The Prince Who Absorbs Abilities With a ‘Click’

Chapter 12: Office Worker Dreams of Becoming a Magical Girl

The candlelight flickered as a priest hurried down the corridor of the chapel.

His pure white clergy robe fluttered in the wind.

At the chapel doors, silver-armored knights crossed their spears and blocked his path.

“Stop, priest.”

A middle-aged knight with sparse facial hair spoke in a firm voice.

“The saint is currently praying.”

“But this is urgent…”

The priest tried to speak but quickly closed his mouth.

He knew the sacred order’s unspoken rules.

The saint’s prayers were more sacred than anything else, and they must not be interrupted for any reason.

The priest sighed and approached the knight closely.

“Then, when the saint comes out, please be sure to convey this news. The seventh prince of the Exion Empire has been declared dead.”

The knight’s face instantly stiffened.

If the death of the prince had been announced, the funeral must have already been completed by now.

Moreover, the empire was in a situation where the aging emperor was about to transfer power.

Though the internal situation was unclear, the general expectation was that the eight princes would soon engage in bloody conflicts.

And among these predictions, the death of the seventh prince?

“It seems something big is going to happen. I will be sure to pass on the message when the saint comes out.”

The entire world could soon be plunged into chaos.

Inside the chapel, unaware of the commotion, Saint Irene was deeply immersed in prayer.

The twilight light spilling from the high ceiling bathed her silver-white hair in golden hues.

As the representative saint of the sacred order, her prayer was as usual.
It was filled with a sincere wish for the peace of the world and the well-being of all people.
And then it happened.

“……!”

A sudden burst of intense white light swallowed her consciousness.
Reality seemed to melt away as her soul was drawn into an unknown dimension. And there, she saw it.

“Seed?”
It was a black seed, pulsating in the depths of an abyss, the black seed.

It was not simply darkness. It was absolute darkness that could swallow light, the primordial chaos that could shake the foundations of the world.

The writhing seed had already taken root, and its black tendrils, like spider webs, were seeping into every corner of the world.
This could only mean one thing.

“Evil… is already stirring.”

A force of evil that would plunge the world into terror had emerged and Irene’s soul trembled.

This was a clear warning.

It was a divine revelation that a catastrophe capable of swallowing the world had already begun but then, another light appeared, cutting through the darkness.

Like a shooting star in the middle of the night, it shone brilliantly, and it was clear that it did not belong to this world.

It was the light of hope flying toward this place, crossing the boundary of dimensions.

Realization struck her like lightning.

That light was the hero who would save this world from evil.

“A hero from another world…You are the savior sent to us.”

Irene slowly opened her eyes.

Her face was pale, but her blue eyes shone with an unwavering will.
She struggled to rise.

She had expended too much divine energy receiving the revelation and her legs were still shaky, but her mind was firm.

“Lord…”

Irene’s white robe fluttered.

“I will follow Your will.”

Having heard the divine command, there was only one thing she had to do.

Before the greater darkness could stretch its hand toward the world, she must find the light that would oppose that darkness.

That was the mission of both her and the sacred order.

I manipulated my smartphone, staring at the screen.

“Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be anyone suitable to become a magical girl.”

The first magical girl I had contracted with had died.

“I didn’t expect a magical girl to die so hopelessly.”

So, for the next contract, I wanted to be cautious and find a suitable candidate.

To increase my understanding of the game’s world, I also gathered various pieces of information.

Through controlling the winged cat ‘Kain’ on the screen, I was able to study many things.

First of all, the world in the game had a setting where magical girls existed.

Naturally, only women could become them, and their main purpose was to deal with dimensional rifts and monsters that appeared all over the world.

The monsters had levels ranging from level 1 to level 10, with the higher numbers representing greater power.

The more I learned, the clearer my sense of what kind of person I should contract with began to form.

“Seems like they shouldn’t be a student after all.”

I didn’t want someone who would just mindlessly clash with enemies by wielding a toy magic wand—I wanted an intelligent magical girl who would think appropriately.

“Hmm.”

Before I knew it, night had fallen again in the game world.

As darkness settled, the streets became crowded with people heading home.

“Who would be suitable?”

Someone who managed social life well and could express their opinions clearly seemed ideal to become a magical girl.

At that moment, a person caught my eye.

It was a woman with dark circles under her eyes, someone who looked just the right amount of tired from life—exactly the kind of person I was looking for.

“Should I try her?”

I began to follow the woman, controlling the cat character.

Seo Jiwon stepped into the apartment elevator and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Her dark circles seemed to have gotten worse.

She was twenty-nine and the thought of turning thirty soon made her sigh involuntarily.

“Is this really okay?”

She had no boyfriend, let alone a husband.

At first, she didn’t mind, but over time, the growing anxiety was unavoidable.

But she didn’t feel like going out after work, exhausted as she was.

She had tried a dating app once but never even opened it.

“I’ll just have a drink and go to bed.”

In her left hand was a beer she had just bought from the convenience store.

Jiwon rubbed her shoulder, but the stiff muscles of a five-year employee didn’t loosen easily.

When she opened the front door, darkness greeted her.

Without turning on the lights, she took off her shoes and collapsed onto the sofa.

The clock already read 10:00 p.m.

The fridge only had leftover chicken.

“Ah… can I really live like this?”

She said this, but her hands were already holding the beer and chicken.
She drank one can in one go to wash away the stress of the day.

“Ah… refreshing.”

