Cycle of Tragedy

(Miluno)

Aldebaran was not very willing to accept the request I made.

"The production rate of Magical Girl Soldiers is low, and each one is very precious."

"One entity is sufficient; this is intended for SpiCa's Witch Persona."

"Oh dear? She didn't just erase that personality?"

Aldebaran blinked, seemingly knowing that SpiCa wouldn't be Personality Devouring. So, was her conversation with Fomalhaut just an act?

How much of what this person says is true?

"Come with me to the production line."

Aldebaran pulled out a new protective suit from his personal lab and tossed it to me.

"Change it."

This fits perfectly and allows for free movement.

"Even though there's no 1.7-meter-tall magical girl, have you prepared a 1.7-meter-tall pink protective suit instead?"

"Oh, that was for Fomalhaut. Since she's in solitary confinement, you can wear it."

So it was Pinru's... cough cough, in the end I still got the better deal with that white-haired deer girl.

I wonder how Sword Fiend is doing now. After all, she suffered because of me, and I still feel a little guilty.

I don't know where she's locked up; I'll go see her another day.

Just as they changed into their protective suits, a Magical Girl Soldiers pushed open the door and walked into the laboratory. She was also less than 1.6 meters tall and had a pair of short horns on her forehead.

Compared to the colorful and outlandish costumes of the real magical girls, the Magical Girl Soldiers had uniform attire, exactly the same as the Magical Girl Soldiers I sent back outside: beret, uniform suit, and short skirt, all in the familiar pink.

SpiCa's long-awaited militarized magical girl organization has appeared.

Unfortunately, they were enemies.

"Commander, enemy activity detected."

She glanced at me before reporting to Aldebaran:

"Two patrol teams were attacked inside the barracks, resulting in one death and six serious injuries. Magical Girl No. 18, who was out on patrol, went missing... but the logbook shows that she eventually returned to the tower. The enemy probably wanted to sabotage the production line."

Strangely enough, I was able to understand what she was saying, even though I was certain it wasn't any language I knew.

"Take men and continue the search. Report back to me if anything comes up."

"Yes!"

Aldebaran waved his hand, and the Magical Girl Soldiers left the laboratory.

Then he turned back and asked:

"You understand?"

"... Um."

"The influence of darkness is still there, so it was you who did it?"

"Um."

Are there other intruders besides me?

She sighed and said:

"Those Monster Soldiers were all taken from Fomalhaut. They are all old products destined to be phased out. To be honest, I don't care how many die, but the yield rate of Magical Girl Soldiers is still very low. I hope you won't have any designs on them. These children are all my pawns, and sooner or later they will become a force for subversion."

I glanced at Aldebaran but didn't respond.

For me, Magical Girl Soldiers are a potential threat, and the best outcome would be to destroy them all at once.

"Let's not take the elevator. I'll take you to see the third and fourth floors instead."

Aldebaran didn't put on a protective suit; it simply walked by dangling itself from its thorny tentacles, like a four-legged animal.

She then introduced:

"The total number of Magical Girl Soldiers has always been kept at forty-eight. I haven't given them names because their mission is the same as the previous Monster: to obey the Supreme Council's orders, create panic through suicide attacks, and increase the Corruption Rate. Since they are disposable tools, there is no need to name them, after all, they will be forgotten after a while."

That's outrageous!

From this perspective, being lured Past by me might actually be a happier situation.

"But this twisted situation won't last long. Sun Ji wants to win over and control the Supreme Council, but I only want them dead."

Aldebaran's tone was always cynical and flippant, but this time it was unusually sharp.

But it only lasted for a fleeting moment.

Once she stepped through the security doors on the fourth floor, she concealed her true thoughts and put on a frivolous smile.

Apart from me, she had no, and could not, reveal her inner thoughts to anyone else.

As an undercover agent, forbearance is the norm.

But if you wear a mask for too long, it'll be hard to take it off, right?

The fourth floor of the research institute.

This is the living area for many Magical Girl Soldiers, but compared to the cold, impersonal barracks outside, here you can see many plush toys (like those stolen from Fomalhaut), potted plants (like the same ones you see on the street), several game consoles (like those stolen from Betelgeuse), and even the sofa covers have pretty lace trim, unexpectedly giving it a very girl's dormitory feel...

"My dear girls~ gather around~"

Aldebaran clapped his hands, summoning the Magical Girl Soldiers in the hall.

Although they were tools destined to die, their emotions and expressions were relaxed, but not all of them were there; there were no more than ten people.

The petite Aldebaran was surrounded by these equally petite soldiers, appearing to be deeply loved. Although he verbally referred to the Magical Girl Soldiers as pawns, he probably actually valued them quite a bit.

"Having never experienced a peaceful life, I have little fear of death. Although I may feel regret, I will not turn back when it comes to my own."

The little thing has reappeared after a long absence.

She even shared her thoughts; I thought she was overwhelmed by reality.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm not going to give up until I figure out what I am!"

Does she also realize that she's no longer my witch?

"Who I am is not important; what matters is what I want to do..."

She sat on my shoulders.

"At least for now, I want to be your Witch Persona, is that okay?"

We all had our own guesses about who she really was, but neither of us dared to say it outright...

Until there is solid evidence, let's just consider it as my Witch Persona.

"I will help you."

She's stuck inside me and won't leave.

"Anyway, I can't leave even if I want to."

Aldebaran came before me, surrounded by Magical Girl Soldiers.

She asked in a provocative tone:

"So? Want to fight them?"

"There's no need for that; they're no match for me."

Artificial Magical Girl are slightly weaker than magical girls. They might pose a threat to ordinary magical girls, but to me, their strength is negligible. No matter what kind of magic it is, it has no chance to be used in the face of speed. Let alone ten of them, even if forty-eight of them came at me at once, I am confident that I can end the battle in a few seconds.

Aldebaran curled his lip.

"You're really arrogant."

"I am very confident in my abilities."

She then asked, "What about against me?"

Aldebaran's magic is to Goldification, which will definitely make dealing with her more troublesome. After all, what I hate most is indiscriminate, wide-area attacks, which makes it difficult for me to use even in my accelerated state.

Therefore, after thinking about it, I answered carefully:

"**Open it."

"Who's six?"

"I'm sixth. After all, if I can't beat you, I can run away. You can't catch me, and I have the initiative in the attack. You can defend against me for a while, but can you defend against me forever?"

She took out a can of Magic Suppressant and waved it at me.

"My arrows are fast, and I also have various inventions designed to counter you. Perhaps on paper I'm not as strong as that monster Fomalhaut, but I'm a researcher, and you'd better not forget that."