The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 206
The High Priest muttered quietly.
“Where did these things come from…?”
His voice was filled with confusion. Irvon was particularly startled since he hadn’t sensed their presence until now. It was rare for him to fail to detect the energy of monsters.
“I’ll purify it for now.”
Just as the High Priest clicked his tongue and clasped his hands together—
“Ah-ah, no cheating!”
“No weird or special powers allowed here!”
Before anyone could react, a clown doll appeared out of thin air.
“Warning, warning!”
Beeeep—!
As soon as the strange clown doll shouted, the bright white light that had been forming in the High Priest’s hands disappeared in an instant.
“…Huh?”
He closed his eyes again and tried to gather the light, but it wouldn’t come.
Roxelyn turned toward the wide-open gate.
She had been here once before, when she was living as a fugitive. After Arma’s death—or, more accurately, after she believed Arma had died—she had fled and ended up in this very forest.
This forest, known as Monsterwood, was a place that no one was allowed to approach.
The famine had begun due to a monster rampage, and the toxic energy from the forest had spread to neighboring villages, causing strange occurrences.
The famine dragged on for quite some time. The Diyanitas Empire found itself in the worst possible situation, fighting both the famine and a war with Kaluta.
Of course, the current emperor seemed to have handled everything with unimaginable power.
‘If what Sansar said is true, then the emperor defeated a direct incarnation of Khan…’
That meant the emperor was not someone to be underestimated.
And the one blamed for both the famine and the monster attacks had been a child.
Beep—!
“Warning!”
Beeeep—!
“Warning!”
Beeeep—!
“Warning!”
The priests stepped back in fear.
Arma, Gerun Wilfred, and Batar all drew their swords.
“…We can’t use the Abyss. Any of its powers.”
The High Priest mumbled as he quickly hid behind Roxelyn.
“…What are you doing?”
The High Priest jingled his ornate jewelry and smiled widely.
“Master, without the Abyss, I’m just a fragile body.”
Such a boast.
Roxelyn shot him a look of disbelief.
Even as Arma dealt with the charging monsters, he didn’t let go of Roxelyn’s hand.
‘…He let go before, though.’
Roxelyn blinked slowly, caught in a strange feeling.
Actually, it wasn’t “before”.
It only happened in the distant future of another world.
Arma, who always stood in front of her while keeping her behind him, had let go of her hand to face the monsters alone.
Each time a monster was cut down, it turned into black mist, and new monsters would be born from the same black mist. The ground began to rot beneath them.
“It seems like they want us to enter. What do you think, Arma?”
“…It’s too dangerous. Absolutely not.”
“We can’t solve anything by staying here.”
“Even so, you must run, even if it means I go in alone.”
Roxelyn stared quietly at the back of Arma’s head.
Back then, all she had seen was his back and broad shoulders.
“I’m not leaving.”
Roxelyn had things to do.
“…Roxelyn?”
“I’m not going to leave you behind.”
“Roxelyn, please don’t be stubborn—”
“I’m not running away alone anymore.”
Roxelyn’s voice was firm.
As Arma hesitated, she turned her head slightly and saw Gerun Wilfred watching her. He shrugged and slid his sword back into its sheath with a smirk.
“I’m tired of running. There’s no need to.”
Roxelyn turned to the others and spoke calmly.
“If you’re not coming with us, I’ll go with Marquis Gerun, and you can stay here.”
She tugged on Gerun Wilfred’s coat.
At that, Arma’s eyes widened. He quickly removed her hand from Gerun’s coat and pulled her back toward him.
“Roxelyn, in situations like this, you’re supposed to ask your partner to come with you, not another man.”
“But it’s more efficient—”
“You’ve got to do it like this now, understood?”
Arma, his face now inches from hers, spoke firmly, leaving Roxelyn no choice but to nod.
Satisfied with her response, Arma held her hand tightly and led her into the maze.
As soon as they stepped inside, the entrance was swallowed by thorny vines, sealing it behind them.
