Chapter 55

Something unusual is definitely going on.

Thanks to my meeting with Ethan, I was able to pick up on that fact and immediately started piecing together the clues I had been given.

‘Is this what that faint radio transmission I overheard earlier was about? That Anser I met earlier today is now causing a disturbance at the underground tracks serious enough to warrant a police response.’

Of course, none of this made any sense to me.

Anser didn’t have the means or the motive to cause such trouble.

The klutzy demon who trips over her own feet and bursts into tears on the spot after getting teased by kids… is now rampaging to the point where even the police can’t handle it?

Setting aside the possibility that Anser is hiding tremendous power, there’s no way the Night Haven police could be that incompetent… right?

‘Then there are only two possibilities. Either the demon currently wreaking havoc at the underground tracks isn’t actually Anser. Or… there’s third-party involvement.’

My suspicion leaned more towards the latter.

And the evidence lay in the napkin contract Anser had handed me.

The densely written characters on the napkin were trembling precariously, as if they might scatter at any moment. It was as though the contract couldn’t be maintained any longer.

In other words, something was seriously wrong.

Perhaps to the extent that I might never see Anser again.

“Yuria! Look at this!”

While I was carefully examining the napkin, Sabrina, who had been busy manipulating something on her terminal she pulled from her pocket, showed me the screen.

On the screen was a live broadcast from some news station.

From what seemed like a helicopter’s vantage point, the camera looked down on a subway station where police were frantically controlling the crowd, preventing people from approaching.

Just how big of an incident could it be for such a large-scale police deployment?

I couldn’t help but furrow my brows with an overwhelming sense of unease, feeling like things had already spiraled beyond repair.

[ “…We’ve received reports of a bomb being planted in the underground tracks, and all subways passing through Libra Station have been suspended. Police are asking citizens to understand that this control is necessary for everyone’s safety….” ]

“They just said bomb… surely that’s a lie, right?”

“….”

I nodded grimly at Sabrina, who wore a dark expression.

If you asked me which to trust more—some random media outlet or the information from a special unit trusted by the chief of police—the choice was obvious.

This was probably a directive strongly pushed by the Dragon Mayor.

That person had a personality that tried to avoid situations where certain non-human races were perceived as evil.

Anyway, whether it was a demon running amok or a bomb being planted, the subway would inevitably be shut down either way.

But when considering the aftermath once the situation was resolved, it’d be better to say some crazy group planted a bomb. This kind of thing happens all the time anyway.

‘…Wait a minute. If this is how things turned out, then there’s still a chance to help Anser.’

A ray of hope pierced through the storm clouds in my mind.

If things were still at this stage… wasn’t there still a chance?

Alright, let’s think about it. The worst-case scenario I imagined was that Anser had already done something irreversible, and it had come to light.

If that happened, there’d be nothing I could do about it.

There would be too many eyes watching, and my interference wouldn’t change anything.

But if it’s being reported as a bomb scare and the situation hasn’t stabilized yet… it seems no clear victims have emerged so far.

In that case, if I could somehow help clear up the misunderstanding surrounding her, maybe she could avoid being treated as a serious criminal.

‘Of course… it won’t be easy. I might end up regretting helping her altogether.’

But logically speaking, I had absolutely no reason to help her.

Anser was just someone I met today for the first time, and not even an original character—just a resident of Night Haven.

This situation was completely different from the one with David last time.

And here I am, willingly walking into the lion’s den filled with stronger monsters than me, the police?

This was just a stupid and arrogant thought.

The best course of action here would be to pray things work out and go back home.

And what if Anser had been putting on a facade and hiding her true intentions from me this whole time?

It would mean taking on unnecessary risks, potentially exposing myself for nothing.

Yeah. I should definitely stop.

No matter how I look at it, this isn’t a rational decision.

All I want in this city is to stay out of trouble and live peacefully. Nothing more, nothing less.

-Oh, thank you so much today! See you later, guys!

‘…Ah, seriously!’

“Y, Yuria?”

I clutched my head as Anser’s final image flashed through my mind.

Sabrina was visibly flustered by my sudden outburst, but I had no energy left to comfort her.

It felt like a heavy rock was sitting in my chest.

I should just close my eyes and forget about it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

I wished Sabrina would knock me out cold with a good punch to the head.

But between regretting not doing something and regretting doing it…

If I had to choose… I’d rather act and face the consequences.

“….”

Alright, let’s go check it out.

I’ll find out what’s happening with Anser, and if all this turns out to be exactly what she wanted, I’ll wash my hands clean of the whole mess.

With that, I steeled my wavering resolve.

Then, gently pushing Sabrina, who looked bewildered, away from the subway station, I took a step forward.

