I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

The young Anser spoke within the memories.

“Mom, why do those people point fingers at us and bully us?”

Her tearful face looked so heart-wrenching that it seemed like she would burst into sobs if someone so much as poked her.

The reason was simple.

Back in those days, when the conflict between humans and other races was at its peak, Anser, who had been born in a rural village, had faced constant bullying from both adults and children alike.

If only she had looked more like an elf or a vampire — races that didn’t look too different from humans.

But with her striking horns and blue skin, she was an obvious target. People naturally avoided her without a second thought.

On top of that, her gentle and timid personality — an unusual trait for a demon — made her an even easier target.

The relentless bullying she faced left deep scars on her young heart.

At this rate, it felt like she might break her promise with her mother and become the type of demon that hated humans.

Sensing this, her mother embraced Anser gently and said,

“It’s because those people hurt themselves, sweetie.”

“Hurt? They’re hurt?”

“Yes. This is an era where hatred feeds more hatred until it never stops. People would rather hate others before they hate themselves.”

People who were afraid of being hurt chose to hurt others first.

Her mother muttered this with a soft sigh, patting Anser’s back gently.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong…”

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Anser buried her face in her mother’s arms, seeking comfort.

Her mother, smiling as if she had no choice, began stroking Anser’s hair with slow, gentle movements.

“And it’s also understandable why people hate demons. Most demons are greedy, after all. The moment they see a shining soul, they lose all self-control like fools. That’s why the Archdemon of the Great Demon War had to impose restrictions on soul contracts. But even after that, the demons started finding loopholes to exploit.”

“…Mom, what’s the Archdemon of the Great Demon War?”

“Ah… It’s like the Demon King’s palace back in our homeland. It probably doesn’t exist anymore, though. Do you want to hear about it?”

“Yeah! Tell me!”

Her mother smiled, lifted Anser up, and gently sat her down on the sofa. Then she began sharing stories of the past.

From the rivers of lava that once flowed through the homeland of demons to the story of how she met Anser’s father and ended up battling him to the brink of death — only for it to turn into an unlikely love story.

The tales were so exciting that, even after hearing them several times, Anser’s eyes always sparkled with awe.

Her mother, gazing at her daughter with a nostalgic look, spoke softly.

“One day, our little Anser will also meet someone with a soul so beautiful that you’ll want to have it for yourself. Just like when I met your father.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Although, unlike me, I doubt you’ll go all the way and have a child with them, haha. Still, there will be a moment in your life when you meet someone like that. And when that happens…”

Her mother looked at Anser with kind, yet firm, eyes.

“I hope you won’t cling to their souls like other demons do.”

“Huh? What do you mean, cling to their soul?”

“You know, like taking their soul as payment for a contract or turning them into your slave. It’s the kind of dirty trick most demons pull. I never liked that. I think souls are most beautiful when they’re still shining bright, don’t you?”

Young Anser tilted her head, confused.

She had never seen a soul so beautiful that it made her want to possess it. So her mother’s words didn’t really make sense to her at the time.

“You’ll understand one day, even if you don’t know.”

Her mother’s final words echoed in her mind.

The scene fast-forwarded like a time-lapse.

Her mother, who had always been there for her, eventually succumbed to an illness and passed away.

The bullying never stopped.

The moment Anser became an adult, she fled her hometown, working one harsh job after another to make a living.

But even then, discrimination against other races — and demons, especially — never went away.

In fact, as time passed, that discrimination only grew stronger.

The more demons were discriminated against, the more they lashed out in acts of violent crime.

And those crimes only worsened society’s perception of demons.

It was a vicious cycle.

Her last-ditch attempt to get a stable job ended in failure. She was fired after only a few months, and with nowhere left to go, she headed for Nighthaven.

This was supposed to be her final chance to turn things around.

But no matter how hard she tried, Anser couldn’t overcome the prejudice against demons.

Her heart, which had never been held by anyone but her mother, gradually filled with despair.

Her determination to keep the promise she made with her mother… was wearing thin.

And just as she was about to give up completely—

Two girls reached out to her.

One of them was wearing a mask.

Yuria.

For the first time in her life, someone extended a hand toward her without a single hint of fear or prejudice.

And when she gazed into Yuria’s soul…

Her mother’s words suddenly made sense.

It was the most dazzling soul she had ever seen.

A brilliant, blazing sun — so intense that it felt like she might get burned if she got too close.

This was it.

This was the kind of soul that could make someone desperately want to possess it.

But Anser couldn’t do it.

She was too timid, too gentle.

More than anything, she was terrified that if she even tried to covet this beautiful soul, it would be ruined forever.

Instead, she chose to give something back — offering the greatest assistance she could manage.

And she resolved to cherish this meeting as a beacon of hope for herself.

But fate wasn’t so kind.

On her way home from yet another failed job interview, two strangers ambushed her.

“Strange. I thought she’d be filled with despair by now. I expected her to be on the brink of death from hopelessness.”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as we can widen the rift between the races, the plan will proceed.”

“Tch, sure, do what you want. It’s your plan, not mine.”

“Guh… ugh…!”

“Shh. Don’t move. I’ve pierced your heart perfectly. If you struggle, the wound will only grow worse.”

They weren’t just random strangers. They were agents of the Invaders.

They buried the Fragment in her heart, enslaving her.

Her entire life, her struggles, and her faint hope of change — all of it was stolen away from her.

The last thing she experienced was the sensation of something sharp stabbing into her heart.

I watched it all unfold through her memories as if I were watching a movie.

The entire tragic story of Anser’s life.

But I also saw something else.

The moment her attackers appeared, I realized who they were.

‘So it was them all along… They were pulling strings from the shadows this whole time.’

It was something I should have realized from the moment Drakel had been involved.

