Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Villain Marketing
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"Excuse me, customer?"
I slowly turned my head. A grim-faced man in a black suit was glaring at me with terrifying eyes.
What... what is this? Mart security? Or a hero in disguise?
"I've been watching everything you've done."
"Eek! My villainy has been exposed???"
I instinctively took a step back.
Of course, I wasn't scared! I was merely... contemplating a tactical retreat! And only for a brief moment!
'Wait, isn't this actually an opportunity?'
The viewers see me as cute! And they think I'm a hero!
I have horns and a gray aura, you know!
"Hmph, you've seen through my villainy well enough! A bit late, but congratulations on noticing Grimoire's wickedness!"
I boldly placed one hand on my hip and lifted my chin as high as possible. My signature horn-emphasizing pose!
I could feel my wickedness amplifying several times over!
"Try to stop my villainy! Do as you wish! Security guard? Police? Hero? Call whoever you want!"
He stared at me for a moment... then his grim expression suddenly turned into a smile.
Smiling? In this serious situation? Is he mocking my dignity?
"This is really fun! I'm Choi Ji-won, the Grand Mart store manager. That was a truly fresh marketing idea."
"What... what did you say?"
My mind went blank for a second. Marketing? Idea? My villainy?
"Thank you so much for promoting our mart through a live broadcast. It's trending on SNS right now. All the content was so clever."
"N-no, that's not it! I was in the middle of committing wicked villainy!"
The words wouldn't come out right.
I shot a pleading glance at Everlin, but she was impassively filming with the camera.
And upon closer look, my flustered expression was perfectly close-upped!
Everlin, you too...!
"N-no, this is villainy! Not marketing..."
Viewer count had surpassed 10,000.
"Eek!"
What kind of situation is this? Is my villainy turning into good deeds again?
Employees started gathering around one by one. A woman who looked like she was from marketing approached with a tablet.
"Grimoire! Such a sensible content. SNS search volume is exploding in real time. Could we perhaps propose an official collab?"
"Collab...?"
"Yes! How about running a 'Grimoire Challenge' as a new event? Nook hunting, tomato repositioning, discount sticker placing... It could provide customers with a fun shopping experience!"
"Grimoire Challenge? Dare to use my name for profit? Plus, my horns are copyrighted! Pay the royalties! Of course, that means the entire mart!"
"Haha, sure. How about changing our mart's name to Grimoire Mart while we're at it? The first letters match perfectly."
"Eeeeek...! I was just trying to sow chaos throughout the supermarket!"
"Exactly! Giving customers fun chaos. You're so clever!"
"And a hero with a villain concept? Perfect image for the young customer demographic!"
The quickly gathered onlookers were all snapping photos of me with their phone cameras.
Like observing me at a zoo!
Grrr... I am a wild beast! An object of fear, not observation!
"Mom! That's the real great Grimoire over there!"
Suddenly, a little girl came running up. One side of her hair was dyed silver just like mine, and she even had horn-shaped headband.
No way, is she imitating me?
"My daughter watches Grimoire's exploits on TV every day! She wants to be a hero like the great Grimoire!"
"Please give an autograph!"
The child's eyes sparkled. I absentmindedly took the notebook and wrote 'Grimoire'.
"I'm a fan too! Saw the Black Lotus Bank incident video!"
"That subway terror prevention last time was so cool!"
"Should I try villain cosplay too?"
This world was still completely misunderstanding me.
Then, Everlin quietly approached and whispered in my ear.
"Master, we should probably wrap up the broadcast soon. We need to head home and prepare dinner."
Home... right, our home! Crown Villa 301, the world's safest villain hideout!
"A villainous closing line, if you please."
That's right. I am a great villain! No matter the outcome, the finale must be perfect!
I regained my composure and turned toward the camera.
"Hear me, puny humans! Though my villainy has ended unintentionally this time, I shall return with truly wicked deeds next! Grimoire's world conquest live broadcast ends here for today! If you wish to keep watching my villainy, hit subscribe and like!"
"Broadcast ending. Thank you for watching."
With Everlin's calm voice, the broadcast ended. The mart employees applauded and cheered.
"Wow, the acting was so realistic! Great villain performance. I was totally immersed!"
"Such amazing content! Looking forward to the next broadcast!"
"Thank you for choosing our mart!"
"No, I tell you! Your mart is a mess because of my villainy!!"
"Now, Master. Let's check out and go."
We paid for the items with Everlin's card and left the mart.
Thud, thud-
I headed to the mart parking lot, laden with the huge shopping basket.
I thought I'd succeed in real villainy today... I had executed every villainous plan from my genius brain perfectly. But the result?
"Everyone's mistaking me for a hero...! A commoner-friendly economic hero, no less!"
Why does my villainy always twist like this?
"Still, viewership grew a lot today. How about preparing even more powerful villainy next time? Aim for when lots of people are gathered, and you could become the ultimate villain in one go."
Hearing Everlin's sweet consolation, something felt off. My sensitive villain sensor was blaring a warning!
I stopped in my tracks and suspiciously looked down at the shopping basket.
My hands were full of snacks, chocolate, curry ingredients, daily necessities, and a week's worth of groceries.
"Wait..."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Everlin.
"I went out to commit villainy... so why did I end up shopping so much? Don't tell me... all this was for grocery shopping from the start?"
