Magical Girl Tyrant Sylph

Chapter 148

Chapter 4 — Sleep, until your life is over • Episode 4–Rest — Sorcerer ③

Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV

「Some sorcerers have an inherently advanced technique, sometimes called a “gift” in some circles, but there are those who have such special powers anyway. Like my『disguise.』」

The formula is essentially something that the sorcerer itself constructs in his/her brain, which is why it’s called magical arithmetic ability, which means that the type and level of the formula that can be used is to some extent determined by how good one’s head is.

For example, if one assume that the formula is a simple formula, and that the formula for concealment is addition and the formula for perception is division, then a person who can instantly calculate tens of digits of addition can use a high-level concealment formula, but a person who cannot even satisfactorily divide three digits is less apt to use the formula for perception.

The actual magical arithmetic is not so simple, but it is not suitable for everyone, depending on the structure of the brain.

The brain’s structure is extremely well suited to a particular technique, and in most cases it can handle that particular technique to a very high degree, but it has no aptitude for any other technique and is often completely useless. Therefore, being born with a gift does not necessarily make one better than other sorcerers. In fact, in this day and age, when the development of science and technology has made it possible for anyone to handle high firepower without the use of magic, the emphasis is on defensive techniques, and it can even be said that beneficiaries who cannot use defensive techniques due to side effects are at a disadvantage. In that sense, Press having the gift was a jackpot. It is an indirect defensive technique, as it is easy to hold the information advantage of advanced『disguise.』

「It would be nice if I could protect myself or have my family protect me properly. Many of the gifts are of a high level that cannot be reproduced by modern sorcerers. Then, it is the nature of a sorcerer to want to know how to use such a great technique…」

「Human experimentation, huh?」

「I heard that they play around with your body a lot, and in the end, they open your head and examine your brain. I only know about it as a rumor.」

As sorcerers have come to rely on firearms that can easily kill people, offensive techniques have gradually begun to decline and defensive techniques have developed in contrast, and the number of deaths of gift-holders has decreased compared to the past, but rumors persist that such experiments are still being conducted somewhere.

「So it would be better not to have the gift in the first place?」

Although there are many different types of ritual spells, when spellcasters refer to ritual spells simply as ritual spells, they are often referring to sacrificial ritual spells. Because it’s the most common and familiar spell that has been practiced in many places since ancient times in large-scale curses that require multiple spellcasters.

Although this was not common knowledge to those who did not have detailed knowledge as sorcerers, they could easily understand the ritualistic magic of sacrifice, also known as “World Contract,” in which power is given according to its value by offering a price. The reason is that Discause have used the spell before without knowing that it is a terrible curse called sacrificial ritual witchcraft.

Discause accidentally purchased an old-time spellcaster’s journal at a flea market, and with her exceptional talents, she has successfully performed ritual spells single-handedly, she was deprived of most of her emotions, her past memories, and all the contents of her treasure trove of poisonous insects, and in exchange she received the Curse Of Absolute Control and the Power of Witches.

Of all the things taken, the most valuable were the contents of the Treasury, and the emotions and memories were only taken along for the ride to make up a little bit of the difference. Confronted with a world in which human emotions and memories are of little value, yet already without a heart to grieve, and without remembering who she was or why she had performed the ritual, Discause had acquired a powerful force in exchange for a void that couldn’t be filled.

Looking only at the results, it might seem that Discause, an unknown Magical Girl at the time, would break even if she obtained the Curse Of Absolute Control and the power of a witch with only a decade of memory and the emotions of a single human being, but this is not the case.

The Discause were robbed of all the contents of the Treasury, and in return she got the power of the Witches. It means that the tools that were originally supposed to be passed on to another Magical Girl after Discause’s retirement and permanently generate magical power have been converted to power only for Discause personally. No other Magical Girls of poisonous insects will appear in the future except for Discause, and Discause will not lose her magical powers either.

No one knows now whether the Discause of that time wanted this result, but because she doesn’t know, the Discause of today know the horror of ritual witchcraft.

