ch22

[The Villain and the Rats]

I set up the mouse traps in the living room and hid behind the sofa.

Everything was perfect.

Belgian chocolate on the snap trap, French butter cookies in the cage trap, and limited-edition cheese-flavored potato chips on the sticky trap.

"My precious emergency snacks, I will never forget your sacrifice. After world domination, I will build a monument to honor you!"

It broke my heart to see my precious emergency snacks placed on the mouse traps. But this is also the fate of a villain.

A great villain must sometimes endure painful sacrifices for victory.

'This time, I will definitely win! I've offered my favorite snacks as bait, so victory is as good as guaranteed!'

The time has come to judge the rats who have mocked me twice!

1 minute… 5 minutes… 10 minutes…

As time passed, silence filled the kitchen. My legs started to go numb.

[Nothing's happening…]

[Will the rats even come?]

[Grimoire might fall asleep…]

[Is that a horn poking out of the sofa?]

[Same scene for 10 minutes already]

[Maybe the rats went somewhere else?]

"Quiet! Patience is also a virtue of a first-class villain! There's no way the rats won't be tempted by my snacks, right? My strategy is always 100% perfect!"

Rats think with their noses, not their heads. There's no way they can resist the temptation of these high-end snacks!

Rustle-

Just then, a black nose peeked out from the corner of the kitchen. My heart pounded.

"Finally! They're here!"

Black Rat cautiously examined the mousetraps. Then White Rat appeared.

'Welcome, objects of my revenge!'

I held my breath, waiting for the decisive moment. The opportunity to restore my honor was right in front of me.

Black Rat circled around the snap trap. The two rats seemed to exchange glances.

'Fall for it, fall for the temptation! The moment you fall into Grimoire's trap, your fate is sealed!'

Finally, Black Rat reached out a paw towards the Belgian chocolate. The corners of my mouth turned up.

'It's over. Victory is mine! Kakat!'

But surprisingly, while White Rat pressed down on the trap with its hind legs, Black Rat snatched the chocolate with its front paws.

Snap-!

The trap was triggered, but the rats had already run away with the chocolate to a safe distance.

"What… what?! This is absurd! How could this happen?!"

[Black Rat: Clocked in for work today]

[White Rat: Thanks Grimoire, bon appétit]

[Let's not say bad things like the rats are smarter than Grimoire]

[Hmm, was there such a chat?]

[Unlike dogs and cats, rats have a significantly lower toxic reaction when consuming chocolate. This is because rats have an enzyme that breaks down the toxic component of chocolate called theobromine…]

"There are still two traps left! My two precious snacks are still safe!"

Next, Black Rat stood in front of the cage trap, staring intently at the butter cookie.

The cage trap is designed so that the door closes when you enter and grab the bait. Easy to get in, but impossible to get out. It was a perfect trap that would become the rats' tomb.

"Dare you analyze my trap? No way! There's no way a sewer rat is smarter than the genius villain Grimoire! That cookie can never be yours!"

White Rat brought a long twig from somewhere.

The two rats looked at each other and exchanged glances. It was as if they were sharing a plan.

"Could it be… rats using tools…?"

White Rat poked the trigger point of the cage trap with the twig. Instantly, there was a 'click!' sound and the trap was triggered. The cage door closed.

"Still, the butter cookie is safe now! You can't open a closed door!"

I didn't catch the rats, but at least I protected my precious snack, so this time it's a draw… no, I won! Yes, a partial victory!

But their attack was just beginning.

Black Rat rolled a small stone from somewhere again. A question mark popped into my head.

What are they going to do with the stone? I don't know what they're planning, but I had a feeling something bad was going to happen to my snack.

They placed the stone near the entrance and put one end of the twig on the stone. Then they pushed the other end under the entrance.

"That's… a lever?"

My voice trembled. How could rats know physics…?

When they pressed down hard on the opposite end of the twig, the cage entrance was slightly lifted by the principle of leverage. Black Rat quickly squeezed its body through the gap.

"No! That's cheating! Science is cheating! Fight fairly!"

