Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Villain's Guilt
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Three days had already passed since I took in Malcang as my new subordinate.
At first, I was worried about whether we could really evade Everlin's watchful eyes... but thanks to Malcang's transformation ability, she didn't seem to suspect a thing.
'Hehe, perfect. Even Everlin is helpless against my flawless disguise! As expected, I am a genius villain!'
Of course, a corner of my heart felt a twinge of guilt. About deceiving my loyal subordinate Everlin, that is.
No, this isn't deceiving her! I'm just... telling her a little late, very slightly!
Yeah, someday I'll definitely tell her. At the right moment so she doesn't get too shocked. This is all consideration for Everlin! Mhm. That's right!
With that self-justification, the fourth morning arrived.
The table was once again set with a mouthwatering breakfast lovingly prepared by Everlin.
The menu was my favorite: a bacon sandwich! Eating bacon for breakfast is evil enough!
"Mmm~! Everlin's cooking is the best, as always!"
I took a big bite of the sandwich stuffed with thick bacon and fresh veggies. The savory, salty sauce chemistry filled my mouth, bringing a happy smile to my face.
As I savored the sandwich, I felt Everlin's gaze fixed on me from across the table.
And her eyes... locked onto my wrist.
"Master."
"Hm? What's up, Everlin?"
"That bracelet... It seems like its shape changes a little every day."
Her sharp observation from that expressionless face made a piece of bacon catch in my throat!
"Gah! Hack, cough!"
"Are you alright, Master?"
Everlin hurried over with a worried look and gently patted my back.
"I-I'm fine! I just... got too excited because it was so delicious and ate too fast... cough!"
I finally swallowed the bacon piece and reassured her. But my heart was still pounding like mad.
Did she figure it out? No way, she couldn't have noticed!
"Th-this bracelet!"
I raised my voice as casually as possible—no, even more arrogantly. In a crisis, you have to act bold!
"It uses cutting-edge tech that changes form based on the master's mood! It's a very delicate and sensitive device! So don't touch it carelessly! It could break!"
"I see. Impressive. The Hero Association's technology is truly admirable."
Everlin accepted my explanation with surprising ease. She didn't ask any more about the bracelet and returned to her seat.
Anxiety crept up, but I pushed it aside.
'N-no, it's fine. Everlin always trusts me. She must have believed me.'
I chewed through the rest of the sandwich, trying to shake off the unease.
*
Seizing the chance while Everlin was out shopping, I released Malcang from bracelet form.
"Malcang, you can come out now!"
Kyuu~!
Regaining its freedom, Malcang bounced around the room excitedly. It rolled like a little ball, stretched long to nearly touch the ceiling, playing around.
"Kyakya! Go ahead and play all you want!"
But the peace didn't last. Malcang had a fatal flaw... its insane gluttony!
At first, I thought it was just hungry.
So I snuck it snacks behind Everlin's back and shared my food. But it devoured not just food, but everything miscellaneous!
Especially... showing particular obsession with my used items.
'Hmm... Does it recognize good stuff? Of course, anything I use is top-tier!'
And today, the incident finally exploded.
Looking for the remote to watch TV, I searched everywhere but couldn't find it.
Then I spotted... Malcang in the sofa corner, eagerly licking something!
"Malcang! No! That's not food!"
My precious remote! I can't change channels without it!
But then, a weird noise came from somewhere on Malcang's body.
Bubble bubble... Pop!
"...?"
It sounded just like... a drowning mouse thrashing about.
With a bad feeling, I peered closely into Malcang's translucent body.
Inside the pink mass, something black and white... was bubbling and struggling desperately!
"Gyaah! Malcang, you rascal! How dare you eat my subordinates!"
Screaming, I plunged my hand into Malcang's body and frantically pulled them out.
Squeak! Squeak squeak!
Covered head to toe in pink slime, Darkness and White King lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath.
