The Tesseract, which had been dormant, awakened, the Invaders’ schemes were thwarted, and even Anser, who seemed beyond saving, was now safe.
In some ways, it felt like everything had gone better than anyone could have hoped for.
The tension that had been unconsciously gripping me started to ease—it was inevitable.
But when Anser, still unconscious, collapsed weakly, and I barely caught her before she hit the ground, reality hit me all at once.
“...It’s not time to relax just yet. This is just the beginning.”
When I thought about it, unresolved problems were still piling up.
The biggest of them was that I had to get out of here before the police caught me.
Being mistaken as the one who caused this entire incident was a real possibility.
And if someone spotted me using telekinesis, it would cause an uproar. Even if I cooperated and got caught, the fact that I didn’t have an official identity would create serious complications.
So, avoiding capture by the police was the top priority.
But... thanks to the contract seals Anser had scattered everywhere, the area was completely locked down. Just breaking through the perimeter to escape seemed like a monumental challenge.
“And then there’s the question of whether I should leave Anser behind or take her with me.”
From what I heard on the police radio, Anser had already been identified as a suspect in the incident.
If I ran away with her, the pursuit might never end.
Once you’re marked as a target, things won’t stop until you’ve escaped Night Haven entirely.
But leaving her behind didn’t sit well with me either. The scale of this incident was too big to ignore.
A subway station completely shut down, every train in the area stopped?
Even without a precise calculation, the financial damage was astronomical.
It wasn’t fair—Anser had been manipulated, just another victim. Yet, there was a real chance she’d take the fall for everything.
“Argh! My head hurts! What the hell am I supposed to do? I have no idea!”
I caught Anser mid-fall with my telekinesis while clutching my head, feeling like it might split from the pressure.
Time was running out. The contract seals Anser scattered would have expired by now.
But no matter which choice I made, none of them felt like the right one.
Ah, how nice it would be to have some magic item that could solve all my problems!
As I thought that, my eyes fell on the Tesseract rolling around in my palm.
Hmm, using the Tesseract to fix this situation seemed tricky right now.
First, I didn’t really have anything to offer in exchange. Second, the Tesseract wasn’t some kind of all-powerful wish-granting tool.
“The Tesseract only forces out the possibilities a person holds within themselves. It could heal Anser and me to a perfect condition, sure, but... as for right now, it’s not much help.”
If this doesn’t work and that doesn’t work, then what the hell should I do?!
As I wandered in circles, I slapped my cheeks with both hands to snap myself out of it.
First, escape. Think later.
Feeling the stinging sensation on my cheeks, I resolved to get out of here.
No matter how tangled things get, I’ll figure it out somehow!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“...”
The ground rumbled from a distance.
It seemed the police, previously blocked from entering, were starting to pour in.
I had about two minutes, give or take.
In that short time, I needed to escape like magic. Was it even possible?
“Wait a second... Maybe if I...”
As I scanned my surroundings, an idea suddenly sparked in my mind.
What was the biggest problem right now?
It was that escaping unnoticed in this cramped subway track seemed impossible.
But if I just made sure no one saw me, wouldn’t most of the problem be solved?
“...!”
An idea came to mind, and without hesitation, I stomped hard on the ground.
Using telekinesis, I reached out and grabbed hold of the objects beneath my feet.
What I seized was the gravel under the tracks, used to reduce noise and absorb shocks—a foundational cushioning material.
Maybe it was because of the energy boost I’d gotten from the Invader fragment, but the weight of the gravel I lifted was over two tons.
“And if I just... clump it together like this!”
The gravel floated into the air, condensing like clay before me.
Within moments, it had formed into a towering figure.
If I had to name it, I’d call it... Gravel Golem.
Climbing onto the newly created massive golem, I placed Anser carefully on its hand and tucked myself inside its body.
The gravel was filthy and dusty, but... my makeshift tablecloth cloak would take the brunt of it. I didn’t need to worry about that part.
“All right, let’s go. Back the way we came!”
Thud! Thud!
Controlled by my telekinesis, the Gravel Golem began running along the tracks.
Even though I’d hastily constructed it, its joints moved well enough, allowing us to cross the underground passage quickly.
“L-Lieutenant! There’s something weird down here!”
“Requesting backup! There’s some kind of monster in the tracks! Gah!”
“What kind of strength is this?!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Gravel Golem smashed through everything in its path.
Of course, a full-speed collision with a two-ton golem would reduce a person to paste, so I discreetly used telekinesis to push them aside instead.
At over three meters tall, with unstoppable momentum, the golem struck fear into the advancing police squad.
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Despite their preparations, they were helpless before the sudden onslaught.
But just as I thought I’d broken through, I sensed an ominous presence behind me.
“Step aside! Procella!”
Boom!
A whirlwind shot through the subway tunnel, hurtling toward me with devastating force.
If it hit, even the Gravel Golem would lose half its body.
Magic truly was terrifying—the sheer power of it sent chills down my spine.
Still, I wasn’t worried. I was running on the tracks, after all...
And I could freely manipulate the gravel beneath them!
“Block it!”
As the golem stomped down hard, I used telekinesis to lift the gravel under the tracks.
In an instant, a thick barrier of gravel formed in the air.
The whirlwind clashed with the barrier, its rotational force neutralized by the spinning gravel.
