A desolate building on the outskirts of Belmond.
The place was so barren it was hard to tell when it was last touched by human hands.
It was inevitable.
Belmond was a declining city, with younger generations leaving in droves.
Naturally, the outskirts bore the marks of what they left behind when they departed.
But everything has two sides.
Just as a poison that kills in large doses can serve as medicine in small amounts,
a place abandoned by prying eyes and attention could become a haven for unwelcome guests.
Shhh.
A woman squinted her eyes, narrowing them almost to slits, as she cautiously peeked through the curtains into the dark outside.
“It seems... there’s no sign of anyone approaching yet.”
“Phew, in that case... we can catch our breath for a moment.”
Fortunately, there were no signs of the enemy nearby just yet.
After confirming this, she carefully drew the curtains tight, ensuring not even the smallest gap remained between the window and the fabric.
The woman placed a portable lamp with the faintest of lights onto a shelf at a moderate height.
As the dim glow lit up the room, her gaze fell on a green-skinned man.
The man’s green skin made his appearance particularly striking.
His upper body was wrapped entirely in bandages, as if he had replaced clothing with them.
However, the blood-soaked state of those bandages made it clear this wasn’t for show.
His condition was so dire it seemed a miracle he could even sit upright.
The woman bit her lip at the sight of the man’s battered figure, once again uttering words she’d repeated countless times before.
“I’m sorry, Greg. This is all because of me...”
“...Karen, didn’t we agree not to talk about that anymore?”
“But...”
“Enough. One more apology, and you’ll hit a hundred.”
Greg, the bandaged orc, waved his hand dismissively as if he was tired of hearing it.
Over the past two weeks, he’d heard the same apology so many times it was practically ingrained in his mind.
Yet, no matter how many times Greg dismissed her guilt, the shadow on her face didn’t fade.
The fact that Greg had gotten involved in this incident despite having nothing to do with it remained unchanged.
Karen collapsed onto the floor near Greg, curling up as she muttered bitterly.
“Maybe... I should’ve just complied with their demands...”
For over two weeks, she and Greg had been fleeing across cities and countries without rest.
The reason? A relentless and persistent pursuer.
That pursuer was none other than the Multispecies Liberation Army.
They sought to recruit Karen, a genius arachne with unparalleled skill in magic control.
But Karen couldn’t agree with the Liberation Army’s belief that all humans must be enslaved.
She was already content with her life and saw no reason to harbor such hostility toward humanity.
The Liberation Army, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer. They attempted to abduct her by force, and Greg happened to be there at the time to deliver an item to her.
That was all it took for Greg to be dragged into this mess—Karen’s source of overwhelming guilt.
“What a trivial worry.”
“Ugh, trivial?! You know how sorry I am about this!”
Greg, showing no sympathy for Karen’s melancholy, delivered his usual blunt retort.
She flared up like a wriggling caterpillar, but he continued speaking calmly.
“Hmph. I dislike people who impose their will without considering others’ circumstances. So I intervened simply because I didn’t like them. Whatever you think doesn’t matter to me.”
“Even so...”
“And for an orc, these wounds will heal quickly. What you’re doing is like taking a scraped knee to the emergency room. In other words, unnecessary worry.”
“....”
Karen had no reply.
She couldn’t tell if Greg truly believed his injuries were trivial or if he was just putting on a brave face.
What was certain, however, was that Greg was much weaker now than he’d been two weeks ago.
The relentless pursuit by their enemies hadn’t given him any time to properly recover.
No matter how strong someone is, continuous skirmishes without time to recuperate will inevitably wear them down.
And as time passed, it became increasingly clear that the advantage lay with their pursuers, not them—a fact that gnawed at Karen’s resolve.
‘Greg may still be holding on... but at this rate... there’s no hope...’
Karen felt like she was adrift in a dark and endless sea with no sense of direction.
If only there was a light shining beyond the thick darkness.
But instead, the fear of sinking deeper into the abyss slowly tightened around her like a noose.
Did Greg sense the fear in her heart?
Breathing deeply as if in sleep, Greg suddenly spoke, his voice directed at Karen.
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“Don’t worry too much. There’s still a chance.”
