Magical Girl and Terror
“I don’t think there will be any problem with me and Jeanne, right?”
To Jeanne’s question, Lily responded nonchalantly.
Upon hearing those words, Mercedes felt a sense of unease.
The voice had sounded strangely high-pitched, as if it was coming from above Jeanne’s head.
The magical girl called Lily appeared very young, as if she had just become a magical girl.
She looked like a doll but had one distinct difference.
Her eyes were clouded, as if filled with utter despair—eyes that no young girl should possess.
Even while being carried on Jeanne’s shoulders, Lily showed no concern, exuding an air of authority instead.
“Hmm. Does that mean Lily will maintain the treatment while I detoxify?”
“Yes. Since the heart is still functioning properly, there won’t be much strain.”
“That’s reckless! If treated improperly, it could accelerate the spread of the poison and hasten death!”
Lily had already suggested something that had been tried once before but was quickly abandoned when it proved ineffective.
While attempting to neutralize the poison during treatment, it became clear that curing multiple poisons at once was difficult, only worsening the condition.
Since then, they had shifted focus to maintaining the current state until now.
By Mercedes’ standards, what Jeanne and Lily were about to do amounted to murder.
Moreover, it unnerved her deeply that someone as young as Lily could look at such a critically ill patient without batting an eyelid.
“Proof is better than theory. Besides, Mercedes, you can’t help in this situation, can you?”
“…If only the saint would use that.”
“Surely you understand that’s impossible? There’s a tight schedule afterward. Well then—shall we begin?”
Mercedes glared at Lily, but with her magic power nearly depleted, there was nothing she could do.
Reluctantly, she stepped aside and could only watch how things unfolded.
“In what order should we detoxify?”
“Leave it to me. Depending on the type of detoxification, we’ll adjust the treatment areas accordingly, so it’ll be fine.”
“You’ve certainly become skilled… let’s go.”
As Jeanne placed her hand over Haburansasu, he was enveloped in white light. Then Lily waved her staff, encasing him in a magical circle.
(Sorry, Haburansasu…)
Thinking of Haburansasu, Mercedes silently apologized in her heart.
There was no way he could survive. That was supposed to be the case.
Jeanne might have been able to achieve it with a certain spell, but for her, it was a double-edged sword.
It was about saving many lives rather than one.
The treatment, which was expected to fail immediately, continued endlessly. Unlike when Mercedes had treated him, there was no rapid decay, and instead, the healing process began gradually.
“What… really…”
Mercedes understood why Jeanne remained calm.
As a master of recovery magic, renowned for numerous accomplishments, Jeanne stood at the pinnacle of her craft.
Furthermore, she was a monster capable of ranking highly solely based on her recovery magic skills.
But Lily, who was perched on Jeanne’s shoulders, was different.
Mercedes had never heard her name or any rumors about her.
Considering her height, it seemed plausible that she had just become a magical girl.
No, given that her name wasn’t known, she must have just started.
Such a rare magical girl, capable of using recovery magic to this extent, would usually gain widespread recognition.
What was thought to be impossible was proceeding smoothly, and Jeanne lowered her arms.
“It’s successful. With proper nutrition, he should be able to return to his normal life.”
Success. Since Jeanne said it, it must be true, but Mercedes couldn’t believe it.
“Is he really healed?”
“Yeah. You can check if you’d like.”
Following Jeanne’s suggestion, Mercedes examined Haburansasu’s body.
“Impossible… how…”
All traces of poison were gone.
Not only had the rotten limbs been restored, but so had the intestines and stomach.
From Mercedes’ examination, there were no abnormalities, and she believed that following Jeanne’s advice to eat well and rest would allow him to return to his normal life.
But it was unbelievable.
For someone to possess such recovery magic…
Suppressing decay until the poison disappeared, regenerating rotted limbs and internal organs.
This was something that would require two Jeanne’s to accomplish.
Thus, Lily possessed recovery magic skills equivalent to, if not surpassing, Jeanne’s.
No matter how much Mercedes tried to deny it, the fact remained that Haburansasu was healed and lay quietly breathing.
Fear. Awe. And admiration.
Mercedes couldn’t see Lily as just another magical girl.
“What exactly is she?”
She couldn’t help but ask.
“Lily, huh? Well… technically, she’s my apprentice? Ah, don’t bother trying to recruit her; it’s meaningless.”
Recruitment.
Indeed, recruiting a magical girl like Lily could save countless patients, making it quite tempting.
However, it also brought with it an overwhelming sense of fear.
This fear stemmed from her understanding of recovery magic.
Mercedes couldn’t bring herself to look at Lily’s face anymore.
Thinking about the darkness and hatred lurking in her eyes made her chest tighten.
Judging by her appearance, it was unimaginable what kind of harsh environment she grew up in or how she lived.
Being around Lily felt dangerous, as if she could be killed at any moment due to the hatred residing within her.
That’s what Mercedes thought.
All she could do was remain silent.
“Let me tell you, as a former apprentice: we must choose whose life to save. Don’t forget that.”
“…Yes.”
Mercedes stood rooted to the spot, watching the two leave the room.
Magical Girl Lily.
She prayed that Lily would inherit Jeanne’s, the saint’s, will.
So that even one more unfortunate person could be saved…
And so that Lily herself could find salvation…
But the aforementioned Lily, actually Inie, was only thinking about lunch today.
