Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Villain's Legion
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"Caw-caw! Park bench occupation rate: 100% achieved! As expected, this body's strategies are always flawless!"
I made the final mark on the map and struck a victory pose.
Completing the bench occupation operation filled me with a real sense of pride.
Why hadn't the other villains thought of such a simple strategy?
It must be because they lacked a genius brain like this body's, right?
"Now, it's time to head for the heart of the park! The empire's expansion never stops!"
I strode confidently toward the central plaza with the fountain. But something felt off.
The park's central plaza had been occupied by another faction!
"Impossible! How dare these lowly creatures rampage in this body's territory!"
Dozens of gray pigeons were pecking at the ground as they pleased. Without this body's permission, no less!
I marched boldly toward the flock of pigeons. A faint gray light emanated from my horn, filling the surroundings.
"This body commands you: withdraw immediately! This is the territory of the Grimoire Empire! It's not a place for puny flying beasts like you to tread carelessly!"
Coo-
I froze for a moment. The pigeons' cooing somehow made perfect sense to me.
"What did you say?! You dare call this body 'little horn human'? You insolent flying pests! You still don't know who this body is! This body is the great villain Grimoire! The supreme villain who will rule the world!"
My cheeks burned. Hah, pigeons ignoring me like this!
Coo-coo!
The pigeons gathered even closer. One even circled around this body.
"What? You're... hungry? Hmph! That's none of this body's concern! If you need food, go find it yourselves—that's the law of nature! Lazy ones have no right to survive in this body's empire!"
Coo-coo-!
Despite this body's shout, the pigeons flapped their wings in protest at me.
'These guys... are they after this body's lunchbox?'
If so, I won't let them off. I'll declare pigeon hunting season worldwide right now!
Coo-coo! Coo-!
Huh? If there's no food, you'll just go to another park?
"W-Wait! You can't move a single step without this body's permission!"
That won't do! Once you've entered this park, everything belongs to Grimoire! You could come in freely, but leaving is another story!
I quickly opened the lunchbox Everlin had prepared. Then I crumbled the edges of the sandwich to make breadcrumbs.
"Receive this body's grace! In return, swear eternal loyalty!"
Coo-coo-!
The pigeons cooed joyfully and swarmed over.
They were all at a loss for what to do with this body's grace!
"Of course! Food provided by Everlin is always top-class!"
The pigeons finished the breadcrumbs but didn't leave. Instead, they began circling lazily around me.
Coo- Coo-coo-
"You'll follow this body? Excellent! From now on, you are this body's aerial reconnaissance unit, to be called 'Wings of Freedom'! Monitor and report everything in this park!"
Coo-
Their sincere oath of loyalty swelled my chest with pride.
"As expected, this body's charisma works not just on humans, but on animals too! With the King's DNA, this body is destined to rule all creation!"
Finally, this body has its first army! A pigeon legion!
If I brag to Everlin, she'll praise me, right?
"Now, what should I conquer next?"
"Whoa! Look over there! It's the Pigeon Princess!"
"Mom! Mom! That big sis is talking to the pigeons!"
"Can I play with the pigeons too?"
I heard the voices of some passing children.
"Not princess—queen! No, great emperor! Pigeon legion, show those rude children what you're made of! Teach them true fear!"
Coo-coo-!
Finally, this body's first act of villainy begins! They'll pay for daring to call this body princess.
The leader pigeon took the front and flew toward the children. The others followed. The kids' eyes widened at the sight, and the moms behind them looked worried.
'Soon, the children's screams will echo. Caw-caw!'
But...
"Waaah! Pigeons!"
Instead of screams, the kids cheered. The leader pigeon gently landed on the front girl's head, and the others circled the children playfully.
"Ack! What is this...? You stupid birdbrains!"
I meant to scare them, not play!
"That kid's amazing. She must have trained the pigeons."
"An academy student? Some kind of animal communicator."
"With such a cute ability, she's gotta be popular."
Wh-What? Cute? My legion?
"This body is a villain! Here to conquer the park!"
But my protests didn't reach anyone. They all just smiled and nodded.
"This is blatant defiance! You lot! How dare you disobey this body's orders! Are you breaking your oath of loyalty?"
I waved my arms at the pigeons, but they ignored me, too busy playing with the kids. I could almost hear my authority hitting the dirt.
My cheeks puffed up in rage, but I forced myself to stay calm.
I couldn't show emotions in front of all these citizens. A top-class villain must always remain composed!
"Hmph! In that case, time for a new plan."
I decided to punish the pigeons later and headed deeper into the park to secure more territory first.
As I passed a small pond and a cherry blossom-lined walkway, I planned the conquest of each area in my head.
This pond will be renamed 'Lake of the Abyss,' and this flower path 'Villain's Promenade.'
"Next up: the playground! That's the true strategic stronghold! The perfect place to raise future minions!"
On the way to the playground, a faint sobbing reached my ears.
"What was that?"
I followed the sound. Behind a large tree, a small figure was huddled up. A boy in a yellow hat hugged his knees and cried.
"How dare you cause a ruckus in this body's territory! Who is it?!"
"Sob... sob..."
