The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 3: This Too, Must Be Grace

Red—her name was quite famous.

I had heard the rumors too.

The killer named Red.

A figure of terror in the underworld, she had mercilessly taken down numerous organizations and criminals, earning herself a fearsome reputation.

Rumor had it that she single-handedly defeated five members of the “Seven Deadly Sins,” a group considered just below the pinnacle of the “Four Great Organizations.”

Honestly, I didn’t know how much of that was true or false.

Rumors always tended to be exaggerated.

Still, being called such a ferocious name meant she was undeniably skilled.

I thought Red would be some terrifying, monstrous-looking person.

But to think she turned out to be someone this beautiful.

I considered whether she was just someone with the same name or if it was a lie, but really, would anyone dare to recklessly use such a famous name?

And even though I’d only seen a fraction of her skills just now,

it seemed to confirm that she was indeed the real deal.

This was troubling.

Red was said to be utterly merciless to people of the underworld. If she realized I was The Grim Reaper, a fight would almost certainly break out immediately.

No, it’s fine.

Fortunately, no one knew the true appearance of The Grim Reaper.

Even if my face was revealed now, she’d likely just see me as an adorable, cute girl.

But still, the thought of a legendary demon from the underworld walking beside me made my heart shiver.

If it were up to me, I would have just gone my own way. But I’d already received her help, and I wasn’t the kind of person to ignore such a favor.

So, I was guiding Red along her path.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the place she was headed happened to be the same place I was going.

Ugh.

“Hey, kid. You’ve been keeping your distance for a while now. Did I do something to upset you?”

Walking ahead of her, I turned my head back.

Right now, there was about a ten-meter distance between me and Red.

Although we were traveling together, I deliberately kept my distance because I didn’t want to be too close.

If Red took a step closer,

I’d also take a step to maintain the gap.

When I clearly rejected her proximity, Red’s shoulders slightly slumped, so I decided to explain my reasoning.

Raising two dainty fingers, I pressed them tightly to my head, mimicking a horn shape. Then, I pointed at her.

She seemed to understand my gesture and finally made a face of realization.

“Oh, that’s why. I guess you’ve heard the rumors about me. Do you think I steal things or something?”

She’d done far worse than stealing things.

But I saw no need to bring that up.

Seeing me stay silent, she smiled faintly as if she understood.

“You don’t have to be scared. The rumors are way overblown. I’m not really like that. I even have some flexibility—I overlook minor things. Honestly, kids have no choice but to resort to stealing to survive in places like this.”

Red’s expression turned momentarily wistful.

“I suppose it’s the same for you.”

Red reached for a cigarette from her pocket but put it back when she noticed me staring at her.

“Kid, are you alone?”

I nodded.

“No adults around you?”

I shook my head.

Red looked at me with a sad expression.

“Everywhere you go, there are kids without parents.”

She muttered quietly.

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

My name?

That question left me speechless.

The name from my past life had slowly faded as I lived in this world. And now, I’d completely forgotten it.

I didn’t even have a name I used in this world.

Since I woke up here, I’d been living namelessly.

People only ever called me “this kid,” “that kid,” or some other pronoun.

The closest thing to a name I had was the nickname The Grim Reaper, but there was no way I could reveal 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 don’t talk—does that mean there’s something wrong with your voice?”

I crossed my two index fingers to form an X.

Red’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.”

I shook my head as if to say it was fine.

Then I turned back and resumed walking.

The conversation had dampened the mood, and she followed quietly.

But soon, as if trying to lighten the atmosphere, Red brought up a different topic.

“They say even a river changes in ten years. But honestly, so much has changed in just one year—I was shocked.”

Outer cities do tend to change quickly.

With new buildings going up, the streets get more complicated the farther you go. The funny thing is, though, the number of people keeps decreasing.

“The most surprising thing was that something weird settled in while I was gone. Look over there. That.”

I looked where Red was pointing and frowned deeply.

Sigh.

I resisted the urge to slap my forehead.

*

Where Red was pointing, about thirty people were gathered together.

Beastfolk, humans, cyborgs—they were all kneeling in front of a statue.

Each of them clasped their hands in prayer, bowing reverently.

What people believed in didn’t concern me.

What bothered me was the object of their worship.

The statue they were praying to…

It was a massive figure clad in fearsome armor, a helmet, and a skull mask.

I knew that appearance all too well.

That was me.

Or rather, it was an exact replica of my form as The Grim Reaper.

“They call it the Grim Reaper Cult, don’t they? A religion worshiping The Grim Reaper, one of the Four Great Organizations. It’s a new religion, barely three years old, but I heard it’s already spread widely across the northern region.”

The harsher life gets, the easier it is for people to fall into superstition.

Still, I couldn’t understand why I’d become the object of their faith.

