The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 29

I racked my brain, trying to figure out the optimal way to handle this situation.

What was the intruder after? Could this be resolved through conversation?

Wait. I can’t talk.

That realization was so absurd I couldn’t help but smile bitterly behind the mask.

All those questions I’d just asked myself were completely useless for resolving the immediate problem.

Whoever they were, whatever their purpose—it didn’t matter.

They were an intruder.

They entered without permission, which meant their intentions couldn’t be anything good.

Anyone who trespasses like that needs to be kicked out.

The question is—how?

I circled back to the beginning.

Should I lure them outside and take them out there?

I glanced behind them. Not going to be easy.

A dome-shaped barrier surrounded the orphanage grounds, shimmering faintly.

Looked expensive. Probably top-grade stuff.

It wouldn’t be hard to break it—but I’d have to raise my mana.

And the Reaper’s mana leaves clear traces.

Even if I beat this guy after smashing through the barrier, there's a chance someone will figure out who I really am.

I needed to handle this while keeping my identity as the Reaper hidden. I had to restrain my power.

Hmm...

Wait, why was I overthinking this? There was a ridiculously simple solution.

A grin tugged at my lips.

I just have to stall until Rene comes back.

There’s no need for me to beat this guy.

I just have to hold him off for a bit.

Just until Rene finishes handling the others and returns.

No need to use the Reaper’s full power. As long as I manage my mana properly, I won’t blow my cover.

Granted, if this guy turns out to be way stronger than expected, it could get tricky...

But for now, it was the best plan I had.

Once I decided, I moved right away.

Before the intruder could make the first move.

Flick.

I placed a hand on my hip—and raised my middle finger.

He flinched at the gesture.

Then I bolted toward a more open space.

I heard him chase after me. I didn’t think that kind of cheap provocation would actually work.

As I ran, I quickly scanned the area for a makeshift weapon—and spotted something perfect.

I darted toward the flowerbed and grabbed a small gardening trowel, then took my stance.

The intruder froze in place.

He covered his face with one hand and bowed his head, shoulders shaking.

Then, after a moment, he looked up, let his hand fall, and spoke.

“Kid... you think that’s gonna work?”

His voice was laced with condescension.

And something about it sounded familiar.

I paused for a moment, trying to remember who he was—but then I shook it off and tightened my grip on the trowel.

Focus on what’s in front of me.

Sure, a flimsy little trowel probably isn’t the best weapon.

Even if I enhanced it and my body with mana, it’d still ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) be laughably weak compared to the sheer amount of magic this guy was packing.

But like they say, it’s not about the weapon—it’s about who wields it. Can’t know if it’ll work unless I try.

I gave him a little shrug in response to his mockery.

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He let out a quiet snort.

Now...!

I grabbed the watering can beside the flowerbed and hurled it at him.

It flew like a cannonball—fast and fierce.

I aimed for the head.

For a normal person, that kind of impact could’ve cracked their skull.

But the watering can froze midair before it could make contact.

Shhhk.

It stopped dead in place, then slowly turned to ice.

His power...? Ice? That’s going to be a pain. I’ll have to be careful.

Cracks ran across the frozen watering can until it shattered.

Most people would’ve been stunned by that display.

I used the moment to dash forward.

He seemed caught off guard by my sudden charge.

In the blink of an eye, I closed the distance and drove the trowel straight toward his chest.

I felt his mana concentrate around his heart.

Defensive magic?

At this level, I wasn’t going to pierce through.

So without hesitation, I changed tactics.

I flipped backward right in front of him and launched a kick at his jaw mid-spin.

He was clearly unprepared for the sudden switch—my foot connected cleanly with his chin.

He staggered back, clutching his now red-swollen jaw, legs wobbling.

I didn’t waste the opening.

As soon as I landed, I charged in again and jabbed the trowel at him once more.

Thud! But something hard blocked it. I couldn’t get through to the heart.

Tch...!

“You little...!”

His voice was trembling with rage as he lashed out with a fast punch.

I pressed off his arm, pushed myself upward, and flipped over his back with ease.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, I whipped around and slammed a spinning kick into his side.

Wham! He groaned and stumbled.

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He shouted, spun around, and swung his arm wide in retaliation.

I ducked beneath it easily and caught his swinging arm.

Then, I turned my back to him, pressed my back to his chest, and with a burst of strength, flipped him clean over my shoulder.

Crash!

Even in a child’s body, a bit of mana enhancement made a throw like that a piece of cake.

“Guh...”

I straddled his chest, drew back my fist, and began punching him hard in the ribs.

Thud! Thud! Thud!!! Heavy thumps echoed through the yard.

They were still child’s punches, sure—but they were packed with mana. Far stronger than a normal human blow.

He groaned in pain, body twitching beneath me.

Tch, he’s tougher than I thought.

I could feel the impact of my hits.

Normally, bones would be cracking, organs turning to mush—he should’ve been dead already.

But he must’ve reinforced his body with mana too. I couldn’t feel anything breaking.

If anything, my knuckles were starting to hurt.

Still, as long as he was in pain, I didn’t stop.

“Graaaagh!!”

Mana erupted from his body and I was thrown back into the air.

I twisted mid-air and caught myself on my hands, landing safely—and charged again.

He had just barely managed to stand.

No time to let up.

He swung at me viciously. I twisted my neck to dodge and closed the distance again, slamming my fist into his chest.

