Chapter 22

It’s already been another month since I trained a newbie from another area.

Taking down Viscount-Class demons is still too much, but I’ve reached the point where I can somehow manage to take down Baron-Class demons on my own.

Of course, I shouldn’t push myself too hard, so I still only take down Semi-Baron-Class demons, but anyway, that’s how it is.

“Ah… I’m bored…”

And then, the boring days came back again, and now I’m rolling around on the sofa.

There’s nothing to do…

“……Chubby. I’m so bored I might die.”

“You can’t die!”

“Then find something fun to do.”

“Something fun? Hmm~… How about this? Why not try experiencing the hobbies of girls for a change!”

“…What?”

“You know, like shopping, or chatting over sweet treats at a cafe!”

“Just imagining it sounds boring. Stop talking nonsense and think of something else.”

I don’t even know how to chat properly, and I don’t really like shopping either.

Just buy what you need, why buy more?

Ah, but shopping for snacks and beer is fun.

The problem is the combativeness.

“Ah… I don’t know. I’m just going to sleep.”

“Huh?”

“Wake me up if there’s a signal.”

“……Ah! There’s a signal right now!”

“Darn it.”

Is it another Earl-Class demon this time?

…Ah, right.

I should start training Pretty Heart to take down Earl-Class demons too.

Might as well send her a message while I’m at it.

“Oh… she’s coming.”

“Who is?”

“Pretty Heart.”

I sent Pretty Heart a message, and she replied right away that she’d come over.

She probably cares more about me than taking down Earl-Class demons, but… well, it’s fine.

“I’m here~.”

“Alright.”

First, I held back the Earl-Class demon so it couldn’t rampage, and within a few minutes, I saw Pretty Heart flying over.

This way, I didn’t waste much time, and hopefully, the reporters won’t come up with any trashy articles.

“Alright, Pretty Heart. You’ve gotten much stronger, so this time, try taking down this Earl-Class demon. Nothing helps more than real combat, right?”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“I’ll protect you if things get dangerous, so give it a try. Having a few experiences like this before moving on will be really helpful.”

“Then… I’ll try!”

And so began Pretty Heart’s first battle with an Earl-Class demon.

First, Pretty Heart used her purification power, [Shining Rain], to immediately weaken the demon’s power.

Being an Earl-Class, the demon charged at Pretty Heart even after being hit.

Pretty Heart dodged into the air and fired a beam attack infused with purification power, landing gracefully on the other side.

However, the demon, being Earl-Class, was tough and didn’t seem to be significantly weakened.

“…Be careful.”

“Yes…!”

“Gyaooo…!!!”

The four tails on its rear moved independently, aiming at Pretty Heart.

It was obvious that the tails were going to fire something.

Naturally, each tail fired something made of energy, but Pretty Heart, following my advice, had already been cautious and dodged without any issues.

“Hmm…”

“What do you think?”

“Well? For a second-year, she’s not strong enough to solo an Earl-Class yet. Her combat skills are good, though.”

Pretty Heart has grown mostly through her own efforts, with little interference from me, so this is about as far as she can go.

Still, thanks to her powerful purification power, even though her First Ability is focused on recovery, she can still deal effective damage.

Plus, with her experience, she’s dodging attacks more smoothly than expected, so with more time, she might be able to solo Earl-Class demons.

“By the way, magical girls these days have it tough. There are fewer areas with multiple magical girls of similar levels, so most have to solo demons.”

“It’s really a sad reality!”

From what I’ve seen, Pretty Heart is already capable of taking down Earl-Class demons in a party.

But with no other magical girls of similar level around, Pretty Heart will have to solo demons and monsters until she retires.

Especially when taking down high-ranking demons or monsters above Earl-Class, the pressure will be much greater than one might think, and I’m not sure if she can handle it.

From that point on, the damage levels will increase, and the media will start paying a lot of attention, with many people wanting to watch.

Even though it’s dangerous, they ignore the warnings.

At least now, the mascots are blocking access, so it’s a bit better.

“Pretty Heart~! Let’s use that~!”

“Huh? That?”

“Yeah~! You’ve been practicing hard, right?”

“Got it! Huh~…!!”

What, did she practice something new again?

Another new technique… what kind of technique is it this time?

“Second Ability, 「Purification of Annihilation」…!”

“…Huh?”

“…[Quartus Ray]!!”

Not the First Ability, 「Purification of Recovery」, but the Second Ability, 「Purification of Annihilation」?

Did she really get her Second Ability in just two years… and it’s an attack-focused ability…

I might need to reevaluate Pretty Heart’s potential.

I didn’t expect her talent to be this extraordinary.

“I won~!”

“You did it~!”

So she actually took down an Earl-Class demon…

She looks pretty tired, but considering the power… if she fully develops her Second Ability, she might be able to handle Marquis-Class demons too.

