Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Yuria Repays a Debt (3)
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Inside an abandoned commercial building nearby.
The place, thick with dust from long neglect, was perfect for tormenting someone.
No matter how loud you screamed, the sound wouldn't easily escape outside.
“You cowards! Attacking me when my guard was down! No matter what you do, I'll never talk! Go ahead, torture me all you want! You think I'll so much as utter a peep?”
Dangling.
The werewolf, bound tightly in ropes, shouted as he hung upside down.
His eyes burned with the resolute determination to remain silent, no matter the torture.
But perhaps because of his nonsense, which made it sound like *we* were the bad guys…
Raven looked at the werewolf swinging in the air with an expression of disbelief.
“This is absurd. Let's get our facts straight. You were the one trying to ambush us. Did you think I didn't see you watching us through that crack in the wall?”
“Kuh… Shut up! A mere human! Don't talk back to me!”
“Tsk, there's no talking to you. Part-timer, do it.”
“...!”
With Raven's permission, I excitedly pulled something out of the bag.
A special torture device that could make the werewolf suffer immensely!
Its identity was none other than a lemon.
A lemon, all of a sudden? Isn't that just a fruit you eat?
Tsk, tsk. You don't know anything. To canines with their sensitive noses, a lemon is terrible torment.
Naturally, for a werewolf, whose sense of smell was just as sharp as a dog's, it was a fatal weakness.
I used the small knife Raven had lent me to cut the lemon in half, then held the fleshy part up to the man's nose and squeezed it hard, as if juicing it.
“Graaaaargh! Stop! Stooooop!”
“Part-timer. That's enough.”
“...”
Drip, drip.
Saliva dripped from the werewolf's mouth.
It probably wasn't because it was delicious, but because the agonizingly sour scent was overstimulating his salivary glands.
Was he in the mood to talk now?
Raven met the eyes of the man, who was breathing heavily, and spoke in a clear, distinct voice.
“What scheme brought you sneaking into the city? Are you some kind of guard dog for this area?”
“H-how dare you...! I am the great Sergeant Brellan of the werewolf corps! I am not some mere guard dog to be trifled with!”
“Hmm, I see. Well... my mistake, Sergeant Brellan.”
“What...! How do you know my name when I never told you!”
...At this point, isn't he basically just a dog?
Watching Raven's interrogation silently, I pressed a hand to my forehead at the sight of this man who clearly had a screw loose.
Even if werewolves weren't known for their intelligence, I didn't think they were so dense that they wouldn't notice themselves blurting out their own name...
Or maybe the lemon torture had exhausted him so much that his brain had just checked out.
A lemon that makes you tell the truth. It certainly was a powerful stimulus.
“Kugh... Is our information being leaked! There can't be any humans who know my identity!”
“...Is that so.”
No, is it just this guy who's weird? The average werewolf isn't like this, right?
I felt second-hand embarrassment just watching Brellan and quietly stared up at the ceiling.
But whether I was clutching my head in despair or not...
Raven, seeming to realize he'd hooked a real sucker, gently prodded him to scrape together information.
“Hmph, it's simple. We've already planted a spy on your side. In fact, the only reason we could catch you so easily is because our spy told us your location.”
“Wh-what did you say!”
He started by bringing up a nonexistent spy, subtly pressuring Brellan.
Normally, one would dismiss it as nonsense, but the man hanging upside down trembled, his eyes shaking wildly. *He actually believes this?*
“You have a new recruit who joined recently, don't you?”
“A new recruit... you mean the one who joined ten years ago!”
“...No. Not a corps member, a regular staff member. Surely our informant wouldn't be a troublesome werewolf, right?”
“Th-then... could it be, the dark elves who joined during the reorganization! I knew it was those gloomy bastards! I knew they were the traitors!”
Brellan, with no intention of hiding anything, spilled information every time Raven prodded him.
His security was as shoddy as an automatic feeder that dispenses food at the push of a button.
And at this point, even I could figure out which organization he belonged to.
Formed over ten years ago, with a werewolf corps and dark elf members.
The only place that fit those conditions... no matter how I thought about it, was the Metahuman Liberation Army, right?
*I can't believe we'd get tangled up with them like this.*
The Metahuman Liberation Army.
They were the villain group that dominated the early part of the *Fixer* comic.
Their goal was incredibly simple.
To push humanity aside and make metahumans the new rulers of Earth.
Naturally, given that goal, they were largely responsible for the major conflicts between humans and metahumans up until now.
It was publicly known that they had lost momentum about ten years ago when the truce was called because of the Invaders.
