LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 78
Inside a nearby abandoned commercial building.
This place, filled with thick dust and seemingly long neglected, was perfect for tormenting someone.
No matter how much you shout, your voice wouldn’t easily leak outside.
“You cowardly scoundrels! To ambush me when I’m off guard! I swear I won’t utter a word no matter what you do! Go ahead and torture me! Do you think I’ll squeal at all?”
*Dangle dangle.*
The werewolf, tightly bound and hanging upside down, shouted out like that.
In his eyes, there was a firm resolve to remain silent no matter the torture.
But perhaps because he was spouting nonsense that made it seem like we were the villains,
Raven looked at the swaying werewolf with disbelief and said,
“Unbelievable. You need to get your facts straight. It was you who was trying to ambush us. Did you think we didn’t notice you peering at us through the cracks in the wall?”
“Ugh… Shut up! You’re just a human! Don’t talk back!”
“Tch, no sense in talking to him. Worker, do your thing.”
“…!”
I pulled something from a bag with excitement after Raven’s permission.
A lethal torture device that could make the werewolf suffer immensely!
It was none other than a lemon.
Suddenly, a lemon? Isn’t that just a fruit you eat?
Tch tch. You clearly don’t know. For a canine with sensitive noses, a lemon is a terrible torture!
Naturally, it was a deadly weakness for a werewolf with a sense of smell as sharp as a dog’s.
I cut the lemon in half with the small knife Raven lent me and squeezed the flesh right over the guy’s nose.
“AAAAAH! Stop! PLEASE STOP!”
“Worker. That’s enough.”
“….”
Drip drip.
Drool fell from the werewolf’s mouth.
It probably wasn’t because it tasted good; it was more likely that the sour smell was irritating his salivary glands.
Maybe he was ready to talk again?
Raven locked eyes with the panting man and said clearly with a steady voice,
“What were you hiding in the city? Are you perhaps a guard dog for this area?”
“How dare…! I am Sergeant Brellan of the great Werewolf Corps! I’m not just some lowly guard dog!”
“Hmmm, I see. Seems I mistook you for an ordinary human. Sergeant Brellan.”
“What…! How do you know my name when I never told you!”
…Isn’t this guy acting like a real dog?
I facepalmed at the goofiness of the guy quietly observing Raven’s questioning.
I mean, even if werewolves weren’t the brightest, he shouldn’t be that oblivious to what he just said…
Or maybe he was so drained from the lemon torture that he lost some brain function.
A lemon that makes you spill the truth, huh? Yeah, that’s definitely a strong stimulus.
“Ugh… Is information leaking out? No human should know my identity!”
“…Is that so.”
Wait, is this guy just really weird? Aren’t werewolves generally smarter than this?
I looked up at the ceiling in embarrassment at Brellan’s behavior.
But no matter how I buried my head in my hands.
It seemed Raven sensed he had caught a real pushover and began to extract information smoothly.
“Ha, it’s simple. We already have a spy on your side. The reason we could catch you so easily is that the spy told us your location.”
“What, what did you say!”
He initially invoked a nonexistent spy to pressure Brellan.
Normally, one would dismiss it as nonsense, but Brellan, hanging upside down, seemed visibly shaken and trembled in his eyes. Is he actually believing this?
“Isn’t there a new recruit that recently joined your side?”
“A newcomer? That guy joined ten years ago!”
“…No. I mean a regular staff member, not a squad member. Surely a spy can’t be an annoying werewolf, right?”
“If that’s the case… Could it be the dark elf that newly joined the organization after the restructuring! Those gloomy bastards! I knew they were traitors!”
Brellan seemed eager to spill every bit of information, revealing details at Raven’s prompting.
His security was as flimsy as an automatic feeding device that dispenses kibble when you push a button.
And at this point, I also started piecing together what kind of organization he was affiliated with.
An organization over ten years old, with a werewolf corps, and dark elves in its ranks.
Among such criteria, the only group that fits is… without a doubt, the Interracial Liberation Army!
‘I never expected to get entangled like this.’
The Interracial Liberation Army.
This was the villain group that serves as the early antagonist of the comic fixer.
Their goal was incredibly simple.
To push humanity aside and make the interracial beings the rulers of the new Earth.
Of course, their involvement also played a significant role in the ongoing conflicts between humans and other races.
It was widely believed that they lost momentum about ten years ago due to the invaders, but.
Actually, they had been secretly gathering strength this whole time, and their rampage is one of the main storylines of the fixer.
In other words, they were bound to come into conflict with Raven!
