A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283: Theory of Relativity (2)

In the Magical Realm, the term Academia referred both to the scholarly community centered on the mysteries of magic and to the networked library system run by the continent’s Mage Towers, which was bound together by a magical archive—something like a central server—that connected ideas across regions like a magical intranet.

Any thesis submitted to Academia became accessible to every mage across the continent who could read, criticize, debate, or cite it, and if the work held up under examination it would be recognized as a formal theory with copyright protection, but if it failed it would be shelved away in the library, lost beneath innumerable other forgotten papers.

“... With all due respect, Professor, you’ve been too soft on her,” Relin said in a voice heavy with meaning. “We all know Epherene’s not just any student—she’s your late assistant’s daughter.”

Today, the Head Professor’s office on the 77th floor was busier than ever, packed with more visitors than usual.

“However, that has led to too many things being overlooked. But this thesis—this one crossed the line. There’s no room left for compassion now.”

Relin, Ihelm, and even Louina—said to be one of the most respected professors in the Mage Tower—were all present.

“Epherene was never fit to be your protégé, Professor, let alone one worthy of the Yukline name, and she lacks the talent, the discipline, and the merit. It’s time you made a decision—”

“We’ll convene the Personnel Committee,” I interrupted, silencing Relin before he could say another word.

Back when Epherene was just an undergrad at the Mage Tower, she had already been dragged before the Disciplinary Committee. The Personnel Committee was a whole other level because professors, board members, and even the Chairwoman had to sign off, representing the essence of a harsh society that chose order over compassion.

“The... Personnel Committee, Professor?” Relin replied, the words catching in his throat—even he, who had demanded decisive action, was shocked.

Louina’s eyes widened.

“Why the surprise? In our line of work, even mentors and protégés have spilled each other’s blood more times than we can count. But—are you sure about this, Head Professor?” Ihelm said with a chuckle.

“For one who submits a thesis such as this, nothing less will do,” I said, pointing to Epherene’s work with my finger.

Proper Integration of Magic and Science : Cooperative Advancement

“The severity of the discipline will depend on her attitude and her defense,” I added with a gesture, signaling that the matter was closed.

As I mentioned the Personnel Committee, the professors seemed to get the picture and muttered among themselves—some saying it was inevitable, others insisting it was excessive, a few blaming it on her commoner background—then filed out of the room.

“Umm, Professor Deculein, isn’t the Personnel Committee a bit harsh for someone turning in her very first thesis—”

“Leave,” I interrupted Louina, the only one who dared speak in her defense, without a shred of hesitation.

Louina kept sneaking glances my way as she made her way out of the room.

Once the office fell silent, I took up Epherene’s thesis and began reading from the very first line—’as a mage who seeks nothing but the truth of magic’—and made my way through her words.

“... Hmm.”

The thesis was better than I had expected, although it was bordering disrespect to magic, but the structure held the reasoning was more solid than I’d given it credit for.

It seemed that Epherene had taken my advice because there wasn’t a single line claiming that science and magic were equal but rather she wrote of harmony and how science, if used to support magic, could create something greater, which made it a rare display of restraint from her and, if read with an open mind, a thesis worth accepting.

"This won’t do."

Convincing the Floating Island was another matter entirely because the nobles—including myself—were too shackled by Elitism and too attached to treating mana as something divine. Even if the thesis were perfect, it wouldn’t matter until Epherene became an Archmage and the new paradigm herself.

Knock, knock—

At that moment, a knock came—not from the door, but from the window behind me—and I turned toward it.

“Hehe.”

Outside the window on the 77th floor stood Ria, a child with an innocent smile—the same child I’d met before. The moment our eyes met, she smiled and passed through the window using Elementalization, slipping through as if nothing were solid at all.

“What brings you here?” I inquired as I laid the thesis down.

“Oh~ You remember what you said that time, right?” Ria said as she dropped into the seat across from me. “You said you’d let me learn from you. I was wondering... if you still mean it.”

Without a word, I stared at Ria as she sat across from me, hands gathered on her knees, returning my look. The silence dragged on, broken only by the ticking clock, as I resumed reading Epherene’s thesis while Ria smacked her lips, as if drying from the inside out.

