Although She is a Blind Saint, She Can See

#3. The Angel of the Slums (2)

After introducing Cedric to the other children, I fell into a mild panic.

“This place… is inside a manga?”

Come to think of it, the name of this city—Kieto—sounded oddly familiar.

Wasn’t this the main base of Shadow Paradise, the underground syndicate Cedric once controlled?

“This is insane.”

To be fair, I had no way of realizing this world was from a manga until now.

I mean, think about it.

How could I have guessed just from a single place name?

Without the status window showing me Cedric’s full name, I wouldn’t have figured it out even after meeting him.

And honestly, who could blame me?

The Cedric in the original story was a commanding, charismatic man, whereas the Cedric in front of me was just a snot-nosed little kid.

Except for his rare black hair and black eyes, he barely resembled his original counterpart.

“Yus! It’s time to eat!”

While I was lost in thought, a boy’s voice called me from outside.

A blue-haired boy with cat-like eyes—Lane.

Lane was the oldest kid in this house.

Though small in stature, he was incredibly sharp—one of the more remarkable children here.

…Wait. Hold on a second.

As I followed him, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

“Lane, you’re the strategist of Shadow Paradise. As the leader, I trust your judgment completely.”

“AAAHHHHH!”

Memories flooded back.

That Lane kid—he was a named character who later became Cedric’s right-hand man!

“Oh my god.”

I looked around in growing horror.

“Now that I think about it… these faces seem strangely familiar…”

“Yus? What’s wrong?”

That girl?

She appeared in Cedric’s flashbacks—and was cut in half.

“Marie! Stop bothering Yus!”

That one?

She became a ruthless executioner and assault captain of Shadow Paradise.

“Yus, Yus! Look! I made a toy train!”

And that boy?

He was a weapons expert, specializing in manufacturing tools of destruction.

“Damn it.”

Now that I had realized the truth, all the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place.

There was no doubt about it.

The children I had gathered over the past two years were all orphans from the slums, brought together with Cedric as the focal point—just like in the comic.

‘Wait… then what’s my role?’

In I Reincarnated as an Extra in Another World… (title abbreviated), there was no character named Justinas.

‘With such a striking appearance, I could’ve been a heroine. …Maybe I appear in the later parts?’

I had died right before the final season was released. Season 4 had ended just before the final battle against the Demon King, and I had been so frustrated about it.

On the other hand, the original novel had been completed. I had avoided spoilers all this time, but now I regretted it.

‘If I’d known I’d end up possessing someone, I should’ve at least read the novel’s ending!’

As I let out a deep sigh internally, someone tapped me on the back. It was Rain.

“Yus, aren’t you doing that today?”

“That?”

Rain smirked playfully and teased me.

“Every time a new kid joins, you always make them fall for you.”

I responded lightly.

“Oh, Rain. You’re such a jokester.”

“…I’m not joking, though?”

“Anyway, thanks. I almost forgot to talk to him myself.”

“No, really, I wasn’t joking—”

Ignoring Rain, who was still spouting nonsense as usual, I picked up two loaves of bread and approached Cedric, who was sitting in a corner.

He had curled up as if he was wary of his surroundings.

‘This timid kid is supposed to grow up and become the boss of the underworld?’

I couldn’t quite believe it.

Not to mention…

“I’ve lost all hope in this world. A world without that person… it would be better off gone.”

That was what he had said before stabbing the protagonist—his comrade—right in the back!

‘No way. Not.’

After that, Cedric went on to kill a third of humanity. That would be a serious problem.

Considering this world had a population of about a billion, even losing a few people was one thing, but three hundred million? That would completely ruin my quest rewards.

‘I have to stop this no matter what.’

Fortunately, Cedric was still just an eleven-year-old boy.

I didn’t know who that person was—the one who caused his descent into darkness—but if I handled him well from now on, he could surely become a valuable member of the hero’s party.

‘Alright. I’ve made up my mind.’

I was going to rehabilitate this kid.

I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Cedric, want to step outside for a bit?”