Black Rat went completely inside the cage, quickly grabbed my precious cookie, and came out the same way.

Goodness, they were disarming my traps. This was clearly intelligence beyond the animal realm.

"All that's left is the sticky trap! There's no way you can break this!"

I placed my last hope on it. It's not a physical tool, but a chemical adhesive… Even the smartest rat can't do anything about this!

"Kakat! This sticky trap has a special adhesive that can catch not only rats but even elephants! You should just give up on trying to escape, you insignificant rodents!"

The two rats stood side by side in front of the sticky trap. The tempting smell of cheese-flavored potato chips wafted through the air. I could smell it too, so how much more would those rats?

"Fall for it, be dominated by your instincts and lose your reason! Resistance is futile!"

But then something unexpected happened. Black Rat looked around and brought a lot of dirt from somewhere.

Dirt? Where did the rat get dirt…? Could it be…

"That's my rosemary pot! How dare you take dirt from my rosemary pot? This is serious theft! Trespassing, illegal theft, property damage…! Touching my precious pot without permission!"

[Is Grimoire a liberal arts major?]

[Looks like a middle school dropout lol]

[Rat: Your pot is already my pot]

[The rats are more villainous than Grimoire lol]

[A villain who grows rosemary is cute though]

[Evelyn, come catch the rats already… Master is struggling]

[Why not just buy rat poison if this is how it's going to be haha]

The rats sprinkled dirt on the sticky trap. As the dirt stuck to the adhesive, the stickiness was significantly reduced.

Once a dirt-covered path was created, the white Rat safely walked over the trap and picked up the potato chips.

"This can't be! Unbelievable! You guys aren't rats! You're definitely aliens! Or mutants with superpowers! Or polymorphed wizards! What are you, really?!"

I jumped up from behind the sofa. This was incomprehensible.

"How could this happen… all of my perfect traps…"

I picked up the snap trap and examined it. Why aren't the rats getting caught in the traps? Is there some kind of trick?

"This is definitely a defective product! Evelyn must have brought cheap traps! That's why I'm being humiliated!"

It was the moment I carefully tried to take out a potato chip with my finger.

Snap!

"Ouch!!!"

The snap trap pinched my finger hard.

"It hurts! It hurts, it hurts! How dare this thing bite the finger of the great Grimoire!"

I screamed in pain and shook my hand. Even pain doesn't look cool on a villain.

Squeak-!

At that moment, I heard laughter from the corner. The two rats were covering their mouths and giggling!!

Even more shocking, they even took the cheese-flavored chips I dropped right in front of my eyes. While mocking my painful expression.

[Grimoire VS Rats, 0:3 confirmed!]

[Is your finger okay??]

[The rats seem to have higher intelligence…]

[The limited-edition potato chips are gone too ㅠㅠ]

[Grimoire's face is completely red lol]

[From the rats' perspective, it's a warm house + free snacks + the possibility of appearing on TV]

"This is cheating! How can animals use such cunning methods…"

I paused. Cunning? Isn't that a quality needed for a villain? Then… are those rats more villainous than me?

I took off the mousetrap and threw it away, rubbing my red and swollen finger and suppressing my resentment.

"This… this is just me encouraging aspiring villains! Yes, encouragement! Grimoire is just giving opportunities to her juniors as a benevolent villain senior!"

On the kitchen floor, only empty mousetraps remained without a single snack. My precious chocolate, cookies, and potato chips were all in the rats' stomachs…

More painful than the pain in my finger was my pride as a villain. Now I was being ignored even in my own hideout.

I cleaned up the living room and went back to my room, grabbing a crayon.

Black, red, purple(TL: that's me)… I carefully wrote a challenge letter with colors suitable for a villain.

'I, the great villain Grimoire, formally challenge the rogue rats to a duel!! Let's settle the score fairly in the underground parking lot of Crown Villa!! If you run away, you will be called cowards for 100 years!!'

I wrote in the thickest and largest letters possible. A villain's first impression must be intimidating from the font!

Even my trademark horn-shaped stamp at the bottom of the challenge letter! Perfect!

