Chapter 67
When I was staring blankly, understanding absolutely nothing, Yuri spoke in a frustrated voice.
“Hey, of course contract magic is black magic. What’s so surprising about that? The Border Defense Corps is an army. Food is something you can eat. If we’re having a hard time, we’re having a hard time. How is this any different?”
Yuri accepted Altair’s statement as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
‘What?’
I wondered where exactly the difference between Yuri’s and my reactions came from—why she understood immediately and I didn’t—when a realization hit me.
“Are you saying… all magic is black magic?”
When I asked this, Yuri shot back as if I were talking nonsense.
“Is there any magic that isn’t black magic?”
…Ah. Well, that explains it.
This world I transmigrated into doesn’t have what I’d consider normal magic—like teleportation, or elemental manipulation.
The only mystical power that exists here is black magic.
‘No wonder Yuri asked what a Magic Tower was last time.’
I didn’t know there wasn’t just no Magic Tower—there was no magic at all. Damn. Then that means there’s no genius lunatic male lead magician stereotype in this world.
Now that I knew contract magic was also black magic, the negative impression I had formed—after hearing that black magicians exploited young Archons—only grew deeper.
When I finished thinking, Altair placed a hand on Yuri’s shoulder to calm her and said:
“Right, of course contract magic is black magic. It’s funny that the country banned black magic yet still used it. Anyway, the state used black magic. Which means there’s something we can infer from this…”
“What.”
“The cost for activating black magic on such a large scale must be getting paid somewhere, continuously.”
That was something I already knew too.
‘All black magic comes with a price or side effect.’
For example, I revived my memories of the original novel in exchange for my name from my original world.
“So, what do you two think the price or side effect is?”
Altair asked us.
“I… well…”
“How would we know that?”
We both admitted we had no idea, waiting for Altair to supply the answer. Instead, he smiled and said:
“Of course, I don’t know either!”
“…Are you kidding?”
“No? If the other seniors don’t know, how would I know?”
Yuri glared at him irritably, but Altair just gave his signature cheerful grin.
“Anyway, to conclude~ If Lady April really intends to trigger ‘That-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named’! Then finding out what the price or side effect of this contract magic is seems important. Something must be happening somewhere right now, but we have no idea what.”
“Hm…”
None of this was ever described in the original.
Dalin didn’t care whether this world was military-themed or apocalyptic. Honestly, she seemed like the type who would thrive no matter what world she fell into…
‘So that’s why April joined the Black Magic Search Special Forces.’
The organization that knows the most about black magic is probably the Black Magic Search Special Forces.
Just as there’s a saying about knowing your enemy and knowing yourself, the Special Forces must have studied black magic in order to eradicate it—just like we study information on monsters.
So April must have joined them to gather information about the contract magic.
‘In this hellish survival-apocalypse military, when did she even have the time or energy to think that far ahead?’
While I was drowning in thoughts, Yuri—uninterested in contract magic—shifted to talking with Altair about life after discharge. Ah, perfect time to slip away.
Ishina, who’d been waiting with a blanket since earlier, seemed to be thinking the same. When I signaled her with my eyes, we both naturally escaped.
Walking beside me, Ishina tilted her head and asked:
“Sarubia, is it just me, or have you been unusually interested in black magic lately?”
“Mm… there won’t be a need for that anymore. I was just curious for a moment.”
I wouldn’t need to use any black magic artifacts anymore.
‘Yeah… What happens in this world doesn’t matter to me.’
First, I need to survive, get discharged, and get the hell out of here.
If April manages to trigger ‘That-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named’ and lift the contract magic during that time, I’ll bow to her 108 times.
* * *
Seven hours into the fairy swarm attack.
At last, the sky—previously hidden behind the swarm—began to peek through again.
I’d been hoping I could relax in the dorm and take it easy during this, but tragically… the military never leaves me alone.
“Hey, hey, is that a gap?”
“Cover it before something comes through!”
We had to check whether any fairies entered through any gaps.
Even though we thought we’d sealed everything, the fairy swarm would slip through any weak spot like ghosts, and every time they did, we struggled to deal with them.
“It’s almost over…”
While I stood in the corridor looking wistfully out the window, I spotted Murphy running toward us with a panicked face.
