The Most Terrifying Villain Is Actually a Beautiful Girl

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The girl’s name is Lena.

She’s 11 years old and is sponsored by Red at the orphanage.

Lena secretly slipped out of the orphanage and was practicing singing at a nearby secret base. But then, unfamiliar people showed up at her secret spot.

They kidnapped her.

Lena woke up in a cramped, filthy room.

The door was tightly shut, and there was nothing she could do with her small strength.

Trembling in fear, Lena began to cry.

“Sister, save me.”

The room kept shaking, and loud noises echoed from outside.

It was terrifying.

Just like in fairy tales where a knight rescues a princess trapped in a tower, she deeply hoped that her sister Red would come to save her as she used to.

Suddenly, she remembered something her sister said once.

“Yeah, crying isn’t going to help.”

Lena wiped her tears and gathered her courage.

The girl, with a determined look in her eyes, stood up and pulled the doorknob with all her might.

Struggling, Lena.

The door wouldn’t budge, as if it were telling her she couldn’t get out of this place.

But Lena didn’t give up.

Even if she failed once, she’d try again. If she failed twice, she’d go for a third try.

“Please, just open!”

And surprisingly, the metal door creaked and began to open slowly.

Why? Maybe the impact of the shaking ground weakened the door. Or perhaps there was another special reason it opened.

The young girl couldn’t know.

But the important thing was that the door was open.

“The door is open!”

Lena peeked her head out and looked around.

“No one’s here.”

There were no people outside.

If she wanted to escape, this was her only chance.

“Now’s my time!”

Lena stepped out of the room and ran as far as she could before the bad adults could catch her again.

Even though she was out of breath and her legs were trembling,

Lena didn’t stop. But eventually, a child’s stamina ran out.

“Huff, huff. This is hard. Just a bit… let me take a break.”

Lena ducked into an abandoned building to rest.

From a distance, lights flashed, and loud sounds continued to come.

With all that racket, even young Lena could tell something terrifying was happening.

She held back tears that seemed ready to burst out.

“Sister… I miss you…”

A little while later, the commotion gradually quieted down, and soon everything fell silent.

And the moment she stepped outside, she encountered a pure white angel.

*

“… and that’s how it happened.”

I knelt with my hands covering my face, listening to the explanation of the human girl, Lena.

Kidnappings happen everywhere, so it wouldn’t be strange.

What mattered now was whether that statement was true or false.

After releasing my Grim Reaper Form, she wouldn’t know I had been a Grim Reaper. But what if she was lying?

Maybe she was making up a story to escape the crisis she faced right in front of her.

And once we got out of here safely,

What if I revealed that the Grim Reaper’s true identity was a young girl?

It was clear what would come next.

There’s no need to struggle over such difficult considerations here.

She may not look like she’s lying, but rational judgment suggests eliminating future troubles is the safest course.

So, should I… no, no, no.

I can’t… I can’t do that.

How could I harm a child? That’s just wrong.

Of course, I’ve stained my hands with quite a bit of blood since I fell into this rotten world.

But that was all against the worst of people.

I fought back because they were trying to take my life.

I justified it to myself, thinking it was an unavoidable circumstance.

While enduring that kind of guilt, I’ve become so numb that it wouldn’t even feel like a crime to clean up the garbage right now.

But a child is different.

Maybe if I set my mind to it, I could do it easily, almost like it was nothing.

But that can’t happen.

Even if I think I could, I absolutely shouldn’t.

There are lines that should never be crossed.

“Hey… Angel, are you alright? You look unwell.”

My reflection in those sparkling blue eyes showed a face that didn’t look so good.

Lena was looking at me with concern.

I couldn’t even meet her gaze directly.

What could I possibly say to such a pure child? “This is all your fault”? That would only make me feel worse.

I forced a smile and shook my head.

‘Why couldn’t I notice the little girl nearby in the first place? Was I that out of it?’

I felt a deep regret about not being attentive.

