Chapter 29

My magic wand shines brightly inside a massive machine.

The light is so intense that even I, who am used to pain and such, can’t help but grimace and close my eyes.

It feels like staring directly at the sun… no, something even more intense.

As I was lost in these thoughts, the light gradually dimmed, and my magic wand revealed itself, radiating immense heat.

“…It’s done.”

“Thank you.”

After the wand’s enhancement—or rather, customization—was complete, the Fairy Queen returned it to me.

As soon as I took the wand, I swung it around to test its new functions.

After creating an Energy Blade, I was quite satisfied.

“The energy output seems unusual? Stability has also improved significantly.”

“I focused the wand’s functions in that direction. It suits your original fighting style better, doesn’t it?”

“…Well, yeah.”

Since this is proportional to energy output, I should be several times stronger now.

Though it’s a bit disappointing that the power of other techniques has slightly decreased.

But since my main techniques all involve the Energy Blade, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Besides, I don’t even use something like [Chaotic Frenzy] through the wand.

…Now that I think about it, I don’t receive any magical enhancements from the wand.

“Alright, Chubby. Let’s head back.”

“Yep!”

“Rampage.”

“…What?”

“It might be funny to apologize now, but… I’m sorry for deliberately standing by and doing nothing.”

“……”

Wait, so the Fairy Queen knew about it all along?

…Well, I was already briefed on the reasons, so I can forgive her.

More importantly, I’m satisfied with my current life, so I’m not particularly angry about it now.

So, the one who deserves a beating isn’t the Fairy Queen but this lazy Chubby.

Speaking of which… isn’t there someone else you should apologize to?

“…Apologize to her, not me. She almost got her head chopped off.”

“Ah… I’m sorry, Meriol.”

“I-It’s okay!!”

“Since I almost did something terrible to Meriol… I’ll give you my blessing. Oh, and Rampage too.”

“A blessing…!!”

“…? A blessing?”

I don’t know what a blessing is, but seeing how excited Chubby is, it must be something amazing.

What kind of effect does it have?

“A blessing? What’s that?”

“The Fairy Queen can bestow blessings on mascots or magical girls as a privilege of her rank.”

“So, what’s the effect?”

“Blessings are mostly defensive. Normally, they reduce damage or provide continuous minor healing to maintain your condition… things like that.”

“Really?”

“And… one more thing. This effect is one-time use. Once used, the blessing disappears, but the effect is absolute. In a dangerous moment, you can create an absolute defensive barrier for a short time.”

“Wow… that could be useful in emergencies.”

“So, please don’t waste it.”

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

That sounds pretty impressive.

Now that I’ve received the blessing, it’s time to head home.

I need to think about snacks for tomorrow’s drinking party and what to do when Pretty Heart arrives.

Wait, I can just order what I didn’t get last time or what was really delicious.

No need to overthink it.

“Ugh~…”

“Are you going to lie down on the couch as soon as you get home?”

“Everyone does that when there’s a couch.”

After returning home, I immediately flopped onto the couch.

While lying there, I checked out an online shopping mall on my phone.

But nothing came to mind, so I just opened a delivery app and browsed for things to order tomorrow.

“Something different from last time… Oh, this place is closed tomorrow…”

“Rampage!”

“What?”

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“About what?”

“Now that you’ve been enhanced… are you going to fight in your original form?”

“…Maybe? But I should probably shake off some rust first.”

I should start focusing on that, right?

I’ve been swinging it around during morning training, but it’s been a while since I used it in actual combat…

For that reason, it might be good to get back into the groove.

“Alright. I’ll test it out next time a signal comes.”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

“Really? I’m looking forward to it too.”

This is the first time I’ve ever wished for a demon or monster signal to come.

Oh, but I shouldn’t go berserk with the Energy Blade.

Even before the enhancement, just swinging a berserk Energy Blade swallowed up a Grand Duke-Class monster and a bunch of others, so using it in the city would turn me into a mass murderer.

“…Speaking of which, what should I do when Pretty Heart arrives?”

“Hmm?”

“Hmm… does she like pizza? A spicy pizza might be good.”

Hmm… I’m a bit conflicted.

Just ordering a pizza and calling it a day feels a bit lacking.

I have a lot of money, so it feels wasteful to just end it like that…

Ah, then let’s splurge on the toppings.

And order a bunch of side dishes too.

“…Splurging on food is still pretty commoner-like…”

Even with an extra 5 billion, I shouldn’t settle for just this.

But going to fine dining every time is too much of a hassle…

I wonder how rich families eat and live.

Do they have a maid who prepares three meals a day?

I do have a maid-level slave.

But she’s an unpaid slave with unconditional loyalty due to her own mistakes.

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing, it’s nothing.”

…Alright, pizza is settled, let’s try making Beef Wellington.

I have a top-of-the-line oven, so I shouldn’t fail at baking it.

