The Villain's Sister - Chapter 66

“I’m not the only one from Mist Island. There are three of us. Oh, I guess you make four now.”

“What do you mean by saying you came here after dying?”

“Just what it sounds like. I was shot at Raphael’s funeral.”

“The others, too?”

“Yes. Without exception.”

When Johan frowned, she lowered her brows as if apologetic.

“That doesn’t mean you’re dead. There are things in this world we can’t understand. Anyway, how do you know me?”

“I was your bodyguard.”

“I never had a bodyguard.”

“That can’t be. Do you really not remember anything?”

“Hmm. Then one of us is either lying or has memory issues.”

Giselle, sinking into her chair while setting down the knife, carried the same confident air as Raphael’s little sister.

“Your father’s name is Andrew Moltke. Your older brother is Raphael.”

Not expecting him to list her personal details so bluntly, Giselle narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

Johan didn’t stop and continued, “Outside, he was called Raphael Kapuzen. He was the second-in-command of Death Adder.”

“Wrong. Raphael was the top dog.”

“There’s no need to keep hiding here that Raphael was Anti-Venom.”

“Anti-Venom? Who’s that? The second-in-command was Oscar.”

“Oscar?”

“Yes. Oscar Jackniper.”

Johan glanced at the cover of the comic book tossed on the adjacent chair.

― Written by: Raphael Moltke, Oscar Jackniper

― Illustrated by: Oscar Jackniper

“Were you a fan of comic books?”

“You said you were my bodyguard. Then you should know.”

Giselle enjoyed movies and dramas but had no interest in comics whatsoever.

She was someone who would rather watch the news than read comics.

“Were you a cop?”

“I was neither a cop nor a gang member. I really was your bodyguard.”

“Then were you an esper?”

Giselle narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Why are you asking that?”

“It must be uncomfortable. In this place, abilities don’t manifest.”

The comic book spun on the chair tucked beneath the table.

This place was a dream.

The physical laws of the dream world only applied to those who believed the dream was reality.

Just an hour ago, Giselle had been giddy over the movie casting, but now she ignored her steak and aimed a knife under the table.

“Don’t move. If you try anything, I’ll stab you.”

The Giselle before him was not the one he knew.

The real Giselle had always been frightened, but this dream Giselle looked like someone capable of acting exactly as she said.

Her firm tone and unwavering gaze radiated strong resolve.

“Are you Black Cloak?”

“How do you know about Black Cloak?”

Johan stiffened slightly and stared at her as if piercing through her.

“Prove you’re not Black Cloak.”

“Why don’t you tell me why you think I am Black Cloak? That would be more reasonable.”

His sharp reply came from reflexive annoyance at being mistaken for Black Cloak.

Whatever she took from that, Giselle smirked and withdrew the knife.

“Sorry. I apologize.”

“I’m not Black Cloak. On the contrary, I was tracking him.”

“Did you die while tracking him? Or rather, was it an accident?”

“It wasn’t that. I asked how you knew about Black Cloak.”

Leaning in, she whispered softly in a coaxing tone, “Because that bastard is the one who killed my family.”

“What?”

“He was my stalker. Followed me for three whole years.”

Black Cloak was her stalker?

Could a twisted dream like this even be trusted?

The real Giselle never knew who her stalker was.

While Johan was trying to sort through his thoughts, Giselle took a photo with a young fan who had approached her.

“I’m going to be an astronaut when I grow up. I want to fight monsters on a space station.”

“That’s an awesome dream. When you become an astronaut, can you let me know first?”

“Of course!”

“Great. Then it’s a promise between us.”

The young fan jumped up and down in excitement after linking pinkies with Giselle.

As the child left, Giselle wrinkled her nose and smiled proudly, pleased by her popularity.

“In the movie I did last year, I played an astronaut. It was rated for all ages, so kids really loved it. Seeing little fans like that is just adorable.”

“…You look happy.”

A white hand covered the back of Johan’s hand.

The gentle touch made him flinch slightly.

“Johan. Congratulations on escaping Mist Island.”

Her dazzlingly bright smile made the act of telling the truth feel almost violent.

He swallowed the emotion that surged up, but he couldn’t erase the gloom.

If Mist Island was a place to escape, then what did that make everything he had done?

Still, none of it mattered.

No matter what Red Shadow meant to Giselle, what mattered now was saving her.

“Sorry, but I’ll be staying at your place for a few days.”

Giselle nodded without objection, unaware of what the man she welcomed into her home would do in just a few days.

***

Giselle’s home was a small two-room apartment located in the middle of a bustling city center.

Tools and half-assembled flat-pack furniture were scattered across one side of the living room.

“I’ve been interested in interior design lately, so it’s a bit messy.”

Though only half-decorated, the apartment had a clean and cozy feel with white and wood tones.

Johan noticed a photo on the decorative mantelpiece.

The one that stood out most was of her with a man, arms around each other and holding a signed sports jersey.

He had long hair and round glasses.

“Who is this?”

“Oscar. Oscar Jackniper.”

“Oscar Jackniper, the author of the comic Mist Island?”

“He drew the comic after coming here. His original job was being a Death Adder executive.”

“You seem to know him well.”

“He was childhood friends with Raphael. He’s basically family. If you’re from Mist Island, you’ve probably heard the name Oscar at least once.”

Johan had researched Raphael several times, but the name Oscar Jackniper never came up around him.

Even if it was a dream, the imagination behind it was incredibly well-built.

The density made it feel like it mirrored reality.

Could someone even imagine something this consistent?

While he was lost in thought, Giselle went into the bedroom and began a phone call with someone.

“If you’re going to bring back some weird souvenir, just get a bottle of wine instead! What about Raphael? What? He wants to play pool all the way over there?”

Judging from her shouting, the person on the other end was in a noisy place.

Johan sat on the sofa and opened the comic he had been holding all day.

― If I end up in prison, look after Deva.

Raphael, who had killed Andrew Moltke, asked Oscar to take care of his sister when Oscar arrived late at the scene.

Though they were friends, they were practically brothers, and even their fates were similar.

Not long after, Oscar ended up in prison for drug trafficking, framed by a friend from middle school.

They reunited in the same prison, broke out on the same day, and founded Death Adder.

And then…

― Actually, I’m White Hands. I awakened my ability after coming out of a coma.

Young Giselle confessed.