NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56
Sabrina, who received the mask, wore a half-dazed expression.
It was as if a devout believer had just encountered a UFO flying in the sky.
“Th-This is a lie… No way…”
“…?”
I tilted my head involuntarily at her reaction.
My face is indeed objectively pretty, but isn’t this a bit too much of an overreaction?
Swish, swish. I waved my hand in front of her frozen eyes.
Suddenly, Sabrina seemed to snap back to reality, bouncing up from her spot and shouting.
“…Huh?! Then, I’ll go first! Don’t you get hurt! I’ll be so mad!”
She hurriedly left, clutching the mask to her chest as if it were a treasure.
At that speed, before I knew it, Sabrina’s figure was already a tiny dot in the distance.
Well… I guess she needs time to think.
Scratching my cheek in confusion, I eventually calmed my flustered feelings.
‘I’ll think about Sabrina’s reaction later… For now, let’s focus on Anser.’
Hiding my long-time absent face under a white tablecloth, I drew telekinesis from deep within me.
‘Decoy.’
Zing.
The air controlled by my telekinesis vibrated slightly.
Using telekinesis to distort the air, scattering light and blurring my shape.
It was a technique I hadn’t used even once since I stopped pretending to be a ghost, and it brought a smile to my lips for no particular reason.
Memories from when I roamed the back alleys flashed back in my mind.
Of course, they weren’t all pleasant memories.
Living in filthy, dirty alleys, in old, rundown buildings with no heating or cooling.
If I had to do it again now, I’d hesitate a bit—it was exhausting.
But at least I loved wielding my telekinesis without a care about others.
Handling this power felt like a workout for me. After a long time, using my telekinesis felt liberating, as if my chest had been burst open.
“…!”
Wooosh!
Launching myself upwards with great force using telekinesis, I quickly soared up the building wall to the roof.
As my obstructed view opened up, I saw the snowy landscape of Night Haven laying beneath me.
At this rate, the snow will help me stay somewhat undetected.
Glimpsing at the snowflakes that scatter before I touch the ground thanks to the Decoy, I savored the feeling of bungee jumping in the middle of the city.
Flying in the sky was incredibly enjoyable.
It felt like every cell in my body was awakening—a feeling that made me want to keep flying.
Of course, going wild in the middle of the city like this was quite risky.
Even if the snowfall meant I wouldn’t get easily detected, in a place with many watching eyes, causing a scene could easily lead to my cover being blown.
But I didn’t simply leap onto the rooftops just for fun.
This was, after all, a gamble to bear the risks for the sake of potential returns.
And this bold gamble of mine indeed led to a successful outcome.
‘I found it!’
Soaring delicately between the tall buildings, I finally spotted the target I’d been hunting for.
What I was searching for, squinting intensely, was none other than the railway that ran across the city.
Why was I looking for this out of nowhere?
Well, because following it would be the quickest and least noticeable way in!
‘The subway often runs above ground, not just underground. If I look closely… there must be a way to access the underground tracks without necessarily going through a station.’
Diving off the building, I landed gracefully onto the railway that had emerged above ground.
Without losing speed, I glided along the tracks where no trains were running.
Thanks to my telekinesis being significantly stronger and more precise than before, my motions were so fast that they left an afterimage.
And how quickly did I move? I soon discovered a tunnel that seemed to lead down below.
It seemed that no one had considered the possibility of someone entering during that short span, as thankfully, there were no guards around.
Without witnesses, there was no need to hold back my strength.
With no restraint, I entered the underground tracks in a flash.
‘Phew, phew… I was a bit anxious, but thank goodness.’
Rustle.
To minimize noise, I deactivated the Decoy wrapped around me and slowly sat down on the ground.
The fact that trains nearby had all ceased operation indicated that there was reason enough to enter the underground tracks.
Thus, from now on, being unnoticed was more important than just being fast.
If I recklessly dashed about without restraint, I might be mistaken for a suspicious person and end up being chased by the police.
So I had to move quietly and quickly.
‘Hmm, maybe I should have wrapped myself in a black cloth? The white is probably too eye-catching.’
Regretting the decision to drape myself in a white tablecloth, I lightly floated above the ground using telekinesis and advanced forward without a sound.
