Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Villain and Secret Society
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Everlin's luxury sedan came to a smooth stop in the parking lot of Crown Villa.
"Everlin! You carry the shopping bags! I'll take the book! This is the world conquest plan, after all!"
"You mean the one in comic form."
"In this day and age, just words are too boring! Even villains have to evolve with the times!"
A day filled with movies and shopping. To others, it might seem like an ordinary routine, but to Everlin, every day felt like a miracle.
"Look at this! I even bought a limited-edition poster! It's going straight into my villain poster collection! This scene where he's chainsawing a hero—total villain blueprint, right?"
The moment they opened the door to apartment 301, Grimoire tossed the shopping bags aside and flopped onto the sofa. She kicked her legs up, flinging off her shoes.
"Ughhh... I'm exhausted! Even fun takes stamina!"
Everlin calmly sorted the shoes and bags.
"Shall I prepare a bath? It would help relieve your fatigue."
"Oh! Great! Rose-scented bubble bath today! Even villains need to smell nice sometimes!"
Everlin bowed her head in agreement.
As she headed to the bathroom, Everlin adjusted the water to the perfect temperature. 38.5 degrees.
Once she added the rose bath salts, the water quickly turned a deep red.
'Beautiful color.'
Red.
In the past, it had simply been the color of blood. The sticky crimson staining her hands after missions, red stains that seemed impossible to wash away.
But now, it was different.
Red was the color of the cherry-flavored candy Grimoire loved, the warm glow of their first shared sunset, the roses in Crown Villa's garden, the vibrant hue of the tomato sauce Grimoire adored. The color of the stockings they hung for Christmas, the wildflowers they discovered on a spring walk, the circles she drew on her villain plan chart with a red pen, and above all...
The irreplaceable color of Grimoire's eyes.
"Whoa! So many bubbles!"
The bathroom door burst open, and Grimoire rushed in. She had already shed her dress, wrapped only in a towel.
Splash!
She dove straight into the tub without hesitation. Water splashed everywhere.
"Everlin, get in quick! That's an order!"
Everlin calmly undressed, folded her clothes neatly beside the tub, and slipped in.
"Look! I made a beard out of bubbles! How's that—scary villain enough?"
Grimoire gathered bubbles around her mouth into a beard and burst into laughter. Everlin couldn't help but smile at the pure joy.
"You look extremely menacing, Master. Even real heroes would tremble in fear."
"See? Even in the bath, my dignity shines! Kahaha!"
"Let me wash your hair."
Grimoire climbed out of the tub and sat obediently with her back turned. Slender shoulders, a small back, and silver hair cascading down.
Gone was her usual arrogance; she looked like a trusting kitten, relying on someone completely.
Everlin's fingers gently wove through Grimoire's hair. When they brushed her horns, she took extra care. The area around the horns always needed delicate handling.
"Horns are a villain's trademark, so they must be perfectly maintained! I only allow you to touch them, got it?"
"Of course. The horns of the villain who will rule the world are special. Thank you for this privilege, Master."
"I'll wash your hair too!"
Everlin hesitated briefly, but there was no reason to refuse.
Grimoire squeezed a generous amount of shampoo into her palms and started rubbing it into Everlin's hair. It was clumsy and uneven, but Everlin felt more at ease than ever.
After the bath, the two sat side by side on the living room sofa in comfortable loungewear.
Everlin gently dried Grimoire's hair with a soft towel.
"Hey, Everlin! Turn on the TV!"
Everlin handed over the remote, and Grimoire began flipping through channels.
"Ugh... News is boring... Sports, meh... Oh! What's this?"
The screen showed a vast canyon landscape. Red rocks glowing in the sunset created a breathtaking vista.
"That's the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. One of the world's most famous natural wonders."
Grimoire's ruby eyes sparkled. She was so absorbed in the screen that she seemed to forget Everlin toweling her hair.
There was still so much in the world Grimoire hadn't seen. Everlin's wish was to let her experience it all safely.
Suddenly, Grimoire jumped to her feet.
"Everlin! I just had a brilliant idea! Let's start the conquest of America! I'll make that massive canyon my fortress! I'll give the American continent back to Columbus!"
Everlin pondered briefly. Should she correct Grimoire's history knowledge, or let it slide?
"Master... The American continent wasn't Columbus's to begin with. It belonged to the indigenous peoples originally..."
"Really? Wasn't it Columbus who discovered America?"
