The Baddest Villainess Is Back
Chapter 49
Chapter 49
“You look like you know what it is.”
At Roselyn’s question, Gerran froze for a moment. After a beat, he replied with his usual composure.
“……I happen to have a great interest in mythology.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You’ve gotten your hands on something precious. Shall I try to guess what you intend to do with it?”
“Forget that. You should hurry and regroup with the others.”
“And what about you?”
“I’m going to test this out.”
Roselyn said, lightly shaking the bead in her hand.
“……By yourself?”
“And if I am?”
“……You really are a clumsy person.”
“I don’t want to hear that from a man who was about to die because he got dumped by his wife every single day.”
Gerran looked at Roselyn and let out a short laugh.
“I’ll help you.”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re thinking.”
“I feel the same. On that note, I’d like to make a proposal. What do you think?”
“What is it?”
“Would you ever consider becoming my daughter?”
A heavy silence settled in the darkness.
“……Crazy bastard.”
Slam-!
The door shut.
“Is this what puberty is like……?”
Gerran chuckled lowly, opened the firmly closed door, and followed her out.
The city was already half-swallowed by the fire.
* * *
Rumble—.
The flat ground surged upward.
Screams erupted from all directions. People fleeing were helpless before the flames that began to whirl around them.
Cherti clicked his tongue lowly.
“Bring Roselyn and keep your distance from here.”
He muttered fiercely.
He intended to melt the rising earth with poison.
Cherti placed his palm against the wall. His hand, stained purple, instantly began to dissolve the earth that had risen like a barrier.
The problem was…….
“……The restoration is fast.”
Melting it was all well and good, but soil and earth were infinite. Even when he created a hole, it restored itself in less than three seconds.
It was far too short a time for people to escape through.
‘If I use more power, I could create a sufficient gap, but…….’
His ability was poison.
Escaping himself wouldn’t be an issue. He could simply carry Roselyn out in his arms, so that was fine.
He even had an antidote.
‘……But only for one person.’
He could save exactly one person.
‘……And this is an Abyss.’
This wasn't a mere natural disaster or a terrorist attack by some group of the powerless; it was arson caused by an Abyss.
Moreover, someone had deliberately set out to burn everyone in the town alive.
So that no one could escape.
That was likely why the reports mentioned the soil being churned into a chaotic mess everywhere.
‘Earth and fire. At least two types of Abyss.’
It was unclear whether one person was using two Abyss abilities or if it was a joint crime by two people, but it was a headache either way.
The town’s exit was a sea of people, crowded and chaotic.
“Move! Get out of the way!!”
“You nobles, get out of the way!!”
“Hey, are you crazy! To the nobles……”
“Who cares! Don’t you know it’s over if we die?! Dammit, dammit!”
All sorts of noises erupted from the panicked crowd.
Cherti, who found the noise incredibly irritating, frowned.
The restoration was fast. If they used their Abyss, they could probably escape.
‘I could get myself and Roselyn out, but…….’
The others were a lost cause.
Furthermore, the solid walls made of earth were rising higher and higher. It looked as if they intended to swallow this entire massive city.
Cherti watched the walls as they climbed toward the sky. The rising barriers were gradually curving to form a dome, as if to create a giant prison.
“Little Duke Cherti!”
The knight who had gone to fetch Roselyn came running back.
His face was pale, reflecting tension, predicament, and terror.
Sensing a sudden surge of unease, Cherti scowled.
“What is it?”
“I-I’m sorry! Lady Roselyn is nowhere to be seen.”
“……What?”
He froze.
Dozens of emotions swirled in an instant within his wide-open eyes.
“……Since when.”
“Pardon?”
“Since when has she been missing……?”
At the sound of his half-dazed voice, the knight squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head, hurriedly adding an explanation.
“That is, I only just confirmed it……”
“…….”
“I clearly saw her board the carriage and closed the door myself. But when I opened it just now……”
“Get lost.”
With a deathly pale face, Cherti roughly shoved the knight’s chest.
The knight saw the purple poison melting his armor and screamed, hurriedly stripping it off and throwing it aside.
“Your Grace! Where are you going, Your Grace!”
The knight blinked in confusion.
Pale-faced, Cherti ran toward the direction of the fire.
“I’ll go after the Little Duke, so you lot find a way out of here. Otherwise……”
Arma smiled brightly.
“You’ll all be roasted alive.”
The frail man who whispered with a smiling face vanished in an instant.
