Inside one of the abandoned store buildings nearby.
This place, filled with thick dust as if it had been neglected for a long time, was just perfect for tormenting people.
No matter how much you scream, the sound doesn’t easily escape to the outside.
“You cowards! Ambushing me when I let my guard down! No matter what you do to me, I will never open my mouth! Go ahead and torture me all you want! Do you think I’ll utter a single word?”
Dangling.
The werewolf, tightly bound by ropes and hung upside down, shouted those words.
His eyes showed a resolute determination to remain silent no matter what torture came his way.
But perhaps because he heard this nonsense as if we were the bad ones,
Raven looked at the swinging werewolf in the air with an expression that said, “Are you serious?”
“This is ridiculous. You need to get your facts straight. The ones who planned the ambush were you guys. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you carefully watching us from behind the wall?”
“Grr… Shut up! How dare you, a mere human! Don’t talk back!”
“Tsk, can’t reason with this guy. Part-timer, go ahead.”
“…!”
With Raven’s permission, I excitedly pulled something out of the envelope.
The ultimate torture device to torment the werewolf!
And its identity? A lemon.
Suddenly, a lemon? Isn’t that just something you eat?
Tsk tsk. You clearly don’t know. For animals with sensitive noses like canines, lemons are pure torture.
Of course, it was also a fatal weakness for werewolves, whose sense of smell was as sharp as a dog’s.
I cut the lemon in half with the small knife Raven lent me, then brought the juicy part close to the man’s nose and squeezed it hard.
“AAAAHHH! Stop! Stooop!”
“Part-timer. That’s enough.”
“….”
Drip drip.
Saliva dripped from the werewolf man’s mouth.
It wasn’t because it tasted good—his salivary glands were overstimulated by the painfully sour smell.
Are you ready to talk now?
Raven locked eyes with the heavily breathing man and spoke in a clear, deliberate voice.
“What’s your plan sneaking into the city? Are you some kind of watchdog guarding this area?”
“H-H-How dare you…! I am Sergeant Brelan of the great Werewolf Brigade! I am not some mere watchdog!”
“Hmm, I see. My mistake… Sergeant Brelan.”
“Wha…! How do you know my name when I haven’t even mentioned it!”
…Is this guy for real?
Watching Raven’s interrogation, I pressed my hand to my forehead at the sight of this seemingly unhinged man.
Even though werewolves aren’t exactly known for their intellectual prowess, it’s strange that he didn’t catch on after blurting it out himself…
Or maybe the lemon torture drained him so much that his brain went slack.
A truth-inducing lemon. Definitely a strong stimulus.
“C-Curses… Is my information leaking out?! There’s no way a human could know about me!”
“…So that’s how it is.”
Wait, is this guy just weird? This isn’t the average werewolf, right?
Embarrassed just looking at Brelan, I quietly glanced up at the ceiling.
But whether I was tearing my hair out or not,
Raven, realizing he’d hooked a proper idiot, gently prodded him to extract more information.
“Pfft, it’s simple. We already have a spy planted among you. Actually, the reason we were able to capture you so easily is because our spy gave us your location.”
“What, what are you talking about!”
For now, he casually pressured Brelan by mentioning a non-existent spy.
Normally, anyone would think it was nonsense, but Brelan, still hanging upside down, trembled with wide eyes. Does he actually believe this?
“Aren’t you guys supposed to have a new recruit recently?”
“A new recruit…? You mean the guy who joined ten years ago!”
“No, not a squad member. I’m talking about a regular employee. Surely your informant isn’t some annoying werewolf, right?”
“Th-Then… Could it be the dark elf who joined after the organization restructured! Those shady bastards! I knew they were traitors!”
Brelan spilled information without any intention of hiding anything, answering every question Raven threw at him.
It was like dealing with an automatic feeder that dispenses food when pressed—a laughably weak security system.
And by this point, I could tell which organization he belonged to.
Formed over ten years ago, with a werewolf brigade and dark elves as members…
There was only one group that fit the bill: the Beastkin Liberation Army.
‘Never thought we’d end up tangled with them.’
The Beastkin Liberation Army.
They were the villain group introduced early in the manga Pixie.
Their goal was simple:
To overthrow humanity and make beastkin the new rulers of Earth.
Naturally, they were largely responsible for the conflicts between humans and beastkin until now.
Publicly, it was said they lost momentum around ten years ago when the Invaders forced a ceasefire.
