Chapter 56

Sabrina, who had received the mask, was wearing an expression as if she were half out of it. It was like a devout religious person encountering a UFO flying in the sky.

“Thi… this can’t be true… it’s impossible…”

“…?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at her reaction. Sure, I objectively have a pretty face, but is it really something to react *that* dramatically over?

Swish swish. I waved my hand in front of her frozen gaze. Finally snapping out of it, Sabrina jumped up from her spot and shouted,

“…Huh?! Th-then I’ll go ahead first! Don’t get hurt! Or… or I’ll get mad!”

Clutching the mask she had received as if it were precious, she scurried off in a fluster. She moved so fast that by the time I noticed, her figure was already small in the distance.

Well… she probably needs some time to think. Feeling bemused, I scratched my cheek before calming down my excited emotions.

‘I’ll think about Sabrina’s reaction later… for now, I need to focus on Anser’s situation.’

I concealed my rarely seen face with a pristine white tablecloth and summoned telekinesis from deep within me.

‘Decoy.’

Zzzziiing.

The air under my control vibrated faintly. This was an application of telekinesis that blurred my form by scattering light through manipulated air currents.

A smile unconsciously formed on my lips since I hadn’t used this technique—ghost impersonation aside—since forever. Memories of sneaking around back alleys flashed through my mind like a sudden flashback.

Of course, they weren’t all happy memories. Living in dirty, messy back alleys, even worse in dilapidated abandoned buildings without heating or cooling—it was exhausting. If asked to do it again now, I’d hesitate.

But one thing I did enjoy was using telekinesis freely without worrying about being caught. Handling this power was like exercise for me. After such a long time, unleashing my telekinesis gave me a liberating sense of freedom.

“…!”

Whoosh! With telekinesis, I propelled myself upward, dashing along the building walls and reaching the rooftop in an instant. The once obstructed view opened up, revealing Night Haven’s snowy landscape.

With the snow covering me, I shouldn’t be easily spotted. I glanced at the snowflakes dispersing before they touched me thanks to the decoy, then enjoyed the sensation akin to bungee jumping without a cord in the middle of the city.

Flying through the sky was exhilarating. It felt like every cell in my body was waking up—I wanted to keep flying endlessly.

Of course, frolicking in the middle of the city like this wasn’t exactly safe. Even though the snow made it harder to be spotted, there were too many eyes here; reckless movements could lead to trouble.

But I didn’t leap onto the rooftops just for fun.

This was a gamble—a risky move meant to yield significant returns. And thankfully, my bold gamble paid off.

‘Found it!’

Leaping between the outer walls of skyscrapers, I finally located what I had been searching for: the railway cutting across Night Haven.

Why was I looking for this, you ask? Well, following it would be the least conspicuous and fastest way in!

‘Subways often run above ground, not just underground. If you look carefully… there are ways to access the underground tracks without going through a station.’

Jumping from the building, I landed naturally on the exposed railway tracks, sliding smoothly along unused rails without slowing down.

Thanks to my significantly enhanced precision and output of telekinesis, my movements were swift, almost leaving afterimages.

After moving at such high speed, I soon found a tunnel-like structure leading underground. Thankfully, no one was guarding it—probably because they hadn’t anticipated anyone sneaking in this way.

No witnesses meant no need to hold back. Without hesitation, I dashed into the underground tracks at full force.

‘Phew, phew… That was nerve-wracking, but thank goodness.’

Rustle.

I deactivated the decoy wrapped around me to reduce noise and slowly descended to the ground.

Stopping all nearby trains meant there was a reason to enter the underground tracks. From this point onward, avoiding detection was more important than sheer speed.

Being reckless and drawing attention might get me flagged as suspicious and pursued by the police.

So it was better to move quietly yet swiftly.

‘Hmm, maybe I should’ve covered myself with black cloth instead of standing out with this white tablecloth…’

Regretting my choice of attire, I levitated slightly with telekinesis, advancing forward without making a sound.

How far had I gone while staying cautious? After passing two eerily empty stations where personnel control seemed to have ended, I encountered someone familiar.

‘That’s…’

She was a striking beauty with gray hair and languid eyes, sporting elongated ears. Despite her tidy police uniform, inconspicuous piercings adorned her body, marking her as a rebellious elf.

If my memory served me right, she was a regular member of Special Team 3, the same team as Ethan. Her name was Mist, right? Probably.

Hiding behind a wall, I cautiously observed her. Mist stood amidst collapsed officers, communicating via radio.

“…Sir. We’ve got a major issue here. As we tried to move to the designated position, the team members collapsed, vomiting blood, and falling unconscious. It’s chaos. We’ll likely need backup.”

[“You too? This is troubling. Any critically injured?”]

“Thankfully, no one’s dying. Just crying.”

[“Then I’ll send reinforcements your way. Our situation mirrors yours—we were held back right as we tried to enter. We’re analyzing the cause now.”]

“Understood. Can I smoke?”

[“Hold off during the operation. You know you’ll get scolded if you smell like cigarettes when we meet later.”]

“Tch.”

[“Were you planning to sneak a smoke? You.”]

Listening closely, it seemed Mist and her subordinates had been stopped by some interference while attempting to enter.

It was hard to believe. Though she appeared to be just a delinquent elf, Mist was a highly regarded mage. Her combat skills likely rivaled Alice’s, and she was considered a senior officer in her team.

Yet, despite preparing thoroughly, she was forced to halt? What on earth was happening inside? My curiosity grew.

Circling wide around the groaning, collapsed officers, I rolled sideways into the path they had intended to take.

‘Here. At first glance, nothing seems out of place…’

After confirming once more that the police weren’t focused on this area, I carefully examined the bloodstained tracks.

Didn’t they say people collapsed, vomited blood, and passed out trying to cross here? Considering Anser was beyond this point… could it be related to contracts?

‘But are there contracts like that? Ones that forcibly induce headaches and make people vomit blood? Something doesn’t add up…’

Demon contracts were structured to either benefit both parties equally or heavily favor the demon, ensuring deception.

Yet these contracts harmed others without consent? Such methods were unheard of. Why deceive if you could simply force compliance?

‘Let’s try using the Eye of Contract. Now isn’t the time to hesitate.’

More casualties would complicate things. This was a race against time. Steeling myself, I pulled out the napkin Anser had given me earlier and tore it apart without hesitation.

Fortunately, the contract was still valid. I felt something settle into my right eye. Letters began appearing densely throughout the underground tracks.

Covering my unaffected left eye, I read the text carefully and immediately gasped in shock.

‘Th-this is…!’

The inscriptions scattered across the tracks were horrifying.

**[Causes headaches to those who touch the letters. The contractor loses their eyesight.]**

**[Causes those in the direction the letters point to vomit blood. The contractor loses a lung.]**

**[Knocks out anyone passing beneath the inscribed letters. The contractor dies.]**

**[If destroyed by magic, the letters return to their original state. The contractor’s organs rot away.]**

Each letter carved into the walls, floor, and ceiling demanded an unimaginably cruel price.

Naturally, the contractor here would be Anser, the demon. Blocking paths this brutally would surely erase their existence entirely.

Yet, the fact that these contracts were still functioning meant Anser was alive despite paying such costs.

Still alive after sacrificing life itself? As far as I knew, only one faction in this world could pull that off.

‘Invaders… So that’s it?’

Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fists.

Invaders still clung to this world, relentlessly extending their reach. One of their methods involved brainwashing people to use them as pawns.

What kind of monsters treat people this way?

Anger surged through me, burning hotter than ever.