LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 46
October 27th
Yesterday’s chilly weather feels like a lie as it warms up to a surprisingly cozy temperature.
Honestly, it’s been almost three years since I transformed into this body, but I find it hard to adapt to the intense gazes that gather at my chest whenever I wear even slightly thinner clothes. So, I prefer the slightly chilly weather, because thick sweaters or knits reduce those stares by about 50%.
Ding-dong!
After two weeks of dining around the Supernatural Ability Response Team headquarters due to the events that happened, I found myself returning to this beef soup restaurant because it’s the only place I really like.
Inside the beef soup shop, it was a bit bustling, but there were still a few vacant seats.
A couple of people caught sight of my striking appearance and, upon noticing my name tag showing I was part of the Supernatural Ability Response Team, nodded their heads with thumbs up!
I responded similarly, giving a thumbs up back.
The previously positive public opinion about Korea’s Magical Girls has turned explosive beyond mere enthusiasm.
“Regular beef soup, please!”
“Looks like Dorim hasn’t arrived yet?”
I quietly pointed upwards at the sky, replying to the owner of the beef soup shop.
“Must be busy with the launching ceremony.”
“Ah~”
I took off the knit I had put on over my outfit, regretting that I felt overly warm, then hung it on the chair and sat down while watching the TV in the soup shop. After pretending to be a civil servant wandering around Sejong City in a formal skirt suit with my name tag dangling for a whole month, I was starting to feel that casual clothes were less comfortable than a suit.
‘Last weekend, when I went to the cinema in a suit with Dorim, everyone gave us weird looks…’
Inside me, the soul of a shy, lonely 27-year-old man still lingers, so the cold gazes from current middle school girls feel like massive wounds.
[The launch ceremony of the Asian Supernatural Ability Union is scheduled, aiming to respect the autonomy of Magical Girls…]
[President Yang remarks that the recent terrorist incident highlights how much Magical Girls contribute to society…]
On-screen was President Yang, smiling artificially while sweating coldly, alongside a photo of Team Leader Oh Sang-hyuk, who was giving a half-hearted grin watching the handshake.
Seoul is on the brink of collapse.
This is not just a mere crisis; it’s a phrase that pierces the heart of Korea and signifies the end of the nation, leaving an enormous impact from the events that transpired in just an hour.
[Seoul invasion, a critical crisis for South Korea!]
[A tragedy caused by a single terrorist!]
The military was helpless, the government paralyzed, and the lawmakers hidden away.
If the situation had continued longer, perhaps some leader, awakened by their dormant courage and leadership buried in their subconscious, would rise up. But at least in that moment, when the villainous Magical Girl attacked, the citizens were paralyzed with fear, recalling the fates of other nations that had suffered before.
There, the Girls fought back.
[Captain Park Saebyeok: “No special treatment, I just did what was necessary.”]
[White Wing Unit members say: “We express gratitude to the military and citizens who fought alongside us.”]
[The miraculous Han River escape operation, all White Wing members scheduled to receive medals.]
[Special laws under discussion for the smooth social service activities of supernatural beings.]
[Introducing the ‘Park Saebyeok Special Law’ allowing activities based solely on ability, regardless of age or status.]
Captain Park Saebyeok’s desperate efforts, perceived by anyone who didn’t know about my inverse causality as single-handedly taking down [bombardment], were recorded at the Seoul Square and lauded as legendary heroic deeds.
Especially in the case of the European Union, who suffered greatly from the bombardment incident, a letter was sent to the Defense Ministry inviting Captain Park Saebyeok to the joint memorial service for the victims occurring next week.
‘Jang Ik-soo, that guy, has nothing to say since Dorim and I know everything.’
Of course, from the perspectives of the ministers, lawmakers, and the president hiding in the bunker, it was merely a regional incident of a terrorism occurrence, allowing them to discuss various matters.
‘What happened in that one hour changed everything.’
During that hour of Seoul’s existential crisis, questions arose in a talk show about why the president and the emergency response committee weren’t summoned, and why the control tower, aside from the operational staff in charge of Seoul’s defense, didn’t make an appearance.
The studio’s atmosphere froze.
‘…….’
‘…….’
With the chilling silence, countless historical instances resurfaced in the minds of all citizens of Seoul, and the question “Could it be…?” emerged.
All South Koreans quietly shared that chilling silence and began slowly turning their heads towards the Blue House and Yeouido, leading high-ranking officials related to national security to praise the achievements of the nation’s Magical Girls to soothe them.
“Isn’t it just amazing?!”
“They are the pride of our nation!!”
Kang Dorim single-handedly stopped a bomb that exploded outside the 5-kilometer radius, powerful enough to cause buildings near Seoul City Hall to collapse.
Park Saebyeok halted the notorious terrorist [bombardment] with just her fists, a terrorist that had gone undeterred by the European Union, leading to thousands of casualties.
The girls, who had previously been the pride of the country for treating seriously ill patients and dramatically lowering crime rates online, ascended to the ranks of heroes through this incident.
It was ironic that the girls, whom the national system tried to incorporate, instead managed to create an opportunity to aggressively step outside the national system with public support.
‘Are you just going to let this slide, old man?’
‘Now we hold the reins.’
‘If we blow the lid on that plan to send Park Saebyeok to America after handling us two, it’s game over, right?’
‘If the leash starts to feel more like ropes, they might actually go wild; we need tomorrow.’
Silence.
The Supernatural Ability Response Team traded silence for legitimacy and freedom.
‘Since we can’t ignore Dorim being in that position, we have to tread carefully.’
