Chapter 30

The atmosphere shifted.

It was chilly outside since it was night, but it became even colder after Isaac snapped his fingers. The air felt heavy. Isaac’s power was evident.

Yet my body felt fine. There was no pain at all.

Feeling strange, I slowly opened my eyes.

I saw Lena’s face.

She seemed to be unconscious. There were no wounds.

Phew. I’m glad it looks like she’s not hurt.

But what happened? I turned my head, filled with questions.

‘…!’

Rene stood there, arms wide open as if to protect us.

Frost covered her body.

I understood. Rene seemed to have taken all of Isaac’s attacks.

Her body was a complete mess, having absorbed everything with her bare skin.

Isaac spoke in a voice filled with curiosity upon seeing Rene.

“That’s strange. Why are you here? You should be with those Cult of the Grim Reaper goons… they wouldn’t be the type to fall easily.”

Oh, now that I think about it, that is strange.

Isaac’s remark raised questions in my mind as well.

Rene was standing here. She was undeniably real, with a tangible presence.

However, I could sense another presence of Rene from a distance. It felt even stronger over there.

Then, what does it mean that she’s standing here?

Rene let out a long, deep breath and said,

“What is someone like you doing here at this hour, Mr. Isaac? That outfit doesn’t look like cosplay for playing with kids.”

Her voice was very calm. Yet, there was an undertone of hostility.

Isaac paid no mind to the pointed question. His eyes, revealed from behind the mask, drew a line that cut through the air.

“Would you believe me if I said I came here to have fun?”

“You certainly have been causing quite a ruckus for just a day out. Also, your new friends look rather dangerous.”

“Well, I really didn’t want to. I was just going to quietly take that kid and leave….”

Isaac mumbled in annoyance, his gaze slowly shifting towards me.

Our eyes met.

It felt as if he was blaming me for everything.

Lily also slightly turned her head, glancing my way from Isaac’s gaze.

Rene seemed relieved that Lena and I were safe.

She tightened her features again and turned her head back to Isaac, resuming her focus.

“I’ll hand over the masked kid if you let me go quietly. So, how about we negotiate peacefully?”

“I don’t know the reason behind it, but since it’s late, come again tomorrow morning.”

“Haah, do you even know what that child is and why you’re protecting them?”

Rene flinched slightly.

My expression also grew colder.

Could it be that she has known my true identity from the start?

“…Then, do you know who I am?”

With Rene’s question, regret flooded me for not taking Isaac seriously from the beginning.

Even if I received suspicious looks from other people, I had to eliminate the possibility.

If Isaac reveals my identity here, what should I do? Or should I eliminate him before he answers that question…?

I fell into a deep contemplation.

I racked my brain.

Let’s keep the worst-case scenario in mind and wait. What kind of answer will he give?

Isaac opened his mouth.

“I don’t know the details either.”

I frowned at the deflating answer.

I tried to weigh whether that statement was truth or deception. His eyes and voice didn’t seem to suggest he was lying.

But it was still too early to feel relieved.

Isaac, with serious eyes, continued on.

“But one thing is certain. That kid in the mask should not exist in this world.”

“What do you mean by that cryptic statement?”

“And I’m doing this to protect this world.”

Inside, I tilted my head in confusion.

Am I someone that shouldn’t exist? What on earth did he mean?

Is he referring to my being a Grim Reaper? Or does it have another meaning?

I don’t know.

I know nothing about this body.

What this girl is, why she has this power, and why I opened my eyes in a place where no one was.

I hadn’t thought to recognize my doubts.

Even though I was curious about the secrets surrounding me, I was too busy living in this world to worry about them.

Once I became somewhat accustomed to my power and relaxed, I found it wasn’t inconvenient to live without knowing the secrets.

I was living this way without much thought.

Yet, Isaac’s words piqued my abandoned curiosity in the corner of my mind.

Isaac seemed to know something.

Perhaps this would be a chance for me to find out who I am.

I glanced at Rene.

What was she thinking? Did she believe his words?

I could sense a seriousness in Isaac’s words.

This meant he wasn’t lying.

However, Rene chuckled as if she found his determination absurd.

“You’re quite entertaining with your nonsense. You attack children, and you dare call it world peace? Is that the only kind of peace you think of?”

Isaac shrugged at her scornful tone.

“Well, you may not understand my intentions right now, but you will eventually.”

Isaac forcibly pulled out the trowel lodged in his wrist.

His expression twisted in pain.

He grunted and dropped the trowel to the ground.

Blood flowed freely from the deep wound.

Isaac pulled out something that looked like a syringe from his pocket and injected it into his injured arm.