Even I, who had been half relaxed, instinctively narrowed my eyes and got into a defensive stance.
Raven, who could sense the truth of the matter, seemed to have picked up on the fact that Brellan’s words weren’t entirely false.
He subtly continued to pry information from Brellan without indicating that he had figured it out.
“Hmm… so that’s how it is. Okay. I understand. That should be enough.”
“What do you mean… Guh!”
The rough outlines of the opponent’s scale, their ultimate goals, and where they mainly lurk.
After thoroughly extracting information, Raven struck Brellan on the back of the neck with his hand and knocked him out cold.
The entire sequence was done so smoothly that it was astonishing.
He took the hit without even understanding why he lost consciousness.
“For now, your role ends here. When you wake up, you’ll be at a police station. What you do next is up to you.”
“…!”
A chop like that shouldn’t be possible in reality. Is he perhaps some rare individual with extraordinary skills?
He’s so cool. I should try to practice that next time.
As I pondered that thought, seemingly annoyed by the troublesome situation, Raven crossed his arms and spoke to himself.
“The Interracial Liberation Army, huh… Geez, Greg has really gotten himself into trouble.”
They truly are a bothersome bunch.
Since they harbor a belief that all inter-racial beings must follow them.
It’s likely they were chasing after Greg to absorb his considerable strength.
This means I might have to engage in actual combat with the enemy.
Raven cast a sidelong glance at me, as if agreeing with that thought.
Was he thinking it might be a good idea for me to step back since I would be a hassle in the fights ahead?
“…!”
No way. I won’t back down.
I stepped forward assertively, as if asserting my strong intention.
There’s no way I’m retreating after coming this far. They might as well knock me out!
Maybe it was my resolved demeanor as I straightened my back and lifted my chin that made him pause for a moment before letting out a small sigh and saying,
“You already know what I’m going to say, right? To be honest, as a fixer, I can’t take you with me.”
“….”
“So just calm down and wait. I’ll bring Greg back without a scratch. If you’re unhappy about that… you can try fighting me. But while I’m awake, I’ll never allow it.”
*Kugugu…!*
Raven emanated an aura as though he were compressing space itself.
The presence of a being was like someone choking you with a palpable pressure.
It was a greater weight than even Drakel or Lexi, causing my legs to tremble uncontrollably.
‘Ugh, I need to leave… but without Raven’s strength… I can’t save Greg…!’
Both options seemed equally unpleasant.
Either I defeat Raven with force to save Greg by myself, or I watch him save Greg with my hands tied.
Logically, the latter was the only option.
After all, Raven would do everything in his power to help Greg, no matter what.
Thus, it would actually be for Greg’s sake if I surrendered my stubbornness here.
My arms fell limply by my sides. Perhaps noticing my concession,
Raven relaxed his stance and moved towards me with a complex expression on his face.
“…I’m sorry. I’ll definitely bring him back safely. Just wait a little longer.”
“….”
*Thud.*
Raven’s hand gently rested on my head.
However, even a gesture I would usually accept joyfully felt completely unsatisfactory at that moment.
Without further hesitation, he left the scene.
For some reason, Raven’s departing figure seemed burdened with a heavy weight.
‘I could help too.’
I felt heavy-hearted. To be blunt, I nearly shed a tear just then.
I regretted not just revealing my abilities and chasing after him.
But in the end, I couldn’t do that because I was too scared of how he might look at me afterward.
It was truly pathetic. Wanting to help Greg yet being scared of such trivial things.
I felt the urge to dig a hole and bury myself.
[ Momma…. ]
‘It’s okay. Thanks for worrying about me.’
I cautiously petted the Tesseract that was expressing concern and plopped down onto the dusty floor.
Should I just cover myself with fabric and charge out like old times?
But I had no idea where to go, so that thought was meaningless.
Ding-dong.
At that moment, I heard a sound from Echo in my pocket.
It must be a notification. Did I receive an email or something?
I weakly rummaged through my belongings to pull out Echo and check the content.
And there it was, an unbelievable email waiting for me.
[Raven, I’ve finished interpreting the coordinates you requested. It looks like the person you’re looking for might be around here on the map. And the Interracial Liberation Army is a bit further from here…].
Upon checking, the sender turned out to be none other than David.
Could it be he accidentally sent this to me instead of Raven?
If that’s the case, this is serendipity to the highest degree.
I was told to just wait patiently, right? Why should I?
I immediately jumped up from my spot and scanned my surroundings.
And there, not too far away, I spotted a dirty piece of cloth lying around.
Finally, it was the time for the ghost to return.