The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 24

“…Alright.”

“If I explain too much at once, you won’t remember any of it.”

“That’s enough for today’s lesson.”

As though there were certain topics he didn’t wish to discuss further…

Lao Lin abruptly ended the lecture.

“In general…”

“A magical girl at the Two Rings · Bud stage should already be capable of defeating a C-Rank Aberration alone.”

“So don’t aim too high for now.”

“Your first goal is simply to reach that level.”

“O-Okay!”

“I’ll do my best!”

Raging Flame nodded enthusiastically.

Although he had never wanted his niece to become a magical girl…

Seeing the determination shining in her eyes…

Tidal couldn’t help feeling a small sense of relief.

If You Xi truly wished to become a magical girl who protected others…

Then he would quietly fulfill the role of the senior watching over her.

“Lao Lin.”

“I want to confirm something.”

“The Shadow Hunter…”

“It’s still hiding somewhere on this floor, right?”

After the lecture ended…

Tidal finally asked the question that mattered.

“That’s right.”

Lao Lin nodded.

“The Shadow Hunter can only travel through connected shadows.”

“If the shadows are interrupted by light…”

“It has no choice but to materialize before entering another shadow.”

“It launched its surprise attack from that corridor earlier.”

“Then retreated back inside.”

As he spoke…

He pointed toward the long hallway.

Half of the Shadow Hunter’s severed blade-arm still lay on the floor.

“It hasn’t shown itself since.”

“So it’s definitely still hiding somewhere inside that corridor.”

“Either on the walls…”

“Or the ceiling.”

“But it’s still there.”

“One end of the hallway is sealed.”

“The other end connects to the escalator near us.”

“After you blasted open the wall…”

“Sunlight flooded in.”

“The shadows were broken apart.”

“It can’t cross through them anymore.”

“In other words…”

“It’s trapped.”

“On this floor.”

“And inside that corridor.”

“I understand.”

Tidal nodded.

Then she turned toward Raging Flame.

“…Can you fly?”

“Huh?”

“Fly?”

“Yes!”

“I can!”

Being addressed directly by her respected senior…

Raging Flame immediately straightened up.

“Good.”

“Let’s go outside.”

“Outside?”

“…Okay!”

Although she had absolutely no idea why…

If Senior Tidal said so…

She would obey without question.

She instinctively turned toward the staircase.

Just as she took her first step…

Someone grabbed the back of her collar.

“…”

Tidal let out a quiet sigh.

“This way.”

She pointed toward the enormous hole she’d made in the wall moments earlier.

“…Why else would I ask whether you could fly?”

“O-Oh…”

“Right!”

The two magical girls…

Along with Lao Lin…

Flew out through the opening.

Hovering high above the ground.

After forming a contract…

Every magical girl naturally learned how to sense and manipulate magical particles.

It was almost instinctive.

Like breathing.

Or eating.

Even without formal training…

Basic flight.

High-speed movement.

Midair recovery.

Magic release…

All came naturally.

Of course…

Talent still determined how well each person could use them.

“Senior.”

“What now?”

Raging Flame asked.

Then…

She suddenly realized something.

She was floating in midair.

Wearing a short, fluttering skirt.

“…Wah!”

The thought of how she might look from below instantly made her face burn bright red.

She hurriedly pressed both hands against her skirt while tightly squeezing her legs together.

Compared to her flustered embarrassment…

Tidal remained perfectly calm.

The strong wind tugged relentlessly at her own outfit.

Yet she simply stood there with folded arms…

Quietly observing the damaged corridor through the opening.

Completely focused on planning her next move.

…Is this what a true veteran magical girl looks like?

Raging Flame couldn’t help admiring her.

What she didn’t know…

Was that Tidal’s composure had absolutely nothing to do with experience.

It was simply because…

Deep down…

He was still a thirty-year-old man.

Protecting the modesty of a magical girl’s skirt simply wasn’t an instinct his brain had developed.

After silently calculating for several seconds…

Tidal slowly raised both hands.

Her thumbs and index fingers formed a rough rectangular frame.

“…About this wide.”

She carefully estimated the necessary width and direction.

Try not to destroy more than necessary.

Although magical girls would never be held responsible for collateral damage…

As an ordinary adult with ordinary morals…

You Dong still instinctively wanted to minimize damage to public property whenever possible.

“…Get behind me.”

“…Ten meters.”

“No.”

“Make it fifteen.”

The wind carried Tidal’s calm voice.

Soft.

Emotionless.

Yet impossible to disobey.

Raging Flame asked no questions.

She simply retreated.

She had already realized…

What Tidal was about to do…

Was something far beyond her current level.

The best thing she could contribute…

Was staying out of the way.

Gradually…

The surrounding air grew hotter.

Only when the scorching wind began stinging her exposed skin…

Did Raging Flame finally understand why Tidal had ordered her to retreat.

…Her magic is burning.

From where she floated…

She could clearly see an intense blue aura enveloping Tidal’s body.

An enormous concentration of magical particles…

Compressed to an unbelievable density…

Generated heat simply by existing.

Within a sphere nearly ten meters wide…

Countless magical particles poured outward like an invisible tidal wave.

The laws of physics themselves seemed to bend.

It was as though…

A miniature blue sun had appeared in the sky.

At its center…

Tidal slowly raised her wand.

Imagine…

A magnifying glass.

Sunlight by itself isn’t dangerous.

But once focused into a single point…

It can ignite paper.

Burn insects.

The crystal embedded within a First Generation magical girl’s wand functioned exactly the same way.

The only difference…

Was that instead of concentrating sunlight…

It concentrated magic itself.

…I still haven’t thought of a proper name for this attack.

Whatever.

“…Damn it.”

“I’ll blow you to pieces.”

Tidal swung her wand toward the shattered wall.

In an instant…

The raging torrent of magical power was compressed by the crystal into a brilliant beam several meters wide.

The blue beam erupted forward.

Passing straight through the opening.

Piercing the entire corridor from one end to the other.

The Shadow Hunter concealed within the shadows…

The surrounding air…

The drifting dust…

Every particle inside that space…

Was instantly erased.

Nothing remained.

Only absolute emptiness.

When Raging Flame looked again…

Her enhanced vision spotted a single white magic crystal resting quietly upon the molten remains of the corridor.

The proof…

That the Shadow Hunter had been completely annihilated.

The battle…

Was over.

Tidal lowered her wand.

The overwhelming magical pressure gradually faded.

The warped space surrounding her slowly returned to normal.

“…”

Raging Flame stared silently.

Unable to utter a single word.

She felt admiration.

A trace of fear.

Even a little inferiority.

But above all…

She felt longing.

“…So cool.”

Looking at the blue figure floating before her…

The young girl silently made a promise to herself.

Someday…

I’ll become a magical girl just like Senior Tidal.