A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Name (1)

Heavy clouds devoured the dark sky, and a constant rain fell without end. Mist rose from the ground, curling through hollows that had turned into pools of thick sludge. Boots sank deep into the muck, swallowed by the weight of waterlogged earth. In the thick of the storm, a child ran—mud splashing with every step—chasing a familiar woman disappearing into the rain.

Splat, splat—

The world was hidden beneath the cold rain, and the distance ahead felt unreachable. Each step was small, swallowing the child's feet again and again. However, the child moved forward without hesitation. And at the very end—finally—small fingers reached out and gripped someone's hand.

When both of their footsteps came to a stop, the child, heart trembling, slowly raised their head to meet someone's eyes—and that woman, too, returned the look toward the child.

In that moment, fear crept into the child’s heart. The child didn’t know what the woman might say, whether she would let go of the hand or just turn and walk away. But to the child trembling in silence, the woman offered a gentle smile—and spoke in a warm and kind way.

“... Sylvia.”

The child—Sylvia—rushed into her mother’s arms, overwhelmed with joy. The warmth that enveloped her was so full, so real, it reached her heart and quietly melted the walls she didn’t know she’d built. Sylvia tried to hold back the tears, but in the end, they came.

“Don’t cry, sweetie~ What’s wrong, hmm? Everything’s going to be just fine.”

The rain no longer reached them, as one umbrella stretched above, sheltering mother and child. Beneath it, they stood—together now, and together always...

“He’s coming, sweetie. Everything’s going to be alright.”

At her mother’s voice, Sylvia finally opened her eyes wide.

***

Whooooosh—!

A storm was raging across the sea, and the boat rocked like mad over waves that twisted and rose like dragons. We were seconds from capsizing as the engine had been wrecked long ago, so I had no choice but to steer using only Telekinesis.

“Professor—! We’re all going to die out hereeeee—!”

“Silence yourself,” I said.

“Aaaah—! I’m going to drown! Ahh!” Epherene screamed, grabbing onto me as the boat rocked violently beneath the crashing waves.

Boom—

A sudden shock slammed into the boat, and Epherene threw her arms around my waist, holding on tightly as if the sea might tear her away.

“... Ghk—cough—!”

Even mages, at times, were completely helpless, especially in moments like this, when a storm roared with mana. Dense currents of magic distorted the air, disrupting any spell before it could materialize, while the sea’s limitless mana dismantled whatever we tried to cast.

Even in a world where knights and mages ruled with strength and sorcery, there were still forces of nature far beyond human reach.

“Hey! Ovah heah, Deculein!”

At that moment, a voice rang out, and in the distance, a massive ship appeared, cutting through the waves and heading straight toward us.

Hoooonk—

The ship's horn blared through the air, deep enough to rattle in my chest and leave my ears ringing.

“Y’alright?!”

“Are you unharmed, Professor?!”

As the knight touched down above and a mage’s voice rang out, I raised the boat with Telekinesis and guided it up onto the ship’s deck.

Thud—!

That single motion drained five hundred mana in a single breath.

“Wooooaaaah—!” Epherene screamed.

Moments later, knights and mages rushed to our side.

“Y’alright, Deculein?!”

“... Rogerio,” I said. “It’s you.”

"Yah!"

Even through the fog and dark, I caught a subtle glimpse of pink hair. I brushed my damp hair back and took a look around.

“Delic,” I called.

"Yes, Professor. This is Delic. I'm glad you're safe!" Delic replied. _{freёwebnovel.com}

Including Delic, there were roughly twenty knights in total.

“Let’s get ya inside first... but hey, she awright?” Rogerio asked.

“Who are you referring to?” I asked.

“Talkin’ ‘bout the one hangin’ to ya like a koala strapped to your back.”

It took me a moment to look down at my waist, and Epherene was holding onto me like a frightened koala, her face drained of color, her lips pale blue, and her whole body shaking.

“So how long were ya floatin’ out there?”

I walked the day backward in my thoughts.

It was raining before we even left the western coast, and after that, it was nothing but fog and storms. Therefore...

