Chapter 85
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Villain and Pizza
Kyahaha! Pizza! In the end, that Eclipse bastard finally succumbed to this body's charisma and offered up tribute!
Well, of course. Kneeling at the feet of Lady Grimoire and pledging undying loyalty is only natural!
That evening, I headed toward the sign reading "Mama's Pizza, S City Nam-gu Branch." Eclipse was already there, seated by the window.
Not bad for a subordinate. I'll praise him for not keeping this body waiting!
"Hmph, so you've arrived, Eclipse!"
I haughtily tilted my chin up and plopped down in the chair across from him. He glanced at me with his usual shadowed expression, then slid the menu across the table toward me.
"Hah! No need for the likes of a menu! Bring me a family-size pepperoni pizza! And of course, triple the extra cheese!"
Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! But a top-tier villain always takes it one step further!
"And... one plate of buffalo wings, plus some tomato spaghetti! Cola, 1.5 liters... no, make it 2 liters!"
Moments later, a massive pepperoni pizza was placed on the table.
The glistening pepperoni harmonizing with the golden cheese! Grr, what a magnificent sight!
"Now! As a proper villain, this body shall divide it fairly!"
Out of the eight slices, I pulled six in front of me and shoved the remaining two toward Eclipse.
"...This is fair?"
"How dare you question this body's decision! This body is still growing! Gotta eat big to conquer the world!"
I picked up the first slice. Then I grabbed the hot sauce from the table and drenched the pizza in it.
"The first one starts hot and fierce, like a true villain! Mmm~! That's the stuff!"
The spicy kick of the hot sauce flooding my mouth, the salty pepperoni, and the nutty cheese! Perfect harmony!
For the second slice, I dumped on parmesan cheese powder like an avalanche.
"The second is the taste of smooth evil! Kyahaha!"
For the third slice, I squeezed a bit of honey onto the plate and dipped it in.
"Mmm~! The flavor of sweet villainy! This decadent thrill... exquisite!"
The pinnacle of sweet-and-salty bliss! Those who don't know this taste are truly unfortunate!
From the fourth slice onward, I dove into serious topping experiments.
I tried hot sauce and parmesan together, or dunked it deep in garlic dipping sauce.
The pizza was mostly demolished. Now for the buffalo wings! I grabbed one in each hand and tore into them fiercely.
Chomp chomp-
"I'll separate bone from flesh!"
Not a scrap of meat left on those bones!
Finally, the tomato spaghetti! I twirled the noodles around my fork and shoved a big bite in!
Slurp-
In seconds, the plate was spotless.
Kakat! Satisfaction achieved! Pizza truly is supreme!
I patted my bulging belly and leaned back in the chair. A big swig of cola refreshed my mouth.
Eclipse wiped his mouth with a napkin and stared at me intently.
"Now that we're fed, let's get to business. Tell me everything about Black Dolphin."
Eclipse said in a low voice. Here it comes at last.
"Black Dolphin is... the last refuge and revenge platform for those who lost everything to Dream Corporation."
His voice carried deep sorrow and rage.
"Stonehead, that old man, was once an ordinary construction worker. But when his colleagues kept dying or getting injured in accidents on site, Dream Corp dodged responsibility and covered it all up. In the end, he was unfairly fired without a dime in severance."
I'd seen that old man's fury last time. Of course, even his stone head was useless against this body's genius schemes!
"Venom Kiss... she was a promising biotech researcher once. But Dream Corp stole all her breakthroughs and patents, leaving her penniless and ousted. She became a villain with one goal: craft the ultimate poison for revenge."
Tsk tsk, wasting a brilliant mind like that. She should've joined this body for world conquest instead!
"Red Tide was originally an A-Rank Hero, Crimson Knight. He uncovered the ugly collusion and corruption between the Hero Association and Dream Corporation, tried to expose it... and got framed as a villain instead."
"What about Mad Bear? What's that bear's deal?"
At my question, Eclipse fell silent for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
"That guy's... just doing the villain thing for fun. Likes causing chaos."
"......What a literal bear-brain."
Eclipse paused, tracing the black tattoo etched on his face with a finger.
"This tattoo... it's my vow of revenge."
His voice dropped low.
"I had a childhood friend I grew up with. We naturally became lovers and promised each other our future. We were even engaged."
Oh ho, quite the romantic tale.
"So, where's that girl now?"
"The spoiled son of Dream Corporation's chairman took a liking to her. With his power and money, he... stole her away. She had no choice."
Eclipse's fists trembled. Hatred burned beneath the black tattoo around his eyes.
"I staked everything to get her back... but failed. So I carved my resolve into this face. Never forget. Avenge her no matter what."
The black tattoo around his eyes looked almost like tears that never dried.
Tsk, a hopeless romantic. But for revenge, he needs to get smarter.
"We all know you're no ordinary kid... Grimoire, please help us. Help me."
Help? This body? Finally recognizing my true value!
"With your special talents... we could really hit Dream Corporation where it hurts. Maybe even... get her back."
I pondered while stacking buffalo wing bones neatly on the empty plate.
Dream Corporation... one of S City's top ten companies. Toppling a giant like that would send my infamy skyrocketing!
"Kakat! Excellent! This body shall graciously aid you!"
Eclipse's eyes widened in surprise at my ready agreement.
"...That easy?"
His voice mixed astonishment with a hint of doubt. Hmph! How could a third-rate villain grasp this body's profound intentions!
I chugged the last of the cola and declared boldly.
"Of course! You're already this body's loyal minions! If my minions get beaten up while I sit idle, what kind of boss would I be? That's the law of the great Grimoire Empire!"
