Chapter 222: The Good Girl’s Little Card
When the early morning moonlight rose, Evelia and Gray Dove arrived at what was supposed to be their ‘home.’
“Lady Red Crow, look! This is our new home! Lady Red Crow… is ours now,” Gray Dove said excitedly, introducing what was basically just a house that looked like a building. Judging by its condition, it hardly deserved to be called a ‘home.’
But it didn’t let in wind or rain, and for assassins used to sleeping rough outdoors, a place like this was already considered pretty good.
Knock knock knock.
Gray Dove knocked twice on the left side of the door, once on the right, and finally gave the bottom of the door a hard kick. All under Evelia’s subtly confused gaze.
Click.
As if the code was correct, the door unlocked from the inside.
As for the final kick, it was part of the signal, but it was also just for fun. After all, these assassins who usually slipped in through windows or chimneys really wanted to enjoy the experience of kicking a door open once in a while.
“We’re back.”
The one who opened the door was Cyan Hawk, wearing a dark green cloak.
But since this place was now considered their “base,” he had taken off his hood. Something that usually hid his face but also felt a little stuffy. Underneath was his short grayish-green hair, and just like most “night workers,” there were faint but visible dark circles under his gray-black eyes.
“Cyan Hawk—Hey! Guess who I brought back!”
Seeing Cyan Hawk open the door, Gray Dove quickly stepped aside to reveal the figure behind her, Evelia, wearing her dark red cloak.
Seeing that familiar red, Cyan Hawk was a bit surprised. But before he could think of a serious but not-too-harsh way to welcome her, Blue Sparrow, who was behind him, suddenly shrieked.
“—Ah! It’s little Red Crow!”
In a way, Evelia, also known as Red Crow, was actually quite popular.
She was the legendary "Red Crow," a figure children admired thanks to urban legends and carefully crafted stories. Among other assassins in the same line of work, she was respected, even if she herself didn’t realize it.
Even Cyan Hawk and Blue Sparrow, both older than Evelia and experienced enough to earn their own codenames, had once praised “Red Crow,” saying she was “truly an amazing kid.”
So when Gray Dove, who idolized Red Crow like crazy, pulled her into their “family” purely out of admiration, none of the others, including White Dove, had objected.
Back then, they all thought that the lone-wolf Red Crow wouldn’t actually get involved in their group affairs. But unexpectedly, Gray Dove really managed to bring her here.
It was hard to say if she had the skills… or just incredible luck.
“……”
Compared to Blue Sparrow’s warm welcome and Gray Dove’s excited introduction, Evelia said nothing at all. Just like Cyan Hawk, who also hadn’t spoken yet.
But while Cyan Hawk was still carefully thinking about what to say, Evelia simply didn’t have anything to say at all.
“Red Crow, Red Crow! Good girl! Here, this is for you!”
While Cyan Hawk was still trying to find the right words, Blue Sparrow had already come over with a small square card, stamped with a cute blue sparrow.
“…?”
Evelia looked at the woman with long rose-gold hair in front of her with confusion, but didn’t take the card.
“This is the Good Girl Card!”
That’s what Blue Sparrow called it. Although she claimed to be the "big sister" type, she actually wasn’t the oldest. She was only in her early twenties, younger than both White Dove and Cyan Hawk. Just a bit older than Gray Dove, and maybe slightly older than Evelia, too.
“You’re pulling out that weird card again~~”
Gray Dove gave her a look like she was dealing with a childish fool, staring at the blue-and-white card with clear judgment in her eyes. To her, Blue Sparrow was someone who wasn’t much older but had a body far too mature for her age.
Blue Sparrow’s fake identity was that of a nun from Saint Fleurs. But with her curvy figure, it kind of felt like being a nun was a waste.
“Is that so? Well, if I didn’t have the Good Girl Card, I wouldn’t have helped you carry that little one back here!”
“Ughhh…”
Gray Dove looked away slightly when she heard that.
It was true, Blue Sparrow had only agreed to help transport Rachel this time because Gray Dove had used one of Blue Sparrow’s “Good Girl Cards.”
Just like the sticker cards given to kids at orphanages, only children that Blue Sparrow personally approved of could receive one. If someone used a card, Blue Sparrow would grant them any wish they made.
As long as it was something she could do, she would do it, just for that one card.
Even if the wish came from someone like Gray Dove, who on a whim basically kidnapped someone’s child, Blue Sparrow would still make it happen.
Because she saw herself as “everyone’s big sister.”
As the “sister” of all the children, what she believed she had to do was look after them, grant their wishes, and let them grow up in happiness and joy.
In a way, it was just like Evelia’s own kind of obsession. Blue Sparrow had made this her own as well.
All she wanted was to “give,” because her identity was that of a nun.
In the past, she had no real identity. Everything about her was vague, unsettled. She never truly had a place to belong. But now, she seemed to have fully immersed herself in this role.
She really believed that she, who carried the weight of so many lives taken, was now a nun who saved and cared for others, someone who stayed close to children.
Because she had always been missing something, an identity.
She had always been nothing. She had lived like a wandering ghost, with no home and no name.
But now, finally, she had something stable. A nun’s identity. Even if it was fake.
Yes, she was a nun now, but she didn’t believe in God.
Or rather, none of the people here truly believed in gods. Sure, they might mention gods jokingly now and then, but none of them were true believers.
Because they all knew. They were the kind of people who had killed too many to count. People like them were going to hell. If this world really had gods, then their ruined souls would have been devoured by demons long ago.
But that never happened.
They were all still alive. The ones covered in blood, with countless lives on their hands, whether they were assassins or people who ruined lives without a second thought, they were still living well. In fact, they were living better than most innocent people.
So praying to gods? That was just a joke.
Instead of trusting in some fake divine being made up to collect donations, it was better to believe in themselves, and that they could bring happiness to others.
Blue Sparrow was just that kind of person.
She was always smiling, always kind, always everyone’s “big sister.”
And always… someone deeply obsessed with playing a role. So much that she lost herself in it.
She used a fake identity to fill the emptiness inside.
“……”
Evelia still didn’t say anything. But when she saw Blue Sparrow smiling gently at her, she lowered her head and looked at the blue-and-white card in her hand.
“Take it, good girl.”
Blue Sparrow stretched out her hand and gently placed the card into Evelia’s gloved palm.
“……”
Even then, Evelia stayed silent. Because, in their eyes, she was still the man under the cloak, not the maid from the Knight Commander’s estate.
Even though the cloak had a kind of perception-distorting effect that made it hard to tell her voice, Evelia knew she had to be careful around these people.
She couldn’t let the truth slip out just yet.
So instead of replying, she turned her cold gaze toward Gray Dove. That icy stare startled Gray Dove enough to make her shiver, but not in a bad way.
In fact, she loved it.
She loved that kind of pressure. Especially when it came from her “god.”
Gray Dove might not believe in gods. But to her, Red Crow was her god.
That was her faith. Unlike those faceless statues people called gods, Red Crow was real.
“—Okay, okay, I get it.”
Gray Dove understood Evelia’s look, especially because she’d also caught Blue Sparrow’s earlier words about “that little one.”
“Blue Sparrow, is the kid still alive? Where did you put her?”