“Yuria…?”

“….”

“W, wait! You’re leaving? What about Anser?”

“…!”

Leave Anser to me, and you go back.

As if saying that to Sabrina, I confidently tapped my chest with my fist.

Sabrina seemed just as worried about Anser as I was, but it couldn’t be helped.

She was still young, both physically and mentally. Getting involved in something like this was too dangerous for her.

Even if we compared combat strength, she’d rank among the top of her peers, but she was nowhere near Alice or David.

Did my firm determination get through to her?

Looking at me with trembling lips, Sabrina spoke, almost on the verge of tears.

“…You’re telling me I’d just get in the way, aren’t you?”

“….”

“I understand. I’ll do as you say. It’s true… I’m still lacking.”

Huh, she’s backing down without a fight?

I blinked in surprise at Sabrina’s unexpected reaction.

I was sure she’d put up a strong argument to join me, so this was quite surprising.

Seeing my slightly shocked expression, she gave a wry smile as if it was obvious and said,

“I watched everything from the hotel, so how could I not know? I don’t want to ruin things because of my selfishness.”

“….”

“Still… please don’t do anything dangerous! I… I care about you, Yuria!”

Sabrina grabbed my hand with a somewhat desperate expression.

Her eyes shimmered faintly, as if gazing at a treasure she didn’t want to lose.

I couldn’t help but return the gesture by holding her hand back.

The preparations that followed were brief.

In a city brimming with CCTV cameras, I couldn’t just run around openly, so I hurriedly snuck into a nearby closed restaurant using telekinesis to quietly grab a tablecloth.

I wrapped the tablecloth around myself, measuring its size, and internally nodded, thinking it would be enough to conceal my identity.

Never thought I’d have to dress up as a ghost again. I felt really sorry for the shop owner—I’ll make sure to compensate him later.

“W, wait…! Yuria, isn’t that outfit a bit risky? If it gets lifted even slightly, you might get caught right away.”

“…?”

“Let’s swap clothes. The dress I’m wearing is pretty common. We probably won’t get caught.”

Sabrina had a point.

What I was wearing wasn’t off-the-rack—it was more like a custom maid outfit crafted by some eccentric scientist.

Trying to drape the tablecloth over my coat was awkward, and naturally, removing the coat meant I’d be left in just the maid outfit underneath.

But swapping outfits felt a little awkward… Was it okay since I might have to discard the clothes later?

When I tilted my head cautiously, Sabrina earnestly assured me she didn’t mind.

I snapped my fingers, creating a makeshift changing room in a secluded alleyway where prying eyes wouldn’t reach, and quickly swapped clothes with Sabrina.

Fortunately, there were no CCTVs nearby, nor anyone passing by, so I avoided any embarrassing moments.

Still, changing clothes in the middle of the city felt a bit nerve-wracking.

“Heh, hehe… Y, Yuria, the outfit you were just wearing…”

“…?”

“Snnniff, ah, never mind!”

As I adjusted the tightness of the dress around my chest, I noticed Sabrina burying her face into her shoulder nearby.

Thinking she might be cold, I casually offered her my coat, but she only shook her head frantically. What was up with her?

‘Ah, right. While I’m at it, I should leave this with her too.’

Just in case, while swapping shoes with Sabrina, I remembered something I had forgotten.

I had totally forgotten about this. With that thought, I nudged Sabrina, who was wearing my coat, and handed her the fox mask.

Even if we swapped outfits, getting caught with the mask would be troublesome. I intended to leave it with her.

She was trustworthy enough that showing my face didn’t matter much.

“…Huh?”

Sabrina blinked blankly, her eyes growing wider and wider until they resembled saucers.

Through her trembling pupils, my bare face reflected back at me, looking utterly confused.

Thump thump!

For a moment, the silence was broken by the sound of someone’s racing heartbeat.

*

Inside the pitch-black underground tracks.

The place was eerily cold without the subway running. A girl with black hair was precariously making her way along the thin railway tracks.

With her arms stretched out as if to maintain balance, she appeared strikingly pure, matching the youthful age she seemed to portray.

“Humming~ When will I finally meet my dear older brother~”

Faint violet ripples danced in her black eyes, like spilled paint.

Behind her, where she had stumbled and staggered, came an indescribable scream of agony.

Startled by the sound, the black-haired girl accidentally fell off the tracks. Puffing up her cheeks, she muttered grumpily,

“If only you had listened obediently, this wouldn’t have happened. Why do you make me do things twice?”

With that, she flicked her fingers lightly.

The scattered stones on the ground moved on their own, lifting her back onto the tracks.

Once again spreading her arms wide, the girl continued walking along the railway. She looked every bit like an innocent child, untainted and pure.

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