I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

Chapter 76: Imperial Capital Edelmarion (4)

The overcast sky wore a gloomy expression all day.

Raindrops fell incessantly, soaking the earth until the muddy ground seemed to weep.

A boy, drenched from head to toe, sneezed with a loud achoo.

The rain was so cold it might as well have been snow.

Each droplet that touched his skin stole more of his body heat, yet he couldn’t hide from it.

He had something he absolutely had to do.

“Angel, Angel. Are you listening?”

— Yes, my dear child. I am listening. What is it you want to know?

Hidden pebbles pricked his feet, and broken twigs cut his skin, but he didn’t stop.

Soon, he had created a hole in the ruined garden, large enough to fit a human head.

“Am I truly a cursed child? Because I keep seeing cursed things.”

— No, my dear. You simply have more friends than others. Do you remember the village hunter?

“The man with the blue tattoo on his left arm? Of course!”

— Clever boy. Do you recall how the hunter befriended a hawk?

“The hawk! Yes, I saw it. Its brown wings were so magnificent as it cried out, caw-caw! It was amazing!”

When animals became the topic, the boy’s face lit up with a radiant smile.

To him, animals were far more familiar than humans.

After all, the only kindness he’d ever received came from animals, while cruelty came solely from people.

Rain kept dripping into his eyes, and he wiped his face with his arm repeatedly.

— What you see are unique friends, like that hawk. Others can’t see them, but you can. And these friends need you to care for them. Without you, they’d surely be lonely.

“But... my mom said I’m cursed. So did my dad.”

— It’s a sad truth, but not everyone in this world is as kind as you are. Look. See what those people have done.

The boy’s bright expression didn’t last long.

His gaze lowered, falling on the golden-furred puppy lying lifeless before him.

It was his beloved dog, raised with tender care.

The boy had poured all his affection into the pup, Leo, giving it the love he himself had never received.

Whenever food was scarce, he shared it with Leo. The dog, as if understanding, remained loyal, greeting him with hoarse barks.

But now, Leo was dead.

Had the poor dog cried out in terror before it died?

Even a mute animal must feel fear, he thought.

The grotesque angle of Leo’s neck gave no answers.

The boy could only guess at the painful death the dog must have endured.

— My dear child, do you think your puppy did something so wrong as to deserve this?

“No! Absolutely not! Leo didn’t do anything wrong.”

He wanted to set Leo’s neck straight before burying him, but he couldn’t.

Whatever had broken it had twisted it so badly that trying to fix it might have caused the head to detach entirely.

— Exactly. Wicked people have lied to you. The ‘ghosts’ you see are simply mischievous friends. They’d never play cruel tricks on you.

“Thank you, Angel. Really... you’re the only one I have left.”

— Your parents and the villagers have wronged you, but remember, I will always be on your side.

The boy began covering Leo with soil.

As clumps of dirt buried the dog’s golden fur, tears streamed down the boy’s face.

Or were they tears?

It was raining, after all. Maybe it was just rainwater trickling down his cheeks.

Even so, his eyes and chest ached with pain.

— Ah, it seems an unwelcome guest has arrived.

The “angel” tapped the boy’s shoulder gently, though it remained invisible.

Sometimes, the angel called to the boy this way.

Turning slightly, the boy noticed someone crawling through the muddy ground.

He looked down at the man with pity.

Or rather, he pitied what was left of the man beneath him.

The stones he had collected for Leo’s burial were now dirtied by the scene before him.

“Ah, Eric.”

“Oh, it’s you, Mr. Brown. What brings you here?”

“Please... please, have mercy. Spare me.”

Sadly, Mr. Brown’s plea was something the boy couldn’t grant.

Breaking a toy was easy; fixing it was not.

The man’s body had already reached an irreparable state.

If his legs had been intact, Mr. Brown wouldn’t have needed to crawl, but it seemed he was unaware of his own condition.

A man whose waist had been severed couldn’t possibly survive.

Even a child as young as the boy knew that much.

Besides, the Angel had told him:

The people of this village were all “bad people.”

