Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter 68. An Old Saying: A Student Should Neither Kill Nor Revive

Don’t tell me(3)

Clatter, clatter.

The clinking of dishes during dinner time.

I quietly opened my mouth.

“Abin.”

“Yes! Four-year veteran! Magical Girl! Han! A! Bin!”

Suddenly, she energetically began her self-introduction.

Shaking the table, Han Abin stood up with vigor.

What’s that? A military name report?

Why is she doing that in the middle of dinner?

“Just act normal.”

“Understood!”

Saying that, Han Abin sat back down, but her expression was oddly stiff.

Was she that scared?

It’s only been around an hour and a half flying through the sky.

It may have been late, but the students successfully got one over on me.

After Baek Sihyeon used telekinesis to hold my arms, Han Abin, hiding her presence, shot an arrow from the air.

Han Abin’s arrow was an attack that couldn’t penetrate my skin, so my subconscious delay in defense was my downfall.

If I had known this would happen, I should have just said it was an attack that could pierce my skin, not just a regular hit.

Well, it’s fine.

The important thing is something else.

“Abin.”

“What is it?”

“Stop with that tone.”

“Understood!”

I figured it would be fine if I left her alone.

“Have you ever received a pass for restricted areas?”

“Yes! I received a temporary one during the Hero Mobilization Period!”

Why the heck is she acting like this? Isn’t she just a bit too military-like? It’s like she thinks she’ll die if she doesn’t speak formally.

…Ah. Come to think of it, didn’t she mention she was originally a nurse?

So she must have received some training.

If she’s in the medical field, she’s subject to conscription.

Maybe today’s incident has brought back some trauma for her.

I’m not sure how training camps are doing these days, but is it still that intense?

…Let’s stop with the useless thoughts. If I’m not careful, my trauma might resurface.

“The mobilization period… was it eight months ago? Then it’s expired, so it’s useless.”

“Yes! That’s correct!”

That means that kid needs to apply as well.

“Master! I don’t have it either!”

“Of course you wouldn’t.”

It’s unlikely that someone who just became a hero would have a reason to apply.

Why is she so energetic?

If I spent an hour and a half being thrown into the air, wouldn’t Abin feel a bit worn out too?

Well, I guess with Baek Sihyeon being energetic for a day or two, let’s move on.

What I need to do now… I need to apply for the pass.

Even if the formal issuance takes a while, I can get a temporary one quickly.

“Pack your bags tonight. We’re going somewhere tomorrow.”

“Understood!”

“How many nights will it be, Master?”

How many nights? Is that really important?

I guess it might be to the girls.

“I’ll probably be there for quite a while. It might be close to a month.”

“Got it…”

“Don’t raise your voice at the table.”

With that, our conversation wrapped up, and we all began to move our utensils back towards our meals.

After a short time passed, as my rice soaked in seaweed soup was about to run out…

Abin suddenly stopped, perhaps recalling the cost, and started making a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Senior, didn’t we go to North Korea once?”

Her tone is really odd.

It’s uncomfortable to listen to; when will she fix it?

“We did. To exterminate the… whatever it’s called.”

“I don’t remember because I lost consciousness. But then we already have our restricted area permit, don’t we?”

Her tone is really strange, plus why does she only revert at the end?

If that’s the case, I should have taken a different route.

“Oh, that time? We just drove through the restricted area barbed wire.”

Abin seemed flustered by my words and finally dropped the formal tone to return to her usual speech.

“After all, it was just barbed wire that nobody was guarding. We could just push through it in the car.”

Illegal? Who cares if you don’t get caught.

There’s no one being harmed, right?

Besides, even if I were caught, I have a permit, so it wouldn’t matter; the real problem would be my students.

“Since I plan to stay a long time this time, it’d be troublesome if I got caught. So, I’ll get that permit since it doesn’t take long anyway.”

Might as well rent a boat while I’m at it.

I can cross over the water, but my students can’t.

“Tonight, pack your bags and prepare your identification. We’ll stop by the Association tomorrow and head straight out.”

“Head out?”

“The restricted area we’re going to this time is in Japan.”

“Should I prepare a passport then?”

Does Abin not know? Heroes only need their registration certificate.

“Abin, our Hero Registration Certificate works as a passport.”

Before I could even mention it, Baek Sihyeon pulled out her Hero Registration Certificate from her pocket and slid it across the table.

The certificate slid to a stop in front of Abin, who began reading the warnings listed on the back.

What caught my sight was the front, densely printed with anti-counterfeit patterns, featuring a photo of Baek Sihyeon making a peace sign, along with her name, hero title, and registration number.

