Chapter 14

-Newbie 1-

It’s already been a week since I had a two-day drinking spree with my buddies.

Of course, life has returned to normal.

“…What? There’s another newbie in this area?”

“Yes!”

“But why didn’t you tell me?”

“She’s a magical girl who just moved here recently! I only found out earlier!”

“…Moved? Hmm… So, how much experience does she have?”

“About a year now!”

“So she’s junior to Pretty Heart. How old is she?”

“15 years old!”

“……Huh?”

Wait, she’s only been a magical girl for a year, and she’s 15?

So she’s a high school freshman, and she started being a magical girl in middle school?!

Wow… I didn’t expect there to be a late bloomer like this…

Still, this area only had me and Pretty Heart, so having another magical girl is a good thing.

The problem is that she can’t even handle her own weight yet.

With just a year of experience, unless she’s in a special environment like me, she can’t pull her own weight.

Or maybe she’s exceptionally talented like me.

If not, she might have an unusually high growth rate or a slightly unusual structure…

Well, the probability of that happening is slim, so it’s nonsense.

…Thinking about it, how many of those slim probabilities did I break through?

I’m really a crazy guy, huh.

“I should meet her later. And first, I need to assess her combat strength.”

“Immediate combat assessment, huh…”

Then, should I meet this girl who just moved here?

The weather’s nice today, and no demons have been spotted recently, so it’s a good day to meet.

But what about her…

She’s a high school freshman, so her studies shouldn’t be too urgent, but since it’s Seoul, most families are obsessed with academics, so I’m not sure.

But there should be days when we can meet.

If she’s still doing magical girl stuff, it means she at least has some free time.

“Contact her mascot. Tell them I want to meet.”

“Yes!”

Then I’ll just wait patiently until the appointment is set.

I have plenty of time.

I don’t need to stress about finding a job like I used to.

In fact, I’m rolling in money now.

“…An emergency dispatch? If this area is peaceful, then the other side must be in trouble…”

“An Earl-Class demon!”

“Yeah. And it’s in the next neighborhood… Let’s hurry.”

“Yes!”

◇

A few more days passed, and it’s the weekend. I finally got in touch with the one-year magical girl who moved here.

Meaning, we can meet today.

If she’s a high school freshman, her class schedule is probably getting intense, and with classes starting between 8 and 9 AM, meeting on weekdays would have to be in the evening.

So… even though we just met, why is this kid trembling like she’s scared?

What on earth is she imagining?

“…Hey.”

“…Yes.”

“Why are you shaking so much? Do I look like I’m going to form cliques and enforce hierarchy like those girls?”

“…No.”

“Then why are you shaking? I just wanted to check on the new one-year who moved here. This area, including the surrounding regions, is a drought when it comes to magical girls.”

“R-really…?”

“Yeah. Before you came, it was just me and a two-year-old kid. The rest of the surrounding areas are full of newbies who can barely handle Viscount-Class demons.”

But since I’m strong and unemployed, I can crush any demon that shows up, so it’s a good thing. Otherwise, this area would have been devastated several times over.

Unlike the old days, monsters are suspiciously pouring out demons and fragments, so if we don’t respond quickly, the damage will be significant.

…But if they keep mindlessly sending out demons, they’re just wasting their own energy. Why are they doing that?

“R-really…? I thought there would be at least six since this area has the least damage…”

“It’s because of me. You know who I am, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then introduce yourself. I don’t know anything about you.”

“Uh… I’m Magical Diamond Dust, and I use dual swords.”

“…Dual swords?”

This kid… does she even know what dual swords are?

They’re already weaker since they’re one-handed, and without defining the roles or techniques for each sword, they’re hard to use.

“Show me how you swing those dual swords. I’ll set up a dummy here, so give it a try.”

“Huh?”

“Chubby. Set up a dummy.”

“Yes!”

Well, if she can use them properly, I won’t have to say anything.

She can build up her strength by steadily defeating demons.

“Go ahead.”

“U-uh… This is embarrassing…”

“Just do it.”

“…Okay.”

But any hope I had was quickly dashed by Diamond Dust.

Even if it looks cool to her, to others, it just looks like she’s flailing around.

“Stop. I get it, your skill. Drop the dual swords.”

“Huh?!”

“You’re flailing around like a caught fish. What kind of dual swords are those? Just use one sword. Don’t waste your staff’s resources.”

“B-but…”

“Enough. What level of demons can you defeat?”

“Me? …Baron-Class.”

“Viscount-Class?”

