Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: The Black Crow and the Pure White Ghost (3)
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Fortunately, I had never been shot in my life.
In my previous life, where I had no abilities, I lived in a country where even hearing a gunshot was rare.
And now, I possessed a special power that could easily block a bullet, as long as I wasn't careless.
So, my knowledge that getting shot hurts was purely academic.
It was absurd to be confident about something I'd never experienced.
Inevitably, an experience I'd never had could only be left to the imagination.
'A bullet would shred skin and the muscle beneath, leaving behind permanent damage. How could it not hurt?'
Therefore, even now with the special power of psychokinesis, my fear of guns remained.
That's why I'd been trying so desperately to avoid getting shot.
But in this moment, the fear of guns in my mind had grown faint.
It was taking a considerable amount of time for my consciousness to process what Raven had said.
-It’s a special serum that eliminates a psychic’s power. It’ll hurt like hell when it hits you… but you’ll become an ordinary human who has lost their power.
A serum that removes a psychic's power—it felt utterly surreal.
Ever since I'd fallen into this world, it was a thought that had never once crossed my mind.
If such a thing existed, it would have appeared in the original story long ago.
No, could this also be part of the butterfly effect I've created?
Let's assume, then, that it's true.
Without my psychic abilities, I was just an ordinary human being.
I couldn't use magic, nor was my body exceptionally durable.
If I were shot with this, I would revert to being a helpless, ordinary person.
I'd have to hope someone would save me so I wouldn't die, and in the chaos to come, all I could do was pray.
'Haha… I guess I am a little greedy for my psychic power.'
But if I ran away now, my relationship with Raven would be over.
Like when I first woke up in the Western Labyrinth, I would have to live alone, unable to rely on anyone.
Keeping my power and giving up everyone I hold dear.
Or losing my power to protect those precious to me.
If I had to choose one…
“...”
My thoughts sorted, I hardened my gaze as I looked up at Raven.
It was a firm declaration of my will—that I would absolutely not run away.
This wasn't me ignoring reality. It was a choice I made for myself.
As if to strongly assert this, I stared at him with my lips pressed firmly together.
But had he sensed my firm resolve?
Raven looked down at me with a serious, unreadable expression.
His finger on the trigger slowly pulled back.
Soon, a flash of fire erupted from the muzzle of his gun.
“...!”
Bang!
The thunderous roar in my ears and the dull pain that flared in my shoulder happened almost simultaneously.
It was painful enough to make my brow, which had been braced with a bitten lip, furrow deeply.
But ridiculously, the pain was just a stinging sensation, enough to make my eyes water slightly.
It was a faint agony, one I could endure without screaming if I clenched my teeth.
This is far more bearable than I imagined.
With that thought, I instinctively placed a hand on my aching right shoulder.
Immediately, something sticky coated my fingertips.
'This… doesn't feel like blood.'
What stained my arm wasn't blood, but a sticky, pitch-black liquid.
Could this be the serum?
But my arm had no bullet wound; there was only a throbbing ache, as if I'd been bruised.
Could the Fixer Association's serum possibly work this way?
With somewhat trembling eyes, I cautiously looked up at Raven.
He slowly lowered the black gun toward the floor and walked over to me.
“...So, your answer is that you're willing to give up your psychic power?”
“...”
“Hoo, right... This should be enough for those old geezers to understand.”
Raven tucked the gun away and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
He then knelt to meet my eyes and carefully wiped the black liquid from my shoulder.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been coldly threatening me just moments ago.
He exuded the same gentle atmosphere as usual.
Bewildered, I tilted my head at him as he came closer.
He took one of my arms, closed his eyes with a small sigh, and spoke.
“I feel a little bad that you actually believed me. The truth is, a serum that eliminates psychic powers… is a lie. Such a convenient thing doesn't exist.”
“...?!”
A-a lie? But I really believed him.
I stared at Raven blankly, a sense of injustice in my eyes.
Thinking about it now, though, it had to be a lie.
As someone who knew the future through the original story, I knew that no such power-suppressing item would ever appear.
Then why on earth did he lie to me like that?