Eclipse stared at me blankly for a moment.
"...Thank you, Grimoire."
His voice softened a bit? Heh heh, clearly awed by this body's charisma!
"By the way..."
Eclipse suddenly pulled out his smartphone and turned the screen toward me.
'Great Grimoire, S City's New Hope!', 'Hero Association Issues Temporary Activity Permit to Grimoire!'—headlines like that popped up.
"You fool! Don't tell me you're falling for these third-rate rag headlines? It's all part of this body's grand scheme! Lull them into complacency, earn their ironclad trust... then strike at the perfect moment! That's the true aesthetic of a villain! Kakat!"
I burst into evil laughter. Eclipse pondered my words, then nodded in admiration.
"I never imagined such depths. I underestimated you. Foolish of me to think you were just some ordinary kid."
"Hmph! Now you see! This body's stratagems are deeper than the sea, higher than the sky!"
Eclipse turned serious again.
"Then... one favor. Will you grant it?"
"Speak! This body is magnanimous!"
"Can you snoop around Hero Association internals? Our faces are too well-known for infiltration. Especially... secret deals between Dream Corp and the Association, internal weaknesses—anything like that."
"Child's play, like eating cold slime! Leave it to this body! I'm the ultimate villain spy! Protagonist of a mystery action thriller spy flick! Grimoire Bond!"
Eclipse gave a faint smile and bowed his head.
"...I'll trust and wait."
"Hmph! Naturally! Never doubt this body's abilities!"
The next morning, I stood before the Hero Association building with a resolute expression. The massive glass structure sparkled in the morning sun.
Heh heh... today marks the start of the great spy Grimoire Bond's intelligence operation!
Creeeak-
The automatic doors slid open, and I dashed into the lobby like a bullet. Speed is the essence of spycraft!
"You there! Freeze! Hand over the classified documents!"
I leaped onto the reception desk, snatching a stack of papers.
"Ah... Grimoire... back again? That's just today's lunch menu."
"Hmph! Lunch menus are vital intel! Knowing the enemy's tastes is Spycraft 101!"
I shot back loudly and bolted down the hallway.
Spy radar full blast! Where are you hiding, secret info!
"Tsk tsk, here we go again..."
"What's the gimmick today? Spy play?"
"Still, time flies when Grimoire's around."
Hmph! You clueless masses! Soon you'll gasp at this body's heroic exploits.
A conference room door was ajar! Opportunity! Classified intel must be inside.
I crept up and peeked through, eavesdropping.
"Still not buying Dream Corp stock? Every subsidiary IPO is a goldmine!"
"This S City mayor's kinda scary, right? Being an ex-S-Rank Hero and all..."
"Heard that idol group's new song? So good! Especially the center, heh heh..."
Aunties gossiping! What are they doing on work hours!
Not here. I moved on. Next target...
Yes! Dark Circle Doctor! That guy's gotta know something!
I headed straight for Dark Circle Doctor's lab.
"Dark Circle Doctor! Surrender your hidden experiment logs now! Obey, and I'll spare bloodshed!"
Lee Ji-ah, dozing in her chair, jolted awake.
"Ah... you again, Grimoire... Every time you show up, my dark circles get worse..."
She sighed tiredly, pulled a chocolate bar from her desk drawer, and tossed it out the door.
"Here, eat this and go away."
"Woo! Chocolate!"
Bang-!
While I scrambled for the bar, she slammed the lab door shut.
Aaah! A trap! You sneaky jerk! Just wait!
Storming around the corner, I bumped right into a familiar face.
Seo Jin-ho! Hero Association HR chief—the guy who issued my temp permit!
"Oh, Grimoire! Perfect timing! Was looking for you!"
Seo Jin-ho beamed and approached.
"Lunchtime. Ordering jjajangmyeon. Wanna join?"
Jja... jjajangmyeon?!
Pizza yesterday, noodles today! This body is truly blessed among villains!
My stomach growled loudly.
"Hmph... jjajangmyeon... Fine! This body is famished from spy work anyway! Out of respect for your gesture, I'll grace you with my company!"
Seo Jin-ho led me to his office.
"Jjajang delivery's here~!"
Moments later, A-Rank Hero "Fastest Choi Delivery" arrived with the steel box!
"Already? Under ten minutes!?"
S City lives up to its name! Worthy of being this body's first conquest!
I took the wooden chopsticks and snapped them perfectly in half.
Heh heh, basic villain skill! Perfect Crack!
"Dig in! Before the noodles get soggy!"
Seo Jin-ho said with a grin, but something suspicious flickered in his eyes.
Pretending to mix his jjajang while sneaking glances at me?
"By the way, Grimoire. Hanging out with villains a lot lately?"
He pulled photos from his desk drawer and spread them before me.
Zoo's Mad Bear, cafe's Venom Kiss, pork belly's Red Tide...
"Eeeeek! H-how did you know?! My... my secret meetings exposed to the world!"
I froze mid-bite! Cold sweat poured down my forehead.
"Y-you! How dare you tail this body! Unforgivable!"
Ugh! Fallen into a vile trap! Seducing with jjajangmyeon is cheating!
Seo Jin-ho scratched his head awkwardly at my panic.
"No... see, Grimoire... actually..."
His tablet screen showed... an Instagram account!
@MadBear_Official #VillainLife #GreatGrimoire #HornBoi #SoCute #WorldDominationLetsGo
That bear idiot! Flaunting villain secrets on SNS for likes?!
Ah... so my perfect spy op ends this pathetically...?