The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 2

Hmm, this should be good enough.

I stood in front of a cracked full-length mirror, checking my reflection.

My face was completely concealed beneath a worn-out hoodie and a mask.

This should do the trick.

Satisfied with the result, I gave a slight nod.

I had to be cautious because today, I was heading into town.

When I wasn’t acting as the Reaper, I moved around as my normal self.

However, whenever I had to go somewhere with a lot of people, I always covered my face.

If I walked around openly, I’d draw way too much attention.

People wouldn’t stop staring, approaching, and sometimes even getting ideas.

I mean, I kinda get it, though.

Objectively speaking, my face was obnoxiously cute.

Uncomfortably so.

The only downside was that I looked like a child.

But for some reason, my features were so ridiculously striking that people flocked to me like moths to a flame.

I’d like to believe that no one actually had that kind of interest...

But honestly? I wasn’t sure anymore.

Was this world just full of creeps?

Or was my face creating them?

At this point, I didn’t know.

Honestly, sometimes I’m grateful I stopped growing.

I had been in this world for ten years, yet my body hadn’t aged a day.

I had tried everything—eating healthy, stretching every morning—nothing worked.

No idea why.

Sometimes, I wonder if God—assuming one exists—froze my growth for the sake of world peace.

I mean, people already acted like I was some mythical beauty at this age.

If I ever grew up?

Yeah. I could already picture it.

A bloodbath.

Countless people tearing each other apart to claim me like some sacred treasure.

The phrase "a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms" never made sense to me before... But now?

Yeah. I get it.

Pure beauty is the ultimate evil.

In a peaceful world, a face like mine would be an advantage.

But in this brutal world?

It was a curse.

Now that I had finished preparing, it was time to head out.

After one last check, I left my hideout.

I stretched my arms toward the sky, loosening my stiff body.

My tiny hands wiggled slightly before I lowered my arms and took a deep breath.

Morning air is always so refresh—

Yeah, no. Not here.

A putrid, rancid stench assaulted my nose.

And despite it being broad daylight, the place was shrouded in darkness.

Not a single ray of sunlight could pierce through.

The reason was simple.

I lived in the middle of a junkyard.

Towering heaps of wreckage surrounded me, forming jagged mountains of trash.

And those mountains?

They were everywhere.

As expected of a place called Trash Mountain.

All the garbage from the surrounding districts was dumped here.

I could even hear distant clattering, the sound of another truck unloading more waste.

Honestly, this place was not suitable for living.

But because of that, no one ever came near.

Which meant no one bothered me.

And every now and then, I could even scavenge useful stuff.

Some people might say, Why the hell would you live in a place like this?

Well, I’d gotten used to discomfort.

And more importantly—

As long as I'm fine with it, who cares what others think?

After stretching my body a bit, I began making my way toward town.

◆

As soon as I left the junkyard, I arrived at the city outskirts.

This place was called Labyrinthos—the North Outskirts.

Here, buildings were stacked on top of each other, forming towering structures that stretched into the sky.

The streets were dense and twisting, forming a massive maze.

Even the locals got lost sometimes.

I wasn’t an expert navigator myself.

But I never forgot a place I’d walked before.

So, step by step, I made my way toward my destination.

The deeper I went, the more tangled the paths became.

And the more eyes I felt on me.

It wasn’t because of my face—that was covered.

It was because I was small and alone.

In a place like this, that made me prey.

Labyrinthos was a gathering place for society’s rejects.

Losers who had lost everything, people who lacked talent, criminals on the run.

Anyone who had nowhere else to go could find refuge here.

That didn’t mean they all lived happily ever after, holding hands and singing songs.

No one here produced anything of value.

So people took instead.

Selling their bodies, stealing, or worse.

They bowed to the strong.

And crushed the weak.

With barely any law enforcement, crime was rampant.

It was a lawless zone, where only strength and cunning mattered.

Right now, I was like a walking feast.

A fat, juicy piece of meat wandering into a den of starving wolves.

"Heh. Look at that. Walking all alone."

"Hope they’re worth something."

"Even if they don’t have money, we could always sell the body."

"Wait. Hold up. If they’re alone, they must have some kind of backup, right?"

"Yeah. We should be careful. Could be a trap."

They weren’t attacking.

Which meant they were hesitating.

Normally, they would have already pounced.

That meant one thing—

They were watching.

Waiting for the perfect moment.

People like them were rats.

Hiding in the shadows, waiting for scraps.

Rats were cowards.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

They never made the first move unless they were sure they could win.

I usually ignored them unless they actively provoked me.

But today, they were really getting on my nerves.

Why were they lingering?

Normally, they’d follow for a bit, realize they weren’t getting anything, and give up.

But today, they were persistent.

Ugh. Feels like I’m being stalked.

Honestly? I’d rather they just attacked me.

At least then, I could knock them out and be done with it.

Fine.

Let’s speed this up.

I suddenly stopped walking.

Glancing around, I spotted a piece of scrap metal among the trash.

I walked over and picked it up.

A long, sharp metal shard.

Then, in one swift motion—

I whipped around and hurled it toward the dark alley where I felt the most gaze.

THUNK.

"AAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

A scream erupted.

Panic.

The shuffling of feet.

The rats scattered instantly.

Hah.

Idiots.

There was no need to waste my energy on vermin like them.

Just a little fear was enough to send them running.

Dusting off my hands, I continued walking.

*

A person’s actions bring consequences, and those consequences affect them in return.

That’s why people should always think carefully before they act.

And the reason I was thinking about this so seriously right now—

"Was it you? The one who messed with my guys?"

A massive orc—at least four or five times my size—was blocking my path.

