ch18

[Villain Marketing]

"Excuse me, customer?"

I slowly turned my head. A burly man in a black suit was staring at me with a menacing look.

What… what is it? A supermarket security guard? Or a hero in disguise?

"I've been watching everything you've done so far."

"Heeik! My evil deeds have been exposed??"

I involuntarily took a step back.

[Is she really getting caught?? Live arrest broadcast lol]

[Wasn't Grimoire a hero??]

[She's scaredㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Of course, I wasn't 'scared'! I was just… briefly considering a strategic retreat! Just for a moment!

'Wait, isn't this an opportunity?'

The viewers only see me as cute! And they mistake me for a hero!

Even though I have horns and a grayish complexion!

"Hmph, so you've finally seen through my evil deeds! It's a little late, but congratulations on noticing Grimoire's wickedness!"

I confidently put one hand on my hip and raised my chin as high as possible. It's my most prized 'horn-emphasizing' pose!

I can feel my wickedness amplifying tenfold!

"Try to stop my evil deeds! Do as you wish! Call a guard? The police? A hero? Call anyone!"

He stared at me for a moment… then his menacing expression suddenly changed into a smile.

Smiling? In this serious situation? Is he mocking my dignity?

"This is really interesting! I'm Choi Ji-won, the store manager of Grand Mart. This is a really fresh marketing idea."

"Wh-what?"

My mind went blank for a moment. Marketing? Idea? My evil deeds?

"Thank you so much for promoting our mart with your live broadcast. It's a hot topic on social media right now.."

"Th-that's not it! I was committing evil deeds!"

The words wouldn't come out properly.

I sent a pleading look to Evelyn, but she was expressionlessly filming with the camera.

And upon closer inspection, my confused expression was being perfectly zoomed in on!

Evelyn, not even you…!

"N-no, this is an evil deed! Not marketing…"

Even more terrible reactions were popping up in the chat.

[I knew it, she was a hero! A marketing genius!]

[She was promoting the store?]

[The key trend in social media marketing these days is collaborations with heroes]

[Grimoire is saving the people! A true hero who cares about the common folk!]

[Grimoire for the National Assembly]

[I also want to visit this mart thanks to her]

The number of viewers exceeded 10,000.

"Hieeik!"

What is going on? Is my evil deed once again being disguised as a good deed?

In an instant, employees began to gather around me one by one. A woman who appeared to be from the marketing department approached with a tablet.

"Grimoire! This is really sensible content. The amount of SNS searches is exploding in real time. Would you be willing to do an official collaboration?"

"Collaboration…?"

"Yes! How about running a 'Grimoire Challenge' as a new event? Finding a gap ramen, rearranging tomatoes, putting on discount stickers… I think we can provide customers with a fun shopping experience!"

"Grimoire Challenge! How dare you use my name for commercial purposes? Besides, my horns have a copyright! Pay me royalties! Of course, the cost is the entire mart!"

"Haha, sure. Should we change our mart's name to Grimoire Mart while we're at it? The first syllable is the same, after all."

"Eeeeeeek…! I was just trying to cause chaos in the entire supermarket!"

"That's right! Giving customers fun chaos. You're so sensible!"

"Besides, a hero with a villain concept is the perfect image to attract young customers these days!"

The onlookers who had quickly gathered were all taking pictures of me with their cellphone cameras.

As if observing me at a zoo!

Krrr… I'm a wild animal! Not an object of observation, but an object of fear!

"Mom! That's the real great Grimoire over there!"

At that moment, a little girl suddenly ran over. One side of her hair was dyed silver just like mine, and she was even wearing a headband with horns.

Could it be, is she imitating me?

"My daughter watches Grimoire's activities on TV every day! She wants to be a hero like the great Grimoire."

"Please… sign it!"

The child's eyes sparkled. I unconsciously took the notebook and wrote 'Grimoire'.

"I'm a fan too! I saw the video from the Black Lotus Bank incident!"

"You were so cool when you stopped the subway terror last time!"

"Should I try villain cosplay too?"

The world was still completely misunderstanding me.

Just then, Evelyn quietly approached and whispered in my ear.

"Master, I think we should wrap up the broadcast soon. I have to go home and prepare dinner."

Home… yes, our home! Crown Villa 301, the safest hideout in the world for a villain!

"Give me a villainous closing statement."

