A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 298

Chapter 298: Ancient Demon (1)

... That night in the desert, Sophien watched Deculein and Ria's conversation through the Magical Eye, a power she had manifested using the runic language.

— ... Yuara.

Then there it was—Deculein’s voice, clear as crystal, carried across the magical stream as he spoke of his former fiancée.

— She did not die. She’s still alive.

Something in Deculein’s words struck a chord in Sophien, causing her to sit up straight with her hands tightening in her lap, sweat forming on the back of her hand, and her head feeling just a little light.

The moment Sophien’s mouth dried up without warning...

— She left me because she feared me.

Deculein’s next words sparked something even more twisted in Sophien’s chest—a feeling she couldn’t understand, let alone control.

— She must have hated me enough to pretend she was dead.

Deculein spoke as if confessing, each word cutting into himself like a blade. Sophien said nothing, only leaning back in her chair. Her long hair slipped down over the backrest like silk as she lowered her trembling eyes.

— Therefore, there’s no need for you to worry, as I do not see Yuara in someone like you.

When Deculein said those words, Sophien let out a breath, one she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Although he is the one I want more than anything, someone still walks away from him, and seeing him confess his sorrow hurts—it’s heartbreaking, Sophien thought.

It was a feeling Sophien had never once experienced, not even in the slaughter of a thousand Scarletborn, and yet now it crept into her heart like the mist rising off a still lake.

“... Hmph,” Sophien murmured, pressing her fingers to her temple as she shook her head.

Sophien looked away from Deculein for a moment, and in that breath of silence, she searched her heart where smoldering emotions burned like embers against her chest.

... And in that moment, a subtle realization slipped into her heart—unexpected, but unmistakable, like morning light breaking through mist.

“Perhaps I see it now, not all of it but enough.”

For the first time, Sophien felt like she understood—there was no need to make sense of everything.

“And as for the rest—some feelings are meant to remain undefined,” Sophien muttered.

Sometimes, it was enough to let the heart and body lead without forcing reason to follow, and that, she realized, was what it meant to feel something human.

It was such a small realization, so late, and so meaningless that Sophien could only slump back, worn down by exhaustion and emptiness. Then, as the silence deepened, she heard Ria mumbling something under her breath.

— Kim Woo-Jin. I’m Sorry.

From just beyond the chamber door, a voice slipped through, barely loud enough to catch.

Knock, knock—

The moment the knock sounded and the door creaked open, Ria looked at Sophien...

“Who is Kim Woo-Jin?” Sophien asked.

That was all it was—just curiosity.

***

“He was my former boyfriend, Your Majesty,” Ria replied.

Sophien’s brow furrowed for a moment, but looking at Ria, she could tell—those words weren’t a lie.

“... Kim Woo-Jin,” Sophien muttered. “But why were you muttering his name before you came in?”

“It seems his name slipped into my thoughts before I even noticed.”

Sophien offered no reply—only the faintest lift of her brow.

Well, there is no reason I should concern myself with the love life of a child—it is hardly anything of consequence, Sophien thought.

“Then you're already ahead of me. You’ve known love—something I never have.”

“... Oops,” Ria murmured, scratching behind her ear as if she didn't know what to say.”

I forgot for a second—Sophien has never been in a relationship and has been forever-alone in her life. Then again, how could she not be, in a world like hers? Ria thought.

"How is Deculein now?”

However, it wasn’t because Sophien was the Empress or because her class stood too high, for the danger had nothing to do with status, and it was the emotion itself.

Just liking someone was enough to ignite something too volatile—or rather, Sophien wasn’t in danger but was the danger. That truth, that setting, had never once slipped from Ria’s awareness because she knew what could trigger her.

“... He seemed okay for now, Your Majesty.”

If Sophien had ever loved someone, they would’ve been dead before it even started. Out here in this desert, the one in the most danger might not be the Scarletborn or the tribes—it might be Professor Deculein, Ria thought.

“But, what is that, Your Majesty?” Ria asked, pointing to the flowerpot sitting on Sophien’s desk.

“It’s a flowerpot given to me by the child of Malia.”

“Flowerpot... Oh.”

A flower—Sophien is trying to grow one, Ria thought.

“Thinking about it now, perhaps your words were the only ones worth hearing,” Sophien said, chuckling as she glanced at the statue on the wall. “There is not a soul in this palace who’s ever known love.”

Keiron’s never been in a relationship. He’s the perfect example of a textbook knight—stiff and completely useless in matters like this. Ahan will be here soon, but she’s no better, Sophien thought.

“In any case, I sought to raise a flower that would bloom neither through mana nor by magic. I assigned the task to the Malia tribe... and a child presented this flowerpot to me.”

The flowerpot held nothing but desert sand, and a little thorn poking out from the center.

“Is that a cactus, Your Majesty?” Ria asked.

“Indeed, but even I cannot say whether a cactus flower will ever bloom in this desert,” Sophien replied, staring at the flowerpot with thoughtful eyes. “And if it does, should the bloom prove unworthy of beauty, it must be discarded.”

“But why?” Ria asked, her eyes filled with confusion and frustration as she looked up at Sophien.