“Angel, it looks like my friends were playing and accidentally dropped him.”

— That seems to be the case. A good child would return him to his friends, wouldn’t they?

“It’s fine. They’re already coming back to get him.”

The boy smiled brightly.

“You can take him back now.”

“No! Please, no! Spare me, please!”

— What a thoughtful child.

Mr. Brown retreated the way he had come.

Though he had crawled slowly on his way in, he was pulled back in an instant.

A long trail of handprints marked the muddy ground where he had been dragged.

Human hands have ten fingers, but the marks showed eleven.

Why was there an extra one? Oh, because of the head—there it was.

The boy finished covering Leo with soil.

He made sure to pile on a thick blanket of earth to keep Leo warm and stacked stones on top so he wouldn’t lose the spot later.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kneeling, the boy clasped his hands together in prayer.

“Dear God, please let my Leo be healthy in his next life. I’d be so happy if he could come back and be my friend again.”

— The heavens will surely hear your prayer.

“I’m so glad I have you, Angel.”

“Ah-choo!”

— You’ve been out in the rain too long. You should head home and rest.

“Yeah, I should. I’ll do as you say, Angel.”

— That’s a good boy. Haven’t I always guided you well? A good child listens, and I care for you deeply, my kind little one.

“Yes. I’ll be a good child.”

The boy trudged off, his steps slow and unsteady.

The usually quiet village didn’t seem so silent today.

Black silhouettes flickered across the village, and the once-quiet villagers were now loud.

The boy’s “friends” were having fun.

A severed arm lay on the ground, its blue tattoo unmistakable.

The screams of the villagers filled the air, but the boy didn’t mind.

They were no longer people he cared about.

— Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha!

— Give that to me! I want it too!

— This one is crying? This one is laughing? This one is crying!

— Looks fun! I’m having fun! Are you having fun too?

Someone—unrecognizable from a distance—danced wildly in the sky.

It was too far to make out their face.

The boy’s friends played games, tossing people around like balls and snatching them from each other.

Occasionally, their games turned into fights.

Crack! Something tore apart in the sky.

Blood rained down on Eric, and a familiar face came into view.

— Eric’s been splashed with blood!

— He did it! Not me!

— I did it! Not him!

It was the boy’s father.

The same father who cursed him as a damned child and drowned himself in alcohol every day.

Every time he reeked of liquor, he would beat the boy. The Angel always said his father was a bad person.

Seeing his father’s face, the boy’s eyes became hazy and distant.

‘I told you not to talk to those cursed things.’

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, don’t hit me.’

‘You deserve punishment if you’ve done wrong.’

‘You’re drinking again?’

‘Why are you like this too?’

‘This is all because you gave birth to that cursed child. We should’ve just killed him then.’

‘So it’s my fault now? We agreed to raise him…’

— My dear, it’s cold outside. You should head in now.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I must’ve zoned out for a moment. I’ll head home now.”

— Good. Rest well. We’ll leave this place tomorrow.

The Angel added softly:

— I’ll take care of everything else.

****

Northern Mountain Range Garrison Report

# Classification: Critical

# Discoverer: Ranger Zimmer, Post 3-2

# Discovery Circumstances: Found during reconnaissance mission

# Report Details:

A village of approximately 30 households near the northern mountain range was completely annihilated.

Based on bloodstains, it is presumed all residents were killed.

The lack of corpses and destruction patterns not attributable to humans suggest the involvement of monsters.

Red feathers were found scattered throughout the village.

# Notable Observations:

• While all buildings in the village were destroyed, one secluded house remained completely intact.

• The location of the house suggests it was spared due to being unoccupied at the time

• Evidence suggests a single survivor, likely a boy based on footprint size and depth.

• Despite thorough searches by an entire platoon of rangers, further tracking was impossible. It is presumed the survivor fell victim to another monster.

# Conclusion:

• The high-risk monster “Red Feather” has begun attacking nearby settlements.

• Request for an escalation of “Red Feather” threat level.

• Request for authorization to commence eradication operations against “Red Feather.”

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