Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: A Chaotic Date with a Beastkin and a Demon (7)
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But the anger, so hot it was almost headache-inducing, swept over me for only a moment.
Emotional actions usually lead to worse outcomes than rational ones.
I remembered how I'd nearly ended up cold on the ground after losing my temper and rampaging against Drakel, so I forced down the simmering heat and continued to think calmly.
‘In this situation, even with my ability to see contracts, passing through this tunnel is out of the question. These are contracts that bind you by force, risking your life. Just flying through the air won't be enough to avoid them.’
Looking closely at the red text scrawled all over the subway tracks, I saw that some contracts were formed not just by direct contact, but simply by passing nearby.
That was probably to account for anyone trying to pass through in a vehicle.
This meant there was a high chance of a contract being forcibly triggered, even if I used psychokinesis to avoid touching the ground.
What's more, the text would restore itself if damaged, and without the Eye of Contracts, you wouldn't even know what was written where.
It was no wonder the police force responsible for maintaining order in Nighthaven was struggling against a single demon.
Of course, it would be a different story if a powerful mage who could overpower the laws of contracts or an android unbound by them were to step in…
‘From my perspective, if someone like that shows up, I won't be able to intervene anymore. In other words, this is a race against time.’
If the police get here, it's game over.
While they're tied up like this, I have to get inside and resolve the situation.
To do that, I'll have to come up with an unconventional method, perhaps one only I can use.
But how am I supposed to think of something like that in such a short time!
As I racked my brain, I suddenly noticed something strange about the text.
‘Those letters… aren't they moving?’
I stared intently at the wall with my right eye, the effect of the Eye of Contracts still active.
The densely packed letters there were indeed moving subtly.
Why are they moving?
I tilted my head in confusion for a moment, then realized they were moving from the inside of the tunnel outward. I immediately understood why.
‘Ah, I was wondering how the letters were carved here. So this is how.’
It made sense when I thought about it.
The sheer volume was too much for Answer to have carved each letter herself.
It was more logical to assume the letters were spreading out from a central point.
Of course, if you asked me how that was possible, I wouldn't have an answer.
‘Wait, the letters can be moved? Does that mean…’
On a whim, I carefully extended my psychokinesis and gently prodded one of the less harmful-looking letters.
Something incredible happened. I had touched a contract that should have caused an intense itching sensation, yet nothing happened to my body.
‘…Could it be that contact via psychokinesis doesn't count as me touching it?’
I continued to mull it over, gathering every clue I had so far.
Letters that weren't carved but spread across the walls and floor, psychokinesis that didn't react with the demon's contracts, and the Eye of Contracts that let me see their contents.
Maybe… this could work.
I spread my psychokinesis out into a thin sheet, like plastic wrap, and brought it close to the approaching letters.
Then, something interesting happened. As if perceiving my psychokinesis as part of the subway tunnel, the letters began to crawl over it.
The contract, which should have restored itself if damaged, didn't stir at all. The letters drifted freely over my psychokinesis.
Just as I expected. I couldn't help but grin.
‘I see. This is an automated magic, a kind of program that runs independently of the user's will! That's why it doesn't react to psychokinesis. It's a power that exists in neither Earth nor this other world!’
These forced contracts filling the subway tunnel were, on second thought, a truly tricky obstacle.
Without the Eye of Contracts, you wouldn't know what was written where. And even with it, touching them would trigger a harmful contract, making it difficult to deal with.
On top of that, they restored themselves if you tried to destroy them with magic, and you couldn't just dig a new path since this was underground in a dense urban area.
But if there was one thing the creator hadn't anticipated… it would be the existence of psychokinesis, a power that followed the laws of another world and belonged to neither.
To not even recognize psychokinesis and treat it as part of the tunnel… for me, this was no different from an unlocked door.
‘Well, I'm grateful for it.’
Focusing a little harder, I carefully tore the letters I'd captured with my psychokinesis apart, word by word.
