LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 20
The situation quickly calmed down.
Having faced Red before, I knew well about her skills, and it seemed that Isaac was quite handy as well.
Thanks to the two of them, we succeeded in driving away all the intruders who had attacked the zoo.
There were a few casualties and injuries, but given it was an attack by a major crime organization, that level of damage was relatively minor.
All credit goes to the two of them.
“Isaac! That’s right, I remember now. I’ve heard that name somewhere… General Winter Isaac. It just clicked.”
General Winter Isaac.
He rose to the rank of A-class Solver at the youngest age and is now an SS-class Solver, just one rank below the highest.
He’s ranked tenth among the Solvers popular with kids and women.
He adeptly handles water element magic, and when it comes to freezing magic, nobody surpasses him, making him an incredibly powerful ice mage.
Wherever he appeared, it was like winter was unleashed, and the ice statues of his organization members were found in large numbers, making him a source of fear among the members.
Thus, in the underworld, he is referred to as the General Winter, named after a certain entity from ancient texts.
Of course, he personally dislikes that nickname and prefers the childish one of Ice Prince, which I read in a forgotten interview magazine.
Unfortunately, the magazine I’d read had lost the photos, so I didn’t know what he looked like.
So, that’s how he looks.
I can’t believe I’d run into someone so impressive.
Since it seems there will be many opportunities to meet him in the future, I should act carefully in his presence.
“They probably never expected a crime Solver and General Winter would be at the scene of the attack. Talk about bad luck.”
From the moment the two appeared, the defeat of the Black-Black Organization was as good as guaranteed.
Tsk tsk, poor things.
Anyway, I’m puzzled about why they attacked this place.
The Black-Black Organization is quite different from other crime groups.
They lack a sense of agency.
More precisely, they are known for silently executing the requests of those who pay them, to the point of being called shadow Solvers.
In other words, this attack implies that it was someone’s will.
But why? What for?
I just can’t understand why those expensive goons were sent to raid an outskirts zoo.
Was there something special being kept here?
No, I don’t think that’s it.
Nothing stood out as special, and I felt nothing unusual.
It looked like an utterly ordinary zoo as far as I could see.
Was there some conflict with the zoo manager? Is this a matter of vengeance arising from that?
That’s perhaps the most plausible theory.
Or maybe there’s another special reason altogether.
I tried to piece together the clues I had in my head, attempting a deduction of sorts, but I gave up soon enough.
Without knowing the size of the puzzle, it’s impossible to fit the few pieces I have.
What a waste of time.
To spend my time more fruitfully, I shook off my thoughts and gazed out the window.
“At least the way back isn’t blocked; that’s a relief.”
I was riding in Red’s car on the way back to the orphanage, just like when I came.
It was already late at night, and the sky was dark.
Today, the clouds obscured the stars. The moon peeked out occasionally through the clouds, and that was about it.
Instead, the streetlights and illuminated buildings on the ground twinkled like stars.
Even though the situation was resolved, it was challenging to keep operating.
We were supposed to head back immediately, but since Red was a big help in resolving the incident, we ended up leaving a bit late, chatting about various things.
“Thanks to that, we avoided the rush hour traffic. It doesn’t really matter whether we go late or early since there’s nothing to do when we get back, so there’s no hurry.”
I didn’t particularly care, so I stayed quietly, but the kids were different.
The waiting time was boring for them, and they kept grumbling.
I still vividly remember how happy they were when they heard we were about to depart.
“Hmm~”
I turned to look at the kids.
Maybe they were worn out, as they were now peacefully asleep.
If I listened quietly, I could hear their faint breathing.
“Uwaaa~ a lion….”
“Stop it… I can’t eat anymore…”
“Stop clinging to me… it’s ticklish, so stop…”
I couldn’t help but smile at the kids’ tiny sleep-talking.
They seemed to be having sweet dreams.
They were incredibly disappointed that they couldn’t buy souvenirs.
I hope we can come back later and perhaps buy souvenirs then, but after this incident, it’s uncertain whether they’ll reopen.
I truly hope they’ll resolve the remaining issues and reopen.
Thud.
“Lily… hmm hmm….”
At that moment, Lena, who had been sitting next to me, leaned her face on my shoulder.
I looked to see if she had woken up, but her eyes were still closed.
Her expression looked serene.
Soft breathing.
Murmuring in her sleep.
I reached my opposite hand and gently brushed aside her slightly disheveled yellow bangs.
Then, careful not to wake her, I turned my head to look out the window.
I silently prayed that the memories we created today wouldn’t turn into nightmares.
Sometimes, I wish upon the shy moon who occasionally shows itself.
*
Driving the car was Red.
Red’s expression wasn’t bright.
Her naturally fierce demeanor seemed even harsher due to her bad mood.
If the kids had seen her like this, they might have tried to force a smile by lifting the corners of her mouth with their fingers.
The reason Red was in a foul mood was because of the change in plans.
What was supposed to be a fun outing to the zoo for the kids turned chaotic.
The peaceful time was abruptly cut off by the sudden invasion of a crime organization, putting the kids’ lives in danger. It was far from a good thing.
‘Why did the Black-Black Organization show up at a place like this?’
This wasn’t just ordinary thugs causing a stir.
Red had heard that name before and had even clashed with them a few times.
