Chapter 58

Little Anser from her memories spoke up.

“Mom, why are those people pointing fingers at us and bullying us?”

Anser had such a sorrowful expression that it looked like she would burst into tears if poked just a little.

The reason was simple.

During the time when conflicts between different races and humans were still burning hot, she, who was born in the countryside, was openly ostracized by both adults and children.

If only she had an appearance closer to humans, like elves or vampires, things might have been better.

Her striking heterochromatic eyes and blue skin alone made people instinctively wary of her.

And perhaps due to her unusually gentle and frail personality for a demon.

Young Anser couldn’t help but bear deep emotional wounds from the blind violence directed towards her.

At the moment when she might break her promise with her mother and become a hateful demon…

Her mother gently embraced Anser and said,

“That’s because those people are wounded themselves.”

“Wounded? Those people?”

“Yes. This is an era where hatred begets more hatred, spiraling out of control. So, people want to hate others before they themselves are hated.”

They’re pitiful people who choose to wound others rather than be wounded themselves.

Anser’s mother muttered this while patting her back.

But I haven’t done anything wrong…

Unable to hold back her tears, Anser buried her face in her mother’s arms like a child.

With a small laugh, as if she couldn’t help it, her mother gently stroked Anser’s head and said,

“And there’s nothing we can do about people disliking demons. Most demons are incredibly greedy. When they see a shining soul, they can’t resist. Even after the Great Demon of the Ten Thousand Evils put restrictions on soul contracts, they still find all sorts of loopholes. Honestly, it’s exasperating.”

“…Mom, what’s the Great Demon of the Ten Thousand Evils?”

“Ah… There was something like a palace for demons in our homeland. Probably gone now. Are you interested?”

“Yes! Tell me!”

Anser’s mother lifted her up and gently placed her on the sofa before beginning a tale of old memories.

From unbelievable stories of rivers of lava where demons lived, to exciting love stories of how she fought for her life when she first met Anser’s father.

Listening to these heart-pounding stories over and over again, Anser kept her eyes sparkling. Her mother then spoke with eyes clouded by nostalgia,

“Our Anser will surely meet someone with a soul so beautiful it makes you want to possess it. Just like how I met your father.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Though cases like mine, leading to marriage and children, are extremely rare. But everyone experiences it at least once in their life. And when that happens… I hope Anser won’t obsess over souls like other demons.”

“Huh? What does it mean to obsess over souls?”

“Well, you know. Making contracts to take souls, exploiting weaknesses to enslave… The usual antics of demons. I don’t really like that. Souls are beautiful when they shine naturally.”

Young Anser tilted her head at her mother’s words.

She hadn’t yet encountered a soul so beautiful that she desired it, so she couldn’t fully grasp the meaning behind her mother’s words.

Even if you don’t understand now, you’ll surely get it later.

After her mother’s final words ended, time in Anser’s memory fast-forwarded.

Not long after, her mother passed away after falling ill.

However, the bullying didn’t subside. As soon as Anser became an adult, she fled the village and worked various odd jobs to make ends meet.

Yet discrimination against different races, and especially against demons, remained.

In fact, as days went by, this trend only grew stronger.

As demons were discriminated against by people, their resentment erupted into serious crimes.

This led to worsening perceptions in a vicious cycle.

Finally losing even the last job she barely managed to get after just a few months, Anser, seeing it as her final chance in life, headed toward Night Haven.

But no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t shake off the prejudice against her being a demon.

Having never held anyone’s hand except her mother’s since birth, despair filled her heart.

Keeping the promise with her mother through sheer willpower had its limits.

When cowardly Anser finally wanted to give up everything, she truly understood her mother’s words.

“…”

Two girls who extended their hands to her without any hesitation despite her being a demon.

Among them, Yuria, wearing a mask, possessed a soul of density Anser had never seen before.

Like a blazing white sun so intense it felt like it would burn if approached.

She realized this was indeed a soul so truly beautiful that one would desire to possess it.

Of course, timid by nature, Anser couldn’t possibly covet it.

If this beautiful soul were to break, she felt she wouldn’t be able to endure it.

All she could do was offer the greatest help she could muster.

Treating this encounter as a new lighthouse, illuminating her path with hope.

“Huh, strange. Your depth of despair seems much shallower than when we last met. I expected you’d be overflowing with despair, on the brink of death.”

“Hmm… Well, whatever happens, we can’t expand the rift among different races further. Let’s proceed with the plan as it is.”

“Tsk, go ahead. It’s the uncle’s plan, not mine.”

“Gasp, deeply…”

“Hehe, don’t move. I’ve precisely pierced your heart. Resisting will only worsen the wound.”

On her way back after failing yet another final interview, she was ambushed by a duo and got entangled in the Invader’s schemes, leading to her current situation.

Through Anser’s memories, I glimpsed her entire life as if watching a long movie in a fleeting moment. I quickly caught on to the identity of the duo who attacked her.

“So this is what I feared… The mastermind is still covertly operating from behind the scenes even at this point. Then again, thinking about Drakel, maybe it’s only natural.”