But in reality, they had been secretly gathering strength, and their rampage was one of the main storylines in *Fixer*.
In other words, they were enemies that Raven would inevitably clash with!
At that, I, who had been half-relaxed, narrowed my eyes and naturally went on alert.
Raven, who could intuitively sense the truth in someone's words, must have also noticed that the man wasn't lying.
Without showing any sign that he'd realized this, he smoothly extracted more information from Brellan.
“Hmm... so that's how it is. Right. I understand. This should be enough.”
“What does that... Gack!”
The enemy's approximate size, their ultimate goal, and their main hiding spots.
After extracting enough information, Raven chopped the back of Brellan's neck with the side of his hand, knocking him out.
The series of movements was as fluid as flowing water.
Even after being struck, the man's eyes rolled back in his head, seemingly unaware of why he was losing consciousness.
“For now, your role is over. You'll be at the police station when you wake up. The rest is up to them.”
“...!”
A hand-chop.
I heard that doesn't actually work in real life. Is it because he has such extraordinary senses?
That's so cool. I should practice that next time.
Whether he knew what I was thinking or not...
Raven crossed his arms and muttered to himself, as if he'd gotten tangled up in something very troublesome.
“The Metahuman Liberation Army... Good grief. Greg really got himself tangled up with some troublesome folks.”
They were certainly a troublesome bunch.
An extremist militant group with the ideology that all metahumans must follow them.
It was highly likely they were after Greg, trying to recruit someone with his considerable strength.
This means we might have to fight a real enemy soon.
Raven glanced at me with an expression that seemed to say just that.
Was that a look telling me I should stay out of it because I'd just be in the way?
“...!”
No way. I'm not staying out of this.
I took a step forward as if to make a strong statement.
There's no way I'm backing down after coming this far. You'll have to knock me out first!
Perhaps because I was showing my firm resolve, straightening my back and lifting my chin...
He seemed to ponder for a moment before letting out a small sigh and speaking.
“You already know what I'm going to say, don't you? To be honest, as a Fixer, I can't take you with me.”
“...”
“So back down and wait here. I'll bring Greg back without a scratch. If you have a problem with that... you can try fighting me. As long as I'm conscious, I will never allow it.”
*Rumble...!*
Raven unleashed an aura that seemed to press down on the very space around us.
The sheer presence he exuded as a living being felt like someone was choking me.
It was an even stronger pressure than Drakel's or Lexi's, and my legs started to tremble against my will.
*Ugh, I have to go... But without Raven's help... I can't save Greg either...!*
Neither option was one I wanted to choose.
Overpower Raven and go save Greg by myself.
Or just sit back and watch while Raven saves Greg.
Logically, the latter was the only choice.
After all, Raven would help Greg no matter what.
So, giving up my stubbornness here was the best thing for Greg.
My arms fell limply to my sides. Did he realize I had given in?
Raven withdrew his aura and approached me with a complicated expression.
“...I'm sorry. I will absolutely bring him back safely. Just wait a little while.”
“...”
*Pat.*
Raven's hand gently rested on the top of my head.
But the gesture, which I would normally have happily accepted, brought me no joy right now.
After that, he left without any hesitation.
For some reason, Raven's retreating back looked like that of a man carrying a heavy burden.
*I can help, too.*
I was depressed. To be honest, I'd just teared up a little.
Regret welled up inside me, making me think I should have just revealed I was a psychic and followed him.
But in the end, I couldn't do it because I was a coward.
I was too scared of how the way he looked at me might change.
It's pathetic, isn't it? Saying I want to help Greg, but being afraid of something like this.
I felt like digging a hole and burying myself in it.
[ Mama.... ]
*It's okay. Thank you for worrying.*
I carefully stroked the concerned Tesseract and slumped onto the dusty floor.
Should I just wrap myself in a cloth like before and storm out?
But I had no idea where to go, so it was a meaningless thought.
*Ping.*
Just then, a sound came from the Echo in my pocket.
An alert. Did I get an email or something?
I listlessly fumbled in my pocket, took out the Echo, and checked its contents.
And there was an email with unbelievable contents.
[ Mr. Raven, I've finished analyzing the coordinates you requested. The person you're looking for seems to be around here on the map. And the Metahuman Liberation Army is a little ways off, around here.... ]
I checked, and the sender was none other than David.
Could he have meant to send the email to Raven and sent it to me by mistake?
If so, there could be no more helpful coincidence.
I made a promise, so I should just stay put? Why should I?
I immediately shot up from my seat and looked around.
And not too far away, I found a dirty cloth lying on the ground.
Finally, it was time for the ghost to return.