Chapter 38

Currently, I’m sitting in the Fairy Queen’s office, completely dumbfounded.

I’m so shocked that I don’t even feel the fatigue I had just a moment ago.

“……”

“Fufu, you seem quite surprised.”

“…Of course. You suddenly told me I have the qualifications to become the Fairy Queen. Anyone would be shocked to hear that.”

“It’s not like I was hiding it on purpose.”

“But the fact that this information hasn’t spread at all means it’s practically hidden, even if you didn’t intend to hide it.”

Really, I never could have imagined that the Fairy Queen was a position held by a Magical Girl…

Does that mean I could become the Fairy Queen someday?

Honestly, I don’t really want that kind of position.

Being at the top of something comes with a lot of annoying responsibilities.

I’d rather avoid that if possible.

I’m more suited for fighting than thinking.

No matter how hard I try, I don’t think I can ever reach the level of wisdom and knowledge the current Fairy Queen has.

Even if I rack my brain to come up with a good idea, it would just be one of the many solutions the Fairy Queen could think of in a moment.

Plus, she has such a sharp eye.

“…You don’t need to worry. I plan to keep this position for a long time.”

“What do you mean? Won’t you have to step aside for me someday?”

“It’s better not to hide things in front of me. You don’t actually want to become the Fairy Queen, do you?”

“…That’s right.”

“Let me say it again, you don’t need to worry. The Fairy Queen is a position where, if a Fairy Magical Girl is judged to have superior wisdom, she will pass everything on and step down. So rest assured.”

“R-really? Then… I guess I can relax.”

If that’s the case, then I can relax.

…But something feels off.

Shouldn’t Magical Girls who break free from control not exist in principle?

So why does it feel like breaking free from control is a prerequisite to be recognized as a Fairy Magical Girl?

And if that doesn’t happen, the next generation of Fairy Queens won’t emerge…

“Umm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s just… You lied a bit back then, didn’t you?”

“…Honestly, you’re the only one who would dig that up and interrogate me like this, Rampage.”

“So, what’s the deal with the uncontrollable Magical Girls?”

“…As I said earlier, I didn’t lie. It’s true that they need to be eliminated, but if there’s ‘permission,’ then there’s no problem.”

I see… So there’s something like permission too.

Well, trials often adjust or dismiss cases depending on the situation, so I guess it makes sense.

I was being too narrow-minded.

“…Oh, I’m curious. What exactly did that girl do back then?”

“Actually, the girl I mentioned earlier… I don’t really know either. But it seemed like she had some other purpose.”

“Why did she do it? No, more importantly, what was that purpose?”

“There must have been a reason she had to do it. But as the Fairy Queen, since she attacked the Fairy Realm… I had no choice but to kill her, and I pushed her to the brink of death.”

“You… You’re really strong…”

“I may look weak, but I’ve been around for over a hundred years! I was once a Fairy Magical Girl too! Normally, I act weak, but in reality, even if someone is uncontrollable, I can control them with force.”

“I see…”

“Even so, my talent isn’t particularly suited for combat, and my combat sense isn’t that great. I just crushed her with the power I’ve accumulated over time.”

“……”

The Fairy Queen… I knew she was strong, but she’s much stronger than I expected…

And she said she’s been around for over a hundred years, but it could be 600, 700 years, or maybe even over a thousand.

If she’s been accumulating power for that long… It’s almost impossible to surpass her in just 100 years.

Even if she says her abilities aren’t suited for combat…

…Whether they’re really not suited for combat is another matter.

“Anyway, I pushed her to the brink of death… But her mascot was also in on it, so I never dreamed she’d escape to the point where she couldn’t be tracked.”

“I see… Huh? Wait, her mascot was in on it?”

“Yes. Normally, such a fairy wouldn’t exist… But for some reason, it happened. It’s my fault for not considering even the slightest possibility.”

“So they’ve been planning this for a long time.”

“That’s right… I never thought they’d hide it so thoroughly…”

But I still don’t know if there’s a reason behind it or if it’s just their nature to be evil.

Last time, you said they were just evil, but this time, it sounds like there’s something more to it…

…Well, attacking the Fairy Realm out of nowhere is unforgivable no matter what.

No matter the reason, such actions can’t be forgiven.

So does that mean they’re still evil?

“…Sigh…”

“You seem tired. Let me tell you one last thing.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, Magical Girls can grow stronger just by training.”

“…Really?”

I had no idea you could get stronger just by training. I’ve been doing an hour of martial arts training every morning, but I never knew that.

