The Villain's Sister - Chapter 9

Tristan, even after eating enough for three, still wasn’t satisfied and bought all kinds of snacks at a café.

On the way back, he stopped by a store and picked up various foods, stacking them in the back seat.

Other men, even if they were afraid of Raphael, tried all sorts of ways to impress me. But this guy acted like he’d been a friend for years, treating me casually with no trouble.

Maybe it would be better to give up trying to become lovers with Tristan and just aim to be close friends.

As I was lost in that thought, a familiar neighborhood came into view.

“Drop me off here.”

“You live here?”

“Yeah.”

“Alone?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because right from the next neighborhood over, it’s Death Adder’s turf. Those bastards are going crazy these days, so it’s dangerous even if you live a bit away. I’ll take you to your door.”

“It’s fine. I can go alone.”

“I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but you’re way too careless. Do you think underground gangs are a joke? If you run into their goons, can you handle it on your own?”

His tone was lazy, but what he said made sense.

Anyone living on Mist Island knows how crazy it is to be out after sunset.

No matter how bright the streetlights or neon signs, once darkness fell, it couldn’t stop the evil that started to boil and creep in.

Every alley crawled with muggers, and criminals soaked in drugs and booze ruled this city.

It really was insane for a woman to walk alone through this city.

“It’s right there. See that apartment? That’s my place.”

Tristan carefully looked at the apartment my finger pointed to.

“It’s only five minutes on foot.”

“Five minutes is plenty of time to get mugged. It’s dangerous, so let me walk you.”

“…It’s because of my brother. He’s so strict that if he sees me with a guy, he loses it.”

“Not a guy, a cop.”

“You’re off duty.”

“Being a cop doesn’t stop on the weekends. Don’t make people worry.”

Unbelievable. Why is he so persistent?

I squeezed my eyes shut.

If the next neighborhood is Death Adder’s turf, that means there’s a high chance gang members are in this neighborhood too.

They’re all Raphael’s eyes and ears—and this man is both a cop and a hero.

If by any chance they recognize each other and end up in a confrontation, my entire plan will be ruined.

And if, because of me, it’s revealed that Raphael is the real boss of Death Adder…

‘It has to be after Tristan gets close enough to help Raphael just for my sake, even if the truth comes out.’

If he’s just a second-in-command, he’ll be locked up in a prison he can break out of, but Anti-Venom, known as the head of Death Adder, will be thrown into the 66-floor underground prison of the central government.

I hate the ending where Raphael dies, but the idea of him being thrown into a villain-only prison with no chance of escape is just as horrifying.

“Then come say hi to my brother. I met your mom, so you should greet him too, don’t you think?”

Tristan raised his eyebrows.

As he floundered for a response, I quickly jumped out of the car.

Before closing the door, I gave him a warning, “Wednesday at six, at the café in front of the police headquarters. If you’re late, I’ll confess in public.”

I left Tristan behind, laughing in disbelief, and hurried off.

***

After visiting Linda with Tristan, I stayed over at Maria’s place.

I got up late and watched her get ready for work.

“There’ll be a lot of performances for a while, so we won’t get to hang out much.”

“Glad I came before you got busier. I’ll bring a cherry pie next time. I learned a good recipe at the homeless meal service.”

“You still go there? Doesn’t Raphael say anything?”

“Not anymore. The city’s gotten too dangerous lately.”

“Yeah, it’s been wild. There was another gas attack today in East District 4.”

“I know, right? Look at the time. It’s already eight. I’d better get home before it gets darker.”

Spending another night at Maria’s wouldn’t be bad, but there’s no place like home.

“Maria. Don’t just lock the door. Close the blinds or curtains too. You’re living alone—you know you need to be extra careful, right?”

“Yesss, Mom. Enough nagging. Just get home safe already.”

I nagged her all the way to the end and then hurried home.

Click.

As I closed the gate, under the faint light from a small yard lamp, I saw someone covered in blood.

“What the hell…”

Death Adder’s main business is illegal arms trafficking.

Since there’s no need to handle things in their own zone, their base is relatively safer than other underground factions.

Of course, that’s a relative statement—you can’t forget that the comparison is with groups like Two Star, which deals in human trafficking, and Lucky Ginger, whose main trade is drugs.

Still, the reason I live with Raphael is that staying in his shadow is safer than living alone in another supposedly safe neighborhood.

Mist Island has the highest violent crime rate in the country, and thanks to Raphael’s influence, our home was relatively secure.

