The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 136

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Episode 6
“I’m giving you a special opportunity to make a donation, old man.”
Rozelin announced this to the unconscious man, wrapping her larceny in a thin veneer of self-justification.
Then she began shoving the remaining food and the various provisions scattered throughout the space into a sack.
Bread went in, butter went in, thick chunks of ham went in.
Strips of jerky and meat wrapped in paper, ham — she dumped them all in carelessly.
“Huh? Do people eat this too?”
Rozelin muttered softly, then tossed in some jewels and bundles of money that had been hidden in a corner.
“Since I’m new to being a beggar, I don’t really know what’s what, so I might as well take everything.”
She announced this helpfully.
Though it was a pity, she had to admit, that her victim was unconscious.
Rozelin stared at the array of dishware displayed on one wall.
Did the Alley Boss have a hobby of collecting crockery?
The place was filthy, yet he kept these things on display — what was the point?
“Hmm, this one looks crude.”
She picked out only the genuine pieces from among the jumble of fakes and originals, pocketing them deftly.
She was just about to hoist the bundle — now nearly as large as herself — onto her shoulders when it happened.
Knock-knock.
The door swung open with the knock.
“Listen, beggar, the Senior Priest is calling for y——”
“…….”
Their eyes met while she was in the middle of adjusting her grip, debating whether to carry the bundle on her head or across her back.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence and stillness hung in the air.
The man — who appeared to be a Knight of the Religious Order — looked at Rozelin, then turned his gaze to the unconscious Boss Beggar.
Rozelin, keeping her mouth shut, glanced back and forth between the Knight and the Boss Beggar, following his lead.
Their eyes met again in empty space.
“…….”
“…….”
Rozelin’s expression darkened.
“It was going to spoil, so I was simply helping him consume it.”
Clink!
A gold coin rolled across the floor through a small tear in the cheap cloth.
“…….”
In unison, Rozelin’s and the Knight’s eyes fixed on the coin.
“He said he was tired and wanted to sleep, so I put him to bed.”
The Knight glanced once at the Boss Beggar — whose head had swollen from the beating, bruised beyond recognition, with clear footprints stamped across his face — then looked back at Rozelin.
“…….”
“You don’t believe me, I see.”
Rozelin sighed as if disappointed.
Boom!
She stomped her foot with force, and the floor beneath her feet creaked ominously before fracturing like ice breaking on a frozen lake.
The cracks spread wider and wider until the entire floor collapsed inward.
Fortunately, the support columns remained intact, so the whole building didn’t come down.
The unconscious Boss Beggar dropped further down along with the collapsing floor.
“……”
The Knight’s shoulders flinched.
How well-known were the rumors about Rozelin?
Tales of a beggar girl wearing a strange string bracelet who possessed extraordinary strength.
Stories of how she could snap trees with a punch, reduce stones to powder with a blow. How ten men once tried to restrain her and all ended up in the hospital……
Though he had never witnessed it firsthand, the Knight had certainly tended to the numerous victims, and now he stood frozen.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
And her temperament — how vile and arrogant it was. Even the Senior Priest didn’t dare cross her lightly.
That was why the girl had earned a nickname.
‘Crazy beggar son of a bitch’ — shortened to ‘Mad Dog’.
Among the Religious Order, a saying had begun to circulate: ‘If you spot the Mad Dog, shut your eyes tight and pretend you saw nothing.’
There was even a rumor of someone who had all four limbs broken and was given a prognosis of six months recovery.
The most terrifying part was that she would do exactly as ordered and then fracture the person’s leg with a casual kick of thanks as she left.
“……Yes?”
And so the Religious Order’s Knight quickly adapted to reality and answered quietly.
There were even rumors circulating that if you encountered Rozelin without a single bone broken, tremendous fortune would surely follow.
“So, do you want to die with your mouth sealed here, or should you pretend you didn’t see me and claim you’ve only just discovered the Boss Beggar attacked by some unknown perpetrator?”
Rozelin, whose otherwise flawless crime had been exposed, gave her counterpart a choice with a rueful air.