Then I brought the fragmented letters before me and reassembled them to my liking.
Perhaps it perceived the letters' positions as merely shifted, rather than physically or magically damaged. The text showed no sign of reverting to its original state.
[ This contract subject shall ignore all future contracts proposed by the contractor, Answer. ]
That was the sentence I created in the air.
Since the letters themselves were created by a demon, this sentence had to be effective.
Convinced of this, I didn't hesitate to clench my hand around the text.
Immediately, just like when I'd torn the napkin earlier, I felt a momentary sense of connection to something.
Did that do it?
I quickly moved forward and placed my hand on some random text on the wall.
And just as I expected, nothing happened to my body.
The contract I had assembled with psychokinesis had taken effect perfectly.
‘Looks like they didn't really think about security.’
After testing it a couple more times and confirming the contracts had no effect on me, I firmly planted my feet on a platform of psychokinesis and shot through the subway tunnel as if flying.
The deeper I went, the denser the contract text became, creating a scene that looked more like a painting than writing.
But the contract I'd made beforehand held strong, and I was able to push deeper without any interference.
How far had I gone down the winding tracks? At last, I reached a station where the train could stop.
The place seemed completely deserted, filled with a deathly silence.
‘So this is Libra Station.’
As I reached Libra Station, I couldn't help but frown at the suffocating scene before me.
It was obviously the epicenter of the incident. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all smeared crimson, the text so dense it was overwhelming.
Considering each of these letters was made of mana, it was a dizzying sight created by an absurd amount of magical energy.
‘There.’
Thanks to that, finding my way wasn't difficult. By heading from where the text was sparse to where it was densest, I was bound to reach the center.
Wary of a surprise attack, I moved forward cautiously and soon found Answer not far away.
‘…This is just too much.’
I couldn't help but be horrified by her appearance.
Answer stood alone on the tracks, eyes closed as if in prayer.
From between her closed eyelids, something red, like tears of blood, streamed down endlessly.
What trickled down her body and pooled on the floor was none other than the text.
The red letters that filled the subway tunnel were originating from right here.
The scene was so surreal. I waded through the flowing letters on the floor and approached Answer.
Up close, I could see that Answer was as still as a corpse, shedding only red tears.
And in the wound on her chest, which was torn open so deeply I could see inside, a silver object of unmistakable identity was firmly embedded.
‘This is… a fragment. And it holds far more power than the one Raven had.’
The situation was so horrific I felt as if I'd been struck in the head.
At the same time, I realized I had been gravely mistaken.
Resolving a misunderstanding with the police? An Invader brainwashing someone?
I was a fool for thinking that those trying to destroy the world would stop at something so lukewarm.
To use the power of an Invader's fragment to force her beyond her limits and then just leave her like this…
This was no different from stuffing firewood inside a person and burning their body for fuel.
…At this point, there was no way to save Answer.
She was now little more than a doll in Answer's form, carrying out her last orders.
Even if I used healing magic powerful enough to restore a dismembered body, she, whose soul was already so deeply wounded, would never come back to life.
“…”
I reached out and touched Answer's face.
All I felt was a deathly chill, like touching a corpse.
It's cruel to say, but I wasn't overcome with sadness. After all, I had only met her today.
People died all the time in Nighthaven.
If I grieved for every single one, my tears would never dry.
But that didn't mean I felt nothing at all.
It was just… just so pitiful. She didn't deserve to be treated so cruelly.
So I covered Answer's hand with my own and prayed with her, for her.
May her soul, at least, return safely. It was the best I could do for her now.
‘I should end her suffering here. That will be a mercy for her.’
Suppressing my anguish, I slowly reached for the fragment embedded in Answer's chest.
She was only being sustained in this state by the immense energy flowing from the fragment. I intended to sever that connection and end this whole mess.
And the moment my hand finally touched the fragment, a powerful current seemed to surge backward. A flood of immense energy and memories from an unknown owner flowed up my arm and into my mind.
The owner of those memories was none other than Answer.