Obviously, being a Magical Girl is indeed a dangerous profession. Among countless seniors who threw themselves into the fray with passionate determination, few could enjoy a peaceful old age.
Just like most Valkyries, they existed to protect the beautiful things in the world—with their lives.
Although that idea may ruin some childhood dreams, it made the lips of young girls who once dreamed of being Magical Girl twitch slightly. When they looked at Luo Mo, their expressions were filled with helplessness.
"Boss, we don't have that kind of excessive moral values and outlooks here."
Kiana tugged on Luo Mo's sleeve and stood with hands on hips to protest.
Just a light observation made it obvious: the boss must be referring to something he saw in a parallel world. But still—seriously, don't shatter someone's dreams like that.
"Really? Then I guess I need to work even harder."
Luo Mo remained noncommittal, replying with a faint smile.
It's fine. He could work harder.
Work harder to draw an equal sign between danger and Magical girl—and that idea alone immediately motivated him.
"...Boss, please don't get this kind of motivation from something like this. It's scary."
Kiana looked at Luo Mo with growing unease as his eyes gradually became more determined.
She didn't even want to imagine what he was planning.
Was he about to make some strange, weird game...?
-----
Meanwhile in the game
The argument between Sirin and Teriri ended without any real resolution. Instead, the two parted ways with a hint of sadness. Sirin had failed to persuade Lerei and left, helpless.
But Sirin didn't just come to argue. During their conversation, she also revealed a key clue about their next destination—Demon King City.
Her relationship with Lerei wasn't exactly hostile, but her tsundere personality meant she always spoke in vague and roundabout ways, never directly addressing things.
Even though they were once close friends, now they were on different paths.
But it was only a temporary disagreement. It didn't affect the deep bond they'd formed over time.
After Sirin left, Lerei silently watched her go. Then, under the gentle urging of the others, her mood slowly improved.
Of course, she also explained why she had hidden her true objective in the initial commission.
The commission was just a cover. What she truly wanted was to awaken a long-slumbering companion in Demon King City. And to do that, she needed a legendary item—the Miracle Stone.
Her stated mission was just to get out of the city. She hadn't had the courage to ask the others to join her on a dangerous journey, so she didn't explain everything.
But clearly...
The four of them never intended to just leave the city. They followed her because they had anticipated that she would come into contact with something abnormal—and it seemed that the Miracle Stone was exactly that.
There was no way they would abandon her.
After all, their true goal was never just the mission.
While the group reorganized and rested, they reaffirmed their shared goal. Lili then detailed some intel about Demon King City.
Long ago, the area outside the city was also inhabited by humans.
But due to the aggressive advance of the Demon King's forces, the Magic Bureau of Security made it the first line of defense. They sacrificed the entire area to hold the front...
…at the cost of the lives of countless residents—built on their pain and loss.
The surviving residents abandoned their homeland, leaving behind painful memories and unstable ground. They moved to the new city, leaving behind only a ruined zone.
It's hard to say if that was heartless or necessary. But the story clearly struck a chord in the pink-haired girl wearing the half-mask—it awakened a memory from her past.
The former lord of the city gasped weakly, her life fading away. Her tired face carried guilt rather than pain.
She forced a faint smile, not for fate, but for her own weakness. Blood stained the corner of her lips, which she didn't even bother to wipe away.
"In the end... I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect you. Even after surviving for hundreds of years... I can only clumsily try to resolve karma like this."
"Power without a righteous heart brings only despair. Refusing to compromise isn't kindness—it's just weakness."
"I'm just a mere mortal with slightly more strength than average. And now, I'm using the last of it... to protect what little I can still touch."
"I can't stop the cries right beside me—how am I supposed to grasp the hand reaching toward the gods from afar?"
The residents thought they had chosen to abandon their homeland, but in truth, it was the Magic Bureau that forced them out.
They never had any real power. They couldn't protect anything or change any outcome.
That old friend—he gave her life. But then, he resolutely left her behind to wander alone.
She remembered the man who taught her how to survive—but never once looked back at her.
—From beginning to end, his attention was focused on just one person's life and death.
The world, the people around him—it didn't matter what changed because of his decisions.
