Chapter 3

Those called Magical Girls always have a Mascot following them around.

They’re not just cute; they support the Magical Girl’s work and also report on it.

Depending on how the reported actions of the Magical Girl are judged, in severe cases, the headquarters may deem her unfit and strip her of her powers.

Specifically, they retrieve the Crystal Stone initially given and absorbed during her transformation, preventing her from transforming.

By sealing her talent and power within the Crystal Stone, they render her powerless.

This is also the method used when retiring, with the difference being that the Crystal Stone can be returned if she wishes to become a Magical Girl again.

…Though, I wonder if someone as old as me can still be called a Magical Girl.

Anyway, the Mascot headquarters dislikes harming life other than demons and monsters.

They also don’t appreciate causing significant material damage or indirect harm.

If such incidents occur, depending on their severity, the worst-case scenario is the retrieval of the Crystal Stone, preventing the Magical Girl from transforming.

However, these Mascots aren’t emotionless or inflexible fools. They overlook material damages incurred while fighting demons or monsters, or the execution of humans attempting to harm Magical Girls, among other exceptions.

Of course, since this isn’t publicly announced, most Magical Girls aren’t aware of these details. But fundamentally, having become Magical Girls to protect humanity, they inherently avoid harming people.

Except for some idiots.

For these reasons, governments worldwide don’t particularly fear Magical Girls.

After all, if they tried to incite terror or rebellion, the Mascots would stop them.

However, this doesn’t mean they belittle or take for granted the Magical Girls risking their lives to protect the world from demons and monsters.

Knowing they are a group risking their lives to protect powerless humanity, most countries with agreements with the Mascot headquarters provide solid support for Magical Girls.

…Except for our country, which treats its citizens and soldiers, who sacrifice two years of their lives for sacred duties, like disposable slaves without compensation.

Anyway, despite this structure, there are exceptions.

The retrieval of a Magical Girl’s Crystal Stone only applies to those within controllable limits.

Like me… no, only I, due to my Mascot’s laziness, have escaped these limits, making the retrieval of my Crystal Stone impossible, leaving me with overwhelmingly powerful strength.

Originally, I should have retired before it came to this.

So, what’s the conclusion?

…I can wield this Magical Girl’s power without any restrictions against anyone if I so choose.

In other words, this is a significant leverage for blackmail.

And that includes nations.

“Am I really that angry now, not getting any support from you?”

“Cu, customer…?”

“Do you know how many years I’ve been doing this?”

“…15 years…”

“Right? You know well. Then why is the condition here set for less than 10 years? And only counting what’s been defeated since this year? I’m not a human, am I? Am I just a super slave to be used and discarded with passion pay for life in this era? Huh? Do you find me that laughable? Even those soldiers you treat like disposable slaves get a pittance, but veteran Magical Girls get nothing? If the veterans disappear, you’d collapse at the first Marquis-Class, wouldn’t you? You think just because Magical Girls have been enduring out of a sense of duty, you don’t need to pay them? That’s why the number of Magical Girls is disproportionately low compared to the population, you bastards. Or what, has the country gone bankrupt? Why not cut the heads of those corrupt stars who embezzle taxes and abolish those useless departments that only cause trouble? Wouldn’t that save enough budget to pay us? Isn’t that right? Can’t even do that, and you call yourself a developed country?”

“……”

“Do you know how many demons and monsters I’ve defeated so far? Over 5,000, 5,000. And you’re giving me nothing? Isn’t that too shameless? Or what, is it that painful to give me that much money? Huh? And what about those who retired or died? Are those who are exhausted, broken, and dead already past and thus nothing to you?”

“That…”

“You, you know what? Treating Magical Girls like this demotivates them, so the Mascot headquarters made deals with governments worldwide to compensate Magical Girls at the government level. But, you’ve been ignoring that for 20 years? And you call yourselves human? Do you want to lose support from the Fairy Realm? Huh? Do you know how strong my influence is with the Fairy Queen? Or do you want to be physically destroyed by me?”

“Uh, uh… customer…”

“What, why, what. You should be grateful I’m not using this power against you right now. It’s only because I’m kind-hearted that I’m just ranting here.”

Now, I’m storming into the Korean Magical Girl Support Headquarters in my transformed state, barely holding back my exploding anger.

They know how many years I’ve been at this, and that I’m already beyond the Mascot headquarters’ control.

That’s why it’s hard for me to hold back my anger.

