The One Being Protected [Magical Girl Urban Fantasy]

"So it's like an attribute system in games?" Although it seemed like The One Above All was familiar with crafting the magic systems of Higher Realms, I'm glad he was humble enough to ask this. I smiled at him. Making him believe that he got it right.

"No." Then hit him with reality about the situation.

"…You did that on purpose."

"Games are built simple. Reality is much less 'fair' in that regard. Fire can boil away water. Water could drown fire. Wind can blow out the flames, but could also fan them. There's always this importance on how much. How little…" I lingered on those words.

Sometimes, you only needed 'a little' bit of Mana.

The importance was HOW you used it.

When brought in front of the judge and jury, Ben straightened his back. He was tougher the more anxiety he felt. When things needed to be done, he stopped messing around. That said… There was quite the amount of important people gathered.

Commander Vascovitch sat in the seat of honour while his advisors were on laptops. Probably doing the work that the Strength Ops were responsible of besides internal security. After all, it'd be a waste of resources to not have soldiers use their roles flexibly.

At the other end of the long table was Ben.

He didn't seem to gain the interest of the advisors.

They were constantly moving around. Some of them were giving commands and making decisions in real time. Looking at maps while sorting out the visual feeds on-site. Even though he was unfamiliar, Ben could see that a lot of work was being done here.

While it seemed peaceful on the surface, it wasn't.

Soldiers were being taken in and moved regularly.

Some even never coming back from the battlefield.

As well as the frontline outside of Dawn City.

He couldn't imagine how vast this simple tent was stretching out across the city. It wasn't like the military ever offered their most advanced tech to regular people. Those who could work them also weren't the type who could lazily sit in one place.

As he looked around, Ben noticed the commander.

A gesture was given for him to speak his mind.

"You say 'Enchanted Bullets' is wasting money. I'd like you to elaborate on this statement." Vascovitch said words that quietened the surroundings. Those who needed to convey information still typed it on their keypads or used ways of inputting messages.

All their eyes focused on the 'dumb blonde'.

There was animosity and annoyance in their eyes.

It was an obvious reaction. Ben had seen from looking around that there was a scarcity of regular bullets and a bigger range of Enchanted Weapons of melee variety. He could easily see why. Bullets were money sponges that really took a toll on the city.

Not only did they do fixed damage, but they were also difficult to make even with machinery. Casing for the bullet itself was one thing, but the tip of each bullet needed to be manually enchanted either by an expert or using a crude technique. Technology could not harness Mana the same way as electricity. They were constantly improving efficiency for creation.

However, someone now criticised the promise itself?

"Get back to work. I'll deal with this." There seemed to be a general manager among the advisors. It was a person who represented them all. A man who had a different gait than his father despite them both being the 'glasses' type. This man was more cutthroat.

There was an ever-present frown on his tough face.

A man nearly as big as Commander Vascovitch.

"You called me here to look at this, right?" The man showed familiarity with his commander. This didn't seem like an ordinary relationship. The moment they met, Vascovitch became a different person. He had let go of his dignified attitude and patted him.

"This is our new expert on the supernatural. She says she knows better as a resident of 'that side'." This was his explanation. There didn't seem to be any trap or sabotage from petty anger. He said it as it was and didn't make a fuss about their little brawl.

"She…" Ben noticed that Vas was still saying that.

Hadn't he explained that he was a guy at heart?

"I need some time to myself right now. You two will discuss it and I'll trust your judgement. As for the rest… You can call him Advisor Olaf. He in-charge of humans resources, the operations department, and strategic management of our team's funding. He is also the reason we even have 'funding' to use. Don't piss him off." Vascovitch said before walking off.

His heavy feet thumping on the ground heavily,

It didn't seem like he'd completely gotten over it…

"You must be the expert. What should I call you from now on?" There didn't seem to be any malice in Advisor Olaf's tone, but Ben had lived with someone who had similar personality traits. He quickly noticed that the man's feet pointed towards the exit.

If he could grasp his attention fast, he'd leave.

Probably making an excuse up as he did.

