Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Nothing Happened
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Nothing happened.
A chill ran down my shoulders.
I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold air in here or from those two.
The atmosphere between them was tense.
Red seemed displeased with him, but he didn’t seem to care much. The strange current between them was so palpable it made me, an observer, feel awkward.
I hate this suffocating atmosphere.
“Ah! It’s the Ice Prince!”
At that one child’s cry, the other children flocked to the man.
Do they know him?
In any case, the warm energy of the children seemed to blow away the chill lingering in the air.
Finally, it feels like I can breathe again.
“Hey, kids. It’s been a while. Have you all been well?”
"""Yes!"""
The man smiled brightly. All traces of fear vanished, their faces now full of smiles.
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, only Red wore a look of discomfort.
Then, one child looked disappointed and asked cautiously.
“…Why haven’t you visited us?”
As if sharing the same thought, the other children fixed their gazes on the man. They looked like they wouldn’t look away until he answered.
The man scratched his cheek with a finger, as if faced with a difficult question.
“Haha, I wanted to, but….”
His voice trailed off as he glanced over at Red.
Red’s eyes grew sharper.
“I’ve just been so busy with work.”
Whether they truly believed his excuse or not, the children let out disappointed sighs.
Behind my mask, I gave a bitter smile. I doubt that’s the real reason.
I glanced at Red. It was painfully obvious she was the one who’d told him to stay away. I don’t know why, but Red must really hate him.
Red took a step forward and approached the man.
“Isaac, what are you doing here? You don’t even live in this city.”
“I heard they were opening a zoo in this city. I was curious what it was like, so I came to relax and have a look.”
“…You must have a lot of time on your hands. For someone so ‘busy,’ you seem to have plenty of time to visit a place like this.”
“Do you think I’m some workaholic android? I take breaks when I need them. Just like you.”
“Didn’t you say you’d rather work than relax in an outer city?”
“A person’s heart can change from time to time. Besides, nice facilities like this pop up every now and then.”
Isaac calmly deflected Red’s aggressive words.
Watching their conversation made my heart pound. It felt like something was about to explode.
The children had just managed to lighten the mood, but now a cold wind seemed to be blowing again. It even felt hard to breathe.
Ugh.
If you’re going to fight, I wish you’d do it outside, not in front of the kids.
Still, they must have had some sense, because their petty squabble ended quickly in front of the children.
“Anyway, I came here for a peaceful break after a long time, and then this happens. Haa... I really hate this.”
Isaac shook his head, as if fed up with the current situation.
Then his gaze landed on me.
Isaac stroked his chin, looking at me with eyes full of curiosity.
“By the way, who is that child? Did she get separated from her parents?”
“She’s our family.”
“……What?”
What’s with that reaction?
It was only for a split second, but Isaac’s eyebrow twitched.
It was as if my presence here was completely unexpected. No. To be more precise, it was like he was seeing someone who shouldn’t exist. As if he’d seen a ghost.
“She’s new. Her name is Lily.”
At Red’s introduction, I politely bowed my head.
As I straightened up, I took in his face.
Isaac put on a composed expression, but a faint hint of bewilderment lingered in his eyes.
“…Ah, I see. Is that so.”
Isaac bent his knees and offered a handshake.
“I’m… Isaac. It’s nice to meet you. I hope we get along.”
I accepted his handshake.
His reaction makes me feel uneasy for some reason.
Suddenly, I’m curious why Red hates him. Maybe I’ll look into it when I get the chance.
Isaac stood up and looked at Red.
“So, what’s your plan now? If you and I team up, I think we can resolve this situation quickly. Want to work together like old times?”
“First, I need to get the children to the shelter.”
“Right, it would be difficult to fight with the kids in tow. Then I’ll accompany you.”
“What…?”
“Two is better than one, isn’t it? There’s no guarantee a situation like before won’t happen again. Or can you protect all these kids from harm by yourself?”
“……”
Red fell silent.
From what I’ve seen of her fighting, Red is a physical combatant.
Even if weapons were pointed at her, she could probably break them all. But what if multiple opponents targeted the children all at once, like before?
Fighting to protect is always harder than fighting to defeat.
Especially with her abilities.
His abilities, on the other hand, are better suited for defense.
Silence is another form of consent, as they say. Isaac smiled and turned his head toward the children.
“Kids. I’ll go with you to the shelter.”
At his words, the children’s faces brightened even more.
Red looked displeased, but she didn’t stop him.
“By the way. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been to the orphanage. Can I come visit your home this time?”
“Hey!”