Knowing all this, setting the condition at less than 10 years, they must clearly be out of their minds wanting to die.

…No, most politicians are just parasites who only know their own interests and can only engage in empty talk, so it’s no wonder such policies come out.

Moreover, since other countries don’t react much even when incidents that could incite riots occur several times, they must see their citizens and Magical Girls as pushovers.

“Anyway, remove all the attached conditions immediately. This isn’t a complaint or a request… it’s a threat that if you don’t want everyone to die or lose support from the Fairy Realm, remove them. I’m not your combat slave, and I’m pissed off that veteran Magical Girls who fought hard, retired, or died, and those still risking their lives are treated like crap by you. Are you listening?”

“Yes, yes… I’m listening…”

“And you know I participated in ‘that,’ right? Do you think I can’t kill people?”

“I know…”

“Sigh… I want to rant more, but it’s meaningless to you, so just summarize and report directly to the higher-ups. Tell them not to play games with what should have been done long ago. If the conditions aren’t removed, let’s see what really happens.”

“……Yes, understood.”

Having vented some of my anger, I kicked open the door of the support headquarters and left.

On my way home, I bought a pack of beer cans I forgot to buy yesterday, and when I got home, I opened one.

Then, wearing just a tank top and hot pants, I poured the beer into my mouth.

“Ah~… I only said 10% of what I wanted to say… Why can’t I speak well when I’m there…”

“……”

“…What, why? Do you have something to say?”

“No…”

Damn… I wish I could say everything I thought of 100% properly…

…Ah, that’s not the important thing now.

Did I open an account there?

……Phew~ I did.

It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t.

Ranting is ranting, but money is important.

“How much is it for the Earl-Class and Marquis-Class I usually defeat? Considering the danger, it should be at least several hundred million…”

Where is it… Marquis-Class… Marquis-Class…?

Ah, here it is.

…Huh? 30 million won per one? Tax-free?!

Oh, oh… This is quite something.

And the Earl-Class is 2.5 million won?

The Earl-Class is surprisingly lucrative, and since I defeat at least one a month, this is quite the honey.

Besides, the Viscount-Class is 100,000 won, the Baron-Class is 500,000 won… Even if I just defeat Viscount-Class or Baron-Class until retirement, I could live comfortably.

You’ve stepped up, huh, for a country like yours?

Well, is this reasonable?

Most Magical Girls, at best, can solo up to the Viscount-Class, and from the Earl-Class onwards, they usually form parties to defeat them.

So… um… most Magical Girls earn between 3 to 5 million won a month?

No, if they also participate in Earl-Class party hunts, they could earn more.

…Wait, if the Marquis-Class is 30 million won, how much is the Duke-Class?

I’ve only seen the Duke-Class twice in my life, but since I defeated both, I’m curious.

……Huh? 2… 2 billion…?!

No, even though the Duke-Class is strong enough to instantly destroy a country… No, so that’s why the pay is this high?

Then… the Grand Duke-Class?! The Grand Duke-Class… is, 50 billion…?! Uh… is this correct?

Hmm… But I’ve never seen a Grand Duke-Class in my life, what level is that?

Even the Duke-Class can easily destroy a country without much effort… It must be at a level to swallow a continent.

Could I… do it?

Honestly, I’ve never even used my full power, let alone used my abilities much in the past 10 years, so I’m not sure.

Well, it’s just a name, and it’s never appeared in history, so it’s none of my business.

And even the Duke-Class is probably a one-punch kill for me now, so there’s no way I couldn’t defeat a Grand Duke-Class.

“Chubby.”

“Yes!”

“Bring me some snacks.”

“Yes, yes!”

By the way… if they include past records in the compensation… I could become instantly rich, right?

Where… since I’ve always worked solo… 2 Duke-Class, 38 Marquis-Class, 256 Earl-Class… Just this is insane?

Especially these 2 Duke-Class… That’s 4 billion won alone.

If I buy a building and rent it out… Ah, the real estate bubble is bursting now, so it’s not a good time to buy.

“I brought it!”

“Good… Oh, it’s jerky.”

Ah~… Even eating like this, I don’t gain weight or get a potbelly, the Magical Girl body is the best~.

Still annoyed and uncomfortable with being short, but this is really good.

Moreover, even if the amount is small, it feels like I’ve eaten a lot.

So, saving on food expenses is good, but once I start receiving hunting allowances from the country, I won’t need to save.

…By the way, something suddenly makes me really curious.

