“What do you mean?”
The Chairman gently countered. His tone was so soft that it only made caution inevitable.
He is the one ‘served’ by the head of the Holy Investigation Division—how could one not be cautious?
Carisia could easily read the fear of Ortes in Kine’s eyes, despite her trembling attempt to appear bold.
‘Really…’
Sighing internally, Carisia signaled Ortes.
“Yes, sir.”
“Would you step out for a moment?”
“Excuse me?”
Despite Ortes’ question, Carisia remained silent. Ortes knew all too well that when Carisia acted this way, her resolve was unwavering.
“In that case, Miss Kine, I hope you have an enjoyable conversation with the Chairman.”
With a suspicious bow, Ortes left the room, leaving Kine and Carisia alone. Carisia snapped her fingers.
Complex magical arrays enveloped the entire room—from the floor to the ceiling, perfectly sealed. The golden glow of the magic array reflected in Kine’s eyes.
‘There’s no real need to show the magic array, but…’
Showing it would help ease this poor child’s anxiety, wouldn’t it?
“Now, the head of the Holy Investigation Division can’t eavesdrop on our conversation here.”
“What?”
Carisia shrugged.
“Miss Kine, the head of the Holy Investigation Division, Ortes, has high expectations for your talent.”
“I… know that.”
“No, you don’t. Ortes seriously believes you might become a key player in the fight against the Ten Towers.”
Kine wondered when Ortes had seen her to gain such strong confidence. However, her resignation and despair far outweighed this small doubt.
“Hmph. If you want to get the bodies of your family back, you’ll need to perform well in this mission.”
In Kine’s imagination, Ortes whispered these words as he sent her off to war against the Ten Towers.
“The reason they’ve gathered the corpses of the cultists was for this, wasn’t it? To give me one body back for every success? There’s no need to leash me like this!”
Carisia was torn between sighing or bursting into laughter.
“Yes, sometimes Ortes’ charm and demeanor combined can lead to catastrophic results.”
“At least, I have no intention of treating you that way.”
It was hard to believe these words came from the Chairman who had tempted her like a devil. Kine stared at Carisia, perplexed.
“Honestly, the Ten Towers are powerful. A passive will driven by someone with their ‘leash’ tied would only cause hindrance.”
Until now, Kine had felt repulsion toward the idea of being dragged into battles with her leash tied. But even now, as Carisia suggested she might not be needed in the fight against the Ten Towers, the same repulsion arose.
That was only natural. Yesterday, Ortes had forced Kine to confront the hidden sorrow within her.
Kine had no opportunity to resolve or erase her desire for vengeance. The vengeful feelings she harbored against the Ten Towers, who had driven the Bacchus Cult to wander and hide, were merely overshadowed by her sorrow—they hadn’t disappeared.
“So, I offer you an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“The choice of whether you will simply be Hydra Corp’s corporate scholarship student or truly ally with us. This is your chance to decide. If you wish to remain a regular corporate scholarship student, excelling at Museion and becoming our billboard would suffice.”
Even in this case, Kine’s family remains would be preserved intact and handed over to her at a later date. Trembling with anticipation, Kine waited for more.
“However, if you choose to truly ally with us and oppose the Ten Towers, Miss Kine must risk her life. In return, we will prepare appropriate compensation for your efforts.”
Kine mouthed the word “life” silently.
This conversation with Carisia was unusual. Despite discussing life-threatening matters more directly than Ortes ever had, it somehow felt more trustworthy.
Perhaps it was because Carisia’s half-closed eyes lacked any unreadable intentions, unlike Ortes’, making communication straightforward.
There was likely some truth to that reasoning. Calming herself, Kine reflected.
Ah.
The reason Carisia seemed more trustworthy than Ortes was simple—the situation when Carisia asked Ortes to leave.
“The way I intend to treat you is different.” That statement implied Carisia distinguished her intentions from Ortes’.
This hinted at a subtle conflict between the two. If Ortes had the Chairman’s full trust, there would be no reason for the Chairman to pursue a different course.
Kine believed Carisia, while not necessarily an ally, was more reliable than Ortes.
As Carisia observed Kine’s thoughts, she thought:
“Sometimes… hmm.”
“People with pure minds.”
After about thirty minutes of waiting outside, Carisia emerged from Kine’s hospital room.
“How did it go?”
“We’ve decided to give her some time. She needs to decide whether she wants to remain as just a corporate scholarship student at Museion and then join Hydra Corp or truly stand against the Ten Towers.”
“It’s hard to grasp the true strength of the Ten Towers through mere contemplation alone.”
“That’s why I plan to bring her to the listing review day. She needs to see for herself what kind of beings those people she vowed to avenge truly are.”
I found Carisia’s attitude intriguing.
It was generous, unlike the typical exploitative behavior expected from a tyrannical boss.
If she treated her subordinates the way she treats me, she would have already started one-on-one magic lessons today, finished the basics in a day, and enforced self-study until bedtime.
“Is there something else?”
“There have been others before her who sought revenge against the Ten Towers.”
It seemed Kine’s similarity as a seeker of vengeance evoked an unusual response from Carisia.
“I had you, but she has nothing.”
Carisia’s flattery made me chuckle. It was hard to claim I had been much help to her; she had always been a consummate magician.
“Finally, I can really relax.”
“Yes, me too.”
“Me?”
At my question, Carisia fixed her gaze on me. Her golden eyes burned unusually bright today.
Spending holidays with my superior, Chairman? That’s a bit harsh.
But I lacked the courage to voice my thoughts. Rubbing my temples once, I headed toward my room.
I heard Carisia’s footsteps following behind me.
I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just organize the list of Magic Tower bounty hunters by district first.
No, I should handle the distribution of compatible bounty hunters according to the organizational structure of the board members.
While Ortes sat at his desk filling out paperwork—a hobby he claimed to dislike—Carisia watched him from his bed.
Ortes, manipulating holograms and typing without turning around, asked,
“Chairman, do you find watching me amusing?”
“Yes, very much so.”
Ortes sighed. Do higher-ups experience a dopamine rush from watching their subordinates work?
He quickly changed his mind. Since Carisia was already in the room, he should consult her about future actions.
“After the listing review, if the conflict between Blasphemia’s rebels and the Ten Towers escalates, we could exploit the gap to conduct our investigations more smoothly.”
“Such thoughts aren’t unique to us.”
The Theistic Order. Carisia was wary of the movements of the ancient order buried in history.
Though unclear about their exact plans, a clash with Hydra Corp was inevitable as long as the company continued collecting divine relics.
“What should we do if we encounter them?”
“Do as you see fit.”
Without hesitation, Carisia replied. From her perspective, it was only natural. Ortes’ choices were always the best.
Ortes wanted to cry tears of joy. He had hoped for some guidance, but once again, he was starting from scratch.
‘Someday, when there are employees in the Holy Investigation Division, I’ll dump everything on them and just handle document approvals.’
Having completed a tailored response strategy for the board members based on bounty hunter information, Ortes immediately uploaded it to Hydra Corp’s Ethereal Network.
Re-reading the uploaded documents, Ortes smiled in satisfaction.
His pride stemmed from being a considerate employee who prepared concrete guidelines, unlike Carisia.
It was a smile that didn’t consider how the board members might receive instructions uploaded under the Holy Investigation Division chief’s name on a holiday.
*
Arabel’s list, tailored to her abilities and filled with Ether Space criminals, was several times longer than those of the other board members.
While other criminals required physical tracking, Arabel could capture ethereal spirits through hacking within the Ether Space.
“Aaaah! Seriously! On a holiday!”
Arabel despaired at the workload assigned to her.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=151,215 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
