NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60
Bang!
With a deafening roar, a cloud of dust rises into the air.
Through the smoke, a black silhouette appears.
Long pink twin-tails cascading down to the waist, shimmering and swaying, and a mini skirt that resembles a magical girl outfit, decked with star patterns—an impressive ensemble with full-body gloves.
In her hands is the ‘Moon Staff’, a magical weapon that takes the form of a staff, held by a beauty with ample proportions that poke out from the magical girl costume.
Our proud homeroom teacher flies in immediately after spotting the signal flare I shot off.
The S-rank hero, Mayuzumi Mayu, has arrived.
“Whew.”
As the splendidly landed Mayuzumi-sensei catches her breath, she raises her right hand, sparkling with pink light from the Moon Staff, and brings her left hand, making a V sign, near her left eye, shouting:
“Magical☆Miracle★Mayu-ring! Responding to the call of my beloved student, I descend here now☆ Teehee♥”
Wow.
Did anyone expect a magical girl
I figured Mayuzumi-sensei would show up.
I was ready to hear her transformation line that would come after a third anime season.
But now that it’s real, I can’t help but cringe.
Every day feels like a new light novel world.
“Now that Mayu-ring★ is here, my beloved students, you can rest easy★”
Wink.
Mayuzumi-sensei gives a wink.
No, sensei.
What on earth are you doing at this age······.
This is so childish······.
“Sensei······.”
The protagonist calls out to Mayuzumi-sensei, his voice filled with emotion.
Why are you feeling emotional again?
“Hehehe. Kurosawa-kun. Right now, I’m not Mayuzumi-sensei but Magical Girl Miracle☆Mayu-ring!”
This just keeps getting better.
“N-no way. How can the destructive magical girl be right here······!”
The Priest breaks out in a cold sweat.
His face is etched with fear.
Swish.
Mayuzumi-sensei aims the Moon Staff at the Priest.
“It’s you! The villain who has been tormenting Mayu-ring★’s beloved students!”
The Priest bites his lip.
Then, with a solemn voice, he declares:
“Since it has come to this, plans must change. In the name of the Cult! By the power of the Divine Symbol! I shall purify all of you!”
The Priest struggles, channeling his blue magic into the Divine Symbol embedded in the earth.
A flash erupts from the Divine Symbol.
Gggggggggg.
The ground trembles.
An overwhelming purple mist dances around.
“Quiver before the power of the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts! You foolish lambs!”
From within the mist, the Priest’s voice echoes.
[Kyaaaaaaa!]
[Grurururur!]
[Bark bark bark!!]
Inside the purple mist, the howls of otherworldly creatures and waves of magic shake the surroundings.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!!”
Olivia screams and clings to my waist again.
And even in this emergency, she’s causing a ruckus.
I sigh.
If I had to fight myself, it would be the end for me.
I activate my Gift.
Spreading darkness, I synchronize my senses.
“How infuriating!”
Information sensed through magic draws a visual representation right in front of my eyes.
In the Purple Mist, countless ordinary otherworlders with red eyes rampage.
Just like the scene from that anime, “The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.”
Beside me, Olivia clings like a cicada, trembling; Yuji activates his combat mode; the other team members pull out their mystical weapons.
And there stands Teacher Mayuzumi in front of us like a protective wall.
“You truly are the lowest,☆worst villain!”
Snap.
Teacher Mayuzumi thrusts her wand forward.
“In the name of Magical Girl Miracle☆Majical☆Mayuring, I will hunt you down! Priest!”
“I shall begin the purification! Destruction Magical Girl! Even you cannot stop the advance of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons!”
Clack, clink.
The book-shaped mystical weapon in Priest’s hand, the Ancient Book, bursts forth with a blue flash as his combat mode activates.
A full-body gauntlet rapidly assembles around Priest’s body.
“I can’t allow this! Lovely☆Magical☆Mayuring☆Multi Shot♡”
Ring-a-ling♩
A horrifyingly childish melody.
The tip of Teacher Mayuzumi’s wand sparkles with pink light.
Flash! Flash!
Hundreds of pink magical bullets are fired forward like a machine gun.
[Kururururu!]
[Kyaaaaaaaah!]
Boom! Boom! Boom.
The pink flashes tear through the Purple Mist.
Continuous explosions echo like eardrum-shattering thuds.
The ground shakes, dust kicks up.
More than a third of the horde of ordinary otherworlders is transformed into gruesome blood puddles, screaming in terror.
“Wh-what is happening…?”
The Priest, flustered to the point of forgetting his own concept.
“Teacher… That’s amazing…”
Even the protagonist, who was considering intervening in the emergency, is left agape at her overwhelming power.
