REAPER SCANS
Mr. Magical Girl
[Translator – Kuro]
[Proofreader – ilafy]
Chapter 41: 23:59:54
"Unho. How much time has passed?" I asked.
"36 hours and 43 minutes."
We still had a long way to go.
Boom—
I swung the hammer hard, hurling away the countless crustacean monsters rushing at us with a satisfying impact in a wide, sweeping attack to buy myself some time.
The shattered shells broke into small fragments, scattering like buckshot. The fragments embedded themselves in the other enemies farther away, slowing their advance.
“Buy me three minutes to rest.”
“Alright.” Unho formed a magical heatwave barrier between the enemies and us, giving me time to sit down and briefly catch my breath.
No matter how strong I was, both my body and mind were beginning to wear down after such a long battle. I felt the strong urge to rest, even if it was only for a moment.
I brought my hammer down, and Unho shifted his magic casting style—going from small spells supporting me to large-scale magic meant to confront the giant hoard of enemies.
The crustaceans attempting to push through the heatwave barrier were pulverized by massive spears of water, giving me enough time to catch my breath.
I glanced toward the fortification behind me, wondering if it was still holding up.
The gray wall was built with Infinite Castellan’s concrete, and before the battle began, it looked like an impenetrable fortress.
It was visibly damaged—some parts had crumbled and spewed clouds of dust.
The enemy monsters squeezed through the gaps in the broken walls, and both heroes and soldiers alike were somehow holding the line, trying to prevent bigger breaches.
That was all still fully expected.
I slowly moved my gaze, observing the state of the battle, and spotted a certain artillery unit on a platform surrounded by the gray crustacean army.
There appeared to be no heroes around to defend it, and the soldiers were retreating.
They fired their guns at the monsters while walking backward, hoping to delay their opponents and hold their positions for as long as possible, but it was to no avail—they were no match against the gigantic gray army.
The sight of the soldiers throwing their grenades in unison and the following explosions was impressive. They even managed to delay the crustaceans for a short moment, but that was all.
The monsters pushed forward through the flames, and the soldiers had no choice but to use the time they bought with the grenades to quickly retreat downstairs.
I was relieved to see them escape unharmed. Losing the heavy artillery weapons was painful, but thankfully, no lives were lost.
I sighed in relief, and something caught my eye. Even though the soldiers had retreated, the self-propelled artillery was still firing rounds.
It wasn’t firing preloaded shells—no, I saw it adjusting its angle in real time and loading the next round.
Someone was still operating the weapon.
‘How foolish.’ I had witnessed such scenes countless times on the battlefield—a combatant’s final decision was to sacrifice themselves.
I knew exactly what the soldier inside that narrow metal coffin was thinking: they were going to take down as many enemies as possible at the expense of their own life.
It wasn't that they had no time to escape or had been surrounded. No, it was their sense of responsibility or, perhaps, their heroic mindset that made them stay.
While the other artillery weapons were destroyed one after the other by the crustaceans, that one relentlessly fired over and over again.
The soldier continued loading, knowing full well that the barrel would warp from the heat of the constant shots. They kept pulling the trigger, pushing the machine beyond its limits, sensing their inevitable death approach with each shot.
After some time passed, the artillery fell silent.
It must have run out of ammunition. The hatch opened, and not one but multiple soldiers emerged, pistols in hand with the resolve to take at least one more enemy down with them.
‘Those fools.’
To sacrifice themselves at such a young age…
I wanted to help them—to stop them from throwing their lives away like that—but if I intervened, the frontmost defensive line I had set up would collapse.
Thus, I silently bore witness to their final moments and paid my respects.
After desperately firing their pistols, the soldiers soon ran out of ammo and stared blankly at the enemies they could no longer stop. The look of defeat in their eyes spoke volumes.
Their display of heroism passed, and their morale dissipated in the face of death, leaving only fear in their hearts and souls.
Tears welled up in their eyes as their mouths parted, calling out names in their final moments.
Who would they think of in their last breaths?
The monsters approached them and swung their claws, delivering death to the soldiers, who were braced for their end.
Before the inevitable strikes could land, a voice echoed from behind them.
"Well done." Someone sprinted from the stairs leading up to the artillery platform—a hero wielding a silver hammer, clad in a white cloak fluttering behind her. My student and antagonist, Sihyeon Baek.
Arriving at the perfect moment, she quickly cleared the surroundings. Sihyeon swung her hammer with no hesitation, crushing everything in her path as she advanced.
‘As I thought, nothing beats real combat experience.’
Her movements and rotations were seamless. There were some areas where she was still lacking, but her attacks flowed much smoother compared to before.
She adjusted her center of balance, shifting her body to follow the centrifugal force. After eliminating the nearest enemies, she didn’t stop the hammer but transitioned into the next spin for her following attack.
What I saw was a beautiful twirl.
‘Not bad at all.’
After Sihyeon cleared all the monsters, the soldiers, who had barely survived, dropped down onto their butts, faces blank with disbelief.
