I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 160: To Protect Everyone (14)

It truly felt like I’d become a ghost.

Even with my feet on the ground, I couldn’t feel anything. It was like I was falling endlessly downward.

Maybe this is how it feels to exist outside of gravity.

But any sense of wonder quickly turned into terror when I looked around.

Trees were being yanked from the ground like strands of hair, and the earth was crumbling like wax crayons.

If there were such a thing as hell, wouldn’t it look like this?

That thought occurred instinctively, unbidden.

‘The battle must’ve disrupted the magic keeping the Sky Garden afloat.

Well, of course—it wouldn’t be able to withstand a fight between Tempest and the Seven Calamities forever.’

Yet even as Raven held me protectively, I found myself strangely calm.

Like a spectator watching everything unfold through a screen.

Well, I’ve flown through the air with telekinesis plenty of times before.

Maybe it’s similar to how a bird isn’t afraid of the sky.

Even right now, I could keep myself—and Raven—alive.

All I had to do was lift us with telekinesis. It would be the simplest solution.

‘...But I can’t just leave it at that.’

Because there were too many people in the Sky Garden I couldn’t afford to lose.

People like Alice and David, whom I had to protect at all costs.

And people like Tempest and Luke, whose strength was essential for the future.

Even the strongest mage couldn’t save everyone in a situation like this.

Then I’d just have to fill that role myself, even if imperfectly.

"Yuria?"

"...."

I gently pushed away from Raven’s arms as if to step out of his embrace.

Then, using telekinesis to lift myself slightly, I slowly backed away.

Walking calmly on falling ground—it was no wonder he looked so confused.

He probably still didn’t realize I was using psychic powers.

But I had no time to hide anything right now.

Just like always behind the mask, I smiled—and gripped the Tesseract beneath my clothes tightly.

‘Please, Tesseract.’

[ Trust me, mama. ]

Click.

I felt the sensation of a switch flipping somewhere inside my mind.

A transformation I’d now experienced multiple times—no longer painful, no longer joyful—

just a surreal shift, like losing myself.

When that vertigo ended, I was already gazing down at the world from a height I hadn’t yet grown used to.

The distance between Raven’s eyes and mine had once been enormous.

Now, we were only a head apart. That was... a good thing.

"You... That form is..."

"...."

Grip.

A wave of dizziness hit me, unfamiliar in this grown-up body.

The difference from being a child was dramatic, painfully obvious.

Not to mention, my clothes hadn’t grown with me.

Maybe because I wasn’t wearing a tight-fitting maid outfit, just something loose enough to stretch—

my clothes hadn’t exploded from the transformation, thank god.

‘This much is manageable.’

I ignored Raven’s stunned gaze and flipped my snow-white hair back with a swift motion.

Then, I lowered my hand toward the ground.

Spreading my psychic field like invisible limbs, I scattered telekinesis in every direction.

Faster and stronger than before, the power instantly locked onto the Sky Garden.

‘So this is the shape of the Sky Garden... To think something this absurdly massive has been floating... Magic really is amazing.’

From what I could grasp through telekinesis, the Sky Garden was beyond massive.

Several kilometers in diameter, tens of meters thick—

a colossal slab of rock and earth, like a cluster of enormous icebergs.

No matter how differently magic operated, the fact that such a structure could even exist...

it showed just how incredible the Fixer Association’s power and technology truly were.

‘Can I do this? ...No. This isn’t about whether I can or can’t. I have to. If I want to save everyone.’

The moment I believed I’d wrapped the Sky Garden in my telekinesis—

I clenched my fist tightly, imagining myself lifting it from below.

More desperately, more seriously than ever before.

I poured in all my resolve—as if I were willing to throw away my own life. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"...?!"

"Yu—Yuria! Are you okay?!"

But just as I focused all my attention on exerting power—

My body suddenly lurched forward, and I smacked my head on the ground.

The reason was simple.

To stay stable, I’d been falling at the same rate as the Sky Garden using telekinesis.

But once the Garden began to slow down, I lost that sync—

and the sudden difference in velocity threw me off balance!

If I’d been standing on the ground, the transition would’ve been smoother.

But hovering slightly above the surface, I ended up tumbling when I landed.

‘Ughhh, I was being so serious just now—why did this have to happen now...!’

Luckily, it was soft soil, so I didn’t get hurt or suffer a concussion.

But of course Raven had to witness this awkward scene in real-time.