I didn’t recall doing anything good here.

I wasn’t some hero from a fairy tale going around saving the world.

All I’d done was struggle to survive.

Nowadays, I was living much more quietly.

But seriously, a criminal organization? Why would a criminal group worship me?

I stomped my foot in frustration.

And they crossed their arms, shaking their head as if in pity.

At my reaction, Red chuckled faintly.

“The Grim Reaper is different from the other organizations. While organizations act based on their own greed, the Grim Reaper shows none of that. They just appear and disappear without warning. The problem is that whenever the Grim Reaper shows up, death always follows.”

Gulp.

Different from the other organizations?

Well, that’s because I had no interest in expanding any kind of power.

When I acted, it was only for two reasons:

To intervene if a dessert shop got caught up in the disputes of criminal groups or to punish those who rubbed me the wrong way.

But I never went around tormenting just anyone.

The only people who died at my hands were those deeply tied to the underworld—people whose deaths wouldn’t be missed.

Still, it was annoying that weird rumors had spread.

“Some say they’re a being hidden behind a veil, treating them like a natural disaster, or even claiming they’re the embodiment of death itself.”

Exactly.

That kind of nonsense.

Honestly, I wanted to reveal my identity and shatter those illusions.

But doing so would attract too much attention, and it would definitely turn into a huge hassle. So I held back.

“Well, it’s not surprising that people started worshiping them, given that. But seriously, no matter how desperate you are, worshiping a criminal? This world really might be coming to an end.”

Red pulled out a lollipop from her pocket.

She unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and glared at the worshipers with displeased eyes.

“…Come to think of it, I heard the Grim Reaper wiped out another organization recently.”

Gulp.

My heart pounded as she brought up something I had done.

I pulled my hood down even further and tried to calm myself.

“Yes, that’s right. The Grim Reaper appeared out of nowhere again and personally delivered judgment.”

Someone spoke to us.

Round ears and a thin tail.

It was an elderly mousefolk.

Judging by the worshiper’s robes he wore, he seemed to be one of the believers.

“Are you two interested in the Grim Reaper, by chance?”

“Not really.”

Red responded with an obvious tone of annoyance.

But the old worshiper didn’t seem to mind.

He stepped closer to us and gazed fondly at the praying people.

Without being asked, he began to speak.

His voice, strangely enough, was incredibly gentle.

“The Grim Reaper is an absolute being who will someday bring salvation and peace to this world.”

The old worshiper fiddled with a small pendant hanging from his neck.

“This world overflows with suffering and sorrow, driving itself toward destruction. But people ignore that reality, continuing to harm and rob one another.”

Red showed little interest in his words, barely paying attention.

She just rolled her lollipop around in her mouth, seemingly indifferent.

“The Grim Reaper has descended to this world in physical form, moving for the sake of the world. A world that can no longer be redeemed by ordinary means.”

The old worshiper’s voice grew more fervent.

He continued to talk endlessly about the Grim Reaper and their faith.

The longer he spoke, the more I could see the fanatical gleam in his eyes.

Hearing all these things about myself that I didn’t even know gave me an odd feeling.

Eventually, he reached the conclusion of his ramblings.

“…And so, we pray for the day when the Grim Reaper fully descends upon this world. Until that day comes.”

I felt dizzy.

I needed sugar.

I should’ve just ignored him and walked away earlier.

That was the most nonsensical story I’d ever heard.

He spoke of salvation and peace in such flowery terms, but his message boiled down to one horrifying idea:

The destruction of the world was the true salvation.

Disgusting.

Red seemed to feel the same way, her expression one of disbelief.

“If what you’re saying is true, many people will die. Innocent people, too. You’re okay with that?”

Red stared directly at the old worshiper with cold eyes.

It was just as intimidating as when she’d driven off that Orc thug.

But the old worshiper didn’t flinch.

Instead, his eyes remained full of melancholy, radiating an eerie serenity.

That gaze sent shivers down my spine, making my shoulders tremble.

“Yes, everything is as it should be. For it, too, is a blessing from the Grim Reaper.”

Red clicked her tongue, seemingly unnerved by his fanatical faith.

“Kid, let’s go. If we stay here any longer, my ears might rot.”

I quickly picked up my pace, eager to leave, and turned my head back one last time.

The old worshiper was clutching the pendant in one hand.

With the other, he made a sign of blessing.

“May the Grim Reaper’s grace be with you all.”

I scowled, feeling disgusted, and hurried out of there as if fleeing.

*

After wandering through maze-like streets for quite a while, we finally arrived at our destination.

I threw my hands up in joy.

It was one of the rare dessert shops in the city.

Yes, let’s forget about that unpleasant encounter.

From now on, it was time to enjoy something sweet.