“But Greg, you said this might be the turning point. Doesn’t that mean we could all get captured here...?”
“No, what I meant was that this tiresome chase could end today—whether for better or for worse.”
"Good outcome? That’s impossible."
Karen bit her tongue, suppressing the urge to voice her thoughts, and forced herself to calm down.
To be honest, even to someone like her, who had no experience in combat, the odds didn’t seem favorable.
Their pursuers included enemies on par with Greg—or perhaps even stronger.
Greg himself was already a monster capable of crushing steel with his bare hands and effortlessly lifting cars.
Yet, even he couldn’t guarantee victory in a head-on clash with two formidable opponents.
Even if Greg had managed to send a signal for external help, expecting reinforcements to arrive tonight was overly optimistic.
And even if they did arrive in time...
The overwhelming forces of the Liberation Army and the presence of such powerful enemies would be enough to break anyone’s resolve.
‘I’m sorry, Greg. I dragged you into this mess...’
Karen felt nothing but guilt toward Greg.
Despite his gruff demeanor, he was an absurdly kind person.
The fact that he’d been caught up in all of this because of her tore her apart.
Awooo—
A wolf’s howl echoed in the distance.
It seemed another relentless night was descending upon them.
*
Having wrapped myself in a dusty cloth, I sprinted through the dark streets of Belmond.
The path was entirely unfamiliar.
I had no idea whether to turn left or right.
But that didn’t matter, thanks to the Echo, which served as a navigation device, guiding me along the way.
[Master, turn right here, then take a left when you see a tilted sign. That should lead you to the location!]
With its guidance, I could move without hesitation. “Thanks,” I thought, cutting through the air as I propelled myself forward using telekinesis.
It felt as if a limiter had been removed from my powers—my telekinesis was at its peak.
[Hehehe, you’re welcome!]
[That’s not fair! I want Mama to praise me too!]
“Tesseract, thank you too. You’ve been a great comfort.”
[Hehe. Really?]
These adorable little things.
Their pure delight at receiving a compliment brought an involuntary smile to my face.
What exactly was I to them, that a bit of praise could bring them such joy?
The heavy burden weighing on my chest felt just a little lighter.
Then, suddenly, I sensed something unsettling ahead.
A sharp intuition told me that continuing forward as I was would lead to disaster.
I slowed down immediately, pressing myself flat against the outer wall of a building.
Ears pricked, I focused on the faint sounds beyond. Though I couldn’t make out the words, I could hear voices.
‘Echo, do you sense any devices nearby?’
[Yes, I detect two devices.]
‘Can you hack them and listen in?’
[I’ll give it a try.]
The Echo’s response carried a hint of hesitation, as though this was something it hadn’t done before.
But I trusted its abilities.
As a device capable of making calls and accessing the internet without a number, hacking nearby devices seemed well within its capabilities.
My confidence was rewarded when the Echo quickly responded.
[Success! Shall I reconstruct the audio for you?]
“No, just summarize the key points.”
[Understood. It seems they’re werewolves pursuing a specific target, and they’re very close to that target now.]
I instinctively knew that the target was Greg.
There was no time to hesitate.
With telekinesis as my platform, I leapt high—higher than ever before.
When I reached the position directly above the two werewolves, I used gravity to accelerate my descent, plummeting toward the ground like a meteor.
“So anyway—huh?!”
“En-emy! Urk—!”
Crash!
Before they could react, I used telekinesis to clamp their mouths shut and gripped their necks, lifting them into the air.
Werewolves excelled in brute strength, sharp claws, and rapid healing, able to recover from even severe wounds.
But that also meant they were powerless against superior force, making them little more than sturdy scarecrows.
The werewolves flailed and struggled with all their might, but once caught, their resistance was meaningless.
“Grk...!”
“Urghh...”
Thud.
The two unconscious werewolves collapsed to the ground.
They weren’t in critical condition—just knocked out.
I tied their arms and legs tightly with the sturdy carbon-fiber rope I’d brought, then hid them in a corner where they wouldn’t be easily discovered.
With that done, I resumed my journey toward the coordinates in the message.
It seemed like tonight was going to be a very long night.