Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Everything Comes with a Warning
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Everything comes with a warning.
A flock of sheep is still just a delicious meal to a wolf.
On a battlefield beyond the realm of ordinary humans, numbers were meaningless.
The extremists had clearly attacked first, but watching them get slaughtered so one-sidedly, I couldn't help but feel a sliver of pity.
“Gah!”
“Guh!”
A single kick sent a man flying into a building, and a single punch sent them scattering like bowling pins.
A normal person would have realized the fight was lost and fled with their tail between their legs.
“““For our Lady Grim Reaper!!”””
But their fervent faith had erased any fear they might have had.
With a roar, the group of extremists thrust their staves at Red with all their might.
They, too, were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, moving with deft agility.
But before they could even pierce Red’s body, their staves shattered with a sharp crack and flew into the air.
Their charge was fierce, but it ended with Red’s fist caving in their chests.
Or shattering their faces.
Of course, they weren't complete idiots.
Realizing a frontal assault was useless, they looked for an opening and tried to ambush her from her blind spots.
Naturally, people don’t have eyes in the back of their heads, so such an attack could have been dangerous.
*Thwack!* But she struck them with a punch that moved at a speed they couldn't follow.
In this way, Red toyed with her enemies, her movements far too incredible for an ordinary person to track.
What’s more, she wasn't even using her full strength. She was fighting them casually, as if playing with children.
Her enemies collapsed without so much as scratching the half-serious Red.
Still, they didn't give up.
But spirit alone cannot defeat a powerful foe.
Their faith was boundless, but their reflexes, strength, speed—in every aspect, they were hopelessly outmatched by Red.
Three minutes passed.
In the time it takes to cook a cup of instant noodles, she had settled the commotion in front of the shop.
Red didn’t look the least bit tired.
“Is that all? This isn’t even a warm-up.”
This was the Crime Killer, Red.
She was definitely someone to be wary of.
I etched it deep into my mind: I had to be careful not to let her discover my identity.
*
“Your skills are as sharp as ever.”
The shopkeeper remarked in admiration as he looked around.
Red just shrugged lightly at the compliment.
“Not really. These guys were just weak.”
Red laced her fingers together and stretched her arms toward the sky.
Then she lowered her hands and gently tilted her head from side to side.
“Anyway, I should ask them why they attacked us.”
Red glanced at the men sprawled on the ground, then approached the one she presumed to be the leader.
She stood before the man lying face down, bent her knees, and mercilessly twisted his arm.
The man’s body twitched.
He screamed.
He struggled to escape the pain, but he couldn’t break free from her grip.
Red loosened her hold on his arm to allow for a conversation, and the man gasped for breath.
“Why did you come here?”
“Everything is for our Lady Grim Reaper…”
“Why did you attack us?”
“Everything is for our Lady Grim Reaper…”
Displeased with his answer, Red twisted his arm to its limit.
The man writhed, drool trickling from his mouth.
“‘Lady Grim Reaper, Lady Grim Reaper’—don’t you have anything more convincing to say than that? If you seriously think I’m going to buy some nonsense like ‘The Grim Reaper gave us a revelation,’ you’re sorely mistaken.”
Her indifferent gaze and nonchalant tone…
*Ugh.* Just like the rumors said, she had no mercy.
I shivered.
“No matter how much… pain you inflict, our faith will never… be broken! To us, even pain and death are blessings bestowed by our Lady Grim Reaper.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Gyaaaaaah!”
Even as he screamed in agony, his eyes, visible through the cracks in his broken mask, glinted with madness.
He was hopelessly weak, but seeing his fanatical devotion sent a chill down my spine.
They really are a creepy bunch.
“Our Lady Grim Reaper is the one who will save this world!”
The man stretched his free arm forward. Something in his hand glinted in the sunlight.
It was a small dagger.
He was making a final, desperate attempt to take someone down with him.
*Crack!*
“Playing with your hands while someone’s right in front of you. Don’t you know what happens to naughty hands?”
His attempt was effortlessly blocked, his hand caught by Red.
She squeezed, and with the sound of breaking bones, his hand was crushed.
The dagger fell to the ground, and his head drooped as if he’d lost consciousness.
“I didn’t kill him. I still haven’t gotten a reason out of him.”
Red stood up.
She dusted off her backside with her palms, and just as she turned to face us, the man I thought had passed out lifted his head.
“For our Lady Grim Reaper!”
He opened his mouth wide.