「I have certainly used the ritual witchcraft you speak of. I am the result of that. But I am sure I didn’t have perfect control over ritual magic. So I don’t even know what I was looking for. I can’t get the results you wanted with me now. I don’t know what the effects of this ritual would be, and I don’t think you would want your friend, Tyrant Sylph-san, to end up like me.」

「…If you are skilled in rituals, you should be better than you used to be at dealing with witchcraft. If you want, I can be your test subject. If you can control so finely how much you get paid for a single hair, you have nothing to worry about. Besides, there is a precedent of dedicating a congenital technique. But first, you’ve got it all wrong. The friend I want to help is not Syl-chan.」

「I am wrong?」

「I’d rather ask you why you thought so. What I want you to help me with, Ele-chan, the Magical Girl Elephant.」

「…I guess I spoke too soon. When I met Tyrant Sylph-san at the Witch Party once, I could see that she was carrying something similar to a curse on her back. After listening to you, I thought that ritual conjuration was the best way to pull off that something disastrous. Besides, she is a Magical Girl working on the same team as you.」

Whether it is the effect of ritual witchcraft or Discause’s witchly abilities, the details are unknown to Discause herself, but she has the ability to perceive curses and similar malignant concepts with her vision. Through this ability, she saw something dark surrounding Tyrant Sylph.

It wasn’t the first time for Discause to see this mysterious thing, however. In fact, she would say that she’s used to seeing it. After all, one of the Witches who she meet once a month, Permafrost, has been wearing something similar for a long time.

「Syl-chan had one? …No way, no, but that can certainly be described as a curse, and it makes sense when you think about it? But oh no, it’s too good to be true. Are you saying they were attracted to each other? I can’t believe that the White Core Drive and the Black Heart Furnace are all in the same place. Have they noticed? No, they can’t be. If that were the case, they wouldn’t be letting it go unchecked. They don’t know about Ele-chan. ………!」

As soon as she heard that Sylph was carrying something similar to a curse, Press mumbled a small soliloquy to herself as she collected her thoughts, then abruptly opened her eyes.

「Sorcery on a global scale. A plan that was frozen because it was too wild, impractical, and could not be powered. Using a sorcerer is out of the question. But a Magical Girl, “old enough to be a Magical Girl,” doesn’t have enough fuel for the Black Heart Furnace. So I thought I had a different approach in mind. But what if she’s not a pure girl? What if they could create magical girls with enough negative emotions built up over the years to power the Black Heart Furnace on a large scale? What if she was a woman with the heart of a child in the memory of an adult?」

In the mind of Press, the past events are connected one after another like pieces of a puzzle.

It explains why she is strangely capable of studying for her age, why she is so mature, why she doesn’t try to get along with Magical Girls, and why she suddenly emerged as a powerful Witch.

「I have always, always wondered. How are they going to prevent the destruction of the world? But now I have some idea of what they are trying to do. If I’m right, hopefully our world will be saved. But, that’s not going to happen.」

Since Press herself had kept secret the White Core Drive that Elephant had, she could accept that Sylph had the Black Heart Furnace as well and that it was hidden from her. She didn’t give up the thought that it was impossible.

If she hadn’t became Magical Girl, she would never have known that the girl she was trying to protect was working as a Magical Girl. And she couldn’t find a substandard being who was not trapped in the clutches of a sorcerer and who was capable of exercising ritual magic alone.

No matter how much she studied and practiced, she couldn’t use even basic techniques, and she was sometimes devastated by the fact that she could only use the one power she was born with, but because she was born with a gift, I was able to gather information without even being noticed by the demigods.

It is a truth that she was able to arrive at because she’s a sorcerer, a Magical Girl, and Press with a special『disguise』technique.

With the power of Tyrant Sylph, they can save this world and restore a peaceful life to Elephant.

If it’s the heart of Elephant, it will be able to be there for the lonely Sylph to support her.

But that’s not enough.

Sylph’s power alone cannot save Sylph herself.

Elephant’s heart cannot save the world.

Even with their combined power and heart, it is still not enough.

「We are going to change the outcome of this battle. We are going to get a happy ending where everyone can smile and say, “I’m happy for you.” So please, Discause-san. Please lend me your power.」

「…As I said before, I am not confident in my control of ritual magic. Therefore, as a senior sorcerer, Press-san, please make sure to keep me company, alright?」

Perhaps her feelings had gotten the better of her, and Press’ words still lacked explanation, but her enthusiasm and earnestness in wanting to help her friend was painfully conveyed, and she felt as if her lost feelings had been shaken, and she found herself returning such words with a wry smile.