So then…

‘…What the hell is this development?’

There’s absolutely no reason for Red Shadow to be lying bleeding in our front yard.

Too shocked, I instinctively took a step back.

***

Black Pistols wears a black leather jacket and covers his face with a modified motorcycle helmet.

He’s a hero who rides a motorcycle and shoots a pistol.

On the other hand, Red Shadow wears an elegant three-piece suit and dress shoes.

He hides his identity behind a white mask and uses various weapons like guns and blades, but at his core, he’s a “wizard.”

Just from their outfits and fighting styles, it’s clear they’re different types—and they have very different identities as heroes.

Black Pistols is the hot-blooded type.

He values good and justice and draws a clear moral line.

So, although he might make you want to punch him in daily life, as a hero, he’s truly close to being a real “hero.”

Red Shadow, however, is different.

He’s cold, calculating, rational, and logical.

Rather than good or morality, he prioritizes results, and he’s a hero who became corrupt because of that.

He can be more brutal than villains in the pursuit of his own sense of justice.

That’s why Red Shadow is an “antihero.”

It’s also why Black Pistols and Red Shadow constantly clash.

‘What’s his game…?’

Red Shadow will do anything to catch a villain.

He might take innocent family members hostage, or frame someone and send them to prison.

He crosses between good and evil in pursuit of justice, making him a man who can be more cunning than anyone.

Lies, threats, torture… there’s nothing the antihero won’t do. That he’s lying in my front yard is deeply suspicious.

Especially because he’s not even in his suit but dressed in normal clothes.

“Hey.”

I called out to him from a safe distance.

Even in the faint streetlight beyond the yard, I could see the grass soaked in blood.

Could that blood be fake?

And the moment I got close, would he grab my neck and use me as a card to threaten Raphael?

“…Are you okay?”

Unlike Tristan, who’s a normal citizen when not acting as a hero, Red Shadow is someone any citizen of Mist Island could recognize.

So, as soon as I realized the original story, I looked up this man’s face.

No matter how many times I checked, this man was undoubtedly Red Shadow.

‘If these are real wounds, I have to treat them quickly. Otherwise, he’ll die…’

I bit down hard on my lip.

Suppressing my trembling, I cautiously approached him.

I slipped one hand into my bag.

With one hand gripping pepper spray tightly, I used the other to shake the man.

Up close, his white shirt was soaked in blood.

He’d definitely been stabbed in the stomach.

“H-hey… wake up…”

I could see the wound through the torn shirt.

Raphael had a wound like that not long ago.

It happened when he was going around trying to capture the leader of Lucky Ginger and lock him in the 66-floor underground prison of the central government. He’d been wounded by a blade just like that.

If left too long, it’s clear he’d get tetanus. Worse, the infection could spread, and he could die from a fever.

This is insane…

“…I’m such an idiot.”

I grabbed the man by the ankle and dragged him into the house.

Even I couldn’t understand what I was doing, and I had to grit my teeth.

What the hell am I doing? Raphael can only live if Red Shadow dies…

And yet I can’t just ignore him—because some ridiculous pity tells me that a serious injury like that doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.

Groaning, I moved him into the living room.

Thanks to Raphael, we were stocked with everything from disinfectants and bandages to anesthetics.

I unbuttoned his shirt and spread it open. More than his solid body, it was the horrible gash that caught my eye first.

I immediately poured disinfectant over the wound.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t take you to a doctor.”

If I go to a hospital, the police will come and start asking me all kinds of questions.

And if they find out that the man who collapsed is at the home of escapee Raphael Moltke, things will definitely get complicated.

I’ll care for him enough to keep him from dying, but I won’t take any further risks.

That’s the most compassion I can show.

‘If I were still a kid who didn’t know anything, maybe it’d be different.’

The first person I ever treated was a soldier who had lost his sight to a battlefield injury.

It was when my ability had just awakened, and I’d been thinking of Raphael when I healed him, not knowing what I was doing.

‘It was lucky he was a sensible person and never revealed it.’

Once I finished first aid, I went to the bathroom to wash the blood off my hands.

The diluted blood turned a scarlet shade and spread like a stain across the white sink.

Then my rationality took over the place of pity.

What the hell had I done? Did I just save that man?

My fear caused my knees to give way.

Ssssshh—

The sound of water flowing into the sink.

My body thudded with every beat of my heart.

‘Maybe this actually worked out for the best.’

If Red Shadow really was injured, then building a debt like this wasn’t a bad thing at all.