The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 20: The Unexpected Presence in the Plan

The situation quickly settled.

I knew Red’s abilities well, having faced her before, and that Isaac guy seemed quite competent too.

Thanks to the two of them stepping up, we successfully drove out all the intruders who attacked the zoo.

There were some injuries and even deaths, but considering the scale of the attack by a major organization, the damage was relatively minor.

It was all thanks to those two.

‘Isaac! Right, I remember now. I thought I’d heard that name somewhere before… General Winter Isaac. Now it’s clear.’

General Winter Isaac.

He became an A-rank Problem Solver at the youngest age ever, and now he’s just below the highest rank, SSS-rank.

He’s in the top ten Problem Solvers popular with kids and women.

With his versatile mastery of water magic—especially his unmatched skill in ice magic—he’s an extraordinary ice mage.

Wherever he appears, it feels like winter has arrived, freezing cold sweeps through, and ice statues of criminals are found in abundance, earning him a terrifying reputation among organization members.

That’s why in the underworld, they call him “General Winter,” borrowing from an ancient text.

Of course, he reportedly dislikes that nickname and prefers the childish moniker “Ice Prince,” as I once read in an old, discarded interview magazine.

Unfortunately, the magazine I read had lost its photos, so I didn’t know what he looked like.

So that’s his appearance.

I never imagined I’d come face to face with such a remarkable person.

Since it seems likely I’ll encounter him again, I should be cautious around him.

‘There’s no way the Black Wing Organization could’ve dreamed that the place they attacked would have both the Crime Killer and General Winter. Truly unlucky for them.’

The moment those two were present, the Black Wing Organization’s defeat was practically guaranteed.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, poor fools.

Still, I wonder why they attacked this place.

The Black Wing Organization is quite different from other criminal groups.

They lack autonomy.

Specifically, they’re well-known for silently carrying out only the requests of their clients, often referred to as shadow Problem Solvers.

In other words, this attack was driven by someone else’s will.

Why? For what reason?

What could possibly compel someone to hire such an expensive group to attack a remote zoo?

Was there something special stored here?

No, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Nothing unusual was visible, nor did I sense anything peculiar.

It was just an ordinary zoo, as far as I could tell.

Was there some personal grudge with the zoo manager? Could this be a revenge issue?

That seems the most plausible.

Or perhaps there’s another unique reason.

I tried piecing together the clues in my head to deduce something, but I gave up quickly.

It’s impossible to solve a puzzle when you don’t even know its size, let alone with so few pieces.

It’s a waste of time.

To clear my thoughts and spend my time more productively, I looked out the window.

‘At least the roads aren’t congested on the way back. That’s fortunate.’

We were on our way back to the orphanage, riding in Red’s car just like when we came.

It was already late at night, and the sky was pitch black.

Tonight, the stars were obscured, likely due to clouds, with only the occasional glimpse of the moon peeking through.

Instead, the streetlights on the ground and the illuminated buildings sparkled like stars.

Even though the situation was resolved, continuing operations was unreasonable.

We should’ve headed back immediately, but Red, having played a significant role in resolving the incident as a Problem Solver, stayed back to discuss various matters, delaying our departure.

‘Well, at least we avoided traffic. It doesn’t matter if we get back late or early—there’s nothing pressing to do once we return, so there’s no need to rush.’

I didn’t mind, so I sat quietly, but the kids were different.

They grew bored and complained about the waiting.

I still vividly remember how excited they were when they heard we were finally leaving.

“Mmnya~”

I turned to look at the kids.

Perhaps due to accumulated fatigue, they had all fallen peacefully asleep.

If I stayed quiet, I could faintly hear their soft breathing.

“Uuh, a lion…”

“Stop… I can’t eat anymore…”

“Stop clinging… It tickles, stop…”

Hearing their small sleep-talks brought a slight smile to my face.

They must be having pleasant dreams.

They had been so disappointed about not being able to buy souvenirs.

It’d be nice if we could come back another time to buy them, but given what happened, I’m not sure the zoo will reopen.

I hope they manage to sort everything out and reopen.

Thud.

“Lily… mmnya mmnya…”

At that moment, Lena, who was sitting beside me, leaned her head against my shoulder.

I thought she might’ve woken up, but her eyes remained closed.

Her face looked peaceful.

Her soft breaths.

Her mumbling sleep-talk.

I carefully used my opposite hand to brush aside her slightly messy yellow bangs.

Then, to avoid waking her, I gently turned my head to look out the window.

I hoped the memories from today wouldn’t turn into nightmares.

I silently made that wish to the shy moon that occasionally revealed itself.

*

Red was driving the car.

Her expression wasn’t bright.

Although her face was naturally fierce, her mood seemed worse, making her look even more intimidating.

If the kids saw her like this, they might’ve commented on how scary she looked and tried to force her mouth into a smile with their fingers.

Red was irritated because her plans had been disrupted.

The zoo visit meant to cheer up the kids had turned into a disaster.

The sudden attack by a criminal organization had ended their peaceful time and even put the kids’ lives in danger.

It was far from a good day.

‘Why did the Black Wing Organization show up here?’

It wasn’t just some random thugs causing trouble.

The name ‘Black Wing Organization’ was one that Red had heard of and even encountered a few times before.

