A month had passed.
Outside the orphanage.
Red was smoking a cigarette, trying to avoid the eyes of the children.
His worries deepened like the murky smoke.
‘What should I do…?’
During his time spent with Lily, he had vaguely sensed that she harbored some kind of secret.
A special power, a past shrouded in mystery.
Red didn’t pay much attention to such things.
After all, other children were in similar situations.
Each child possessed unique powers and all had painful pasts. He thought Lily was just another child like that.
After the Isaac incident, however, the outline of Lily’s hidden secret began to emerge.
Lily was different from the others.
Remembering the events at the amusement park, Red’s expression turned grim.
The large screen Adam had shown him.
People surrounded by four monsters were in grave danger, but as the screen darkened, the crisis was resolved in an instant.
With the screen darkened, Red couldn’t see anything either.
Yet he could somewhat guess what had intervened.
At the moment the screen darkened.
A faint but deceptive feeling crawled up his spine, the energy of the Grim Reaper felt palpable from a distance.
His nerves were on edge, unable to tear his gaze away from the screen, completely forgetting Adam’s presence beside him.
The immense and terrifying magic power was excessive for such a small body.
In that short span of 12 seconds, his mind raced quickly, and his instincts whispered in his ear.
That being over there is your enemy.
“Phew…”
He took a deep breath as if trying to shake off the sensations he felt then, exhaling along with the smoke.
A wry smile crept onto Red’s face.
‘So that’s why the Cult of the Grim Reaper is interested.’
He couldn’t make a definitive judgment. There was no definite conclusion.
There was no need to jump to conclusions.
But the unease lodged in his heart was not easily shaken off.
Red thought of himself as foolish.
He had come to know through the events that preceded this that Lily was closely connected to the Grim Reaper.
For accepting that girl, he said he wouldn’t regret it.
He resolved to embrace her until the very end.
Yet his heart was wavering.
But what if!
What if, while investigating the Cult of the Grim Reaper, he uncovered a shocking truth that exceeded his expectations? Could he accept that?
Could he treat Lily as normally as he did now?
What if, hypothetically, Lily was actually evil?
What if Lily was the enemy that needed to be defeated?
Is it right to investigate the Cult of the Grim Reaper like this?
Sometimes, isn’t there happiness in ignorance of truth?
At that moment, hearing the noisy laughter of children seeping out from the orphanage building, Red’s eyes widened.
Then he hunched his head low and trembled his shoulders.
“C-cough…”
Suddenly, Red let out a quiet laugh.
When he raised his head again, the worry on his face had disappeared.
He looked somewhat relieved.
He chastised himself for having such a foolish concern.
“I really was an idiot.”
Recalling the image of Lily he had seen up to now, Red smiled wryly.
Lily is not that kind of child.
Lily has a sparse emotional palette, resulting in few changes to her expression.
Because of this, people may mistakenly view her as indifferent and cold, but contrary to how she appears, Lily is a child with a warm heart.
A faint glimpse of her emotions is revealed when she plays with other children.
Red could see that.
A good-natured girl, albeit shy.
Just a common child who couldn’t help but become that way due to the harsh world.
Believe.
Even in a world where trust between one another is fading and people have come to trust themselves more than others.
Red believes in possibilities.
He wants to believe.
He has not fought against evil and protected children who symbolize the future while hoping that with that little belief, the world might become a better place.
Even if it turns out that Lily is on the wrong path, that’s fine.
“Children make mistakes; guiding them to the right path is the role of an adult.”
Red dropped the burnt-out cigarette on the ground and stepped on it to put it out.
His worries were over.
His mind felt as clear as the bright sky visible to him.
*
Just moments ago, the children who were getting along peacefully were now quarreling.
The source of the conflict was their disagreement on who should play the protagonist role.
A protagonist is usually someone who sparkles and catches everyone’s attention. Naturally, everyone wants to play the lead role in a story at least once.
Watching the children desirous of becoming the protagonist, Red felt inexplicably lonely but couldn’t help but smile.
Unlike the children, I have no desire for the protagonist spot.
I tend to avoid wanting to be a character that draws attention like a protagonist.
Excessive attention and spotlight have become tiresome for me.
In a peaceful world, that would be one thing, but in a world like this, becoming famous would be the most foolish thing to do.
Even as someone called the Grim Reaper, I find it ridiculous.
I didn’t choose to become the Grim Reaper for fame; it is merely a role I played so I could live comfortably.
I used it as a means, not an end.
Hmm. Am I still far from my goal?
The story showed no signs of ending. It was getting more intense.
“Shouldn’t I take the knight role?”
“Knight, please. You’re better suited to be the servant that follows around the knight. I should be the knight!”
“Everyone, stop fighting. You guys aren’t as great as I am, so I’ll take the knight role.”
Why are they fighting over this casting?
This time, several wealthy and economically stable people have pooled their money to hold a small festival.
This time, there shouldn’t be any unexpected accidents like during the amusement park incident.
After all, the festival organizers are acquaintances of Red and are altruistic like him.
In other words, it will be a festival that can be enjoyed without anxiety or worry.
Of course, there will be rigorous security measures to ensure that the people and children can enjoy it, and with the enormous presence of Red, who would dare to cause trouble?
Unless someone is a crazed human desperate to die.