"Less 'discovered' and more one of the Europeans who arrived in the New World. But the native peoples had lived there for ages."
Grimoire tilted her head.
"Then why are they called Indians?"
"Because Columbus mistakenly thought he'd reached India and called the natives 'Indians.'"
"What? He 'discovered' the New World and still got lost on where it was? That make any sense?"
Grimoire's eyes widened.
"I never would've made such a foolish mistake! If I discovered a continent, I'd name it 'Grimoire Continent'! And I'd treat the natives fairly! I wouldn't steal their ancestral lands! As long as they swear loyalty to me, of course!"
Everlin nodded, suppressing a smile. Grimoire's reactions were always unpredictable and fascinating.
"Anyway, let's attack America right now! Fortify the Grand Canyon, make the Mississippi River my moat! Put a cola button in the White House instead of the nuclear football... Oh! And specially, I'll remake the Statue of Liberty in your image!"
Everlin watched Grimoire for a moment. Balancing her dreams with reality was one of Everlin's key roles.
'Nowhere protects Grimoire better than S City.'
For safety, leaving S City wasn't ideal.
This city had Everlin's infrastructure, the rats' information network, and above all, an environment where Grimoire could grow safely.
'I need to persuade her carefully so she doesn't get disappointed.'
"Going to America right now might be inefficient. World conquest should proceed in stages."
"But I want to go now..."
Grimoire plopped back onto the sofa with a disappointed look.
Everlin couldn't say it directly like "It's dangerous." A villain's pride wouldn't tolerate that.
"Securing S City completely first, then expanding overseas, is strategically superior. Expeditions without a base are risky. The failed Crusades of the Middle Ages prove it."
"Hmm, yeah, you're right! To conquer America, I'd need at least five divisions minimum, but right now it's just us two! Darkness and White King are great for special forces, but not regular army... Everlin, you're the best strategist!"
But a hint of disappointment lingered in Grimoire's eyes. Everlin thought of a surefire way to lift her spirits completely.
"How about tacos and quesadillas for dinner instead?"
"Tacos?"
Grimoire's eyes sparkled again.
"American food to celebrate the conquest in advance! Yes! Extra cheese! And tons of salsa sauce! Villains can handle spicy food too!"
Fortunately, Grimoire's mood seemed lifted.
The two headed straight to the kitchen.
Everlin precisely measured spices with her fingertips to prepare the taco sauce. The kitchen filled with the aroma of onions and garlic, tomatoes blended with habanero and Carolina Reaper.
"And in France, I planted my flag at the top of the Eiffel Tower! Climbed it bare-handed!"
Everlin stirred the sauce while listening intently to Grimoire's tales. Her "world travel" stories had become a dinner prep staple.
"Why not use the elevator?"
"Elevator? Was there one?"
She cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"Ahem, of course I knew! But true villains conquer the summit with their bare hands! Elevators are for ordinary tourists!"
Everlin quietly swallowed a laugh. Grimoire's innocent lies were always so transparent.
'Master's imagination is purer than anything...'
"In Egypt, the Sphinx posed a riddle to me..."
Grimoire lowered her voice, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
"What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?"
"A classic riddle. How did you answer, Master?"
"It was obviously Grimoire herself! But the Sphinx rudely said wrong? See, humanities folks are no good! So I punched it! The broken nose on the Sphinx? Totally my doing!"
Grimoire swung her fist through the air with whooshes.
"Just like you, Master."
Everlin deftly flipped the quesadilla with a flick of her wrist. Golden cheese oozed from the crisped edges.
Grimoire's stories were always this extravagant. Epic sagas filled with grand adventures, world conquests, and glorious victories.
'I'm glad Master remembers it this way.'
In truth, that journey... wasn't an adventure. Not a world tour. It was a desperate escape.
The sizzle of searing meat filled the kitchen. Her hands moved skillfully, but her mind wandered elsewhere.
'Hermetic Order.'
A secret society existing since the dawn of humanity.
They called themselves "Elohim," believing true humanity consisted only of them.
The Hermetic Order's goal was simple: the resurrection of the "Primordial King." The return of humanity's ancestor and savior as they believed.
To restore humanity to its "pre-fallen" state, they needed the perfect leader to guide all.
'They've prepared their plan for thousands of years.'
Deep in the Alps, a massive underground laboratory.
That day, Everlin was called Experiment "Alpha-001."
