The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 32: The Dream Breaks

A voice heated with excitement.

Even without me asking any questions, Isaac eagerly started talking about his grand cause.

He seemed extremely happy to finally reveal the thoughts he had been suppressing, his face filled with delight and euphoria.

A story of one person’s dedication and sacrifice for the sake of the world.

On the surface, it sounded like an inspiring tale straight out of a fairy tale, but beneath it lurked contradictions and darkness.

Though the person telling it remained oblivious to that fact.

Tremble.

I had been curious about what kind of grand purpose he had in mind.

But every time I listened to his story, I had to hold back my laughter.

It was unbelievably hilarious. Who would have thought he had such a sense of humor?

What a waste.

Instead of being a Problem Solver, he should have switched careers to a comedian or a clown.

Like an overinflated balloon bursting, the laughter I had been suppressing finally broke free.

Of course, I couldn’t make a sound. So, I expressed it through my body.

I flopped on the ground, flailing, or exaggeratedly opened my mouth in a silent laugh, ridiculing his story to the fullest.

Isaac’s brows twitched, clearly displeased by my reaction.

The story came to an abrupt halt.

He glared down at me, his eyes filled with irritation.

“What’s so funny? Was there anything in my story worth laughing at?”

Of course, there was.

It was truly an absurd tale.

At his question, I trembled with suppressed laughter and nodded my head.

Isaac’s expression darkened further.

To think that the famous General Winter was this kind of person.

Beyond disappointment, he now seemed downright pathetic.

He had been much better before I saw his true face.

“Forget it. How could a brat living in this rotten world ever understand my cause? I was a fool for getting worked up.”

Isaac took a deep breath, regaining his composure.

But in his eyes, greed and ambition flickered vividly.

What a pitiful man.

A hero? Justice?

Saving the world?

Nonsense.

This kind of person was the farthest thing from a hero or justice.

From everything I had seen of him, I was now certain of what kind of person Isaac was.

A selfish man, like so many others in this city.

But even worse—completely drunk on vanity and superiority.

The worst kind of person.

Someone who disguises their selfishness as justice, cloaking their actions with a noble-sounding purpose.

Someone willing to commit any atrocity without hesitation.

These kinds of people have no brakes, intoxicated by their own sense of goodness and altruism.

They don’t care about the consequences of their actions on those around them.

Because they believe that everything they do is justified as long as it serves their "righteous" cause.

They are deluded into thinking they can be forgiven for anything.

Just look at him now.

Even after conducting horrific experiments in this place, he doesn’t feel the slightest guilt or remorse.

He doesn’t even consider the feelings of the victims, forcing his own arrogant definition of noble sacrifice upon them.

He says one must see the forest, not the trees?

What a joke.

He forces others to sacrifice, yet never considers sacrificing himself.

People like him are the first to flee when things turn against them.

Memories from my naïve past resurfaced as vividly as if they had happened yesterday.

Those who smiled kindly and preached about justice, only to make excuses and disappear when real justice was needed.

I took a slow breath, calming myself.

It’s all in the past.

There’s no need to get worked up.

Instead, I lifted my head.

I glared at him, my eyes filled with contempt and disgust.

His face, which had regained composure, twisted in an instant.

He looked furious, as if he had just heard something unfair.

He grabbed my collar and lifted me up effortlessly.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

The smile vanished from Isaac’s face.

His eyes widened, overflowing with contempt and rage.

Faced with his murderous aura, I simply smirked and moved my lips.

[You’re not a hero.]

Isaac’s eyebrow twitched.

Someone like him would never understand my thoughts, no matter how much I explained.

A single phrase was enough to shatter his illusion.

[Murderer.]

The hand gripping my collar flinched.

His face turned red, then pale, then red again, and finally, he threw me away with all his strength.

Thud!

My body bounced off the ground from the impact.

As if that wasn’t enough, Isaac strode toward me and started kicking me relentlessly.

The word "murderer" must have struck a nerve because his kicks carried considerable force.

Thud, thud, thud—the sounds echoed.

Was he sparing my face because it was pretty?

I winced in pain.

Since I hadn’t reinforced my body with mana, the full force of the blows hit me.

It’s fine… I can endure this…

…I’m already used to this kind of pain.

“Murderer? No… No! I’m not some lowly murderer! Don’t lump me in with scum like that!”

For someone who wielded ice magic, he was extremely emotional, his fury completely unchecked.

He showed no mercy, even to a child.

Perhaps because he was on the verge of losing reason, his violence only became more brutal.

“It’s all for the world! I stained my hands with blood to save the world! And you call me a murderer? What do you even know, you little brat?!”