Anyway.
During the festival, various foods will be sold, and there will also be enjoyable performances.
And the children are expected to participate in those performances.
Naturally, the actors in the play will be the children. Any shortage of actors will be filled by Androids, so the number of participants is not a concern.
‘How surprising that they thought of holding a festival in the Outskirts City…’
Although surprised at the unprecedented event, I also felt a sense of skepticism, but a part of me felt excited.
A festival is supposed to be enjoyable.
It seems they intend to bring warmth to the bleak city and restore vitality, giving a glimmer of hope to this sick world.
Honestly, it’s no different from pouring water in a desert.
I truly hope Red’s festival will end successfully and achieve its purpose.
‘But who would have thought they would consider doing a play?’
Should I be impressed?
Doing something in front of many people requires enormous courage.
I’ve heard it’s all for Red, which makes it admirable.
“So, who should take the second-important role of the princess, while we set the knight role aside for now?”
“Princess role?”
“That’s already been decided.”
It seems the princess, one of the main roles, was easily determined.
After all, Lena said she would play the singing maid role, and Bada is a quiet character suited to her personality.
So, one of the remaining kids aside from me will have to play the princess role.
Naturally, if I’m excluded, the other kid will naturally take the princess role.
“Lily.”
“Right, it’s Lily.”
“There’s no one but Lily….”
…Huh?
…Huh?
What?!!
They want me to play the role of the princess?
I turned to the child, wondering if I had misheard, but instead of showing any discontent, she looked extremely pleased.
The other children did not appear dissatisfied with me playing the princess role at all.
Chills ran down my spine.
I felt goosebumps prickling on my arms.
Coming back to my senses, I desperately shook my head side to side, making an X with my arms.
My feet stumbled.
Dori Dori. Thud thud thud.
Dori Dori. Thud thud thud.
No way. Me, a princess?
I don’t want to. Absolutely not. No matter how I think about it, that’s not it.
The moment I was to take on the princess role, it felt like something in my heart would crack.
More than that, a play?
I thought it was impossible.
I can’t speak, nor can I recite the lines of a script.
While I might take off my mask inside the orphanage, I don’t take it off outside, so I cannot take a leading role.
It’s obvious the atmosphere of the play would be ruined with a masked lead.
If you’re going to cast me, just have me play the role of a tree swaying in the wind.
I desperately argued against it using gestures, but the children’s responses were quite negative.
“Eh?! Why? You’d suit the princess role perfectly. Lily is the cutest in the world, and everyone would surely love her.”
“Don’t worry about the voice. We can prepare a pre-recorded voice, and you just have to move your lips. Or we could start by setting it so you can’t speak from the beginning.”
“Or you could just wear a mask. A masked princess would be thrilling.”
The children were relentless.
They tried to persuade me, offering all sorts of reasons.
Desperation was evident in them as well.
“Ugh.”
Clap clap!
“Okay, enough. Lily looks troubled. While the play is important, if we’re going to do it, shouldn’t it be one everyone can enjoy? For that, we must also consider Lily’s feelings.”
In this difficult situation, Rene stepped in to intervene with the children.
I silently raised both thumbs towards Rene.
With her words, the children fell silent.
They became downtrodden at my refusal but, undeterred, they started looking at me with forlorn eyes.
Their bright, pleading expressions were so pitiful that it felt like beams of brilliant light were pouring down, making me feel sorry for them.
An unresistable wave of pure pressure.
Ugh.
How sly of them to bring this upon me.
“But when did Lily stop being able to speak? Can she still not now?”
At that moment, one child asked a question.
With their innocent inquiry, the other kids withdrew their gazes of pressure, looking at me with suspicion.
Ever since I arrived at the orphanage, my body underwent thorough examination.
The results showed that my throat was slightly problematic, but it was diagnosed that it wasn’t enough for me to be unable to speak.
To put it simply, it means I can speak.
Yet I can’t produce any sound.
It’s not a physical problem, but a psychological one.
In that moment, memories of the past flashed through my mind like a film.
Memories I don’t want to recall.
─A, …here…
─It…
─…It is… number.
On the crumpled screen, amidst the noise, I could see countless masks and the applause pouring in.
I barely managed to maintain my composure while resisting the urge to crumple my expression.
Ahh.
The reason I cannot speak is…
Because I have yet to overcome my past.
When I first opened my eyes to this world, I went through many harsh experiences in the beginning.
Even though I had grown strong enough to be called the Grim Reaper today, I am still haunted by my past.
Some may laugh at it.
But overcoming the pain of the past is never easy.
Especially in a world like this.
Lonely feelings began to bubble up, trying to reveal themselves on my face.
It wouldn’t be a face I want to show them.
Even now, my emotions are light; my expression is dull. Showing them would only make it more boring.
I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, “Whatever.”
Anyway, the children continued to try persuading me.
Of course, I dashed their hopes with my refusal, but it’s like I couldn’t get rid of those who come three times.
In the end, I also succumbed to the children’s persuasion.
Their faces became radiant like sunlight.
The children jumped up and down excitedly.
The cheerful sounds of laughter filled the orphanage, brightening it further.
“Alright, everyone, let’s practice before the festival starts!”
“““Woohoo!”””
Ugh.
I hate the play.
