I'll Be Villain to Everyone! Except for my Cat...-Chapter 60: Ghost

A few hours earlier.

After reading Marcel’s message, Mr. Nobody immediately headed to the bar.

The trip took a little longer than expected because he had to take public transportation, but in any case, he finally arrived.

He burst headlong into the secret basement.

"Hey, kid, how did things go yesterday with that little girl? I mean, it seems like you ran into an old acquaintance. And right now you look..."

"Drop it, old man!" He leaned his hands on the table and moved closer to Marcel. "What you said in the message—is it true? Is Ghost really alive?!"

"Um..." Marcel seemed flustered by such intensity. "Looks like it, yeah. Listen, I know you’ve been a huge Ghost fan ever since I picked you up, and to be honest, that’s the only reason I told you about the upcoming hunt..."

"Huh? Sorry, I didn’t catch that last part... By the way, where do you keep your grenades?"

After the old man’s final confirmation, his face lit up instantly, and the dark bags under his eyes became almost invisible.

"What are you planning to do, you fool?!"

"Nobody’s hunting Ghost... Feels poetic, doesn’t it?"

"The only thing poetic will be your charred corpse!"

Marcel stood in front of him, blocking the equipment rack with his body.

"What do you mean, old man?"

"Exactly what I said! Ghost’s name didn’t become a legend for nothing, even among them. He’s on a completely different level!"

"But he’s still a mercenary, right? What’s his rank?"

"...Next after Diamond. The rank just below the top is Solitium. After that come only the Six Supreme Kings."

"Solitium..."

That name held some significance for Mr. Nobody. Solitium was an incredibly rare material, the likes of which he had never encountered in his past life. According to Paymax, rumors suggest that this material originates from the very Peak of Solitude.

It so happened that during one of the most dangerous missions, to save himself, Mr. Nobody had to resort to his second ability—the radiance of the constellations—for the only time. Thanks to this, he was able to get his hands on a tiny piece of solitium and stay alive.

At that moment, this piece was undergoing synthesis and being analyzed by Paymax in a closed room in his apartment in Como.

"So what, anyway? Ghost is only one rank or two sub-ranks higher than me."

"So what? Ghost is special!" Marcel exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table.

"..."

"...Usually, mercenaries don’t come into contact with the supernatural world, or they only do so within the framework of the Path of Concord. Anyone with that kind of connection or who belongs to other Paths gets recruited immediately and turned into one of the wolves.

"So..."

"Even among the Diamonds and even among the Solitiums, there are no special ones. They say there are exceptions among the Six Supreme Kings, but I’m not sure about that."

"But Ghost is special."

"Yes. Special... And this isn’t a joke." Marcel placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Listen to me, kid. Rumor has it that Ghost belongs to the Path of Havoc... They say he’s gone beyond the First Step..."

"The Second Step..." The corner of Mister Nobody’s mouth twitched.

"They say that only at the Third Step do all the Paths converge in a balance of power. But according to legend, at the Second Step, the Path of Havoc is the most powerful..." Though Marcel spoke in a whisper, sweat still began to trickle down his face. "This makes Ghost one of the most powerful figures in the city. That’s why he’s considered a legend, and that’s why..."

"..." But it seemed Mr. Nobody wasn’t listening anymore.

A smile graced his face, and his eyes were closed. It was as if, after yesterday’s stifling day, this information had become a wonderful breath of fresh mountain air.

"Don’t even think about playing with fire, kid! Do you hear me?!"

"..."

"Don’t play with fire!"

...

"By the way, why did the rumors never mention that you were this... a girl?"

He said it right in Ghost’s face, while hanging upside down from the grappling hook.

Was it foolishness or bravery? Whatever the case, he clearly didn’t take Marcel’s words to heart.

"..." Ghost didn’t answer, merely letting a wisp of cigarette smoke escape her lips.

Even at first glance, Mr. Nobody agreed with the old man that she was special.

Even while seated, it was hard to hide Ghost’s incredible grace and terribly seductive figure.

She was wearing a tight-fitting black suit that generously accentuated all her striking, feminine curves. The stiletto heels also perfectly complemented her long legs.

Most likely, she was quite tall compared to the men.

And although she wore a sleek, futuristic helmet that hid her face, it was obvious from every indication that Ghost was a woman.

Perhaps the rumors didn’t mention this simply because all witnesses to her striking feminine features were already dead.

"...A familiar scent." He sniffed the cigarette smoke and lowered his mask to his nose, opening his mouth. "Guess that makes us acquainted."

Not giving her a moment to react, he reached out and pulled the cigarette from her mouth.

Still swinging on the line, leaned in and took a long drag.

"Phew..." he exhaled the smoke. "Figured you’d smoke the same stuff."

"..."

This wasn’t playing with fire anymore—this was dancing in it.

"Well, see you later."

Ghost saw the smile of the man who had stolen her cigarette, and then...

"..." She lashed out at that smile.

*Swoosh!* The automatic lift on the grappling hook activated.

The hand, clad in black, caught nothing but falling ash that had fallen from the cigarette.

The man who had suddenly appeared just as suddenly vanished onto the rooftops.

Silence hung once more in the dark alley.

"..." She looked at her outstretched hand and remained silent.

After a while, her hand finally dropped, and a sigh escaped her lips.

What was that sigh? Exhaustion, relief, bewilderment...

Or maybe something else.

Be that as it may, after a while, she looked up, and something completely different came out of her mouth.

"...Meow"

It was barely audible.

She unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand, then closed the slit in her helmet.

Luckily, there was no one nearby who could hear it.

Tilting her head slightly, she pointed her fingers at the ash left over from the cigarette.

The ash rose into the air, swirled around her hand, and ignited with a dark purple flame.

She pointed at the blood-soaked alley filled with corpses, and in an instant, the entire alley went up in flames.

Looking at the blazing scene, she took one last breath.

Then Ghost soared into the air, as if launched by a jet.

She went after the man who stole her cigarette.