Transformation or Death

Romantic Death Incident (7)

[An attack occurs at the Magical Girl Headquarters. Watcher, go to that location and protect Blue Sirius. However, even if you don’t help, no one will die.]

[Do you accept?]

[There is no consequence for refusal.]

A quest with no consequences whether accepted or not. A story that could be passed off as an everyday commotion where no one dies.

“…I accept.”

“Brother?”

But Han Jae-jung accepted.

The reason is simple.

“Ah-yoon, then… Shall we go together?”

Even if not limited to life, there are more than enough important values.

Whatever judgment happens in the future.

Who can be sure that no misfortune will occur if this quest is refused?

Even if the result turns out to be meaningless, it doesn’t matter.

Now, he’s just making the choice he’ll regret the least.

“It’s time to transform.”

Therefore, Han Jae-jung thought he wouldn’t regret this decision.

***

Ippotranslation 

***

Han Jae-jung looked at Sagittarius as if dumbfounded. Sagittarius’s face was still confident.

“I wondered what nonsense you were spouting.”

To him, Sagittarius was just a strange person he was seeing for the first time. Seeing an unfamiliar person confidently shouting as if they knew everything was exasperating. He sensed that feeling again, the one he felt when he first encountered the dilemma.

“Talk nonsense in moderation.”

“Nonsense? Can you really dismiss it as simply nonsense?”

Ignoring Sagittarius’s words, Han Jae-jung looked around. The speed of the lightning must have been considerable, as despite this short movement, the Magical Girl Headquarters building felt far away. ⱤἈ₦ồ𝔟Εs

He felt a recoil matching that speed. Han Jae-jung felt a dizzying pain as if his head was spinning. If he hadn’t transformed, his nose would have bled again.

His left eye also throbbed more than usual.

‘What did you do to me, Red Spica….’

Whether Virgo’s last treatment was inadequate, or it was just mistaken for Virgo’s fault because it happened on the day of Ursa Major’s awakening. Whatever the cause, the result that appeared to him now was certainly not good.

‘How come already….’

The strain on his body was coming too quickly. This had never happened before. At least if he felt extreme fatigue after the transformation was released, it would be understandable, but during transformation? This way, he can’t do anything.

“You’re quite a suspicious guy. Are all kids these days like this? Tsk, isn’t it standard to believe anything shocking, even if it’s from the enemy?!”

“You’re the one who lacks suspicion. Where did you hear this to be spouting it so confidently? Is it information from a trustworthy person? Or is there any basis for those words? If you don’t know well, it’s best to stay quiet. Don’t do stupid things like spreading unnecessary rumors and causing trouble for others.”

Sagittarius was momentarily flustered by his rebuke but didn’t back down.

“I-I’m the villain, why should I care about others’ harm? You’re the stupid one! You beast-headed bastard!”

Hearing this, Han Jae-jung nodded as it was also correct.

“But wait, are you really not terminally ill? Don’t you feel like your lifespan is being shaved off…? Ah shit, this is weird….”

Sagittarius asked Han Jae-jung as if to confirm.

“Why aren’t you answering? You’re making me anxious for no reason.”

From that reaction, it seemed that Sagittarius also lacked confidence in that information. Even while watching that ridiculous sight of quickly losing confidence after being so sure, Han Jae-jung couldn’t laugh.

“Hey! Do you really not know? Your body is getting fucked up, you know?!”

Although he denied it, Han Jae-jung couldn’t completely dismiss Sagittarius’s words as nonsense.

Rather, there were too many points that resonated.

If the fatigue he had felt so far wasn’t just simple tiredness but a warning signal to his body.

If the reason he felt dizzy from using lightning now was a signal that his body couldn’t handle it.

If he had reached the limit of his life after continuing excessive contact without refining starlight.

Recalling the image of drug addicts he had seen in the news when he could still access media, Han Jae-jung frowned.

The image of body parts grotesquely changing and most brain cells being destroyed, unable to move and slowly sinking into death.

Han Jae-jung suddenly felt chills at the thought of meeting such an end himself.

‘Belt. Is what that guy saying true?’

[….]

‘Was this why the frequency of quests has decreased recently?’

“Belt, answer me.”

[….]

“Can’t you say something…?”