They looked pathetic. Fur matted and clumped, eyes half-rolled back.
Squeak squeak squeak!
Darkness and White King complained to me indignantly. Apparently, Malcang had spotted them lurking near a mouse hole and gobbled them up.
"Malcang! Come here and sit! No, just... lie down!"
I scolded it sternly. Not content with trying to eat the remote, it went after my precious subordinates too! This was unforgivable!
"You can't just eat anything willy-nilly! Especially not my subordinates—never touch them! Got it?!"
Kyuu~
At my shout, Malcang shriveled up small with a dejected look.
"Ahem! I'll forgive you just this once. But from now on, you must strictly follow the rules I set!"
I sat Malcang down and began proper training. Namely, lessons on 'what you can eat' versus 'what you can't eat'!
"Listen up. This... is a carrot. You can eat this. It's very good for you, so eat lots."
I placed a carrot piece in front of Malcang. It hesitated a moment, then slurped it up.
Good! No more carrots for dinner now!
"Next... this. Leftover cookie crumbs. You can eat these too. But! Never eye my fresh snacks! And this... is trash. Tissue scraps or cookie bags. Eat as much as you want. Finally, anything I specially give you—eat it all! Got it?"
Nod nod!
Malcang nodded—or seemed to—whether it understood or not.
"But! Absolutely never touch my stuff! Especially remotes, books, or my precious collections! And most importantly! Darkness and White King! Never eat them! They're your comrades and my loyal subordinates!"
Kyuu kyuu!
Fortunately, Malcang was smart. After a few repetitions, it got it quickly.
This should cover basic eating habits.
Next, training to maximize Malcang's potential.
Transformation ability enhancement training!
Just turning into a bracelet isn't enough! It needs more varied and perfect transformations to fully evade Everlin's suspicions—and aid my great villainy!
"Alright, Malcang! First... transform into this!"
I picked up a pen from the desk and showed it.
Kyuu?
Its pink jelly-like body stretched long... and clumsily, but decently, turned into a pen shape! Of course, much larger and still pink.
"Ooh! Not bad! Good, next—this!"
I pointed at various nearby items: mug, doll, small flowerpot, commanding transformations.
Malcang started clumsy imitations but improved rapidly with repetition—faster and more accurate.
It even mimicked animals on TV instantly! Still all pink and jiggly, but the shape was near-perfect.
"Ooooh! Malcang, you're a genius dog... no, genius slime! Kahakat!"
At this rate, fooling Everlin will be a piece of cake... or slime!
Time flew, and it was bedtime. Exhausted from all-day training, both me and Malcang.
"Yawn~ Tired... Malcang, head back to your hideout and sleep. Hell training awaits tomorrow."
I pointed to its temporary home: a cookie box under the bed. But Malcang didn't seem keen. Instead, it hopped onto the bed and wriggled, transforming.
'What now?'
Watching curiously, it flattened into a square... becoming a pillow! A pink, squishy one.
"...A pillow?"
Curious, I rested my head on it.
'Oh...?'
Way comfier than expected! Squishy yet fluffy, cradling my head softly... oddly soothing.
"Hmm... Not bad. Special permission for one night!"
I lay down properly on the 'Malcang pillow.' The pleasant squish lulled me to sleep.
A faint 'kyuu' like a lullaby drifted from Malcang.
***
Thus, our secret cohabitation and training with Malcang continued for days.
Its transformation skills improved daily, now handling complex shapes well.
No more worry of Everlin catching on.
This way, I could perfectly fool... no, surprise her!
One afternoon, as usual, lounging on the living room sofa assigning new transformation tasks to Malcang.
Watching fondly as it wriggled to become a dinosaur...
Click-
Suddenly, the front door lock disengaged! My heart dropped.
No way! Everlin said she'd be late today! Way earlier than expected!
"Eek! E-Everlin? Already...? Malcang! Quick! Bracelet!"
