The Prince Who Absorbs Abilities With a 'Click' - C26

Chapter 26: Magical Girl Serial Attack Incident

The cars sped down the street decorated with flashy neon signs.

A large billboard featuring the face of a magical girl flickered between the tall buildings.

• • Choi Jeong-A will protect your daily life!

In the photo, the magical girl with blue hair was winking and delivering the message.

Now, magical girls were both heroes and stars.

Everywhere you looked—on advertisements, on the internet—they had become such a significant part of society that they were indispensable.

There was no one who disliked them.

People were grateful for the bravery and sense of sacrifice shown by magical girls, sending their respect and admiration.

A black luxury sedan sped through the bright lights of the city.

Inside, there was a magical girl returning home, exhausted from completing her mission.

Her name was Choi Jeong-A.

As Choi Jeong-A looked out the car window, a large billboard with her face came into view.

The Choi Jeong-A on the screen was smiling brightly.

However, her expression right now was far from satisfied.

“Look at that, Manager.”

Choi Jeong-A frowned and called out to her manager beside her.

“Doesn’t that ad make my skin look rough? Can’t they even do proper Photoshop? No, the original photo is the problem. The angle’s all wrong!”

The manager was startled by her irritation.

“Huh? But when we took that ad, Jeong-A, you…”

“Ah, forget it. Why are you always making excuses? I told you before, we need to change the photographer. How am I supposed to feel good about advertising when they take pictures like this?”

Kim Jin-Kyung, her manager, bit his lip. But he couldn’t directly refute Choi Jeong-A.

No matter how much it might be her fault, Choi Jeong-A was a magical girl.

Magical girls were protectors of society’s safety, so they couldn’t help but be viewed favorably by the public.

The problem was with someone like Choi Jeong-A.

“….”

Choi Jeong-A, who debuted as a magical girl last year, was now 21 years old.

Her abilities were great, and she gained popularity instantly.

Her SNS followers recently surpassed ten million, and her momentum was skyrocketing.

At this rate, she was bound to join the ranks of the top magical girls in South Korea.

But Choi Jeong-A’s true nature was more like what you saw right now.

The smiling face in the ad was just for show.

Her real personality was closer to the demanding attitude she displayed now.

In fact, that was exactly how she was.

“Ah, and I need to go to the dermatologist. Look at this. How long has it been since I got treated? It’s already like this. The last place I went to was terrible. The director was rude…and on top of that, I question their skills. Find a better place and make an appointment.”

“The dermatologist you chose last time…”

“See, that’s exactly what I mean. Let’s go somewhere else. Make sure you book me into a good one. And if we waste time, you’ll take responsibility, right?”

Choi Jeong-A’s voice rang sharply in the car.

“And if we’re going, make sure it’s a place with VIP rooms. Last time, I had to share the waiting area with regular customers. Do you know who I am? A magical girl. A magical girl who even the president of this country can’t control. I deserve at least that level of treatment, don’t I?”

Her manager, Kim Jin-Kyung, quietly pulled out a notebook and began to take notes.

Choi Jeong-A continued to express her dissatisfaction, staring at the mirror.

“Ugh, really, what am I supposed to do about that ad? Is this really my image? What is the manager even doing?”

‘You were the one who accepted that ad.’

Kim Jin-Kyung wanted to shout that right away, but he held himself back.

“Also, why chocolate cake? I told you I like strawberries!”

This, too, was something Choi Jeong-A suddenly decided she wanted—chocolate cake, when she had previously mentioned wanting strawberry.

The manager had done nothing wrong.

“Ah, this is so frustrating. And driver, why aren’t we going faster? I could just transform and fly, it’d be quicker.”

Choi Jeong-A’s sharp voice rang out in the car.

She kept complaining, and Kim Jin-Kyung sighed inwardly.

Sigh, I really want to quit…

Being a magical girl manager was much harder and more exhausting than he had thought.

The title “manager” was just a name; in reality, he was just running errands for the magical girls.