Raven gently touched my arm, his expression unreadable as he began to speak.
“You spoke with the old man… with Tempest, during the Fixer exam, right? And you were immediately found out as a psychic.”
“...!”
How did he...?
I instinctively straightened my back, my eyes widening.
He let out a dry laugh, his face calm as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“How did I know? Because I heard it from the man himself, you dummy. You think that tight-lipped old man would go around blabbing about it?”
It seemed Raven had met with Tempest in person.
The two had known each other since the war, so it wouldn't be strange for him to visit Tempest in the hospital.
But what did that have to do with this lie?
As Raven wiped my arm with the handkerchief, I urged him with my eyes to explain in more detail.
Perhaps my silent, persistent persuasion finally worked.
He set aside the handkerchief, now stained with the black liquid, and stood up.
“You said you didn't want the Fixer Association's protection, right? So the old man entrusted your identity to me. A psychic who shows no signs of mental corruption… It would be an absurd hassle if information about you leaked.”
“...”
I see. It seems my conversation with Tempest on the airship had determined that I would be placed in Raven's care.
It was scary enough that he'd figured out in that short time that Raven was the Fixer closest to me.
But to think my situation would be decided automatically without even asking for my opinion.
It wasn't an offer I had any reason to refuse, but it still felt strange somehow.
As I was feeling this vague sense of confusion, he said something rather shocking.
“But there was one condition for me to take you in. And that was… to know for sure if you were truly on humanity's side.”
“...!”
“That's right. Everything up until now was a test to find out your true intentions. Whether you would accept the situation, even if it meant losing your powers. Or whether you would prioritize your powers, even if it meant giving up everything else. Until I knew that, I couldn't just take you in.”
As he spoke, Raven's face was filled with an earnestness that held no trace of deceit.
If I had tried to refuse his serum, Raven would have judged me as an enemy.
To think that a single choice could have so drastically changed my fate.
A cold sweat trickled down my back, but I was deeply relieved that I had made the right decision.
'Ugh… Good thing I didn't eat the pizza… I was so tense, I would've definitely gotten indigestion.'
So, does this mean I've finally become someone Raven can truly trust?
My arm, hit by the fake bullet, still stung and throbbed as if I'd been shot with a paintball.
But for now, the joy I felt was so overwhelming that I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from turning up.
If I can earn the trust of the people I care about, I can endure this kind of pain dozens of times over.
Perhaps a joy button had been pressed in my brain, flooding it with adrenaline.
“...Hah, wait here a moment.”
“...?”
Raven left me sitting half-collapsed in the chair, exhausted, and went deeper into the office.
Less than a minute later, he returned, carrying a handful of things.
He pushed aside the box with the cold, cheese-hardened pizza and dumped the items onto the table.
What's all this stuff he brought?
Just as my exhausted self was about to get up, Raven picked up one of the items and uttered the most shocking words yet.
“This is your temporary ID, made by the Association.”
“...!”
An-an ID?
I shot up from my chair and hastily grabbed the card he was holding.
It was a rectangular card, just like the IDs I'd seen Raven and Alice carry.
On the ID, where a photo should be, a familiar yet strange name was clearly engraved.
[ Yuria Crowley ]
I recognize the first name, but the last name… that's Raven's surname.
My mouth hung open as I looked at him, a 'no way' thought running through my head.
Raven rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and averted his gaze.
“Well… it’ll be easier to explain to others that you’re my adopted younger sister.”
I froze.
Just as I was about to feel pure joy, I was suddenly struck by a complex emotion.
Raven's younger sister… That was a position that carried some weight.
But right now, I'm the only one who knows the truth about that.
There's no reason to overreact.
“...”
“Ugh, alright, alright… Don't cry. It just makes me feel worse for hurting you.”
So, after a moment of hesitation, I walked over to Raven to hide my expression.
I looked up at him carefully and gave him a tight hug around his waist, as if to say thank you.
Giving me the identity of his sister was, after all, an act of his kindness.
The pain in my arm was one thing, but I was simply grateful that he had shown me such trust.
It had been almost half a year since I fell into this world, and for the first time, I truly felt like I had been accepted into it.