I Killed the Game’s Heroine

Chapter 12

Arc 2: Today too, I continue living in the game world. Today, and tomorrow.

***

After the incident where Gaeddong got buried in underwear.

She grumbled while looking at Nokra’s underwear, saying look at this and complaining about how the price of fabric had gone up because of those chest monsters.

She said if Nokra tries to touch my body at night, I should report her to the police no matter what she says.

She advised that making someone do things with money is bad, and touching underwear like this is also perverted behavior while organizing the clothes.

Though Nokra’s image seems to be falling to an irreparable level, is that any of my business?

Right now, my interest is focused on what kind of magic Gaeddong used, as clothes that just came out of the washing machine instantly become fluffy as if dried in sunlight with just her touch.

It’s not some strange magic, but spirit power flows like water and seeps into the clothes, instantly drying them – is such a thing possible with spirit power?

I carefully tried to copy it with my own clothes out of conscience, but instead of drying, they just tore apart, adding to the pile of rags.

As I was admiring how different things are with the strongest modern exorcist, she answered with a proud face.

“Kukku. Child. At your level, you could easily do this with just about 110 years of spirit power training! Back in the day when everyone was ironing with hot coal plates, I finished quickly with just my two handsㅡ no, damn it! That’s not right!”

Gaeddong was carefully putting the folded clothes in Nokra’s closet when she suddenly jumped up like a machine with a pressed button and pointed at me.

Though my eyes narrow at that sight, I decide to understand.

For someone who counts their age in centuries, mood swings might be quick.

Her manner of speech and every gesture showed her age, and that made me think a lot.

She was more than just an irritating old person – when I got angry, she acknowledged that her question about whether I was blessed by Yeong Hyeong was rude and apologized.

I’m not sure what image these academy people have of Yeong Hyeong, but the grandmother said she had a definite reason for asking.

She even gave me her personal number, telling me to contact her if Nokra tries to touch me.

Nokra’s imageㅡ she left it as is to protect me in case he really had such tendencies.

I couldn’t stay angry at someone who was showing genuine goodwill towards me.

Besides, couldn’t she be considered a grandmother too?

To confess something now, I can’t be harsh with elderly grandmothers and people who have shown me kindness.

That’s because I have memories of surviving thanks to the unconditional kindness I received from a grandmother who had nothing to do with me.

After my parents passed away, when relatives took all the death insurance money and threw my brother and me out on the streets.

When no one else cared about us siblings, a grandmother we’d never met before helped us.

The past comes to mind unbidden. The grandmother who gave us homeless kids at least a place to rest and food to eat when we were young.

She was someone who cared for us like grandchildren, saying her grown children didn’t even visit once or check on their mother’s condition.

She was quite elderly and developed dementia after a few years of knowing us, and my brother and I took care of her as was proper.

Honestly, taking care of someone with dementia was difficult and we saw many unpleasant things.

But because of that experience, we siblings, who had been in debt and at rock bottom, were able to function as proper people.

I honestly don’t know about respecting elders, but how could I ignore a grandmother who shows kindness after receiving such help?

As those thoughts reached their conclusion, an unusually sentimental feeling began to well up inside me.

Though she looked younger than me on the outside, I tried to match the mood of this grandmother who had lived since the Joseon Dynasty and asked.

“Why are you so angry today? Was the food bad?”

“I ate what they call pizza that kids eat these days, but don’t you think hot kimchi pancakes are better than pizza? I really don’t understand kids’ tastes these daysㅡ no, that’s not it! This brat is treating me like an old person!!”

Gaeddong ranted, asking if she looked that old to me. I wondered if she’d forgotten what she said just minutes ago about being older than she looked, but let’s try to understand.

She is a grandmother after all.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some ill-tempered old person!”

Well, wouldn’t ‘old person’ be better than calling her Gaeddong?

I looked at her with a slight smile.

Grandmother Gaeddong muttered something about a wet-behind-the-ears bratㅡ then sighed deeply and continued in a resigned tone.

“Since we don’t have time, I’ll keep this brief. I didn’t come to tell you prophecies! Honestly, I don’t even know why I saw your death! I asked if you were a believer because I wondered if that worthless bug Yeong Hyeong might be plotting something!”

“Now that I know it was a misunderstanding, it doesn’t matter. I came because I need your help to exorcise the possession entityㅡ what we’ve named Sethani – that you reported!”

“What?”

Help?

I tilted my head at her words. What kind of help could the strongest exorcist of modern times need from me?

I know that by my own assessment, my current self is at best B-grade.

Against an A-grade malevolent spirit like Sethani, without the torch that’s its weakness, best case scenario is leaving a corpse behind, worst case is a fate worse than death.

Wait, weren’t all the stronger exorcists already notified to work on this? So why ask for help?

When I looked at her suspiciously, Gaeddong pressed her brow as if she had a headache, like she already knew what I was thinking.

“Sigh. Child, don’t give me that look. Let me explain. Simply put, the possession entity we need to exorcise this time won’t come out of its domain.”

“Grandmother, would you lose if you entered that domain?”

“Of course not. I could win against hundreds of their kind! With my experience – no, more importantly, are you calling me grandmother? Call me Maehwa! Or at least big sister!”

Ignoring the shameless Grandmother Gaeddong’s words, I rubbed my chin in thought.

Entering a malevolent spirit’s domain unarmed could be life-threatening even for the strongest exorcist.

