kanagawa, so Marin is the only Magical Girl available to act immediately. If it seems too difficult, we can send a high-ranking fighter from the Fairy Realm waiting in reserve…”
“Not necessary. I can handle a B-Rank monster on my own.”
Ignoring the operator’s concern, Marin replied strongly. Though she was indeed tired and low on magic power, she believed that if she engaged in a short-term battle, she could manage. She had successfully defeated B-Rank monsters alone several times before, and even managed to inflict fatal wounds on an A-Rank monster with the help of her companions.
Though she was indeed fatigued, if no one else was available, she thought it would be fine. That’s what Marin believed.
“What are the coordinates?”
“They will be at the border between Gunma and Saitama Prefectures. We’ll send the coordinates to your terminal. Please arrive within 15 minutes as we need to deploy the barrier.”
“Understood.”
Marin ended the communication and confirmed the received coordinates. It wasn’t a distance that required rushing, but it was far enough that she couldn’t rest.
(Considering my remaining magic power, it might be better to aim for the last possible moment rather than rushing.)
With that thought, Marin headed towards the coordinates across the rooftops.
Arriving one minute before the scheduled time, Marin immediately requested the deployment of the barrier from the operator. The operator contacted the Magic Bureau, deploying the barrier centered on the estimated location of the monster’s appearance.
This barrier is powered by fairy magic, and even the fairies don’t fully understand its principles. Its effect is to transport all living beings within the barrier into another space (created by the fairies). There are several types of these spaces, and where one ends up is random.
Additionally, thanks to some mysterious fairy technology, the battles within the barrier can be viewed live on the official website, though mobile communications are unavailable. Since it’s a different space, this makes sense.
According to the fairies, this alternate space is supposedly indestructible, but very few have ever completely destroyed it. However, if it breaks before the monster is defeated, the monster escapes, so intentionally breaking it is not recommended.
Due to the nature of the barrier, once deployed, external interference becomes difficult. The barrier only dissipates when either the monster dies or the Magical Girl does.
Because of these factors, battling higher-ranked monsters with at least two people is standard practice. Unfortunately, due to the lack of support, Marin was led into a different space alone.
(I’ll be fine. In two days, the other two will return, and thanks to Inny Flowering, my workload has decreased somewhat.)
Closing her eyes and steadying her breath, Marin focused on detecting the monster’s presence and swiftly moved forward.
Marin’s strategy was extremely simple: closing the distance at an incredible speed and cutting down the enemy with a single swift draw of her sword. That was all there was to it.
It would have been effective against strong or sturdy opponents, but this time, the opponent was unfavorable. Upon appearing, the monster had woven threads around itself, establishing its territory.
Marin barely noticed the territory while rushing in and managed to stop herself just in time. As a result, her plan to finish the fight with one strike failed.
Still, she was managing decently by dodging or cutting the threads. But when attacked by hordes of baby spiders, she found herself on the defensive.
If she used her abilities to clear out the baby spiders, she wouldn’t have the energy left to defeat the mother spider, and if she tried to defeat the mother spider, the baby spiders would get in the way.
This was inside the barrier, so no help would come.
Faint shadows of death flickered through her mind as she tried to think of a way out, but the longer she waited, the less magic power Marin had left.
As her anxiety grew, a thread spun by a baby spider wrapped around Marin’s leg. Seizing the opportunity, the mother spider shot a cannon-like ball of threads at Marin. With her legs immobilized, Marin had no way to avoid it…
The instant the ball of threads came into view, Marin realized her mistake.
(This seems impossible…)
Her physical strength and magic power were already stretched to their limits, and even if she could withstand the impact of the thread ball, she would have no means left to continue fighting afterward.
Lowering her sword-wielding arm and closing her eyes…
(I’ll leave the rest to the other two, annoying as it may be.)
Fortunately, Marin lost consciousness the moment the thread ball hit her. Struck by the thread ball, she was blown away effortlessly.
The mortality rate for lower-ranked Magical Girls is less than 10%, but it skyrockets for higher ranks. The enclosed space of the barrier, the tense atmosphere with no hope of rescue, and the despair of being unable to escape — these things drive Magical Girls mad. Perhaps Marin, too, succumbed to this madness.
Had it not been for an irregular occurrence, Marin’s life as a Magical Girl might have ended there. Her overconfidence in thinking she could handle it alone, combined with her resignation that no help would come, meant there should have been no salvation…
But then, something unexpected happened.
Marlin regained consciousness from the smell of burning organic matter. However, her mind judged this to be strange.
She should have been killed by the monster. There has never been a case of a monster ignoring a Magical Girl inside a barrier. Besides, this protein-burning smell felt suspiciously like a spider on fire.
Despite her body feeling incredibly heavy, she managed to move slightly, emitting a sound. Opening her eyes, she saw someone in a white robe holding a long wooden staff.
No, she already knew who it was. A Magical Girl who suddenly appeared about a week ago. Her battle record was unmatched; she had lost an arm while rescuing another Magical Girl, was blown high into the sky by a monster while saving civilians, and wiped out countless monsters in one go. She was a topic of endless discussion.
That person was Magical Girl Inny Flowering, also known as the White Mage. No one had seen her face except for glimpses of her blue hair under her hood.