Something inside flashed, and then a projectile shot out.
Red quickly swatted it away with a knife-hand strike, but she missed a second bullet of light that followed.
Red whipped her head around.
She meant to rush over and knock it away, but the man, using all his remaining strength, had latched onto her arm, delaying her.
That brief moment cost her the chance to intervene.
The bullet, fired indiscriminately, was heading straight for the shopkeeper’s heart.
Under normal circumstances, the shopkeeper’s life would have ended here.
But I was here.
Sorry, but I couldn't let the precious person who creates happiness die here.
*Fwoosh!*
I channeled a portion of my power into the tongs I’d been using to pick out desserts. Then, I swung the tongs, deflecting the bullet up into the sky.
Immediately after, I swung my arm and threw the tongs straight at the man.
*Thwack!*
“Gaaaah!”
The man’s arm, struck by the tongs, bent at an unnatural angle.
I had intentionally only subdued him.
Red still hadn't gotten any useful information from him.
“Kid, what in the world are you…”
Red’s eyes widened.
But her shock lasted only a moment. Quickly regaining her composure, she grabbed the man by the hair, about to do something.
Then she stopped.
She clicked her tongue and laid the man back on the ground.
“He took his own life.”
Red checked the other men lying on the ground.
I checked them, too.
All of them had stopped breathing.
They had killed themselves to protect their information.
Such incredible loyalty. Or should I call it devotion in this case?
Red scowled and scratched the back of her head, clearly annoyed that she couldn't get any real information.
She let out a deep sigh and walked over to the shopkeeper.
“You okay, old man? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. Thanks to this young customer here.”
I could feel their eyes on me.
My miraculous feat, something no ordinary person could possibly replicate…
Naturally, the attention had shifted to me.
“Kiddo, what was that just now?”
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead at Red’s question.
I was so glad my face was hidden by a mask and hood.
I’d only used three percent of my true power. So I thought there was no way she could have found out I was the Grim Reaper. She couldn't have.
But what if she had a hunch?
Anyone else might have let it slide, but something about her made me anxious that she might have noticed.
*Calm down. If I panic here, I’ll look suspicious.*
I shrugged as casually as I could, as if it were nothing.
Red stroked her chin, lost in thought.
A moment later, her eyes met mine.
And in a low voice.
“Hey, kiddo.”
*Thump!*
“You said you were alone. In that case, have you ever thought about coming to an orphanage?”
I was startled by Red’s suggestion.
What? An orphanage?
“The thing is, I sponsor an orphanage. There are a lot of kids there without parents, just like you. And they’re being taught how to survive in this world, just like strong kids like you.”
The word “orphanage” made my stomach churn.
Bad memories surfaced in my mind.
“I think you’d be much more stable and comfortable living at the orphanage than you are now. You’ll have friends, so you won’t be lonely. What do you say? Wanna come with me?”
I shook my head without hesitation.
“Really?”
Yes.
I nodded immediately.
I know all too well how thin and hollow goodwill is in this world.
It happened back when I first woke up in this world.
Back when I hadn't yet awakened my powers.
I wanted to live, to lean on anyone I could.
I ended up staying in a few orphanages.
Of course, it was the worst.
They’d lure children to the orphanage with gentle smiles.
But inside, they’d neglect the children. They didn’t care if we lived or died, and wouldn’t even glance our way if we were sick.
In the worst places, they even used the children to make dirty money.
When a spot opened up, they would just bring in a new child to fill it.
And the director of the orphanage, who was so consistently indifferent…
In front of others, they would proudly boast about their good deeds.
I couldn't stand it, it was so disgusting, so I ran away.
Yes, she might be different.
But the deep scars on my heart ached, rejecting the idea.
“Right… well, I can’t force you if you don’t want to go. But if you change your mind, let the old man here know.”
Red didn’t seem intent on forcing me, either.
*Phew.* That’s a relief.
I hate orphanages, but spending more time with her would also increase the chances of my identity being exposed. So, no, I definitely can’t go with her.
“You’re done here, so you’re heading home, right? After what just happened, I’ll walk you home. That’s okay, right, old man?”
“Of course.”
The shopkeeper nodded.
But I shook my head vehemently, politely declining.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? You don’t have to refuse.”
I kept shaking my head.
Of course, even if I said I was fine…
She was still uneasy about sending a child off alone, so she kept asking. I kept refusing.