These were fanatics helping invaders cross over to Earth, intoxicated by the invaders’ power.

Due to Earth’s unique environment with almost no magic in the atmosphere, invaders couldn’t cross over currently.

For the day when invaders could cross dimensions and reach Earth, they planned to incite conflict between different races and humans, aiming to weaken their power as much as possible.

And as part of their activities… they kidnapped and modified different races to manipulate them as they pleased.

“So, Anser wasn’t a character absent from the original story, but one of the victims sacrificed by them…?”

Emerging from the memories, standing before Anser again, I quietly bit my lip.

Thoughts swirled complexly in my mind. Knowing the full context, a slight hesitation arose within me.

Probably, the fanatics who caused this situation had already left long ago.

They would avoid drawing suspicion toward themselves.

Then, if I pull out the fragment lodged in Anser’s chest here, what happens next?

Would Anser die, carrying all the resentment, and everything would end?

“That’s… unacceptable. Anser shouldn’t remain unhappy even in death. There must be another way…?”

Standing before Anser, who had turned cold like a statue, I racked my brain until it hurt.

Suddenly, I felt a poking sensation around my chest.

Curious, I moved my hand to the spot, and astonishingly, I touched none other than the Tesseract.

Startled, I immediately pulled the Tesseract out from under my clothes. It spun around inside its small cube, greeting me.

[ Mama! ]

“?!?”

I pushed back the pristine tablecloth to reveal my face, then raised the Tesseract to eye level with both hands.

The movement of the Tesseract, which hadn’t shown any signs of awakening no matter how long I waited, was now clearly visible.

What’s going on? Blinking in surprise and delight, I suddenly recalled the memory of touching the fragment earlier and feeling a reverse flow of power.

Surely, it didn’t awaken completely just from that one time. The diligent preheating inside Raven’s closet probably also had an effect. Perhaps effort never betrays a person.

“!”

[ Kyaruru! That tickles! ]

Reunited and delighted, I used telekinesis to touch the Tesseract spinning around inside its cube. It giggled “Kyaruru!” and wriggled around happily.

Still, I had no idea why it called me “Mama.” Nevertheless, seeing it healthy was a relief.

‘Wait, the fact that the Tesseract has awakened means…’

Holding the Tesseract in both hands, I cautiously looked at Anser.

The power of possibility that restored me from quite a deep injury and returned the elderly Drakel to his prime.

Perhaps this could save Anser from her dire state.

But I needed to consider that this power strictly followed the law of equivalent exchange.

The Tesseract paid the price on my behalf, and Drakel solved it by drinking blood to forcibly fulfill the payment after paying himself. So it worked out fine.

But in Anser’s case, I had no idea what would be best.

Even if we restore her to her original state, taking her heart or vital organs as payment would be meaningless.

Asking the Tesseract to pay on her behalf again… was something I needed to think about carefully.

I wanted to push this method to the very last resort if possible.

‘…Ah, maybe this won’t work?’

Suddenly, something caught my eye.

It was the Invader Fragment firmly embedded in Anser’s chest, still emitting power.

Come to think of it, there was something strange. How could this tiny Tesseract pay the cost to heal my battered body without leaving a single scar?

Considering that the Tesseract needed the Invader’s energy to awaken, this mystery was easily resolved.

The Tesseract, being an Invader’s object, consumes their energy as payment. So, what if we use the energy leaking from this fragment they embedded to control Anser as payment?

We’d save Anser and give them a taste of their own medicine! A brilliant plan!

Now, the important thing was accurately conveying this thought to the Tesseract.

Please let this method work. I carefully brought my forehead close to the Tesseract.

Praying earnestly that my thoughts would reach it, I connected myself to the Tesseract with telekinesis.

‘Tesseract. Can you pay the cost using the power emanating from that fragment?’

[ Hmm? Yeah… I’ll try! ]

Did my will convey properly? After pondering for a moment, spinning in place, the Tesseract responded with a voice filled with determination.

Following the Tesseract’s request to bring it closer to the fragment, I moved it toward the fragment embedded in Anser.

A massive surge of power spread in all directions, and the red characters flowing from Anser’s eyes began crumbling and disappearing into thin air.

Soon, a soft, blinding white light burst forth from the Tesseract, enveloping Anser.

It was so dazzling that I could barely keep my eyes open.

‘Ugh…! I must endure…!’

If I succumb to the force here, everything will fall apart.

Instinctively realizing this, I gritted my teeth and endured, even using telekinesis to support my body so I wouldn’t collapse.

My arm holding the Tesseract trembled violently, and every muscle felt like it was about to tear.

It wasn’t enough to kill me, so this wasn’t the time to complain.

Endure, don’t back down, fight back!

Perhaps my efforts bore fruit. The explosive force gradually began to subside.

Finally, I exhaled heavily and collapsed onto the floor where the red characters had vanished without a trace.

[ We did it! Mama! ]

“…”

And beyond the dimness settling after the light faded.

There lay Anser, her ghastly chest wound gone, merely unconscious with her eyes closed.

We did it. The tension that had risen to my jaw slackened in relief.

[!– Slider main container –]