Maybe calling himself an emotional garbage can wasn’t far off from the truth.

Suddenly, the thought crossed his mind to look for another job.

Or should I just work for another magical girl?

Was there anywhere else hiring managers right now?

But he quickly shook his head.

The risk of switching jobs now was far too great.

Not all magical girls were popular or successful.

If a magical girl lacked abilities or didn’t perform well, their popularity would naturally wane.

If that happened, the income from hunting monsters would decrease, and there would be no more ad offers.

Being a manager for a weak or unsuccessful magical girl meant that just getting paid on time would be a blessing.

Kim Jin-Kyung knew this from experience.

He knew well how difficult it had been to work as a magical girl manager.

Then came the chance of a lifetime.

It was Choi Jeong-A.

Choi Jeong-A, who became a magical girl less than a year ago, quickly gained immense popularity.

Her abilities were great, and she dealt with monsters swiftly, so she was receiving a good amount of support from the state.

They say a manager’s power comes from the magical girl’s strength.

Thanks to that, Kim Jin-Kyung’s status had also risen.

But now, he was beginning to feel the limits.

What can I do at my age?

Kim Jin-Kyung was 31 years old.

When he first started working as a manager, he was 22.

After nine years of managing various magical girls, he was now seriously considering whether he should find another job.

Being a manager was good, but the magical girls were all younger than him.

In the past, it didn’t matter, but now the age gap between him and the magical girls was significant.

Was it a generation gap?

There were times when the magical girls made it clear that they were uncomfortable because of the age difference.

Would he go work for an older magical girl instead?

Magical girls who were around the same age as him were now preparing for retirement so they wouldn’t need a new manager.

“….”

That’s why, at this point, looking for a new job seemed too uncertain. It would only increase the risk.

Maybe he should just hang on a little longer—maybe Choi Jeong-A would grow up eventually?

As he was thinking this, Choi Jeong-A spoke.

“Forget it. I’m not in the mood anymore, so I’ll get off here.”

“Huh? But we still have about 20 minutes to your house—”

“I said I’ll get off here! Can’t I do what I want?”

As the car stopped, Choi Jeong-A roughly opened the door.

At the same time, Kim Jin-Kyung followed her and got out of the car.

What is a manager’s role?

It’s to take care of the magical girl.

“No, it’s late at night…”

But his advice was useless. She was already walking down the alley.

“….”

Of course, as a manager, he was worried but Choi Jeong-A was a magical girl.

Even if she wasn’t transformed, she was still stronger than ordinary people.

Nothing will happen, right?

From his experience, following her now might make things worse.

Comforting himself, Kim Jin-Kyung returned to the car.

“Everything’s so annoying!”

Choi Jeong-A muttered as she walked down the alley.

It was dark around her, but she didn’t care.

Who was she? A magical girl who fights monsters.

This was nothing to be scared of.

“I’ll definitely change my manager!”

She complained as she walked, and then—

Thunk-!

With a dull sound, Choi Jeong-A collapsed forward.

Red liquid began to spill from her head.

“….”

A moment later, the silhouette of someone holding a hammer emerged from the darkness.

Wearing a hood and a mask, the face was hidden, but pink hair was slightly visible.

The person tucked the hair back inside the hood and calmly disappeared.

It had already been two days since registering as a magical girl.

Returning from the convenience store, Seo Ji-won stood still in the entrance.

Her transformation had not yet worn off, but with a coat and hat, she could still go outside.

But now, she was standing there because she had noticed something strange.

“…Where did it go?”

The corpse that had been inside her house was gone.

It was the body of the man who had been knocking on her door two days ago, complaining about the noise.

She didn’t know how to deal with it, so she had just left it at home. But when she went out for a short time, it disappeared without a trace.

Did the police notice?

Could they have taken the body?

“….”

Seo Jiwon had a despairing expression on her face, but instead of feeling anxious, her mind was at peace.

In fact, she even felt a sense of relief.

Originally, Seo Ji-won wasn’t the type of person like this.