You fool. You idiot.

Damn. I wish I could turn back time.

Lena gently patted my back.

“See, it’ll be fine. My sister used to do this when I was having a hard time, and it always made me feel better.”

The innocent smile of the young girl pierced the sharp knife of guilt in my heart.

“Yeah. Maybe I can trust her. She doesn’t seem like the kind to lie.”

Children are the proof of future and hope in this world.

If we abandon the future and can’t trust hope, then what can we trust in this world?

If I’m wrong, that just means…

“I’m just a fool who can’t see people properly.”

I stood up and raised my arms to show that I was fine.

Lena also joyfully spread her arms wide.

Now, let’s solve this little problem.

I couldn’t leave a child here, so I figured I’d take her with me. There seemed to be plenty of Solvers around here, so I could probably just grab anyone to get some money and ask them to take her home.

Just before we began, I thought about putting on my hood and mask, but I stopped.

Let’s go as we are.

If I wear my hood and mask now, I might get recognized by someone later, and that would just be troublesome.

Besides, it seems like the little one prefers to see my bare face.

I extended my hand to Lena.

“Are we going home?”

I nodded.

Lena hesitated to trust a stranger for a moment, but soon steeled herself and carefully took my hand.

Hmm, I suggested it, but I was genuinely surprised.

Could she really trust a suspicious person like me? Or maybe did she have a reason to believe in me?

Never mind. I don’t need to know.

Let’s quickly get to a Solver and hand this little one off.

I stepped toward a presence I felt in the distance.

On the way, Lena, like a child, couldn’t help but be curious about me.

“Angel, why are you here?”

“Are you alone, Angel?”

“Why are you helping me, Angel?”

She kept calling me Angel.

Well, considering this incredible appearance, it wouldn’t be weird for a child to mistake me for an angel.

“Hey, Angel…”

I maintained silence in response to Lena’s questions.

I couldn’t talk anyway. Communicating with gestures was tiring too.

And there was no need to have a long chat with a child I’d soon part with.

“…Can I sing?”

Glancing over, I saw Lena’s eager expression.

How could I say no to those eyes?

I nodded.

Lena began to hum a little tune with her small voice.

She sang well. She had talent.

“How was that?”

I smiled in response to Lena’s question.

A joyful smile spread across her face.

Excited, she started singing a few more songs.

As we walked along, enveloped in her warm and comforting melody, I suddenly stopped at a sound that caught my attention.

I signaled Lena to wait for a moment, then I climbed up to a higher vantage point and focused on the faint sound I could hear.

“There!”

I spotted an Orc.

He looked pretty strong.

The Orc was shouting.

Listening closely, I could hear the word Lena. If they were saying Lena, that had to be the girl’s name.

So, was that Orc looking for her?

I rushed back to the girl and gestured to explain.

An Orc is looking for you.

Lena’s expression brightened.

She tightly clasped my hand.

Then, with a joyful voice, she exclaimed,

“It’s Uncle Stal!”

So she knew him.

I wondered if he was reliable, so I asked with gestures.

Lena nodded repeatedly.

“Uncle Stal is my sister’s friend.”

Is that so? Well, it’s better than leaving her with a stranger.

I took her hand and walked toward where the Orc was.

A moment later, when she spotted him from afar, Lena jumped up and pointed.

“Uncle Stal!”

When Lena shouted, the Orc turned to face us.

Before things got bothersome, maybe I should turn back.

I patted Lena’s back, signaling her to go ahead.

Lena ran towards the Orc, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and bowed.

I waved goodbye casually.

Lena turned back and dashed away.

“What a tough day. Let’s go home and rest.”

*

“Uncle!”

“Lena!”

An embrace between an Orc and a human child.

Stal checked Lena for any injuries, examining her body from side to side.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

Stal let out a long sigh of relief, relieved that she seemed unscathed.

What a relief.

Considering she had been a hostage of a crime organization and almost faced the ultra-dangerous Grim Reaper, the fact that she was unharmed seemed like sheer luck.

