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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Villain's Legion
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"Kakakat! Park bench occupation rate 100% achieved! As expected, this body's strategy is always perfect!"
Marking the final spot on the map, I struck a victory pose.
Completing the bench occupation operation left me feeling quite proud.
Why hadn't any other villains thought of such a simple strategy?
It must be because they lacked a genius brain like this body's, of course.
"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 force!
"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!
I marched boldly toward the flock of pigeons. A faint gray light emanated from my horn, filling the surroundings.
"This body commands you: begone at once! This is the territory of the Grimoire Empire! It's not a place for worthless flying beasts like you to tread carelessly!"
Coo-
I froze for a moment. The pigeons' cooing was strangely intelligible.
"What did you say?! You dare call this body 'little horn human'? Insolent flying beasts! You still don't know who this body is! This body is the great villain Grimoire! The strongest villain who will rule the world!"
My cheeks burned. Hah, to be looked down on by pigeons, of all things!
Coo coo!
The pigeons drew even closer. One of them even started circling 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, isn't it? Lazy creatures have no right to survive in this body's empire!"
Coo coo—!
Despite this body's shout, the pigeons flapped their wings in protest toward me.
'These guys... are they after this body's lunchbox, by any chance?'
If so, I won't let them off. I'll declare pigeon hunting season worldwide right now!
Coo coo! Coo-!
Eh? 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 as you pleased, but leaving is another story!
I quickly opened the lunchbox Everlin had prepared and 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 as they swarmed in.
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 bread crumbs but didn't leave. Instead, they began circling lazily around my center.
Coo- Coo coo-
"You'll follow this body? Excellent! From now on, you shall be this body's aerial reconnaissance unit, the 'Wings of Freedom'! Monitor and report everything in this park!"
Coo-
Their sincere oath of loyalty filled 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 sister is talking to the pigeons!"
"Can I play with the pigeons too?"
Voices of passing children reached my ears.
"Not princess—queen! No, great sovereign! Pigeon legion, show those rude children what you're made of! Teach them what true terror is!"
Coo coo-!
Finally, this body's first act of villainy begins! They'll pay dearly for daring to call this body princess.
The lead pigeon took the front, flying toward the children, with the others following. The kids' eyes widened at the sight, and the mothers behind them looked worried.
'Soon, their screams will ring out. Kakakat!'
But...
"Yay! Pigeons!"
Instead of screams, the children cheered. The lead pigeon gently landed on the front girl's head, while the others circled around the kids, playfully frolicking.
"Ah! What is this...? You stupid birdbrains!"
I meant for them to scare the kids!
"That kid's amazing. Must've trained the pigeons."
"An academy student? Looks like an 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-tier villain must always remain composed!
"Hmph! Since it's come to this, I'll have to devise another plan."
Deciding to punish the pigeons later, I headed deeper into the park to secure greater territory first.
Passing a small pond and a cherry blossom-lined walkway, I plotted conquests for each area in my mind.
This pond will be renamed the 'Lake of the Abyss,' and this flower path the '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 sound reached my ears.
"What was that?"
I followed the source of the sound. Behind a large tree, a small figure was huddled up. A boy in a yellow cap hugged his knees, crying.
"How dare you cause a ruckus in this body's territory! Who is it?!"
"Sob... sob..."
The boy's crying grew louder. It seemed this body's majesty terrified him even more!
"St-Stop crying! If you keep... uh... crying, it's... annoying, isn't it?!"
This body's shout had no effect. The boy's 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?"
"Hic... Y-Yes... I lost... Mom... Dad..."
Good, not an orphan—just a lost child. Foolish, losing your guardians in a villain's domain.
Ahem, this body has no such thing as sympathy...
"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 a bit and looked up at me.
"S-Sis... will help me?"
"H-Help? Don't misunderstand! This body just wants a ransom. So... hurry up and tell me! What do your parents look like?"
The boy sniffled as he explained.
"D-Dad is tall... wearing a black shirt... Mom's in a blue dress..."
I declared it confidently, but honestly, I was stumped. Glancing around the park, there were plenty of people. Being a weekend afternoon, it was packed with families.
How to find them in this crowd? There must be dozens like that in the park...
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed.
"This body's legion! Assemble immediately!"
Raising my hand high, pigeons gathered from somewhere. They respond fast when it's useful!
Coo-
"This body bestows a special mission upon you! 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 seemed to nod before scattering across the park in unison.
I need to resolve this quickly. This body's conquest schedule is already backed up!
"Whoa..."
The boy's astonished voice rang out. He looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Sis can talk to birds too?"
"Naturally! This body is the great villain Grimoire! All creatures under heaven must obey this body's commands!"
"A 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 your crying disrupting the park conquest... Yeah! It's noisy if you cry in my territory! Don't misunderstand! It's purely strategic!"
Soon after, 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.
"Sis... your horn is pretty."
"Wh-What? Pretty? No! This is fearsome! The symbol that strikes terror into enemies!"
"It sparkles. Like magic. Are you a magician, 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 do I explain?
"A villain is... um... a scary person! Someone who rules the world and does as they please! Like this body!"
"Sis isn't scary though..."
"What?!"
My face burned with anger. But I couldn't think of a retort.
"Ahem! You're too young to discern right from wrong. Grow up a bit, and you'll see how wicked this body is!"
I blustered like that while quickening my pace.
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 frantically. The boy spotted them and let go of my hand, dashing over.
"Mom! Dad!"
Watching the family embrace brought a strange emotion surging up.
At the same time, a faint gray light flickered from my horn. A warm feeling in my chest... What is this? Arrhythmia?
'Such emotions are unnecessary for this body! For a villain, only fear and domination matter!'
To hide my feelings, I lifted my chin and crossed my arms.
"Here is your offspring! This body kidnapped him, but he's useless, so take him back! Don't forget this grace!"
The parents looked at me in surprise, then smiled in relief.
"Kidnapped? Haha. Thank you so much for finding our child."
"How did you find him? We searched the whole park and couldn't."
"All things in the world are under this body's dominion, so 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 brimmed over.
"Thank you so much. We're lucky there are such kind students around."
Student? Kind? This body?
"Not a student—this body is an evil villain!"
"Yeah! Sis is a super villain! When I grow up, I'll be a kind villain like sis who helps people!"
What? A villain who helps people? What does that even mean? And kindness and villainy are total opposites, aren't they?
As the family left with thanks, a smile crept onto my face.
Of course, this smile wasn't because the kid reunited with his parents.
It was simply because this body's wicked plan succeeded once more!
'I've 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 scanned for a suitable spot. A quiet bench bathed in sunlight caught my eye.
"Perfect! A prime location worthy of this body's lunch!"
I headed toward the bench with dignity. But as I got closer, someone was already sitting there.
A middle-aged man with his head bowed low. His suit was wrinkled, his tie askew. Dark circles heavily shadowed 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! This body plans to eat lunch here, so move! Interfering with a king's meal is a capital crime punishable by death!"