I thought you could only grow by fighting demons or monsters and absorbing the scattered energy…

“However, fighting or defeating demons and monsters is overwhelmingly more efficient, so the growth from training is almost negligible.”

“So if I train for 2-3 hours, it’s about the same as hunting one or two monsters?”

“That’s right. It also depends on the time spent defeating them, but considering the average speed… For a veteran Magical Girl, 8 hours of training is equivalent to defeating one Earl-Class monster.”

“R-really? Then… if I train…?”

“Rampage, you just smash their heads the moment you see them… So maybe 4 hours of training is equivalent to one Earl-Class monster.”

“…Then I should train for at least 2 hours every day.”

“It’s good to increase the time, but you should also train while using magic actively.”

“Really? I’m already constantly using Mana Control and [Physical Enhancement].”

“That does count as training, but it’s better to quickly expend mana while using techniques.”

“I see.”

In that case, unless something comes up, I should train with magic at the training ground every day…

…Oh, but if I use my normal techniques, the training ground will be destroyed.

“Hey, but… I’m too strong to train at the training ground…”

“…There is a training ground for powerful Magical Girls, but I doubt even that can withstand you. I’ve prepared something for that, so come by next time.”

“Thanks.”

“Fufu, no problem. To completely halt the Demon Realm’s activities, Rampage, your further growth is essential.”

“Ha, haha… What kind of weapon are you trying to turn me into…?”

“Until that’s complete, I’ll temporarily boost your defense and regeneration to the limits of our technology, but please don’t go all out and destroy everything. Just in case.”

“Got it.”

In short, no matter how much power I use, I shouldn’t completely obliterate the training ground, right?

Then maybe building it ridiculously large would work.

No, are you saying that even building it ridiculously large could cause problems?

…I should probably seal off wide-range techniques.

After all, it’s training, not annihilation.

So I should just polish my basics while going all out.

Well, my techniques are already combined with martial arts, so training one thing improves three things at once. That’s killing three birds with one stone.

Plus, I have some martial arts skills, so if I keep training to eventually invade, I should get good results.

…But something feels off?

What do you mean by “until that’s complete”? …What are you talking about?

Are you preparing something big?

“Yawn… I guess I’ll head to bed now…”

“Fufu, go ahead.”

“If the exclusive training ground is completed, I’ll use narrow-range magic and focus mainly on martial arts… Fighting the way I usually do should be fine, right?”

“That’s fine.”

“Plus, my martial arts talent is decent, so focusing on that to improve my combat power seems like a good idea.”

“…Huh?”

“What?”

“…Nothing, it’s just… I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“It’s better if you keep misunderstanding, so I’ll keep it to myself.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Come on, come on. You said you’re tired, so go get some sleep.”

“Ah, okay…”

What are you suddenly talking about?

I’m someone who’s very self-aware.

Hmm… Well, I’m tired, so I should go to sleep.

“Yawn… I already showered, so I can just go to bed…”

“Before you go, there’s something I’d like you to do!”

“What is it?”

As I was about to crawl into bed after returning home, Chubby called me this time.

I wonder what he wants me to do…

“Hurry up and tell me.”

“Here it is!”

“…Huh? That’s…”

He wants me to enter the password for the game console…

Well, I’m not really interested in rankings or anything, so it’s fine to let Chubby enjoy it.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you!”

“Alright… I’m going to sleep.”

“Ah! And I have something to say!”

“What now?”

“Starting tomorrow, let’s practice Common Magic… No, Fairy Magic! I can teach you everything!”

“Oh… That’s really helpful. Alright~, let’s practice starting tomorrow~.”

“Yep!”

Chubby is quite experienced among the mascots, so he must be skilled at many things.

That means I can learn his know-how, and that should allow for much faster growth than practicing alone.

It’s not for nothing that people seek out teachers and learn from them.

Still… It feels weird that Chubby is the one teaching me.

“Ah! Rampage… Your rank dropped…”

“Don’t worry about it. You can always raise it again, so it’s not a big deal.”

“…! Okay!”

Chubby really worries about the strangest things.

The fact that I entered the password without any complaints means I was okay with it.

But getting upset about a rank drop is kind of strange, isn’t it?

…But dropping ranks so soon after starting is a bit serious, isn’t it…?

“Yawn… Ah, I’m thirsty.”

I should drink some water before bed.

I heard it’s not good to drink water and lie down immediately, but since I’m a Magical Girl, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Ah~ refreshing…”

Ah~… It’s been a while since I flopped onto the bed while this tired…

Now then… Turn off the lights and sleep.

……Oh, I should turn on the air conditioner.