The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 40: A Fun Amusement Park?

Today is a special day.

The children ride in Red's car and head to a faraway place for a trip.

No one complains or seems tired.

On the contrary, their faces are filled with joy and anticipation, which makes sense because the place we are heading to is quite special.

After departing early at dawn and traveling for a long time, we finally enter that special place.

The children, overwhelmed with excitement, jump up and down and cheer.

"Amazing, amazing! Everything looks so fascinating."

"There's a crowd of people over there. What is that?"

"There are lots of people wearing masks like Lily."

"Happy music is playing nonstop."

It is a place that does not match the bleak city.

The lively music blares loudly, and the heat from the crowd rises.

Instead of sorrow and despair, the air is filled with laughter.

In this barren world, it is rare to experience such a warm and vibrant atmosphere.

In this paradise-like place, various races, masked individuals, and people wearing cute and comical costumes gather.

The area is packed with people, and both adults and children alike wear expressions of happiness.

This place is an amusement park.

It is also known as a theme park or a fairground.

'I found a great place. It must have been hard to find.'

Amusement parks are rare in this era.

There are two reasons for that.

Money and environment.

The cost of building and maintaining an amusement park is, of course, astronomical, and that cost must be recouped from visitors.

People living in the outskirts of the city could not possibly afford such expenses.

In other words, because it is not profitable, amusement parks and similar entertainment facilities can only be found in wealthy neighborhoods.

Additionally, security in outer cities is poor, and one's life is constantly at risk.

People are forced to remain on high alert at all times.

For those living in the outskirts, even a moment of carelessness can lead to death, and leisure is considered a luxury.

That is why I am surprised.

Not only is there an amusement park in an outer city, but the entrance fee is also extremely cheap.

According to Red, this park is funded by a well-known billionaire philanthropist who supports it for the people.

It only opens irregularly once a year.

Red heard about the opening and decided to bring the children here.

Hmm.

Having good intentions and donating to charity is commendable.

But I can't help but feel uncertain.

Just how much money does this person have to sponsor such an expensive facility?

Is it really out of pure goodwill?

Something about it seems suspicious, but since Red guarantees it, it should be fine.

"Kids, there are a lot of people here, so make sure you don’t stray away from me."

"""Yes!"""

Red checks the pamphlet in her hand and guides us along.

When she sees the long line for the rides, a shadow briefly crosses her face.

I understand how she feels.

The line is long.

Even though the rides can accommodate many people at once and the queue moves quickly, we still have to wait a long time for our turn.

Ahaha.

I forgot that an amusement park is both a place of fun and a test of patience.

But to enjoy the rides, one must endure the pain of waiting.

While waiting, the children do not whine or complain.

There is no sign of exhaustion on their faces.

They talk among themselves about which ride they will go on next.

When they hear the excited screams coming from the ride ahead, they immediately turn their heads, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Seeing them with their mouths half open, it must be quite a fascinating sight for them.

When the previous riders get off with happy faces, the children become even more eager and excited, shifting restlessly in anticipation.

Waiting is boring for me, but for them, even the waiting time seems to be enjoyable.

Seeing their excitement warms my heart, and I smile faintly beneath my mask.

Tap, tap.

"Look over there! People are dancing."

At the spot Lena pointed to, a performance was taking place.

People wearing various masks were dancing in sync with the music.

Their movements were graceful, their steps dazzling.

The audience clapped along, enjoying the show.

Lena swayed her shoulders to the rhythm, immersed in the lively atmosphere.

I chuckled softly and then observed the faces of the people around us.

It is completely different from the outside world.

In the barren city, people's faces are always dark and gloomy. Their eyes seem lifeless.

Everyone is exhausted by their harsh lives, clinging desperately to survival.

But here, everyone looks happy.

The lively music, the thrilling rides, and the festive atmosphere—everything here has ignited a light in their otherwise dark hearts.

Happiness overflowed, making the streets seem to shine.

For as long as they were inside, everyone could forget their dreadful lives and indulge in happiness.

It wasn’t a bad sight.

Seeing something like this made me feel that this damned world was still worth living in.

Yeah. There should be places like this where one could breathe freely.

“It’s our turn now!”

While I was looking around, it seemed our turn had come.

Everyone took their seats and fastened their seatbelts.

The children's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The signal sounded, and the ride began to move.

The children's joyous cheers erupted.

When the ride stopped, the children got off with satisfied expressions.

They exchanged glances with one another.

And then, all at once, they shouted.

“““That was fun!”””

The excited children could hardly contain their enthusiasm.

“I want to go again.”

“Hurry, let’s go to the next one!”

The children grabbed both of Red’s arms, eager to drag her to their next destination.

At their enthusiasm, a faint smile formed on Red’s lips as she moved forward with the children.