The boy's crying grew louder. My dignified presence must have terrified him!
"H-Hey... stop crying! If you keep crying... uh... it's annoying, isn't it?!"
My shout had no effect. The tears showed no sign of stopping. In fact, he started sobbing even louder.
"Where are your guardians? Don't tell me... you have no parents?"
"Sniff... y-yes... I lost... Mom... Dad..."
Good, not an orphan—a lost child. Foolish to lose your guardians in a villain's domain.
Ahem, this body has no sympathy whatsoever, but...
"Your crying is interfering with this body's conquest, so no choice! Stop crying! This body will specially find your parents for you!"
At those words, the boy paused his tears and looked up at me.
"B-Big sis... will help?"
"H-Help? Don't misunderstand! This is just to collect a ransom. So... hurry up and tell me! What do your parents look like?"
The boy sniffled as he explained.
"D-Dad is tall... wears a black shirt... Mom has a blue dress..."
I declared confidently, but honestly, I was stumped. The park was crowded. Being a weekend afternoon, it was full of families.
How to find them in this crowd? There had to be dozens like that...
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck.
"This body's legion! Assemble immediately!"
I raised my hand high, and pigeons gathered from somewhere. Quick to respond when useful!
Coo-
"I give you a special mission! Find the man in the black shirt and the woman in the blue dress! Succeed, and this body shall reward you with a whole bag of bread!"
The pigeons nodded-like bobbed their heads and flew off to every corner of the park in unison.
Need to resolve this quickly. This body's conquest schedule is getting backed up!
"Whoa..."
The boy's surprised voice rang out. He looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Big sis can talk to birds too?"
"Naturally! This body is the great villain Grimoire! All creatures under heaven must obey this body's commands!"
"Villain...?"
"That's right! The great villain who will rule the world!"
The boy tilted his head for a moment, then smiled innocently.
"But why's a villain helping me?"
"Th-That's... because... this body doesn't want its park conquest interrupted... Yeah! You're crying in my territory—it's noisy! Don't misunderstand! It's purely strategic!"
Soon, one pigeon flew back urgently and perched on my shoulder.
Coo-!
"Found them? Where?"
Coo-coo!
"Near the north exit? Good job! As expected, this body's minions never disappoint! Follow me! This body has found your parents!"
I took the boy's small hand and walked proudly.
"Big sis... your horn is pretty."
"Wh-What? Pretty? No! It's terrifying! The symbol that strikes fear into enemies!"
"It sparkles. Like magic. Are you a magician, big sis?"
"Magician? Hmph! This body is a villain! The great villain who will conquer the world!"
"But what's... a villain?"
I was at a loss for words. How to explain?
"A villain is... um... a scary person! Someone who rules the world and does whatever they want! Like this body!"
"Big sis isn't scary..."
"What?!"
My face burned with anger. But I couldn't think of a retort.
"Ahem! You're too young to understand. Grow up a bit, and you'll see how evil this body is!"
I bluffed like that and hurried along.
It was when we reached near the fountain at the east end of the park.
"Honey! There's Woojin over there!"
"Woojin!"
A man and woman who looked like the parents came running desperately. The boy spotted them and let go of my hand to run over.
"Mom! Dad!"
A strange emotion washed over me as I watched the family embrace.
At the same time, a gray light flickered from my horn. A warm feeling in my chest... What is this? Arrhythmia?
'This body has no need for such emotions! For a villain, only fear and domination matter!'
To hide my feelings, I lifted my chin and crossed my arms.
"Here is your spawn! This body kidnapped it, but it's useless, so take it back! Don't forget this favor!"
The parents looked at me in surprise, then smiled with relief.
"Kidnapped? Haha. Thank you so much for finding our child."
"How did you find him? We searched the whole park."
"All things in the world are under this body's dominion—it's only natural! This park is Grimoire Empire territory! No one escapes this body's eyes!"
I felt a faint light emanating from my horn again. The moment my dignity overflowed.
"We really appreciate it. It's a relief there's such a kind student."
Student? Kind? This body?
"Not a student—this body is an evil villain!"
"Yeah! Big sis is a super villain! When I grow up, I'll be a kind villain like big sis who helps people!"
What? A villain who helps people? What does that even mean? And kindness and villainy are total opposites!
As the family left with thanks, a smile crept onto my face.
Of course, this smile wasn't because the kid was happy to reunite with his parents.
It was simply because this body's evil plan succeeded again!
'I planted the seed of evil in that child—another future organization member cultivated! What an unexpected harvest...!'
Gurgle-
"Mm... this body's genius brain craves nourishment."
Time to eat the special lunchbox Everlin prepared!
I looked around for a suitable spot. A quiet bench in the nice sunlight caught my eye.
"Perfect! A prime location worthy of this body's lunch!"
I strode toward the bench confidently. But as I got close, someone was already sitting there.
A middle-aged man with his head bowed. His suit was wrinkled, his tie askew. Dark circles filled under his eyes.
Not just tired... more like someone who'd given up on the world?
Either way, he's in the way of this body's lunch time!
"Hey! I'm planning to eat lunch here, so move! Interfering with a king's meal is a capital crime punishable by death!"