And the numerous empty patterns.

Looking at the lack of any patterns, it’s clear that she didn’t apply for any licenses or permits.

I’ve never seen such a clean certificate before. Is it new? Since I used recovery magic, I should have a medical license…

…Wait. Does she not have any?

“Sihyeon, may I ask where your medical license is?”

“I was told to apply for it, but I ignored it! When I asked if it was necessary, the person in charge said it wasn’t!”

I know your head is a bit off. No, I always knew it.

Yes, it isn’t mandatory. It’s just a guideline.

There’s no problem using powers even without a license, and there’s no penalty for breaking the rules.

But for a hero, it’s basic to get any license they’re eligible for.

Just attending a ten-hour lecture on legal conduct can increase your salary.

She either didn’t hear the explanation about the increase in salary for each license or permit she gets, or she clearly mistook something.

License is merely a formal title, allowing heroes to voluntarily declare what abilities they possess.

It’s a compromise between privacy and public interest where heroes’ abilities can’t be disclosed yet need to be for public safety.

Thanks to that, in emergencies, scanning registration cards of those around can produce a list of relevant power holders, making finding heroes easier. The downside is… well, who discriminates against abilities these days?

…Let’s just have her apply for everything when she has time later.

“Understood, Master!”

I’d love to process it all tomorrow, but each license requires at least a bit of education time, so they can’t be received right away.

Still, I should let my students take every opportunity to enhance themselves.

They shouldn’t be in a state where they can’t benefit like their master does.

“We’ll leave early tomorrow, so get to bed early tonight.”

Satisfied with her lively response, I gulped down my seaweed soup and left the table.

-605th customer. Please come to the consultation window.

My number is 605.

It’s busier than I expected.

I came early at dawn, and my number hasn’t come up even after 20 minutes.

Was it always this busy?

Since it’s been so long since I’ve been at the window, I don’t even remember how it was like back then.

As I blankly waited for my turn, a sudden bump dropped down from above me.

Feeling something and turning my head, gray fabric blocked my view.

A calm tremor transmitted through my head. Baek Sihyeon’s calm breaths.

She was using my head as a support while searching for a place to rest.

She must be sleeping; it was probably a bit burdensome waking her up so early.

Since I didn’t particularly want to disturb her, I fixed my head and turned my gaze to the right, where I found Han Abin, crossing her arms and nodding off.

Both sides were quietly asleep.

Was Abin tired too?

This is cute enough.

She’s neither grinding her teeth nor drooling, just quietly napping.

Ding dong.

As the alarm rang, both of them stiffened and tried to open their eyes, but ended up falling back asleep.

That sight was amusing enough.

Baek Sihyeon seemed to be feeling my warmth on her head, moving slightly, but I could overlook it.

Usually, don’t people lean against shoulders in such cases?

I never thought I’d feel sorrow over such minor situations.

Time passed while feeling the weight of my students and their slight movements.

Ding dong.

-604th customer…

It’s my turn.

Gripping the ticket number on my knee, just as I went to wake my students.

“Hey! What are you doing here?”

I heard a woman’s voice.

A raspy sound as if her vocal cords were damaged.

Spotting the familiar voice, she walked toward me.

Clang.

A jarring sound echoed in my ear.

Heavy steel dragged across the ground, crashing into the floor.

Oh no.

“Can’t you hear me? Hey Hammer? Did alcohol rot your ears?”

She approached me using a low tone.

If I leave her be, she’ll start making noise.

A sigh escaped me.

Why am I running into people I shouldn’t see so often these days?

After using a summoned hammer to support Baek Sihyeon’s head, I shifted my legs toward her.

“Oh. Prohibition. It’s been so long I didn’t recognize your face.”

“You saw me a few weeks ago. Were you so busy with that oxymoron that you forgot? Who’re these girls?”

Damn this frustrating split personality.

Is she on an upward trend now?

It’s better than the downward, but I really don’t want to see both.

Ding dong.

-605th…

“Uhh, I need to get somewhere, so I’m busy right now. Let’s talk later.”

“Why are you hanging out with girls? Where are you going? Why are you at the Association?”

…If I mention the Thunder God, this person will follow me too, what to do now?

If I lie, she’ll catch on by tagging along.

I need to mix my words carefully.

“Can you see those girls?”

“They’re my students. I’m planning to take them across the Great Barrier to Hokkaido for some training.”

“Oh, are they the girls Infinite Architect was talking about? Bigger than Hammer. Are they okay? How old are they?”

