Translator: Nox

The Baddest Villainess Is Back

Chapter 43

Chapter 43

* * *

Time flowed swiftly, and the day to return from Kaluta to the Empire approached.

“Thanks for the advice, Rin. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to prepare in advance.”

Roselyn paused at Khan's words, which reached her just before departure.

‘How many times in my life have I actually heard someone say thank you?’

Roselyn was swept away by a sudden, unfamiliar feeling.

Strictly speaking, Roselyn had simply used the information she knew to gain favor. She needed that favor for her own benefit.

“I hope Kaluta remains safe.”

Several responses like "it was nothing" or "it's fine" came to mind, but in the end, what she let slip from the tip of her tongue was a small piece of sincerity.

“Yes, I hope so too. I trust you will convey the message well to the Emperor of Dianitas.”

“Yes. I am the one who is more grateful that you’ve allowed such good people to accompany me on this journey,” Roselyn said calmly.

As a token of their pact, the Khan of Kaluta had provided her with an advance party.

Though it took the form of a small, unofficial diplomatic delegation, it was actually a symbol that Kaluta would open diplomatic relations with the Empire in the future.

Those accompanying Roselyn were individuals with superior smelting skills even within Kaluta, sent ahead specifically for the Bellion Ducal House.

There were seven people in total: five Kalutans, Batar acting as the guide, and Naryan.

Even for Khan Haliona, sending her own daughter and the next Khan of Kaluta could not have been an easy choice.

Roselyn knew that it was no light matter.

“I am the one who should thank you for trusting us.”

“I simply chose to trust my own eyes. You are a trustworthy person. Enough that I would trust you with my back.”

At the Khan's words, Roselyn smiled silently.

“And I am never wrong.”

Roselyn nodded at the confident voice.

“I will also strive to keep that faith.”

She replied and turned her body.

“Roselyn! I’ll lead the way.”

Arma, who had been waiting for the conversation to end, naturally took her hand and pulled her along.

Roselyn stared blankly at her hand held by Arma.

‘He has calluses.’

The hand holding hers firmly was just as it had been before. Which meant Arma had hands like this even before he died protecting her.

‘Did he really die?’

She blinked slowly.

Somehow, she now felt there was a high probability that he hadn't.

Back then, Roselyn had been a fugitive, so she hadn't gone back. She couldn't have even if she wanted to.

So, aside from the news of his death announced by the Imperial Family, she had no way of knowing whether Arma was alive or dead. It meant she hadn't witnessed his corpse with her own eyes.

‘Come to think of it, I didn't even know what kind of Abyss he possessed.’

She knew he had an Abyss. But Arma had never told her, and Roselyn had never asked.

Once, Roselyn had liked Arma. She probably still did.

They say that when you fall in love, your heart pounds, your vision turns white, your ears ring, and you become unable to think of anything.

But Roselyn’s love wasn't such a dramatic or grand thing. For her, love arrived faintly.

It was a feeling she hadn't even recognized while he was by her side.

She only realized its preciousness after losing him. And even then, it was only after a long time had passed that she belatedly realized it was love. She realized she had been loved.

Yet Roselyn continued her daily life even after losing Arma. Even after realizing it was love, she breathed and lived on perfectly fine.

In most stories, losing a loved one makes it feel like you're dying or that it's hard to breathe, but it wasn't like that.

However, he would suddenly come to mind when she was eating, or when she felt lonely or sick.

To her, love was something that branched out from the kindness of someone being there when needed.

It was something that seeped in from the kind person who remained by her side when everyone else had left.

After chewing over the past events, Roselyn reached one conclusion.

‘…He was alive.’

The assassins Roselyn had seen were certainly strong, but not as strong as the Kalutans.

A Kalutan could break a massive tree with a fist, but those assassins couldn't even cut a tree with a sword.

‘……I was simply abandoned.’

Roselyn blinked once at the truth she had realized too late.

“……But why six months?”

“Because it's a condition that we settle our feelings for each other after six months.”

“…….”

Maybe there was no need to say those things yesterday.

The Arma of that world had chosen freedom over staying with Roselyn. So the Arma of this world was also likely to choose freedom over her someday.

Thinking that way cleared her head.

“……Roselyn?”

“Yes.”

“You look like you're in a good mood. Did something good happen?”

“I just think the things I'm planning will work out better than expected.”

Roselyn shrugged.

If Roselyn had regrets, the first was the hand of Aegis Vellion that she had coldly pushed away, and the second was not being able to stop Arma Dianitas from blocking her path that day and dying in his place.

The first regret would mostly end with winning the bid for the Ollang Mine and finalizing the deal with Kaluta.

As for the second regret, since she realized she didn't even need to worry about it in the first place, why wouldn't she be happy?

Once she cleared all her regrets, Roselyn wanted to leave for a place where no one knew her and rest.

No matter how much she was re-choosing the wrong choices of the past, it didn't mean Roselyn’s world would return to the way it was.

Regrets would still remain regrets, and the lump in her heart would not be erased until the moment she died.

“Is that so? That’s good then.”

Arma replied with a smile to Roselyn’s appearance.

He assumed it was because the matter with Kaluta had been resolved well.

“Ah! Roselyn, please just call me Arma. It’s strange for lovers not to call each other by their names.”

As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; Arma sought to change their titles first to close the distance with Roselyn.

“I will, Arma.”

At Roselyn’s compliant answer, Arma’s face brightened.

* * *

Time flowed quickly.

The journey back to the Empire was about halfway finished as they arrived in Randarin, the city of trade.

The city they reached to relieve their travel fatigue was quite rigid and fierce in its atmosphere.

An acrid smell of burning filled the surroundings thickly.

It was said to be because a nearby village had been completely burned down overnight.

It seemed they were searching all the surrounding villages to root out the culprit.

‘……Has the arsonist already started acting?’

Roselyn frowned at the landscape where ash, coming from who knew where, settled like white snowflakes on roofs and leaves alike.

‘It’s faster than expected.’

Then again, human memory isn't that great, so one couldn't remember ten years of memories down to every single day.

One just remembers roughly that such things happened around this time.

That was why the process of reading various newspapers to fit the details together and assemble the fragments was necessary.

To find differences from her memory, identify parts that differed from this world, and reduce the margin of error.

“How bothersome.”

Roselyn let out a sigh.

But this arson case was something Roselyn had to resolve.

She left her inn room and headed down the stairs to the first floor. It was to get a newspaper.

She could have called the maids, but even that was too much trouble.

‘……I have to stop Randarin from burning down.’

The ash currently drifting in the air contained poison.

‘Is Gerran moving as well?’

They say Corpse Poison forms wherever there are bodies. Let alone when it was a terrorist act by an arsonist.

Ash containing the screams of living beings burned alive.

Certain grudges sometimes leave behind their curse even in death. And this ash contained Corpse Poison.

Someone had forcibly created ash containing Corpse Poison. Soon, it would become the source of the Stone Epidemic throughout the Empire.

It was while she was walking, looking at the floor, deep in thought. Suddenly, her body swayed heavily and was pushed back.

In the moment she tilted, off-balance.

“Whoops.”

With a low exclamation, someone caught Roselyn by the waist to support her.

“Sorry, sorry. Are you all right, young lady?”

The person straightened her up and quickly let go.

“I didn't see you because I was thinking about something else.”

A subtle scent wafted from the man who was scratching his head awkwardly.

“……No, I was also at fault, so it's fine.”

It was the scent of the fire demon.