NOVPUBTelekinesis required intense mental focus.
So lifting a colossal object like the Sky Garden was as exhausting as solving a highly advanced math problem nonstop for several hours.
That was why, in the moment of brief rest, I found myself staring blankly at the sky.
Then, as I stood there, half-spaced out, Raven grabbed my hand and said with an incredulous expression:
"Hey... Yuri, what are you spacing out for?"
"...?"
"Are you planning to just stand there and get caught like this? What are you going to say if someone sees you like that? Either shrink down again or run. Hurry up—do something. Idiot."
Raven’s forehead furrowed deeply as blood soaked his hair from a wound on his scalp.
Snapped out of my daze by the sincerity behind his scolding, I quickly grabbed the Tesseract.
Maintaining the form granted by the Tesseract required continuous energy.
In other words, to revert the transformation, I only had to cut off the flow of energy.
So going back to my usual form wasn’t particularly difficult.
‘If I do this... there. I'm back to normal. No wounds... Did the Tesseract take care of that? Huh, how kind.’
Just like that, I returned from my adult form to my regular appearance in an instant.
My body, which had been ridiculously bulky, was now light and small again, as if it had never been anything else.
While I was adjusting the now-loose clothes that had stretched from the transformation,
Raven, who had roughly wiped the blood off his face, placed his clean hand on the crown of my head.
“Phew... Did you lose your mask?”
“...”
“If you just left it somewhere, go pick it up before it becomes a hassle. Fixers who’ve come to their senses will be moving around soon. I'll ask questions... later.”
“...!”
With that, he lightly pushed my head, as if nudging me forward.
Given the situation, it seemed he thought this wasn’t the time to have a relaxed conversation.
So this, no matter how you looked at it, was Raven showing kindness.
Moved by his unspoken understanding, I nodded deeply in thanks and hurriedly left the spot.
Once I had gotten far enough away from him, I turned around and met Raven’s gaze.
What could he be thinking right now? His face was clearly filled with a complex expression.
Maybe the fact that I was a psychic came as quite a shock to him.
My mind was in turmoil, unsure of how I could even face him from now on.
“Ha—White Human! You’re safe!”
“...!”
“So... what about the item I asked for?”
“...”
After parting from Raven, I flew low to avoid being seen and rejoined Murmur.
Perhaps due to experiencing the Sky Garden’s fall, he looked completely drained.
Still, the moment I approached the hideout, he recognized me and immediately asked about the World Tree Seed.
He must know just how dangerous the seed really was.
Naturally, he was desperately hoping it hadn’t fallen into the Liberation Army’s hands.
But I had no idea how to answer.
How could I possibly explain that Vespera, hiding her identity, had stolen the seed and casually eaten it like a snack?
So after thinking it over, I used every gesture I could think of to somehow convey to Murmur that the World Tree Seed had been destroyed and was no longer usable.
Knowing how tough that seed was, Murmur looked genuinely confused, as if he couldn’t believe it.
But eventually, perhaps convinced by the seriousness in my expression, he nodded.
“I see... A powerful vampire, huh... I’m just glad you weren’t hurt, White Human.”
“...!”
“Here, your mask. I kept it for you.”
I took the fox mask from Murmur and slipped it onto my face with practiced ease.
Even though it clearly covered my face, it felt as weightless and liberating as if it wasn’t even there.
Just as I thought—wearing this mask really did calm me down.
As I idly fiddled with the cheek of the mask for a while, I sensed someone approaching nearby.
Rustle, rustle.
Pushing aside grass and branches, a startlingly tall woman appeared—Sayoko, the proctor for the fourth task.
“...Found you. Candidate... So this is where you were hiding... Along with fairies, no less...”
“A m-monster?!”
“...”
Excuse me. I’m clearly a human being.
I tapped Murmur on the back as if scolding him for overreacting, then approached Sayoko with a calm expression, as if asking, “Were you looking for me?”
Judging by what I’d heard from Raven’s radio, it seemed like the situation was mostly under control now.
Sayoko was probably combing the Sky Garden looking for unprotected candidates.
If that was the case, I just had to act like I’d been here all along and blend in naturally.
Of course, the fact that some Fixers might’ve seen me earlier still nagged at me a little...