“About twenty.”

Thud. Bang.

Her mini-gun dropped from her hands.

At the same time, her previously crazed aura began to change dramatically.

From a woman who laughed maniacally, her demeanor turned cold and emotionless.

Damn it. I stepped on a landmine.

What was the problem, I wonder?

“Twenty, huh? If my daughter were alive, she would be about that age too…”

It was the age that caused the issue.

“So you intend to send girls to such a dangerous place?”

Cold hands began to stroke my cheek.

With a touch hinting at seduction, long fingernails began to scrape at my jaw.

Exposing skin, her gentle touch turned painful as it cut through tender flesh.

Fingers rose up, drawing a strange pattern as blood flowed toward my ear.

Simultaneously, her twisted face loomed closer.

Beautiful gold hair, muddied and unkempt, brushed against my skin, dragging the pain away.

“Did you know? Once something is lost, it can never be regained. Family, daughter, life…”

I know. Have I not heard it several times by now?

Though her body seemed dry, her face was still plump and beautiful.

In an instant, dark circles began to form under her eyes, changing the aura around her.

From a woman who seemed to be on fire with madness to one who had witnessed all the darkness in the world. An icy femme fatale.

“So, I will protect them. Those girls… is that alright?”

Do as you like.

Now that she’s on a downward spiral, I have no means to bring her back up.

The simplest way would be to stuff alcohol in her mouth, but the side effects would be severe…

I slowly nodded in agreement with her proposal for her companionship.

Ding dong.

-605th customer. If you’re at your place, please proceed to consultation window…

“Let’s talk there. Please sit.”

“Sure.”

Clang.

She transformed her mini-gun into a rifle with her powers, slinging it over her shoulder before moving slowly.

With her brown dress flowing, she walked gingerly, as if she would collapse any moment.

Another day with things getting complicated. To run into Prohibition while trying to meet Ree…

I thought that somehow, I need to make back what I lost during this trip, as I turned toward the consultation window.

At the harbor of Sokcho, Gangwon-do, where waves crashed against the shore, the cold sea breeze hit our bodies as we looked down at the boat borrowed from the Association.

“Master?”

“That’s a boat, right?”

I’d like to know that too. It’s definitely a boat, but not a normal one.

“What a… boat. It’s all black.”

Prohibition, just shut your mouth.

…Senior, I really think this isn’t right. Can’t we just fly there? The fare is on me…

No, we probably can’t cross over.

It’s just that I’m surprised they actually lent us this.

The Association wouldn’t have given me a landing craft, right?

The words I heard at the consultation window came back to me.

‘And, please arrange a boat for us. With my credentials, I should be able to rent a first-class vessel, so please check.’

…Hero Haram Lee, I’m sorry, but your current credentials are suspended, and the items I can provide are limited…

There’s no way that Park Hyunseok would have placed a ban on renting any engine-driven vehicle.

What does it matter if I wrecked a few boats?

Life has its fair share of crashes, whether it’s running into a monster in an automatic car or colliding with a squid coming from underwater, or crashing a plane into a floating jellyfish from outer space.

With how many times I crashed without injuring any enemies, that’s the real problem.

Next time, I should rent an explosive and see how it goes. How do I obtain a demolition permit?

Thinking this, I hopped onto the inflatable boat with a light jump.

Maybe it’s because she’s spent a long time with me, but Prohibition climbed aboard without asking any questions.

“You two, get on. Let’s go.”

…Really, are you going to take that?

“Are you going to paddle or something…?”

Baek Sihyeon seemed unsure about this choice, leaning back towards the inflatable boat.

“Who would paddle? There are ways, hurry up and climb on.”

“Right. There was always a method with Hammer; if it doesn’t work, just smash and trample your way through…”

Prohibition’s backup wasn’t much help at all.

My students seemed reluctant to speak, likely finding her uncomfortable.

Still, perhaps due to their trust in their master, they exchanged uneasy glances and stepped into the inflatable boat.

“Grab the handles inside the boat tightly, alright?”

Did they sense the foreboding in my voice?

The two students grabbed the handles tightly with tense expressions.

Compared to them, Prohibition was displaying a suspicious grin and adjusting her position.

I suppose she’ll handle it; whatever happens.

I made my way to the back of the inflatable boat and stuffed the Hammer in place.

What a sight, what a sight.

The hammer, absorbing mana, began its transformation.

“Let’s go.”

Crash.

The afterburners attached to the back of the hammer flared up, and the inflatable boat took to the sky.

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