Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Who is the Villain?
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“Hahaha. Hahahaha!”
The Black Woman couldn't hold back her laughter at the flood of news pouring from the screen.
“This... this madman! Ahahaha!!”
I knew he could pull it off, but to succeed in just a few days...
He always exceeds expectations by a mile, just like always.
I can't even tell where his truths end and his lies begin.
He flashes that loose smile even at lowly villains, playing silly pranks.
Yet against the Seven Evils, he shows a terrifying presence without yielding an inch.
Not even a shape-shifting demon could match that man.
“You look pleased, Boss.”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? In this damn massive Clan, who else has carried out my orders so perfectly besides you? I should have put the Smiling Man under me ages ago!”
The purple-haired bob-cut woman—the Black Woman's secretary—bowed her head slightly.
“I'm glad to see you so happy, Boss. But... the Smiling Man is not someone we can easily trust.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Villains always have their desires. Some crave greater power. Others seek the authority to control everything. And some burn with a thirst for revenge to kill them all.”
“I see. Then what desire do you harbor?”
“Only one. To witness you finally bring down the heroes.”
The Black Woman laughed. But it wasn't in a bad way.
She had known of her secretary's loyalty for a very long time.
Doubting her would mean she couldn't trust any villain.
“All villains bare their desires like this. But the Smiling Man is different. He doesn't reveal them—he hides them. Deep, where no one can find them.”
“Is that why you're wary of the Smiling Man?”
“A man that strong—why does he hide his power? With that much strength, why stay in the shadows? It's incomprehensible for a villain, Boss.”
“Hmm.”
The Black Woman rubbed her chin, then slowly rose from her seat.
At that sight, the bob-cut secretary quickly dropped to one knee.
“Forgive me, Boss. If my words were presumptuous...”
“No. Your counsel is always appreciated.”
She patted the secretary's shoulder and continued.
“Yes. I know. The Smiling Man... something's off about him no matter how I look at it. He's always playful, but in an instant, he becomes winter itself. His abilities make me want to keep him close, but his actions make me terrified to have him by my side.”
“...”
“That's exactly why I want him under me. As a solid member of this Clan. Wouldn't it be reassuring to have a blade whose swing direction you can predict?”
If asked if she trusted him completely, the Black Woman would scoff.
Perfect trust doesn't exist among us villains. Never.
But deceiving and being deceived out of mutual necessity? That's entirely possible.
That's what villains are. A world without norms, laws, or morals.
Riiing!—
Suddenly, the emergency bell rang. The bob-cut woman's eyes sharpened.
“Boss. Intruder. Could be a hero...”
“No. It's the man I've been waiting for. The one you were just talking about.”
“Ah.”
She was surprised at first. Then displeasure rose within her.
This was the Boss's residence. No one should enter freely.
Not even she dared step foot lightly.
Yet this man, who hadn't even sworn loyalty, waltzed in so casually.
Thud!—
“I'm back, Boss. Ah, were you in the middle of something important?”
The Smiling Man approached with his sly grin.
Watching him, the bob-cut woman bit her lip slightly.
Truly bizarre. He made no footsteps at all.
Not even a presence—she sensed nothing.
“It's nothing. More importantly, let's hear about the job, Smiling Man.”
“Yes, Boss.”
The Black Woman entered the room, followed by the Smiling Man.
Then his eyes met the bob-cut woman's, and a wide smile spread across his face.
He thrust his face right up to hers.
“You're the secretary, right? Working late—my condolences.”
“Back off. Smiling Man.”
“Has the Boss heard the news? It should be breaking by now.”
“I said back off.”
“Hahaha. What a frosty lady. But that won't win you any fans, you know?”
Crack!—
The bob-cut woman clenched her fist, producing a chilling sound.
The steel report board in her hand crumpled into ruin.
“Looks like working late has you exhausted. Go get some rest. Sleep is the best for a woman's skin. Sleep. Or you'll ruin that pretty face.”
“What are you doing, Smiling Man? Coming in or not?”
“Coming, Boss. Well then, I'll be off.”
What an utterly distasteful man. So thought the secretary.
She wanted to eliminate him, but couldn't bring herself to.
The Boss liked him, and above all, his true level was unknown.
He seemed strong, having taken out S-Rank Hero Holy Knight in one go.
But he always relied on ambushes and tricks, making his real power hard to gauge.
'I need to figure out his true strength.'
The secretary serving the villain Clan's boss. The purple bob-cut woman.
Her true identity was an undercover agent painstakingly planted by the Union.
Meanwhile, once inside the room, the Black Woman checked the news again.
It was still covering Holy Knight's death.
Talk more. More. More. Etch this incident deeper into your minds.
That the heroes you so proudly boast about can die anytime.
“See? It's all your doing.”
“Seeing you so pleased makes me feel all proud.”
“Isn't it laughable? They're like vultures picking at a corpse for a scrap of meat. Better articles. More sensational content. Higher ratings. Aren't they the real villains?”
They call us the axis of evil, depict us as giant demons.
But in the end, everyone in the world is evil to someone else. They just hide it disgustingly well.
Villains are simply more honest. The world needs to accept that.
“Hm?”
For a brief moment, the Black Woman's eyebrow arched upward.
Unexpected. The Smiling Man leaving a hero alive at the scene.
He's an odd villain who usually avoids killing altogether.
But when the moment calls for it, he ties up loose ends cleanly.
“What happened all of a sudden? You've always wiped out targets and bystanders alike.”
“Ah, well... Yeah. Let's call it a whim.”
“I feel like I've heard that before.”
“A whim is just that—a mind that flips every which way. If you worried about every little thing, I'd be terrified.”
Terrified? You? The world would laugh. Especially me.
Who could possibly frighten you, when even this Imoogi treads carefully?
“Ah, Boss. I have a proposal.”
“A proposal? Suddenly acting all formal—it's got me trembling.”
“It's not important. So... how about we plant an undercover agent this time?”
Undercover. In other words, a spy.
The Black Woman tilted her head.
“What's with the sudden idea? Plant a spy?”
“Whether it's the Union or Hero Academy. We need a more fluid way to track hero movements. That way, we can kill them more comfortably, right?”
“Hmm.”
The Black Woman was about to dismiss it without much thought.
Why bother with such hassle? Villains strike when and where they want.
But then she recalled who stood before her.
The Smiling Man. If he mentioned something, there was only one reason.
He wanted in on it.
“Where.”
“Pardon?”
“Where do you want to slither into.”
“Hahaha. Can't fool the Boss's eyes!”
The laughing Smiling Man activated his Mana Threads.
Using his signature transformation technique, he instantly became someone else.
“Think I'll drop by the Academy for a visit.”
“Planning to enroll?”
“No way. I'm far from scholarly, by the way.”
A simple day laborer gig would be fine! That sounds perfect!
The Boss waved him off to do as he pleased.
Truly, an incomprehensible villain.
And so, without realizing it, the Black Woman overlooked one thing.
That moments ago, when the Smiling Man mentioned undercover agents, he had used the word “we.”