Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Villain and Pretense
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"Golden Retriever...?"
Serena's smooth forehead creased with wrinkles.
"That's right, a shiny and loyal Golden Retriever! I was originally going to use it as a gold mine slave, but..."
Seeing her flustered reaction to my proposal filled me with pride. As expected, a villain's negotiation tactics work even on S-Rank Heroes!
"If you surrender right now, I'll specially—very specially—appoint you as the director in charge of issuing gold coins with this body's face on them! It's the chance of a lifetime to become the Minister of Currency for the Grimoire Empire!"
Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. She was clearly awestruck by this body's mercy.
"...What is this kid?"
What? Kid?!
"Kid? I am a villain! Condensed evil! A terrifying embodiment of fear! The great Grimoire, laying the foundation for world conquest!"
At that moment, Kang Hyunwoo wedged himself between us.
"It's an honor to meet you in person after only seeing you on TV. You're incredible, Serena! I hope to become an S-Rank Hero someday and fight alongside you."
Ugh, gross. How could he act so servile? If he'd only followed what this body taught him, he'd be C-Rank by now, not stuck at D!
Serena pulled out her smartphone and frowned at the screen.
Her golden eyes gradually grew colder... and suddenly her voice turned icy.
"Oh yeah? I'm not in a great mood right now. The shoot got ruined too."
Kang Hyunwoo's face stiffened at her abrupt shift from polite to casual speech.
"A D-Rank who doesn't know his place talking about fighting to protect others? If you lack talent, quitting is the best thing for everyone."
Kang Hyunwoo's face paled.
Wait, what was going on here? She'd been playing the nice, righteous act just moments ago, and now this sudden change?
"Hey! Don't talk like that!"
I stepped forward without thinking. Serena's cold gaze turned to me.
"Why treat a comrade-in-arms like that? Heroes need to team up! That's the only way you can properly fight a great villain like me, right? Tormenting each other like this means you can't win!"
Serena rolled her eyes at my words. The elegant smile she'd shown for the cameras was gone; she looked like a completely different person.
"You're the same. Why didn't you listen and charged into the gate? And what's with that childish concept? Villain play? The cameras are off, so you can drop it."
"Concept? What concept? I am a villain! A real villain!"
"Hah?"
Serena looked bewildered.
"Villain...? You're still acting? You seriously believe that setting?"
Acting? Setting? How dare she insult a true villain's identity!
"And this is my territory! Grimoire Park! It was a place I had to protect!"
"Territory? What are you talking about...? This is a public park."
"No! The master of this place isn't some lowly citizen—it's me! You showed up and stole my spotlight! In a game, that'd be reportable! Goldie!"
"Gold... Goldie?"
"Yeah, gold nugget! Glitter flake! Goldie! You're so shiny it's hurting my eyes!"
"Goldie...? You're really rude, you know."
"You want a villain to have manners? That's the dumbest thing ever."
Those rabbits? This body could've handled them alone. It was just a warm-up!
I was only holding back to avoid damaging the garden.
That Goldie just barged in because her ego couldn't stand it. She was trying to sabotage this body's rise to villainous fame! Definitely not because I was in danger and needed help!
"Say that again while looking at these horns! Take a good look—these are a real villain's horns!"
"Aren't those cosplay horns?"
"Cosplay...?"
I stroked my horns with my hand as I countered.
"They're part of my body! The mark of a villain! Something a Goldie like you could never have!"
Kang Hyunwoo spoke up cautiously.
"Serena, Grimoire's horns are real. I thought they were fake at first too... but they actually grew from her body."
She examined me, then suddenly raised her hand to touch my horns.
"No way! You can't just touch this body's horns! That's irreverence toward a great villain's authority! Plus, what if your gold dust gets on them!"
Hm? On second thought, gold dust might be nice? It'd make this body's horns shine even more!
"How did a kid like this close the gate...? Ridiculous."
There was a hint of bitterness in her final words. Jealousy? Dissatisfaction? Whatever it was, this body had definitely shocked her!
"Kakak! As expected, this body is an SSS-Rank villain stronger than S-Rank! You heroes should tremble in fear now!"
Serena sighed.
At that moment, a man in a suit hurried over.
"Serena, we have to hurry for the next schedule. The interview is set up, and the fans are waiting."
"Got it."
She shot me one last glare before turning on her heel at the manager's urging.
Before leaving, she warned over her shoulder.
"Don't get too cocky. Next time, I won't go easy."
"Nyah-nyah! Running away! This body must be scary!"
I stuck my tongue out as Serena walked away.
So what if she's an S-Rank Hero? This body is an even greater villain! No matter how strong a hero is, this body won't be intimidated!
"Kakak! This is the true dignity of a villain! Even S-Rank Heroes can only flee before this body!"
I struck a victory pose with my arms thrust toward the sky. The garden was ruined, but today this body had repelled an S-Rank Hero!
Lost in the joy of victory, I suddenly noticed Kang Hyunwoo. He had slumped onto a park bench, staring blankly into space with a dejected expression. The spark in his eyes was completely gone.
"What's with that? Why the long face? Shouldn't you be in awe after seeing this body's brilliant performance?"
Kang Hyunwoo forced a smile at my question. It was a twisted, awkward grin like a shattered mirror.
"Nah... I'm fine. I was just surprised she's not like I imagined. She's an S-Rank Hero, so she can say stuff like that... I'll just work harder from now on."
"Hmph! So what if she's S-Rank? Getting intimidated by a glitter flake like that? Pathetic!"
I snorted and picked up the fallen hoe, heading toward Kang Hyunwoo.
"There's an SSS-Rank villain right in front of you—shouldn't you be scared of this body instead? This is all wrong!"
Kang Hyunwoo slowly looked up at me. His eyes were still filled with anxiety and confusion.
