And so, the two of them, drunk and stumbling, neatly hunted down the monster using their hand axe and magic.
But even though they had clearly caught the culprit that had caused them so much trouble all day, for some reason, they couldn’t shake off this unpleasant and uneasy feeling…
“Sure, I wanted to hunt this monkey-like thing, but I wanted something more satisfying… a clean, refreshing hunt!”
“…It feels empty.”
In the end, the two of them realized the obvious truth that the end of anger is emptiness.
“…Anyway, we’ve hunted the monster we were after, so let’s head back.”
“Yeah. Besides, that thing drank all the alcohol we brought, so we should head back now.”
Only after hunting the Awakening Species monster did the two finally regain their senses and began to have a more rational conversation.
However, the timing was a bit too late.
“…Where are we, by the way?”
“The sun has completely set…?”
By the time they came to their senses, they had already ventured too deep into the forest.
To make matters worse, the sun had completely set, and darkness began to descend upon the forest.
Blinded by their anger, the two finally realized that their situation was far from ordinary.
For most humans, darkness without any light is hardly a friendly environment, except for those with exceptional night vision.
Night is essentially the time of monsters.
That’s why they should have either returned to the village before nightfall or found a suitable spot to camp…
“Hey, Serena. I think it’d be good to create some light with magic first.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
*Fwoosh*
Serena created an artificial light with magic to illuminate their surroundings, as it would be dangerous to be attacked by monsters in the dark.
And so, the two walked through the forest with a sense of foreboding.
But their problem wasn’t just the lack of light.
“…Hey. We’re heading back to the village, right?”
“…What?”
“Why?”
“I thought you knew the way, so I was just following you…?”
“I thought you were leading…?”
“….”
“….”
Even the same scenery feels completely different during the day and at night.
Moreover, the two had ventured into a deep part of the forest they had never been to before, and in their rage against the monkey monster, they had run without paying attention to the path, so there was no way they could remember the way back.
All they could see were similar trees and bushes repeating endlessly into the dark horizon.
Suddenly, as they looked around, they couldn’t tell which direction they had come from, and every direction seemed both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Eventually, the two carefully walked through the forest, relying on Serena’s light.
“At this rate, it might be better to give up on returning to the village.”
“Yeah. We should find a safe spot and camp for the night.”
“Right. Walking blindly in this dark forest will only get us more lost.”
“Since there are only two of us, we’ll have to take long shifts on watch, so it’s better to find a spot as soon as possible…”
Though the two usually didn’t get along and bickered often, they were still adventurers who had risen to the Silver rank and gained plenty of experience.
Not foolish enough to bicker in such a crisis, they quickly agreed and continued walking through the forest.
However, finding a suitable camping spot in the forest proved difficult.
After walking for hours, Serena’s light magic had noticeably weakened, and the time had grown closer to midnight.
Eventually, the two had no choice but to consider camping in a somewhat risky location.
“Wait, Serena. The light…”
“What? I can’t make it any brighter after using magic for hours.”
“No, I mean, I see a light.”
“What?”
Serena, who had been annoyed by Karina’s comment, stopped her irritation and halted her light magic.
Even though the light source was gone, she could faintly make out objects in her vision, which should have been pitch black.
Concentrating further, she noticed another light source far away, beyond the trees and bushes.
Upon detecting the light, the two ran toward it as if they had found an oasis in a desert.
And at the end of the light stood a mansion far larger than they had expected.
“…Why is there a mansion in the middle of the forest?”
“That’s weird.”
The mansion, large enough to house nobles, stood in a location that wasn’t near the city or even the outskirts, but deep in the forest where it would take a full day of wandering to reach.
The mansion, though showing signs of age, seemed well-maintained, with no particularly dirty or broken parts.
However, the light leaking from the mansion came from only one room, while the rest of the building was shrouded in darkness.
The mansion, with its dozens of rooms, had only one lit room, making it all the more suspicious.
The two, who had been relieved to see the light, now stood in front of the mansion with uneasy expressions.
*Creak*
But then, the mansion’s door opened on its own, as if inviting them in.
“Oh my, are you travelers?”
“Ahhh!”
“W-what? Who are you?”
“Hehe. Interesting folks. I came from inside the mansion, so naturally, I must be its mistress, no?”
