A Certain Rumor and a Dragon

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

The girl who said thatthe woman who identified herself as Toono Sumirestood in front of Edgar, prompted by Yamabuki.

Toono-san. This is Mr. Edgar Burton from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He will be in charge of the British side of this expeditionary mission.

I see. So you are the one who has forced us to go through all this trouble. Well, I look forward to working with you, even if its only for a short time.

Toono brushed her hair off her cheeks with her fingers and said so with arrogance.

Edgar should have been angry at Toonos careless response, but he was overwhelmed by her innate elegance.

From her footstep to her facial expression, from the way she spoke to the way her fingers moved, the behavior of a champion was abnormally perfect. The pressure was weighing down on Edgar as if he were dealing with some kind of royalty.

No, it wasnt only Edgar. Other staff members and even the thousands of fierce competitors from all over the world who were here on a tour of the place were unable to look away from this young womans every move.

And right behind her, a slender girl wearing the same clothes as Toono stood silently waiting for his words with a smile on her face. The darkness and emptiness in her steeple-colored eyes sent a chill down his spine.

It was as if his head would jump off in an instant if he did anything even the slightest thing out of the ordinary. These girls were definitely in control of the situation.

This is Japans best fighting force, the Magical Girls. It seems we underestimated them a little.

Edgar broke out in a cold sweat as he thought about this. They chose to invite Magical girls from Japan on the strong recommendation of a certain source, but were these really the right creatures to invite to their country? Such regrets came to his mind.

But Edgar managed to stifle his agitation, smiled, and began to speak in Japanese.

Welcome to our country. We welcome the Japanese government. We apologize for summoning you here for our own reasons. But from now on, we have no choice but to rely on the miracles of your country

I dont need an apology. You should let Yamabuki, the negotiator, handle that sort of thing, not me. Were just here to kill the Demonic Beast thats all.

Toono told him so and turned away from Edgar with a stifling look. There was nothing he could do about it.

Then Yamabuki quietly stepped in front of Toono and said protectively.

Im sorry, Mr. Burton. The girls are a bit nervous about being in a foreign country for the first time. They are not used to being surrounded by strangers.

Saying this, Yamabuki looked around at the people around him. The foreign diplomats who were looking at him shook their shoulders in surprise at his gesture.

The Ministry of Defense is going to give us a briefing on the Demonic Beast after this, right? I think it would be best if we move quickly before their mood gets any worse.

At Yamabukis suggestion, Edgar answered with a sigh of relief.

Ah, yes. Then please move to the conference room next door. I will guide you.

Just as Edgar was about to walk out, one of the young diplomats in the back of the hall moved.

.May I have a moment? I have something I really need to ask them.

The young diplomat Richard, a man who worked under Edgar said this and started walking toward the magic circle.

And before Edgar could stop him, Richard stood in front of Toono and opened his mouth with a frown.

There are rumors circulating in England about you peopleabout Japan. Are you aware of it?

Not really? I have no idea.

When Toono told him this with a smile, Richard glared at Toono.

It is rumored that this current situation in London is caused by a Demonic Beast sent by a Japanese witch. They said that after 30 years, you guys have acquired the art of controlling Demonic Beasts and are trying to take revenge on the countries that once abandoned you. What do you, a Magical Girl, think?

Yes. You are really stupid. How could anyone possibly control a Demonic Beast? I think its just a silly rumor.

Making fun of Richard, Toono chuckled and narrowed her eyes.

Edgar had heard of the rumors, but in the end, they were nothing but wild gossip.

The citizensespecially the mentally exhausted Londonerstended to be easily swayed by such rumors, but if Japan could do such a thing, the world would have been destroyed long ago.

As long as Japan was showing a willingness to cooperate with England in this way, it was highly unlikely.

Well, the possibility couldnt be dismissed, but the current British army didnt have the power to defeat the Demonic Beast that appeared in London the Red Dragon.