A criminal group that takes on any request as long as the pay is good, carrying it out to the very end.

This means the attack on the zoo must’ve had a purpose.

Red felt something was off while dealing with them.

As she moved with the kids, she noticed how they attacked visitors but were strangely persistent in targeting the kids.

It was as if the kids were their primary target.

‘Were the kids the goal? Why the kids? Did someone with a grudge against me send them for revenge?’

It’s possible, but I’m not certain.

Although they seemed to prioritize the children, their movements at times suggested otherwise.

‘That’s concerning, but so is what the manager said.’

After sorting out the situation, Red exchanged a few words with the manager.

-“It must be tough for you. Opening a zoo in the outskirts only to face this disaster—it must be a massive loss.”

-“I wanted the residents of the outskirts to enjoy it, so I came all the way out here. Who would have thought such a major incident would happen on the first day… sob. But thanks to Red and Isaac, we avoided worse damage. Still, it’ll take some time before we can reopen.”

-“Right. Next time, make sure to hire better Problem Solvers and guard robots.”

-“I spent a fortune preparing everything just in case, but it all turned out useless… sob. Come to think of it, there’s something strange.”

-“Something strange?”

-“Our security team said…”

Then, the manager uttered something that caught her attention.

In short, neither the Problem Solvers nor the guard robots detected anything, nor did the security system.

It was as if they knew every weakness in the facility, breaching it effortlessly.

Of course, given the Black Wing Organization’s skills, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

Still, Red felt suspicious for some reason.

‘More importantly… I didn’t expect to run into him.’

Red furrowed her brows.

Thinking about Isaac’s face left her feeling unpleasant.

What annoyed her even more was that Isaac would be visiting the orphanage.

She wanted to flat-out refuse him, but the children liked him, so she reluctantly agreed to his visit.

On a personal level, Red found Isaac uncomfortable.

Since it was a personal matter, she figured she just had to endure it for a while.

Though irritated, she resisted the urge to smoke because of the kids.

Red glanced at the rearview mirror.

The children were asleep.

Seeing them asleep seemed to ease her mood.

But one child was still awake.

It was Lily.

“Lily, aren’t you tired? You can sleep if you’re sleepy. We still have a long way to go.”

Lily nodded quietly.

Red gave a bitter smile.

What should have been a happy time was disrupted and ruined.

This might even leave a traumatic scar, haunting them with nightmares.

Still, they did have some good moments today.

She sincerely hoped this trip wouldn’t become a dreadful memory and that it wouldn’t be swallowed by nightmares.

Red deeply wished for that.

*

Isaac returned to a luxurious hotel.

He stood by the window, gazing at the sprawling cityscape.

From such a high vantage point, the view was breathtakingly beautiful.

Tinkle. Tinkle.

A sound of rings jingling echoed from the darkness.

“I placed the request with the Black Wing Organization as you instructed. Are you sure this will aid the Grim Reaper’s resurrection?”

“Yes… It’s fine. After all, isn’t your doctrine about death summoning the Grim Reaper?”

“What are you planning to do next? You haven’t made any moves since then…”

“Don’t worry. I plan to act soon. I’ve already set the stage.”

“I see… We also hope it leads to good results.”

The presence in the darkness vanished.

Isaac poured himself a drink and raised the glass.

His face, reflected in the window, looked unsettled.

Isaac let out a long sigh.

‘Why didn’t the bomb detonate?’

The zoo he visited this time was a location for a favorability event in the game.

Isaac had used the event in a different way.

He was the one who had ordered the bomb to be planted.

Both the attack and the bomb placement were easy tasks.

Using knowledge from the original game, he had provided information about the facility’s weaknesses in advance.

And the request had been handled by none other than the Black Wing Organization.

Of course, it must have been simple for them.

The bomb was powerful enough to engulf the shelter completely.

If it had gone off as planned, Red would have lost the children in an instant, her heart would have cracked open, and Isaac intended to slip into that crack, dyeing it with his influence.

But the bomb didn’t go off.

‘Did a Problem Solver standing guard there notice it? No, no way. The ones stationed there weren’t skilled enough. Was it a dud? No, that’s even less likely. Then what the hell is it?’

He wanted to go investigate himself or send someone, but he couldn’t move recklessly.

Red’s watchful gaze made it impossible to act freely.

If he were to arouse suspicion, it would spell disaster.

What could have ruined his plan?

What kind of variable caused the bomb to fail?

What on earth…

Crash!

The glass in Isaac’s hand shattered.

The contents and shards of the glass spilled onto the floor.

“Hah, the ice mage lost his cool. That’s unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable.”

Isaac grabbed a new glass.

Then, he filled it once more.

“The first attempt failed, but the second was a success. So there’s no problem.”

He had prepared a contingency plan just in case.

He had been granted permission to visit the orphanage.

With this, he had secured a connection and could now take his time increasing her favorability.

Eventually, things would return to how they used to be—amicable and close.

‘I don’t know why she’s avoiding me, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll raise her favorability again.’

Isaac brought the glass to his lips.

Then, something suddenly crossed his mind, stopping him.

‘But why are there eight kids? There should only be seven… Who is that child? I’ll have to find out when I visit.’

The orphanage was supposed to have seven children.

Thinking about the masked girl who wasn’t in the original game, Isaac downed the contents of his glass.