A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 322

Chapter 322: Mentor and Protg (1)

Ria was considering a method—any ending that could finally tie the knot of this main quest, be it killing Deculein, toppling the lighthouse, or defeating Quay.

Ria lay on the bed, staring at the guest room ceiling as Deculein's face began to form against the dark wallpaper—a villain by nature, his very presence defined by his setting, leaving no room for his redemption.

Nearly every employee testing the game concluded that the primary strategy to reach the ending was to kill Deculein immediately upon starting.

However, a single condition—a setting Ria had thoughtlessly added—might have spawned innumerable variables, perhaps even transforming Deculein himself with that minor notion.

"Convince," Ria muttered.

Therefore, Ria was thinking of a method—a path to a better ending that wouldn't necessitate killing Deculein.

"Should I tell him I'm Yuara?"

The Yuara Deculein knew was not Ria, of course, yet the parallels were undeniable, as their hobbies and specialties must have aligned and their likes and dislikes must have matched.

However, convincing that resolute man would prove more challenging than killing him.

"Will it be easier to just kill him?"

Ria could kill Deculein, and of course, she would be able to because he wasn’t Kim Woo-Jin after all.

Knock, knock—

At that moment, Ria heard a knock from outside the window.

Knock, knock— Knock, knock—

Outside, a woman flicked her finger as she looked directly at Ria, and it was Ellie.

“Oh?”

As Ria's eyes widened, she responded with a bright smile and entered the room by taking a single step into the air without needing to open the window.

"How have you been?"

Ellie was arguably the strongest of the Scarletborn in terms of sheer power, yet she was a psychopath devoid of emotion. As Ria traveled through the Scarletborn's deserts, delivering information to them, she had, in her own way, managed to establish a connection with Ellie.

"... Miss Ellie, what brings you here?"

"The elder instructed me to come to this place."

That is to say, it was an order from Elesol.

"Is it to do with Deculein?" Ria replied, nodding.

"Yes, and my disguised status is this..." Ellie said, pulling out her identification card from within her robe.

Imperial Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry : Elaine

“... Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry?”

"This is my double-disguised status. I am an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, from its deepest shadows."

“What?!”

Ria feigned ignorance and even pretended surprise, but in truth, she already knew, since Ellie was, after all, a named character.

"So... I have come to learn of your decision," Ellie asked.

"I've already agreed to the mission."

"Hmm," Ellie murmured, nodding. "Then, will you kill the Professor?"

Does Ellie still see Deculein as the Professor? Ria thought.

"I'm not sure," Ria said, pulling her blanket tight.

"Hmm, I see."

“... Yeah.”

"But whether you intend to kill the Professor or not, we still have a chance," Ellie said, her voice devoid of emotion.

“... A chance?”

When Ria asked, Ellie extended a map without a word, holding it out with both time and location clearly indicated.

"What is this?" Ria asked, blinking and tilting her head.

"It is a map left by Miss Epherene. It is calling us, perhaps for you, Miss Ria."

The name Epherene once more brought Deculein to Ria's mind, as she recalled the words he'd spoken when he sought the Purger from the Floating Island, convinced then that the canvas incident was Epherene's doing.

“... It is likely that I will kill her.”

Therefore, Ria thought that this must be Epherene's call for rescue—no, it certainly was.

"Okay, I understand what it means," Ria replied, accepting the map and internalizing the time and location written on it.

***

... Over the course of two days, I methodically purchased every mana tree I could find, costing hundreds of thousands of elne. From their bark, I extracted the purest demonic energy, which I then synthesized with other magical ingredients to create a potion. This entire process followed Decalane's Study of Art Magic.

“This...”

One hundred milliliters of pristine demonic energy, free of any imperfection, concocted with flawless accuracy and designed to amplify only physical abilities, was the reagent that, upon intravenous injection, would grant me a strength comparable to Zeit for that brief moment.

“Should be enough,” I muttered, staring at the shimmering liquid and nodding contentedly.

Of course, this reagent was primarily designed for sheer performance. Any ordinary knight injecting it would find their body collapsing, but I was no ordinary knight because I had the body of an Iron Man, born of the Yukline bloodline.

With the reagent decanted into its vial, I stored it along with a syringe in my suit's inner pocket, then draped my coat onto my shoulders and gripped the mana tree staff in one hand.

The moment I prepared to step out of the annex...

Bang—!

The annex door burst open, and a person with an intensely displeased expression glared at me before shouting.

“Hey, you—!”

It was Yeriel, bold enough to dare speak to me so disrespectfully.

"What are you doing?! Why did you buy so much?!"

Yeriel, wasting no time, shoved receipts and ledgers into my face, yet remained as charming as ever while she ranted and railed, and I watched her in silence with a smile playing on my lips.

"What are you smiling at?! Why did you buy so much?!"

That outburst from Yeriel wasn't an accusation but a clear sign of her worry as she, still incapable of expressing herself forthrightly, scanned around the annex's interior with eyes sharp as a hawk's, searching for any hidden dangers.

“Yeriel,” I called.

“... What?” Yeriel replied, her face sullen.

"Soon, the day of promise will arrive."

"... The day of promise?" Yeriel replied, furrowing her brow.

I cannot discern if she has forgotten or merely feigns ignorance, I thought.

"That is, the day you become head of the family," I replied, looking at my wrist watch.

Whether she genuinely hadn't known, or had erased it from her mind, Yeriel's face was stained with disbelief.

"What, what, what, no, what are you talking about?" Yeriel said, stammering with trembling lips.

"I promised you before that I would give you the position of head of the family."

“... But that’s, that’s... that’s...”

“That’s?” I repeated.

Gulp—

Yeriel swallowed hard, her eyes sweeping the area behind the annex before rushing inside and closing the door.

"That's a conversation from before I knew my bloodline—"

"Above all, do you not possess the very spirit?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

... Such regret is enough but once, I thought.

Should I kill them all before this grand magic reaches its completion? No, there's no need for that, even for Epherene's sake. As her Professor, and perhaps even her mentor, I have some words to leave behind.

Hummmmmmm—!

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