***

Cedric followed me outside, trailing exactly three steps behind.

If I stopped, he stopped. If I walked, he walked again.

It felt like trying to befriend a wary stray cat.

‘This feels familiar.’

I was used to this kind of thing.

To accumulate virtue points, I had to win people over and work my way into their hearts.

The better they felt about me, the more my points would increase.

“Do you like your new home?”

“…I guess.”

He averted his gaze slightly as he replied.

“It’s… better than being outside.”

“I’m glad.”

“…What’s there to be glad about?”

His eyes sharpened.

“You don’t even know me, do you? Don’t act all nice for no reason.”

He added,

“You’ve gathered only kids here… You must have some kind of goal, right?”

‘Gasp. How did he figure that out?’

They say a prodigy shows promise from a young age—this kid had seen right through my intention to earn virtue points.

With a sigh, I admitted,

“You’re right. I do have a goal.”

“…I knew it.”

His posture stiffened, tension rising in his body.

“Do you think I’d stay after you just confessed that? Too bad for you, but I’m not like the idiots over there.”

His reaction was sharper than I expected.

Well, it wouldn’t matter in the end.

“Organ trafficking? Or are you secretly selling kids as slaves? Tell me what your goal is.”

Before I knew it, Cedric had grabbed my wrist tightly.

I met his intense gaze and calmly spoke.

“My goal is… for you to grow up and become an adult who helps the world.”

“…What?”

His expression went blank. It was as if all the tension had drained from his face.

I smiled gently at him.

“Everyone says that orphans from Kieto inevitably grow up to become criminals. But that’s nonsense.”

“What…?”

“Even if we have nothing, even if we come from Kieto—the so-called trash heap of the Western Continent—what kind of adults we become is up to us.”

Empty, idealistic words poured from my lips.

Maybe I had been pretending to be a good person for too long.

As that fleeting thought crossed my mind, I recited the contents of my main quest.

“I want to become an adult who saves the world.”

I was going to save a billion people.

That way, I could return to Earth, get my healthy body back, and live as a wealthy person with a trillion won, enjoying life to the fullest.

“And I hope you can do the same.”

Cedric’s expression turned odd.

‘Did I overdo it from the start?’

A girl from the slums, with nothing to her name, saying she wants to save the world—it would be a miracle if I didn’t sound like a complete fool.

I quickly added,

“Ah, s-sorry. I didn’t mean to pressure you! I just….”

“…….”

“Was that too stupid of a thing to say…?”

I glanced at Cedric cautiously. He scrunched his face in a deep frown.

“So, you do know how dumb it sounds.”

“Haha…”

“Saving the world? How, exactly? You can barely even find food to eat.”

“Uh….”

That hit way too close to home.

My goal was to save a billion people.

Honestly, it was an absurdly grand ambition. Even I wasn’t sure if it was possible.

‘But….’

That was only because I hadn’t realized this world was inside a comic.

I Reincarnated as an Extra in Another World… followed the classic hero’s journey.

I didn’t know how it ended, but surely, the protagonist would save the world in the end.

‘All I have to do is ride along.’

Of course, there was something I needed to change.

The episode where Cedric Neon—after turning to darkness—ends up killing 300 million people.

That would leave the total population at just 700 million, making my goal impossible to achieve if the story followed its original course.

Well, even so…

‘If Cedric just stays good, it won’t be a problem, right?’

I had to raise him properly from a young age so that the thought of turning dark would never even cross his mind.

With that resolve, I gazed at the sunset.

“…Still.”

Cedric spoke in a small voice.

“Thanks… for saving me.”

That was unexpected.

I hadn’t thought I’d hear words of gratitude from him this soon.

“You’re very welcome!”

Feeling genuinely happy, I turned to him with the setting sun at my back and gave him a bright smile.

“Let’s get along from now on, Cedric.”

His black eyes wavered.

For a moment, he hesitated like a puppy about to relieve itself, then suddenly whipped his head around and bolted in the opposite direction.

“?”

What the heck? What’s up with him?