Otaku Translation: I! Anomaly Cleansing Agent! C139

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Chapter 139: Anchors

Snip. Snip. Snip.

Leon winced as he stared at the burly old man wielding a pair of large shears, his gaze sharp and hostile, blocking the entrance hall of Happiness Residence.

This is bad. After advancing the Demon Badge to gold, the "demonic essence" in my soul has become overwhelmingly strong. Until the Sacred Spirit Badge reaches gold level, it seems I really can only sleep in the office.

Or…

Glancing at the apologetic landlady with her head of snowy white curls, Leon tentatively asked:

"Uh… Aunt Mary, would you mind if I used some means to restrain your husband for a bit? It’s been over a week since I last came home, and I really want to check on things…"

"Tie him up, go ahead."

After twisting the stubborn old man's waist several times without success, Aunt Mary sighed in resignation, shaking her head.

"I know you're a good person, and your soul issues are probably due to the work at the Cleansing Bureau. There’s no reason to stop you from going home. But my husband is just impossible to reason with… Sigh, fine. As long as he doesn’t get hurt, you can tie him up all night if you need to."

"No, no, it won’t take that long. Just a short while will do."

Leon had deep respect for these two elders, who had spent their lives—both before and after death—doing good deeds. He quickly declined her suggestion, then slowly activated the power of the Sacred Spirit Pendant, pinning the burly old man in place. Without looking back, he dashed up the stairs.

Snip.

Seeing the "wicked demon spawn" ascend the stairs, the old man’s eyes widened in fury. His broad back muscles bulged as he strained against the Sacred Spirit Pendant’s restraint, breaking free slightly. Brandishing his shears, he prepared to chase after Leon.

But before he could take more than a couple of steps, he was ensnared by a flurry of yarn, tightly bound to the side of the staircase. A sharp pinch on his soft midsection followed.

"You stubborn old fool. You were stubborn when you were alive, and now you’re even worse in death… Stretch out your neck a bit. Let me measure it."

After giving the old man’s waist another firm twist, Aunt Mary watched her husband still trying to charge upstairs with his shears. Shaking her head in exasperation, she dragged over a small stool and sat down in the hallway, knitting a woolen scarf around his neck.

Meanwhile, on the third floor, Leon waited a moment, expecting the old man to come charging up the stairs. When no one appeared, he let out a sigh of relief and quickly sprinted up to the sixth floor.

"Big Brother?"

As always, the door opened before Leon even reached it. The moment he stepped onto the sixth floor, the door nearest the stairs swung open, spilling warm orange light into the dim corridor and illuminating Leon’s weary figure.

Though Anna had already recognized his footsteps, seeing him return home covered in dust and looking utterly exhausted made her heart leap with relief. The tension in her eyes melted away, replaced by an unmistakable sense of comfort.

But before Leon could say anything, that relief turned into worry and a hint of reproach.

Biting her lower lip, the frail girl turned her head slightly, her voice tinged with gentle scolding:

"Are you done with work?"

"Uh… not yet…"

Noticing the faint trace of resentment in his sister’s eyes, Leon stopped in his tracks and offered an apologetic smile:

"Sorry, Anna. Things have been hectic at the bureau lately. I just managed to sneak back for a quick visit. I’ll have to leave again soon…"

"Alright…"

Though she was still upset about his unexplained disappearance for nearly a week, seeing his tired, travel-worn face softened her anger. She bit her lip again, her heart aching as she gently admonished him:

"Take care of yourself. Don’t shoulder everything alone. If you’re too tired, take more breaks. We can manage with less income—it’s fine.

Things are better at home now, and my health has improved compared to before. If both of us work, even earning less is enough to support Melanie and William. You don’t have to push yourself so hard…"

"Don’t worry. I’m doing fine."

Looking at his sister’s concerned expression, Leon instinctively smiled, feeling a rare sense of lightness and ease wash over him—a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The ruthless ferocity he’d displayed in killing the bishop earlier, or the lingering scent of blood that had haunted him since the Night of Blood—all of it was thoroughly cleansed the moment he stepped into this warm little home, bathed in its comforting light.

Here, he wasn’t the decisive and merciless agent of the Cleansing Bureau, nor the outsider struggling against anger and alienation. Here, he was simply an ordinary person, weary from a long day’s work, seeking solace in the safety of a harbor.

"Anna, thank goodness I still have you…"

With heartfelt gratitude, Leon took two steps forward and pulled his sister into a tight embrace. Resting his head on her still-frail shoulder, he breathed in deeply, almost greedily.

It had only been a month since joining the Cleansing Bureau, but looking back, he realized how much he had changed. The person he was now was almost unrecognizable compared to the person he had been a month ago. For instance, the old him would never have crushed someone’s head upon hearing the words “the Scale of Gold.”

He could rationalize it as a necessity of the job, but the truth was undeniable—he was drifting further away from normalcy, hurtling toward a world where humanity became increasingly distant. And the pace of that descent was only accelerating.

Yet Anna’s frail shoulders, though weak, were like an anchor. Just as he supported their family, her presence—and that of the two younger ones—kept him tethered to his identity as a human being.

Without them as anchors, he might not become some great villain, but he would likely transform into one of those agents described by the Black Goat: outwardly human, but inwardly almost entirely detached from humanity, eroded by constant exposure to anomalies.

"Oh… Y-you… Stop…"

Suddenly pulled into a tight hug, with her brother burying his face in her neck and sniffing, Anna was startled. Her face flushed red as she instinctively tried to push him away.

But after a few seconds, sensing something deeper in the intensity of the embrace, she paused, then relaxed. Ignoring the dust clinging to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

Resting her chin on his shoulder, the frail girl tilted her head slightly, brushing her cheek shyly against his jaw. Fighting the ticklish warmth of his breath on her neck, she gently stroked his back and whispered softly into his ear:

"Big Brother… No matter when, if you ever feel tired, just come home. I’ll always be waiting for you."

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