The reason why instructors in academy stories don’t interfere in events is being broadcast in real-time right before my eyes.
Even though I expected this, there’s no other way than calling this Deus Ex Machina.
What’s more, Teacher Mayuzumi’s skill names seem nauseating compared to Bella’s.
How could anyone shout such things out loud?
This is at a level of the miraculous.
Isn’t it embarrassing for a 24-year-old to act like this?
“… It’s not over yet. I can do this. Holy Lady, Grand Elder, grant me the power to protect the truth!”
Flitter.
The pages of the Ancient Book in the Priest’s hand turn, scattering ominous blue light.
“In the name of the Cult, I, Priest, will purify you!”
The activation of sacred magic, a skill inscribed in the artifact scripture ‘Codex’ that only members of the Cult can master, begins.
Pachi-pachi-pachi!
The Ancient Book resonates with the relic, Divine Symbol, amplifying its magical power.
Illusory mist unfurls, and the horde of otherworlders that forms the Night Parade goes berserk.
Overwhelming magical energy coalesces into a sphere in front of Priest.
An amount of magical power and destructive force surpassing that of a mere B-rank danger level Priest.
This feat would have been impossible without the support of an artifact and sacred magic.
‘Using a skill that was only unleashed near the end of the battle in the original story right now.’
Looks like the villain is desperate.
In the original story, at this moment, Rin and the protagonist would barely break through the otherworlders and reach the Priest thanks to their joint efforts.
A touching scene typical in light novels, where the heroine and protagonist team up to defeat the villain.
But.
“Lovely☆Magical☆Mayuring☆Multi Shot♡”
With Teacher Mayuzumi here now, there’s no room for us, the cadets, to intervene.
Ring-a-ling♩
Alongside her declaration of the catastrophic skill, her wand glows with pink light while hundreds of magical bullets rain down on the horde of otherworlders.
[Kyaaaaah!]
[Kyaaaaaaaaaah!]
The bones and flesh of the charging otherworlders are instantly separated, transforming into a handful of dust scattered across the ground.
“That’s right. I knew the Destroyer Magical Girl would come out like this. But those beasts were just decoys from the start! Tools to complete the Judgment of Truth. Destroyer Magical Girl, your inability to disregard the otherworldly beings to protect the students will be your downfall!”
The Priest bursts into a maniacal laugh.
What a ridiculous villain who explains every little detail from A to B.
Even from an observer’s perspective, it’s absurd.
An ancient book in the Priest’s hand floats into the air.
Swish.
The pages of the ancient book flip open.
“In the name of Truth, Destroyer Magical Girl! I shall judge you. Judgment of Truth!”
As soon as the Priest’s chant ends, a blue magical orb floating in the air transforms into a beam of light and is aimed at Mayuzumi-sensei.
“Repent, you ignorant little lamb who stands in the way of the Cult!!”
“Magical… Miracle… Lovely♥ Mayu-ring…”
Whoosh.
Mayuzumi-sensei aims her wand forward.
Vwooooom!
Pink magical power gathers instantly at the tip of the staff, forming into a sphere.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
At the moment all the magical orbs take shape.
“Moon☆Light☆Arrow☆Buster──!!”
Mayuzumi-sensei exclaims the dazzling skill name with a sharp voice.
Flash!
The six spheres explode, shooting out six beams of light.
The whole world is tinted pink.
An overwhelmingly powerful barrage of six pink magical shots.
The illusory mist is torn to shreds.
With the overwhelming physical force of the barrage, the mist is forcibly dispelled, and the flow of energy returns to normal.
“What in the world is this…?”
Even Tsundere Olivia, who had been clinging to my waist in fear, was astonished by the astonishing power of the barrage.
The surging blue magical power, Judgment of Truth, is completely enveloped by the pink shots, leaving no trace behind.
Kwaaaahhh!!!
What sounds like the deafening noise of shells raining down on a battlefield shakes the earth.
“Uwaaaaaahhh!!”
The horrific scream of the Priest hit directly by the barrage.
The miserable end of a villain who dared to challenge an S-rank hero, completely clueless about his position.
“What part of that looks like a Magical Girl to you…?”
“Sensei… Were you actually a true powerhouse?”
Ishihara and Nishizawa’s astonishment follows.
“…This is the first time I feel sorry for a villain.”
Even the kind protagonist Yuji can’t help but feel sympathy for the villain.
As the dust settles, a crater appears in the center of the clearing.
In the center, there lies the Priest.
Of course, his full-armored state is now deactivated, with his magic tools scattered around like garbage, and he’s already lost consciousness, foaming at the mouth.
