LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 3
Red, that name is pretty famous.
I’ve heard all the rumors too. The crime killer, Red.
She’s a fearsome figure who has ruthlessly taken down various organizations and criminals, earning a notorious reputation in the underworld.
Rumor has it she single-handedly defeated five of the “Seven Great Sins,” the group just below the peak of the underworld’s “Four Great Organizations.”
Honestly, I don’t know how much of that is true or just exaggerated rumors. After all, rumors are always blown out of proportion.
But if she’s known by such a sinister nickname, there’s no doubt she’s an exceptional talent.
I imagined Red as some vicious, scary-looking guy.
But I never expected someone as beautiful as this.
I wondered if it was a case of mistaken identity or just a huge lie, but would anyone be foolish enough to casually use the name of such a famous person?
And though I’d only seen a tiny fraction of her skills just now—
It definitely seemed like it was the real Red.
This is troublesome.
They say Red is merciless to those of the underworld. If my identity as a Grim Reaper got out, a fight would break out immediately.
No. It’s no problem.
Fortunately, no one knows the true nature of a Grim Reaper.
Even if my face were discovered, they’d probably just think I’m a lovely and cute girl.
But still, the fact that such a notorious devil is right next to me made my heart tremble.
I wish I could just go my own way, but since I’ve already received a favor, I’m not the kind of person who would just ignore it.
So I was guiding Red along her path.
It might be coincidence, but it turns out she was heading to the same place I was.
Ugh.
“Hey there, kid. You’ve been keeping your distance for a while now. Did I do something rude?”
I turned my head back as I walked ahead.
Right now, there’s about ten meters of space between Red and me. We’re traveling together, but I intentionally kept my distance because I didn’t want to get too close.
Every time Red took a step forward, I followed suit to keep my distance.
Seeing me clearly rejecting her, Red slightly shrugged her shoulders, so I decided I’d let her know why.
I raised two tiny fingers and placed them closely to my head. After striking that pose, I pointed down at her.
Understanding my expression, she finally appeared to grasp the situation.
“Oh, I see. You’ve heard the rumors about me, huh? You must think I’m out here stealing things or something?”
I could say I did even worse things than stealing.
But I didn’t bother to tell her that.
As I remained silent, a lonely smile appeared on her lips, as if she understood without needing an explanation.
“You don’t have to be scared. Those rumors are just exaggerated. They’re not true. I can be flexible; I can turn a blind eye to small stuff. Honestly, sometimes kids have no choice but to steal to survive in a place like this.”
Red’s expression turned a little forlorn.
“Maybe you’re in the same boat.”
Red pulled a cigarette from her pocket, but when she noticed me staring, she put it back.
“Hey, kid, are you all alone?”
I nodded my head.
“Are there no other adults around?”
I shook my head.
Red looked at me with somewhat sad eyes.
“Looks like there are parentless kids everywhere I go.”
She murmured softly.
“Speaking of which, I told you my name, but you haven’t told me yours yet. What’s your name, kid?”
Name? That question caught me off guard.
The name from my past life had gradually faded away as I spent time in this world. Now, I had completely forgotten it.
I didn’t even have a name in this world.
Since I opened my eyes here, I’ve been active without one.
I’ve only been referred to as “this kid” or “that kid” by people.
The only thing resembling a name I had was the nickname “Grim Reaper.”
But I can’t disclose that to others.
Noticing my silence, Red spoke first.
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. But if you’re being quiet, do you have some problem with your throat?”
I crossed my two fingers into an X.
Red’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to overlook that.”
I shook my head, indicating it was fine.
I turned my body back and started walking again.
The atmosphere had soured a bit because of our previous conversation, and she quietly followed along.
But soon, Red seemed to try to lighten the mood and brought up another topic.
“I heard somewhere that ten years can change a landscape. But honestly? In just one year, a lot has changed. I was quite surprised.”
Outer cities have rapid changes.
Thanks to buildings going up, the streets keep getting more complicated. The funny thing is, the number of people is decreasing.
“What surprised me even more is that some strange things have set up shop while I was gone. Look, it’s right over there. That thing over there.”
I curled my face up when I saw what Red was pointing at.
Ugh.
I suppressed my overwhelming urge to smack my palm against my forehead.
*
Red pointed to a group of around thirty people huddled together.
Beastmen, humans, cyborgs, you name it.
They were all kneeling before a statue.
With hands clasped in prayer.
What they believe in doesn’t concern me. But the object of their devotion is what bothered me.
The statue they were praying to looked like a giant clad in fearsome armor, a helmet, and a skull mask.
I certainly recognized that appearance.
That’s me.
To be precise, it looked exactly like my form when I carried out duties as a Grim Reaper.