Looking into the camera, I confidently showed the challenge letter. I hope the aesthetics of my challenge letter were properly conveyed to the viewers!

"Behold, insignificant viewers! With this, the final battle begins! I will show those challengers the true terror of a villain!"

I shook the challenge letter from side to side in front of the camera. I hope the aesthetics of my challenge letter were properly conveyed to the viewers!

"Final victory always belongs to the villain! I'll finish everything before dinner! Kakat!"

I folded the paper into the shape of an airplane. Then I flew the airplane towards the rat hole in the corner of the wall.

Drawing a perfect parabola, the paper airplane went right into the rat hole.

It was the moment when my genius knowledge of aerodynamics shone.

[But even if you send it to the rats, can they even read it?]

[You're going to lose again anyway lol]

[The horn stamp is so cute!]

[When will Grimoire merchandise be released??]

[What's with the fair fight with rats lol]

"Quiet! If they don't come because they can't read the challenge letter, I'll consider it running away! Then, it's my victory!"

Looking out the window, I saw that the sun was already setting. The time of the final battle was approaching.

-

I moved to the dark parking lot. Dim fluorescent lights cast long shadows between the parked cars.

'Now, it's a real showdown. For Grimoire's dignity and the peace of Crown Villa!'

I took a deep breath and shouted in a dignified voice.

"Come out! Cowards! I am waiting!"

My voice echoed in the empty parking lot. Only silence answered my declaration.

"Did you get scared and run away? As expected, you recognized my dignity and lowered your tails. Then the winner of this match is Grimoire! I protected the peace of Crown Villa again—"

Squeak-

Something moved behind a parking lot pillar. Black Rat and White Rat stood side by side, glaring at me.

"Cunning rodents! You bravely accepted the challenge! The reason I lost was because you cowardly pretended to be ordinary rats! Tricks will not work anymore!"

Squeak-

"What? You say playing with me will be fun? This isn't a game! This is a villain punishing you!"

Squeak!

"You're going to live in Crown Villa forever? Who do you think will allow that! This is my territory, Grimoire's empire!"

My horns were burning with anger.

"I can't take it anymore! Today you will taste the true terror of this villain!"

Then, the rats launched a preemptive strike! The two rats charged at me simultaneously. The black one from the right, the white one from the left! It was a perfect coordinated tactic.

"What! 2 against 1? How dare you use cowardly tactics! Cowardice is the exclusive property of villains like me!"

My head became confused by the rats attacking from both sides at the same time. Black Rat seemed to be jumping towards my head, so I instinctively raised my hand.

"Eek! Don't touch my horns!"

It was that moment. White Rat whizzed past between my legs. I felt something strange brush against my leg.

The moment I tried to take a step—

"Ughhhh!"

Thud!

I lost my balance and fell forward. I landed on my butt on the cold parking lot floor.

"What is this? When did this…"

Looking down, I saw that my shoelaces were tied together. This was a blatant assassination attempt!

I heard what sounded like giggling nearby. Two rats circled around me. It was a dance of victory.

"You fiends! What's so funny! Enjoying my suffering, are you?"

As I bent down to untie my shoelaces, Black Rat jumped onto my shoulder. The sudden weight made me lose my balance once more.

"Time! I call time! Attacking a fallen opponent is against sportsmanship!"

And I fell again. Another intense meeting with the parking lot floor.

Squeak-!

The two rats giggled and ran away. Their laughter echoed throughout the parking lot.

"Such humiliation… I can't take it anymore! Halt! This is Grimoire's command!"

I jumped up and dusted off my pants. I lunged at the rats, but my fingertips were always a few centimeters short. Just when I thought I had them, they slipped away like smoke. Only a tail brushed between my fingers.

I tried several times, but the result was the same.

Wasted effort, falls, repeated failures.

Eventually, exhausted, I collapsed onto the parking lot floor. The asphalt was cold. But what was colder was my villainous pride.

"Am I… a third-rate villain who can't even catch a rat? How can I conquer the world if I can't even catch a rat…?"

I wondered how much the viewers were laughing… I didn't even want to look at the chat window. Shame and annoyance made even my horns feel hot.

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