She really is a child with incredible potential.

…But the Third Ability has conditions, so it’s unlikely I’ll see her develop that.

By the time she realizes it, she’ll probably be too broken to continue as Pretty Heart.

If she does develop her Third Ability… honestly, she’d be like an angel.

Well, still… Pretty Heart might just pull it off?

“You did well. You exceeded my expectations.”

“Ehehe~.”

“Now I can safely leave Earl-Class demons to you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah? It’s fine. I’ll just focus on emergency dispatches, and the money will pile up anyway.”

It was already piling up, but with all the Earl-Class and Marquis-Class demons popping up, it piled up unnecessarily.

Plus, I’m a landlord now, so I don’t really need to hunt demons.

So you don’t need to worry.

“But lately, Earl-Class demons have been appearing more frequently, so if it gets tough, you can hand them over to me.”

“Okay~.”

Still, they’re pouring out suspiciously now, so handing all the Earl-Class demons over would be tiring.

She’s still a student, so she has school, and that would leave her with little personal time.

“…Ah, by the way, do you know about this?”

“Huh? About what?”

By the way, I should probably tell her about this.

Purification power… especially 「Purification of Annihilation」 seems useful for an Energy Blade.

Then it could be used as a close-range deterrent.

“Actually, the staffs that magical girls use… they’re more like spears than staffs.”

“…Huh?”

I guess she didn’t hear it from her mascot.

She probably never transformed her staff, so she didn’t hear it from her mascot.

Well, then, it can’t be helped.

“If you channel magic into it like this… an Energy Blade in the shape of a V forms on top.”

“Whaaat?! So that’s why the staff was so long?!”

Actually, this is a feature for emergencies in close combat, but most people don’t use it because they don’t need to.

Still, it’s a very stable energy form, so its power is comparable to other techniques.

But since it’s not necessary, it’s usually not taught.

Because… most can’t even swing it properly.

They just turn it on and point it, but they can’t even stab with it.

It might seem strange, but there are more people who can attack with magic but can’t swing a weapon than you’d think.

Only those who usually fight with cold weapons use this, and there are surprisingly few of them…

…But there’s one big exception.

Those who can manipulate energy are different.

Those who can handle energy have to use the Energy Blade because it significantly boosts their power.

After all, the Energy Blade itself is quite powerful.

And the pinnacle of that… is probably my ability.

“Just in case, I’ll tell you this: if you can’t counter with magic right away, turn this on and swing or stab. Even if you can’t handle it well, just causing a wound is enough to make them panic.”

“Ah! Mine’s white!”

“Really? It’s pretty.”

“Your purple one is really pretty too!”

“Is it?”

By the way, Pretty Heart holding a spear looks a bit awkward.

A pure girl holding a cold weapon… it feels a bit off?

Still, I should teach her how to swing it properly so she can escape danger if needed.

Next time, I’ll make some time to teach her.

“By the way, reporters might come soon, so let’s head back.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. We can go that way.”

“That way?”

“Yeah.”

Ah, is that a detached house over there?

Wow… living in such a big house, she must be doing really well.

Plus, I see a housekeeper managing the yard…

“Here we are.”

I wonder who her parents are to live in such a nice house.

Well, seeing this, I can kind of understand why she turned out this way.

Her personality is the biggest factor, but she must have been raised as a proper lady here.

“Then, take care.”

“Hey… want to come in?”

“…No, it’s fine.”

“Really? I’d like it if you came next time.”

“Uh, sure…”

I guess I’ll have to visit someday…

Pretty Heart seems to cling to me a lot, so if I go in, I don’t know what might happen…

“I’ll visit next time.”

“Okay~!”

I don’t know when that next time will be, but I hope it’s not soon.

By the way, did she tell her parents about magical girls?

If not, it might be awkward when they ask about me.

Hmm… well, it’s not my problem.

There must be a solution, so she’ll probably call me.

By the way…

“……”

“Hey~! Can we get an interview~?”

…Reporters are running this way, time to run!!

◇

“Ugh… annoying…”

Did I take too long because Pretty Heart called? The reporters are especially persistent today.

They’re really annoying, but… at least they’re running around to get the story, so it’s better than those idiots who just sit at their computers all day copying and pasting articles, browsing communities for fake news, or spewing nonsense for money.

“…Still, the reporters’ persistent stalking is annoying.”

“It can’t be helped! Even a few words from Rampage’s interview can attract global attention!”

“This is… being famous is such a hassle…”

By the way, I was supposed to visit the Mascot Headquarters’ Global Zone, but I completely forgot.

Going there… would be a big deal.

Our country’s zone is small, and it’s scary, so people avoid it, but overseas is different.

Plus, with magical girls from all over the world gathered in the Global Zone, the moment I, the most famous one, go there…

“……”

…Should I not go?