Chapter 91

“Why do I have to wait again…”

“We can’t just send our strongest forces to an unknown place recklessly!”

“How unknown can it be, seriously…”

The suspicious activity in the Mariana Trench—I tried to check it out, but for some reason, the mascots blocked me. When I asked why, they said it’s better to deploy after a thorough investigation… I guess they want us to go safely. It’s better to have some knowledge than none at all.

So, I ended up waiting at home as usual. And as usual, I’m munching on bread made by Chubby while lazing around. Occasionally, if there’s an emergency dispatch request, I go out to hunt demons or monsters. If magical girls are badly injured, I heal them. Lately, the range for emergency dispatch requests has expanded overseas, but it’s still rare, so I’m usually pretty free. Most requests are for Marquis-Class and Duke-Class enemies, but Marquis-Class only appears in countries where magical girls are severely lacking, and Duke-Class hardly ever shows up—maybe once every few months. So… whether the range is expanded or not, it’s pretty much the same.

“Lately, you’ve been making a lot of chocolate bread.”

“That’s because Rampage loves chocolate so much!”

“Yeah, that’s true. Thanks to that, I’ve been snacking a lot.”

Maybe I’ll eat some chocolate bread and watch TV for a bit…

…Huh? What’s that news?

Am I… seeing things? Right?

“Hey, Chubby. There’s news about some strange monster being spotted? And they took it out with artillery, so it doesn’t seem like a demon. Demons usually shrug off artillery, right?”

“Huh? Hmm… Hold on! Let me make a call!”

What’s going on now… First the Mariana Trench thing, and now some weird monster? Please, if something’s going to happen, let it be just one thing… If multiple things happen at once, my head’s going to hurt…

…But if the military’s artillery can handle it, then there’s no need for magical girls to get involved, right? There are plenty of superhumans cooperating with the government, and if they or the military handle it, that should be enough. Of course, superhumans can’t be part of the military, but cooperation is fine. So, let them handle it themselves.

“Confirmed!”

“What did they say?”

“Well… Due to the influence, not only superhumans but also beings called ‘magical beasts’ are starting to appear!”

“…That’s a big problem. Especially for livestock farms.”

“Yeah…”

Seriously, worrying about meat at a time like this… I’ve gotten too caught up in eating too. …Anyway! If wild creatures turn into magical beasts and enter villages or cities, that’s a huge problem.

“How often does it happen?”

“They say it’s very rare compared to superhumans! It’s like, you’d have to be really unlucky for it to happen!”

“Really? That’s a relief. It’s not something we magical girls need to handle.”

Even if they turn into magical beasts, it doesn’t seem like a huge problem. But since we don’t know how strong they can get, we should just observe for now. Still, the chances of a magical beast strong enough to overwhelm the military or superhumans are slim, right? No, it’s practically impossible… They’re not fairies, and even if they’re magical beasts, they’re still living creatures. They can’t surpass the limits of biology.

“…But isn’t it a bit strange?”

“Huh?”

“If it’s a magical beast, they should have some level of magical energy, right? How did they die from artillery?”

“Hmm… We fairies, demons, and monsters are more than half made of mana particles, so we have an innate magical barrier. We’re quite resistant to non-magical attacks.”

“Mana particles are that powerful…”

“But magical beasts, no matter how much magical energy they have, don’t naturally have a magical barrier like us. They can’t maintain or even create one unless they’re highly intelligent.”

“Really? But why can’t magical beasts do it?”

“Magical beasts can only store and use magical energy through mana stones, but for us, mana particles are part of our body’s composition. That’s why we naturally have a magical barrier. Magical girls are the same.”

“Ah~ I get it now.”

So… mana particles need to be part of the body’s composition for that to happen. And the stronger the magical energy, the tougher the barrier becomes. That’s why attacks without magical energy or from magical girls don’t work. I wonder why you can’t bypass the barrier without mana particles… If I dig deeper, it’ll turn into a headache-inducing physics lesson, so I’ll stop here.

“Ugh… Hmm…”

“Bored?”

“Yeah, bored.”

“Then how about going magical beast hunting?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Some magical beasts have meat that’s even more delicious than well-raised livestock.”

“…Really?”

“The texture is completely different! Though, it’s quite divisive.”

“Oh… Then I’d want to hunt some strong magical beasts.”

“The best among them is the dragon!”

Dragon, huh… Do those even appear? If they do, it’s probably a lizard that turned into a magical beast. Will they really show up? Honestly, I’m not expecting a dragon, but I’d love some tasty magical beasts.

“By the way, there’s no chance dungeons will start appearing and a new world system will form, right?”

“That won’t happen! Dungeons and such only appear if someone artificially intervenes to change the system!”

“Ah, really? Then I don’t need to worry about dungeons.”

Honestly, I was scared it might turn into some hardcore hunter genre. If it gets too mixed up, it’ll be a headache. But thankfully, as long as there’s no system intervention, I don’t need to worry.

“…Come to think of it, magical beasts aren’t registered in the system.”

“That’s right!”