That's right. I am a great villain! No matter the outcome, the ending must be perfect!

I regained my composure and turned to face the camera.

"Listen, you insignificant humans! Although my evil deed has ended unintentionally, I will return with a truly wicked evil deed next time! Grimoire's world domination live broadcast ends here today! If you want to keep watching my evil deeds, be sure to subscribe and like!"

"Ending the broadcast. Thank you for watching."

With Evelyn's calm voice, the broadcast ended. The mart employees around me applauded and cheered.

"Wow, the acting is so realistic! You're so good at playing a villain. I was completely immersed!"

"That was really great content! I'm looking forward to the next broadcast!"

"Thank you for choosing our mart!"

"That's not it! Your mart has been messed up by my evil deeds!!"

"Now, Master. Let's pay and go back."

Evelyn paid for the items with her card and we left the mart.

Trudge, trudge-

I headed to the mart parking lot with a huge shopping basket.

I thought I would succeed in doing a real evil deed today… I clearly fulfilled all the evil ideas created by my genius brain. But the result?

"Everyone is mistaking me for a hero…! A common-folk-friendly economic hero, at that!"

Why do my evil deeds always go wrong like this?

"But the number of viewers increased a lot today. How about preparing a greater evil deed next time? If you aim for when a lot of people gather, you can become the strongest villain."

As I listened to Evelyn's sweet consolation, something felt suspicious. My sensitive villain sensor was sounding an alarm!

I stopped walking and suspiciously looked down at the shopping basket.

My hands were full of snacks and chocolates, curry ingredients, various household goods, and a week's worth of groceries.

"Wait…"

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Evelyn.

"I went to do an evil deed… why did I end up buying so much? Could it be… was this all a grocery shopping trip from the start?"

"Master, how could you say such a thing… Of course, everything was for the sake of evil deeds. These ingredients are only to provide the nutrients needed to maintain your villainous energy."

"Hmm…"

The groceries filling the shopping basket… is this really a coincidence, or was it Evelyn's planned out plot?

"Master, even villains have to eat to live. And what you gained today isn't just ingredients. Over 10,000 viewers watched you. Isn't that influence the real harvest?"

I had no words to refute Evelyn's logic.

Besides, if I said something unnecessary, I would be the one who would suffer if she added more carrots to the curry!

-

"Finally home!"

The moment I opened the door to Crown Villa 301, I slammed the shopping basket bag down on the floor.

Evelyn immediately took the groceries and headed to the kitchen.

"Master, please relax. I'll prepare dinner."

"Do so, prepare a perfect dinner worthy of my maid! It must be a feast befitting today's evil deed!"

I threw off my gothic lolita dress, changed into casual clothes, and collapsed onto the living room sofa.

"Haa… Threatening insignificant humans is harder than I thought."

I took out my smartphone and checked the replay of the broadcast and the comments. I was curious to see how much of an impact my evil deeds had made. I scrolled down, expecting comments from terrified humans.

Less than an hour after the broadcast ended, my 'live collection' clips were already circulating everywhere.

In particular, the scene that sparked the 'Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?' debate exceeded 10,000 views.

It's spreading at an amazing speed. As expected, my charisma is contagious!

"Wh-what is this?"

I quickly scrolled through the tablet and discovered a strange site. A familiar logo caught my eye.

It was a horn pattern embroidered in gray on a black background! That's the flag design of the Grimoire Empire that I drew with crayons all night! I stuck it on the wall when I first started broadcasting!

[I enjoyed the broadcast!]

[Villain RP? I totally understood it]

[I created a Hornbug Cafe! (link)]

"Evelyn! What is this? 'Hornbug'?"

Evelyn, who was slicing onions in the kitchen, turned her head.

"It seems like you have a fan club dedicated to you, Master. I think Hornbug means 'those who are loyal to the horns'."

A fan club? For me?

As I looked more closely, bizarre comments were pouring in.

[We are loyal subjects of the Grimoire Empire! #Hornbug]

[I'm applying to join the evil organization as a minion!]

[I want to participate in the world domination plan. Long live Grimoire!]

[Villain pose timeline collection]

Suddenly, my heart started pounding.

"Kakat! My charisma has worked! The members of the evil organization have finally begun to gather!"

Evelyn nodded. A faint smile lingered on her lips.

