Chapter 29
Reina looked at the figure standing in front of her, doubting her eyes. Why on earth was the Black Knight standing before her?
Hong-ryeon was relatively calm in response. For some reason, the Black Knight had previously informed them of the Supreme Leader’s advance, so it seemed he wasn’t planning to annihilate the magical girls right away.
Moreover, even if he did intend to do so, there was nothing he could achieve. Even if they were in perfect condition, facing a monster against which they could not guarantee victory was futile, especially when they were exhausted and battered.
Above all, the Black Knight had single-handedly stopped the massive explosion created from the Supreme Leader’s condensed magical power.
If he intended to kill them, he could have simply let that explosion go. The fact that he chose to stop it was already proof that he had no ill intentions, she thought.
In the tense atmosphere, the Black Knight spoke up.
[There’s no need to act so stiff. I’m not here to fight right now.]
At this, Artilleri chimed in.
“How can we trust that a monster isn’t here to fight?”
Hong-ryeon placed a hand on Artilleri’s shoulder and shook her head.
“There’s no need for a clash right now. It doesn’t seem like anything good would come from it. The best option now is to just let it pass.”
With that, Artilleri let out a sound of discontent and closed her mouth. The Black Knight seemed amused by her reaction and spoke again.
[Right, I have no intention of being hostile toward you. Well, I could engage if you ask me to, but it wouldn’t lead to a good outcome.]
As those words left his lips, an overwhelming energy surged forth from him, a presence so suffocating it felt impossible to breathe. It was a magical power that could only be described as exceeding that of the Supreme Leader.
“Cough!”
“Eek…!”
“What is that…?”
As the magical girls gasped in horror, Hong-ryeon calmed them down and spoke.
“Right, I understand that you have no intention to fight us. So, why have you revealed yourself before us?”
[Who do you think saved you from almost dying just now? Isn’t that a bit much? Well, fine. I’m merely acting according to my own purpose. Nothing more, nothing less.]
“Are you asking us to believe that?”
[There’s nothing to doubt. The very fact that you’re alive already explains everything.]
At that, Hong-ryeon bit her lip. It was frustrating, but it was true. The creature before her could have annihilated them at any moment. It was better not to provoke him further.
The Black Knight, unfazed, quietly observed Reina. After a while of scrutinizing her, he finally spoke.
[Alright, I’m done here. I’ll take my leave.]
With those words, the Black Knight instantly vanished from sight.
As the figure of the monster disappeared, the magical girls began to murmur among themselves about the Black Knight. In the center of that situation, Reina carefully steadied her trembling legs with her staff.
She thought she had grown stronger. She had held her own against an S-rank monster, yet she couldn’t say a word in front of the Black Knight out of fear.
And that realization frustrated her a bit. Even though she believed she had made progress, it felt as if that progress was mocking her as insignificant.
However, she also felt a strange emotion. Did this mean she had already been saved from death by the Black Knight for the third time? A magical girl being saved by a monster was a story that wouldn’t even qualify as a comedy.
Reina pressed her lips together. In that moment, someone placed their hand on her head.
“You did well today, newbie.”
“Ah, H-Hongryeon-nim.”
It was Hong-ryeon. She smiled and opened her mouth.
“That was amazing! You did far better than I expected. If you hadn’t been here, we might have failed to take down the Supreme Leader or suffered much greater losses. Look, we took down an S-rank monster with hardly any damage at all. Wow, it seems like your magical power has grown significantly too!”
“I… I only managed to do it because everyone else did well…”
At those words, Hong-ryeon shook her head vigorously.
“Enough. Anyone can see that you did the best among all of us here. It was you who lured the monster, and ultimately, it was you who brought it down. Being too humble can be even more frustrating, so stand tall and say, ‘I carried this!'”
“I… I’m just too embarrassed…”
Hong-ryeon let out a chuckle.
“Yes, I taught you. You have to have some confidence. You know how to give credit where it’s due.”
“…That’s true.”
Hong-ryeon then rested her chin on Reina’s shoulder and said,
“Yes, it’s all true, but in the end, you did all of it. You learned well from me, and that’s how you were able to grow. I know you’re a bit timid, but you can afford to be a little kinder to yourself. You deserve it.”
Reina felt her vision getting a bit blurry. She started to cry, but she smiled brightly.
“Thank you.”
“That’s right.”
While smiling, Hong-ryeon suddenly exclaimed, “Oh!”
“Speaking of which, I was thinking of having a big celebration now that the mission is over. What do you think? Since most of the monsters are taken care of, there shouldn’t be anything to ruin the fun.”
However, Reina shook her head vigorously and replied,
“No, there’s someone I want to see first.”
Yes, there was someone she needed to see first. The person who had told her they believed in her. The one who had supported her, the number one fan of Magical Girl Reina.
Hong-ryeon nodded, as if she understood.
“Alright, go ahead. Anyway, there will be plenty of time until you leave, so it’s okay to take the day off.”
“Huh… What?”
Reina didn’t quite understand Hong-ryeon’s sudden words. Where was she going until then?
Hong-ryeon blinked her eyes wide and then exclaimed, “Oh, you forgot why you’re here? You came to gather achievements to become a B-rank. After getting the MVP for taking down an S-rank monster, you still think you’re not enough? You’ll get your B-rank qualification in a few days, so once you get that, you’ll head back to the rear.”
“Oh, ah…!”
Now that she thought about it, that was true. The reason she came here was to become a B-rank magical girl. It was hard to believe that her seemingly distant goal had already been achieved.
“Congratulations! Wow, it hasn’t even been three weeks, and you’ll be the one to achieve B-rank the fastest among those who’ve been trying for a while! Some take years to achieve it.”
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t even been here for a month yet. But for some reason, the time spent here felt much longer than that. Perhaps it was because the memories were so dense.
As Reina pondered this, she responded with a bright smile.
“Yes, that’s true.”
…
When Reina returned to her accommodation, I greeted her warmly.
Reina’s thoughts were beyond my imagination, but as I had envisioned, they were brilliant. Yes. This was exactly the side of Reina that had appeared in “Magical Girls Don’t Fall.”
Overall, things seemed to have gone well, and everything felt smooth enough to be considered a success.
Reina and the magical girls grew stronger by defeating the Supreme Leader, successfully thwarting the New Humanity Association’s plans while also reducing their executive power. And as for finding Baek Seung-hyun’s memories, it seems there was at least some progress, albeit minor.
…Well, whether those memories would be good for me is still uncertain.
Anyway, Reina began to proudly recount her exploits and everything that had happened, her bright face shining with enthusiasm.
Then, with a radiant smile, she said to me, “It’s all thanks to Seung-hyun! I think I was able to do it because you said you believed in me!”
Feeling overwhelmed by her innocence, I responded, “…I’m glad to hear that.”
Reina went on to share all sorts of stories.
“…And because of that, Hong-ryeon said my B-rank qualification will come soon!”
“…Really?”
This surprised me a bit. Was the South Korean administration really that fast? …No, I suppose it means Reina must have achieved something extraordinary.
She nodded with a proud expression on her face. Hearing that, I smiled.
From what she said, it seemed her relationship with Hong-ryeon had improved significantly. In the original story, their relationship wasn’t that great. Hong-ryeon was envious of Reina, who had an astonishing talent but was rather bumbling, while Reina was scared of Hong-ryeon.
However, it seemed that Hong-ryeon and Reina had become quite close by now. …Could it be that my words to Hong-ryeon had some influence?
While I was pondering this, I heard a ding-dong sound. When I went to the door, I found Hong-ryeon standing there.
“Hey, come out for a second. I need to talk to you.”
…Hmm?
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