But what choice did I have? There was no escape route anyway. I could only push through now.
“Come with me... I’ll guide you to a safe location...”
“...!”
“The fairies too... It would be best if they came along... Since the Sky Garden is like this now... They’ll need a new environment...”
“Ugh... Tch. Guess we don’t have much of a choice. Fine.”
I decided to follow Sayoko, who offered an awkward smile.
Surprisingly, Murmur and the rest of the fairy group also seemed to follow behind her.
Even one like Murmur, who didn’t usually trust humans, must’ve decided that in a situation like this—where the Sky Garden could no longer function as a safe haven—relying on Fixers was unavoidable.
Following behind Sayoko, we eventually reached a place where a crowd of people had gathered.
And there, biting her nails nervously, Alice came rushing toward me at full speed.
“Yuriiiii! You’re safe!”
“...”
Wobble.
Alice’s full-body tackle hit with such force I nearly staggered over.
I found myself trapped in a painfully tight embrace by her warm body.
We hadn’t run into each other at all in the Sky Garden.
She must’ve been seriously worried that I’d been hurt—or even killed.
Honestly, I had been more worried about her running into some absurdly powerful enemy and getting hurt.
But seeing that she was unharmed was a huge relief.
“That outfit...”
Meanwhile, David was glancing this way with a puzzled expression.
But with Alice clinging to me like an oversized puppy, I had no mental space to worry about that.
Nothing particularly eventful happened after that.
The now-quiet Sky Garden was filled with Fixers collecting the wounded, and the exam seemed to be quietly suspended, with no additional rounds announced.
From the perspective of the examinees who’d fought tooth and nail, it must’ve felt extremely unfair.
But what could be done? Most of the proctors had suffered various injuries during the battle against the Liberation Army.
Still, it was announced that all examinees would receive proper compensation.
And after some discussion, those deemed qualified would be invited to undergo a separate verification process.
“Heh, so now we just get to go home?”
“Yes. Just in case, the Association will assist with transportation to your residences, so there’s no need to worry.”
“It all ended kind of anticlimactically, didn’t it...? But considering the circumstances, I guess it can’t be helped.”
“At least we might get another chance through the verification exam! Let’s look forward to that!”
“...”
Flick, flick.
Looking around, I confirmed that no Fixers seemed to be actively searching for me, and I felt relieved.
I’d been scared out of my mind that one of the Single Number Fixers might’ve seen my face.
But it seemed they were all too overwhelmed to pay attention to a small fry like me.
Besides, the only ones who saw me using telekinesis were a few examinees and Raven.
There simply wasn’t enough firepower for the spotlight to land on me.
“Phew... Whew... White Human! Goodbye...! Don’t forget me...!”
“Haah, let’s meet again sometime, if we get the chance.”
“...!”
“That’s amazing. When did you become friends with the fairies, Yuri?”
“No idea...”
Later, aboard the plane returning to Nighthouse, I waved to Murmur, Shalong, and the other fairy friends.
Shalong especially looked like she was crying, reluctant to say goodbye.
But fairies were a specially protected species under Association supervision. Parting was inevitable.
‘Finally, I’m going home. Seriously... what a brutal few days it’s been.’
Now, how was I supposed to face Raven from here on out?
My heart pounded so hard, it physically hurt.
And so, the Fixer Exam—chaotic and filled with mishaps and stories—finally came to an end.
*
A few hours later.
At one of Nighthouse’s large hospitals, where the Fixer Association had transferred the wounded after stabilizing the situation.
Inside a private room prepared for top-tier VIPs, a woman spoke in a serious tone.
“The attack on the Association during the Fixer Exam... the Sky Garden Raid. It’s all but certain the Inter-Species Liberation Army was behind it.”
The Sky Garden Raid—an assault by the Inter-Species Liberation Army on the Association during the Fixer Exam.
After several hours of relentless and unforgiving combat, the ones who ultimately came out ahead were the Fixers.
The Sky Garden, painstakingly created by the Association, couldn’t withstand the impact and eventually collapsed.
Casualties were sustained among both examinees and Fixers in what should have been an outright disaster. And yet—why didn’t it feel like one?
There were two major reasons.
