"The Smiling Reaper... the one from our old world... is here in this summoned world too," Kath said quietly.
"So the most wanted criminal from back home was just a student in Ka-agahan Academy? That's lame," Sherl scoffed.
"And didn't the Queen say those students were sent to Hell?" Krist added.
"Yeah, but honestly? They're probably no match for us," Alex said. She was the quiet strategist of the class.
The girls stood under the shadows near the training grounds. Behind them, the boys of their class were busy practicing swordsmanship and magic.
"She's right," Sherl nodded. "We're already max level. The Princess said it would take months, but we reached level 1000 fast. We're as strong as Platinum-ranked adventurers now."
"So who even are these students that crawled out of Hell?" Alex asked.
"Only two showed up," Krist replied. "Probably the only ones who survived."
"One of them is Kian," Kath said.
Everyone turned toward her.
"Yeah. That Kian. The one who confessed to me back then. I humiliated him in front of everyone, remember? Now the Queen says he's the Smiling Reaper," she smirked.
"The Queen also said the student council president gave her all the info before disappearing," Sherl added.
Kyla walked up to them, looking flustered. Sweat soaked through her white shirt, revealing more than she intended.
"Kyla, cover up!" Sherl snapped.
"No need. My boyfriend and I just had fun behind the guard's blind spot," Kyla giggled.
"Oh my god. Where is he now?" Sherl asked.
"Talking to your boyfriend. I think he wants both of you to join us."
"A foursome?! That's so embarrassing!" Sherl said, red-faced.
"I'm heading off now~" Kath said, walking away.
Krist followed behind her. Alex went off on her own path, leaving Sherl and Kyla.
Vin and Paul showed up a moment later.
"Hey babe, want to join them for a foursome?" Vin asked.
"If... if you're okay with it... sure," Sherl mumbled.
"Yay! Let's find a spot where no one will see!" Kyla grinned.
"Seriously, can't you guys control yourselves?" Sherl groaned.
Meanwhile, Alexa walked beside Patricia, who was playing with a small rabbit she had summoned.
"What do you think about the Smiling Reaper?" Alexa asked.
"You mean Xiandre?" Patricia replied, petting the rabbit.
"Xiandre? Who's that?"
"That's Kian's real name. Kian Natalist was just an alias."
"Where did you hear that?"
"The Queen told us. After Princess Millie's castle was destroyed, the royal knights gave us a full report. They said: 'Only two students returned from Hell. One calls himself Xiandre—the Smiling Reaper. He was once known as Kian Natalist.' The student council president confirmed it."
"Oh yeah, I remember now... That was a long report. You actually listened to all of it?"
"Not really. I just took notes on the important parts," Patricia smiled.
"Of course you did. You're the top student and the council president's twin sister," Alexa laughed.
Patricia looked up at the sky.
"...I wonder how much rage Xiandre carries now."
"Pfft. Rage or not, we'll just crush him if he tries anything," Alexa shrugged.
Patricia shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I just wonder how much he's changed. He used to be so... pathetic."
"You're weird. Maybe he's not even the real Smiling Reaper. Maybe he just stole the name."
"If that were true, why use an alias in the first place?"
"Maybe 'Kian' was his real name and the Queen got tricked."
"You're stubborn, Alexa..." Patricia said softly. Then, in her thoughts:
It doesn't matter. I saw his system window myself. It said: User Xiandre Valkyrie.
She walked away, holding the rabbit close.
Xiandre, Kaden, Enman, and I used to love drawing together... We were the artists of the class. I was the worst. Enman had the most amazing art...
But none of that matters anymore. Only three of us are left now—
—and the third one's coming to kill us.
Kaden sat on the edge of his bed inside the capital's church quarters, coughing and crying uncontrollably. The medics and priestesses around him tried desperately to calm him, but he was in a complete state of berserk rage.
He kept throwing anything within reach—books, vials, pillows—smashing everything around him.
"They're dead... my friends... all of them are gone! They were taken from me!" he screamed. "I hate that motherfucker... Kian, I'll make you pay for this!"
"Kaden, dear, please calm down..." one of the priestesses said gently, trying to approach.
Kaden's eyes darted across the room. The priestesses were trembling, clearly terrified. His body was fully healed, but his mind was shattered.
"Ruby, go call the Head Priestess," one of the elder priestesses ordered. "He needs mental guidance. Our spells aren't working—something's wrong with his mind, maybe a curse from the Smiling Reaper."
