The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 20

The situation settled down quickly.

Having fought her before, I knew Red’s capabilities well—and that Isaac guy turned out to be pretty competent too.

Thanks to the two of them stepping in, they managed to drive out every intruder that attacked the zoo.

There were casualties and injuries, but considering this was an assault by a top-tier criminal organization, the damage was surprisingly minimal.

It was all thanks to those two.

Isaac! That’s where I heard it—“General Frost” Isaac. Now I remember.

General Frost Isaac.

He became an A-rank troubleshooter at the youngest age ever, and he’s now just one step below the highest SS rank.

He’s ranked in the top 10 most popular troubleshooters among children and women.

A formidable water mage who’s unmatched when it comes to ice-based magic. His skills are so overwhelming that when he appears, the air turns frigid like winter, and frozen corpses of gang members are often left behind. Among criminals, his name alone is terrifying.

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That’s why the underworld nicknamed him General Frost after an ancient being from old books.

Though apparently, he hates the name. I remember reading in an old discarded magazine that he prefers the childish nickname Ice Prince instead.

Too bad the photo was damaged in the copy I read—so I didn’t know what he looked like.

So that’s what he looks like, huh.

Can’t believe I met someone that famous in person.

Looks like we’ll be seeing more of each other, so I’d better act carefully around him.

I doubt the Blackwing Syndicate ever imagined they'd stumble into a situation with both the Crime Killer and General Frost present. Talk about rotten luck.

From the moment those two got involved, the syndicate’s defeat was basically inevitable.

Tsk tsk. Poor guys.

Still, it’s strange. Why would they even attack this place?

The Blackwing Syndicate is... different from other criminal groups.

They don’t operate independently.

More precisely, they’re known as troubleshooters from the shadows—silent professionals who carry out only the jobs they’re paid for.

Which means this attack was someone’s request.

But why? For what reason?

Who paid to have a remote zoo attacked?

Was something valuable hidden here?

No... I don’t think so.

Nothing here felt special. Nothing stood out.

It was just a regular zoo, exactly as it appeared.

Maybe there was some grudge against the zoo’s manager? A revenge plot?

That’s... the most plausible theory I could think of.

Or maybe it was something else entirely.

I tried [N O V E L I G H T] to piece together the scraps of clues in my head, but I gave up quickly.

There’s no way to complete a puzzle if you don’t even know how big it is. It’s a waste of time.

Instead, I let my thoughts go and looked out the window, hoping to spend my time more productively.

At least the way back isn’t blocked.

Just like when we came, we were riding in Red’s car, heading back to the orphanage.

It was already late at night. The sky outside was pitch black.

There were clouds tonight, so no stars could be seen. Every now and then, the moon peeked shyly through the gaps.

In its place, the glow from streetlamps and lit-up buildings below sparkled like stars on the ground.

Even though the situation had been resolved, continuing business as usual was impossible.

Normally, we would’ve left right away—but since Red played such a big role in solving the incident, she stayed behind to talk with people. That’s why we left a little later.

Well, at least we avoided traffic. Whether we got back late or early didn’t really matter. It’s not like there’s anything waiting for me anyway, so no need to rush.

I didn’t mind, so I stayed quiet. But the kids weren’t so patient.

Waiting made them restless, and they kept grumbling.

I still remembered how happy they were when Red said we were finally leaving.

“Mmnnya~”

I turned to the kids.

Exhausted from the day, they’d all fallen into peaceful sleep.

If I kept still, I could hear their soft, faint breaths.

“Uuhhh... It’s a lion...”

“No more... I can’t eat anymore...”

“Stop clinging... It tickles...”

I smiled a little at their sleepy muttering.

They must be having sweet dreams.

They’d all been so disappointed about not getting to buy souvenirs.

Maybe someday we can come back and get them. But after everything that happened, who knows if the zoo will even reopen.

I hope everything wraps up well, and the place opens its doors again.

Tap.

“Lily... mnya mnya...”

Just then, Rena, who was sitting next to me, leaned her head against my shoulder.

I thought she might’ve woken up, but her eyes were still gently closed.

A peaceful expression.

Quiet, steady breaths.

Soft, sleepy murmurs.

I reached out and gently brushed aside her slightly messy blonde bangs.

Then, carefully—so as not to wake her—I turned my head to look out the window again.

I silently wished that the memories we made today wouldn’t turn into nightmares.

And I made that wish to the shy little moon that occasionally peeked out through the clouds.

*

Red was driving the car.

Her expression didn’t look good.

She already had a sharp resting face, but maybe because of her mood, she looked even fiercer than usual.

If the kids were awake and saw her like this, they might have tried to forcibly lift her cheeks with their fingers, saying her face looked scary.

The reason for Red’s sour mood was simple—things hadn’t gone as planned.

She had taken the kids to the zoo to lift their spirits, but then everything spiraled into chaos.

A sudden attack by a criminal organization had cut short their peaceful day, even putting the children’s lives in danger. It was far from a pleasant outcome.

Why did the Blackwing Syndicate show up there of all places?

This wasn’t just some random gang stirring up trouble.

Red had heard of the Blackwing Syndicate before—and had even clashed with them a few times.