It wasnt by his own will that he called in Magical Girls from Japan, but there was no other way besides relying on the monster to defeat the monster that is, Japanese Magical Girls.

Edgar sighed and walked up to Richard.

Richard. Thats enough

My sister died in an attack by the Demonic Beast that appeared in London last month.

Richard shook off Edgars attempts to quiet him, his voice stifled by his anger.

When my sister was brought into the hospital, she screamed gibberish, A witch is there Hey, is it really not your doing?!

It was a wailing cry of lamentation.

He had heard that this young diplomat had lost his family in a Demonic Beast attack, but he had no idea that there was such a story behind it.

He understood that it was tempting to believe the dying words of ones immediate family, but since no other sightings had come to light, his sisters words must be just a bunch of nonsense.

Toono, on the other hand, didnt hide her displeasure, and in a cold tone of voice, she told him.

Ive heard enough of your unprovoked insults. Its getting a little annoying to listen to you.

Are you unable to answer me? Or have I hit the nail on the head and you cant say anything?

Hmm? But no matter what I say, you wont believe me, will you? It doesnt matter what I say to someone who has already decided that I am black from the beginning.

What do you mean?

I would rather go home than have such an unpleasant experience. After all, events in faraway countries are essentially none of our business. You can do as you please.

Tsk, you witch!

In response to Toonos remark, Richard cursed in English and reached out his right hand as if to grab at Toono.

At that moment, the girl who had been standing behind Toono took a step forward.

With a commanding snap, she raised her right arm and swung it to the side. At the same time, Richards body tilted sideway with a jerk.

Gah, gah!

Richard, who had fallen to the floor, let out a pained scream and clutched his right knee. For some reason, his legs looked swollen.

The slender girl approached the fallen Richard, clacking the soles of her boots.

Then, she stopped in front of the groaning Richard and said in a condescending tone.

Really, your misunderstanding is gross. Can you please stop with the ridiculous accusations?

Then, the girl moved her hand nonchalantly as if playing with her fingers.

The girl moved her finger. Crack, and an unpleasant sound came from Richards right shoulder, and his right arm sluggishly stretched toward the ground.

The girl moved her finger. His left shoulder joint was dislocated.

The girl moved her finger. His jaw joint disengaged and his mouth couldnt be closed.

The girl moved her finger

Youd better stop at that, Hagakure-san. People are vulnerable to pain. You dont want them to be broken by something like this, do you?

Interrupting the girls action, Toono said this to the girl called Hagakure.

Then, Hagakure slowly lowered her hand, looked around with inorganic eyes, and gave a small bow.

Im sorry. He attacked out of the blue, so I overreacted. But its only a dislocated joint, so I dont think its life-threatening. Yes, if you set it back, there wont be any problem.

Hagakure said that indifferently, like a dog following Toono, and smiled softly like a doll.

This gentle smile, which was out of place here, made Edgars hands tremble.

The fact that she had destroyed a person without a single touch was one thing, but above all, the fact that her cruelty and calmness coexisted in the same mentality was terrifying. In this case, a mute weapon would be better.

While Edgar was trembling with fear of the unknown, Yamabuki quickly stepped in front of him and said.

Im troubled, Mr. Burton. You have to manage your subordinates properly. They are the most important human resources for us. It will be a problem if your men try to touch them without permission. This time, our side overdid it too, so Ill ignore it, but Id like you to be more careful in the future.

I-Im sorry. Im going to tell him firmly. Um, well, I dont think you guys are going to leave like this

Edgar asked timidly, and Yamabuki shook his head and said.

I wont. I will do exactly what I was ordered to do. However, instead of going to the conference room, well head to the waiting room first. Well have a discussion about the Demonic Beast after that. Lets go.

Yamabuki told Edgar in disgust, then stood in front of Toono and the others as if leading the way, and walked toward the door to the outside with a group of people in tow.