The belt, which had become unusually talkative lately, remained silent as if invoking the right to remain silent. While Han Jae-jung was having a small argument with the belt, Sagittarius continued to grumble.

“Did that bitch Botis lie to me?!”

“…This is maddening.”

Han Jae-jung suddenly reacted. Botis. The one who currently knows the most secrets about the belt. If it was information passed on by Botis, unfortunately, it was quite trustworthy.

Sagittarius sensed that he was no longer dismissing his words as nonsense. While relieved that he hadn’t been fooled by false information from Botis, he began to mock him, filled with all the unpleasantness he had felt until now.

“Yeah, you’ve got something that bothers you too! I’m right, aren’t I? You short little candle! Glow hard while you can! You’ll die anyway!”

Han Jae-jung quietly gripped his axe tighter.

Perhaps because he had lost his composure and was on edge, the mockery of the strange person, which he would have normally ignored, was unbearably unpleasant.

Irritation gradually rose.

Why had the belt been hiding such an important fact until now, and why did Botis choose to reveal this fact now?

Who was this frivolous stranger trying to extend his evil hand towards Blue Sirius, and why was he disturbing his mind by revealing this fact now?

Was today’s quest meant for him to hear this? Even if the result turned out to be meaningless, he had come out hoping that no harm would come to Blue Sirius. But all he got was this dispiriting news. He had chosen romance over meaning, but now he had lost all motivation to pursue that romance.

Today’s resolution was torn apart like a garbage bag ripped open by a cat. In fact, all his previous resolutions were the same.

Saying you’re going to die anyway, isn’t this mocking that you’ll collapse without achieving anything meaningful?

“I thought you could become like the master, but I’m disappointed. Damn, what’s so great about this Libra bastard…”

“Master? Who’s that?”

“Of course, it’s Sky Polaris! She’s the only person I respect and follow!”

That name again. Why did that dead person leave so much behind? What did he want from me to have given me so much? If she gave me the means to overcome trials, shouldn’t she have explained the side effects of those means as well?

Unlike the excited stranger, Han Jae-jung’s heart gradually grew cold.

“I never directly received any teachings from the master, nor did she ever call me her disciple, and in fact, I’ve never even had a conversation with her… But that doesn’t matter! Just as we can take the sages of the past we’ve read about in books as our masters, I can do the same. There’s nothing particularly strange about it. You would have worshipped her too if you had met her.”

Han Jae-jung no longer listened to his words. Lightning flowed like a waterfall from the axe he gripped.

[Brother? Shall we go now?]

Joo Ah-yoon’s voice came through the belt. As previously agreed, she had taken on the role of coordinating the overall situation from the rear using butterflies.

More precisely, it was the role of forcibly keeping distance with butterflies to prevent meeting the magical girls.

Now she was asking if she should help in defeating this strange person.

Instead of answering, Han Jae-jung raised his axe. The lightning covering the axe became a halo, casting a large shadow in front of him.

“What’s this? Venting your anger? Sorry, but I’m done here. Looks like I won’t get to see any fun, and there’s no need for me to stay any longer, so I’ll be go-“

Sagittarius’s words were cut off. The lightning that shot straight from the axe swept across the road as if flipping a chessboard, leaving a large scar on Sagittarius’s body.

“Ugh… Cough! You damned bastard, do you know who I-“

“I don’t know.”

Sagittarius immediately raised his bow to counterattack. However, just before nocking an arrow, Han Jae-jung grabbed the arm holding the arrow.

“I didn’t know.”

Bang! He slammed Sagittarius to the ground while still holding his arm. Dozens of pieces of broken asphalt road embedded in Sagittarius’s back. Sagittarius coughed up blood.

“I shouldn’t have known.”

[Brother? Brother? Why aren’t you answering?]

Han Jae-jung cut off the communication.

“I should have been unhesitating in using my power. My remaining enemies are too powerful and I’m still inexperienced. The problem is too vast to solve alone, and I was still too small. Therefore, my actions at least had to be decisive. I had to be able to move forward without hesitation on the path I believed in. Even in darkness, I had to be able to take one step forward.”

But now, that hesitation has arisen.

It was a small doubt, but enough to become a certainty. A few pieces of evidence that appeared in days of ignorance led people to belief. He had fanatically believed in his short life. It was a rational fanaticism. Even if he hadn’t been fanatical, it would have been the same.