The powerful magic dissipated, scattering harmlessly.
“What the...?”
“Even the lieutenant’s magic?!”
Was it possible they hadn’t expected their carefully prepared magic to be blocked so effortlessly?
With their formation in complete disarray, the police had no way to stop the Gravel Golem, which rampaged like a runaway train.
Once the perimeter was breached, it was an open highway.
I sprinted down the tracks, which were now devoid of trains, and quickly made my way to the exit.
“I actually got through...! I went all in on a crazy gamble, and it worked.”
The Gravel Golem I had created was an unstoppable force by normal standards, practically a freight train in motion.
Of course, someone like Alice could probably slice it clean in half without breaking a sweat—it was still just a mid-tier minion at best.
Still, I had to credit sheer luck for the success. The wide-spread perimeter had left enough weak points for me to exploit.
Some might question my actions here.
If I was trying to hide my identity, why go on such a rampage?
But even this was part of a carefully thought-out plan.
Let’s break it down. The two things I was most worried about:
First, my identity being exposed, which would turn me into a fugitive in this city.
Second, Anser being framed as the sole culprit behind everything.
By going on this blatant rampage with the Gravel Golem, I could address both concerns at once.
As long as I concealed the connection between me and the Golem, I could naturally slip out of the perimeter.
“No one’s watching now. This is my chance!”
Emerging from the subway tracks, I rolled out of the back of the Gravel Golem and slipped into the shadows between nearby buildings.
Meanwhile, the Golem continued charging forward like a runaway locomotive, thanks to my telekinetic control.
The only downside to my telekinesis was that its precision and strength weakened with distance.
The further the Golem moved away, the harder it became to maintain control.
“Just a little more... Just hold out a little longer...”
I gritted my teeth, hiding between the buildings, maintaining my connection with the Golem.
“Come on, someone, anyone, stop it already!”
As if in response to my desperate wish, someone stepped forward to halt the Golem’s rampage.
That someone was none other than Ethan, the man I’d encountered earlier.
“Stop, Golem. Surrender and stand down.”
“...”
“Oh? So that’s how you want to play it? Fine. In that case, you’re now an accomplice. I’m arresting you on the spot.”
Ignoring Ethan’s command, the Golem continued carrying Anser as it marched forward. Ethan smirked, drawing a standard police baton from his belt.
“Captain Ethan of Special Team 3. I’ve encountered an accomplice fleeing with the suspect. Location: tunnel entrance. Attempting to apprehend. Requesting backup.”
Thud. Thud.
The Gravel Golem thundered down the tracks, its massive body closing in on Ethan.
In this critical moment, Ethan calmly relayed his report over the radio, unfazed by the looming danger.
Finally, as the Golem approached, Ethan swung his baton upward with incredible force.
Crack!
The multi-ton Golem was launched off the ground.
In the same fluid motion, Ethan caught Anser mid-air as she was thrown from the Golem’s grasp.
With a swift turn, he delivered a spinning kick to the Golem’s midsection.
The massive creature was sent flying off the tracks, crashing into an empty zone and shattering on impact.
It was unbelievable—no ordinary person could pull off something like that.
I knew Ethan was strong, but this was on another level. He actually did it?
“Why do you keep making things so troublesome? Captain Ethan, suspect apprehended. Both targets secured. Someone inform HQ.”
Ethan, holding Anser’s limp body, approached the fallen Golem without hesitation.
“Both targets,” he said.
Apparently, he believed the Golem was some kind of otherworldly being.
It made sense.
If it were a proper golem, there would have been traces of magic detectable by anyone.
A massive figure moving on its own with no sign of magic?
To the uninformed, it might easily be mistaken for a type of stone golem.
“Now’s my chance!”
As Ethan reached the Golem, I finally released my telekinetic hold.
The Golem began to collapse, its body crumbling from the edges inward.
The sight of the massive figure melting away like a dissolving human form made Ethan furrow his brows.
“What... is this?”
Clink.
From the remnants of the Golem, a single metal fragment fell to the ground.
It was the Invader fragment that had been embedded in Anser’s chest earlier.
Now devoid of power, it appeared to be nothing more than a harmless piece of scrap metal.
But if the police sent it to a lab for analysis, they’d likely realize it was an artifact of the Invaders.
If that happened, they’d naturally conclude that Anser wasn’t acting alone—that there were other forces at play.
She’d go from being a criminal to a victim exploited by the true culprits.
“If that happens... Well, good.”
After confirming Ethan had retrieved the Invader fragment, I quietly slipped away.
This was the best I could do. Whatever happens next is out of my hands.
If things go wrong, well, there’s nothing I can do about that.
The snow continued to fall.
I wondered when this endless winter would finally end.
At least the snow concealed my presence, allowing me to return to the Troubleshooter office without incident.
“Y-Yuria!”
“...”
Near the office, in a quiet park, Sabrina was waiting on a bench.
Her ears and nose were bright red as she scrolled through the news on her device.
The broadcast announced that the explosives at the station had been fully disarmed, and subway service was resuming. The situation over there was completely resolved.
“So, how did it go?”
“...!”
In response to Sabrina’s question, I removed my dusty makeshift cloak, gave her an awkward smile, and held up a cautious thumbs-up.
I guess that meant... mission accomplished?