As I carefully moved forward while trying not to be detected, it wasn’t long before I passed through two completely empty stations that seemed to have finished their personnel control.
Finally, I encountered someone whose figure seemed rather familiar.
‘That’s…’
She was a beautiful girl with gray hair and long ears who looked lazy but sharp.
Dressed in neat police uniform, she had several piercings scattered across her body—an edgy elf.
If my memory serves me right, she was a regular member of Team Special 3, similar to Ethan, whom I had met earlier.
Her name… was Mist, if I recall correctly.
Hiding behind a wall, I carefully observed her, and there she was, standing alone among those sprawled out on the floor, conversing over a radio.
“…Sir, there’s a big problem. The moment we were about to move to the designated location, the team members started fainting, vomiting blood, and collapsing in chaos. It seems we may need to send in additional personnel.”
[“Is that happening on your end too? This is becoming a headache. For now, how many are in critical condition?”]
“Fortunately, none are in life-threatening situations. They’re just crying.”
[“Then I’ll send personnel your way so hold on. The situation here is similar. My ankle got caught the moment I tried to go inside. I’m currently trying to interpret the cause.”]
“Understood. Can I smoke?”
[“Try to hold back during the operation. If I catch you smelling like cigarettes when we meet later, you’ll get it.”]
“Tch.”
[“You were planning to smoke secretly, weren’t you?”]
As I pricked up my ears to listen, it seemed she was caught up in some obstructions while trying to enter with her subordinate members.
It was unbelievable. From the outside, Mist seemed like just a typical edgy elf, but she was quite a competent mage.
Her strength could likely rival that of Alice with a sword. She was practically a high-ranking member within the team.
Yet here was someone like her, who had to stop even when firmly prepared to enter?
The questions about what was happening inside grew worse.
I circled wide around the fallen police officers and subtly rolled over to the path they had aimed for.
‘Here it is. It looks like there’s nothing here but…’
After checking the outside again to confirm the police didn’t seem focused on this area, I stared intently at the bloodstained tracks.
They mentioned that those who passed through here fainted and vomited blood, didn’t they?
Thinking about the possibility that Anser was beyond this, could it be that they were facing some sort of contract?
‘But can such a contract exist? A contract that forces someone to have a headache and vomit blood? No matter how I think about it, something doesn’t add up…’
Demonic contracts were structured so that both sides were at least somewhat equal, or that the demon inflicted harm upon themselves.
That meant the demon was desperate to trick the other party.
But to establish a contract without the other party’s consent and to inflict harm?
Such a method sounded unheard of. If that were the case, there’d be no reason to lie in the first place.
‘For now, let’s try using the Eye of Contract. This isn’t the time to hesitate.’
If the damage increases, it will become harder to remedy. There’s a bit of a race against time here too.
Gathering resolve, I pulled out the napkin Anser had given me earlier, tearing it sharply without a moment’s delay.
Fortunately, it seemed the contract was still valid, as I felt something penetrate my right eye.
Words began to emerge thickly in the previously blank underground tracks.
Covering my left eye, which didn’t have the effect applied, I read the words closely, and soon I gasped with shock.
‘Th-This is…!’
The inscriptions scattered across the underground tracks were shocking.
[ Causes headaches to those who touch the letters. The contractor loses their eyesight as payback. ]
[ Causes those standing in the indicated direction to vomit blood. The contractor loses a lung as payback. ]
[ Causes those passing under the engraved letters to faint. The contractor dies as payback. ]
[ If the words are forcibly destroyed by magic, they return to their original state. The contractor’s insides rot away as payback. ]
Each inscription densely packed on the walls, floors, and ceiling demanded truly outrageous paybacks, breaking common sense.
Of course, the contractor here would be Anser—the demon who inscribed these letters.
If he obstructs the path in such a senseless way, he would quickly cease to exist in this world.
However, the fact that this contract was still functioning perfectly indicated that Anser must still be alive, collecting the price for his part.
Alive while paying the price that takes life?
As far as I knew, only one faction in this world could do this.
‘It was the Invader, wasn’t it?’
Crack.
Realizing the full extent of this situation, I clenched my teeth.
The Invader hadn’t given up on this world and continued to reach for it.
And one way to do that was surely to brainwash people forcefully and use them as pawns.
What do they think of people?
A boiling rage surged all the way to the tips of my hair.