1
The long-awaited mealtime had finally arrived.
Though not as much as Chris, treating Haburansasu was somewhat tiring, and she wanted to replenish her energy quickly.
In terms of magical power, recovery was swift, so it wasn’t significantly drained.
Leaving the room where Haburansasu slept, they met up with Mr. Iida.
“How did it go…? Asking that seems like a foolish question. Thank you for your hard work.”
“This concludes the patients here, right? Also, make sure to file the proper reports.”
“Of course. Some people are hungry, so let’s have lunch.”
Everyone knew who she referred to, so she kept quiet.
Anyone gets hungry after all.
“Just checking, but are there any allergies or foods you can’t eat?”
Seeing Jeanne slightly raise her head, she shook her head in response.
“I’m fine too.”
“Understood. We’ll teleport first, so please follow me.”
Jeanne picked her up and placed her on her shoulders again.
Walking back along the same path, they encountered the trio they had treated first upon arrival. Upon noticing them, they silently bowed their heads, and Chris gave her a second glance.
Of course, they paid no attention and continued walking.
Taking Jeanne’s time meant fewer people could be saved.
Not addressing them was the correct judgment.
The second glance likely happened because Chris hadn’t seen her clearly in the ward earlier.
No, without any explanation, it was hard to say she was riding on Jeanne’s shoulders due to her slow movements, so she hoped no one would inquire further.
“Thank you for your efforts. Please take us to the cafeteria in the Magic Bureau.”
“Understood. I’ll request the number one teleporter…?”
Mr. Iida approached the teleportation room staff, entering the number one teleporter with Jeanne.
The scenery changed instantly as they exited the teleporter.
“The cafeteria here is often ranked first or second for deliciousness in Miguria. Incidentally, it’s also where our next patient is located. A private room has been prepared, so let’s move there.”
The safest place in any country is usually inside the Magic Bureau.
Depending on the country, the Magic Bureau can be quite extensive, housing various tenants catering to magical girls and staff.
To put it simply, it’s like a shopping mall.
Of course, there are sections accessible to the general public and others restricted.
Amidst the crowd, they reached the reputedly delicious cafeteria without drawing attention, then entered a private room.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to stay seated on Jeanne’s shoulders while eating, so she was set down.
Once seated, food was promptly served, so she decided to start eating first.
(By the way, the Magic Bureau we visited earlier seemed suspicious. Is there any information available?)
“Part of the issue lies with the incompetent director, but the country as a whole is suffering from a severe manpower shortage.”
“Shortage?”
“Yes. Normally, it wouldn’t be an issue, but due to the damage caused by monsters, the population has decreased, and they’re inexperienced in emergency responses. As a result, communication between various agencies is falling apart. Additionally, matters beyond monster-related issues are being neglected.”
An event of this scale hasn’t occurred before, so it’s understandable to some extent, but keeping quiet about Chris and Haburansasu was a mistake.
Although they were informed about Haburansasu upon arrival, if Jeanne had brought someone other than her, they wouldn’t have been able to save Chris and Haburansasu.
While we’re at it, let’s ask Jeanne.
“Excuse me, Jeanne.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Personally, it feels like the transmission of information is lacking. Is this usual?”
Mr. Iida reacted slightly, but she ignored him.
“It’s not normal. Ideally, we should have been informed of the number of patients and their conditions during the initial briefing. In this case, Chris and Haburansasu came as a surprise.”
“I sincerely apologize.”
“I knew this country was still developing and anticipated such issues, so bringing Lily along turned out to be helpful. Though, it might not be ideal for her presence to become known.”
Mr. Iida shrank slightly, but the fault lies with the higher-ups.
Besides, since she doesn’t exist officially, even if discovered, it wouldn’t matter much.
At most, she might be mistaken for a clone or a sister, and that would be the end of it.
“Is that so?”
“If Lily hadn’t come, we might have faced unnecessary trouble. Foolish people tend to mistakenly believe that recovery magic can solve everything.”
Among all types of magic, recovery magic is truly miraculous.
Other specialized magics like spatial or time-related spells may also qualify, but recovery magic is the one most likely to involve civilians.
There are legitimate internal medicine and surgery departments, but due to the rise of recovery magic, their scales have shrunk.
With prolonged peace, the employment rate for doctors has been declining.
Additionally, contrary to popular belief, recovery magic isn’t omnipotent.
Each magical girl has specific capabilities and limitations, and the consumption of magical power makes healing large numbers of people challenging.
It goes without saying that recovery magic cannot extend life or overturn death.
Some fools involved in this matter seem to misunderstand its limits, and Jeanne is pointing this out to Mr. Iida.
“I will ensure a thorough report regarding this matter. For now, I hope you can set aside your anger…”
“I’m not angry. This level of mishandling is relatively mild. By the way, is time still okay?”
“Since we’re ahead of schedule, we’re still good.”
“Good. Then, shall we have some coffee?”
The other two had already finished eating and were relaxing.
Personally, she was fairly full but needed to eat as much as possible, so she persisted, taking longer than usual to finish her meal.
About twenty minutes after the two began relaxing, she finished her meal.
Though her stomach hurt somewhat, this discomfort might save her in tough situations later.
Accurately speaking, it was part of her conditioning for Sora, but she chose not to dwell on it.