Mortified, cheeks burning, I scrambled to my feet.

Then, acting like I hadn’t just fallen flat on my face, I raised both hands confidently.

Forget dignity—right now, I just wanted to escape the embarrassment as fast as possible.

‘I’ll use everything I’ve got... and lift the Sky Garden!’

Kuuugugung...!

Maybe it was the interference of my psychic force—

Cracks split the earth ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) all around the Sky Garden as something groaned and trembled.

At first glance, it sounded like the situation was only getting worse.

But no—it was a good sign. It meant my telekinesis was having a real effect.

‘A mass this huge, moving this suddenly—it’d be weird if nothing broke.’

I couldn’t feel it immediately, but the speed was slowing down.

Maintaining that intensity made me feel like throwing up, but I kept pushing.

Then, of course, a problem had to pop up.

Maybe it was the telekinetic shockwaves that had split the ground—

a nearby tree, teetering on unstable soil, fell right toward me.

There was no way I could take that hit directly.

Even as an adult, my body was only strong in terms of psychic power—

getting crushed under a trunk that thick could definitely kill me.

‘Damn it... I can’t stop concentrating now...!’

But I couldn’t afford to break focus on the Sky Garden either.

It was currently falling over open sea far from any landmass.

But water, when struck from a high enough height, was no different from solid ground.

Which meant that within the next few seconds—ten or so, at most—I had to slow it down.

Losing focus for even a fraction of a second could be fatal.

Still, sacrificing my body here could ruin everything.

Teeth clenched, brain scrambling—I made my decision.

‘It can’t be helped... I’ll endure it, no matter what.’

Even if I got crushed by the tree, as long as I didn’t die, I could keep my focus.

I shut my eyes tight, bracing for impact.

It would hurt like hell—but please, just let it not be fatal.

But... strangely, the pain never came.

All I felt was a strangely warm air brushing against my shoulders.

Startled by the eerie stillness, I cracked open one eye—

and saw something unbelievable.

Raven was shielding me, taking the full weight of the falling tree with his own body.

"...!"

"Kh... It’s nothing. Just keep going. You’re lifting the Sky Garden, right?"

"...!"

"Just keep doing it."

Nothing, he said—while bleeding from the head.

Trembling, I looked at Raven as he shoved the massive tree aside—

and shifted my focus back to lifting the Sky Garden.

If Raven was protecting me, then no matter what happened, I’d be okay.

That trust—his presence—made my mind feel lighter.

And maybe it was that desperate strength of will, that pure resolve—

But the Sky Garden slowed.

Slower and slower—until it was visibly easing its descent.

And finally...

It settled atop the sea like a feather caught on a breeze.

"...!"

"I-It stopped...."

Was it the ocean’s buoyancy? Or perhaps the magic that had once disappeared... reawakened?

For a moment, it looked like the Sky Garden would sink—but now it rested peacefully, as if nothing had happened.

What could’ve been a catastrophic disaster, with unimaginable casualties—

Ended with just the faintest ripple of waves.

Raven looked around in disbelief at the now-still Sky Garden.

Then, holding his still-bleeding head, he muttered wearily:

"Can’t believe... that actually worked... You’re amazing..."

"...!"

Stagger.

I rushed forward as Raven began to collapse.

Even as an enhanced human, a blow to the head was dangerous.

What if he was seriously hurt? The thought terrified me.

Thankfully, I caught him before he hit the ground.

I gently laid him down and carefully examined the wound.

‘Whew... It’s just a laceration.’

Thankfully, it wasn’t a serious injury.

It looked more like dizziness than pain.

He had just gone from high altitude to sea level in a heartbeat. That had to be part of it.

Unfortunately, the Tesseract was drained—I couldn’t heal him right now.

Sighing in relief, I placed a hand over my pounding heart.

Somehow, I’d managed to keep the Sky Garden from crashing... and no one was hurt.

Honestly... yeah. I was thrilled.

That I—that my power had protected people—it overwhelmed me.

[ "Situation resolved. Some of the assailants escaped, but Edmont, the high-value target, has been confirmed dead. Lord Tempest is unharmed. All personnel with spare capacity, proceed to secure any remaining survivors in the Sky Garden. Repeating..." ]

And so, as that voice echoed from the device on Raven’s belt—

I quietly looked up at the sky and thought:

...So now, how the hell am I supposed to escape?

My head was already swimming, filled with the looming dread of what came next.