Codename "Avir Efer," Knight of Ashes.
An artificial lifeform created from ancient DNA. The Hermetic Order's first success and ultimate weapon.
The blood on her hands was beyond counting.
Her mission: eliminate those who defied the Hermetic Order. Heroes, villains, politicians, scientists, explorers, journalists... She assassinated those who knew too much and destroyed evidence.
After each mission, memory bleaching and brainwashing awaited. To prevent doubts, emotions, questions, or conscience from sprouting.
'I didn't even know what I was.'
How long had she endured that cycle? She couldn't tell.
Decades? Centuries, perhaps. Time itself was vague.
As eras changed, societies shifted, science advanced, she performed missions unchanging.
Agents cycled, researchers aged, the world evolved, but she did not.
Behind countless conspiracies and terrors, she was always there.
The memory scene shifted.
Deep in the lab, special isolation chamber.
Bound head to toe in special restraints, that was Everlin's daily life.
In pitch darkness admitting no light, she was used only when needed for missions.
She was a tool. Without name or emotion.
She didn't consider herself human.
Perfect loyalty, perfect obedience.
A non-human existence called only by numbers. A hollow life denying self and identity.
Sizzle—
The scent of burning meat snapped Everlin from her reverie.
"Everlin? You okay?"
Grimoire's voice pulled her back to reality. Everlin had no idea how long she'd stood there blankly.
"Yes, Master. I was just focused on cooking."
"Really? I called your name three times..."
"My apologies. I must have been too immersed in your adventure tales."
Her mind returned to the past.
That day when everything changed.
Seven grand sages in red robes, a dark and cold altar, rituals and sacrifices.
"King's DNA binding rate: 98.7%! Highest ever!"
A project to activate fragments of the King's DNA collected from around the globe by the Hermetic Order. Its result was Grimoire.
Then, an unexpected explosion rocked the lab.
Screams of researchers, alarms, chaos.
Omega Experiment Escaped!
Security Protocol Activated
The highest-grade security facility crumbled like paper.
Ceilings collapsed, flames erupted. Explosions chained everywhere.
Everlin's isolation chamber was in peril too, but she couldn't move.
The special restraints controlled every inch of her body perfectly.
No—even without them, she wouldn't have. No reason to.
As she coldly watched her own end approach...
"Kahaha! How dare you imprison me—!"
Through dust and smoke, a small, frail girl approached. Silver hair fluttered in the air, two black horns gleaming on her head.
"You're special like me! I'll specially save you! Mercy from the great Grimoire!"
The girl reached for Everlin's restraints.
"Ugh... Why won't this..."
Everlin expected nothing to happen.
Those chains were indestructible—even to her.
"Break! I command it in my name!"
But when Grimoire truly wished it, every chain shattered.
Crack!
Everlin's arms and legs were free.
'Eliminate her. Now.'
Uncontrolled experiments were mandatory for termination.
Black flames rose from her fingertips. Black Flame, her unique ability. Flames of disassembly that incinerated anything they touched.
'One strike ends it. She's still immature.'
At that moment, Grimoire looked straight into Everlin's eyes.
Blue eyes met red.
Alpha Experiment and Omega Experiment.
The emotionless perfect tool and the freedom-craving villain.
"What's your name?"
Name? She had none.
"...None."
"No name? Who lives like that?"
Grimoire looked shocked, then declared with resolute determination.
"Fine! It's decided! I'll bestow a fitting name for my first subordinate! From now on, you're Everlin! It means eternal loyalty at my side!"
It was her first real name—not a codename or number.
"...Everlin?"
Speaking it for the first time, something inside her awakened. The self that centuries of brainwashing and drugs couldn't fully erase.
"Yes! Now you're my maid!"
Maid.
Not a killing weapon or experiment, but a maid serving and caring for one girl.
That word brought Everlin an indescribable sense of liberation.
The first taste of value as a human.
She could feel emotions, think thoughts, make choices.
What crumbled with that day's explosions wasn't the lab.
It was Everlin's chains.
"Come, Everlin! Follow me! The great first step of world conquest!"
"Yes, Master."
And atop those ruins, she made her first choice by her own will.
Her first free decision: to stay by Grimoire's side.
Because Grimoire was the definition of happiness she discovered.
As a companion, not a tool.
As a maid, not a weapon.
As a person, not an experiment.
'You gave me life, so my life is eternally yours.'
Everlin's sole and eternal vow.