They must have been questioning whether they had truly survived the ordeal.
I wasn’t particularly fond of self-sacrifice in situations where survival was possible, but they deserved praise. I wasn’t going to deny their bravery, regardless of whether I liked it or not.
Once Sihyeon finished clearing the area, she led them downstairs to safety. Retreating was the obvious choice. There was no need to defend the destroyed artillery platform, after all.
Just as she was about to disappear from my sight down the stairs, our eyes made contact. It wasn’t accidental. She turned her gaze specifically in my direction, searching for me.
Did she miss me? I waved my hand in response.
Happy to know I had noticed her, Sihyeon joyfully waved her huge hammer back. She sure had plenty of energy left.
“Well done.” I praised her, unsure of whether she could hear me.
Unless she could read lips or my voice was amplified, my words wouldn’t reach her on that chaotic battlefield.
I had to make sure to praise her again later.
“Three minutes are up!” Unho shouted.
“Got it.” Feeling cheered up, I gripped my hammer again and turned toward the army of monsters.
My break almost became a time of mourning since I nearly watched people die, but my student prevented it and showed me what it truly meant to be a hero.
A small seed of hope had bloomed on the battlefield. Not through a grim incident of bloodshed, but rather, thanks to a brilliant scene of a hero saving lives.
“I can't fall behind my student.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sihyeon is out there saving people.”
If my student could do it, so could I. When the heatwave barrier set up by Unho disappeared, I joyfully swung my hammer at the incoming enemies.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Kuro
Proofreader - ilafy
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How much time had passed since my last break?
I was swinging my hammer with zero thoughts in my brain.
My shouts—meant to boost the morale of heroes and soldiers—had long since stopped.
At that point, with our forces already withdrawing, survival was everyone’s top priority.
There was no need to boost our morale.
Rather than getting people fired up to do something foolish like leading a suicide charge, the goal was to make sure as many people made it out alive as possible.
The fortress had fallen. There was no more artillery support, and I no longer heard the cries of the people inside.
The efforts and struggles of the heroes couldn’t stop the enemy.
The tense deadlock collapsed in an instant. The heroes could no longer withstand the enemy forces that had become slightly stronger, and the entire front line crumbled in a domino effect.
The command center quickly issued the order to abandon the first line of defense and retreat.
Of course, their order didn’t concern me. I had to stand there, swinging my hammer until the very end, so that every last soldier could survive as they fled, so that humanity could win in the battles to come.
That was our role.
Yes, ‘our’ role.
Though I couldn’t tell from a distance, I believed there to be comrades in other zones who were also staying behind, protecting our withdrawing forces.
“How’s the retreat situation?”
“There are still signs of life!” Unho—who had grown noticeably thinner since the battle began—shouted loudly.
His previous neat and slim appearance had returned as he cast magic fervently atop my head, but even he was showing clear signs of exhaustion.
His white, gleaming fur that once stood straight was sagging, having lost its beautiful sheen. The magic circles of his spells had also shrunk to less than half their original size.
“Tsk—” It was getting dangerous. I could still hold on, but Unho was on the verge of collapsing.
He tried to sound upbeat so that I wouldn’t worry, but his appearance was more than enough proof that he had reached his limits.
“Where are the signs of life?”
“Everyone has evacuated except for one area.”
“So they’re the very last ones remaining on the battlefield?”
“Yes.”
“Then let's join them. Lead the way.”
Following my command, Unho raised his paw and turned his body in a certain direction.
Before us lay a plain of gray crustaceans. The grotesque monsters clung to the fortress, gnawing and chipping away at the concrete. The scene was proof of our defeat, but it was fine.
That barricade on the Pacific Ocean was nothing more than a temporary setup to reduce the enemies’ numbers. The fate of the world depended on the next battlefield, not that one.
With those thoughts in mind, I threw myself into the fray.
I didn’t fight my way through with my hammer. Instead, I moved lightly and swiftly, stepping on the monsters beneath me. To get onto my next foothold, I focused strength into my foot, propelling myself forward.
Crack—
The satisfying crunch of their exoskeletons shattering under my boots sent a refreshing chill up my legs.
I obviously wasn’t just going to run past them—I had to crush every enemy I used as a stepping stone.
With each step I took, my foothold vanished with a shattering burst, creating a satisfying yet destructive rhythm while I ran through the battlefield.
Crunch crunch crunch—
I sprinted across the gray plains, scattering their meat in my wake.
“20 people over there!”
“I see them too.” I saw the last survivors through a narrow gap in the wall.
A few heroes were defending injured and collapsed soldiers. They had been surrounded by the monsters while retreating, unable to continue their escape.
“There’s the entrance!”
“Not that way. It’s too slow.” I summoned my hammer and gripped it tightly. The barricade had already lost its value. In other words, I could destroy it without hesitation.
BOOM—
The hammer collided with the wall, forming a large hole—the shortest route to those in need of help.
“Kyaa!”
