A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Theory of Relativity (1)

Morning sunlight spilled through the window, washing the dim room in a golden glow.

I sat on the edge of the bed, studying the Holy Language, then looked up to see the Imperial Palace standing in perfect harmony beyond, in this most beautiful and timeless corner of the continent.

The Empire’s heart, where not even a single blade of grass was left to grow wild, filled my eyes with its pristine view. For a moment, I found myself wondering about who I once was—Kim Woo-Jin from Earth, modeling and designing characters for games—now here in this world, brought over by nothing more than a stray bolt of lightning.

I’d long stopped asking whether this story had a purpose or a reason behind it all, wondering what would happen when it ended and what would become of me. Those questions faded long ago, and all that mattered now was living—one moment at a time.

“... Your Majesty,” I called.

However, Sophien didn’t answer, as the Empress lay asleep with her slender fingers wrapped firmly around my left hand.

Because of that, I had to study, take notes, and research with just one hand, never daring to use Telekinesis unless absolutely necessary—after all, this was the most sacred chamber in the entire Empire, belonging to the Empress herself.

I watched Sophien in silence.

[Main Quest : God and the Empress]

◆ The body instinctively follows the pull of the soul of its master.

The quest notification overlapped with Sophien’s sleeping face, its simple description stating that the body instinctively follows the pull of the soul of its master, with no clear reward but the catastrophic consequence that failure would mean Quay’s will realized and the continent reduced to ruin.

“Your Majesty,” I called, once more.

Soon, the expedition to the Land of Destruction and the massacre of the Scarletborn would commence, claiming a mass amount of lives while the continent's fate was suspended in the balance.

However, the simplest solution—one requiring no bloodshed or gambling with the continent's future—was right here, but at this moment, Sophien lacked the authority of regression.

Therefore, if Sophien were killed, Quay's manifestation would become impossible, as He couldn’t recreate the continent with a mere puppet body, meaning his plan would naturally end there.

“... Why do you call me?”

At that moment, Sophien opened her eyes. With her hair and robes still tousled from sleep, she blinked up at me in a daze.

“Professor?” Sophien said.

“It appears the hour has come for me to return to my duties, Your Majesty,” I replied.

“... I have just seen Rohakan. It must have been a dream,” Sophien said, smiling as she wriggled like silk sliding over stone, then placed her head in my lap, her eyes rising to meet mine. “Rohakan spoke to me”

From her place, Sophien’s fingers climbed upward to find my tie, which she held loosely.

“Saying... that I would one day fall in love with you.”

Then, Sophien gave a tug, drawing me closer until our eyes met.

“And that very love would bring about your death; that everyone who walks alongside me will die, and not a single one is spared; that I am an Empress born with a fate cursed from the start,” Sophien continued in a whisper, tracing her past memory.

Then Sophien added, “...But strange, isn’t it? I loved my mother dearly, and Rohakan—that old man—he too was precious to me. But now, both are gone. I ended Rohakan myself. But my mother—”

“Has the weight upon you grown any lighter now, Your Majesty?” I asked.

Sophien frowned at my attempt to lighten the mood, then sat up and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Mmh,” Sophien murmured, leaning close, her warm breath brushing against my ear as she whispered, “Tell me, Professor, was it Rohakan who killed my mother?”

Rohakan, forever branded as the Empress’s assassin, bore the weight of that title and the infamous name Black Beast throughout his life.

The truth was that he wasn’t the one who assassinated the former Empress, but the real perpetrator was...

“Yes, it was Rohakan, Your Majesty,” I replied, though the words I spoke bore not the truth.

There was the slightest tremble in Sophien’s eyes.

“And it was not Your Majesty who took Rohakan’s life—it was I.”

Unable to tell whether I was telling the truth, Sophien smiled, let out a breath of relief, and leaned into my arms without a word.

“... Then I am well enough. You may go now,” Sophien said.

“Would you release me, Your Majesty?”

“... There. I’m recharged,” Sophien muttered, then let herself flop onto the bed without another word.

After bidding Sophien farewell, I turned and left her chamber.

Creeeeeeak...

Past the open door, my footsteps quickened through the corridor—one step became two, two became three, then four—until I was almost running, like a knight charging into battle.

“It was Quay’s safety mechanism,” I said.

— A safety mechanism?

At the mention of a safety mechanism, Keiron, from my chest, responded.

“Yes, I’ve only now come to know it for certain.”

— ... Does that mean...

Keiron murmured under his breath, as he’d always been the kind of knight who understood things before they were said.