She really had no other option.
“Obviously the latter, sir.”
The Knight spoke while hastily stepping aside, his face gone pale.
‘If only the Religious Order would step in and dispose of this insolent little brat themselves…….’
For some reason, orders had come down from above to refrain from excessive use of force whenever possible.
‘Excessive use of force, though—was that even possible?’
He suspected he might actually need to bow his head and ask the girl to go easy on him.
The Knight trembled as he stared blankly down at the shattered floor.
“Well, you understand reason, at least.”
Rozelin nodded.
“Thanks for being considerate.”
The child hoisted a bundle of cloth as tall as herself onto her head and moved to slip past him.
The Knight exhaled a silent sigh of relief, thinking it had ended quietly after all.
“Work hard then.”
She tapped the Knight’s thigh lightly twice.
The problem was that Rozelin’s light taps were solid strikes to anyone else.
“Screeeeeech!!”
The Knight shrieked and rolled across the ground.
“……Oh.”
Rozelin turned her head slightly, her expression etched with consternation.
“Hmm, I held back quite a bit, yet he’s still so fragile.”
She sighed softly, muttering to herself.
‘At least there was no cracking sound, so he might’ve toughened up considerably.’
Recalling the absence of that telltale snap, she opted for optimism—though admittedly, it was optimism of her own making alone.
“……At least if he lost some wind, his bones should still be intact.”
“Ugh…….”
“Train harder from now on.”
With that parting shot, Rozelin hoisted the bundle onto her back and dashed out of the Boss Beggar’s building.
That night, when it came time to sleep, not a single beggar entered the Warehouse in the Religious Order’s building.
It was the first time in the history of the Religious Order.
Failing to meet the quota, then?
That was technically accurate.
The reason was simple: the beggars of the neighborhood were all in the Back Alley throwing a party with the food Rozelin had brought, so none came to the Religious Order at all.
Of course, even if they had gone to meet the Boss Beggar to pay their quota, they wouldn’t have received permission to enter the Warehouse since he was unconscious.
In any case…….
Having caused mayhem and drawn every beggar in the Marquis Territory into her conspiracy, Rozelin surveyed the clear night sky, the scattered refuse and food, and the sprawled beggars strewn about.
She tilted her head back in thought.
“…….”
It was summer.
* * *
Rozelin had become rich.
That is to say, rich among beggars.
First, she had others steal goods and convert them to money.
Of course, the Fence wouldn’t deal with children, so she selected an adult beggar as her errand runner—one satisfied with a mere ten percent commission.
Apparently he had lengthy experience in the beggar’s life and possessed some connections in the underworld; he’d returned with a tidy sum, and she’d given him his ten percent cut.
With the remaining money, Rozelin bought warm blankets, pillows, and food, fashioning herself a small shelter.
The world of beggars was beautifully simple.
First: if you’re strong, no one dares encroach on your territory.
Second: if you give them food, they become cooperative.
Third: if you defeat the strongest one, they grant you leader status.
As a result, Rozelin was able to spread a blanket in a cozy spot deep within the Alley, fashion a pillow, and even construct a small storage space for food.
Once word spread that Rozelin distributed provisions more generously than the Boss Beggar, everyone helped her wholeheartedly.
Standing before her completed, satisfactory shelter, the child gazed down at it with genuine contentment.
“Yes, this will do nicely.”
She nodded in satisfaction, then a fundamental question about what she was actually doing suddenly occurred to her.
‘Wait—if I had money, I should have rented a carriage. What am I…….’
She’d been thinking far too strongly that she needed a somewhat more comfortable life—food, clothing, and shelter.
A sigh escaped her.
“No, first I should head to the Capital…….”
She muttered softly, rubbing her face.
Grimy hands and a grimy face—filthy water smeared off at her touch.
‘Good grief…….’
There was so much to do, and yet here she was, settling into the life of a beggar……
‘At this rate, it’s not so bad.’
Spending her time thinking such things…….
The sudden weight of that realization struck her, and Rozelin let out a long, deflating sigh.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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