All the people from Japan walked out the door, and with a slam, the doors of the hall closed.

Edgar muttered in dismay as he looked at Richards lifeless form, who had fallen down and fainted.

This sucks How am I going to explain this to the top

On the other hand, those who entered the waiting room in another part of the building at a quick pace looked at each other and let out a small sigh.

The person with the palest face among them Hagakure Sakura groaned with a face as if she had bitten a bug.

I cant believe there are people who really wanted to pick a fight. Were the ones who were called here, right? Is it really safe for us to stay here?

It was said at the meeting beforehand that if they were unlucky, there would be a possibility of an attack from those who were opposed to them.

Thats why, from the moment he transferred to England, Tsugumi continued to be vigilant by stretching tiny invisible threads around the hall, but the result was that.

Why should we be treated like this when we are the ones who were invited? Im worried about the future.

As Tsugumi held his forehead thinking like that, Toono let out a melancholy sigh.

Thats right, its true that in case of an emergency, you were told to act as someone who could subdue the opponent without hurting them, but I dont think anyone thought that this would happen from the beginning. I think Hagakure-san went a little overboard.

Toono said so, and the staff around her shook their heads in affirmation and started saying, That was a little To be honest, I was a little taken aback, Even though he deserved it, I felt a little sorry for him, Couldnt she just use a thread to restrain him?. It was a terrible betrayal after all the hard work he had put in.

But Tsugumi had a point.

Tsugumi sat down on a chair, put his hands together in front of his face, and began to speak with a solemn look.

I didnt tell anyone at the scene, but that man had a small pistol hidden in his left breast pocket. I destroyed the pistol so that he couldnt use it, but I still thought it would be better to disable him so that he couldnt move for a while. I avoided it because I didnt want to risk bloodshed.

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Even Tsugumi was a little hesitant to attack a human being, but if it was an enemy, that was a different story.

He destroyed the pistol used as a weapon, but that didnt mean the man wouldnt attack them. There was also the possibility that he was hiding another weapon, and the easiest way to make sure he couldnt move was to dismount his joints.

And since the joints were dismounted as cleanly as possible, he shouldnt have been in that much pain. Well, he still wouldnt be able to move properly for a few days.

When Tsugumi said so, the staff looked down in silence and said quietly, Maybe we should have more guards for the second group.

Apparently, everyone realized that it wasnt just a skirmish, it might have been a life-threatening crisis.

But Tsugumi agreed that increasing the strength of the escort was a good idea. To ensure the protection of the non-combatants Chidori hed like to see at least A-class or Jukka-class personnel added in.

Well, whatever it was, it didnt change the fact that things have become a lot more difficult. It would have been better if he hadnt said or done anything to get on my nerves. Huh, I guess I should just abandon this country and go home after all.

Toono said this in disgust and let out a small sigh.

Unlike her previous queen-like demeanor, she seemed to be quite relaxed.

At a meeting before coming to England, Toono and Tsugumi were strongly encouraged to behave as Jukka when they were outside. Well, in short, it was coercion against foreign countries.

It was the decision from the higher-ups that they wouldnt be harmed prematurely if they had a visible force, but that response might have been a mistake now. Well, they could no longer change course at this stage.

Dont say such nonsense, Toono-san. If we destroy the Demonic Beast in this country tomorrow, we can go home right away. Besides, the Pope is also involved in this matter. It would be best not to refuse.

Yamabuki, a diplomat on the Japanese side, reprimanded her, and Toono lowered her eyebrows in a troubled manner.

Its really troublesome. Ill leave the details of the negotiations to you. Please coordinate it well.

Toono waved her hand as she said this, and Yamabuki opened his mouth with a small nod.

Yes, I will do my best. Now then, lets share some information before the meeting.

Information?

When Tsugumi asked that back, Yamabuki spoke in a quiet tone.

Yes. Its about the Demonic Beast you two are going to fight tomorrow [Red Dragon of Wales].