“They call it the Cult of the Grim Reaper, huh? They say it’s a religion that believes in the Grim Reaper, one of the Four Great Organizations. It’s a new religion that’s less than three years old, but I hear it’s already spread significantly in the northern regions.”
In a harsh world, it’s easy to fall for superstitions.
But I can’t understand why I’ve become an object of worship.
I barely have any memories of doing good here.
I didn’t roam around saving the world like a hero in a fairy tale.
I was just struggling to survive.
Now I’m living a much quieter life.
And I mean, I’m from a crime organization? Why on earth would a crime organization become the object of faith?
I tapped my feet in frustration.
Then I crossed my arms and shook my head, as though I was looking down on them.
Seeing my attitude made Red chuckle.
“The Grim Reaper is different from other organizations. While organizations are driven by their desires, the Grim Reaper doesn’t show that. She just appears and disappears abruptly. The problem is, wherever she appears, death is said to follow.”
Yikes.
Different from other organizations, huh? Well, I certainly have no interest in expanding my influence.
The only times I move are when a dessert shop gets caught up in a conflict between organizations or when I want to punish someone who rubs me the wrong way.
That doesn’t mean I just go around picking on random people.
Those who have died at my hands are closely tied to the underworld. In other words, they were expendable.
But strange rumors have surfaced, and it’s becoming a problem.
“There are rumors that you’re an enigma, treated like a natural disaster, or even a personification of death.”
Exactly. It’s those kinds of rumors.
I wish I could reveal my identity and clear everyone’s misconceptions.
But doing that would attract too much attention, and I’m pretty sure it’d lead to a ton of trouble, so I’m biting my tongue.
“Well, it’s not surprising that people might worship you for such reasons. But to think they’d worship a criminal out of desperation? This world really seems to be heading toward ruin.”
Red pulled a lollipop from her pocket.
After unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth, she chewed it while looking at the worshippers with discontent.
“…By the way, I heard that the Grim Reaper has wiped out another organization this time.”
Yikes.
Mentioning what I did previously made my heart race.
I pressed my hood down deeper and calmed my pounding heart.
“Yes, that’s right. They say the Grim Reaper suddenly appeared and personally handed down judgment.”
Someone spoke to us.
It was an elderly mousefolk with round ears and a slender tail.
Judging by the worship clothes he wore, he seemed to be a believer.
“Are you interested in the Grim Reaper, too?”
“Not really.”
Red responded with a clear sense of annoyance.
Despite her tone, the old believer didn’t mind at all.
He came closer to us, gazing kindly at the praying people.
He started talking as if he had some kind of obligation to share, even though I hadn’t asked.
To my surprise, he had a very gentle voice.
“The Grim Reaper will one day bring salvation and peace to this world.”
The old believer fiddled with a small trinket on the necklace around his neck.
“This world is overflowing with pain and sorrow, heading toward destruction. Yet, people, blinded, continue to harm and steal from one another.”
Red seemed largely indifferent, as she gnawed on her candy.
“The Grim Reaper has come to rescue a world beyond help, personally descending to earth to act for the world.”
The old believer’s voice held some fervent heat.
He kept babbling on about the Cult of the Grim Reaper and the Grim Reaper.
The longer the story went on, the more I could detect that zealot glint in his eyes.
It felt strange to hear someone talk about me without my knowledge.
It was drawing to a close.
“…And so, we await through our prayers for the Grim Reaper to fully descend. Until that day comes.”
I felt a wave of dizziness.
I need some sugar.
I should’ve just ignored him and kept walking.
This was among the most ridiculous nonsense I’ve ever heard.
They talked about salvation and peace in a charming way, but in reality, it was horrifyingly insane.
To summarize, they were suggesting the destruction of the world was salvation.
Ugh.
Red looked just as dumbfounded as I felt.
“If what you’re suggesting is that many will die, including innocent people, is that okay?”
Red stared at the old believer with cold eyes.
It was as fierce as the time she chased away the thug orc.
The old believer, undeterred, responded with a soft gaze filled with melancholy.
For some reason, chills ran down my spine, and my shoulders trembled.
“Yes, it’s no problem at all. That too is the Grim Reaper’s grace.”
Red seemed taken aback, as if shocked by the fervor of his belief.
“Come on, kid, let’s get out of here. I can feel my ears rotting just being here.”
I hurriedly shifted my feet and turned back one last time.
The old believer clutched the pendant in one hand and made the sign of the cross with the other.
“May the blessings of the Grim Reaper be with you.”
I frowned in disgust and bolted out of there as quickly as I could.
*
After walking for quite a while on the maze-like path,
I finally arrived at my destination.
I raised my hands high in joy.
This is one of the few dessert shops in the city.
Yes. Let’s just forget all that unpleasantness.
From now on, it’s time for some sweet moments.