Empty cans began to stack up next to her and just as she began to feel a little better she turned her head at the faint light that flashed from the balcony.
“What… What is that?”
There was a cat with silver-white wings that shimmered in the moonlight, staring at her.

“…It has wings?”

Was it the alcohol making her hallucinate? Jiwon set the beer can down on the floor.

She felt like it would be dangerous if she kept drinking here.

But then.
“Hello?”

The cat spoke politely.

Jiwon stared at the cat for a moment, then smiled wryly.

“Ah, I must be really drunk. Now I’m even hallucinating talking to a cat.”

“This is not a hallucination.”

The cat elegantly leapt down from the balcony railing and approached her.

“My name is Kain. Would you like to contract with me and become a magical girl?”

“What? A magical girl?”

Jiwon laughed self-deprecatingly.

“Pfft! I’m about to turn thirty, and you want me to become a magical girl? And…I’m already a burnt-out office worker…”

Jiwon’s words were sincere.

It had already been over 30 years since the first dimensional rift appeared and magical girls started appearing.

The magical girls that frequently appeared on TV, in the news, and on social media were all quite young.

The younger they were, the higher their potential and the better they could fight monsters.

So nowadays, magical girls are chosen in their early to mid-20s at the latest. And by the time they reached 30, they usually retired.

But now, she was being asked to become a magical girl at almost thirty?
Jiwon chuckled.

It was the first time in a while she had heard such a funny joke but the cat in front of her was adamant.

“Good. You’re exactly the kind of person I’ve been looking for. Contract with me, and become a magical girl.”

As soon as she realized the other party was serious, Jiwon also assumed a serious expression.

Magical girl.
The being in front of her was probably the contractor.
A magical girl gains her powers through a contract with a contractor.
Of course, when she retires, she relinquishes her powers, and the contract with the contractor ends as well.

“…Magical girl.”

If she hadn’t been drunk, she would have immediately refused.

What kind of magical girl at her age, she would have said.

But perhaps because she had been drinking beer, a small excitement began to stir in her chest.

When did this start?

Getting used to this dull daily life.

Has the special something she once dreamed of as a child come to her at this moment, aided by the effects of the alcohol?

“But… will I be able to do it?”

With a trembling voice, Jiwon asked, and on her face, an old feeling of shy anticipation spread.

“You’ll do well. I’ll show you my power.”

The cat said this and something fell from the air.

“What is this…?”

Jiwon looked at the object that had fallen.

No matter how she looked at it, it was a magic wand toy for girls.

It was even a toy that played music and emitted light when a button was pressed.

“See, it’s a toy?!”

Could it be that the cat in front of her was making fun of her?

Jiwon raised her voice but the cat was serious.

“No, it’s not an ordinary toy. It’s a magic wand that was strengthened with a weapon enhancement scroll I got from the dungeon merchant. Now that it’s a weapon, it should be useful.”

“……?”

Dungeon? Merchant? Weapon enhancement scroll?

She didn’t understand what the other was saying, but if she made the contract, perhaps this monotonous life would change?

Jiwon hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

“Yes! I’ll try!”

She decided to become a magical girl.

“Contract established.”

With the cat’s words, pure white light enveloped Jiwon’s body.

Her black suit and neatly tied hair began to melt away in the light.

“Wait… huh…?”

Jiwon’s eyes widened.

In place of the suit, a pastel pink dress appeared.

“U-um…?”

Despite Jiwon’s flustered reaction, the transformation continued.
The ruffled skirt, about 15 cm above the knee, flared out in layers, and the entire skirt sparkled with tiny star-shaped sequins.
The ribbon on her chest was sky blue, with a heart-shaped brooch in the center.
The sleeves puffed out in a puff sleeve style and finished with frills at the wrist.
The shoes at her feet were transformed into Mary Jane shoes that showed her ankles, with a small ribbon on the front.
Her socks were white knee-high socks with pink ribbons.

“Wait, wait a minute! This is…!”

It was then that Jiwon realized.

Magical girls…wore these kinds of clothes, didn’t they?

Her neatly styled hair fell out of place, forming waves, and split into twin tails. The color of her hair turned pastel pink, and a sparkling star ornament adorned her headband.

Around her neck, a pink choker appeared, and a bracelet with a heart charm appeared on her wrist.

“Ah…no…not this…”

Jiwon stood before the mirror.

Her face turned bright red as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Wouldn’t even an elementary school student avoid dressing like this?

“Um… could I get a different look? Something more…mature…?”
And twin tails, no less!

Jiwon grabbed her twin tails and covered her eyes.

Could she go out looking like this as a 30-year-old office worker?

Wouldn’t it be social death?

‘Wait, what if someone from work notices?’

Naturally, becoming a magical girl didn’t change her face.

Only her clothes had changed, while her face and body stayed the same.
“…….”

Just thinking about it made her dizzy.

She vividly imagined her manager asking on Monday morning, “Jiwon, was that magical girl I saw on SNS this weekend…?”

And then, having to shout something like “In the name of love and justice!” while holding that pink, heart-shaped wand?

Even other magical girls would surely laugh at her.

“Ah, noooo!”

Her scream echoed through the apartment.

▶ The contract with you has succeeded, and ‘Seo Jiwon’ has become a magical girl.
▶ The magical girl must deal with dimensional cracks and monsters.
▶ Rewards will be given based on the magical girl’s performance.
▶ The magical girl contracted with you will have the chance to travel to other dimensions through dimensional cracks.
【Currently open dimensional worlds】

[Earth’s Last Day, Raise Survivors]

[Dungeon Master]