“…What? What’s wrong?”
When I stopped him, Murphy bowed with a shocked look.
“S-sir, Dori accidentally opened the window in the supply room, and a whole swarm got inside. The trainees are trying to handle it but…”
“Ah…”
If we didn’t deal with it, the entire troop would get punished for joint responsibility, so I followed Murphy.
At the supply room door, Benny and Jason were already there. Ishina too, observing the situation.
“Sarubia?”
“Oh, Ishina. I was worried they wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
I looked at Jason, who stood in front of the supply room door, taking deep breaths.
“So Jason’s the one dealing with it?”
“Dori half-fainted but managed to escape. The window’s still open, and we have to close it and clean out the swarm… but everyone’s refusing to go in…”
So the lowest-ranked Jason got picked. They probably didn’t even consider the possibility that something worse might happen if he went in.
“What about Sanchez? He never seemed scared of bugs.”
Benny answered immediately.
“He doesn’t seem interested.”
Ah. That explains Benny too—he looked completely uninterested since it wasn’t his problem. They had slightly more rank, so of course they’d shove this onto the newbies. Such a typical military hierarchy.
I offered a silent condolence to Jason, who was about to enter that bug-ridden hell. Seriously, how can someone be this unlucky?
‘He needs to perform a joint exorcism with Tarot-sama.’
“S-so… all I have to do is kill the fairies inside and clean them up, right…?”
Jason asked with a trembling voice, and Ishina kindly explained:
“No. First you have to count the number of fairies. Normally it’s prohibited because it’s dangerous, but if there are more than fifty, you’re allowed to use the flamethrower.”
“So I have to… count every bug… one by one…?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
…Delivering bad news in a kind voice was so very Ishina.
And of course, requiring us to count bugs one by one before using a flamethrower was exactly the kind of senseless Border Defense Corps protocol I’d expect!
Just when Jason’s face sank into absolute despair, something flashed into my mind.
‘Yes, this is it!’
I needed someone who could control Patty and Matty, just like in the original. Which meant I needed Jason to get close to them.
And this was my chance.
“Murphy, go bring Patty and Matty.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Did you just talk back to me?”
“I-I’ll go now!”
Murphy, always fast when running errands, darted away like a shooting arrow.
Soon, he returned with Patty and Matty in tow.
“Miss Sarubia!”
“What is the matter?”
Wow, they already started splitting their lines into two-person sentences… but now isn’t the time to be touched.
“Patty, Matty, listen carefully.”
I put on a solemn expression.
“The supply room is full of fairy swarms, and we need to handle it…”
“Aha! Should we clean it up?”
“We’ll go immediately!”
“…Don’t interrupt me, you little shits.”
As expected, they were difficult to control…
“You have two tasks. One: count the bugs and report the number. Two: if there are more than fifty, use the flamethrower. If fewer, kill them by hand.”
Anyone else would expect Patty and Matty to cause chaos, but I knew them from the original.
This task was perfect for them. I could even guess how Jason eventually warmed up to them in the novel.
“Patty, you count the fairies. Matty, you kill them. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!”
“Yes, we’ll do that!”
As they prepared to enter, Jason—who’d been staring blankly—snapped back to reality and shouted:
“M-Miss Sarubia, are you serious?! Are you really sending them in?!”
He clutched the doorknob like he was having a panic attack.
“T-they said the room is full of fairies! Move! Quickly! We don’t know what they’ll mess up! Step aside! Hurry!”
Considering Patty and Matty’s past behavior, his reaction made sense. They could flood the hallway with fairies if they messed up.
But even Patty and Matty had things they excelled at.
“Jason, trust me.”
“But…!”
“…Do you only gain trust through violence and fear?”
“No, ma’am, I will trust you.”
Jason immediately stepped back from the door. Yes, violence and fear always save us.
“We’ll take care of the bugs!”
“Wait for us, Jason!”
As soon as Jason moved, Patty and Matty cheerfully shouted and entered the supply room. Thankfully, they did not fling the door open and release a flood of fairies into the hallway.
“A-ah… no…”
Jason collapsed onto the floor, staring at the door with a hollow expression, too scared of the fairies to open it…
And then something astonishing happened.
