[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-26":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1506351,1956,"Chapter 26: Crimson Witch","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>I moved through the crowd with the kind of confidence that only comes from having memorized every crooked alley on a city map — the black market’s layout lodged in my head like a bookmarked strategy guide. I’d been here in-game, in imagination, and now in the flesh. It felt almost funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A short, fat man with a red nose and a grin that didn’t reach his eyes greeted me at the entrance. \"Evening, dear sir. Looking for— ah— help? Companions? Entertainment?\" His voice was oily, practiced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think?\" I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed too loudly. \"A sense of humor. Come in, come in.\" He guided me past stalls where someone sold cracked blades, another sold dubious potions, and a man in a hood balanced a small beast on his shoulder like a merchant’s hat. The market pulsed with low-light lanterns, smoke, and the smell of frying oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, any specifics? Or browsing?\" the greeter asked when we reached a quieter corridor of cages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need a worker,\" I said. \"Household. Cooking, cleaning — someone who can run things when I’m not around.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded and led me past a row of cells. \"Domestic type, eh? Over here then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cages were lined up like grim market stalls. Inside were people of every kind: humans, a few beastkin, eyes hollow or defiant, hands cuffed, each with a tag around their neck. The man’s voice dropped to a practical whisper. \"These are debt slaves. Not criminals in the usual sense — people who couldn’t pay back loans after bandit raids, failed crops, that sort. A lot of them actually walk in, hoping to work off what they owe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That line — people walking in — made it easier to swallow. Not right, not ethical, but easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scanned the faces slowly, letting the system in my head — the old-game instincts — do the sorting. Then I saw her: early twenties, straight-backed even in rags. There was a tiredness in her face, but her shoulders didn’t fold. She watched me with cautious amber eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tapped the mental command I’d been using since the system first blinked at me in the academy. A translucent panel appeared only to me, floating before my vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Name: Lily]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Race: Human]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Age: 24]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Personality: Resolute, Industrious, Quietly Proud]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Condition: Malnourished]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Skills: Cooking Lv.5 | Cleaning Lv.4 | Laundry Lv.3 | Simple First Aid Lv.2]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackpot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good eye, that one,\" the merchant said, following my gaze. \"Lily. Used to cook for a merchant caravan until bandits hit them. Couldn’t pay the debt for their lost cargo, so—well. Ended up here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll take her,\" I said before I could talk myself out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man blinked, surprised. \"That quick? You don’t want to see the others?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need. I already made up my mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grinned, greedy and satisfied. \"Decisive customers are my favorite type.\" He squinted. \"Price’s ten gold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten gold. A laugh bubbled up — because I knew what ten gold meant here. Most people went pale at three. I narrowed my eyes. \"You think I’m an idiot? Ten gold for a domestic hand? How much do you charge for a fighter? A pair of arms and a neck?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paled a fraction, then tried to recover his swagger. \"Look, lad—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I held up two fingers. \"Two. No more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He harrumphed and began the haggling dance: an insult, a flinch, a lowered voice, a final concession. After a minute he gave in and spat, \"Fine. Three gold. Done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three gold. Still a purchase, still wrong, but not a robbery. I counted out the coins and watched his greedy face light up. He pushed a small parchment at me. \"Sign here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the kind of contract inked in legalese that smelled faintly of threat. The man insisted I sign in blood; the ritual was perfunctory and theatrical — a prick to draw a drop, a smear, the parchment absorbing it with an unpleasant quiet. The paper vanished like vanished promises the moment I put my thumbprint on it. A soft chime sounded in my head when the magic took hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint mark flared on Lily’s chest, just above her heart — a pale sigil that pulsed like the memory of a wound. The merchant’s tone turned casual again. \"It’s a binding mark. Keeps her from running off or says no to your orders without consequence. Standard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped out of the cage, the brand on her chest fading from bright red into a deep, permanent mark. Her wrists were raw where the shackles had rubbed, but her posture didn’t crumble. She bowed so naturally it was clear she’d done it hundreds of times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Thank you for purchasing me, Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was soft — quiet, yet dignified enough that it stabbed at my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Business done — or so I thought — I turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But halfway toward the exit, I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d been idly flipping through status windows on the way out—habit from grinding side quests, checking for hidden gems among the \"trash\" slaves. Most were blanks: low stats, broken spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...a floating status window hovered in the darkness at the farthest corner of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t noticed anyone there — no figure, no outline — but the system never lied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someonewasthere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the stats displayed on that window?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was what made my heart drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Name: Alicia Valemont]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Race: Human]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Age: 17]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[STR: 22] \u002F [AGI: 11] \u002F [INT: 45]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Mana: 80]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Skills:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— Fire Magic Comprehension Lv.9\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— Mana Sense Lv.3\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— Mana Control Lv.2 ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’...No way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill prickled down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crimson Witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A future calamity mage who, in the late game, burned entire battalions into charcoal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell wasshedoing here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat broker followed my line of sight and scoffed. \"Ah. That one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression twisted in disgust. \"Worthless thing. She won’t even speak. No manners. Can’t do chores. Useless in a fight. Face ruined. Not even good to sell to brothels. No value at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...How much?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked. \"...You wanther?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" I said simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One gold,\" he said quickly — too quickly — like he couldn’t wait to get rid of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tossed him a coin without bargaining. He snatched it mid-air like a starving rat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went to the bars and banged them roughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey! Your useless nap is over. Someone actually bought y—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough,\" I cut him off — my voice flat, cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at him without blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She belongs to me now. If you insult her again...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped closer, let the murderous edge bleed into my tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...the consequences won’t be verbal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His forehead broke into sweat instantly. \"Y-Yes sir! My apologies!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cage opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the darkness — she emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long crimson hair. Glassy red eyes. Face as perfect as porcelain — ruined by the deep scar running jaggedly across her left cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Expression dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a doll whose heart someone had smashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at me blankly — no hope, no fear, no expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...I didn’t say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes silence is kinder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily walked behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson girl followed — footsteps soundless, like a phantom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We reached the surface, boarded a carriage, and as the city lights flickered past the window — I stared at their reflections.\u003C\u002Fp>",1229,"2026-06-06T04:52:01.856Z",1,"novelbin.me","f6ad7547d173126b74ce930e6f23049d55631ccb45602e55d24ae781abdf115d","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-27","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-25",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]