A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Ages (1)

According to Idnik, the Sanctuary of the Ages was little more than an abandoned community, located deep within the Land of the Destruction.

“... Nothing worth noting?” Epherene asked, sitting across from Idnik at the tea table in the Ages.

"Yawwn. Yes," Idnik replied with a nod. “Well, Demakan and Murkan may have been the ones who established this place back in the day—both born in the desert.”

Back when Demakan and Murkan still resided in the Mortal Realm, they joined together to establish this place—a stronghold meant to protect humanity—where Idnik and Rohakan were students of Demakan himself.

"But what of it? No one even knows where they are now or if they’re still alive.”

Demakan had already transcended what it meant to be human—an Archmage in name but, in truth, something closer to another species altogether—and Murkan never reached that peak, but he too stood far outside the limits of what the world could measure.

However, neither of them involved themselves in the matters of the Mortal Realm anymore—and so the Sanctuary of the Ages had been left behind, abandoned in all but name.

“More importantly, what exactly did you do to Deculein?” Idnik asked, her eyes glinting with interest.

“... The news has already spread this far?” Epherene replied, her shoulders stiffening ever so slightly.

“Yes. Even that knight, Yulie, seems to have heard,” Idnik said, pointing toward her.

Knight Yulie, for the record, was asleep—clutching a sword tightly in her arms, leaned against the tree of the Ages, as motionless as if she were dead.

“But I don’t know the details,” Idnik added with a chuckle. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

“I mean, why would you even want to know that...?” Epherene muttered, her lips pressing into a pout.

Soon after, Epherene told Idnik everything she’d done at the Personnel Committee—how she had humiliated Deculein by stripping away the one thing he valued above all else, which was his dignity.

“... People are now calling him Plagiarist Professor Deculein. Are you happy now?”

After hearing everything Epherene had said, Idnik just stared at her, his mouth slightly open in speechlessness.

“It’s almost over. I mean, really over,” Epherene concluded, pressing her lips together. “Next time we meet, we won’t even speak to each other. The Professor will hate me for what I've done...”

“But why would you pull something like that?” Idnik asked.

“... My research would only put the Professor in danger. If the Floating Island ever brands my work or magic as heresy, no amount of backpedaling will convince them we were never close, and it will be too late.”

To avoid causing any harm to Deculein, Epherene chose the one path guaranteed to make him hate her and never forgive her, even if it meant walking away from him forever.

"Yes, given how he is, it may well be broken for good."

Epherene lowered her head and clenched her teeth in silence.

“If someone said his thesis was stolen—plagiarized from another’s idea—he is not the kind to let that go,” Idnik continued. “But is it really true?”

“Is Knight Yulie okay?” Epherene asked, ignoring Idnik's question as she turned to look at her.

“No, she’s not okay. Her body’s running out of time, and sleep’s the only thing keeping her alive.”

“... Is there really no way to save her?”

“No. One year, if she’s lucky. Maybe three if she spends most of it asleep. Who knows—if she sleeps twenty-three hours a day, she might be able to live for another thirty years,” Idnik replied about someone's life as if tossing numbers into the air.

“... Then why did you even bring me here?” Epherene asked, shaking her head.

“What do you think? You were thrown out as well. I brought you here to recruit you.”

“Recruit me?”

“Yes, the priority right now is stopping Sophien and Deculein.”

“... Stop what?”

"They will be heading for the desert to eradicate the Scarletborn and bring ruin to the Land of Destruction," Idnik replied, pouring black tea into her cup.

“Oh... I know. We all do. The whole continent knows by now.”

“Yes,” Idnik replied. “But what’s your take on the Scarletborn?”

Epherene’s thoughts on the Scarletborn weren’t very deep, and unlike the nobles of the Empire, she didn’t hate them with the same wild intensity.

“Just pitiful people, really... I don’t think there’s much more to say.”

“That’s more than enough. That alone puts you above those Imperial officials who lose their minds at the mere mention of the Scarletborn.”

“... But why are we talking about the Scarletborn all of a sudden?”

“Because the eradication of the Scarletborn is exactly what God wants. More precisely, God wants war. Epherene—you’ve met God as well, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I met Quay.”

