Chapter 1 : Demonstration

A back alley, barely navigable. Deeper within lies a nameless pub. No entrance, no exit, not even a sign, yet it’s clearly a pub. Because we’re sitting here, drinking.

“Senior! Senior, you don’t understand! Human malice is bottomless!”

My junior’s already started his drunken rambling, even though he’s barely had anything to drink. Maybe too much syrup? I glance at the bartender, but he just shrugs, as if it’s not his fault.

“Are you listening?”

“Yes, I’m listening. Why are you so drunk today?”

“Those guys, you know, the ones who take our pictures and photoshop them… I got this, like, armband thing to stop them.”

“Oh, I did that too. Every new fairy has to do that at least once.”

“Really?”

Startled, my junior jumps up. There are plenty of fairies around, but no one pays us any mind. They’re all busy chatting and emptying their glasses.

He gulps down his cocktail in one go. Unlike my cheap peach liquor, a fresh, fruity aroma fills the air. Apple, peach, and… lime?

He slams the glass down and leans in.

“Then, Senior, you must have seen it too.”

“Finish your sentence. Seen what?”

“Well, it’s…”

He goes silent, twitching as if he’s forgotten how to move.

It doesn’t last long. Just until the sweat dripping from his face hits the floor.

“I-I can’t! I don’t wanna think about it again!”

He tries to bury his face in the table, but I move his glass aside. It’s only ice now, so it wouldn’t soak his face, but I don’t want to pay for broken glass.

His face, pressed against the table, is full of anguish. His vacant eyes hold only darkness. He must’ve seen one of those disgusting pictures humans post. I still don’t understand why they inflict this pain on themselves, posting such things.

Everyone here is from the Fairy Realm. Me too. We came down here on the Queen’s orders because the demons were invading.

Low-ranking fairies like us didn’t have the power to fight directly, so we had to make contracts with humans.

Magical Girls. That’s what humans call those who’ve made contracts. Originally, they only targeted females, but not anymore.

I try to change the subject, not wanting him to dwell on it.

“Don’t drink too much. The protest is in a few hours.”

“Ugh, the protest… I don’t wanna go… If they lost, why can’t they just be quiet…”

“I agree.”

That wasn’t me. I turn to find the source – it was the guy behind us. He bows his head slightly and gives us a small smile.

“Sorry to interrupt. I overheard your junior’s words and found them quite insightful.”

“Insightful? It’s just common sense.”

I take a sip of my drink. As the liquid slides down my throat, I realize the once-noisy pub has fallen silent.

Everyone is holding their glasses. My attempt to be considerate to my junior has backfired. I should have been more careful.

I raise my glass high and shout,

“The only good demon is a dead demon!”

“Woo!”

The pub erupts in cheers, everyone raising their glasses. Except for my junior, who’s passed out, drooling.

“Get up. You said you had something important to tell me. Is this it?”

“Ugh…”

He’s a lost cause. Even pinching his cheeks gets no response. Time to send him back to his place. I’ll have to see him again anyway, whether I want to or not. I’ll have to follow his magical signature. Not asking where he lives is a real disadvantage now.

I lift him into the air and open a pathway.

“I’ll be going first, Persica. See you later.”

I step outside, leaving the smiling bartender behind. The predawn air is still thick with the stench of the city. It’ll be worse when the sun rises and the protest starts.

*

[Recognize the rights of our children!]

Recognize— Recognize—

A long procession of demons crawls along the asphalt. They look different, but they all wear red headbands and silver rings. The one leading the march shouts into a megaphone. A sign that he’s protesting peacefully, without using magic.

Magical Girls are stationed at intervals between the soldiers controlling the traffic, ready to react to any emergencies.

Their expressions are a stark contrast. The soldiers are tense, while the Magical Girls and fairies are relaxed and cheerful.

So are we, waiting in the air.

“Ugh, I feel sick, nya.”

“Are you okay?”

The Magical Girl in the yellow outfit is struggling. She’s new to this, so it’s natural that she doesn’t know what to do. She’s also very young.

“This is all Senior’s fault, nya.”

Blaming me? Our agreement is void.

“I did nothing wrong, pi. You ate too much sugar, pi.”

“Nya! No, nya! You’re lying, nya!”

My junior retches again, and his contractor stares at him. Then she looks at me and asks,

“Hey, Ms. Ember. Was red the lie?”

“Opposite, pi. Red is truth, blue is lie, pi.”

“I see. So, Peng lied.”

“Nya…”

The golden chick glares at the cheese cat. That’s the nickname my contractor gave him. It suits him, being a newbie with that overall outfit design. And cat, well, my junior fairy just looks like one.

“Harin, focus.”

My Magical Girl, Dahye’s voice is calm and soothing. She’s skillfully maintaining her levitation spell, even without transforming. Well, it’s expected of her.

“Yes, teacher.”

Harin corrects her posture, focusing below. Peng, however, keeps glaring.

“Sorry, where were we? Ah, yes. I’ll bring Harin along too when it’s over.”

Dahye keeps talking on the phone, her eyes tracking the demons below. She’s also checking her schedule on her tablet. I still don’t understand why she chose to be a school teacher. There are so many other paths, even outside the Association.

The war with the demons ended two years ago. Dahye and I went into the Demon Realm and put an end to it.

So why are these demons still here? Because the Association is keeping them, trying to exploit their skills.

I sigh and resume scanning for suspicious activity, spotting a girl waving up at the sky. It wasn’t just a sore shoulder. Her gaze stays fixed on me, even as I move around experimentally. Definitely intentional.

“Whatcha doing, nya.”

Peng is still sulky.

“See that, pi? That kid is looking at me, pi.”

“Do you not realize how high up we are?”

Cheeky brat. Needs more training.

“She’s in my class. Right, teacher?”

“Yes. She transferred recently.”

Hmm, a transfer student… Does she have enhanced detection abilities? She noticed us even from this height, practically the top of a high-rise. Yet she doesn’t have unusually large eyes or ears. Aside from her snow-white hair and unique eyes, she looks completely human. No horns, which even a half-demon should have.

“Human, pi?”

“No, I thought so too because of her normal name, but additional information revealed she’s mixed. Her name is…”

A piercing screech cuts her off. Feedback from the megaphone. The demon realizes his mistake, taps it a few times, and raises it to his mouth.

[People of Earth, it has been a long time since the invasion ended. We all know the suffering we caused. We also know that even begging for forgiveness is unacceptable. However, please, allow our children to integrate into society.]

Well… the children born here are innocent. The stigma of being a child of a sinner should be removed.

…If that’s even possible.

“Pi?!”

A sharp pain stabs through me. Someone’s using magic. Dark blue. Demon magic.

I’m not the only one who senses it. Magic detection is a basic fairy skill. We all notice it. Oh, even Harin sensed it?

“Teacher, over there!”

Harin points to a demon whose horns are glowing. He’s channeling the magic he’s gathered into a ball of fire. The heat intensifies, growing into a sphere large enough to endanger even his own kind. People scream and scatter as the blazing fireball grows.

“Peng, hurry! People are in danger!”

“Harin.”

Dahye gently holds the girl and calmly shakes her head.

“Don’t worry. Look.”

It’s already over. The Magical Girls on standby nearby have neutralized the threat. The fireball was erased just before reaching the civilians. Quick work, though it would have been better if they’d stopped it before it got so close.

Relieved but still angry, the humans start yelling and throwing things. They pull eggs, tomatoes, and other projectiles from black bags. Clearly prepared in advance.

They don’t just target the demon who attacked. The projectiles rain down indiscriminately on the entire procession. Fortunately, the demons don’t retaliate. They simply close their eyes, grit their teeth, and endure. Afraid to taint their peaceful protest by using magic.

[People of Earth, that individual did not register with our demonstration. We understand your concerns, but please understand he is not affiliated with us.]

The plea goes ignored. The humans, fueled by rage, look more demonic than the demons themselves.

*

The rally ends a little after lunchtime. It usually goes on until just before sunset, but they must have decided it was pointless to continue.

Dahye receives a list of protest participants from Coridalis, the demon leading the demonstration. She wants to verify his claim that the attacker wasn’t part of the planned protest.

Coridalis, once responsible for the massacre of dozens of Magical Girls, has suddenly become a peace advocate. The Association, suspicious, has him under surveillance. His feigned benevolence is more terrifying than his former savagery.

The verification confirms the attacker wasn’t registered. My fairy eyes, which can detect lies, confirm it too, seeing a red glow around him.

“He was probably sent by the Prosperity faction to sabotage our cause.”

“I understand. Now the question is what to do with him.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it personally.”

Coridalis walks towards the restrained demon, who struggles violently, frustrated by his failed plan.

“What! Are you here to finish me off!? Fine! I’d rather die than be stuck here!”

“No. We won’t do that.”

Coridalis sets the megaphone down and grabs the demon’s horns without a word.

“Surely… No way?”

“I apologize. Hup!”

“Aaaaagh!!”

The demon’s screams intensify as the tendons in Coridalis’s fists bulge. Bound and helpless, he thrashes his head wildly.

Crack—

The sound of cracking bone is followed by a leak of dark blue magic from the base of his horns.

“Please!! I swear I’ll never use magic again, please!!”

The desperate plea falls on deaf ears. Coridalis continues to apply pressure.

Snap—

Finally, both horns break, and the screams subside, replaced by guttural moans.

“Uuugh…”

The demon will never use magic again.