First, they managed to counter the large-scale magic cast by the necromancer Morte, whose spells had clear usage limits.
Second, they successfully subdued Olvis and Edmont, two of the Seven Calamities from the Liberation Army.
“The Calamities—each one of them is a powerful military asset and also a commander. Losing two out of the seven is equivalent to losing 30% of their combat force. And more importantly...”
“Eliminating the Sword Demon, Edmont, was a massive win. That guy was a monster who could call himself a one-man army. It takes multiple Single Number Fixers to even face him properly.”
The fact they managed to take down Edmont, whose abilities were acknowledged even in the other world, was huge.
He was strong enough to earn a spot among the Calamities without needing a subordinate unit under him.
To lose such a valuable asset so meaninglessly must have been a bitter blow to the Liberation Army.
Especially considering they failed to accomplish their assumed goal—killing Tempest. That made their failure all the more devastating.
“Kuhuhu... Foolish bastards. They must’ve underestimated me because I’m old. They’ll regret picking a fight with me for the rest of their pathetic lives.”
“Haa... Tempest-nim, now’s not exactly the time to be laughing like that. The Sky Garden miraculously stopped mid-fall, minimizing casualties, but still...”
From the Association’s perspective, despite being hit first, they ended up gaining more than expected.
Ironically, though, it wasn’t a situation where they could laugh too comfortably.
Because in the process of fending off an entirely unforeseen invasion by the Liberation Army, they had suffered an irreplaceable loss.
Was it the fall of the Sky Garden?
No, the Sky Garden itself hadn’t held that much inherent value.
There had been no fatalities during its collapse, either.
The real blow was that the airship Leviathan, which had been docked at the time, was severely damaged—
—so much so that it would take several months of maintenance before it could fly again.
Was it the loss of life among the examinees?
Tragic, of course, for those affected. But ultimately, that wasn’t it either.
The Liberation Army’s assault had been a natural disaster in every sense—completely unpredictable.
And considering how sudden the ambush was, the examinees' swift reactions had kept casualties surprisingly low.
Calling the result a miracle wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.
So what, then, was the true loss the Fixer Association had suffered?
It was simple.
Tempest had taken a grievous injury during the fight.
“...You let them stab your precious Dragon Heart? Tempest-nim, a Tempest who can’t use magic is just a cranky old man, you know.”
“That’s harsh. Don’t you have even a shred of respect for me? And the bastard was stronger than expected. I can still use magic—I'm just low on mana.”
“Same difference. Now if you try to use a spell, you’ll be wheezing like you’re on your deathbed. What are we supposed to do with you, Mayor?”
The Dragon Heart—an organ that emitted endless mana just by existing.
Tempest’s trademark power, the very symbol of who he was, could no longer be found.
A portion of it had been sliced away in the battle at the Sky Garden.
There was no need to ask who had done it. It was obviously Edmont.
The title "Sword Demon" had clearly not been an exaggeration.
His strength and skill had been enough to land a hit on Tempest even in his dragon form.
Of course, that single successful strike had been paid back in kind by Tempest.
But ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) even that one blow had been enough to destabilize the Dragon Heart’s perfectly balanced power.
“Well, it’s fine. I figured it was about time for me to step back anyway. Think of it as this old man leaving behind a final gift for the younger generation. They’ll manage just fine on their own.”
“...That’s a heavy burden.”
“It is. But what can you do? It was bound to happen eventually. It just came a little sooner than expected.”
Lying comfortably on the hospital bed, Tempest gazed silently up at the ceiling.
He had grown old. It wasn’t as if he could keep fighting like he did in his prime.
If anything, getting rid of the Sword Demon—one of the most troublesome of the Calamities—was a net positive.
Of course, Tempest stepping down would deal a huge blow to morale.
But there was no undoing what had already happened.
“A war is coming soon. This time... there’ll be no easy way out.”
The fragile peace that had been carelessly maintained was truly over now.
On one side or the other, someone would reach a line that couldn’t be crossed.
All he could hope for was that the young ones wouldn’t break under the pressure.
And so, the dragon who protected civilization—Tempest—decided to retire.
What ripple that decision would send through the world...
With the fall of a great pillar that had long defended humanity, the world was now poised for violent upheaval.