They accept any request as long as the payment is sufficient, and they continue taking on jobs without fail until the end.
In other words, they had a purpose for attacking the zoo.
While facing them, Red felt a sense of discomfort.
As they moved with the kids, she noticed that even when they attacked visitors, they seemed in a bizarre way to fixate on the children.
It was as if their target was the kids.
‘Were the kids the target? Were they sent by someone for revenge against me?’
There’s a possibility, but it’s uncertain.
While they seemed to prioritize the children, there were signs of entirely different movements as well.
‘That bothers me, but the manager’s words are also on my mind.’
After sorting things out, Red spoke to the manager.
“It must be difficult for you. You just opened a zoo in the outskirts city and now this chaos has caused massive damage.”
“I purposely came to the outskirts city so that the locals could enjoy it. I can’t believe such a major incident happened on the very first day… Hoo, at least thanks to you and Isaac, we avoided greater damage. Still, it seems it will take some time to reopen.”
“Right. Next time, let’s invest in more reliable Solvers and even a Security Robot.”
“We prepared everything with a huge budget expecting this, but it all turned out to be useless… Hoo, by the way, there’s something strange.”
“Strange?”
“Our security team said that…”
Then, the manager’s words struck Red.
To put it simply, none of the Solvers or the Security Robots detected anything at all, nor did the security system pick up on the intrusion.
It was as if they had easily breached the facility, almost like they knew exactly where the weaknesses were.
Of course, considering the Black-Black Organization’s capabilities, it shouldn’t be surprising.
But for some reason, Red felt something was off.
‘More importantly… how did I end up crossing paths with that guy?’
Red frowned.
Thinking of Isaac’s face left her feeling uncomfortable.
What annoyed her even more was knowing that Isaac was visiting the orphanage.
She wanted to tell him not to come, but the kids loved him, and she ended up agreeing to the visit.
Red had personal reasons for being uncomfortable with Isaac. Since it was a personal issue, it wasn’t something that would be solved quickly if she could just endure it a little.
Feeling uneasy and wanting to smoke, she held back for the kids.
Red glanced at the rearview mirror.
The kids were sleeping.
Seeing the sleeping children eased her mind somewhat.
But one remained awake.
It was Lily.
“Lily, aren’t you tired? If you’re tired, you can sleep. It’s still a long way to our destination.”
Lily nodded.
Red smiled wryly.
This was supposed to be happy time, but it got ruined by an intrusion. It might even stick with them as trauma and lead to nightmares.
Still, the fact that they had a good time was true.
She hoped this trip wouldn’t turn into a terrible memory, nor would they be swallowed by nightmares.
Deep down, Red wished for that.
*
Isaac returned to a luxurious hotel.
He was staring out at the view from the window. The cityscape viewed from such a high floor was incredibly beautiful.
Ding. Ding.
From the darkness, the sound of a ring swaying could be heard.
“I’ve placed the request with the Black-Black Organization as you instructed. Is this truly going to help in the resurrection of the Grim Reaper?”
“Yeah… no problem. After all, your doctrine is that death calls upon the Grim Reaper.”
“What are you planning on doing next? It seems you haven’t shown any movement recently…”
“Don’t worry. I’m thinking of moving soon. The board is already set.”
“Okay… we hope for good results as well.”
The presence in the darkness faded away.
Isaac poured himself a drink and raised it.
His face reflected in the window appeared somewhat discomforted.
A long sigh escaped Isaac.
‘Why didn’t the bomb go off?’
The zoo he visited this time was a place for affection events in the game.
Isaac utilized the event in a different way.
It was he who instructed the installation of the bomb.
The raid and placement of the bomb were not challenging.
He used his knowledge of the original game to inform him of the facility’s weaknesses in advance.
Moreover, it was the Black-Black Organization that took on this request.
Naturally, it must have been easy.
The bomb’s power was enough to engulf the shelter.
And if it detonated as planned, Red would shatter at the loss of her children in an instant, and he would squeeze through that crack in her heart to color it with his own hue.
But the bomb didn’t go off.
‘Did the Solver on guard notice? No, that’s impossible. Those guys’ skills wouldn’t be up to that. Then was it a misfire? No, that’s even less likely. So what the hell is going on?’
Although he wanted to go personally or send someone, he couldn’t act carelessly under Red’s gaze.
If he raised suspicions, it could spell disaster.
What on earth had disrupted his plans?
What variable was there that caused the bomb not to explode?
What on earth was…
Crash!
The glass in Isaac’s hand shattered.
The contents spilled along with the cold shards onto the floor.
“Ha, the Ice Mage is getting so worked up…. I can’t have this, I really can’t…”
Isaac retrieved a second glass.
He filled it anew.
“The first failed, but the second will succeed. So there’s no problem.”
Just in case, he set up a backup plan.
He received approval for the visit to the orphanage.
This would create points of contact, and now he could leisurely raise his affection with her.
Then they could return to how things used to be.
‘Though I don’t know why she’s avoiding me, I can just increase the affection again.’
Isaac brought the glass to his lips.
Suddenly, a nagging thought crossed his mind, causing him to pause.
‘But why are there 8 kids? It should definitely be 7… What’s with that one child? I’ll need to figure it out for sure when I visit.’
A child at the orphanage should be 7.
With the memory of the masked girl that didn’t exist in the original, Isaac gulped down his drink.