But as he said that, Red grabbed Isaac’s shoulder.
“Yes, of course. Please come visit anytime.”
Red clearly wasn’t pleased, but the children were.
They just nodded with innocent, bright faces.
A smile appeared on Isaac’s face.
“Really? Then I’ll bring lots of presents when I have time. Is that okay?”
Isaac turned his head to Red.
The children watched with sparkling eyes, awaiting her answer.
A vein on Red’s temple twitched minutely.
She clearly hates the idea.
But not wanting to crush the children’s expectations, she let out a long sigh.
“Fine. Let’s talk about it after we’ve resolved the current situation.”
“Don’t forget you said that. Now, let’s get moving for the kids’ sake.”
Isaac looked satisfied, while Red looked uncomfortable.
The formation of a temporary team, as incompatible as ice and fire.
Is this really going to be okay?
***
Isaac’s skills were quite decent.
His martial arts were so clumsy it was almost a joke, but his magic skills were top-notch. Though not on my level, of course.
Anyway, thanks to him, we arrived at the shelter much more easily.
The two of them dropped us off and immediately went out to resolve the situation, leaving me and the children to wait quietly inside.
“It’s okay. They’re both strong. Nothing bad will happen.”
Lena must have misunderstood my constant glances toward the door as worry, because that’s what she said.
There was no need to correct her misunderstanding, so I just nodded and looked around.
“Mommy—! I’m scared.”
“It’s okay. The strong Fixers are outside fighting the bad guys.”
“There’s no need to be scared. It’ll be over soon. After all, the Ice Prince and the Crime Killer are on the case.”
“Please, let this be resolved without any trouble…”
The shelter was packed with helpless civilians.
A few Fixers and security robots stood guard to protect them.
When we first arrived at the shelter, the air was thick with fear.
People sobbing with their faces buried in their knees, people praying, parents comforting crying children.
Gripped by terror, everyone was trembling with despair.
But when they learned that Red and Isaac were here, the atmosphere changed drastically. Fear scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind, replaced by hope and expectation.
Famous people, indeed.
It seems that guy Isaac is pretty famous, too.
‘Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere…’
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and got to my feet.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
I gestured to Lena that I was going to the restroom.
Thankfully, Lena understood my explanation.
“Then I’ll go with you.”
I shook my head.
“But it’s dangerous to go alone.”
I shook my head again.
I kept shaking my head at Lena’s offer to accompany me.
If I were really going to the restroom, it wouldn’t matter if she came, but this was something I had to do alone.
“Alright... But be safe. That's the most important thing. You have to come straight back here when you're done.”
Only after making a pinky promise was I finally able to leave the shelter alone.
‘That way…’
Following the energy I felt not far from the shelter’s entrance, I scurried along.
I soon found a door with a “No Entry” sign on it.
‘I can feel it strongly from inside.’
I glanced around to make sure no one was there, then opened the door and went inside.
The security cameras all seem to be broken right now, so it should be fine.
I descended the stairs, one step at a time.
I had detected a suspicious energy as soon as I arrived at the shelter. My honed instincts were whispering “danger” in my ear, and given the circumstances, it was too worrying to ignore.
That’s why I came to check it out myself.
After a long descent, I reached the lowest floor!
Opening the door, I stepped inside to find various instrument panels.
I looked around.
Hm? Over there?
I ignored the unfamiliar panels and pried open a metal plate.
‘They’re really insane. You’d have to be crazy to install something like this here. It looks like they were planning to blow it up spectacularly. What is this place that they’d go to such lengths?’
Inside was a bomb.
And it was a bomb of immense power, created by combining science and magic. Given its location, it seemed to have enough explosive force to wipe out the entire shelter.
It had such a complex structure that a bomb disposal unit would have had to carefully follow procedures to dismantle it.
This was undoubtedly a massive crisis.
However.
By a true stroke of luck, I was here.
I have no specialized knowledge like bomb disposal techniques. So I would use a simpler method.
I drew out a bit of my magic and solidified its form.
With the sword I created, I stabbed the bomb.
Boom!
The bomb exploded, of course, but the flames that erupted were completely absorbed by my sword, so no harm was done.
Problem solved.
The sword’s magic dissipated into the air and vanished.
Now that the problem is solved, I guess I’ll head back.
I returned to the shelter as if nothing had happened.
”Lily, over here! Did anything happen? Are you hurt?”
Nod, nod.
Nothing happened.
“That’s a relief. I started to regret sending you off alone. Next time you need the restroom, let’s go together.”
I nodded.