Even though I’m already in a Magical Girl’s body, why does my hair change when I transform?

Is hair included in the transformation?

“Chubby. When transforming, does the hair change because of reconstruction or is it a transformation specification? I clearly had my hair down, but when I transform, it’s forcibly fixed in twintails.”

“That’s right! Hair is easy to interfere with!”

“I see… But don’t stare at me like that.”

“Yes…!”

So, it really was a transformation specification…

Well, if a Magical Girl suddenly became bald or had a buzz cut, that would be a bit…

Hmm… But did I buy jerky?

Ah~ My sibling gave me some after returning from an overseas trip.

I forgot about it, but it’s just the right time.

“By the way, it’s sticky… I definitely showered this morning? Is it because of summer?”

“Wouldn’t turning on the air conditioner help…?”

“The old air conditioner would make the electricity bill explode. No.”

“Then changing the air conditioner…”

“I need money to change it.”

Rather, if money comes in, wouldn’t I not live here in the first place?

At least get a place with two rooms, one for a clothes storage and one for a bedroom and computer setup.

Well, that’s assuming money comes in.

Phew~ Already two cans down.

If I keep drinking without getting drunk, I’ll run out in a day.

I should put the rest in the fridge.

“……”

…If a Grand Duke-Class appears, I’ll have to use my abilities, right?

「Rampage」… I haven’t used it much since I could kill with just punches, but since I still train regularly, it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’ve been a Magical Girl for 15 years, so skill issues shouldn’t arise.

Especially the most important Mana Control and [Physical Enhancement], I continue to practice whenever possible.

“…Huh? What’s this, a call at this hour… Huh? Support Headquarters?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No… This phone number, it’s the Support Headquarters. My threat must have worked.”

“You made a threat?!”

“All for my sake, but at the same time, it would be good if others could receive proper compensation now. You know, right? Among developed countries, only in Korea have they been exploiting us with passion pay. Those who kept crying for help…”

“That’s true… That’s why we made deals with governments worldwide. In this case, even if Rampage was controllable, they might have turned a blind eye.”

Is that so…? Then I could have argued earlier?

Then why didn’t anyone argue?

Could it be that the Magical Girl group is all kids? So…

…No, they’ve always been making excuses, delaying and delaying, so they couldn’t act recklessly.

They’re only doing it now because I made a fuss, and it worked this time.

Moreover, they can’t ignore my current power.

The current world still follows the logic of power, and if an individual’s power is strong enough to instantly destroy even the US… It’s obviously a significant emergency.

Well, let’s see what they offer.

Let’s hear how these bastards have responded.

[Hello~. This is Lee Ji-eun, Consultant from the Korean Magical Girl Support Headquarters.]

“Yeah, hi.”

[Our Support Headquarters has decided to remove the conditions for monetary support for Magical Girls and provide lump-sum compensation based on past records to all Magical Girls.]

“…Really?”

[Yes, really. Starting tomorrow at 2 PM, it will be paid sequentially, so if you have a Magical Girl account, please check.]

“Got it. Thanks.”

[Do you have any questions?]

“No.”

[Okay~ This was Lee Ji-eun, Consultant~.]

……No way, I thought it was impossible… They’re really paying the full amount?

Wow… The overwhelming power of threats works across time and space…

“How did it go?!”

“…They said they’ll gather all past records and pay compensation.”

“Finally, the hardship is over!”

“Right! …No, the hardship isn’t over. I have to live in this body for life, so there’s still a long way to go.”

“Ah…”

By the way, shall I start hunting seriously now!

Ah, but first, buy a house.

Even though the real estate bubble is bursting, since I can quickly make up for it by defeating Earl-Class and above, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Ah~ Now I feel a bit patriotic!

◇

A very spacious living room and kitchen equipped with all the latest facilities.

And two large rooms, plus one small room.

I bought such an apartment.

Exactly two weeks after receiving the money.

“Oh, oh……”

I spent the money quickly, but I don’t regret it.

A spacious house, a powerful air conditioner, high-end spec computers, a spacious fridge…

Now that it’s like this, I feel like becoming a Magical Girl was really the right choice.

Really… in front of big money, even my body being like this for life seems too attractive.

No wonder many people kneel and bend their pride in front of big money…

Moreover, since I can keep earning big money in the future…

…Well, from today, I surrender to the Magical Girl’s body.

What? Even with money, it’s a path of hardship? Who the hell said that?

Even with this body, life is damn enjoyable!!

Ah~… So good…