“……3rd Prince?”
The knight’s mouth hung open.
Was that really the same 3rd Prince who was ridiculed by his older brothers and other nobles for being weak and timid?
“Why…… did he look so angry?”
The knight muttered blankly.
It was a gaze so cold it made his spine tingle. Even though the prince had been smiling as usual, he was terrifying.
‘……Was I mistaken?’
Perhaps he felt that way because the situation was so dire.
“Fuck, why can’t anyone break through here?! Didn’t you bastards come here to protect me? How can the Imperial Knights be this pathetic?! Once we get out of here, you’re all fired! Dammit……!”
On one side, the 2nd Prince, Yuldian, was whipping his head around with a fiercely distorted face.
Faced with death, his agitation and panic were evident.
‘Shit, where the hell did that idiot and that fox-like woman go at a time like this?’
He didn’t care whether his stupid brother lived or died, but he wanted to avoid the lady dying.
The deal with Kaluta had been entirely led by her. If she died here, the hard-won peace might fall apart.
In the first place, Kaluta, which had been isolationist for a long time, had sent people as a token of peace; their deaths could escalate into a major international incident.
‘……This is driving me crazy.’
Yuldian ruffled his hair aggressively.
Whether he made it out alone or failed to escape at all, the future looked bleak.
“Darling, don’t worry. I’ll step in if I have to. I will definitely protect you.”
Suddenly, a low voice drifted into his ear.
A small hand reached out and neatly straightened Yuldian’s messy hair.
“I protect what’s mine. You’re my man, so I’ll protect you.”
“My head is about to explode, don’t talk crazy—”
Boom!
Crash-!
Thud-!
K-boom-!
One side of the wall let out several thunderous roars before finally collapsing.
A large hole was torn open.
When Yuldian turned his head, he saw the Kalutans lightly dusting off their fists.
“It’s sturdier than I thought.”
“You should’ve eaten more. How are you going to get anything done being this weak?”
“Shut up and let’s get the luggage out first.”
Through the gap large enough for a person to pass, they began moving the horses and the luggage brought from Kaluta.
“There we go. Out you go, move it.”
While they were slapping the horses’ rumps to send them out, Yuldian stood with his mouth agape.
He stiffly turned his head back to look at Naryan.
Naryan smiled purely.
“I didn’t hear you earlier. So, what was that about 'crazy talk'?”
“……Ah, I said I would absolutely never talk crazy.”
Yuldian’s lips moved blankly.
The hole the Kalutans had punched was instantly restored by falling soil. Seeing this, they simply threw their fists again to open it back up.
‘……A hole like that could end up in my stomach too.’
Yuldian shuddered and quietly looked away.
“Hey! Line up and get out in order.”
The Kalutans jerked their heads toward the crowd.
Since they could escape whenever they wanted anyway, they shouted at the citizens of the Empire, who were dripping with sweat as the air inside grew thin.
“……Kalutans?”
“Those monsters who are said to eat humans……?”
“Hah……? What the hell are these insignificant runts babbling about now……”
Seeing the Kalutan snort and clench his fist, Yuldian’s eyes sharpened.
‘These lunatics……!’
Yuldian stepped forward.
“These are precious guests who have agreed to a friendly relationship with us! I will not tolerate any rudeness!!”
Thinking that those trembling fists might accidentally pierce his own stomach, Yuldian screamed.
“Follow their instructions and get out of here this instant! Do you not want to live?! It’s an order!”
“Who are you, kid?!”
“I am the 2nd Prince of this Dianitas Empire, Yuldian Dianitas.”
At Yuldian’s chilling words, the people’s eyes widened, and they began to move hesitantly.
They might look down on Kalutans or nobles, but they could not disregard the Imperial Family.
“L-Let’s go!”
People began to filter out through the hole the Kalutans had made.
Once they saw no hostile intent from the Kalutans, even those who were initially wary began to flee faster.
However, the number of people who could pass through the opened hole was limited to about five at a time.
That was how fast the soil was restoring itself.
“Aww…… this isn't right. That’s cheating~. This is really annoying……”
A languid voice drifted from outside the earthen dome.
Whoosh—.
“Aaaaaagh!!”
Simultaneously, the bodies of those who had escaped outside the dome caught fire, and horrific screams erupted.
“What is this now……!”
Fire also caught on the body of Sanja, who had come from Kaluta.
“Sanja!”
Batar, who was directing the Kalutans, shouted.