"Quay placed a safety mechanism into Her Majesty’s body, anticipating, perhaps, that one day she might resist, and to guard against that, it granted her a born instinct to kill those she loves."

As Quay’s soul had already descended on the continent, the more Sophien surrendered to her ennui and lethargy, the more her body would begin to wane—searching, perhaps, for a better master to follow.

Love, friendship—those positive emotions that help a human grow—had made Sophien whole. But Quay knew this from the start, which is why he implanted a safety mechanism within her. Interpreted this way, the tragedy of Sophien killing her own mother made sense.

— Does that mean Rohakan’s prophecy was...

Sophien found herself again only when she was with me because she loved me.

However, the more Sophien loved me, the further she found herself immersed in that love...

“Yes. Her Majesty will, in time, try to kill me—though not of her own will, but by an instinct buried in her from the start.”

There was no answer from Keiron—not because he lacked a response, but because a knight was approaching from the far end of the corridor.

“Professor Deculein,” said Isaac, deputy knight of the Imperial Knights’ Order, as he stepped into my path and cleared his throat. “Might we speak for a moment?”

Isaac, who once suggested that Yulie stand before the Empress’s hearing, now approached in silence. Though once my opponent, his face bore the kind of gravity that left no room for rivalry—only truth.

“Grand Prince Creáto has been taken by the Altar.”

The news warranted that gravity, and I clenched my teeth.

Isaac shook his head and continued, “First, we must bring this to Her Majesty—”

“This stays from Her Majesty. Isaac—tell me, does anyone else know of it?” I interrupted.

“... For now, it’s just the two of us.”

“Isaac, how did you come to know of this?”

“A letter came from the Altar. The sender called himself Quay. It was delivered to the Imperial Knights’ Order. I alone have read it—no one else knows,” Isaac replied, pulling the letter from inside his robe.

I opened the letter and skimmed its lines, which said that Quay was with Creáto, that he had taken care of him, and that if we had not heard anything from him, it was to be trusted that everything was under control.

“... Take this as well,” Isaac added, offering another envelope. “It’s the evidence we prepared for the Empress’s hearing.”

“... Why would you hand this to me?” I said, my brow tightening.

“... Because it’s already too late,” Isaac explained. “The expedition to the Land of Destruction is underway, and war with the Scarletborn will follow. Whether it proves to be war or massacre, only time will tell.”

That was all he said before walking past me without another word and once Isaac had disappeared from view, Keiron finally broke the silence.

— Isaac hasn’t changed—not in the slightest.

“Is that so?”

Isaac was one of the Empire’s named characters, but beyond holding the title of deputy knight of the Imperial Knights’ Order, there wasn’t much that made him stand out.

— Don’t let your heart harden toward him. Everything he’s done, he’s done to keep war from spilling into the world.

If there was one thing that I knew about Isaac, it was that he was a pacifist—a knight who had experienced the fires of war yet was more opposed to it than any man I had ever met.

“... How weak,” I replied, clicking my tongue as I tucked the envelope into my robe.

***

... These days, the Mage Tower of the University was always alive with activity. Day or night, its windows glowed with light, and now and then, muffled explosions echoed through its halls. Students and scholars alike were intensely immersed in research and experiments, all racing to complete their theses before the Academia.

“I’m fine,” Epherene said.

However, Epherene alone remained composed throughout the chaos, as her recent success in the stock market had padded her confidence, and with the direction of her thesis already decided, she had little left to worry about.

“Oh... I suppose that makes sense. Most mages don’t seem to like science. They always look at it as if it doesn’t belong.”

“Wow, really?” Ria replied.

“Mm-hmm. Once the Professor becomes Chairman.”

“Hmm?” Epherene replied, unbuckling her armor.

“Mm-hmm. Professor Deculein only ever shows interest in people with talent. If you think you can handle it, I think you should go for it. It won’t be easy—but you’ll grow a lot because of it.”

I am not sure whether I am misusing my mana and talent or if it’s just his jealousy, and to be honest... I’m scared—scared that maybe Deculein might come to love me and that this feeling has been programmed to want that, Ria thought.

Knock, knock—

“Oh! It’s the new release,” Epherene said, her face lighting up as she looked at it.

Who... is this person? Ria thought.

Embossed at the center of the book’s fine hardcover, the title was stamped in bold—Theory of Relativity—Einstein’s revolutionary theory reimagined the flow of time, reaching outward from the curve of the Earth to feel for the rhythms of the cosmos.