The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 3

Red. That name was quite famous.

I had heard the rumors too. The crime killer, Red.

A terror in the underworld, known for mercilessly taking down countless organizations and criminals.

They said she had single-handedly defeated five of the Seven Deadly Sins, a group that stood just below the Four Major Organizations, the pinnacle of the underworld.

Honestly, I didn’t know how much of that was true or just exaggerated rumors. After all, stories always tended to get blown out of proportion.

But if she had earned such a ruthless title, there was no doubt she was an exceptional fighter.

I had imagined Red to be some monstrous, terrifying brute.

But I never expected her to be this beautiful.

For a moment, I wondered if it was just a coincidence—maybe someone with the same name, or maybe she was lying.

But would anyone really be stupid enough to use such a well-known name carelessly?

And while I had only seen a fraction of her abilities just now,

Everything pointed to her being the real Red.

This was bad.

Red was said to be completely ruthless to anyone in the underworld. If she found out I was Reaper, a fight was inevitable.

No. It’s fine.

Luckily, no one knew what Reaper actually looked like.

Even if she saw my face, she would just think I was some cute, harmless girl.

Still, the fact that such a notorious demon of the underworld was walking beside me sent chills down my spine.

I wanted to just go my own way, but... I owed her a favor. And I wasn’t the type to ignore something like that.

So, I was showing Red the way.

Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe not, but the place she was heading to was exactly where I was going.

Ugh.

“Hey, kid. You’ve been keeping your distance this whole time. Did I do something to offend you?”

I was walking ahead when I heard her voice. I turned my head slightly.

There was about ten meters of distance between us. Even though we were traveling together, I had intentionally kept my distance.

Whenever Red took a step closer,

I took a step forward to maintain the gap.

Seeing my obvious rejection, Red slumped her shoulders slightly. I decided to give her a reason.

I raised both my tiny index fingers and pressed them to my head, mimicking horns. Then, I lowered my hands and pointed at her.

She stared at me for a moment, then her face lit up with understanding.

“Oh, so that’s why. You’ve heard the rumors about me too, huh? Do you think I go around stealing things or something?”

Stealing things? I’ve done far worse than that.

But I didn’t bother correcting her.

When I stayed silent, she smiled slightly, as if she had figured it out on her own.

“You don’t have to be scared. Those rumors are overblown. I’m not really like that. I actually let small things slide. I mean, kids have to steal to survive in a place like this, don’t they?”

For a moment, Red’s expression darkened.

“You’re probably the same, huh?”

She pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and put it between her lips, but when she noticed me staring, she shoved it back inside.

“Kid, are you alone?”

I nodded.

“No other adults around?”

I shook my head.

Red looked at me with an unreadable, almost sad expression.

“There are so many kids without parents everywhere...”

She murmured quietly to herself.

“Now that I think about it, I told you my name, but you haven’t told me yours. What’s your name, kid?”

My name? That question caught me off guard.

The name from my past life had faded away after spending so long in this world.

And now, I had completely forgotten it.

I didn’t have a name in this world either.

Ever since I woke up, I had lived without one.

People only ever called me “that brat” or “that kid.”

If anything, the closest thing I had to a name was Reaper.

But obviously, I couldn’t tell her that.

As I stayed silent, Red spoke first.

“It’s okay. If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. But you haven’t spoken at all. Do you have a problem with your voice?”

I crossed my two index fingers into an X.

Red’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

I shook my head, telling her it was fine.

Then, I turned around and started walking again.

The mood had turned somber after that conversation, and Red followed behind me in silence.

But before long, she spoke up again, as if trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“I heard somewhere that a lot can change in ten years. But forget ten years—even in just one year, so much has changed. I was shocked.”

Outer cities change fast.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Buildings go up, making the streets even more complicated.

The funny thing is, while the city expands, the number of people keeps shrinking.

“But what really surprised me was the weird thing that moved in while I was gone. Speak of the devil, there it is.”

She pointed ahead.

I followed her finger—and immediately scowled.

Ugh.

I had to fight the urge to smack my forehead.

*

There were about thirty people gathered where Red was pointing.

Beastfolk, humans, cyborgs.

Every single one of them was kneeling in front of a statue,

Their hands clasped together in prayer.

I didn’t care what people believed in. But what did bother me was the object of their worship.

The statue they were praying to—

A towering figure clad in fearsome armor, wearing a helmet and a skull mask.

There was no way I could mistake it.

That was me.

Or more precisely, the exact image of me when I acted as Reaper.

“They call it the Reaper Cult. A religion that worships Reaper, apparently one of the Four Major Organizations. It’s a relatively new cult, not even three years old, but it’s already spread widely across the northern region.”

