A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296: Cactus (2)

The desert night was dark and cold, clear as glass, with sand stretching across both sky and earth, forming a curve, and the ground beneath my feet felt ready to crumble at any moment.

— Everything’s just about in place, Knight Yulie.

I stood at the heart of it all, looking into the mirror whose clear surface reflected Epherene and Yulie.

— What do you think, Knight Yulie? I think it came out pretty good.

— ... Yes, Miss Epherene.

— All that’s left is to test and operate it out once, and if it works, we’re done.

Epherene was sketching out a cylinder large enough for a person to fit inside, while Yulie stood beside her, offering nothing but a silent nod.

— Wow...

Yulie ran her hand over the cylinder, eyes wide with curiosity, and for some reason, I found the sight innocently endearing, a smile touching my lips. However, I already knew what she and Epherene were planning and had thought about it more than once.

— Is this something that can be completed in a single attempt, Miss Epherene?

— No, you will need to stay inside for about a week or two. I have to extract time energy from my mana—then infuse it into the cylinder.

“... Your memory of me will fade away,” I muttered.

If all of Yulie’s memories were erased and only time itself rewound, she wouldn’t forget Deculein but would forget me.

Because I was not Deculein, at some point something changed, and I became someone else—someone Yulie would no longer recognize, which was why, in the end, she forgot who I was.

“... The self that lived through those years—the you of that time—will fade away.”

Forgotten memories would never come back, and even if everything were recorded in a diary, the memories of Yulie—the ones that built up over time—could not be restored, nor could the feelings that made her who she was.

— Knight Yulie, you will be able to see the Professor again—free from any pain.

— ... Is that so? However, I wonder if a diary alone can help me remember myself...

— Of course, you don’t need to worry—I believe in your mental strength, Knight Yulie.

Rewinding time meant defying the natural order for human beings by running from death and killing the Yulie who existed now just to save a life that wasn’t hers.

“Nonetheless...”

However, I wanted Yulie to choose that path and let go of herself if it meant she could live, keep breathing in this world, leave behind all that pain, and reach for a different kind of happiness, and if that were possible, then I wouldn’t mind if she forgot me...

“Count Yukline.”

At that moment, a voice called out from behind me—it was Knight Delic, the man who once stood beside me in Rekordak, played an essential role in Epherene’s regression, and somehow ended up becoming my loyal knight entirely by his own will.

"What is it?” I inquired.

“We’ve received intelligence of a Scarletborn hideout—one that Idnik is known to frequent,” Delic replied.

“Idnik.”

“Yes, Count Yukline.”

Idnik was already a wanted criminal, understandable given her connections as Rohakan’s protégé, but recently matters escalated as the charges of supporting the Scarletborn were confirmed and her status was raised to Black Threat-Level.

"Here, this is the map of the location confirmed by our Elite Guard,” Delic continued.

Just as Delic had said, our side—the desert—was now split into two factions: one following General Bell and the military, and the other gathering around me, made up of nobles and knights.

The competition between us had grown intense as Bell’s side launched multiple advances each day, collecting achievements, but I had been holding my knights back from engaging.

“That knight of the Elite Guard is known for his talent for tracking, Count Yukline. I suggest you place your trust in him.”

At Delic’s words, I looked down at the map and said nothing, nodding in response.

“Then we’ll ready our side for the expedition at once,” Delic concluded, his expression brightening.

“Very well.”

“Yes, Count Yukline!”

“Delic,” I called as I watched his back while he offered a salute and turned away.

“Yes, Count Yukline,” Delic replied, coming to a halt and turning back to meet my eyes.

“Ria... how have her actions been, as of late?”

“Pardon me? Oh... there is nothing of note to report.”

“... Is that so?”

Ria had been leaking confidential information, and of course I had steered her toward it because I was certain that an agent of the Scarletborn had slipped in even within the Elite Guard.

“Is something troubling you?” Delic asked, his brow furrowed with worry breaking through his usually composed expression.