"I don't have a military occupation or title. Just call me Ben." He spoke straightforwardly while using the social techniques he'd learned in prison. Acting like he was a harmless person, but not one that's stupid or simple. He held out his hand to greet the man.

Even when shut down, Ben did not falter.

Quickly retrieving his arm to get to the main point.

"Ben, what are you insisting?" Olaf had asked him.

The man's skimmed a file on hand while speaking.

"You HAVE TO stop using Enchanted Bullets to kill Apparitions. I can provide a cheaper and consistent alternative for this." The last sentence was what Ben focused on. Knowing that a man like Olaf would appreciate those words more than simple insistence.

"Well then, I have time to listen." Olaf relaxed a bit.

It was a good sign.

"I'll need an Enchanted Bullet to prove I'm not saying anything nonsensical. Can you trust me enough so we can talk privately? Well… 'private' as in Rina and few others will be watching us." Ben rubbed his pains while not liking this environment.

The clicking sounds were way too distracting.

"…Agent Rina and Alex, I want you to keep watch on us." Though the man said 'us', there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Olaf just meant the strange blonde woman. Of course, both of them complied to this order without showing any sort of hesitation.

Rina wanted to see what exactly Ben was thinking.

They left the tent and went towards another place.

It was a storage place for ammo and weapons. 

Perhaps a dangerous place when it came to safety.

Olaf glanced at the focused and ready Alex that stood in front of him. The reason for his relaxed attitude could be inferred by how close the man stuck to his trusted guard. Even when the more intimidating Rina was walking side-by-side with the 'new recruit'.

Everything was just boxes and boxes stacked up.

Nothing was easy to find in this place.

"How many do you need?" Olaf didn't falter here.

"One." Ben decided to make the bold statement.

As if he was the one who placed each box in this military armoury in their paces himself, Olaf pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and proudly walked past Ben. One could start to see similarities between this glasses type and the angry commander.

They both had strong egos…

In just a moment, an Enchanted Bullet in his hand.

Olaf crossed his arms while looking at the girl.

There were mixed emotions on his face.

Unlike the simple commander, Ben understood that Olaf was likely the one who hoped his words weren't a lie the most. He could tell from the quality of the bullet that it wasn't cost effective. His knowledge in the simplest magic plants playing a big part here.

Ben held the bullet up and looked at it sharply.

His eyes narrowed at the crude and simple design.

"You made quite the bullet. Who was the one who came up with the crafting method?" Like the expert he was in basic crafting of tools, Ben spoke while showing the confidence of a longtime veteran. He wasn't a great crafter, but he had the knowledge.

Memories of his past life filled up his head.

Becoming even more resolved to stop this idiocy.

"That is a military secret." Olaf narrowed his eyes.

Seemingly unable to believe he was speaking truth.

This had nothing to do with his affiliation. Olaf had met the old man who had been studying crafting all his life to create this miracle. Having a near endless supply of Enchanted Bullets was important to their military. The only way of fighting rogue Mana Users.

How could a young woman who'd been sitting in prison doing nothing special know anything? It was more likely a simple bluff. He didn't like how this woman was behaving. Acting like she had seen so much just by looking at the outside of the bullet.

"Dandy Weeds… A magic species of plant life that endlessly propagates without limit. You used the sheer quantity of them to force the enchantment onto the bullets. Killing them as adults, extracting their seeds are physically small, and crushing it into powder that is put into water. That water is then used to wash the bullet until the Mana sticks." Ben himself was astounded on what he'd figured out.

This explanation followed by Olaf falling over.

"How did you know…?" His face was a sight to see.

This was only natural.

Only the highest echelons and few others knew about this trick they used. Not even Special Agents were allowed to know about the method. Having a random woman say the exact crafting recipe out of nowhere was insanity. It was leaking massive intel.

"We have to go there and stop the production. There will be massive casualties if we don't!" Only now did Ben put two and two together. He realised why the military had fallen so fast when the barrier between worlds fell. Dawn City made a ticking time-bomb.

"…What are you saying?" Olaf was out of it.

"Stop." Alex intervened, but didn't look too cold.