Because doubt alone was enough to hesitate.

Because there was trust, he even felt wronged. What had he done so wrong to deserve this? Was it impossible to dream this dream in the first place?

“So, I shouldn’t have known.”

“What the hell are you talking about…”

“So, this is venting my anger.”

Han Jae-jung pinned down Sagittarius’s leg before he could struggle, preventing movement. One leg and one arm were restrained. It was a sufficient angle to beat this person like chopping firewood.

“Can’t you stop with that fucking way of talking?”

Sagittarius grinned. Han Jae-jung obliged his request and shut his mouth. He swung the axe.

The axe stuck into the solid torso with a crack. It was more like hammering than chopping. Even though he could have cut the waist in half with a single strike, Han Jae-jung didn’t.

He didn’t know if it was because he had unconsciously become wary of overusing starlight, or if it was just venting his anger as he had just said.

He swung the axe dozens of times per second. Not just hitting one spot because that would be boring, but multiple areas simultaneously. Cracks gradually appeared in the previously plain red armor.

Only then could Han Jae-jung observe Sagittarius in detail.

Red armor covering the entire body. The helmet was uniquely shaped like an insect. Especially the eyes. Lenses with hexagonal patterns like compound eyes. The waist had a belt with a metal ball in the center. This metal ball was particularly annoying as it was difficult to hit with the axe.

He didn’t know the name or what constellation it was, but he judged it to be Sagittarius since it was holding a bow.

Come to think of it, he remembered that Sagittarius was the constellation that contained the Southern Cross, opposite to the Big Dipper in the Northern Sky.

As this fact wasn’t important right now, Han Jae-jung continued venting his anger.

“You bastard…”

Sagittarius painfully opened his mouth again. Han Jae-jung shifted his gaze to where the voice came from. Sagittarius’s helmet was cracked.

“Hit me harder like the master… This won’t kill me or make me despair… You unromantic bastard…”

Han Jae-jung doubted his eyes for a moment. Through that cracked helmet, between the lenses.

“…You. What are you?”

Human eyes were visible. There was no life in them. Dry and decayed eyes, like those of a mummy. But they were clearly human eyes.

“What do you mean what? I told you earlier. Oh, did I not?”

At that moment, a butterfly fluttered. Just before it touched the villain, Han Jae-jung could hear the rest of his words.

“I’m Sagittarius, the former Southern Cross Sagittarius.”

And then the scenery changed. The sky spread out vastly.

“Sorry, brother. I came right away because you weren’t answering.”

“…”

“I tried to keep the magical girls from approaching as you said… But senior was extraordinary. As a temporary measure, I retrieved you first.”

Following Odette’s gaze, he looked at where he had just been. Blue Sirius had arrived, though it wasn’t clear when. Where she had come from, an icy road had formed like a tail, and her gaze was colder than the ice as she glared this way.

“He escaped with a doppelganger just before the butterfly touched him. How did he already figure out how to break it when it hasn’t been long since he saw it… No, why does he keep getting stronger as time passes? I don’t understand.”

Understanding that gaze didn’t make it any less painful. After glaring this way for a while, Blue Sirius turned her gaze towards Sagittarius.

“So, brother, what are you going to do? Do you want to move that strange person too and finish this? Or…”

Joo Ah-yoon sighed deeply and shouted.

“Brother!”

“Huh? Oh, oh…”

“What’s wrong. Oh, you’ve already undone your transformation?! Is it over for today?”

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

The end was also declared at the place where he had just been. Sagittarius had already started moving between buildings again with his chain bow. Blue Sirius sighed and chased after his escape route. Sagittarius would probably succeed in escaping suddenly.

As he stared vacantly at that chase, Joo Ah-yoon asked again.

“What’s wrong, brother? Did something happen?”

Han Jae-jung pondered how to answer, and finally opened his mouth.

“…Nothing particularly happened.”

The body that regained life through a contract with a star is now dying again because of the star. What a contradiction.

A body that would face death if it failed to fulfill its duty now died as it fulfilled that duty.

Is it a dream or life?

Is it a mission or a lifespan?

Romance and death.

An incident has occurred where I now have to choose between the two.

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