Judging by the furious expression on his face, he was pissed off.

Surrounding us were several underlings, most likely part of his gang.

They’d positioned themselves strategically, making sure I had no escape route.

I tilted my head in confusion.

What the hell was this guy talking about?

One of the lackeys suddenly exploded in rage.

"That’s him, Boss! This little shit! He suddenly attacked us!"

Ah.

I see.

So that’s who these guys were.

The rats that were tailing me earlier.

Normally, after scaring them off, they’d never show up again.

But these dumbasses ran off crying to their boss instead.

"You’ve got some serious guts messing with people from Iron Hand."

Iron what now?

What kind of third-rate gang name was that?

"Hand over everything you’ve got and come quietly. I’ll at least let you keep your life."

The orc raised his right arm, flexing a mechanical prosthetic that emitted a loud, grinding noise.

"So? What’s it gonna be?"

Ugh. This is annoying.

No one gives a damn who dies in this city.

Even if they did, they wouldn’t bother getting involved.

There’s no one around to witness anything, so maybe I should just deal with this quickly and be done with it.

I was just about to make my move when—

"Tch. Isn’t it a bit pathetic for a bunch of grown men to gang up on a little kid?"

A voice cut through the tension like a knife.

Everyone immediately turned in the same direction.

On the fourth floor of a nearby building, a figure stood on the edge of the railing.

Then, without hesitation—

They leaped.

Landing effortlessly on the ground.

A woman.

She looked to be about 167 cm tall, wearing a long black coat.

Her vivid red hair was tied into a ribbon, draping over her shoulders.

Her face was youthful, almost delicate, but her eyes were striking—sharp and intense, with concentric rings that made them almost hypnotic.

Her canine teeth were slightly pointed, adding to her fierce and predatory aura.

And now, she was walking straight toward us.

"Who the hell are you? Stay out of this!"

One of the men tried to grab her by the shoulder—

But the next moment—

His body went flying.

Slammed straight into the wall of a nearby building.

BOOM.

The entire wall collapsed on impact.

Huh.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

The rest of the gang stared in sheer terror, unable to process what had just happened.

But I saw everything clearly.

She had slapped him.

Just one ridiculously fast backhanded slap.

And now—

The gang members, who had been so confident moments ago, were stepping backward.

"Move."

The orc completely ignored me now, shifting his focus to her.

Even with his massive size advantage, she didn’t flinch.

The orc gritted his teeth.

"I don’t know what kind of trick you just pulled. But that kind of parlor trick won’t work on me. If you wanna live, get the hell out of my sight."

She didn’t say a word.

She simply raised her middle finger in response.

A vein popped on the orc’s forehead.

And just like that, his rage overpowered his common sense.

He swung.

A full-force punch, strong enough to shatter boulders, now enhanced by his mechanical arm for even greater speed and power.

It was aimed directly at her face.

But—

She didn’t even blink.

Just before impact, she tilted her head back, avoiding it effortlessly.

And then—

With a single hand, she grabbed his wrist.

And twisted.

CRACK.

"AAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!"

His mechanical arm was ripped clean off.

The orc collapsed to his knees, screaming in agony.

But she wasn’t done.

She grabbed his face, yanking him closer until their foreheads were nearly touching.

Then, she grinned.

A sinister, vicious smile.

The killing intent pouring from her was palpable.

The orc’s face turned pale.

"If you don’t want me to break you apart even more—get the fuck out of my sight."

He scrambled to his feet and bolted.

His lackeys, seeing their boss flee, naturally scattered as well.

Hah. Not bad.

She then turned to me.

"Hey, kid. You okay?"

I nodded.

"Good. Be careful from now on, alright? I might’ve been here to save you this time, but there’s no guarantee I’ll be around next time."

I bowed my head slightly in gratitude, then turned to leave.

But—

"Wait, kid."

She called after me, making me stop in my tracks.

"You know your ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) way around this place?"

I wasn’t sure why she was asking, but I nodded.

Her face lit up.

"Really? That’s perfect! See, I haven’t been here in a while, and I kinda... got lost. So, mind helping me out a bit?"

I stared at her, analyzing her words.

She had helped me—that was true.

But did she help me out of kindness?

Or did she have her own agenda?

This was Labyrinthos.

That kind of possibility was very real.

If she did have ulterior motives—

Then this could be a bit of a problem.

Because this woman?

She was way more troublesome than that orc.

Even though my face was hidden, I knew she could sense my hesitation because she hurriedly added—

"I swear I’m not some suspicious person! I really did just get lost, okay? Please believe me!"

Suspicious people don’t admit they’re suspicious.

"Okay, then! Here, I’ll even give you this!"

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled something out.

It was a cigarette.

...

She was trying to bribe a kid with a cigarette.

I took a step back, and she quickly panicked—

Stuffing the cigarette back and pulling something else out.

"Here! This one!"

Oh.

Oh, hell no.

A Rainbow Lollipop.

The legendary 18-flavor candy that had been discontinued years ago.

Something you couldn’t get anymore.

She dared to use food as bait.

Did she think I was some brainless five-year-old?

Did she really believe that kind of cheap trick would work on me?

I was about to scoff in disbelief when—

"Oh? You like it, huh? But you should be more careful, kid. Even though I just lured you in with food, there are way worse people out there."

Wait.

Wait, what?

When did—

I looked down.

The lollipop was already in my hand.

...

I had fallen for it.

...

But I couldn’t help it.

Sweetness is the absolute good that tames evil and brings happiness.

Even as I mentally scolded myself, my body was bouncing in place in pure joy.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce myself."

She placed a hand over her chest.

"I’m Red."

Wait.

Red?

No.

THE Red?

...

I froze.