Malcang hurriedly shrank and slapped onto my wrist as a familiar bracelet.
Almost simultaneously, the door opened, and Everlin entered, shopping basket in hand.
"I'm home, Master."
"Uh, uh, Everlin! Why so early... N-no, welcome back! Done shopping?"
"Yes, I stopped by the mart since your favorite snacks were running low."
Everlin replied calmly as always, setting the basket on the table.
'...Something's off. Everlin's demeanor is different.'
A bad premonition hit.
Her eyes... sharper, more probing than usual.
Everlin approached slowly.
"Master."
She stopped right in front of me.
Her shadow completely enveloped me. Overwhelmed, I swallowed hard.
"Are you... hiding something from me by any chance?"
"Wh-what are you saying, Everlin? Hiding something from you? I'm always honest! A villain with nothing to be ashamed of under heaven! No secrets at all!"
Everlin just gazed at me silently.
Her blue eyes seemed to pierce into my soul.
Suffocating silence flowed.
'What now? Keep denying? But...'
Then, a resolve slowly surfaced.
I couldn't deceive Everlin forever.
She wasn't just any subordinate.
She was my precious maid who trusted and supported me most.
Continuing to fool her... I couldn't accept it myself.
'Yeah... Time to be honest. At least half the truth.'
I swallowed and met Everlin's eyes straight.
"...Alright, Everlin. You're right. Actually... I have been hiding something from you."
Her eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Wait a moment. I'll show you."
I left Everlin in the living room and dashed to my room.
Door shut and locked, Malcang slithered off my wrist to the floor.
Kyuu? Kyuu kyuu?
It bounced worriedly around me.
"It's fine, Malcang. This is actually good timing."
I said with a determined expression.
"Time to show the results of our training!"
Kyuu?
"Show your transformation skills! Turn into a dog! As big, majestic, and cute as possible! Got it?"
Kyuu kyuu!
Its pink jelly body swelled instantly into four legs, fluffy tail, floppy ears... a pretty convincing dog!
Yes, a... retriever? Perfect golden retriever, except all pink!
"Perfect! Let's go, Malcang! Be good in front of Everlin!"
I opened the door and returned to the living room. Malcang followed proudly.
Everlin still stood waiting.
"Everlin! Behold! This is what I've been hiding from you!"
I pointed grandly at retriever Malcang.
"Actually... I've been secretly raising this dog for a few days! I hid it so you wouldn't worry unnecessarily! Now do you get it? My deep intentions!"
"...A dog... you say?"
Everlin's gaze slowly shifted to Malcang.
Well, a huge pink dog appearing out of nowhere—natural to be surprised. Kyakakat!
"..."
She scanned pink retriever Malcang up and down suspiciously.
"But Master... for a dog... it's entirely pink."
"...Th-that's!"
An unexpected sharp point! Well, anyone would think it's weird!
"A-hem! Th-that's because it's a very rare breed!"
"And the surface feels kinda jiggly?"
Everlin cautiously reached to pet Malcang's back.
"N-no! Don't touch it carelessly! Its fur is so soft, that's all!"
"If I may ask, Master, what exact breed is it?"
"Br-breed...?"
I hadn't thought that far!
"Uh... well... it's a suuuper rare breed! Yeah! The legendary 'Himalayan Pink Retriever' that only lives at the peak of the Himalayan mountains! You've probably never heard of it! So rare!"
"Pink... Retriever...?"
Doubt dripped from Everlin's voice.
Right then.
Part of Malcang's body... melted away! Jelly-like surface dripped, form crumbling slightly.
Everlin's eyes narrowed.
"Th-that's! Just the fur melting from heat! That's normal for the breed! Weak to warmth, fur melts sometimes! Don't mind it! Kat, kyakakat... kakat...!"
Despite my desperate excuses, her suspicious glare didn't waver.
Everlin's sharp eyes alternated between me and the dripping pink retriever Malcang.