That's right. He didn't care about any of it. Except for that one person.
Some things that are priceless to one person are meaningless to others. Even life itself is disregarded.
He never cared about the choices of the many below him.
"..."
Kasumi said nothing more, but her eyes deepened. She wasn't in a position to judge what those two had done—whether she agreed or not didn't matter now.
What mattered... was what they would do next.
—Demon King City.
The original path was full of danger—monsters, magic traps, nearly impassable.
But thanks to Sirin's information, a new, more viable route had been found.
After some quick preparations, they set off once more.
-----
Inside Theresa's mansion.
Kasumi didn't speak, just as she had remained silent and quiet these past few days.
As if the main character of the plot, which had just been filled with memories, wasn't her. Her blue eyes showed no emotion until they slowly closed, and a sigh escaped her lips.
No words were needed. Just from the man's story told earlier—that man named Otto—and the past that had just been shown, Kasumi naturally understood the truth behind it all.
And that man, Otto, even though he no longer existed in this world, still continued to influence those around him in some lingering form.
In every world he appeared in, he seemed to carry the same will—but his behavior wasn't always the same. He might not be the protagonist of the story, but he was never just a dispensable side character either.
Undeniably, the most important decisions in his life were all closely tied to Kallen.
Kallen, too, couldn't help but be affected by the emotions stirred up. She sighed, her body slightly relaxing, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the screen, not knowing what she was thinking.
Once she had fully understood the deeds Otto had accomplished, she couldn't stop herself from wanting to explore more—but deep in her heart, there was also an unconscious desire to avoid it. The two conflicting emotions intertwined, making it impossible for her to remain indifferent to him, even if he was just a shadow in another game world.
Otto...
If he had been just another companion who once wanted to save the world together, Kallen might only have felt regret—but she would've taken on that responsibility and continued forward in his place.
But he wasn't that.
His wish had never been about the world. If anything, what he cared about—was for Kallen in that world to simply survive.
This left Kallen with an indescribable emotion in her heart—guilt, regret, sorrow, and helplessness.
She couldn't do anything for him.
As the story said, without the strength to uphold justice, justice becomes meaningless; and without gentle power, kindness is nothing but weakness... Unfortunately, this was something she only truly understood much later in life.
For Otto, she couldn't repay anything. Even though Otto never needed her to repay anything—he only wanted her to live well. But precisely because of that, she felt even more undeserving.
"Otto again... Always showing up so often, popping out from who-knows-where,"
Kiana muttered resentfully, unconsciously rubbing her nose.
She had once been touched, and she had also once hated Otto—because of what he did to "Her" other version of herself. But now, seeing the story from another perspective, through the lens of someone who once called himself a villain, the disgust in her heart faded slightly—replaced by... a bit of respect.
Someone like that—she might not like him, but she couldn't completely deny the person he was.
"Tsk. What a terrifying man. No matter the world, he always ends up as the final boss or the mastermind behind everything. Truly worthy of being the main villain,"
Bronie said with a hint of admiration. She, of course, had studied the main story closely—and Otto's actions truly left her stunned.
Even someone like her, who leaned toward gameplay over story, had gone back to research more about Otto afterward.
"A villain, huh? Who's to say between a Demon King and a Hero which one is truly the villain? If the Hero kills the Demon King, but ends up being worse, what then?"
Delta spoke coldly, arms crossed, her red and blue color-themed outfit matching her serious tone.
"That's just being unreasonable. Then what—are you saying Otto is the Demon King or the Hero?"
Bronie raised her eyebrows, slightly lowering her voice out of social awareness—not wanting to stir up unnecessary drama.
"Isn't he exactly both the Demon King and the Hero? Who else could fit both roles better than him?"
Delta also lowered her voice, eyes narrowing slightly as her blue gaze locked onto Bronie—causing the latter to pause in thought and look at her oddly.
Suddenly, Bronie realized: the girl had a point. But Otto wasn't just a Hero who lost his way—he was a Hero who had lost his Saintess's restraint.
This was a Hero who no longer cared about saving the world—while the Saintess still did.
(T/C: a tragic Hero. Anti-Hero)