He calls himself a savior, but there is no noble mission within him.

He preaches about justice and salvation, but it’s all for his own greed.

All to ensure he can live a prosperous life in a paradise built atop the corpses of others.

“They were going to die miserably anyway! If not for me, they would have died long ago! I gave those worthless lives meaning!!”

This is the true face of someone who calls himself a hero.

Who could possibly see this wretched expression and think of him as a hero?

He is nothing more than a man intoxicated by his own self-righteousness, steeped in greed and ambition.

A coward who refuses to acknowledge his own selfishness and sins.

I won’t yield to his violence.

I lifted my eyes and stared straight at him.

Isaac’s face contorted in fury as he met my gaze.

“This little—!”

Beep—!

Beep—!

Beep—!

At that moment, an alarm rang from the machinery.

Isaac’s assault came to an abrupt stop.

But his rage hadn’t subsided, and he continued to breathe heavily, seething with anger.

“Hah… Hah… Time’s up.”

Isaac grabbed my collar once more and roughly threw me into a capsule-like machine.

The chamber slowly began to close.

“As much as I’d love to watch you die with my own eyes, I have an important guest arriving.”

Isaac activated the device with force.

A noise came from the capsule machine.

Smoke slowly seeped in, gradually filling the inside.

“At first, you’ll feel a slight dizziness. Then, all your senses—sight, hearing, everything—will slowly fade away. And in the end, your flesh and bones will melt. I’ve set it to the maximum level, so it’s going to be really painful. No matter how much you scream, no one is coming to save you. Oh, right. You can’t even speak.”

A cruel smile spread across Isaac’s lips.

He pressed his face against the glass of the chamber.

“Just die miserably in there. I was going to be considerate and make it painless since you have a decent face, but I’ve changed my mind. This is the punishment for an insolent brat who dared to insult my mission, so accept it.”

With that, he pulled away.

Clicking his tongue, he turned away.

As if he had lost all interest in me, Isaac walked away indifferently.

His footsteps grew distant until they could no longer be heard.

Having been exposed to the smoke for a while, I could feel a slight pain, and my strength gradually weakening.

Hmm. So this is what it feels like.

‘Well then, I guess it’s my turn to move.’

I slightly increased my mana and tore apart the restraints binding me.

I tapped the lid lightly with my fist.

It was made of reinforced glass. Pretty sturdy.

Crack!

With a single gesture, I shattered the lid and stepped out.

Regaining my freedom, I stretched my sore body, feeling stiffness from the beating.

Every movement brought a bit of pain.

‘Ugh, my body aches. He really didn’t hold back.’

I wanted to deal with him myself.

It would be satisfying to return the blows he gave me, but an unexpected guest had arrived.

A child killing General Winter wouldn’t make sense.

If I killed him, the guest might become suspicious.

That kind of trouble should be avoided.

‘If it’s you, you’ll more than handle it.’

I wasn’t worried.

I knew how strong Red was.

I was certain she would win.

She would never forgive a villain.

She was a Crime Killer, after all.

She might even deliver a more satisfying revenge than I could.

But I wouldn’t just sit idly by while things unfolded over there.

I would do what I needed to do.

I approached the place that had caught my attention the most when I arrived here.

A massive glass chamber.

I looked below it.

It was dark. Nothing was visible. But I could feel it clearly.

Something far more formidable than Isaac was down there.

Isaac had called it a masterpiece.

In other words, an experimental subject born from the experiments here.

‘What I can do is…’

I solidified my mana into the shape of a sword.

The moment the deep blue blade formed in my hand, something stirred in the darkness.

‘It’s coming.’

A monster awakening from its slumber.

A massive figure shot upward in an instant.

The sheer pressure from its ascent caused cracks to form throughout the glass chamber.

Beep—!

Beep—!

Beep—!

Emergency alarms blared loudly throughout the laboratory.

A mechanical voice issued warnings, and the entrance was sealed.

A transparent barrier covered the outer walls of the lab.

It seemed to be a system designed for emergencies.

The situation was turning in my favor.

“Graaaaahhh!”

The massive figure let out a roar.

The cracked glass chamber shattered completely, sending shards flying in all directions.

Like bullets, the shards tore through the machines and equipment in the lab.

But none of them reached me.

The transparent flames surrounding my body melted them instantly.

As I gathered mana into my sword once more, the monster opened its gaping maw.

The moment a beam of water-colored light shot from its mouth, I swung my sword.

Freezing cold that could even freeze a soul clashed against flames that could defy death itself.

A flash of mixed colors burst forth, shaking the entire lab as if it were collapsing.