The harsher the world, the easier people fall into superstition.

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But why me? Why the hell did I become an object of worship?

I had no memory of doing anything good here.

I wasn’t some fairytale hero going around saving the world.

All I did was struggle to survive.

I had been keeping a much lower profile lately, too.

And wasn’t this supposed to be a criminal organization? Why the hell would a crime syndicate be the subject of religious faith?

I stomped the ground in frustration.

Then crossed my arms, shaking my head at them in disappointment.

Red let out a quiet chuckle at my reaction.

“Reaper is different from the other organizations. They move based on ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) their own desires, but Reaper... no one knows what their goal is. They just appear and disappear at random. The problem is, whenever Reaper shows up, death follows.”

Thump.

My heart skipped a beat.

Different from the other organizations? Well, yeah—I had zero interest in expanding power.

The only times I moved were when a dessert shop got caught in a gang dispute or when someone pissed me off enough to deserve a beating.

It’s not like I just attacked people at random.

The ones who died by my hands were all deeply tied to the underworld. In other words, the kind of people who deserved it.

But these ridiculous rumors were getting out of control.

“Because Reaper is so mysterious, some people treat them like a natural disaster. Others say they’re the embodiment of death itself.”

Exactly. This kind of bullshit.

Honestly, I wanted to reveal my identity and shatter their delusions.

But that would attract way too much attention and be an absolute pain to deal with. So I held back.

“Well, with that kind of reputation, it’s no surprise people started worshipping them. But still, how desperate do you have to be to worship a criminal? This world really is going to hell.”

Red pulled a lollipop from her pocket.

She unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and chewed on it irritably.

Her gaze swept over the praying crowd with open distaste.

“...Come to think of it, Reaper wiped out another syndicate recently.”

Thump.

My heart pounded at the mention of what I had done.

I pulled my hood down lower, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Yes, that’s correct. Reaper once again appeared out of nowhere and delivered judgment.”

Someone had approached us.

Round ears, a thin tail.

An elderly mouse beastfolk.

Judging by the robes, he was a devout believer.

“Are you also interested in Reaper?”

“Not really.”

Red responded bluntly, making it clear she wasn’t interested.

But the old believer didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

He stepped closer, gazing at the praying worshippers with gentle eyes.

Then, without being asked, he started speaking.

His voice was oddly serene.

“Reaper is an absolute being who will one day bring salvation and peace to this world.”

The old man clutched the small carved pendant around his neck.

“This world overflows with suffering and sorrow, hurtling toward ruin. But people ignore it, continuing to harm and steal from one another.”

Red barely reacted, still rolling the lollipop in her mouth.

“A world beyond redemption, people beyond saving... Reaper has descended in a physical form to act for the sake of the world.”

His voice carried a strange passion.

He continued to ramble about the Reaper Cult and Reaper’s divine mission.

The longer he spoke, the clearer his fanaticism became.

Hearing this bizarre nonsense about me made my skin crawl.

And just when I thought he was done—

“...That is why we pray, awaiting the day Reaper fully descends upon this world. Until that day comes.”

I felt lightheaded.

I needed sugar.

I should have just ignored him and walked away.

That was the most ridiculous bullshit I had ever heard.

Salvation? Peace? All dressed up in fancy words, but at its core, it was pure madness.

To sum it up, they believed world annihilation was the true path to salvation.

Disgusting.

Red’s expression said she was just as fed up as I was.

“If what you’re saying is true, a lot of people are going to die. Innocent people too. And you’re fine with that?”

Red’s eyes turned ice cold as she stared the old believer down.

Her expression was as terrifying as when she had faced that orc thug earlier.

But the old man showed no fear.

Instead, he met her gaze with a look full of sorrowful sympathy.

A look so eerily peaceful it made my skin crawl. My shoulders trembled involuntarily.

“Yes, it’s no problem at all. That too is Reaper’s grace.”

Faced with such blind fanaticism, Red clicked her tongue in disgust.

“Kid, let’s go. Stay here any longer, and my ears will rot.”

I hurriedly turned away as well, but not before stealing one last glance.

The old believer was clutching his pendant in one hand,

While drawing a sacred symbol in the air with the other.

“May Reaper’s blessing be upon you.”

I scowled, feeling sick to my stomach.

Then I bolted, eager to get away from that place as fast as possible.

*

We walked through the maze-like streets for a long time.

Finally, we arrived at our destination.

I threw my hands up in joy.

One of the few dessert shops in this city.

Yes. I needed to forget all that disturbing nonsense.

It was time for something sweet.