I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

A deserted building on the outskirts of Belmond.

The place was so desolate that it was impossible to guess when it had last been touched by human hands.

It couldn’t be helped.

Belmond was a declining city, one where the younger generations were leaving in droves. Naturally, the outskirts bore the marks of those who had abandoned the area.

But every situation had its dual nature.

Just as a poison that could easily take a life if consumed excessively could become medicine when taken in small doses, this place, devoid of people and attention, served as a safe haven for uninvited guests.

Sshrk.

A woman, her eyes narrowed to near slits, cautiously peeked out at the dark exterior beyond the curtain.

“It seems like nothing has approached nearby yet.”

Thankfully, there was still no sign of enemies approaching the area.

After confirming this once more, she meticulously pulled the curtains tight, ensuring not even the smallest gap was left between them.

The woman then placed a dimly lit portable lamp on a shelf at an appropriate height, casting a faint glow throughout the room.

In that dim light, her gaze fell upon a green-skinned man.

The man’s green skin was an unmistakable anomaly, but what stood out even more was his attire—or rather, lack thereof. His upper body was wrapped in layers of bandages, as though they were his clothing.

However, the blood-soaked state of those bandages made it painfully clear that they weren’t just for show.

His condition was so horrific that it seemed miraculous he was even sitting upright.

The woman bit her lip at the sight of the man’s battered form, repeating words she had uttered countless times before.

“I’m sorry, Greg. This is all because of me…”

“…Karen, didn’t we agree to stop talking about this?”

“But—!”

“That’s enough. One more time and you’ll hit a hundred.”

The bandaged orc, Greg, waved his arm dismissively, as though he was tired of hearing apologies. 

After nearly two weeks, he’d heard the same thing dozens of times and was growing weary of it.

But no matter how much Greg brushed it off, the shadow of guilt lingering on Karen’s face didn’t fade.

After all, the fact remained that Greg, who had no connection to the situation, had been dragged into it.

Karen slumped to the floor near Greg, curling up as she muttered with a face full of exhaustion.

“Maybe I should’ve just complied with their demands…”

For more than two weeks, Karen had been fleeing with Greg, crossing borders and cities endlessly.

The reason was simple: a relentless and infuriating pursuer was after her.

The pursuers were none other than the Interracial Liberation Army.

They sought Karen, a rare and exceptional talent even among the Arachne race, known for their mastery over magic control.

However, Karen couldn’t agree with the Liberation Army’s doctrine of enslaving all humanity. 

She had no reason to harbor such hostility toward humans, as her life was already fulfilling.

But the Liberation Army wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. They attempted to abduct her by force.

At that moment, Greg, who had come by to deliver an item, got caught up in the chaos.

And that was the sole reason he became entangled in this mess—the root of Karen’s overwhelming guilt.

“What a trivial worry.”

“Wha—trivial!? You know how guilty I feel about dragging you into this, Greg!”

Greg showed no sympathy for Karen’s melancholy, retorting bluntly.

Karen bristled like a squirming caterpillar at his harsh words, but Greg continued without missing a beat.

“Hmph, I simply can’t stand those who try to impose their will on others without regard. So, I interfered just to thwart those irritating bastards. What you think doesn’t matter to me.”

“Even so…”

“And injuries like this are nothing for an orc. Worrying over this is like rushing a scraped human to the ER—what a waste of concern.”

“…”

Karen couldn’t respond.

She couldn’t tell if Greg was serious or just trying to act tough when he dismissed his wounds as mere scrapes.

But one thing was certain: Greg was much weaker now than he had been two weeks ago.

The relentless pursuit from their enemies, like wolves on a hunt, hadn’t allowed him any time to recover properly.

Even the strongest would falter if denied rest and forced into an endless war of attrition.

Moreover, the longer this dragged on, the more the advantage shifted away from them, steadily eating away at their spirits.

‘Greg is still holding on for now, but… at this rate… there’s no hope…’

Karen felt as if she were adrift in a vast, dark sea, unable to see where to go.

If only there was some light beyond the darkness…

The fear of sinking overwhelmed her, tightening its grip around her throat.

Perhaps sensing her inner turmoil, Greg, who had been quietly breathing as if in slumber, suddenly spoke.

“Don’t worry too much. There’s still a chance.”

“But you said it yourself, Greg… Today might be a turning point. Doesn’t that mean we could all be caught here…?”