That explanation emerged from my jumbled memories, but Grandmother Gaeddong denied it with a refreshing laugh.

While it seemed quite refreshing that she could claim to handle a national disaster-level situation alone, it made me all the more puzzled.

“Then why do you need me?”

“There are quite a few people still alive inside the domain. When exorcistsㅡ no, when I enter the domain to fight, it’s hard to protect those cursed by the possession entity too. We need to lure the malevolent spirit outside its domain.”

From those words, while I didn’t understand the cause of this situation, I could understand the outcome.

Being cursed means they are that Sethani’s targets.

If I stand near its domain, there’s a high chance of getting some reaction or it coming to find me, so when it comes to catch me, they’ll deal with it in that moment.

In other words, simply put, they want me to be bait.

“So you want me to die?”

Are all exorcists bastards? Is attacking the elderly better than respecting them after all?

My rationality that had recalled the word ‘respect for elders’ with sentimental feelings now splits sharply, saying attacking the elderly is indeed right for me.

As I glared while preparing to draw out the spear from my inventory, Grandmother Gaeddong asked what nonsense I was talking about.

“What kind of image do you have of exorcists? I’m asking for help to save young children. Do you think I would disregard your safety?”

She said if I helped, she would provide barriers and guards for protection, thoroughly prepare for my safety, and even prepare a reward.

Then I recalled that in the game story my brother explained, a student targeted by Sethani volunteered as bait for the same reasons Grandmother Gaeddong mentioned.

“…Ah.”

Once one memory surfaced, others began emerging like dominoes in succession.

If my memory is correct, the exorcists tried to use the purple-haired delivery girl student I saw before as bait to lure out Sethani.

But the heretics interfered somehow, causing a disaster where the safety measures prepared by the exorcists were neutralized.

The female student was dragged into Sethani’s domain, but the protagonist threw himself into the domain to save her, understood Sethani who had an unfortunate fate, felt compassion.

With help from a spirit he befriended, he revived Sethani’s emotions and made it achieve enlightenment by truly empathizing and crying for it…that was the content.

But is that, uh, possible?

That question occurred to me in this situation.

They say possession entities are created when curses against the world accumulate beyond the spirit power of a child who possesses spirit power.

In that state, could reason really return? What even is the power of spirits?

I pondered while rubbing my chin – but reached the conclusion that since he’s the protagonist, he must have managed somehow.

He could become friends with spirits and such, so he must have handled it.

Well, let them handle that however they want. What should I be thinking about here?

It was clear. I just need to think about how to survive Grandmother Gaeddong’s prophecy.

The possibility of getting caught up in the original events like in possession novels I’ve read.

Or the possibility of complications in my plan to dump Sethani on someone else to spite the spear – these aren’t important.

Those two concerns became unnecessary with the emergence of the variable that is Grandmother Gaeddong’s prophecy.

I don’t know exactly what Grandmother Gaeddong saw, but a life-or-death situation where I’ll be targeted by heretics will definitely occur.

That means, amusingly enough – conversely, there won’t be any chance of me being dragged away by Sethani and going through hell.

It was fortunate. If I had to choose between fighting an A-grade malevolent spirit or fighting human bastards, I’d obviously choose the latter.

Sethani will be handled by the protagonist like in the original story. Whatever.

But why do those heretics want to kill me?

Originally, Yeong Hyeong became interested in the protagonist who truly befriended and enlightened a spirit, and incidents occurred when she told her following heretics to test him.

But since that woman is already dead, I don’t know why the heretics are moving this time.

More important than why heretics like them are moving is my survival probability and the reward money Grandmother Gaeddong mentioned that I can receive through this.

My mind clicked and calculated what would be best to succeed in spiting the quest window.

With confidence that I could handle the heretics regardless of their skills and the existence of reward money, I concluded it was right to accept this bait role.

“- Alright. I’ll help. Since saving children is important.”

“Excellent! Then it’s decided, just follow me now! But before thatㅡ I should tell you about your reward!”

“What would be goodㅡ money of course~ Ah! Along with money, I’ll register you as a spirit power holder and prepare identification since you don’t have any yet! Just need to stop by the academy briefㅡly, nothing difficult!”

“Haha. I can just go to city hall or the district office for ID registration, why try to pull a fast one?”

Grandmother Gaeddong, do I look like such an easy mark to you?

When I laughed cynically while scratching the back of my neck, Academy Principal Grandmother Gaeddong clicked her tongue regretfully and smiled.

“I like smart young ones who can take care of themselves, but this is disappointing indeed. They say nowadays MZ generation will clearly say no if they don’t like something, and it’s certainly true!”

After saying that, Grandmother Gaeddong raised both hands as if giving up on persuading me.

As she mentioned the MZ generation, I thought this person really is old after all, and immediately moved to become the best bait for catching Sethani.

Following Grandmother Gaeddong to the position where I would be bait, I belatedly realized one thing.

In the original story, for the protagonist to meet Sethani, he needed to somehow be with the cursed purple-haired girl.

“You…”

“Ah.”

Which means there’s a high chance the guard they’ll provide will be the protagonist.

This space with both the protagonist and the purple-haired delivery girl who still has lingering traces of the curse.

An awkward silence settled in. I looked at the protagonist kid who couldn’t even meet my eyes while picking my ear.

End of Chapter