"You see? Your influence is growing more and more. From today onwards, your infamy will begin to spread throughout the world in earnest."

My chest swelled with pride. But as I read more comments, my smile gradually faded.

[The villain world is so sloppy that I like it even more!]

[Did a hero agency give her consulting? The concept is too excessive]

[I'm gonna touch the horns I'm gonna touch the horns I'm gonna touch the horns I'm gonna touch the horns I'm gonna touch the horns I'm gonna touch the horns]

[Grimoire villain or whatever, she's just lovely♡ Thanks to her, I got healed today]

"What? Cute, villain cosplay, the best concept…? I'm a real villain!"

I committed evil deeds with all my heart, but no one is taking my wickedness seriously!

"Master, there is always a gap between truth and misunderstanding. This is a characteristic of modern internet culture. Let me explain."

Evelyn took the tablet and approached me.

How can she possibly explain the situation where there are dozens, hundreds of comments saying 'Cute Grimoire'?

"Among the younger generation these days, there is a tendency to express their emotions in reverse."

The tablet changed to a picture of a small red panda. A video came on of a red panda standing up and spreading its arms. It was puffing itself up to look as big as possible and taking a threatening stance.

[A ferocious beast itself! s.o.s.c.a.r.y.]

[It's fatal to the heart, dangerous…]

"As you can see, red pandas are cute animals that spend most of their time chewing bamboo and sleeping. But if you look at the comments, people are all calling the red panda a ferocious beast. There is a tendency to deliberately call cute subjects scary and threatening. So wouldn't the opposite be true as well?"

Evelyn switched the screen to my broadcast clip. The screen showed the scene where I was shrinking back while making a 'Hieeik!' sound.

And the comments below it.

[So cute!]

[My heart is melting]

[I love the pointy horns so muchㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

My ears perked up. I felt like even my horns were trembling.

"So… the fact that they're saying I'm cute… actually means they're scared of me?"

"Exactly. Master was too scary, so they masked their fear behind such responses. When people face something they're too afraid of, they tend to deny that fear. So, the viewers' defense mechanisms kicked in against your overwhelming wickedness and intimidation."

Hmm… that actually makes sense. Did this body's intimidation break the humans' minds?

"Indeed, this body's wickedness is too powerful for insignificant humans to handle! They were so terrified that they distorted their own memories!"

"The curry is ready. Shall we have dinner soon, Master?"

The smell of curry filled the entire house from the kitchen. This body needs energy to grow its organization. Even villains need to eat to be wicked!

Evelyn set the finished curry rice on the table.

The curry, slightly redder than usual, was served over rice.

"Evelyn, this…"

"As you instructed, it's a special curry with ketchup."

"Y-You actually put it in?"

That was just a passing comment! Following this body's words too thoroughly is also a problem!

Sniff sniff-

If it's not good… I'll tell Evelyn to eat it all, and I'll order chicken. A first-rate villain always has a Plan B!

I carefully took a spoonful and brought it to my mouth.

Nom nom nom-

"...It's surprisingly delicious!"

The sweet and sour taste of ketchup harmonized with the deep flavor of the curry, creating an unexpected combination.

"Ahem, this body believed from the start that Evelyn would pull it off!"

"It's all thanks to your genius idea, Master."

"That's a given! 90% of all success is due to this body's ideas!"

After finishing the meal, I leaned back comfortably on the sofa.

The events of the day flashed through my mind one by one.

It was a series of misunderstandings, but it was a more interesting day than I thought.

"Today's stream… was more fun than I expected. It was good to showcase this body's evil deeds to so many people, I suppose."

"As expected, you have a natural talent for communicating with the public, Master. You subtly capture people's hearts. It's one of the essential skills for world domination."

Captured? That's true.

At this rate, this entire city might kneel at this body's feet within a month, and the world within a year!

But it's not perfect yet. Humans still don't recognize this body as a true villain.

"Next time, I need to come up with a more thorough and wicked plan! I'll make people submit to this body on their own!"

"Always an excellent idea, Master."

I took a sip of black tea and picked up a Dubai premium chocolate.

The sweetness of the chocolate melting softly in my mouth washed away all of today's small frustrations.

I may have failed to become a villain today, but there is no frustration for Grimoire!

Why? Because if I have time to regret and be sad, I'd rather eat chocolate during that time!

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