A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 273

Chapter 273: Princess and Empress (1)

Clank—!

The cell door in Yuren’s detention center opened, and I watched as Quay walked out, each step dragging behind him.

“Looks like everything has been taken care of?” He asked.

“Since I have returned what you had stolen,” I replied.

Then Quay let out a smile, and Epherene glanced at me nervously as she tucked her theory and notes behind her back.

“But Deculein... why were you scribbling down the Holy Language?” Quay asked.

The Holy Language was, in every sense, the language of the gods. It was essential for interpreting revelations from the Holy Era and for any attempt at divine dialogue. But even with Comprehension, it was impossible to learn—because the Holy Language had no form by which it could be learned or even approached.

“I would like to visit the sanctuary you showed me,” I said.

“... To the sanctuary?” He said, as if the word itself was unexpected coming from me.

“In order to kill you, I must first know about you,” I replied with a nod.

“Hmm... I see. But do you know the way?”

I played the game as a tester and even managed to clear it. But when it came to the final boss, I didn’t really know much. As a designer, I’d spent most of my time patching broken graphics and smoothing out lighting source effect bugs. To the player, the final boss was just someone to kill. Not like the other named characters in the world—those were meant to be comprehended.

“I’ll have to find out eventually.”

However, there was one thing I knew for sure—the true name of the guy who introduced himself as Quay. A name no one else in this world would ever know—one even Quay might have forgotten—but I knew.

“Then what exactly am I supposed to do now?” He asked.

“You are free.”

“Free?”

A guard walked over, unlocked Quay’s cuffs, and handed Him a slip of paper—His temporary identification card for Yuren.

“You don’t need me to guide you through the expo. You have your own legs, your own eyes, and your own arms to find your way.”

Quay looked confused, unsure of what had just happened.

“Go where your feet take you,” I added.

“Hmm, you wouldn’t mind?”

“Whether I kill you or detain you in the current situation won’t change a thing.”

However, from that encounter alone, I’d gained two hundred mana points. My mana capacity had finally crossed the five thousand mark. That alone felt like solid progress and was enough for now.

“You’re free to go. Follow the map, and it will take you to the expo,” I added, handing the map to Quay.

“Very well. But, Deculein, the Holy Language isn’t something you’ll ever come to learn,” Quay replied, fingers brushing his wrist, his words falling in a hushed voice.

“And what is the reason?”

"Because our language changes every year, we’ve spoken as many languages as the years we’ve lived. Even if you add up the entire history of your continent, it still wouldn’t match the number of terms we’ve used line by line."

Hearing what Quay said, it did sound hopeless—but not enough to make me surrender.

“Then why don’t you give me a hint? I might be able to learn it given time.”

“Of course, I came to experience the humans and this continent—but the knowledge of that era is not something I wish to share with you,” Quay replied, shaking his head with a hardened expression.

“I’ll ask once more—what is your reason?”

“In the end, you too are human, and I won’t allow what was given by God to be stained by humans,” He replied, a scoff escaping him as He moved past me.

Quay seemed a lot colder now, something that hadn’t been there before, replacing the warmth I hadn’t expected the first time, but somehow, I wasn’t afraid.

“—Follower Quay,” I said, my voice reaching him before he could walk away.

At that moment, Quay trembled, His shoulders rising with a shudder that rippled through His puppet frame as a mysterious and strange aura began to shimmer from within. He turned toward me without a word, and in His widened eyes, anger burned alongside confusion, nostalgia, and a tenderness too human to name.

All of that, every emotion layered in his eyes, had been sparked by one thing—I’d spoken his name aloud in the Holy Language.

“The terms follower and Quay—I imagine those never changed as you were always one of the followers, and you were always called Quay,” I added.

“... You,” Quay muttered through clenched teeth, his expression steeped in something deeper than anger.

Epherene looked up at Him and gave His shoulder a tap.

“Very well. I will provide you a scroll,” he continued, glancing at Epherene, then back at me, with a deflated laugh.

Quay pulled a sheet of Epherene’s magic paper free. It stretched out, wide and loose, curled like a carpet—and then, before I could react, transformed into a massive scroll that landed right in my arms.

“Read, if you can. But know this—you could spend your entire life and never read it all,” Quay concluded as he walked out the doors of the detention center.

I gave Epherene a slight tilt of my chin to follow Quay; she cleared her throat and nodded, as if she understood.

Fortunately, she’s quick on the uptake when it matters, I thought.

“By the way, Professor, where is it that you’re heading?” Epherene asked.

“I’ve found something new to learn, so I am planning to learn it,” I replied.

“Oh, really? Umm, I heard there’s a library in the basement of Yuren Palace. You might want to check it out. Anyway, I’ll be going now!” Epherene said with a smile before chasing after Quay.