“Still… I can barely scratch them…”

“Is that so? Don’t learn weird stuff, just fight with a standard sword. Or use a spear.”

“Okay…”

Seriously, where do kids these days learn such weird stuff?

If she were a middle schooler, I’d understand.

It’s that phase where they’re deep into their chuunibyou and creating all sorts of cringe.

But a high school freshman? What’s this?

“Well, I don’t expect much since she started late, but try to at least handle Viscount-Class demons soon. Being a magical girl isn’t a joke.”

“…Okay.”

“She’s a rare find, so don’t be too harsh~!”

“What? So what? Even if she’s a rare find, if she fights weirdly, you should give her advice. What if she gets traumatized or killed by a demon? This is a life-and-death battle, you know?”

“Sorry!”

Sigh~… Starting late is one thing, but this is too much.

If she could at least handle Viscount-Class demons in a few years, that’d be great…

First, I need to fix her abilities and fighting style.

She’ll probably quit once she becomes an adult, so there’s no point in training her hard for just 1-2 more years.

“By the way, what’s your ability? Can you crystallize or condense magic to attack?”

“Y-yes! That’s right.”

“Then you can handle your weapon while continuously pouring out crystals for an overwhelming multi-directional attack. Even if they break, they just turn back into blades, so you can keep attacking without worry. If you pour out as many as possible and keep up the pressure, it’ll be an easy win.”

“Huh… That’s possible?”

“…What, you didn’t know?”

“Sorry…”

This is serious.

Ah, whatever… Just tell her to change her weapon.

“Also, drop the dual swords and use something else. Or just focus on defense with a shield and use your ability for mass attacks.”

“Should I… really drop them?”

“Not just drop them, just drop them. Dual swords don’t have proper power and are hard to use.”

“Okay…”

Dual swords are like… a chicken rib.

They have romance and style, but they’re not for newbies.

So, let’s have her switch to a spear.

Swords require some skill, and shields are good for blocking but not fun, so a spear is the best choice.

Spears don’t require much technique, and as long as you know how to stab, you can use them. They also have good reach for keeping enemies at bay.

And if she can control the blades to shred enemies, she’ll win unless the enemy is too strong.

If she gets used to controlling them, she can handle both offense and defense with her ability, and use the spear to limit the enemy’s movements.

If she has the sense of duty to continue being a magical girl even as an adult, I’d want to train her right away, but magical girls who keep fighting into adulthood are extremely rare…

In my knowledge, there’s that senior and Magical Hatred.

Otherwise, there are about 137 magical girls in their mid-20s worldwide.

Ah, if you include those who focus on training juniors and don’t go out in the field, it might be over 200.

It’s just hearsay, so I’m not sure, but it’s probably around that.

“Hey, you. Use a spear from now on.”

“A… spear?”

“Yeah, a spear. You can slash and stab with it. You can use it right away. And try to integrate offense and defense with your ability. That alone will make you much stronger.”

“Ah, okay…”

“I’ll pay for the transformation item with my points, so tell the shop’s responsible mascot.”

“Okay…”

By the way… why is she so scared?

Wait, this is… depression.

She looks fine on the outside, but if you look closely at her expression, there’s a slight discomfort.

Plus, when she’s upset or scolded, she quickly falls into strange thoughts and her expression changes.

How do I know? My younger sister used to suffer from depression and took medication.

She’d stay cooped up in her room, but outside, she’d act fine… Her expression would change a bit when scolded… It’s similar to that discomfort.

“…Well, that’s it. Ultimately, it’s up to you, but if you keep using dual swords, you’ll never get past that level. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

…That’s enough for now.

Still, even if she’s rotten, she’s a magical girl.

If she can at least handle Viscount-Class demons, it’ll be much easier.

Pretty Heart’s growth has slowed down, but she’s already strong enough to aim for Earl-Class demons, so it’s fine.

From now on, we can have her take on Earl-Class demons.

“And if you run into any trouble or difficulties, contact me through the mascot. Once you can handle Viscount-Class demons, I won’t bother you unless it’s dangerous.”

“Ah, okay…”

Anyway, for now, she’ll only handle Baron-Class demons, so I can relax…

No, I can’t completely relax.

For now, I’ll just observe, and if her depression gets worse and she starts doing strange things, I’ll have to take care of her.

Usually, depression gets better faster if family or people around you support you.

“Chubby. Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

“You go home safely too.”

“Okay…”

Sigh… Why did a newbie like this have to come…

This is really annoying…