Some media began to argue from a hardline perspective that such incidents wouldn’t have happened if there weren’t for Magical Girls, but the advocates of Park Saebyeok and Kang Dorim’s prior achievements didn’t let that significantly sway opinion.
The reaction from the USA was surprisingly mild.
[We express our gratitude to our ally Korea for stopping the terrorist who brought tragedy to all of Europe.]
From the start, their plan was to send just one transport plane to take advantage of the situation, so they decided to maintain a stance of silence aligned with the changing circumstances.
Meanwhile, Russia showed no action and maintained an extreme closure stance, maintaining their silence since the incident occurred.
As for the attitude of China, presumed to be completely left behind as the girls confirmed their retreat into their territories during the crisis…
“[Start], now leave us alone.”
“Yes…”
“…Does that mean you have no concern for the safety of China’s Magical Girls?”
“Huh?”
“Why can’t you understand our feelings?!”
“……”
…After a long, drawn-out bout of diplomatic phrases and going around in circles, they put forth a demand resembling a request for an internal self-governing body like Korea’s without demolishing the territory.
The entire world is slowly beginning to pay attention to the Eastern Asian territory where the precious and rare resource of Magical Girls could safely reside, thanks to the Scavengers’ rampage, which had slashed nearly 10% of all Magical Girls in a flash.
[Existing national systems are powerless in the conflicts of supernatural beings!]
This was a realization born from the disturbance over the past few days.
The sight of a single Magical Girl brutally crippling a national system left lasting shock.
[Magical Girls are safe in their own society.]
This concept, completely rejecting the established social order, was forcibly instilled within people around the world.
One thing troubling me is that the purported owner of this domain is known externally as a Japanese person, “me,” but now…
Slurp
I was about to finish my beef soup, seasoned perfectly with kimchi soup base, and head out of the shop.
“Oh, wait a minute, Miss Silver!”
“Yes?”
The kind-hearted owner of the beef soup shop hurriedly called me as I was about to pay.
“This is a takeout for you; give it to Dorim!”
Inside a lovingly packed thermal container, there was beef soup, somen noodles, kimchi, and warm rice.
“She texted me to make sure to come enjoy some beef soup safely after carrying that bomb last time.”
“Ah… Dorim has been so busy lately…”
“Oh-ho, that’s why I thought to get you something special and even bought an expensive thermal container.”
“Oh, then I’ll pay for one more serving!”
Just as my hand reached for my wallet, her wrinkled hand gently stopped me.
“My son works in Jongno~”
“…….”
“He was saying during the last explosion, being a social worker kept him from evacuating and he was wandering around places like nursing homes.”
“That’s…sad.”
“Can you tell Dorim that I’m grateful?”
Hug.
“Really…really thank you…”
“Yes, I’ll definitely pass that on.”
The beef soup shop owner smiled softly and returned to the kitchen.
“If you bring that thermal container back, our beef soup is always free for you!”
“Yes, thank you!”
Ding-dong.
As I stepped outside after finishing my meal, the sky was clear.
The sparkling silver and ash-colored structures proudly stood over the Supernatural Ability Response Team headquarters.
“Dorim unnie~ let me ride your flying airplane again~”
“Ah, again? At this rate, I’ll bankrupt the national amusement parks myself.”
Dorim’s clone, dressed in a shimmering silver dress, clapped its hands.
Clap!
Countless zeroes and ones appeared in the air, shaping a silver airplane capable of carrying a child. The airplane floated about a meter off the ground, flying gracefully.
“Wow! Dorim unnie! Thank you!”
Whoosh!
“Hey! You can only ride that in the playground! And my name is Silver now!!”
I approached the flailing clone of Dorim and patted its head.
“It’s still amazing how a widespread summoning clone can have a physical presence.”
It felt incredibly fascinating to see a Magical Girl from a completely different realm use what was only permitted to [War]. Of course, the destructive and physical power was incomparable.
“Eh? Did you eat the beef soup, Unnie Silver?”
Dorim’s once fluffy hair, now shimmering silver like a princess, felt wonderful.
“The owner of the shop gave me beef soup for free as thanks.”
“Ah~ I didn’t have a meal yet.”
“Are you busy?”
“Yeah, the faceless king threw his crown and ran away.”
Dream blooming into a Thousand-Bloom 3-Star.
In the original script, this level was only reached by the protagonist Yuki Shikishima, so there existed a role I was unaware of.
The one who connects the worlds.
Dorim was recognized as qualified to receive a part of the territory to operate under my domain.
Thus, Korea’s territory changed; it was no longer the glass-colored light of my unique magic, but took on a shade of ash with a hint of silver.
However, since it could feel like a member of the Born 3-Star circle to be handed over, it still could technically be considered my territory.
“Let’s just say it’s Dorim’s land for the heck of it.”
Due to various reasons, Korea was publicly known as the realm of [Cyber Brain] rather than the realm of [Start].
I briefly informed Sumire about this situation, and it seemed like she accepted it somehow while going on about feudalism or whatever.
‘Honestly, Sumire’s old-time language still feels burdensome.’
Dorim’s clone poked me.
“So now we can declare a territory somewhere else?”
“Yep, it seems that if you pass on a territory, you can expand it again.”
“What is this, some kind of 三国志?! So territory increases by farming talents?”
“Becoming a Thousand-Bloom 3-Star isn’t that easy.”
“Anyway, let’s go to the castle, I’m hungry!”
I exaggeratedly bent over while answering loudly.
“Yesss! ‘Princess Silver’!”
“Ugh! And you’re the ‘Faceless King!’”
We exchanged cringeworthy nicknames as we walked down the street together.
Everywhere, other clones of Dorim were flitting about, grumbling to the children while making virtual world toys for them.