Finally deciding she couldn’t break my stubbornness, Red was the first to wave the white flag.
“If you really don’t want me to, I guess I can’t help it. Just hurry on home and try not to get caught up in any more trouble like this.”
I bowed my head deeply in farewell.
I started walking, clutching the well-packaged desserts.
Just then, Red called out, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around.
Red gave a faint smile and waved.
“Thanks for saving the old man’s life, kiddo! Be careful on your way home. See you again later.”
“Next time you come, I’ll have plenty of your favorites ready, so be sure to stop by.”
I raised a hand high and waved back enthusiastically.
Then I turned and continued on my way.
‘I hope this wasn’t a sign of something bad.’
First thugs, and now she was bringing in a religious group.
This didn't seem like simple revenge.
What could they be plotting? What was about to happen?
I stopped dead in my tracks, turned my body, and glanced up at the gloomy, cloud-filled sky for a moment.
Then I resumed my walk back to my base.
‘Hehe. When I get back, I need to decide what to eat first.’
*
The kid disappeared.
Red pulled a cigarette from her coat pocket and placed it between her lips.
She lit the end, took a deep drag.
Then she exhaled a long stream of acrid smoke.
‘A strange kid.’
At first, she thought the kid was just another child common in the city.
But seeing them block the bullet of light changed her mind. It was a trick that even a skilled Fixer would find difficult, yet a child had pulled it off.
It was definitely not a coincidence.
It was something that required experience and considerable skill.
How could a child do that? Talent or not, they were clearly no ordinary kid.
Which, in other words, meant they were a child who had to bear many burdens.
‘It would have been nice if they’d come with me.’
In a world like this, doing good deeds just gets you treated like an oddball.
That’s why some people whisper that she only does it for self-satisfaction or to feel superior.
‘Maybe they’re right.’
Her heart wasn’t as pure as the heroes in the books children read.
She just extended a hand with the hope that kids wouldn't die meaningless deaths in the city. That, too, was ultimately an act driven by her own desires.
So it wasn't pure altruism.
Anyway, for that reason, Red taught children how to survive in the city at her orphanage.
So they wouldn't die in vain.
That's why she offered every kid she met a place at the orphanage.
She’d done the same this time.
Most of them, unable to trust people, refused her offer.
This kid had refused, too.
‘They acted like a child, but I could tell they were on guard.’
It was a habit ingrained from a complete lack of trust in adults.
Seeing a child with that kind of attitude left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Or maybe the cigarette just made it feel that way.
‘Still, I have a feeling I’ll see them again somewhere.’
Red glanced coldly at the bodies scattered on the ground, then looked up at the gloomy sky.
The cigarette burned slowly.
*
In a room neatly arranged with expensive furniture.
A man was pouring a bottle of wine into a glass.
He picked up the full glass and sank into a plush chair. A soft sensation spread through his body.
When the man channeled his mana into the hand holding the glass, a chill rose from its surface.
He slowly took a sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat.
He savored the aftertaste, inwardly admiring the wine’s flavor.
“Hah.”
Just then, someone approached the man.
It was a person wearing a skull mask and holding a staff in their right hand.
“Isaac, I sent the followers just as you ordered. So, how was it? Have you confirmed what you needed to?”
“It was no problem. The information I had was correct, just as I thought.”
At the nonchalant attitude of the man, Isaac, who was swirling his glass, his companion struck the floor with their staff.
“If you are lying, we will never forgive you. Do not forget that.”
“I told you not to worry. After all the years we’ve been together, you still don’t trust me?”
As if displeased, the companion turned their back.
“This is all for the complete advent of our Lady Grim Reaper in this world.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
The companion left, and Isaac smiled at his own reflection in the glass.
‘Hah, for the Grim Reaper, they say. Sorry, but unlike you lot, I’m working for a greater cause. So I’ll just use you for a little while longer.’
The Cult of the Grim Reaper had swallowed the bait, the half-baked information he’d casually tossed their way.
He sneered inwardly at how simple they were.
Isaac brought the glass to his lips.
Then, he suddenly recalled what had happened today.
‘Was it a coincidence? Or was it intentional?’
He had been monitoring the surface through an ice bird he created above the clouds.
But a bullet of light, deflected from the ground, had flown into the sky and struck the bird. Thanks to that, his vision had been cut off midway.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. My plan is proceeding without a hitch. It will not fail.’
Isaac drank the rest of the wine, then uttered the word.
“Status Window.”