"Master, how could you say that... Of course everything was for villainy. These ingredients merely provide the nutrients needed to maintain your villainous energy."
"Hmph..."
The basket full of groceries... Is this really a coincidence, or Everlin's planned scheme?
"Master, even villains need to eat to survive. And what we gained today isn't just ingredients. Over 10,000 viewers watched you. That influence is the true harvest, isn't it?"
I had no rebuttal to Everlin's logic.
Plus, if I complained and she added more carrots to the curry, I'd be the one in trouble!
"Home at last!"
The moment I opened the door to Crown Villa 301, I plopped the shopping bags on the floor.
Everlin immediately picked up the groceries and headed to the kitchen.
"Master, relax. I'll prepare dinner."
"Do so, as befits my maid! Prepare a perfect dinner worthy of today's villainy!"
I shed the gothic lolita dress, changed into casual clothes, and flopped onto the living room sofa.
"Haa... Threatening puny humans is more tiring than I thought."
I pulled out my smartphone to check the replay and comments. I was curious how much shock my villainy had caused. Scrolling down in anticipation of terrified human comments.
Less than an hour since the broadcast ended, and clips of my 'live highlights' were already circulating everywhere.
Especially the scene sparking the 'Are tomatoes fruit or vegetable?' debate had surpassed 10,000 views.
Spreading at an astonishing speed. As expected, my charisma is highly contagious!
"Wh-what's this?"
Quickly scrolling the tablet, I found a bizarre site. A familiar logo caught my eye.
A black background with gray embroidered horn pattern! That's the Grimoire Empire flag design I drew all night with crayons and stuck on the wall at the start of the first broadcast!
"Everlin! What's this? 'Hornies'?"
Everlin, chopping onions in the kitchen, turned her head.
"It seems a fan club loyal to Master has been created. 'Hornies' means 'those loyal to the horns', I believe."
Fan club? For me?
Looking closer, there was a string of weird comments.
My heart suddenly pounded.
"Kakaka! My charisma has worked! My evil organization minions are finally gathering!"
Everlin nodded. A faint smile played on her lips.
"See? Master's influence is growing. From today, your notoriety will truly spread across the world."
Pride swelled in my chest. But as I scrolled further, my smile gradually faded.
"What? Cute, villain cosplay, best concept...? I am a real villain!"
I committed villainy with all my heart, yet no one takes my wickedness seriously!
"Master, there's always a gap between misunderstanding and truth. It's a feature of modern internet culture. Allow me to explain."
Everlin brought the tablet over to me.
How could she explain dozens, hundreds of 'cute Grimoire' comments?
"Among the younger generation these days, there's a trend of expressing emotions in the opposite way."
The tablet switched to a photo of a red panda. A video of it standing on hind legs, arms spread wide, puffing up to look big and intimidating.
"As you see, red pandas are cute animals that spend most of their time chewing bamboo and sleeping. But the comments call it a ferocious beast. People deliberately call cute things scary or threatening. The opposite should hold true as well, no?"
Everlin swiped to my broadcast clip. It showed me shriveling up with an "Eek!"
And the comments below.
My ears perked up. Even my horns felt like they were quivering.
"So... calling me cute actually means... they're scared?"
"Precisely. They're so terrified of Master that they're using sarcasm. Human psychology tends to deny fear when facing something overwhelmingly frightening. So, the viewers' defense mechanisms activated against your overwhelming wickedness and intimidation."
Hmm... that makes sense. My intimidation is so strong that puny humans' minds are breaking?
"As expected, my wickedness is too powerful for puny humans to handle! They've distorted their own memories out of trembling fear!"
"The curry is ready now. Shall we eat dinner, Master?"
The curry aroma filled the entire house from the kitchen. To grow my organization, I need energy. Even villains must eat to stay wicked!
Everlin set the finished curry rice on the table.
The curry, slightly redder than usual, was served over rice.
"Everlin, this is..."
"Special curry with ketchup, as Master instructed."
"Y-you really put it in?"
That was just a throwaway comment! Following my words too literally is a problem too!
Sniff sniff-
If it tastes bad... I'll make Everlin eat it all and order chicken. A top villain always has Plan B!
I cautiously scooped a spoonful and brought it to my mouth.
Nom nom-
"...It's surprisingly good!"
The sweet-tangy ketchup blended unexpectedly well with the deep curry flavor.
"Ahem, I believed in you from the start, Everlin!"
"Thanks to Master's genius idea."
"Of course! Nine out of ten successes are my achievement!"
After dinner, I leaned back comfortably on the sofa.
Today's events flashed through my mind one by one.
It was a chain of misunderstandings, but a more fun day than expected.
"Today's stream... was more fun than I thought. It was good to showcase my villainy to so many people."
"As expected, Master has a natural talent for communicating with the masses. You subtly capture hearts. An essential skill for world conquest."
Capture hearts? That's true.
At this rate, this city might kneel at my feet in a month, the world in a year!
But it's not perfect yet. Humans still don't recognize me as a true villain.
"Next time, I'll devise a more thorough and wicked plan! I'll make them submit to me willingly!"
"An excellent idea as always, Master."
I sipped black tea and picked up a Dubai premium chocolate.
The smooth, melting sweetness washed away today's minor frustrations.
I may have failed to be a villain today too, but Grimoire knows no defeat!
Why? Because time spent regretting or sulking is better spent eating chocolate!