He looked between Advisor Olaf and the now more panicked Ben. It was then he made a decision. He stood the advisor up. Following that, he made eye-contact with Rina. They had a silent conversation with their gaze alone. She sighed after nodding.

"What are you doing…?" Olaf became more scared.

A wand appeared in Rina's hand. He had seen her fighting style and knew what it meant. She was about to use her abilities… but why? Had she really betrayed Dawn City over this 'friend' of hers? He had to leave fast. There was so much he had to tell Vas-

"Don't move." Alex grabbed him to keep him still.

"You…" It was too late.

"Cute and idol. Pretty is the idle! —Sleep Stare!" A warm and embracing power containing no malice flowed out of her body. It was the kind of caring powers that were just… gross. I mean make people feel warm and fluffy from sensation kind of gross.

Ugh… Magical Girls are gross.

I'd honestly make fun of her if it weren't for how effective her sleeping spells were. The fact that she could make people forget recent events through this was also crazy. It was no wonder she could keep her Magical Girl secret identity intact for so long.

This usually 'healed' one who saw an Apparition.

It was her first time using this for memory wiping.

But they had no choice.

Looking at the one who caused this commotion.

"I just protected you. Tell me why you want to stop production of Enchanted Bullets so badly." Alex could see that the blonde woman was sweating. It was as if she had realised something important. A revelation that was making it hard for her to speak.

"Not that. We have a bigger problem." Ben spoke.

He opened up his Mana Sense and synthesised Skill.

['Psychic EnFighter (Apex)' is being applied.]

['Mana Sense (Basic)' will be altered somewhat.]

Ben couldn't widen the range of his senses way too much, but he had an idea. The bullet in his hand a Mana Signature that he could recognise. If his Mana Sense overlapped with the Telekinesis synthesised into Psychic EnFighter, then the range will widen.

He focused his senses on the Mana Signature attached to the bullet and isolated the frequency. It was likely his desperation that brought out more of his talent than usual. The senses he honed for five years finally came in handy to him at this moment.

[You have generated the Sub Skill: 'Dismantle'.]

The enchantment was grasped with his Psion.

Psychic energy infused onto the Mana on the bullet before 'dismantling' it specifically. Ben could feel that his affinity towards the Mana became deeper once it detached from the medium. He dropped the bullet it his hand while looking at the Mana glow.

"Where did you come from?" He asked the light.

The glow started to gravitate towards the origin of its birth. It was like a compass. He followed the direction hastily in a panic. Running like there was something he'd forgotten. Alex and Rina were surprised when he started sprinting wildly outside.

"Is he faster than before?" Alex had noticed it.

Ben grabbed a helmet, bulletproof vest, and put on some Kevlar gloves while running. There was one explanation. A fight was about to go down where the Enchanted Bullets were being produced… but why was wearing heavy equipment making him faster?

It was perplexing the simple martial artist. Watching as Ben was heading towards a familiar person while running. That large man looked at them and gaped at the sight of an armed prisoner being chased by his Special Agents… or was the situation not that?

Commander Vascovitch didn't know what they were playing at. The expressions of the Agents didn't seem like they were chasing down Ben. What were they up to? His eyes lowered when the blonde woman grabbed him by the arm. A force then pulled him.

It was different from the pure strength of before.

"There is an emergency!" Vascovitch allowed his body to be dragged while looking at his two Special Agents. Both of them didn't seem to know what this was about. They raised their shoulders innocently at his gaze, but didn't stop following where he went.

When soldiers saw Vascovitch, they gave way to him out of both fear and respect. The man was a living keycard to run in a straight line towards their intended destination. He couldn't sense the powers of 'that thing' right now, but Ben feared the worst.

In the current timeline, Rina was saved by the military and the 'Bloodlust Clan' of werewolves had turned silent… mostly because they were killed. He'd thought things would be over at that point. Since the werewolves were dead, they couldn't kill anyone.

Their plan was foiled. At least… that was what he originally thought would happen. However, if they really were using Dandy Weeds to enchant their weapons… then 'that thing' likely took advantage of their negligence. Growing until it was confident.

'That thing' was a demon. An amalgamation of souls and evil would awaken to destroy the entire city.

The creature of apocalypse: "Death".