A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 213

Chapter 213: One Step (2)

Epherene walked down the passage, its walls shimmering with mana stones and crystals, having no way of knowing when it was built or for what purpose—only that it stretched deep into the unknown.

“Haah... Haah...”

The deeper she went, the more labored her breathing became. The mana was too thick, pressing against her lungs, and her heightened sensitivity only made it worse. Sweat clung to her skin as she pushed forward, one careful step at a time—until, suddenly, her foot touched something slick and wet on the cold, shadowed floor.

“... What is this?” Epherene muttered.

Epherene released her mana, casting a pale blue glow into the darkness, revealing a slick trail of crimson smeared across the cold stone floor.

“... Is it blood?”

It was not just a deep red stain—it was real blood. Epherene stared blankly, tracing the slick trail. At the heart of the underground chamber, a lone chair rested in silence, and as her eyes settled upon it, her eyes slowly widened.

“Professor...?”

Deculein sat in the chair as if he were reading a book, yet the blood pooled across the floor made it clear—something was undeniably wrong, for he would never allow his domain to fall into such disorder.

Gulp—

Epherene swallowed hard and hesitantly approached. At first, only his back was visible, but as she stepped around to face him, her heart pounded violently, and her breath caught in her throat.

“... Professor?”

Seated in his chair, Deculein remained still, his eyes shut and his face drained of all color. Beneath his skin, deep blue veins strained against the surface, stretched tight as if they might burst at any moment.

“Ah...”

Without hesitation, Epherene extended her hand, placing her fingers against Deculein’s neck to feel for a pulse—unsure if warmth still remained in his body.

— Will you not avenge me?

Epherene’s chest quaked as a deep voice resonated from within her heart. Then, as if something had snapped inside her, her body went limp, collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut, her vision blurred, swallowed by a ghostly blue glow. Mana coursed through her fingers, and a blade of light flared sharp from her nails.

And as it brushed against Deculein’s neck, leaving the faintest scratch...

Buzzzzzzzzzz—!

The Wood Steel trembled with an intense vibration, snapping Epherene back to her senses as the haze clouding her vision and her lost consciousness realigned.

“... Oh, Professor!”

Unaware of what she had just done, what she had almost done, or even the strange phenomenon that had occurred within her, Epherene placed a hand on Deculein’s shoulder.

“Prof—”

“Epherene,” Deculein called.

"Oh, you scared me!"

Deculein’s eyes fell upon Epherene, his deep blue eyes veiled in haze yet tranquil, like the quiet depths of an undisturbed sea.

Epherene took a step back, clasping her hands together and asked, “... Professor, are you alright?”

A quiet trace of sympathy colored Epherene’s voice, and a strange emotion swirled through her mind like a veil of mist. Epherene had long known how Deculein’s life would come to an end, yet witnessing his slow decline before her eyes felt oddly lonesome—achingly sorrowful.

Deculein looked toward Epherene in silence.

"I apologize, I really needed to sleep... Oh, but what is that? It looked like a beast's blood. Have you been researching chimeras down here...?" Epherene said, trying to brush past the moment.

At the very least, she didn’t want to embarrass him by making it known that she had seen him in this condition.

“... Professor?”

Even so, Deculein remained silent for a long while.

Is he in a condition where he can't even speak? Is his illness really that serious, or...

“Epherene,” Deculein called.

“... Yes, Professor?” Epherene replied.

Deculein fell silent once more, his eyes unusually heavy with fatigue as he stared at her, as if searching for something—seeing straight through her. Then, without a word, he slowly shook his head.

"Forget it."

"I’ll take care of this," Epherene said, biting her lip as she avoided his eyes, gesturing toward the blood pooled on the floor.

With a single glance, casting Ignition Sight, an advanced spell, Epherene instantly evaporated every drop of blood on the floor. Then, scratching the back of her neck, she turned back to Deculein.

“It’s all... cleaned up.”

The moment she turned back, Deculein’s eyes were closed once more. As she carefully inched closer, she caught the faintest sound of his breathing reaching her ears—meaning that he wasn’t dead, but merely asleep.

"Phew," Epherene murmured, shrugging off her robe and spreading it over the floor before plopping down beside Deculein.

