Chapter 57

However, the surge of anger that overwhelmed me, burning so hot it gave me a headache, only lasted for a brief moment.

Emotional actions usually lead to worse outcomes than rational ones.

Remembering how I almost froze up after losing control during the Drakel incident, I forced myself to suppress the bubbling heat and think calmly.

‘Even if I can see the contracts, passing through this passage is out of the question. These are life-risking, forcibly made contracts. Just flying in the air won’t help me avoid them.’

Carefully examining the red lettering scattered across the underground tracks, some contracts activated just by proximity, not even requiring direct contact.

This must be a precaution against attempts to bypass using vehicles.

Even without stepping on the ground, telekinesis would likely still trigger the contracts forcefully.

Moreover, if the letters were damaged, they would regenerate, and without the Eye of Contract, one wouldn’t even know where or what was inscribed.

It’s no wonder Night Haven’s police force struggles against a single Demon.

Well, unless a powerful mage who can overpower contract laws or an android unaffected by contracts steps in… then things might change…

‘If someone like that appears, there’s nothing more I can do. This is just a matter of time.’

Once the police arrive, it’s game over.

While stuck here, I need to get inside and resolve the situation somehow.

I need to come up with an extraordinary method—perhaps something only I can do.

But how am I supposed to figure that out in such a short time!

As I clutched my head in frustration, I suddenly noticed something odd about the letters.

‘Those letters… aren’t they moving?’

I carefully observed the wall with my right eye, still under the lingering effects of the Eye of Contract.

There, densely engraved letters were subtly shifting.

Why are they moving?

Tilting my head in curiosity, I realized they were moving outward from the inner underground tracks.

‘Ah, so this is how the letters were inscribed. Clever.’

Thinking about it, it made sense.

Anser couldn’t have possibly carved all these letters herself—it was far too many.

It’s more logical that the letters spread outward from a central point.

Of course, explaining how that’s possible is another matter.

‘Wait, but if the letters can move… does that mean…’

With cautious hope, I extended my telekinesis and gently tapped one seemingly harmless letter.

To my surprise, nothing happened to me, despite touching a contract that should’ve caused intense itching.

‘Could it be that using telekinesis doesn’t count as physical contact?’

Deep in thought, I gathered all the clues I had so far.

The letters spreading like waves across walls and floors, telekinesis that didn’t react to demonic contracts, and the Eye of Contract that revealed their contents.

Perhaps this was the solution.

I spread my telekinesis thinly, like a film, and brought it close to the approaching letters.

Something fascinating happened. The letters seemed to treat my telekinesis as part of the underground tracks, crawling sluggishly over it.

Meanwhile, the self-repairing contracts remained motionless, while the letters freely floated atop my telekinesis.

Just as I expected. I couldn’t help but smirk.

‘So this is an automated magical programming independent of the user’s will! That’s why it doesn’t react to telekinesis—a power nonexistent in both Earth and other worlds!’

Reflecting on it, the mandatory contracts filling the underground tracks were indeed formidable adversaries.

Without the Eye of Contract, you wouldn’t even know what was written or where. Even with it, the contracts inflict damage upon contact, making them hard to counter.

Attempting to destroy them with magic only triggers regeneration, and creating new paths is impossible since this is underground in the middle of a bustling city.

But there’s one thing the creator didn’t anticipate… telekinesis, which follows entirely different world laws and doesn’t belong to either side.

Treating my telekinesis as part of the underground tracks unknowingly left an unlocked door wide open for me.

‘Well, I’m grateful for that.’

Focusing harder, I carefully tore apart the letters caught by my telekinesis word by word.

Then, I rearranged the fragmented letters into words of my choosing.

Perhaps recognizing it as merely a repositioning of inscribed letters rather than physical or magical damage, the letters showed no signs of returning to their original state.

[This contract subject ignores all future contracts proposed by contractor Anser.]

Thus, the sentence formed in midair read:

Since the letters themselves were created by a demon, this statement inevitably held power.

Confident in its validity, I grasped the letters firmly without hesitation.

Immediately, I felt a sensation similar to tearing a napkin earlier—as if connecting momentarily to somewhere distant.

Is that it?

I quickly approached a suitable inscription on the wall and touched it.

As expected, nothing happened to me.

The contract I assembled using telekinesis worked perfectly.

‘Seems like they didn’t pay much attention to security.’

After a couple more tests confirming the contracts had no effect on me, I firmly stepped on my telekinesis and dashed through the underground tracks as if flying.

The deeper I went, the denser the contract letters became, turning the scene into something resembling intricate patterns rather than mere text.

Thanks to the solidly enforced contract I’d established earlier, I advanced swiftly without any hindrance.

How far had I traveled along the winding train tracks? Finally, I reached a station where trains could stop.

The place was eerily silent, completely devoid of human presence.

‘Here it is, Libra Station.’

Arriving at Libra Station, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow at the suffocating sight before me.

The scene screamed of being the epicenter of the incident, with letters densely packed to the point where the floor, walls, and ceiling were drenched in crimson.

Considering each letter was made of magic, the sheer amount of mana consumed to create this dizzying spectacle was unimaginable.

‘There.’

Thanks to the density gradient, finding the path wasn’t difficult. Moving from sparse to dense letter clusters inevitably led to the central location.

Cautiously advancing while preparing for potential ambushes, I soon spotted Anser not far ahead.

‘…This is too much.’

I couldn’t help but be shocked by her appearance.

Anser stood alone on the tracks, eyes closed as if in prayer, with something red resembling bloody tears endlessly streaming down her face.

Flowing down her body and pooling on the floor were none other than the letters themselves.

The crimson letters filling the underground tracks originated here.

In the surreal scene, I pushed through the flowing letters on the ground and approached Anser.

Up close, she stood motionless like a corpse, shedding only crimson tears.

Peering into the gaping wound in her chest, an unmistakably silvery object was embedded deeply within.

‘This… is a fragment. And a far more powerful one than the one Raven had last time.’

The horrifying situation hit me like a punch to the head.

At the same time, I realized I’d been gravely mistaken.

Clear up misunderstandings with the police? Brainwash the Invader?

How foolish of me to think those aiming to destroy the world would stop at such lukewarm measures.

Forcing someone to use power beyond their limits with the fragment’s energy, then leaving them like this.

It’s no different from stuffing firewood into a person and burning their body for fuel.

…At this point, there was no way to save Anser.

She was now merely a puppet carrying out commands while retaining her form.

Even pouring healing magic capable of regenerating shattered limbs wouldn’t bring back her severely wounded soul.

“…”

I reached out and touched Anser’s face.

All I felt was the pale coldness of a corpse.

It’s a cruel story, but I wasn’t particularly sad. After all, we’d only met today.

Deaths were far too frequent in Night Haven.

Mourning every single one would leave no days for dry eyes.

But that didn’t mean I felt nothing.

It was just… deeply regrettable. She didn’t deserve such a merciless fate.

So, I covered her hands and prayed together with her.

I hoped her soul would find peace. It was the best I could do for her now.

‘Let’s end her suffering here. It’ll help her too.’

Calmly steadying my troubled heart, I slowly reached toward the fragment embedded in her chest.

Her current state was sustained solely by the immense energy flowing from the fragment. By severing its connection, I intended to end this chaos.

And the moment my hand touched the fragment, a sudden surge of energy and unfamiliar memories flooded into my mind via my arm.

The memories belonged to none other than Anser.

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