“Why ask? It’s common sense. What good is a flower if it cannot bloom with beauty?” Sophien replied, frowning.

“Your Majesty, you know what the Professor’s personality is like.”

“His personality?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Ria may look a little too arrogant right now, but when it comes to relationships, she’s more of an expert than I am, Sophien thought.

“... Knowing his personality makes it all too clear. I feel like I must shape him into something beautiful. That’s why it troubles me,” Sophien replied after a moment of thought.

When Sophien brushed it off as something easy, Ria felt her frustration deepen instead.

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Why do you say it is not?” Sophien asked, her eyes narrowed at Ria.

“Because.”

Today’s conversation made it clear—there’s a part of Woo-Jin inside Deculein, the man created from him with his motive. If he really were Kim Woo-Jin, he wouldn’t care if a flower was beautiful, and he’d understand it, because he’s someone who paints, Ria thought.

“Not only the prettiest flowers end up on the canvas, Your Majesty,” Ria replied.

Even if the flower wasn’t beautiful—even if its bud was tiny and plain—Woo-Jin would’ve smiled and said something kind all the same.

“You grew this yourself? Hold on—I’ll draw it for you. I mean, I can’t just say thank you and be done with it, don’t you think?"

There wasn’t a single gift I gave him that he didn’t carefully draw and return to me—one by one... That’s just how thoughtful he was... Ria thought.

“... From where I stand, it seems you don’t know Deculein,” Sophien continued. “You mentioned a canvas. Indeed, it is not only the prettiest flowers that belong there. But Deculein is the kind of professor who paints only the finest—and makes them even more beautiful.”

“You don’t really know him at all,” Ria said, letting out a snort without meaning to.

Sophien’s lips tightened, just barely, under her teeth.

Even Ria had spoken out in the heat of the moment, and the instant the words left her mouth, she froze as she realized what she’d done.

“... But that’s just how forever-alones are, Your Majesty.”

Sophien’s eyes narrowed, a twist pulling at her lips as the room seemed to tighten around her, as if her silence alone made things worse.

“But Your Majesty, giving the Professor a flower while keeping him confined may not be the result you desire,” Ria continued, changing the subject. “Perhaps we should release him first—”

“That’s already under Bell’s authority,” Sophien interrupted.

"... Sorry?" Ria muttered absentmindedly.

Releasing him under Bell’s authority? But Bell is Deculein’s biggest enemy, Ria thought.

“If you mean it’s under Bell’s authority...”

“The authority to release Deculein from house arrest has been left to Bell,” Sophien said.

“But if you took it back now...”

“I do not take back what I’ve said, and presently, I hold no small amount of resentment toward Deculein.”

If it hadn’t been Deculein, that person would’ve been executed on the spot—and their entire family brought down with them—for the high crime of colluding with the enemy.

“T-Then that’s not right! Professor will be stuck there forever—”

“Hmph. Whatever,” Sophien interrupted, scoffing as she shook her head. “Leave. After all, I am forever-alone, remember? There’s much I still must learn—about what you said, and about my own heart.”

It was a command from the Empress—not something one dared to challenge.

“No, oh, oh, come on—really. Oh...”

Ria glanced at Sophien, who was puffed up like a cartoon hero blamed for someone else’s mess, and backed out of the Empress’s chamber.

***

Outside the main building, a desert glamping party was underway, and under General Bell’s direction, confiscated specialties from the desert tribes as well as donated wine, whiskey, and meats were distributed—though only for the military faction.

“It’s delicious, wouldn’t you say~? You’re all enjoying it, yes~?” Bell said.

These days, Bell was in excellent spirits because managing border tribes in the Empire’s southern reaches and rising through the ranks in the desert felt like a dream come true.

But what filled him with the most pride was this—he had been the one who brought about Deculein’s house arrest, having outperformed Deculein of Yukline and earned the favor of the Empress. That, more than anything, made him proud.

“Yes, sir, without question, sir!”

“Haha,” Bell chuckled, slicing his steak with grace as his subordinates stood locked in perfect formation, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.

“No one ever imagined Deculein—who once could bring down a bird in flight—ending up like this,” said Bell’s subordinate, seated at his side.

“Haha, well, I see things rather differently.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“That arrogant man flew too high for too long. I always knew it was only a matter of time before he lost Her Majesty’s favor. Now, there is nowhere left for him to go but down~!”

The desert night held its breath as Bell spoke, with heads nodding and laughter ringing out beneath the desert night sky. It was a message—a warning to the rival faction still holding on to Deculein, like those stubbornly clutching a rope that had long since rotted away.

“... Besides, isn’t Deculein’s release from house arrest entirely under your authority, General Bell?”

“Exactly~ It’s as good as proof that Her Majesty trusts my abilities and intends to place that trust in my hands,” Bell replied, a crooked smile curling as he turned to his subordinate.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, the Elite Guard at the cooking station snapped his head up, his eyes wide, and Relin’s subordinate turned toward him with clear displeasure.

Could a beast have taken it? Bell thought.

WAAAAAAAAAW—!

Whooooosh...

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