But in reality, they had been secretly gathering strength, and their resurgence became one of the main storylines of Pixie.
In other words, they were natural enemies who would inevitably clash with Raven!
Half-relaxed until now, I narrowed my eyes and instinctively took a defensive stance.
Raven, who could intuitively sense the truth, likely realized Brelan wasn’t lying.
Without showing any sign of noticing, he smoothly extracted more information from Brelan.
“Hmm… So that’s how it is. Alright, I understand. This should be enough.”
“What do you mean… Gah!”
Approximate enemy size, ultimate goals, and where they were hiding…
After extracting enough information, Raven struck the back of Brelan’s neck with a knife-hand strike, knocking him out.
The movement was so fluid and natural.
Even after being hit, Brelan seemed clueless as to why he was losing consciousness, his eyes rolling back.
“For now, your role ends here. When you wake up, you’ll be at the police station. After that, do whatever you want.”
“…!”
A knife-hand strike?
I thought that didn’t work in real life. Maybe it’s because he’s extraordinary.
That was seriously cool. I should practice that next time.
Whether he noticed my thoughts or not,
Raven crossed his arms and muttered to himself as if annoyed by this troublesome situation.
“The Beastkin Liberation Army, huh…? Tch. Greg must’ve really gotten under their skin.”
Indeed, they were troublesome.
An extremist militant group that believed all beastkin should follow them.
Given Greg’s considerable power, it was highly likely they were chasing him to recruit him.
This might mean we’ll have to fight them head-on soon.
Raven glanced at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Maybe it’s better if you step back now.”
“…!”
No way. I’m not stepping back.
I stepped forward to emphasize my resolve.
There’s no way I’m backing down now. You might as well knock me out!
Perhaps sensing my firm determination as I straightened my back and raised my head, Raven paused for a moment before sighing softly and speaking.
“You already know what I’m going to say, right? Honestly, I can’t take you along as a Pixie.”
“….”
“So step back and wait. I’ll bring Greg back without a scratch. If you’re really unhappy about it… we can fight. But while I’m awake, I absolutely won’t allow it.”
Grrr…!
Raven exuded an overwhelming presence, as if pressing down on the very space around him.
The sheer aura of his existence felt like someone choking me, an oppressive weight.
It was even heavier than the pressure I’d felt from Drakel or Lexi, and my legs trembled uncontrollably.
‘Ugh, I should leave… but without Raven’s strength, I can’t save Greg either!’
Both options were unbearable.
Either overpower Raven and rescue Greg myself,
or sit back and watch while Raven does it, sucking my thumb.
Logically, the latter was the obvious choice.
After all, Raven would definitely help Greg no matter what.
So stepping back obediently was the best thing I could do for Greg.
My arm dropped limply. Realizing I’d given up, Raven withdrew his overwhelming presence and approached with a complicated look on his face.
“…Sorry. I promise I’ll bring him back safely. Just wait a little longer.”
“….”
Thud.
Raven gently placed his hand on top of my head.
But unlike usual, this gesture brought no comfort—it only made me feel worse.
Without hesitation, he turned and left.
For some reason, his retreating figure looked like someone carrying a heavy burden.
‘I could’ve helped too…’
I felt utterly dejected. To be honest, tears welled up in my eyes.
I regretted not revealing my powers and following him.
But in the end, I didn’t because I was a coward.
I was too scared of how his gaze toward me might change if he found out.
Pathetic, right? Wanting to help Greg but being too afraid to take action.
I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself deep.
[Mama….]
‘It’s okay. Thanks for worrying.’
I gently stroked the concerned Tesseract and plopped down onto the dusty floor.
Should I just wrap a cloth around myself and rush out like old times?
But since I had no idea where to go or how to get there, it was a meaningless thought.
Ping.
At that moment, Echo, tucked in my pocket, beeped with a notification.
What could it be? An email?
Weakly rummaging through my pocket, I pulled out Echo and checked the message.
What I saw was unbelievable.
[Mr. Raven, I’ve finished analyzing the coordinates you requested. The person you’re looking for is probably around here on the map. And the Beastkin Liberation Army seems to be located a bit further away…]
The sender was none other than David.
Had he accidentally sent the email to me instead of Raven?
If so, this was the luckiest coincidence ever.
Stay put because I promised? Why should I?
I immediately jumped to my feet and scanned the area.
Not far away, I spotted a dirty piece of cloth rolling around.
Finally, it was time for the ghost to return.
[!– Slider main container –]