“... I’ve been going around the far edges of the continent,” Ria said, breaking the silence first.

I arched my brow in silence.

“I’ve been to so many places—Leoc, Varane, the Land of Destruction, even the Sanctuary of the Altar. There’s not a corner of this continent I haven’t explored. I ran into all kinds of trouble, cleared some really scary dungeons, and even helped defend villages with my adventure team.”

Ria launched straight into a tale of her adventures while I leaned back in the chair, letting her words wash over me.

“And I’ve got a ton of scars too. See this dark mark on my collarbone? Here—this dark spot’s from a bullet. This scar on my cheek was from a sword scraping me, and this red spot on my side was from a harpoon that stuck me there...” Ria continued, as if each scar had its own story.

Then Ria added, “And my left arm got cut off once too, but I managed to get it reattached in time. Lucky for me, a mage from the Harmony Category was nearby, so that’s the only reason I made it. The treatment cost a fortune though—was it twenty thousand elne? Pretty cheap for getting a whole arm back, I guess.”

Ria smiled, then raised her right hand with a hint of hesitation.

“But the right one was too late for that... so it’s now just a prosthetic,” Ria added, opening and closing the small fingers again and again.

“Do you not have any parents?” I inquired, watching her.

“... Sorry?” Ria muttered, her brow tightening as she pouted. “... I don’t have any. I was born on an island and raised there too.”

I couldn’t believe it—Ria was far too young to be throwing herself into danger like that, but what shook me the most was how much she was like her, always pushing forward with a smile, even when breaking inside and never once asking for help, because Ria was just the same.

“Anyway, if you’re going to be the one teaching me, Professor, and if I’m going to be learning from you, then... I just thought it’d be right for you to know a little more about me—that’s all,” Ria concluded.

I supposed that, in her own way, Ria had just finished introducing herself, though the problem was how little any of it matched the age written on her face.

“Starting tomorrow, report to the Yukline mansion. I’ll have that right prosthetic arm replaced. I know a puppeteer whose skill is unmatched,” I replied, nodding.

“Oh—really? But I don’t think I can afford something like that.”

“The last revelation you delivered has proven invaluable in interpreting the Holy Language, and it will continue to serve its purpose.”

Ria brought just one sentence—the last Holy Language—and, more than that, someone had already translated it, which alone was enough for someone like me, with enough Comprehension to dig into its bottomless depths.

“Meaning, there is no price you need to pay,” I added.

“... Okay,” Ria replied.

“Now leave.”

“Okay!”

At my words, Ria pushed herself up from the chair and made for the door without a word but stopped with her hand on the knob, hesitating before glancing back at me over her shoulder.

“But, Professor, is the Personnel Committee really that big of a punishment?”

“The punishment hasn’t been determined yet, but expulsion from the institution remains the most severe possibility.”

Ria’s expression changed in an instant, worrying clouding her face like a sudden storm.

When did Epherene start getting close to someone like her? I thought.

“This is an offensive thesis—one that might well place her at odds with every mage alive—and if she’s an adult, as she claims to be, then she must be prepared to face the consequences of her own actions,” I added, shaking my head.

Among the mages of this age, integrating magic and science would be condemned as nothing short of heresy. But Epherene would endure it all, make her way through with resolve, and, through the bitterest hardships, earn her name as the Archmage all would one day admire.

“... Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”

... Honk, honk— Honk, honk—

“Hmm~ But more importantly, the retrieval of the Voice is underway, right?”

“Hmm, it’s just a little bittersweet, really~ but if this continent ever falls, maybe you’ll be able to create the next world~” Ganesha said, her hand resting on the edge of the lighthouse balcony.

“Oh~ no, not yet—unfortunately, still at large.”

The mana stone of the Voice doesn’t matter much—but Deculein’s painting, now that’s another story. It was one of my favorites, and it was far too beautiful to lose like this, Sylvia thought.

If I put in a little more effort, I’ll be able to stand by Deculein’s side and provide the strength he needs, and...

I’d finally be able to smack Epherene on the forehead for being such a fool, Epherene thought.

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