“Quay—that’s the name of God? Either way, I’ve met him too.”

Epherene blinked, her eyes going wide.

“He told me that he would recreate the continent,” Idnik continued, her brow furrowing as she sipped her tea. “But really—could he wipe out all of humanity alone and build it all anew? No, absolutely not, and if he could, don’t you think he would have done it already?”

At that moment, a single word struck her mind.

“... Through war?”

“Yes, that’s right. God is trying to start a war to bring down the very foundation of the continent. For only then may His will pass unopposed,” Idnik replied, glancing past Epherene toward Allen. “That’s why we’re working closely with the Scarletborn. We mean to save them.”

“... Whaat?!” Epherene murmured, her lips parting in stunned silence.

Someone got the death sentence just for hiding three Scarletborn kids—and does she even think saving them is possible? Epherene thought.

“If you want to run away, you can, but you should not forget—it means a death sentence once we get caught,” Idnik said with a chuckle.

At Idnik’s words, Epherene hesitated for a moment or rather, she had every intention of saying no.

I’m a mage, not a political activist, and at the moment, magic is the only thing I care about, Epherene thought.

However, a memory surfaced—one from a day Epherene hadn’t thought about in a long time.

“... You know, Miss Idnik—I actually once tried to join the Imperial Palace’s Elite Guard.”

“You did? Did you end up joining?” Idnik asked, raising one eyebrow.

“No, the Professor stopped me, ripped up my Elite Guard application, and said this," Epherene replied.

That day, Deculein’s words had taken root in Epherene’s heart—and even now, long after the moment had passed, did they begin to ache.

"The Professor told me he is a mage who kills, but I am not. That I was never meant to be that kind of mage, and he told me to become a mage who saves lives.”

Idnik remained silent.

“Perhaps... it was his way of asking me to stop him when the time comes?”

Now that I’ve said it, it feels like it might have been true. Of course, he probably sees me as nothing but filth now, Epherene thought.

“Haha...”

As Epherene was caught in a wave of sentiment, a bittersweet smile crossed her lips...

“That’s just you twisting his words to fit your feelings. It looks a little pathetic from the outside,” Idnik replied, blunt as ever.

“Excuse me?” Epherene said, furrowing her brow.

“Anyway, there are plenty of supplies here, so if you’ve got research to do, feel free to use the space. When you have to leave, go through him,” Idnik said, pointing a finger at Allen.

“... Oh—right. Assistant Professor Allen,” Epherene said, her eyes narrowing. “Now that I think about it, we have a few things to talk about, don’t we?!”

Allen scratched the back of his neck with a dry smile, aware of what he’d done wrong.

***

It was a peaceful morning at the Yukline mansion, with sunlight streaming down.

“Again. Again. Focus your mana—use it properly,” I said.

This place once served as my training ground, but these days the annex has become a place for teaching someone else.

“Look at yourself—watch what your body’s doing.”

“... Okay,” Ria replied.

Ria stared at the circuit diagram of her own body—a diagram that mapped her like a machine. It was a human anatomical diagram that showed the flow of mana within Ria’s body in real-time detail—an advanced artifact imbued with level four Midas Touch.

“Can you not see it?”

“... I can see.”

However, Ria seemed unable to understand it even with the circuit diagram right in front of her, as her mana refused to respond, twisting and spinning out of control despite the path already being paved into her body, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t use it.

“Are you blind?”

Watching that made me so infuriated, I could barely keep my temper in check.

“Are you blind to the image in front of you?”

“No... I am not.”

“Are you incapable of thought? Or was there never anything inside your skull to begin with?”

Ria remained silent.

“If not, then look at yourself, control your mana, and stop freezing like a goddamn idiot,” I added, shoving Ria’s shoulder with Telekinesis.

“... Oh, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” Ria muttered, her voice trembling as she stood frozen in place.

Thud.

— Professor, can you hear me? It's Wednesday—and my body grows stiffer by the hour.

Bang, bang, bang—!

Ria remembered the way Deculein had glared at her just moments ago, his scathing words that skirted the edge of cruelty, the sting of Telekinesis slamming into her upper arm, and the burning humiliation that flushed her face red.

“Oh.”

“Knock, knock~”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify