The Villain's Sister - Chapter 14

*This episode contains depictions of domestic violence and psychological trauma. Please use discretion.

“…Uh…”

The man’s head burst open.

For a brief moment, I could see our house through the bullet hole.

The metallic stench of blood and its warm temperature—seeing the man’s half-blown-off face, my mind froze.

What is this? What just happened?

So, so…

“Kyaaaaa! Aaaah!”

The man who had just been cursing a moment ago turned into a corpse in a matter of seconds.

Sure, everyone dies eventually, but this kind of death was hard to comprehend.

Blood splattering, gunshots ringing, departing in such an unnatural way…

Bang! Bang!

The bullets came flying from outside the hallway window.

I flattened myself to the ground, covering my head and screaming.

“Aaaaah!”

The blood from the dead man soaked the glass-shard-strewn floor.

‘If I stay here, I’ll die.’

Suppressing a throat-tearing scream, I crawled to escape.

I had to run.

Raphael—no, at least Liam—I had to contact someone…

“Gghk. Hhk.”

Glass shards pierced my palms and knees.

I didn’t know if what streamed down my cheeks was blood or tears.

Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!

Gunfire continued behind me.

Each shot made my heart shrink again and again.

“Ah…”

A rough hand grabbed my ankle.

“No, no! Aaaaah!”

One of the kidnappers was still alive and pulled me back by the ankle.

The man grabbed my hair and shouted, “If you want this wench alive, you’d better drop the gun and come out!”

“Hhh, ngh… Raphael…”

That day was just like today. I could see the blood seeping through the gaps in the wooden floor, soaking along the grain.

The floor was littered with broken glass shards, and the coarse air and violent noise brought on by violence gnawed at my chest.

Andrew Moltke hit me again and again while I lay on the floor.

In fear, I waited for death.

Death terrified me, yet I also wanted to die.

My life was miserable, painful… and so lonely.

Raphael had every reason to leave me.

Even so, I resented him for abandoning me.

Even though he left, I missed Raphael.

As I closed my eyes, I let go of the last shred of consciousness I was holding onto.

And then I…

“You’d better let go of the woman.”

Johan opened the front door, now ragged from gunfire.

“If you don’t want a bullet through her head, drop the gun!”

The man pressed the gun barrel against my temple.

Johan slowly set his gun on the ground while keeping eye contact with the man, opening his fingers one by one.

“Hands behind your head and step back.”

Following the man’s instructions, Johan laced his fingers behind his head and stepped backward.

The man walked toward the front door with me in tow.

Just as he was stepping through the doorway, Johan, who should’ve been in front, appeared behind us.

“Gasp!”

A dagger stabbed the man’s shoulder. The gun in his hand dropped onto Johan’s.

Without hesitation, Johan shot the man in the leg.

Bang!

With a short gunshot, the man collapsed, screaming in pain.

Crunch.

Johan stomped on the man’s knee.

With a crack, the bone broke and the leg twisted in a strange direction.

I should’ve closed my eyes… but my body wouldn’t obey.

It all felt so unreal that my mind went blank.

Panting, I heard Johan ask, “Are you okay?”

I answered,

“…Uuurgh! Gag!”

***

The yellow lamp that lit the dark living room all night had reached the end of its life and began flickering.

Because of that, the large forms of the two men on the sofa faded in and out.

The solidly built one was Raphael, and the one with elegant lines despite his size was Johan.

Raphael was already on his third cigar.

He burned the first in anger, the second to calm down, and now, with less than half of the third remaining, he was as subdued as the chill in the dawn air.

Drenched in darkness to the point where light became meaningless, Raphael looked solemn—like a devout believer preparing for confession.

“You timed it well.”

At those words, Johan, who had been reclining deep into the sofa with his arms crossed, slowly opened his eyes.

“Even a villain like me treasures family. If you were hoping for something from me, the timing is impeccably cunning. Saving my sister like a hero.”

“……”

“So, what do you want?”

“I will tell you later.”

“Ha.”

What escaped from Raphael wasn’t a sigh but a scoff, as if he had witnessed something absurd.

Crossing his legs, he asked again, “You served in the military. Are you a war veteran?”

Johan’s blue eyes narrowed slightly.

Raphael, adjusting his posture askew, took a puff of his cigar.

“I can tell just by your posture. If someone who served in the military ended up in a place like this, it’s obvious. Do you need money? Or a job?”

“…A job will suffice.”

“Good. I don’t care about where you came from or your past. There’s only one thing I care about—how loyal you are to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Loyalty is proven by protecting my family. That’s all I’ll ask from you moving forward. Johan, was it?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

“No.”

“Good. You’ll sleep in the room at the far left end of the second floor. At sunrise, I’ll have someone clean it up. Your weekly pay is 800,000 raphens. Your one task is to keep Deva safe. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“If you harbor any other intentions, you’d better be prepared. I’m sure you’ve heard of Death Adder’s notoriety.”

Fwooo—

Raphael exhaled the last puff of smoke. The shortened cigar was tossed into the ashtray.

Raphael rose to his full height.

Though the flickering light was turned off, the approaching pale dawn kept the surroundings from going dark.

Liam burst through the door and reported, “It was the gang managed by Two Star.”

“Where is Julio Guerra?”

“At a bar on Vermont Street.”

Liam, tense and holding his breath, awaited Raphael’s command.

Julio Guerra was Two Star’s second-in-command.

And he was also the one overseeing the gang that had attacked Deva.

Raphael grabbed the gun he had left on the nightstand and holstered it.

Beneath the coat he had worn for the trip, a glimpse of a knife and gun could be seen.

Death Adder’s primary trade was arms trafficking, and Raphael was a former special forces ace.

He took out a bottle of whiskey from a shelf in the living room and filled a glass to the brim.

But Raphael only drank a single sip.

Clink.

He set the glass down hard on the table, making the whiskey ripple.

Liam swallowed dryly.

The drink Raphael left behind was a tribute to the civilians who might die in the coming battle.

“Get the boat ready. We’ll have to dispose of the bodies when it’s over.”

Thus began the uprising.

***

I opened my eyes to the morning sunlight.

My head felt foggy, and my body was so heavy it felt soaked in water. If I closed my eyes again, it felt like I’d be pulled into the depths.

I just want to sleep more.

When I pulled the blanket over my head, it made my chest feel stuffy and drove the sleep away instead.

I forced myself up and went downstairs, where I found Johan sitting on the living room sofa.

“Where’s Raphael?”

“He’s gone out.”

“Did he by any chance…

Did he run out to get revenge?

There were so many things I wanted to ask.

Had Liam been badly hurt? Just how furious had Raphael been?

But Johan wasn’t someone I could pester with questions.

I swallowed the many words hovering on my lips with a dry gulp.

After drinking some water from the kitchen, I felt a bit more alive.

While encountering bank robbers or the Red Shadow was something any resident of Mist Island might experience, being kidnapped was clearly because of Raphael.

I reheated some leftover soup and ate it standing up.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d eaten, so I didn’t feel hungry anymore.

There was only a dreadful fatigue that made my body feel like it would shrivel up.

While I was sipping the soup, Johan came into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge.

Was he acting like it was his house because he was shameless, or because he had someone to back him?

“What did Raphael say?”

“What exactly do you want to know, miss?”

“…Miss?”

He had been speaking casually until now, and suddenly he’s being formal.

Did something happen while I was asleep?