The woman who appeared from the darkness of the mansion had pale, corpse-like skin and wore an ancient-style dress, giving off a sickly impression.
Introducing herself as the mistress of the mansion, she smiled with thin lips on her pale face.
“Judging by your attire, you seem to have lost your way in the forest… am I right?”
Karina, unable to hide her tension, replied to the mistress’s question.
The mansion, standing alone in the forest, was already suspicious enough, and now the door had opened on its own as soon as they approached.
From that moment, the two’s wariness had reached its peak.
“Y-yes. We’re adventurers who came to this forest for a request but ended up wandering too long and got lost.”
“Oh dear… How unfortunate… If you’re planning to camp in the forest, why not stay in my mansion for the night?”
“N-no, we couldn’t…”
Before answering, the two quickly exchanged glances.
Should they accept the suspicious mistress’s offer and rest for the night?
Or should they decline and continue wandering the forest?
After a brief exchange of glances, their decision didn’t take long.
Certainly, camping in the forest at this hour was undeniably dangerous.
Moreover, finding a suitable camping spot after leaving the mansion would take who knows how long.
But even so, they couldn’t just step into such a suspicious mansion.
The two exchanged meaningful glances and ultimately decided to decline the mistress’s offer.
“Thank you for the offer, but… we couldn’t possibly impose. We’ll gratefully accept your kindness.”
“Oh my. Is that so? What a pity. But if you change your mind, feel free to come back. I’ll be waiting anytime.”
At Karina’s polite refusal, the mistress made a sad expression but didn’t try to stop them.
With that, the mistress turned and slipped back into the dark mansion, where not a single light was on in the hallway, and soon the door closed on its own, just as it had opened.
*Creak*
As the eerie mansion door closed, the two let out a sigh of relief, as if exhaling the breath they had been holding.
“That mansion was suspiciously blatant.”
“…Sigh. I was so startled that I sobered up completely, and now I can’t even use magic anymore.”
The two turned and began walking through the forest again, hoping to find a suitable open space to camp.
After walking for several dozen minutes, the tension from encountering the eerie mansion gradually faded, and the two spoke with lighter hearts.
“By the way, what was that mansion?”
“I don’t know. It was just too suspicious.”
“Still, it’s a shame. Compared to camping and taking turns on watch, staying in that mansion for a night would’ve been a golden opportunity.”
“Yeah, true. Maybe it wasn’t as suspicious as it seemed from the outside. Haha.”
Completely relaxed, the two joked as they walked through the forest, but soon their faces hardened again.
They had clearly left the mansion, yet somehow they had returned to the front of the same suspicious mansion, as if they had been walking in circles.
*Creak*
“Oh my, you’ve returned. Have you decided to stay in my mansion after all?”
“N-no, we just got lost in the forest and ended up back here.”
“Oh my, is that so? What a pity. But it’s okay. I’ll always welcome you, so feel free to come back if you change your mind.”
*Creak*
“W-what’s going on…?”
“Why did we end up back in front of this mansion?”
Perhaps it was a phenomenon where the similar scenery of trees and bushes in the forest disoriented their sense of direction.
This time, the two walked in the opposite direction, determined to head somewhere completely different.
But…
*Creak*
“Have you changed your mind this time?”
*Gulp*
“….”
“….”
Despite walking in a straight line in the opposite direction, they once again arrived at the mansion’s front gate, as if they had been walking in a circle around it.
Faced with this situation, the two finally realized that they weren’t simply lost in the forest—something else was at play.
“Are you sure you won’t stay this time? It’s okay, though. I’ll always be waiting in the same place.”
The mistress’s words only solidified their suspicions.
Her voice sounded as if she believed they would return to this place no matter how many times they left.
After exchanging secret glances, the two finally changed their minds and decided to accept the mistress’s offer.
Whatever magic was at work, continuing to wander the forest would only drain their stamina and sanity.
In that case, it was better to accept the mistress’s offer before exhausting themselves further.
“No, it’s fine. Refusing three times would be rude.”
“Right. So we’ll accept your offer and stay for the night.”
At their words, the mistress smiled thinly, her pale face devoid of any color.
“Hehe. I’ve been so lonely living alone in this forest. Come in, please. Into my mansion.”
*Gulp*
“….”
“….”
And so, the two stepped into the mansion, feeling as if they were walking into the jaws of a monster.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