It wasn’t over yet.

Now was the time to fully enjoy the amusement park.

We rode the bumper cars, skillfully twisting the steering wheel as we collided with others.

There were no teams in bumper cars, but a strange tension filled the air as they fought over me.

“Don’t touch Lily!”

“You guys should back off instead!”

‘Uh… guys…?’

We got on a boat ride that followed the water’s current, exploring a dark cave.

Dim lights illuminated the darkness as we ventured deeper inside.

Everyone tensed in the seemingly endless darkness, then suddenly, a machine popped out, making them scream and cling tightly to me.

“Hiiik!”

“Waaah! What is that?!”

‘Ack! I can’t breathe!’

We rode the carousel.

The children on the spinning horses waved at Red, who stood nearby.

I also followed the children’s lead and waved at Red.

With a bright smile, Red cheerfully accepted our greetings.

“Unnie, over here!”

“Noonaaa!”

‘Haha….’

Before we knew it, it was already lunchtime.

We decided to eat at a restaurant inside the amusement park, and surprisingly, the prices were quite cheap.

The problem was that the food matched the price—small portions, poor presentation, and most importantly, mediocre taste.

It was, quite literally, an honest establishment.

After leaving the restaurant, Red bought us some snacks to make up for the lacking meal.

Since we were here, we couldn’t miss out on the park’s special snacks.

Cotton candy, churros, hot dogs—treats rarely seen elsewhere.

Of course, they were synthetic food, but they did a decent job mimicking the taste.

The children seemed happier eating snacks than they had been during the meal.

Munch, munch.

While deciding which ride to go on next, we spotted an arcade.

The children showed interest in the arcade.

Of course, unable to contain their curiosity, they walked towards it.

The arcade had games similar to those found at festivals.

From simple play areas to prize-winning games that required a small payment.

"Why don’t you give it a try?"

Red encouraged the children to play a game.

The children exchanged glances before nodding.

The game was simple.

There were moving targets, and players had to throw balls to hit them.

The farther the target, the higher the score, and prizes were awarded based on the points earned.

The game was divided into a children’s version and an adult’s version.

The children’s version was filled with luxurious prizes, while the adult’s version had more ordinary ones.

I glanced at the arcade and let out a small chuckle.

'They rigged the machine.'

The adult version had no issues.

The problem was with the children's version.

There was some kind of trick installed.

Simply put, they had tampered with it to make it impossible to get high scores.

The children threw their balls at the far targets, hoping for high scores.

But every time, a strange wind blew, or the target's movement subtly changed, causing them to miss.

"Damn it, that was so close."

"Ugh, I almost hit it!"

Judging by Red’s furrowed brows, she had also noticed something.

It was an unfair game from the start.

The right thing to do would be to confront the owner, but ruining the fun atmosphere wasn’t ideal.

Still, just ignoring it felt unfair.

If the game wasn't fair, I'd just overturn the board.

I had only planned to watch, but I decided to step in.

I picked up a ball and threw it at the farthest target.

The ball flew straight and struck the distant target.

"Huh?"

The owner’s eyes widened in shock.

On the other hand, the children—

"You hit it!"

"That was amazing!"

Fueled by the children’s cheers, I kept throwing.

Naturally, I hit every far target and achieved the highest score.

First-place prize.

The owner forced a stiff smile and reluctantly handed over the prize.

I could see his temple twitching in frustration.

Heh.

This wasn't over yet.

I asked Red to let me go again.

I participated in the game once more and effortlessly got the highest score again.

Another prize.

Hmm. This still felt lacking.

I kept asking Red for permission and continued, sweeping up all the first-place prizes.

After fully avenging the children—

I held up a V-sign toward them.

The children cheered and swarmed around me.

I could almost hear the owner crying inside.

That’s what you get for rigging the machines.

I got revenge, won prizes, and became the children’s hero—what a satisfying game.

We rode the attractions and played games.

The children happily roamed the amusement park, but suddenly, a commotion broke out somewhere.

Unlike the cheerful music, the noise brought chaos.

A beastman was causing a disturbance.

He looked anxious and afraid.

The beastman shouted in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I have visited this amusement park before! If we stay here, we will all die!!"

He kept repeating the same words.

Many people looked extremely uncomfortable with the beastman’s outburst.

No one wanted to hear something like that while having fun.

Someone, unable to tolerate the beastman’s disturbance, stepped forward.

"What the hell are you saying? This crazy mutt!"

"You have to believe me!"

"If what you're saying is true, then why are you still alive?! And hey, if you knew people would die, why the hell did you come back?!"

Just then, security robots arrived in a hurry and dragged the beastman away.

Even as he was being taken, he kept repeating the same words.

It was an extremely unsettling statement.