The only reason he is not dead is entirely due to the protection of the magic field and his magic tools, along with the fact that Mayuzumi-sensei had shown mercy in her restraint.
“Hehe, it’s been a while since I used magic, so I might have overdone it a bit. Eeh~ Kyu~☆ Is this part a secret of Mayu-ring? To my lovely students?”
The members, excluding me, nod their heads.
“Magical☆Mayu-ring☆Bind!”
Ding-dong♪
Along with the melody, the pink magical power gathered at the end of the wand transforms into a rope and binds the Priest.
“Situation’s over now. Hehe. By the way, who was the good student who fired the signal flare to call for Mayu-ring? I’ll give you a compliment!”
With a cheerful smile completely out of place for the chaotic situation, Mayuzumi-sensei looks at me and the group.
No, why is she asking that now?
“It’s Kim.”
“I prepared it, bro.”
Ishihara and Yuji point at me as if they were waiting for this moment.
“It was you, Kim-kun!”
Mayuzumi-sensei’s pink eyes twinkle as she suddenly approaches me.
She gently places her hand on top of my head.
“Here we go.”
“Good job. Good job, Kim! I’ll give you a hundred pats from Mayuring!”
*Swipe, swipe, swipe.*
Mayuzumi sensei ruffles my hair.
Wait, ruffle?
Is this really happening? This is beyond embarrassing!
But she did help me, so I can’t say anything.
Just keep quiet.
Mayuzumi sensei finally removes her hand from my head.
The humiliating ruffle is over.
“Heeheehee! Good job, Kim! If you ever find yourself in danger again, just call Magical Girl Miracle☆Mayu!”
“……Alright.”
I barely manage to respond while suppressing my nausea.
“Great! Mayu is so happy that you listened to her! But sadly, we’ll wrap up today’s courage training here! I’ll deal with the villains, so you all should head back to the base camp and rest! Promise!”
With that, Mayuzumi sensei winks while making a peace sign, signaling the end of this ridiculous and chaotic courage training.
Even though I didn’t do much, I feel drained.
*
Base Camp.
Tap, tap, tap.
On a roaring campfire, there’s a Korean-style grill, like the ones you see in Korea.
Sizzle.
The pork belly on the grill is sizzling and turning golden.
In one corner of the grill, Lin’s kimchi, which was supposed to go into the kimchi stew, is being grilled.
“How’s this? This is the essential camping item from Korea, pork belly, prepared by me, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte!”
*Flick.*
Olivia places a hand on her chest and points at me with the other.
“Cough, cough, I didn’t really prepare it just for you… but you should feel honored! Do you understand? The dumbest guy in the universe?”
She prepared the pork belly and grill herself. It seems she picked up that pork belly is essential for camping in Korea somewhere.
The familiar smell of cooking meat hits my nose.
It feels good. Reminds me of grilling pork belly outdoors during college outings.
Yes, pork belly is a must for camping.
If only we had soju, it would be perfect, but alas.
“It’s not bad. Thanks, Olivia.”
“What do you mean you’re thanking me all of a sudden? It’s not like I’m happy about it! Idiot! Fool! Sea cucumber! Sea squirt! Anemone!! Only being straightforward in unnecessary parts, the galaxy’s biggest idiot…!!”
With a flushed face, Olivia yells loudly.
I’ve gotten used to her tsundere outbursts by now.
I pick up my chopsticks and wrap a piece of pork belly in grilled kimchi before putting it in my mouth.
The juicy taste and texture of the grilled pork belly hit my mind.
Yes, this is the taste.
“Pork belly… Truly Bonaparte… No novice…”
“Your Highness… Amazing…”
Next to me, Lin mumbles seriously, while Nishizawa gasps in astonishment.
I can see Ishihara and Kurosawa eagerly grabbing the meat.
“Now do you feel the difference in our levels?”
Olivia covers her mouth and giggles like a lady.
Listening to her laughter, I chew on the pork belly.
The main setting of Volume 2, Imgan School, is over.
The main villain of Volume 3, Mad Hatter, has already been defeated at the model gate, so I can relax during the progression of Volume 3.
Ichiro’s rescue will be handled by Yuji, so I don’t need to worry too much about it.
Alright.
Now the real healing begins.
I watch the sizzling pork belly with a smile on my face.
*
Osaka.
There’s a traditional Japanese mansion overlooking the Dotonbori River.
It’s the mansion of the Kamiya family, who rules the Japanese underworld.
In the depths of the mansion, in the tatami room where the master resides, a charming woman dressed in a floral kimono, with a golden hairpin in her hair, is holding a pipe.