“The Angel helped me.”

“Angel…?”

“She had clean eyes,” she said.

The angel from the Bible?

Stal didn’t quite understand what that meant.

Maybe a passing Beastfolk had helped?

It wasn’t uncommon for a child to mistake the wings of a Beastfolk for those of an angel.

‘Speaking of which, I feel like there was someone with Lena.’

The distance had been too far, and it was dark, so it was hard to make out.

But whatever the figure was, it looked like a child.

Stal was lost in thought when suddenly, he remembered he needed to contact his team.

“Right! I need to report that everything’s okay with the girl.”

Stal pulled out his cellphone and called Red.

A silly tune played, making Stal chuckle softly.

In any case, he was waiting for the line to connect, but it seemed to take longer.

As anxiety crept in at the possibility something might have gone wrong, the call finally connected, and Stal sighed in relief.

He knew Red wasn’t someone who would easily fall prey, but he couldn’t help but worry when she rushed to confront the Grim Reaper.

Stal informed her that the girl was safe.

After briefly chatting, they agreed to meet in the parking lot.

“Lena, let’s go to your sister.”

“Sister?!”

“Yeah, she’s here too.”

As soon as “sister” was mentioned, tears welled up in Lena’s eyes.

Stal gently ruffled Lena’s small head with his large hand.

To avoid losing each other, they held hands tightly as they headed to the parking lot.

The parking lot was bustling with Solvers who had participated in the recent case, filled with chatter.

Stories circulated among the Solvers about the appearance of the Grim Reaper and inquiries about how this case was going.

The two sat on a bench, waiting for Red to arrive.

Lena, looking tired, kept blinking.

After such a traumatic experience, it was no wonder she felt exhausted. I’d need to get her a ride home.

Stal was about to lift the dazed Lena when—

“Lena!”

Red had arrived.

Her pristine appearance from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Her clothes were torn and covered in wounds.

Lena awakened from her slumber at the sound of her sister’s voice, her eyes widening.

Tears began welling up in Lena’s eyes, and soon the dam of her held-back tears burst.

Lena ran toward Red.

Burrowing into her sister’s embrace, Red held her tightly, as if she’d never let go.

In her sister’s arms, Lena sobbed.

“I’m so… so glad.”

“Sis. Waaaa…”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t be there with you.”

“No, sis, it’s not your fault.”

Lena grew tired from crying and eventually fell asleep.

Red carefully laid her sister down in the backseat of the car.

Then, she gently tucked a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear before going over to Stal.

“That looks rough.”

“What could I do? I ran into the Grim Reaper.”

Red put a cigarette between her lips.

Finally, the tiredness she had been holding back showed on her face.

“So how was it? Was it really as rumored?”

Stal also lit up a cigarette beside her.

Red fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, exhaling smoke and lowering her gaze.

“He was really strong. Now I understand why those rumors spread. A complete monster.”

“Do you think you could win against him next time?”

“…I can’t say. I didn’t fight seriously, but neither did he.”

“How long has it been since you’ve shown such a lack of confidence?”

“Who knows…. I can’t remember.”

Stal’s expression hardened when he saw his companion’s defeated demeanor.

It was understandable since Red wasn’t just any typical Solver.

“There aren’t many SSS-ranked Solvers in the city, and even they are unsure of their chances against him… that’s just miserable. And now there’s that Cult of the Grim Reaper freaking causing chaos.”

Stal grimaced as he exhaled smoke into the air.

The two remained silent as they smoked, until Stal broke the tension.

“Well, at least we rescued Lena safely. That’s all that matters, right?”

“That’s true.”

Red nodded in agreement.

After finishing their smoke, the two climbed into the car.

Red took the passenger seat, while Stal took the wheel.

“I’ll close my eyes for a bit, so wake me when we arrive.”

Red reclined her seat slightly, leaning back and closing her eyes.

It had indeed been a grueling day.

 

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