“No, I meant this exhausting chase might finally end today. Whether it’s in a good way or a bad way.”

A good way? That’s impossible.

Karen swallowed her bitter thoughts, forcing herself to calm down.

To be honest, even she, inexperienced in combat as she was, couldn’t see much hope.

Among their pursuers were enemies as strong as Greg—or even stronger.

And Greg, who could crush steel with his bare hands and lift cars effortlessly, was already a monster.

Yet there were two such enemies chasing them now—foes so formidable that Greg couldn’t guarantee victory even in a direct confrontation.

Even if Greg had successfully reached out for external help, there was no chance it would arrive tonight.

And even if it did come in time…

The overwhelming number of Liberation Army forces and the presence of powerful adversaries were more than enough to crush their will to resist.

‘I’m sorry, Greg. I’m so sorry for getting you involved in this…’

Karen felt nothing but guilt toward Greg.

He spoke tough, but in truth, he was infuriatingly kind.

The fact that he had been dragged into this mess because of her was an unbearable weight on her heart.

Awwooo—

A wolf’s howl echoed not far off.

It seemed another harrowing night was about to begin for them.

***

Brushing off a tattered cloth and draping it over myself, I dashed through the dark streets of Belmond.

The streets were entirely unfamiliar.

I had no idea whether I should take a left or a right.

But it didn’t matter. Echo, who had gathered intel, was guiding me like a navigation system.

“[Master, turn right here. When you see a tilted signboard, turn left, and you’ll find the way!]”

Thanks to that, I wouldn’t get lost. Thanks, Echo.

Thinking that to myself, I propelled my body forward with telekinesis, slicing through the air at incredible speed.

It felt as if the limiter on my powers had been released; my telekinesis was in peak condition.

“[Ehehe, thank you!]”

“[No fair! I want praise from Mama too!]”

‘Tesseract, thanks to you too. You’ve been a great comfort.’

“[Hehe, really?]”

These adorable things.

Just hearing Echo and Tesseract light up with joy at a bit of praise brought a small smile to my face.

What kind of existence was I to them, that they’d react this way to a compliment?

The heavy burden weighing on my chest felt a little lighter.

But suddenly, I sensed something ominous in the distance.

It was a feeling as if disaster would strike if I simply moved forward without caution.

I slowed my pace, pressing myself against a building wall, and perked up my ears to focus on the faint noises.

Sure enough, I could barely make out voices. The words weren’t clear, though.

‘Echo, do you sense any terminals across the street?’

“[Yes, there are two terminals.]”

‘Can you hack into them and eavesdrop on their conversation?’

“[I’ve never tried something like that before, but I’ll give it a shot.]”

Echo sounded a bit unsure, as if this was unfamiliar territory for her.

But I trusted her abilities.

As a terminal capable of using telepathy and the internet without any identifiable number, I figured hacking into nearby devices should be possible.

My expectations were soon met, and Echo’s voice returned.

“[Success! Should I reconstruct the audio and play it for you?]”

‘No, just give me a summary of the key points.’

“[Understood. …It seems they’re werewolves, and they’re pursuing a certain target. From what I gather, that target is very close.]”

I instinctively knew that Greg was the target they were referring to.

There was no time to hesitate.

Thinking that, I propelled myself upward with telekinesis, leaping high—very high—into the air.

When I reached a position directly above where the two werewolves were located, I let gravity take over. Accelerating rapidly, I plunged straight down like a meteor.

“So, as I was saying—huh? Guhhhk!”

“An enemy! Grrkh!”

Thud!

Before they had time to react, I silenced one werewolf by clamping its mouth shut with telekinesis and grabbed its neck, hoisting it into the air.

The strengths of werewolves lay in their raw power, sharp claws, and remarkable regenerative abilities that let them heal from most wounds.

But their weakness? They were helpless against a stronger force, making them nothing more than sturdy scarecrows.

The werewolves struggled and thrashed violently, but once I had them in my grip, their resistance was futile.

“Grrk… guh…”

“Rrghhh…”

Thud.

The two werewolves slumped to the ground, unconscious.

They weren’t fatally injured—just knocked out.

Using the sturdy carbon-fiber ropes I had prepared, I bound their arms and legs tightly to ensure they couldn’t move.

Then, I hid them in a shadowy corner where they wouldn’t be easily found and resumed my course, following the coordinates sent through my message.

It seemed tonight was going to be a long one.