“Enemy attack?!”
The heroes pointed their weapons at me, mistaking me for a monster as I emerged through the broken concrete wall.
“I’m here to save you, you fools.” To think they’d take their eyes off of the enemies surrounding them and focus all their attention on me. Their training was clearly lacking.
Instead of introducing myself, I wiped out the monsters.
Crack crunch snap—
The crustaceans all turned to scraps of meat under the weight of my hammer and vanished. Meanwhile, the survivors just stared blankly at me in disbelief.
“We’re alive!”
“Hurray!”
Eventually, reality sank in, and they all cheered joyfully before bowing to me.
“Thank you. You saved our lives.” An oddly familiar-looking magical girl thanked me with her wand in hand. She smiled, clearly relieved to be alive.
I couldn’t help but ask something that would ruin her cheerful mood. “Didn't you hear the order to retreat? Why are you still here?”
“We were helping the injured soldiers, but…”
‘Injured soldiers, huh?’ Indeed, most of the soldiers there were gravely wounded.
One soldier was severely injured on the head and wrapped in bandages, another soldier was missing nearly all of his limbs, and plenty of others had splints or crutches and were barely able to walk.
The heroes’ actions weren’t problematic at first glance. After all, there was always a hero designated to evacuate the wounded after each battle.
Those heroes were always A or B-Ranked, one of the higher ranks, not cheerful and naïve heroes like that girl who clearly wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Where’s the person in charge? You don’t look like you’re responsible for evacuating the wounded in this zone,” I said.
“What would a kid like you know?!” An armored male hero stepped forward and refuted me, seemingly annoyed by my words.
Whoosh—
His eruptive actions were immediately shut down when I lifted and pointed my hammer at his face. I spoke sternly. “I’ve been a hero since long before you were born, you brat. Sit back down and shut up.”
The joyful atmosphere was doused by my tone and words, but I had to speak up. It was a grave situation—grave enough that the Association could sanction them and take away their titles as heroes.
I turned to the magical girl, who seemed to be the leader of the group, and spoke again. “I’ll ask you one more time… Where's the person in charge of evacuation?”
Normally, a high-ranked hero would have already evacuated the wounded soldiers, while those heroes would have retreated alongside the main force.
Therefore, there were only two possibilities I could think of: first, a clueless commanding officer put the rookies in charge of evacuating the wounded men; second…
“Surely you didn’t disobey orders and desert, did you?” I posed the question, implying the possibility that they had attempted to run away after disobeying orders only to end up trapped with the wounded there.
It was a question that could easily be disproven. They could’ve tried to defend themselves with whatever excuses they had, but the heroes remained silent.
They lowered their heads, lips sealed tight, as though they had nothing to say.
‘So, it is desertion.’ Those heroes were issued a mobilization order. Therefore, deserting on the battlefield could lead to severe punishments, possibly stripping them of their titles as heroes.
Just as I was about to activate Unho’s telepathy magic to contact the command center…
“It’s the opposite! The person in charge of evacuating us ran away, and these heroes came to help us!” A soldier in crutches frantically stepped forward, enduring the pain in his legs. He was putting more importance on the heroes’ honor than his own well-being.
“Is that true?” I asked.
“Yes. Please get testimony from the other soldiers if you cannot trust me.”
The situation was finally clear in my mind. The hero in charge of evacuating the wounded had deserted the battlefield first, and the kids disobeyed the order to retreat with the main force to save the wounded soldiers.
The reason they couldn’t refute my speculation was because they technically had disobeyed orders and deserted.
However, the desertion wasn’t done with the intent to run away from the battlefield. Rather, it was done to protect the men.
“Is he speaking the truth?”
“…Yes. We ignored orders to retreat with the main forces so we could save them.”
“Hm.” Regardless, I still had to send them to the rear to rejoin the others. Thus, I still activated the telepathy magic.
“This is Haram Lee. We have an emergency. I discovered a group of wounded combatants.”
—Commander Macbeth is currently in the middle of combat. I shall convey the message to him.
“16 wounded non-heroes and four heroes. The hero in charge of evacuating the wounded non-heroes deserted and ran away. The four heroes discovered them in need of help and stayed behind. They have fulfilled their duty as heroes. Requesting reinforcements to help evacuate everyone.”
That was how I resolved the issue of their disobedience, which would be disregarded since I reported them as having fulfilled their duties as heroes.
—Confirmed. Who are the heroes in question?
“What are your hero names?” I asked.
The heroes, intimidated by my actions and tone, slowly revealed their hero names and registration numbers.
I relayed the information.
The last one to tell me their info was their leader, the magical girl.
“Hero name: Green Green. Registration number…”
‘Wait, Green Green?’ I turned to the girl, shocked by the revelation. Her familiar face started overlapping with another face in my memories. Green hair, wind magic… I had seen her on that dark night when she aimed her wand at me.
She was the first victim of the Black Marauder.
My first victim was there, being the most heroic person in the group.
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