The Baddest Villainess Is Back
Chapter 36
The man who had been posing as the ‘Khan’ while speaking with Roselyn until just a moment ago approached her with a towel in hand.
As he rubbed her hair with the towel, the red dye coloring her locks vanished, revealing her original silvery hair.
Covering only her chest with fabric and wearing short trousers, she was draped in flowing silk.
Adorned with all sorts of ornaments hanging from her forearms and wrists like a flamboyant dancer, she looked at a glance like a woman favored by a king.
However, those accessories were likely made entirely of Soul Stones on the inside.
She required that many ornaments to suppress her abilities.
“I’ve heard of it before,” Roselyn replied.
“From whom?”
“From the Sansar I just mentioned.”
Upon hearing Roselyn’s words, the woman smiled silently and rubbed her chin.
She was a beautiful woman.
Despite being middle-aged, an aura of sensuality seemed to flow from her entire body.
Is this what it feels like to be enchanted by someone?
Roselyn felt that if she let her guard down even slightly, she would be bewitched by her and want to say anything.
She was the most attractive woman Roselyn had ever seen in her life.
The woman burst into laughter and tilted her head slightly.
“Did Sansar also tell you why only a woman can become the Khan?”
At the question laced with amusement, Roselyn gave a small nod.
“I heard that the power passed down to the ‘Khan’ can only be fully wielded by a woman… so the strongest woman in the tribe is chosen as the Khan.”
And to protect such a Khan from the outside world, the strongest man was installed as the Chieftain to act as the public ‘Khan.’
This was a fact that no one knew except for the Kaluta people.
In other words, the man who had been acting as the ‘Khan’ until just now was a public decoy meant to protect her.
A living shield who could die at any moment if luck ran out.
The woman, who had been listening quietly to Roselyn’s words, burst into a hearty laugh.
Straightening her posture from her slouched position, she gave a smirk and raised her index finger.
“Correct. But there’s one more reason.”
“……A reason?”
“The god we serve was born in a male form but longed to be female. So, it’s said he went about adorned in a feminine appearance.”
Roselyn’s expression became subtle.
The woman continued.
“You know that the Kaluta tribes unified and formed the nation of ‘Kaluta,’ right?”
“Yes.”
“But long before that, we who were called ‘Barbarians’ were all wanderers, the ‘Luta.’”
As she brought up the uncomfortable topic so nonchalantly, Roselyn maintained her composure and nodded.
“And every ‘Luta’ has a god they serve. We have a solitary god.”
“A solitary god?”
“Yes, and that god’s name is passed down like this.”
Vivid green eyes that had not faded at all despite her age looked directly at Roselyn.
“Sansar.”
Roselyn faltered.
The woman—the ‘Khan’s’—eyes curved into crescents, and Roselyn fell silent.
“……Wait a moment. A god? That’s so nonsensical……”
“It’s only natural that it’s hard to believe. I don’t find it very credible myself. But some of the things you told me are things that could never be known by an outsider.”
Looking into Roselyn’s bewildered red eyes, the ‘Khan’ spoke again.
“Did he happen to leave any other words?”
Roselyn frowned.
“Just that if a day ever comes when I need help, I should go to Kaluta……”
And…….
Roselyn’s brow furrowed.
“And……”
The more she dwelled on the blurred memory, the clearer it became.
“If a day ever comes when you need help, go to Kaluta. Learning this language and my name will be of help.”
“Thank you.”
“In exchange, Rose. If something miraculous ever happens to you one day, help my Kaluta.”
“……What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I want those children to experience a wider world. I hope they live on like that instead of perishing.”
“……Lady Leon!”
“What on earth have you been talking about since earlier……?”
“In exchange, I’ll share my power with you. When your Abyss blooms one day, my power will blossom with it.”
“Just what is……”
“What you all call the Abyss. The power that stems from the …… of the Deep.”
“……Sansar?”
“Roselyn!!”
Roselyn’s eyes snapped open at the sound of someone calling her name.
The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a vast expanse of sea…… or so it seemed, but it was actually a pair of blue eyes.
Startled, she blinked, her mouth tightly shut.
“……3rd Prince?”
With his face so close, Roselyn took a deep breath and spoke haltingly.
“Thank goodness……”
Letting out a long sigh, Arma pulled Roselyn into an embrace.
Roselyn flinched.
“……Did I do something?”
“You suddenly froze as if you’d fainted and wouldn’t move, so……”
Roselyn awkwardly raised her hand to pat Arma’s back a couple of times before pulling away.
“I’m fine.”
As she shifted her body slightly, Arma’s body belatedly stiffened.
Watching him retreat hurriedly, she let out a low laugh and turned her head.
“I apologize for the lapse.”
“No, it’s fine. Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, it’s just…… a conversation with Sansar suddenly came to mind.”
Roselyn narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Sansar? It seems he left more words than just telling you to go to Kaluta.”
“I think he said he hoped I would help Kaluta one day.”
Roselyn answered, lightly affirming his words.
Out of the many things said, Roselyn only shared what she could.
……The Deep? And the blooming of the Abyss?
That sounded as if Roselyn had an Abyss as well.
No, it sounded like he was certain of it.
But as far as Roselyn knew, she was powerless. She had lived her life believing she was a non-awakened.
A weakling with only power, born with a frail body that could die at any moment.
“You, helping us?”
The woman let out a voice laced with light laughter, but her gaze was sharp.
“Why, did Sansar say we would perish at some point?”
Roselyn faltered at the Khan’s words.
Come to think of it, Kaluta was destined to perish.
If Roselyn hadn’t rescued her son, Batar.
And if she hadn’t captured the culprit who had kidnapped and tried to kill Batar.
They were destined to be destroyed by the outbreak of war.
“Perhaps that was the case.”
Roselyn spoke calmly.
At that, a sharp edge directed itself toward her.
“Anyway, let’s get to the point, Khan.”
Roselyn spoke, trying her best not to show that her head was throbbing.
“His Majesty the Emperor wishes to form an alliance with Kaluta. He also wishes to open a trade route.”
At her words, the Khan’s expression became even more disinterested.
Resting her chin on her hand, the Khan wiped away the pleasant expression she had shown until a moment ago and looked at Roselyn with a clearly condescending gaze.
“There is no benefit for us in opening the borders. Rather, it would only expose our lands, which have been unknown territory until now, to our enemies. We are self-sufficient, so we have lived without lacking anything.”
“……”
“So no matter how many times you come and speak, the stories you bring are merely boring tales of invaders to us.”
Listening to the Khan’s arrogant words, which were grounded in sufficient reason, Roselyn shifted her gaze to the Princess of Kaluta, Naryan.
The girl who had been smiling brightly was now watching Roselyn with a mysterious smirk.
……It seems she is the next Khan.
And it was clear that the boy known publicly as the Vice Chief was the next Chieftain.
“Khan, as history proves, the transition from an invader to the weak happens faster than one might think.”
Roselyn wore her usual bright, mocking smile.
The Khan’s brow twitched once.
“Shall I be honest?”
“……”
“At this rate, Kaluta will perish within ten years.”
Roselyn tapped the table with her fingertip.
“And if I were the invader…… I think I would target the next leader first.”
Roselyn’s gaze landed on Naryan.
Simultaneously…….
Crash!
The table the Khan struck with her fist split in half and shattered.
“……”
Roselyn was quietly terrified, though she didn’t show it.
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
That day, the negotiations ended inconclusively.