"Understood!" Ruby replied quickly, turning and running through the endless corridors of the enormous church.
She was panting as she searched frantically. The place was like a maze. She scanned rooms one by one, heart pounding.
Eventually, a few walking sisters noticed her.
"Priestess Ruby, what's the matter?" one of them asked.
"Find Head Priestess Mine—fast!" Ruby gasped. "The holy knight sent by the kingdom is losing control. We need her help now. There's something inside his mind—our magic won't work. It could be the Smiling Reaper's doing, but we can't confirm anything without her!"
The sisters nodded and immediately dispersed in all directions.
Ruby sighed in exhaustion, then looked up toward the upper floors.
"If everyone's looking elsewhere, then there's only one place that might be unchecked," she muttered and made her way up the narrow staircase to the church's highest point—the bell tower.
At the top, she reached a locked door. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer.
"May God in the heavens follow my wish. May my body become hallow, so I may pass this door."
Her body began to glow faintly with divine light. She stepped through the door effortlessly like a ghost.
The air was colder up there. She glanced around and quickly spotted Head Priestess Mine standing in front of the golden bell, staring silently at the city below.
"Head Priestess!" Ruby called out. "We need your help—immediately! The holy knight has fallen into madness. His trauma is too deep for us to reach. He's losing control, and we can't stabilize him. Please, come quickly!"
Mine turned to face her. Her expression was unreadable—calm, cold, as if the chaos below meant nothing to her.
"I see," she said simply and walked past Ruby without another word.
Ruby stood in silence, watching her disappear down the stairs. The wind tugged at her robes as she turned back toward the bell.
"What was she doing up here anyway... And she always looks at me like I'm beneath her," Ruby thought bitterly.
"Well I guess I am under her to be honest,"
She walked toward the edge of the rooftop, eyes drifting to the grand skyline of the capital—then to King Dula's massive castle in the distance.
"Priest Manyak was found dead last night. His carriage was drenched in blood... and that blood spelled out a message: 'The Smiling Reaper has taken their life for their crime.'"
"Crime? No one even knows what crime he committed. The entire clergy is shaken. And now Faye Fernheart's body is missing too..."
She paused, gripping the railing as the wind blew stronger.
"The holy knights declared the Smiling Reaper the most wanted criminal from their world. According to them, he was summoned here—along with the other heroes and holy knights—by Goddess Fillia and Princess Millie."
"But something went wrong... Some of them were betrayed. Sent to Hell. And now... he's back."
"They say he's killed hundreds—maybe thousands. Some rumors even say millions. A monster with a smiling mask and no mercy. And now, he's been declared the most wanted man in Grimore. All because of the kidnapping of the princess... and the goddess."
A sudden gust of wind lifted the edge of her skirt. She quickly held it down and looked around. No one was watching. She let out a sigh and turned to head back down the stairs.
As she descended, she muttered to herself.
"The holy knights are calling it 'The Return of the Smiling Reaper's Terror in Another World.' It sounds like some kind of fantasy novel or manga... Whatever that means. Only those summoned from another world would know."
She finally reached the door to Kaden's room. Breathing a sigh of relief of the silence from inside, Ruby opened it—
—and her expression twisted into absolute terror the moment she stepped inside.
Blood. Everywhere.
Kaden was kneeling on top of one of the elder priestesses, her face caved in, shards of porcelain embedded in her skull. He had just smashed a vase into her head, and she was already deceased. All around the room, the bodies of priestesses lay sprawled in grotesque positions.
The first a had gaping hole in her chests, pierced through by her own staff.
Another had bones twisted, shattered, and broken beyond recognition.
Two of them were slumped against the wall, their staffs impaled into each other's stomachs—as if in their final moments, they were forced to kill each other.
"Hah... Hahah... Hahahahahaha..." Kaden's crazed laughter echoed across the room.
Then he slowly turned his bloodstained face toward the door, eyes wild and unfocused, teeth bared in a crooked smile.
"Head Priestess Mine..." Ruby's voice trembled. Her legs nearly gave out. "Wh—what... what should we do...?"
Mine stood before her—still, silent, her face utterly emotionless.
She didn't flinch at the carnage. She didn't react to Kaden's madness.
With an expression as calm and cold as stone, she turned to Ruby, meeting her eyes with the same detached gaze as always.