“Then if a dragon or some other hard-to-handle magical beast appears, the media will issue an emergency alert, and I’ll go then.”

“Got it!”

“But how do we dismantle it? Will you do it?”

“I’m not great at dismantling either…”

“Even if we eat it, this is a problem…”

Honestly, even if we eat it, I’d want it neatly cut and grilled, but there’s no way we have someone with that skill. Even if we bring butchers, dismantling a dragon? That’s a bit… Dragons are probably lizards, so who knows how to dismantle a lizard… At most, researchers might dissect small ones with scalpels.

“Dragon… I wonder if it’s as delicious as the ones in stories…”

“Why don’t you ask Hero? He was a hero in a place full of magical beasts, so he must’ve eaten a variety of them.”

“Ah! That’s right! Let’s go see Hero right away!”

Come to think of it, there’s someone nearby who’s eaten a lot of magical beasts! Alright, let’s head to the Fairy Realm. Oh, while I’m at it, I’ll bring some bread to feed him.

“Hero. I’m here.”

“Rampage…”

“I brought bread. Have some as a snack.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I came to the Fairy Realm to ask Hero about the taste of magical beast meat. The hero, who’s almost done with his recovery, looks a bit more polished than before. …He’s eating well and recovering, right? Right?

“You’ve eaten a lot of magical beasts over there, right?”

“Yeah? Why?”

“So, dragons and stuff… how did they taste?”

“Dragon… There was a wild dragon that attacked, and we took it down. That thing… was delicious. Before grilling, it was quite firm and hard to cut, but once grilled, it melted in your mouth…”

“Really? Then… I’ll have to hunt a dragon if it shows up.”

“Huh? Oh~ I heard from the mascots here that magical beasts have been appearing lately. Is that what you’re talking about?”

“Yeah.”

So, dragons are incredibly delicious when grilled… I’m really looking forward to the day a dragon appears. I’ll hunt it faster than anyone else… figure out how to dismantle it somehow, and enjoy it with beer… Ah~.

“Ah, right. By the way, Rampage.”

“Yeah? What?”

“Right before I got hit by the medal… I was taken down by a really strange guy. You should be careful.”

“…? What kind of guy do I need to be careful of?”

“Well… That guy said something weird at the end. He called himself a ‘Regressor.'”

“Regressor? So?”

“Just… be careful, okay?”

“…Alright, I’ll keep it in mind.”

A self-proclaimed Regressor, huh… I don’t know exactly what kind of power he has, but if he’s an enemy, I’ll just have to kill him. Especially since he’s causing trouble with the medals. And no matter how many times he regresses, it doesn’t matter. No matter how many times he regresses… I’ll show him an absolute difference where not even a single grain of sand exists.

“…This is really delicious. Where did you get it?”

“From home. I bake so much that there’s always extra.”

“Wow, bread made by a girl…”

“…It’s made by Chubby, my responsible mascot, you idiot.”

“Ah…”

“Why are you so disappointed?”

“Honestly, those two are terrible at cooking… I wanted to try food made by a girl…”

“Tsk tsk…”

How has he lived to want food made by a girl so badly… It’s so pitiful, I can only sigh.

“Anyway, I’m heading back. Finish your recovery properly.”

I’ll leave that fool to keep eating bread and head home. …Maybe I’ll eat more bread when I get back. Honestly, I can’t resist chocolate bread. I’m obsessed with chocolate, so if it’s in front of me, I can’t help myself.

“I’m back.”

“Just finished some chocolate croissants. Want some?”

“Oh? Sure. Give me three.”

“Got it!”

Hmm… The current problems are Pandora’s interference, the suspicious activity in the Mariana Trench, the appearance of magical beasts, and… a self-proclaimed Regressor siding with the monsters… I guess. For Pandora, I’ll handle it as quickly as possible. The Mariana Trench will be dealt with once the preliminary investigation is done. Magical beasts can mostly be left to the military and superhumans. Lastly, the self-proclaimed Regressor… If Hero was taken down by him, he must be strong. At least Duke-Class level… Well, superhumans are still within the realm of biology, and there’s no way to surpass biological limits. Unless you’re a magical girl, no human can withstand using a monster medal. Still, he seems like he’ll be a nuisance.

“I’m back.”

“You’re back early?”

“Yeah. Just had lunch and that was it…”

“By the way, have you heard about animals turning into magical beasts lately?”

“Ah, yeah. I’ve heard.”

“If a dragon really appears, I’m definitely going to hunt it, so keep that in mind. If you find it first, you hunt it.”

“…? Why?”

“Well, I asked Hero, and he said grilled dragon is incredibly tender and melts in your mouth.”

“Then we definitely have to hunt it.”

“Exactly.”

I’ll set aside the self-proclaimed Regressor for now and hope a dragon appears soon~. I wonder how delicious it must be for him to describe it like that…

“Gasp! Brownies!”

“…What’s wrong?”

“I love chocolate brownies!”

“Really? That’s great.”

Chubby made chocolate brownies too… Why is he so capable lately…? …What a weird guy.