“... Very well,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips as I watched Epherene disappear through the door.

***

... Princess Maho of Yuren often worried about the fate of her nation. A country’s destiny, like a person’s, seemed fragile—but unlike a single life, the end of a nation didn’t come clean. A person dies and disappears, but Yuren’s fall would leave a splintered history, deepen divides, and leave behind a legacy of loss.

If Yuren were to fall someday—swallowed by the Empire or crushed under the Kingdom’s heel—then merely being from Yuren might carry the same stain that marks the Scarletborn today. They’d be marked not by crime, but by origin alone.

That was why Maho refused to take part in the slaughter of the Scarletborn, and why she fought to build a republic. Because their present—their pain—felt too much like Yuren’s future.

The Scarletborn were being slaughtered because they had no power. If they hadn’t been just a tribe from the desert—if they’d been a true nation, strong enough to stand against the Empire—they wouldn’t have fallen so effortlessly.

Therefore, in Maho’s eyes, the Great Elders who once led the Scarletborn were weak and indecisive—classic saints chasing peace. But peace in this era was a kind of sickness, and for too long, the Scarletborn had been ruled by minds too gentle to survive.

For that reason, Maho did everything she could to avoid repeating the Scarletborn’s mistakes, working behind the scenes to support them—because if the Scarletborn were wiped out, the Empire’s sword would only turn to its next target.

Maho hoped the Scarletborn would hold on, grow harder to break with time. Because as long as they stood, they could still serve as Yuren’s shield against the Empire’s blade.

“I’m glad to hear the infamous thief incident was handled smoothly~” Maho said, her fingertips brushing along the shelf as she turned to Rose.

The basement library of the Principality of Yuren was a peaceful retreat, filled with the scent of old books and the soft shuffle of drawers and parchment.

“Thank you, Your Highness," Rose replied.

“Oh, right, right, I almost forgot—how was Professor Deculein~?”

At Maho’s question, Rose’s brow twitched, and though she offered no verbal reply, her expression said everything.

“Why, why~?”

“... Deculein was as imperious as the Empire itself—and he showed nothing but contempt for Yuren’s blood,” Rose replied.

“Mmm~ By the way, did you happen to read the book I recommended?” Maho asked as she lightly walked down the library corridor, pretending the question meant nothing at all.

“Oh, yes. You were referring to this?” Rose replied, pulling out the book from her inner pocket.

The Future of the Nation was never published but instead hidden away in the underground library of Yuren. Its message was simple—democracy and the sovereignty of the people.

“I...”

"I believe that sounds reasonable enough to me~” Maho said, offering her answer first so Rose wouldn’t feel pressured. “This nation is made up of its people, right~? Doesn’t it just make sense that the people should be its true sovereign~?”

“Yes, I share Your Highness’s view. For the nation’s rewards to be reserved exclusively for the nobles—it’s plainly too unjust, especially in a society built on the labor of commoners,” Rose replied, looking at Maho with initial surprise, then offering a smile and a nod.

“Yes, that’s what I thought too~ That’s why I started to wonder if Yuren’s path and future—just maybe, even the slightest bit—might lie in something like a republic~”

At that moment, the conversation between Maho and Rose came to a stop, their faces frozen and words hanging midair—cut clean by the sight of a man standing at the far edge of the library with his back turned.

A man in a tailored coat, with broad shoulders and composed posture—it was Deculein, someone neither Maho nor Rose had imagined seeing here—as the rustle of pages turning echoed through the library and cold sweat beaded at their temples.

It seemed he really was absorbed in his reading—or had he heard any of what we just said? Maho thought.

“Oh, wow, wow~ Wow~ P-Professor~ Professor~” Maho said, startled but just as quickly straightened herself and called out to Deculein.

Deculein turned toward where Maho and Rose stood and, without a word, closed the book he had been reading.

"Princess Maho," Deculein said, meeting Maho’s eyes with warmth in his voice.

"What brings you all the way here, Professor~?”

“For one who values knowledge, the library leaves little choice.”

He had called me of lowborn blood, hadn’t he? Rose thought.

However, the moment Maho saw the cover of the book Deculein had been reading—The Future of the Nation, the very book she had handed to Rose—her body locked in place.

Did I give myself away? Did he see through me? No, not yet. I don’t think he can possibly guess Yuren’s purpose—our purpose—from a single book...

“... Oh, yes, I understand~ I see your point~ But what if, among the common people, there are some with talents equal to any noble’s—”

“Oh, umm...” Maho muttered, clearly searching for a reason to speak. “I... was wondering if you had found the transformation formula...”

"If what Deculein is telling us is true, then the compensation Yuren could be held accountable for would be..."

“... Ahem,” Maho murmured, clearing her throat as she offered Rose the wanted poster. “I’ll leave Carla in your care, Prosecutor Rose.”