“Well, I suspect it may be her training, but it seems that has caused Ria to wander far into the desert as of late.”

“... Oh, yes, Count Yukline. Ria does wander out to the desert often. It would seem she finds a strange thrill in risk taking.”

I nodded.

Of course she has Yoo Ah-Ra’s personality, as she was modeled after her, I thought.

“Even her personality matches,” I muttered.

Then Delic cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

“Then allow me to keep an eye on her—”

“No, that is unnecessary,” I interrupted.

In the end, exposing confidential information was the right call for survival in the desert, and although I hadn’t expected the spy to be Ria, considering her exceptional skill, it might have actually worked in our favor.

“You may leave.”

“... Yes, Count Yukline.”

Delic turned and walked off across the sand without another word, and I raised my eyes to the stars above the desert where many lights shimmered like waves breaking through the dark, just like in a poem I once read, with each star seeming to rise one by one as if becoming a person.

“... This is complicated,” I muttered under my breath.

***

The next morning, Ria was up early and, as she always did, at the desert training ground focusing on her breathing exercises.

“Hoo...” Ria murmured.

Sitting in the lotus position and going over the Elementalization spell Deculein taught me, I can feel it—if I perfect this, I’ll rise at least a few stages...

“Hey.”

Flick—!

At that moment, a light flickered and landed on her forehead, causing Ria to flinch and look up.

“Who was... Oh?”

“It’s Delic,” Delic replied.

“I knew it was you, Knight Delic.”

Ria had seen Knight Delic often, back in Rekordak and frequently at the Imperial Palace, where he was Deculein’s closest advisor and an influential member of the Imperial Knights' Order, and he was also her direct superior, which meant that even here in the desert, Ria operated under the hierarchy of the Elite Guard.

“But why did you come?” Ria asked. “I’m in the middle of training right now.”

“Enough with the sweet face, Ria. This time, it’s not something you can just brush off,” Delic replied, narrowing his eyes as he shook his head.

Although Delic’s words were a little strange, Ria—despite how she seemed—listened closely when it mattered.

“Okay,” Ria replied, her face trying hard to look just as serious.

“Ria, did you go that far into the desert?”

At that moment, Ria’s heart skipped a beat.

Thump—!

Could it be that they have already found out about the confidential leak? Ria thought.

Thump, thump—!

Ria’s heart raced like it had lost control.

“Yes, but why... are you asking me that?”

Delic narrowed his eyes, shooting Ria a look somewhere between suspicion and disappointment that made her swallow hard.

“The question came from Count Yukline himself.”

“From Count Yukline...?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Flick—!

“Count Yukline has been worrying about you more than you know,” Delic continued, flicking her on the forehead as if sighing through his words.

Delic’s words left Ria confused.

Worrying about me? More than I know? Ria thought.

Blinking, Ria stared at Delic—at his lips—as if he still had something left to say.

“Far more than you yet realize.”

For a moment, Ria found herself thinking about the term 'worry'—what it really meant.

Worry, from Deculein? Is there anything more backwards in the world?

“He came to me with the question,” Delic added, clearing his throat as he glanced around.

“... What kind of question did ask he?” Ria asked.

It caught her so off guard that Ria stumbled over her own words.

“It was your actions he referred to.”

“My actions?”

That’s the second time the word ‘worry’ has come up. Maybe Delic’s just saying things on his own—but no, he’s far too obviously standing as Deculein’s right hand. They’re both named characters, and honestly, their personalities match almost too well.

It’s probably because of his fiancée, but I always thought he saw Yuara and me as completely separate.

Then maybe Deculein is the only person left in this world who remembers Yuara—or maybe he’s the only one who can. ... Though, of course, that Yuara is probably not Yoo Ah-Ra,

“In short, do not give him cause for concern.” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Their influence has been weakening lately because they haven’t achieved much... because of me...

Thud—

“Hmph,” Sophien scoffed and continued staring at Ria in silence.

“Oh, Your Majesty. It’s just that—”

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