As her breath steadied and her body adapted to the thick mana, Epherene lay back on her robe, seeking a brief moment of rest after a sleepless night—until her eyes returned to Deculein. As she looked at him, the present and future blurred together in her mind—his inevitable death.

A year ago, I would have called it karma. I might have even laughed, clapping at the sight of him like this, Epherene thought.

“Sigh...”

However, now, for some reason, her chest felt tight, sighs slipping free as a faint frown lingered on her face. Yet, it wasn’t hers to blame—nor was it Deculein’s.

“... Good night, Professor," Epherene whispered the words that felt most fitting in the moment—the ones she wished to say to Deculein, knowing he would never hear them.

***

I opened my eyes to the same unbroken darkness, untouched by even the faintest glimmer of light. From below, Epherene’s snores reached my ears, pulling my eyes toward her.

Snore... Snore...

It seemed she had tossed and turned in her sleep—Epherene’s hair was a tangled mess, her robe, once laid out like a sheet, had been flung far away, and she now lay sprawled sideways on the hard floor.

If she was just going to sleep like that, what was the point of laying her robe down on the floor in the first place? I thought.

I watched her, sprawled out like some wild animal, as my thoughts wandered back to the sudden current in the air from last night.

“... Death variable,” I muttered.

Epherene had, without a doubt, intended to kill me, and for a brief moment, she unleashed an overwhelming death variable. It was unlike any threat I had ever encountered—dozens of times more potent, more certain. Even now, that death variable remained within her, the power to end me, just waiting for the right moment.

But this was something I had long come to terms with. If I had feared retribution, I would have never kept her by my side. Deculein had wronged both this child and her father, and her resentment would likely never fade.

"Get it... kill it...” Epherene mumbled in her sleep.

It must have been a dream of some significance that she was having, I thought, shaking my head.

"It doesn’t matter. Even if you defeat me one day... Roahawk... come here, you round little thing..."

I took a moment to assess my condition.

[Completed: Mana Quality Enhancement (Level 3)]

The effects of Mana Quality Enhancement were undeniable. My mana channels felt clearer, and the energy coursed through them with newfound speed. If before they had been simple wires, now they were fiber optics—faster, sharper, and infinitely more refined.

Of course, since it had been a rushed reconstruction, the pain had yet to fade. Each time I activated my mana, searing ache flared—splintering my bones, setting fire to my insides. But this was a pain I could bear.

“... Let’s see,” I muttered.

Next, I assessed my magic’s output. Starting with the simplest spell—Telekinesis—I extended my hand toward the crystalline wall of mana stones before me.

Hummmmm...

A shimmering mirage rippled in my grasp, distorting the very air around it. This was no ordinary Telekinesis—it was a force of an entirely different scale. The power radiating from it was overwhelming, so much so that even I, who had wielded Telekinesis as naturally as breathing, found it difficult to control.

Crack—!

A chunk of the wall tore free and landed in my grasp. I blinked at the blue fragments, then at the jagged gash left behind, before looking back at the shards once more. The finest crystals and mana stones were known for their formidable resistance to magic—yet they had crumbled as if crushed beneath a titan’s grip.

“Ah! What was that?!” Epherene yelped, jolting upright. “W-Who’s there?!”

Epherene, her eyes barely open from the crust of sleep, blinked drowsily as she glanced around the room.

“... Get up,” I commanded.

That same pathetic look remained on her face, but a quiet question began to creep into my mind.

Was the Epherene I saw last night really Epherene? I thought.

"Epherene, who permitted you to come here?"

“... But, Professor, you always tell me to come to you when I need to sleep—”

"Clean the sleep from your eyes."

“Oh,” Epherene muttered, casting Cleanse to wipe her face. “You always told me to come to you whenever I needed sleep—”

“We’re leaving,” I said as I stepped out of the cave with Epherene.

“Yawwwwn...”

Epherene walked beside me, the same as ever. Just as oblivious, just as tired—yawning with her mouth stretched wide, looking all the more pathetic.

“Oh? It’s raining,” Epherene muttered.

Drip— Plop,plop—

“Hmm~”

“Hmm?” Epherene muttered, blinking and tilting her head in confusion.

“Oh... Umm...”

Tap— Tap, tap—

Why does she take her answer and run? Is it just the nature of a pseudo-aristocrat? I thought.