“I need to buy dough, mushrooms for the duxelles… there’s so much to do…”

“Isn’t that something I should be doing?”

“Exactly.”

But Chubby is good at following recipes, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Then it’s decided! When Pretty Heart comes on Sunday, we’ll have Beef Wellington!

“…Ah! There’s an emergency dispatch request!”

“Where?”

“Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province! It’s a Marquis-Class monster!”

“Really? Then let’s stop by a large mart on the way back to get some ingredients.”

“Got it!”

Another emergency dispatch just came in.

Emergency dispatches themselves aren’t great since they’re situations we can’t handle, but at least I can test things out, so I’m getting more excited.

I wonder how well a Marquis-Class monster will fare against this Energy Blade… and without even going berserk.

“Is that it?”

“Yes!”

I transformed and flew over immediately, but the damage isn’t as bad as I thought.

Is the magical girl currently fighting holding her ground well and minimizing the damage?

She’s quite skilled.

Then… form transformation, energy infusion.

First… I’ll close the distance instantly and slash down with my outstretched arm, then deliver two consecutive strikes in an X shape to the torso.

…Even without going berserk, it’s almost like I can’t even feel it being a Marquis-Class… this is amazing.

At this rate, I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens when I fire an [Energy Blast] with this later.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“From the way you’re guiding and enduring attacks, you seem quite skilled.”

“Hehe, really?”

Her weapon is a shield… so it makes sense that she minimized damage while holding her ground.

Then how does she attack?

Does she bash with the shield? There are plenty of shield-bashing concepts.

Or does she accumulate the impact and release it all at once for massive damage?

Whatever it is, she must have some special attack method.

“But your weapon is different from the rumors.”

“This? I used this originally. I have the ability to interfere with energy.”

“Really?”

“Punching and all that was just one of the many things I did to somehow improve my basics.”

Hmm… Speaking of which, if I go berserk, will it grow like before?

Even though the energy output is much higher, it’s also much more stable… so maybe it’s different?

…I can’t resist my curiosity.

Since I’ve taken it out, I might as well try going berserk… Oh, what’s this?

“Only the color changes…”

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just checking something real quick.”

When I go berserk, unlike before, the size stays the same, and it just glows white instead of purple.

Wow… If it can maintain its form even when berserk… I can’t even grasp how strong it’s become.

Well, anyway, I’ve checked everything, so it’s time to head back.

Oh, but I should stop by the large mart first.

“Is that it? It’s huge.”

For the Beef Wellington ingredients, I stopped by the large mart on the way back and headed to the food section.

As soon as I arrived, I filled the shopping cart with everything I needed, but they didn’t sell large cuts of meat, so I decided to order that elsewhere.

It seems that restaurant-grade steaks like the ones we know can only be ordered online or requested directly from a butcher.

“Is this enough?”

“Looks like it!”

Now that the shopping is done… and the online orders are complete, it’s time to head home.

“Ugh~…”

“Didn’t you just make that sound earlier?”

“Don’t mind it. It’s weirder if it’s varied.”

“I see!”

When I get home, I immediately flop onto the couch again.

Honestly, there’s nothing else to do at home.

If I had an online MMORPG I was into, or some solid hobby…

“…Should I pick up a hobby?”

“A hobby? My hobby is rolling around!”

“That’s not a hobby, you idiot.”

“Sorry!”

But golf, fishing, billiards… those are too old-man-like… What should I do?

Well, I have infinite time, so I can take my time to find something.

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing, it’s nothing.”

…Come to think of it, when my friends grow old and die… what will I do then?

When they grow old and sick… I’ll still be like this.

At that time… no, let’s not think about it.

There’s no point in thinking about it now.

I’ll know how it feels when the time comes.

It’s pointless to fuss over something that’s more than 60 years away.

It’s better to make more memories in the meantime.

“Ah, whatever!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Bring me some beer and snacks.”

“Yep!”

Ah~ I’m bored, so bored…

…Oh? What’s this… a new device that supports 60fps is out?

This company finally moved beyond 30fps…

Then I should buy one.

It’s a shame it’s not the first wave, but at least I have the luxury to do so.

And it’s arriving in 3 days?

That’s faster than I thought.

I expected it to take a week.

“Wow… this is the 6th device already… that’s fast.”

There are a lot more games to play now.

I won’t be bored for a while.

This one, this one… and this one too.

But this one… is a bit too brain-dead, but it’s fun, so I’ll try it.

“What are you looking at?”

“New gaming devices. I’m slow with this kind of info, so I only find out after they’re released.”

“You’re getting old!”

“I’ll kill you, seriously.”

“Sorry!”

Old? I’m still in my mid-20s…

I don’t know why the standards for being called old or a geezer have dropped so low.

Wait, I don’t even have the concept of aging anymore.

…From now on, if anyone calls me old, I’ll smash Chubby’s head.