In an instant, new flesh began to grow and restore the shape.

He then extended that hand towards Rene.

“Look, so hurry up and hand over that kid.”

The atmosphere became taut with tension.

Rene spoke.

“Please take your friend and go back.”

That was a clear refusal.

His eyes narrowed.

Displeasure radiated from his gaze.

“I see. That’s your choice. But are you okay? Can you really stop me with just a clone?”

“….”

What? A clone?

“And can you reveal your powers in front of a child?”

“I thought you were an unusual person from the first time I saw you… just how much do you know?”

“I’m sure I know more about you than you know about yourself.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well… if you hand over that kid, I might tell you.”

The atmosphere between the two was far from normal.

Until now, Rene had been somewhat curt in her responses, maintaining a level of decorum, but now she was fully letting her emotions show.

Considering the various circumstances, it seemed Rene had a secret.

And Isaac appeared to know that secret.

“Is it related to the incident that occurred in the orphanage before? Is all of that connected to you?”

“…I don’t know.”

“I’m warning you again. If you don’t return with your friends now, I won’t show mercy.”

“Do you really think you can defeat me while protecting the children? Let alone a clone?”

“Justice doesn’t lose to villains.”

Isaac’s eyebrows twitched.

“A villain? Me…? You’re mistaken. I’m the hero. The hero who will save the world! Don’t throw those kinds of words around without knowing.”

His voice carried a hint of excitement.

It seemed Isaac was aware he was getting worked up, as he took a slow, deep breath to calm himself.

At that moment, Rene slightly moved her hand to signal me discreetly.

Knowing what that meant, I hugged Lena and hurried inside the building.

‘The air… no, the atmosphere inside the house has changed?’

Right after, the atmosphere in the house transformed along with a faint noise.

It felt like stepping into the jaws of a beast.

However, strangely, I felt no malice or hostility.

As I pondered what was happening, I could faintly hear the sound of thuds coming from outside.

The noise showed no signs of dying down.

The house shook gently.

I could easily guess what was happening outside.

Five minutes passed.

The noise and vibrations stopped.

The air inside the house returned to normal, and all strange sensations vanished.

It seemed the battle was over.

Cautiously, I opened the door a crack to see the outcome of the clash.

‘As I expected…’

I felt calm at the anticipated outcome.

“Do you really think I’ll lose to something as trivial as a clone?”

Outside, the aftermath of the battle unfolded before me without filter.

Isaac stood there.

Rene was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, several ice pillars were scattered about, and I could faintly sense Rene’s presence from one of them.

Rene had lost.

The situation was unfavorable for her.

Unlike usual, Rene, who faced Isaac, was in a weakened state.

And since she had to fight without causing harm to the orphanage, she was naturally at a disadvantage.

Our eyes met through the door gap.

Isaac’s eyes traced a line.

He was approaching.

At that moment, a long, tentacle-like appendage shot out from the ice pillar and grabbed his wrist.

What the hell is that?

Isaac seemed unfazed, as if he knew what it was.

In a weary tone, he said.

“Ugh, right. You have that ability. Truly persistent regeneration you have there.”

As Isaac raised his magic power, the tentacle gripping his wrist froze and shattered.

Instantly, the ground trembled.

Isaac let out a deep sigh.

“I have no choice… if you keep getting in the way, I’ll just have to freeze this entire orphanage.”

Isaac’s magic surged wildly.

It seemed he was about to attempt something dangerous, so I opened the door.

As soon as I did, the tremors ceased and Isaac’s magic quieted.

I could feel his gaze upon me.

I stepped outside, conveying my willingness to follow Isaac and urging him to stop.

Continuing this any further would only put us in a worse situation.

It was better to put an end to it here.

“If you come with me willingly, then I don’t have any reason to cause more chaos here.”

Fortunately, my message was conveyed well.

However, as if opposing my actions, the ground shook, causing me to shake my head.

I approached the ice pillar where I sensed Rene’s presence.

I took a long breath. I felt a slight tension.

Slowly, I raised my hand and removed my mask.

It felt incredibly strange.

To show my face to others first.

In this situation where I couldn’t even speak, I had no choice but to reveal my face to communicate my emotions effectively.

After staring at the ice pillar for a few seconds, I wore my mask again.

I turned my head towards Isaac.

I nodded, signaling for us to go.

I followed Isaac.

This wasn’t self-sacrifice.

It would be more advantageous for me to have a calm conversation together.

Just as they had business with me, I had mountains of things I wanted to hear from them.

Once our business was done, I would deal with it quickly and return.