She used to wake up early every morning, go to work, watch her boss’s every move while working late, and then finish the day with a beer… a typical, timid office worker.

But everything changed after she became a magical girl.

“Why…did I do that?”

She regretted it.

In the heat of the moment, she had lost control of her emotions and caused trouble.

It was as if she had become someone else, unable to control her emotions.

But one strange thing was that all the anxious feelings that had plagued her alone had completely disappeared over the past two days.

She didn’t know why, as this was a situation she had never experienced before.

When the police had said that the contract had probably gone to another magical girl, how angry had she been?

For a moment, she even thought about killing other magical girls to win Kain’s favor.

But now, as if it was a lie, she didn’t feel anything at all.

Instead, she felt refreshed.

“Did I really develop bipolar disorder?”

Hadn’t she committed murder because of the outburst of emotion?

At first, the thought of having killed someone kept her up at night.

But now?

She was calm. And that was what made it even stranger.

“What the hell is this? What’s really going on with my mind?”

Of course, she wasn’t using this as an excuse to deny the things she had done.

However, the situation now was very odd.

“Could it be that the emotional changes are my ability?”

Each magical girl was given a unique ability.

And the ability depended on what kind of power the contract holder had.

If the contract holder was strong, the magical girl would be strong too, and vice versa, they would be weak.

In the end, the power of the contract holder and the magical girl was proportional.

Could her ability be related to this emotional change?

Maybe it was something that removed all negative emotions and rapidly altered feelings, something like that?

“Is it…mental healing?”

Wow.

She became a magical girl at the age of 29, and her ability was nothing more than mental healing.

It would be easy for people to call her a crazy person with bipolar disorder.

“Should I seriously cancel the contract?”

Even now, the situation was the same.

The body had disappeared. Rather than feeling anxious, she had become even calmer.

That said, her frustration with Kain hadn’t disappeared.

She would definitely find Kain, who abandoned her.

“If I find him, I’ll definitely have words with him…!”

Seo Ji-won scratched her head and turned on her smartphone screen.

Was there any breaking news?

Something like “Current magical girl kills neighbor.”

However, contrary to her expectations, the screen was filled with news of a different incident.

• • [Breaking News] Serial magical girl assault case, the culprit is still unknown…

It was about recent attacks on magical girls.

Seo Ji-won touched the news.

The anchor’s tense voice came through.

• • The number of victims in the recent magical girl assault case is increasing. The confirmed victims are a total of four. Magical girl Choi Jeong-A, followed by Park Sohyun, Kim Dahee, and Lee Yujin, have all been attacked by an unknown assailant.

Seo Jiwon’s eyes grew serious as she watched the news.

In the last two days, magical girls had been attacked. Naturally, the media had widely reported the incident, so she couldn’t have missed it.

• • The assailant seems to target magical girls who are alone, mostly during nighttime.…Oh? Wait a moment.

The anchor hurriedly fiddled with his earpiece.

• • Ah…yes, breaking news just in. It has been reported that the first victim, magical girl Choi Jeong-A, passed away at the hospital a moment ago. It is truly tragic…

Upon hearing this, Seo Jiwon shook her head.

One of the magical girls who had been attacked had just died.

“…The world really is a dangerous place.”

Although she had no right to say this, it might be best to refrain from going out for a while.

[Contract holder ‘Kain’ has been absent for a long period.]

[The long absence of the contract holder has caused the emotions of the contracted magical girl ‘Seo Ji-won’ to become unstable.]

[The unstable magical girl ‘Seo Ji-won’ is losing control of her ability.]

【Seo Ji-won】

• • Magical girl (Contract holder: Kain)

 

• • Gender: Female

 

• • Age: 29

 

• • Ability: Clone (Downward copy of the contract holder ‘Kain’s’ dimensional access ability)

[Clone]: Creates a clone made from the negative emotions of magical girl ‘Seo Ji-won’. As a special privilege of her first contract, the clone exhibits 100% of the original’s power.

[Magical girl ‘Seo Ji-won’s’ clone is rampaging.]