And here she was, standing right in front of Marin. Around her floated many butterfly-like flames that were burning both the spider silk and even the baby spiders. The scene was incredibly surreal.
No, that wasn’t important right now. What mattered was how she had entered the barrier.
“Are you Inny Flowering!?”
Unknowingly, Marin had spoken aloud.
Perhaps because she was looking up, when Inny Flowering turned around, Marin caught a glimpse of her clouded, despairing blue eyes.
“Did you wake up?”
Hearing those words and the indifferent tone, Marin felt an uncontrollable surge of emotion and let out a loud voice.
“How are you here?! I was supposed to be the only one inside this barrier!”
(I wanted to say thank you…)
Unable to express the words she should have said, confused, Marin tried to stand up at least to fight alongside her, but her body wouldn’t obey her commands.
While struggling to stand, Marin heard Inny Flowering answer her earlier question.
“There’s nothing a Magical Girl can’t do.”
Marin couldn’t immediately understand the meaning of those words. She guessed it referred to entering the barrier, but the feeling behind those words suggested something deeper to Marin.
“I’ll take care of the rest. You rest.”
While Marin looked down, perhaps to hide her flushed face, Inny Flowering spoke.
When Marin looked up, Inny Flowering had already turned around and started positioning her staff.
“Let iron walls rise and surround us.”
Iron-like walls rose around Marin and Inny Flowering.
Wondering why the walls were raised, Marin watched as Inny Flowering began casting another spell.
The sound of the beginning…
“Kyaaaah!”
A thunderous sound resonated from beyond the wall, akin to the end of the world. It was understandable that Marin screamed given the noise.
When Inny Flowering dismissed the wall, all the buildings that existed during Marin’s battle were gone, and even the clouds in the sky had disappeared.
Not only were the baby spiders gone, but the mother spider was also completely erased, showcasing the immense power of the previous spell.
“This is your ability…”
Words escaped her mouth.
It wasn’t fear of Inny Flowering that prompted them, but rather admiration or reverence.
They were words filled with awe.
But was it safe to use such powerful magic?
Excessive use of abilities could be life-threatening.
Every Magical Girl knows that. Yet, judging by appearances, Inny Flowering seemed unharmed.
A brief silence enveloped the area.
The monster elimination was complete.
At that moment, Marin realized something.
If she didn’t act quickly, Inny Flowering would leave.
Without having properly thanked her, Marin felt lonely at the thought of her departure.
But what should she say?
Marin hesitated for words.
While pondering what to say, she noticed Inny Flowering had been watching her.
“Are you alright?”
“Um, thank you for helping me. But how did you get in here?”
“By force.”
Marin wanted to retort that barriers aren’t that easy to break, but instead worried whether Inny Flowering was physically okay after forcing her way in.
“Is it really okay to enter by force?”
“It’s fine. I’ll heal your injuries. Pain, vanish.”
Responding casually to Marin’s words, despite performing such powerful magic and breaching the barrier, Inny Flowering had the leisure to cast healing magic. Such capability in one person seemed impossible, yet here she was with all those skills.
Most Magical Girls specialize in one or two abilities, but…
No, now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Marin switched her thoughts to thanking her savior.
The wounds Marin sustained during the battle healed, and aside from the fatigue caused by her depleted magic power, she felt much better.
She knew theoretically that Inny Flowering could use healing magic, but experiencing it firsthand made her appreciate its value. Now she understood why the Magic Bureau was desperate to recruit her.
“Wow, you can do all this… Thank you for healing me.”
Marin finally stood up with her newly functional body and expressed her gratitude, but Inny Flowering showed no particular reaction and simply walked away. After taking a few steps, her figure faded away, leaving Marin alone inside the barrier.
Immediately afterward, the barrier dissipated, and the desolate landscape returned to its original asphalt-covered state.
Relieved to have safely returned to reality, Marin checked her terminal for incoming calls.
Seeing the Operator’s display on the screen made her feel a bit annoyed, but post-battle reports were mandatory obligations.
Before pressing the call button, Marin remembered the barrier’s properties — battles inside the barrier can be viewed in real-time.
Worried about what the Operator might say, Marin pressed the call button with slight apprehension.
“Marin! Are you alright?!”
The Operator shouted loudly, clearly concerned for Marin. Unbeknownst to Marin, the broadcast had stopped due to the shockwave from Inny Flowering’s magic.
Unaware of this, Marin responded as usual to the Operator.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“It’s impossible for you to be fine! I’ve already called for a medical team, so please don’t move until they arrive!”
The Operator had last seen Marin lying down behind Inny Flowering, so naturally assumed Marin was severely injured.
Thus, Marin didn’t understand why the Operator was so anxious.
Fed up with the Operator’s constant nagging, Marin cut off the call midway.
If Inny Flowering hadn’t been there…
Reflecting on this, Marin absentmindedly looked up at the sky. No one knew what was truly in her heart at that moment.
The footage of this battle was released to the public against Marin’s wishes, following the Magic Bureau’s decision. Reactions to the video were largely divided into two categories.
Some saw hope and possibilities in the sight of a Magical Girl aiding another inside a barrier.
Others, seeing the variety of spells and even healing capabilities, felt threatened and plotted to eliminate her.
Summoned to a meeting, Haruna practiced graceful movements and gestures with a Demon to avoid embarrassment, while the environment surrounding Haruna began to change.