They were a criminal group infamous for accepting any job as long as the price was right, and for seeing it through to the end.

Which meant the attack on the zoo had a purpose.

While dealing with them, Red had sensed something off.

As she moved with the children, she noticed the attackers did target visitors, but when it came to the kids... they went after them with an unnatural intensity.

It was like... the kids were the goal.

Were the children really the target? But why? Was someone after me, using the kids to get revenge?

It was possible—but there was no certainty.

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Their actions seemed focused on the children, and yet, there were other moves that didn’t quite match that.

That’s bothering me... but so was what the manager said.

After the situation was under control, Red had spoken briefly with the zoo manager.

—Must’ve been rough for you too. All that effort to open a zoo out in the outskirts, and then this disaster hits on the first day...

—I thought if I brought it out to the outskirts, even the locals could enjoy it. Who could’ve imagined a disaster like this on day one... sniff. Still, thanks to you and Mr. Isaac, we avoided even worse damage. But reopening... it’ll take time.

—Right. Make sure you invest in better troubleshooters and security bots next time.

—I did invest a fortune, and it ended up useless... sob. Actually, now that I think of it, there was something strange...

—Strange?

—Our security team said...

That’s when the manager mentioned something that stuck in Red’s mind.

In short: not a single attacker was caught on camera. Not one triggered any security measures.

It was as if they knew the facility inside out and avoided every trap with ease.

Of course, considering the Blackwing Syndicate’s skill, that wasn’t entirely surprising...

Still, something about it just didn’t sit right with Red.

And above all... of all people to run into—it had to be him.

Red scowled.

Just thinking about Isaac’s face left a bad taste in her mouth.

What made it worse was that Isaac would be visiting the orphanage.

She’d wanted to tell him flat out not to come, but the kids liked him... so she ended up giving her reluctant approval.

For Red, Isaac was someone personally uncomfortable to deal with. But since it was personal, she figured she could just bear with it.

She really wanted a smoke, but with the kids in the car, she held back.

Red glanced at the rearview mirror.

The kids were sound asleep.

Seeing their peaceful faces helped calm her down... a little.

But one of them was still awake.

Lily.

“Lily, aren’t you tired? You can sleep if you want. We’ve still got a while to go.”

Lily nodded.

Red let out a faint, bitter smile.

Their fun day had been ruined. It might even leave behind a trauma, haunt them in nightmares.

Still... it was true that they’d made some good memories too.

She hoped, from the bottom of her heart, that this wouldn’t become a terrible memory. That it wouldn’t be swallowed up by nightmares.

Red truly wished for that.

*

At a luxurious hotel—

Isaac stood at the window, gazing out at the cityscape. From this high floor, the nighttime view was breathtaking.

Clink. Clink.

In the darkness behind him, a charm swayed and rang faintly.

“I put in the request with the Blackwing Syndicate, just like you asked. But are you sure this will really help resurrect the God of Death?”

“Yeah... it’ll be fine. Your doctrine says death calls the Reaper, right?”

“What about you? You haven’t made any moves since then...”

“Don’t worry. I plan to act soon. Everything’s already in place.”

“Then we hope it yields results.”

The presence in the dark faded.

Isaac poured himself a drink and lifted the glass.

His reflection in the window looked uneasy.

He let out a long sigh.

Why didn’t the bomb go off?

The zoo had originally been a location for a favorability event from the game.

Isaac decided to use that event differently.

It was Isaac himself who gave the order to plant the bomb.

The attack and the bomb setup had been easy.

He’d used knowledge from the game’s source material to reveal weaknesses in the facility in advance.

And the job had gone to none other than the Blackwing Syndicate.

Of course it had been easy.

The bomb’s power was more than enough to wipe out the entire shelter.

Once it went off, Red would’ve been crushed with grief from losing the kids—and he’d planned to use that gap in her heart to wedge his way back in and stain her with his colors.

But the bomb didn’t explode.

Was it one of the troubleshooters on security? No... no way. The ones stationed there weren’t skilled enough. A dud? Even less likely. Then what the hell happened?!

He wanted to go check himself—or send someone—but with Red watching him, he couldn’t risk it.

If he raised suspicion, it would all be over.

So what had ruined his plan?

What unexpected variable had stopped the explosion?

What the hell was it...?

CRASH!

The glass in Isaac’s hand shattered.

Cold shards and liquor scattered across the floor.

“Tch... To think the Ice Mage would lose his cool. How ridiculous.”

Isaac grabbed a second glass and filled it again.

“The first attempt failed, sure... but the second one’s in motion. So there’s no problem.”

He’d set up a backup plan, just in case.

He’d gotten permission to visit the orphanage.

That gave him the connection he needed. Now, all he had to do was slowly rebuild her affection.

And eventually, just like before... they’d be close again.

I don’t know why she started avoiding me, but I can just raise her favorability again.

Isaac brought the glass to his lips.

But then he paused, something suddenly nagging at him.

Wait... why were there eight kids? There should only be seven. Who was that masked girl?

There were only supposed to be seven children at the orphanage.

Thinking about the girl in the mask—who hadn’t appeared in the original game—Isaac downed the drink.