“It’s been about a day—”

“You kiddin’ me?! She’s been out there like that all freakin’ day? That poor kid’s barely holdin’ it together!”

***

Clink—

In the ship’s cabin, an escort knight placed a teacup on the table. Steam curled from the green tea, and Epherene, wrapped in a blanket, pale and trembling, reached out and cupped it in both hands, holding onto its warmth.

“Aww, look at you—worried ‘bout ya lil’ protégé?” Rogerio said with a chuckle.

I gave Rogerio a look, letting silence do the talking.

“... Sorry? Worried about who?” Epherene asked, blinking up at Rogerio.

Epherene's voice was so hoarse, it barely made it out.

“Ya see the way the Prof was lookin’ at ya just now was like—mmph!”

“That’s enough,” I said.

"Mmph! Mmmph!"

“Next time, I tape the nose too,” I said, smoothing the Duct Tape over Rogerio’s mouth as she squirmed around.

"... Mmph.”

I stripped the Duct Tape off her mouth.

“Wow... save somebody and that’s the thanks ya get,” Rogerio muttered, rubbing her lips. “Anyway, this weathah’s hittin’ wicked hard, huh? Somethin’s off. This’s the west coast, right? Why’s the mana storm blowin’ like it’s hell breakin’ loose?”

“Will the ship hold against it?” I inquired.

"’Course she’ll hold. Who d'ya think built her? The world could split in half, but my ship’d still be floatin’."

Slurp—

As Epherene sipped her tea, I turned to the window. Beyond the fog, the Island of the Voice loomed—faint as a shadow rising from the sea.

“There's no freakin’ way we’re gettin’ in there," Rogerio muttered.

“... How strange.”

I sat with the thought for a moment. The Voice was never a quest that followed a single path—it could shift at any time. This wasn’t a game anymore, and in a world that warped with every variable, even certainty felt like chance. However...

"It can only flourish by welcoming the living," I muttered.

Demons couldn’t exist without humans. Without people, there were no demons. In a world of only demons, they’d be human by contrast. Therefore, the reason the Voice desired to welcome mankind was simple—human beings were the conduit through which its power could spread.

“Right? I know demons pretty well. What in the world is this one smokin’?”

“No, the Voice is clever."

A demon is made of three elements—physical form, phenomena, and concept—and the Voice manifests all three. It couldn’t exist without being extraordinarily manipulative...

“Or perhaps...”

A sudden thought struck me out of nowhere.

"It’s already taken what it wanted," I concluded.

“Something that it wanted?” Rogerio asked.

“Indeed.”

Then what, exactly, is it that it wants? I thought.

“... Then what d’ya think the Voice wanted?”

Epherene turned her eyes to me, her curiosity silent yet clear.

"It will neither be profound nor pure. Demons were never made for higher matters."

Then its purpose must be...

"To let its power wash over the continent and completely take form as a demon," I said.

"... And? Are ya tellin’ me the Voice already got what it wanted?" Rogerio asked.

"It’s possible that the Voice has already found the catalyst it wanted."

“Catalyst?”

A name surfaced in my thoughts—faint at first, then anchoring itself with quiet certainty.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeek...”

“Wow. Ria, is this really the unconscious world~?” Ganesha said.

This really makes me feel it—that this world isn’t a game—or at the very least, it’s not one anymore. Events I would probably never even think of, things not written in any scenario, just come crashing in out of nowhere... Ria thought.

"Right~? Oh, look over there. There's a village," Ganesha said, pointing past the horizon.

It really is strange. I’m actually hungry right now. And when I eat here, I feel full—like actually full. Even though this should be nothing more than the unconscious world.

“Hehehehe, why are you eyeballin’ me like I keyed your car,” Jackal said with a grin.

“Umm~ You know. Somethin’s way off about this place—like, not just kinda weird, I mean hella weird,” Jackal said, his tone taking on an unusually serious edge.

“... Haha, you little—”

“Yo, so dig this—I step out, come back, and boom!” Jackal said, pulling something from his pocket.

Isn’t the creation of a magical space something only an archmage can achieve? Of course, Deculein’s element properties are fire and earth—both foundational elements of land—but still...