Ugh! He staggered back a couple steps.

I pressed in and kept hitting.

He grunted, stumbling as he took blow after blow.

He tried to block, even countered once or twice—but none of his attacks landed.

His swings were too wide, too slow. I took advantage of every gap.

What the...? I thought he was supposed to be strong. This guy’s nothing.

Looks like he was holding back, just like I was.

Maybe he didn’t want to draw attention either, so he was suppressing his mana.

So in effect, we were just fighting hand-to-hand.

I assumed he was tough just because of his mana reserves, but he clearly doesn’t know how to fight. Is this a trick? Or is he just really this bad...? Whatever. I’ll deal with what’s in front of me.

“Damn it... You little brat...!”

Guess it hurt his pride to keep getting hit by a kid.

I could feel his rising frustration.

But that anger only made him sloppier. His movements were full of holes.

Which made hitting him even easier.

“Quit jumping around...! Just let me land one hit! Just one!”

Sure, his punches and kicks were powerful.

But they were huge, obvious swings. Easy to dodge.

Even thugs in the slums fought better than this.

“Why the hell won’t you just get hit?! I’m aiming right, why is it just me getting beat up?!”

Because I’m mixing in feints.

He might be reading my attacks, but his body can’t keep up.

Too easy.

To be honest, I didn’t think I was especially skilled in martial arts.

Everything I knew came from experience in this world. I was average, at best.

That’s why I lost out to Red when we fought.

But this guy?

He’s weak.

At the very least, if I kept the pressure on physically, I was sure I could win.

If this keeps up, I might be able to end it right here.

The moment I thought that—

A chill ran down my spine.

A wave of freezing mana swept over me.

“Haaahp!”

I stopped my assault and sprang back in a leap.

The ground where I’d just stood instantly froze over.

I kept retreating, hopping backward as ice spread across the ground in hot pursuit.

On the way, I snatched up the trowel I’d dropped earlier.

Eventually, the attack subsided.

There was now distance between us.

I still had room to breathe. The intruder, though—his breaths were ragged, labored.

“Pah! Damn it... Didn’t expect you to be this good. You’re not just some ordinary brat, are you...?”

He sounded irritated, like he’d run into a pain in the ass.

I couldn’t help but chuckle behind the mask.

I’m not strong—you’re just weak.

“No more playing around, kid! I don’t have time to mess with you!”

I immediately raised my guard.

Tch.

I’d hoped to end this before he got serious with magic.

Cold air began to coalesce around him, taking shape.

Dozens of icicles formed in an instant.

He snapped his fingers, and they all launched at once.

I crouched low and dashed forward.

“What the hell...! You dodged all of them?!”

The attack paths were obvious.

I weaved through them effortlessly, slipping past every point of impact until I was right in front of him.

I swung the trowel at his ankle—but a layer of ice blocked it.

I leapt upward and drove the blade at his neck—but again, ice stopped it.

No time to give him space—I kept attacking.

Every strike met ice.

He was so busy defending that he couldn’t retaliate.

In that case...

I loosened my attacks, leaving what looked like an opening.

He took the bait, lunging forward with his arm.

I slapped it aside, but a shock of cold numbed my hand—I grimaced.

Still, I twisted and landed a spinning kick to his side.

But he caught my leg.

My foot started to freeze.

I slammed the trowel down at his arm.

Thwack!

Blocked again by ice.

“This is the end, kid. Time to cool off for a bit.”

He sneered.

I answered with a grin of my own.

It’s not over yet.

I brought up my other leg and drove it into his temple.

Crack! A heavy blow.

He let go and stumbled back.

The ice had absorbed most of the impact, but his head must’ve been ringing.

“You little...!”

Ice formed beneath my feet.

I dodged—and spikes of ice erupted where I’d just been standing.

I channeled mana into the trowel, aimed at his head, and hurled it with everything I had.

It buried into the ice shielding him.

I dashed forward, clenched my fist, and punched straight into the hilt of the trowel.

Crack! The ice shattered.

I rammed into him with a headbutt.

Wham!

Crack.

A fracture ran across my mask—and a piece of his mask shattered.

“......!”

My eyes widened.

I froze for a second, and he touched his broken mask, realizing what had happened.

His eyes narrowed, filled with distaste.

“Tch! This is ridiculous. Something’s wrong. There’s no way I, the protagonist, would end up like this against some brat.”

Those eyes.

Isaac.

Why...? Why him?

Confusion clouded my mind.

I shook it off—no time to think. I had to finish this.

“Lily...?”

My body locked up.

Rena had come out into the yard.

Her voice was drowsy, still half-asleep.

She rubbed her eyes.

My mind nearly short-circuited. Were we too loud?

What now? Keep fighting? But if I did...

Isaac’s eyes flashed.

I had a terrible feeling.

He raised his fingers to snap.

I grabbed the trowel off the ground and threw it with all my strength.

Isaac let out a grunt of pain.

It lodged into his wrist—not enough to sever it, but it hit hard.

His fingers didn’t stop.

Should I use the Reaper’s power?

I was just about to ignite my mana and incinerate him—

But in that moment, all the time I’d spent here flashed through my mind.

God... damn it...

That instant of hesitation made me a half-second too slow.

Snap!

A clear sound rang out.

I rushed to Rena and pulled her into a tight embrace with all my strength.