Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Villain and the Mice
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I set up mouse traps in the living room and hid behind the sofa.
Everything was perfect.
Belgian chocolate on the spring trap, French butter cookies inside the cage trap, and limited-edition cheese-flavored potato chips on the glue trap.
"My precious snacks, I shall never forget your sacrifice. After I conquer the world, I'll erect a monument in your honor!"
Seeing my emergency rations laid out on the traps made my heart ache. But this too was the fate of a villain.
A great villain must sometimes endure painful sacrifices for the sake of victory.
'This time, I'll win for sure! With my favorite snacks as bait, victory is all but guaranteed!'
The time had come to pass judgment on those mice who had mocked me twice!
1 minute... 5 minutes... 10 minutes...
As time dragged on, the kitchen fell into dead silence. My legs were starting to go numb.
"Quiet! Patience is the mark of a first-rate villain! No way they'll ignore my snacks. My strategies are always 100% perfect!"
Mice think with their noses, not their brains. They won't resist these gourmet temptations!
Rustle-
Right then, a black nose peeked from the kitchen corner. My heart pounded.
"They've finally come! The fiends are here!"
The black mouse cautiously checked the traps. Then the white one appeared. Welcome, objects of my revenge!
Holding my breath, I waited for the decisive moment. My chance to reclaim my dignity was right in front of me.
The black mouse circled the spring trap. The two seemed to exchange glances.
'Fall for it, give in to temptation! The instant you enter Lady Grimoire's trap, your doom is sealed!'
Finally, the black mouse reached out a paw toward the Belgian chocolate. My lips curled into a grin.
'It's over. Victory is mine! Kahakat!'
But incredibly, as the white mouse pinned the trap with its hind legs, the black one snatched the chocolate with its front paws.
Snap-!
The trap sprung, but the mice had already fled to safety, chocolate in mouth.
"What... what?! Impossible! How?!"
"Two traps left! My precious snacks are still safe!"
Next, the black mouse stood before the cage trap, staring holes into the butter cookies.
The cage trap was designed so that once the mouse entered to grab the bait, the door slammed shut. Easy to get in, impossible to get out. The perfect mouse grave.
"Daring to analyze my trap? Dream on! Sewer rats smarter than genius villain Lady Grimoire? Those cookies will never be yours!"
The white mouse fetched a long twig from somewhere.
The two exchanged glances, as if plotting together.
"No way... mice using tools...?"
The white mouse poked the trigger point with the twig. Click! The trap activated, cage door slamming shut.
"Good, the butter cookies are safe now! Can't open a closed door!"
I didn't catch the mice, but I protected my snack, so it's a draw... no, my win! Half a victory!
But their assault was just getting started.
The black mouse rolled a small stone over from somewhere. Question marks popped up in my head.
What could they do with a pebble? I didn't know their plan, but my gut told me it wouldn't end well for my snacks.
They placed the stone near the entrance, rested one end of the twig on it, and slid the other end under the door.
"That's... a lever?"
My voice trembled. How did mice know physics...?
They pressed down hard on the other end. By lever principle, the cage door lifted just a crack. The black mouse swiftly slipped inside.
"No fair! That's cheating! Science is against the rules! Fight honorably!"
The black mouse fully entered, snatched my precious cookie in a flash, and escaped the same way.
Good heavens, they were dismantling my traps. This was intelligence beyond mere animals.
"Last hope: the glue trap! No way they crack this!"
I pinned everything on it. Not physical tools, but chemical adhesive... even sly mice couldn't beat this!
"Kahakat! This glue's special adhesive can hold elephants, not just mice! Better give up now, you pathetic rodents!"
The two mice stood side by side before the glue trap. The tantalizing scent of cheese chips wafted through the air. I could smell it; how irresistible must it be for them?
"Fall for it, let instinct override reason! Resistance is futile!"
But then the unexpected happened. The black mouse scouted around and fetched a mouthful of dirt from somewhere.
Dirt? Where did a mouse get dirt...? No way...
"That's my rosemary pot! You stole soil from my rosemary pot? That's grand theft! Trespassing, theft, property damage...! Touching my precious pot without permission!"
Mouse: Your pot is now my pot