They were fanatics who had drunk deeply of the Invaders’ power, serving as their pawns.

Their goal was to weaken the fabric of this world and let the Invaders break through.

Because of Earth’s unique atmosphere, where mana was naturally scarce, it was difficult for Invaders to cross over.

They had a plan.

To ensure that when the Invaders crossed dimensions and arrived on Earth, humanity and other races would be too weakened by infighting to resist.

One of their methods was to abduct and alter other races to suit their purposes, turning them into living tools.

‘So, Anser wasn’t a character who never existed in the original story… She was just one of the many victims sacrificed by them.’

Breaking free from the stream of memories, I found myself standing before Anser once again.

Quietly, I bit my lip.

My thoughts were a mess.

Now that I understood the full story, a flicker of hesitation began to surface in my mind.

The fanatics who had caused this whole situation were probably long gone by now.

They wouldn’t risk lingering around after planting so many signs that could trace back to them.

If I pulled out the Fragment embedded in Anser’s chest, what would happen next?

Would she just die?

Would she die with all the blame placed on her, carrying the world’s resentment as her final burden?

‘That’s… no good. Anser would still end up unhappy, even in death. There has to be another way….’

Standing before Anser, whose body had gone cold and stiff like a stone statue, I squeezed my eyes shut, wracking my brain for an answer.

I needed something. Anything.

Suddenly, I felt a faint, prickling sensation in my chest.

What’s that?

I reached for the spot where I felt the sensation, and to my surprise, my fingers brushed against something.

It was the Tesseract.

Startled, I hurriedly pulled it out from under my clothes.

The small, cubic device spun slowly inside its six-sided shell.

Then it suddenly spoke.

[ Mama! ]

“…?!”

I flung aside the white tablecloth covering my face, revealing my full expression. I raised the Tesseract up to eye level and squinted at it.

Its movements were clear now — for the first time, the cube was spinning and moving on its own.

How is this happening?

I blinked, trying to process the strange but joyful development.

That’s when I remembered what had happened earlier — when I’d touched the Fragment in Anser’s chest, a surge of energy had flowed through me.

Was that the trigger?

It probably wasn’t just that. The time it spent “recharging” inside Raven’s storage closet had likely played a big role, too.

“Effort never betrays you, huh?”

“…!”

[ Kya-ha-ha! That tickles! ]

The Tesseract wiggled in delight as I playfully tapped and poked at it with telekinesis.

It spun wildly, letting out a cheerful laugh as it wriggled like an excited child.

I still had no idea why it kept calling me Mama, but…

At least it seemed healthy.

‘Wait… If the Tesseract has reawakened, then…’

I slowly raised the Tesseract up in my hands and turned toward Anser.

This cube held the power to restore bodies and reverse time — it had healed me when I was on the verge of death, and it had reverted the aging Drakel to his prime.

If that’s the case, then maybe it could save Anser too.

But there was one problem.

The Tesseract worked on the principle of equivalent exchange.

In my case, the Tesseract had covered the cost on my behalf. With Drakel, he paid the price himself and later restored it by drinking blood.

But what about Anser?

If I restored her with the Tesseract, but it demanded her heart or organs as payment, wouldn’t that just bring us back to square one?

No, it would be worse.

If she were restored only to lose something equally vital, it would be as if I’d pulled her out of one hell just to throw her into another.

“…I’ll hold off on that option for now.”

I bit my lip, determined to find another way.

Then, my eyes landed on something I had overlooked.

It was the Fragment embedded in Anser’s chest.

‘Wait a second…’

Something had been bothering me about the Tesseract for a while now.

How was this tiny cube able to restore my mangled body without leaving so much as a scar?

When I remembered how the Tesseract had drawn power from Invader energy during its reawakening, the answer became clear.

The Tesseract consumes energy from Invader-related objects.

So what if…

What if I used the energy leaking from the Fragment to fuel the Tesseract?

I’d be saving Anser while simultaneously wasting the Invaders’ own resources.

A perfect win-win.

My heart started racing at the realization.

‘Alright. All that’s left is to make sure the Tesseract understands the plan.’

I lowered my head, bringing my forehead against the Tesseract.

I concentrated.

With all my focus, I connected my telekinesis to the Tesseract.

‘Tesseract. Can you use the power coming from that Fragment as payment?’

The Tesseract spun in place, as if deep in thought.

Then, with a resolute voice, it answered.

[ Mmm… Okay! I’ll try it! ]

Its answer filled me with relief.

Following the Tesseract’s request, I carefully moved it toward the Fragment embedded in Anser’s chest.

The moment they touched—

WHOOOOSH!

A surge of power erupted, sending shockwaves through the air.

The pressure was so strong that the red letters flowing from Anser’s eyes disintegrated midair, shattering into dust.

A soft, white glow blossomed around the Tesseract, expanding until it completely enveloped Anser.

It was so bright that I had to squint my eyes shut.

“Gah… I have to hold on…!”

If I got pushed away by this surge of energy, everything would be ruined.

My instincts screamed this at me.

So I bit down on my lip and braced myself, using telekinesis to root myself firmly in place.

Even though my arms were trembling, and every muscle in my body felt like it was being torn apart, I didn’t yield.

Don’t back down. Don’t run. Fight through it.

I gritted my teeth, pushing myself to the limit.

Was it all worth it?

The torrent of energy slowly subsided.

The suffocating pressure faded.

Breathing hard, I collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.

[ We did it! Mama! ]

The Tesseract’s joyful voice echoed in my ears.

My vision was blurry, but beyond the fading glow, I could make out Anser’s silhouette.

The ghastly wound in her chest was gone, as if it had never existed.

Her breathing was slow but steady. Her eyes remained closed as if she were just… asleep.

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