"But she's the Golden Princess... one of the most active S-Ranks right now..."
"So? What's so great about that Goldie?"
I waved my hand dismissively, cutting him off and raising my voice. I didn't know why I was so angry, but I hated seeing him belittle himself like this.
"This body bows to no one! S-Rank, SS-Rank, hero, president—it doesn't matter! That kind of bravado means nothing against real power!"
Kang Hyunwoo's expression began to change bit by bit. A subtle shift flickered in his eyes.
"You... you weren't intimidated by the Golden Princess at all..."
"Of course not! Why would this body tense up over some pathetic Goldie? Plus, did you see that? How flustered she got when this body closed the gate! Kakak!"
My laughter echoed through the park. Kang Hyunwoo's face brightened more and more.
"Ahem, but your skills seemed a bit better than last time today."
I was surprised by my own words. Praise isn't something villains do.
"Maybe someday you'll even beat that Goldie? Of course, beating this body is eternally impossible! Kakak!"
"You... really think so?"
Kang Hyunwoo's eyes sparkled. He asked as if he couldn't believe it.
"Well, you're a hero, so you're not great... but better than that Goldie, I suppose? At least we fought together."
Ugh, what was I saying? But seeing his face light up didn't feel bad.
"And hey, that Goldie just made a flashy entrance and had her camera crew film her! Who did the actual fighting? You and this body! What did she do? Just sprinkled gold dust in the air and struck poses."
Whoosh—whoosh—
I mimicked punching and kicking at the air.
"We threw punches and kicks right at the monsters! Sweating and getting dirty! That's real fighting!"
Kang Hyunwoo let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah, we clashed with our bodies directly. The Golden Princess just..."
"Go on, what did that Goldie do?"
"Uh... attacked from afar."
Of course, her attacks shredded hundreds or thousands of rabbits, but that wasn't the point!
"Exactly! Anyone could do that! Just fling gold dust from a distance while yelling 'Golden whatever'!"
"Uh... I don't think anyone could..."
"What? You dare refute a top-tier villain's logic? How cheeky! If you want to argue with this body, first beat a rat in a shouting match!"
Kang Hyunwoo's eyes widened. His expression grew even brighter.
"Thanks. You really lifted my spirits."
Ding—
The sudden alarm made Kang Hyunwoo check his smartphone. His eyes went wide.
"Whoa! I got a ton of achievement points thanks to you. At this rate, C-Rank is just around the corner!"
"Hmph! You're benefiting from this body too. Show your gratitude with tribute next time!"
My gaze shifted to the ruined garden, and my heart sank.
"Come to think of it, this body's garden...! Those rabbits ate everything earlier!"
The soil was dug up, sprouts yanked out, signs toppled... The garden we'd carefully tended with the elders was completely wrecked. We'd promised to plant tomatoes tomorrow!
"Don't worry, I'll help. We can fix it up again."
Kang Hyunwoo picked up the hoe.
"Let's see... First, straighten out the boundary stones..."
As we started working, some citizens gathered out of nowhere.
"We can help too. You heroes protected the park."
"Heroes? I'm a villain! Why do you keep misunderstanding?!"
But no one paid attention to me. Instead, more people joined in, lending their hands.
The elders who tended the garden with me must have heard the news and rushed over, bringing tools and seeds from home.
"Oh dear, who did this to our garden? Anyway, no worries."
"I've farmed for fifty years in the mountains—this is nothing. Heh, animals wrecking gardens is everyday life in the countryside."
"If it was just a few rabbits, we're lucky. Bears or boars would've torn up the ground so bad we'd have to start over."
Grandpa Yoon took charge with practiced ease. The other elders moved efficiently, each handling their roles.
"Excellent! This body now has serfs! Everyone's serving me!"
This was definitely evil! Exploiting people as labor!
With everyone's efforts and the elders' expertise, the garden recovered at an astonishing speed.
The furrows were wider and neater than before, new seeds planted everywhere...
"See? It's even better now that we all pitched in."
Kang Hyunwoo smiled. Joy filled everyone's faces.
"Grimoire, what are you planting this time?"
"Hm... Tomatoes as red as blood! And eggplants! Black suits a villain!"
"Heh, clever girl. Black eggplant and red tomatoes... matches your horns and eyes perfectly. You've got a knack for farming!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
As the restoration neared completion, several news vans suddenly pulled up at the park entrance.
"There they are! The heroes who handled the monster wave!"
Reporters rushed over with cameras and mics.
"What? More people calling this body a hero for a story?!"
I looked around in panic.
"Grimoire! How do you feel about handling the monster wave?"
"Is this community garden project your idea?"
"Building a friendly hero image with citizens?"
"A strategy to expand your fanbase with the cute farmer concept?"
Questions flew like arrows. Camera flashes popped nonstop, mics crowding my face.
"I-I'm a villain! Not a hero!"
But the reporters interpreted it as a 'humble hero' act and grew even more excited.
"You're so cute! Citizen approval for the villain concept is over 80%!"
"Did the horns really grow? Any secrets to growing them?"
"There's a troll fan club called 'Hornies' stirring up trouble on SNS—what do you think?"
My body froze. All this attention at once was overwhelming.
Think of something quick!
Right, how a top villain survives a bear: Run faster than the guy next to you!
I glanced around and shoved Kang Hyunwoo forward.
"This pathetic D-Rank hero fought hard! This body was just a villain passing by!"
"Ah, that's not—"
While Kang Hyunwoo panicked, I bolted without missing a beat.
"This body doesn't do interviews as a villain! See you later, serfs!"
I glanced back one last time at the 'Grimoire Garden ver.2' sign staked in the garden, already thinking about how to brag to Everlin about today's adventure.