A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 163

Chapter 163: Wall of the Northern Region (1)

... After some time, Wood Steel signaled that everything was over. With that, I descended once more into the depths of the crevasse.

Tap—

My heels touched down on the ground. Near the crystal tree, I noticed Sylvia slumped over, fast asleep on the table I had made, while her ghost lay collapsed beside her. I slipped off my gloves, feeling the faint bite of the cold air.

With the Iron Man attribute and Cold Adaptation I’d gained from my time in the snow globe, my body was far from ordinary—I hardly felt the cold. But Sylvia might feel differently, as she would probably feel its full sting.

“... She’d feel cold here,” I murmured to myself as I walked toward Sylvia. Exhausted, she hadn’t even sensed my approach and was already deep in sleep.

Crackle—

With Ductility, I created a blanket and draped it over her shoulders, adding a Midas Touch enhancement up to Level 2 just in case.

“Well done.”

For some reason, an odd sense of fondness stirred within me when I thought of her. Perhaps it was simply because she was the only one who allowed me to feel the heavy, misguided ache of guilt.

I rested my hand gently on her small head, assessing her condition. Fractures, bruises, bleeding—her body was marked with wounds of every kind. One by one, I covered each wound with strips of Duct Tape. By the time she woke, the healing would be complete, and she would believe she had mended them all on her own.

“... Take some rest,” I murmured as I turned toward the crystal tree.

[Main Quest: Ages]

Demakan’s Sanctuary of Ages. The mystical ancient tree stood in silence, its surface where Epherene’s name had glowed just moments ago now bare. With the magic faded, the crystal tree’s time slipped quietly back into its natural rhythm.

Whirr—

I activated the Wood Steel blades, carving a new name into the rough surface of the wood.

Deculein

In that instant, the main quest, Ages, was complete.

"Hey. Do you even understand the weight of your choice? You’re agreeing to bind yourself to the Ages. Do you even grasp what the Ages really are?" Idnik's voice echoed, lingering in the air as she approached, her robes flowing like shadows in her wake.

“It’s the secret society aiming to dismantle the Altar, isn’t it?” I replied.

“Hmm? It’s close enough... But aren’t secret societies precisely the kind of thing you detest?” Idnik commented, her footsteps echoing lightly as she approached and took a seat across from Sylvia. From within her robes, she drew out a tea set complete with black tea and fine china. “It’s been quite some time since I was last here.”

I held my silence.

“Heh,” Idnik murmured, giving a slight nod toward Sylvia’s blanket. “But how strange... You seem to have a real fondness for Sylvia.”

I didn’t respond and simply watched Sylvia. Seeing her asleep like this, a name surfaced in my mind—Cielia, someone I had never met before.

“She bears the talent to ascend as an Archmage. I simply seek to acknowledge that promise.”

In completing the main quest, the involvement of not only the player but also the named characters was critical. The scenario was designed so that the player couldn’t clear it alone.

“I’ll take my leave,” I said, smoothing my attire, adjusting my tie, and brushing the dust from my sleeves. “The rest, I leave in your hands.”

As I turned to leave, Idnik’s voice halted me, her words slicing through the silence as she asked, “Do you feel any regret for killing the child’s mother?”

My steps came to an abrupt halt as fragmented memories surged through my mind—Deculein’s hands clenched around Cielia’s throat, rage spilling forth like blood from a fresh wound, and Cielia repeatedly saying sorry. Each scene sank deep, cutting through me like splinters of glass

“... Even if I hadn’t killed her, Cielia would have met the same fate regardless.”

Idnik’s fingers tightened around her teacup, her grip becoming tense. Cielia had been terminally ill, her life already slipping away.

“So? Are you telling me you just quickened her end, since she was destined to die anyway?” Idnik retorted, her words cutting sharply.

I shook my head. Deculein, consumed by his own fury, had likely ended her life with no justification other than his rage. On that day, he was completely bereft of dignity.

“I am no longer the person I once was. From this moment forward, let’s keep Cielia’s illness a secret from Sylvia.”

“... What?” Idnik said, her brow furrowing.

I looked back at Sylvia—her face serene in sleep, breaths soft and even, heartbeat steady and unhurried. There was no mistaking it; every sign of life was too genuine to be a lie.

“Hatred is all that remains within her.”

Sylvia was hollow, stripped of the very essence of humanity. In a sense, she was like a wind-up doll—lifeless until a purpose set her in motion.

“If that hatred toward me is what will allow her talent to bloom, if it is what will keep her alive...”

At that moment, a stray lock of Sylvia’s hair drifted into her mouth. With a subtle use of Telekinesis, I lifted it away. Idnik watched my movements, keen and unblinking.

“... Then so be it. I’m accustomed to hatred; it’s easy enough to bear. I’ll remain here to behold her growth, however brightly she may come to shine.”

“Hmph,” Idnik scoffed. “... You’re just like Glitheon.”

I shook my head and replied, “At the very least, I hold a true concern for this child.”

“Do you, now?”

These feelings were no illusion. They were among the few proofs that Kim Woo-Jin still lived within me—emotions that Deculein could never grasp. Sylvia was one of those rare reminders.

“So, I will allow her hatred for me to remain...” I said, my eyes locked on Idnik. “Just as it is now.”

Idnik regarded me in silence for a moment, then, with a faint smile, said, "What a shame. Sylvia’s feelings for you aren’t only hatred. Still, you choose to blind yourself to the truth."

I waited briefly, wondering what it was that I was blinding myself to.

But Idnik simply shook her head and said, "You can return. I understand well enough what you mean."

I nodded, removing the Duct Tape I’d used to recover Sylvia’s wounds and erasing any residual trace of mana, then stepped onto the Wood Steel platform.

Watching me, Idnik said, "Farewell. I don’t know what brought about such a change in you, but I can’t say I dislike it..."

***

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

A lone horse crossed the expansive plains of the Northern Region. Sophien and Epherene sat upon the broad back of the chestnut horse, their hair stirred by the cold wind. However, the horizon ahead was no different from the present—empty of wonder and stripped of delight. Only a quiet, unshakable heaviness lingered in their hearts.

“Your Majesty,” Epherene said, addressing the most esteemed figure on the continent.

With a firm grip on the reins, Sophien replied, "Speak."

“... It’s been less than four years.”

“Are you talking about this future?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Deculein’s life had, at most, only three or four years left—a painfully brief time. Strangely, Epherene’s heart ached. Deculein was, undeniably, her father’s sworn enemy... just as her father had been his. And because of her father, Deculein’s fiancée... It led her thoughts to grow muddled, weighed down by the tangled web of it all.

“I see,” Sophien said with a nod, casting a brief look over her shoulder at Epherene, who sat behind her. “Luna.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“... Forget it,” Sophien replied, swallowing the words she had nearly let slip.

Sophien read all the lines from Deculein’s letter—the one that began with the statement that from this moment onward, he intended to place his life entirely in her hands.

The first two pages had been fascinating and delightful, drawing her in, while the next two turned somber, stirring something serious within her. The final three pages... they evoked feelings she could hardly name.

“Sorry? Oh—yes, of course, Your Majesty. I understand. I won’t ask further.”

“Smart of you.”

After finishing his letter, Sophien realized that his decision to place his life in her hands had never been about saving him—but rather, something far darker...

“Let’s move. The comet will be back soon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty~”

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

“Oh—there!” Epherene gasped, pointing up at the sky.

Then the results arrived. Allen, with a serious look, handed me the paper. I took it without a thought, but as I read, my eyes widened. _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

“Sorry? Oh, yes! Exactly! According to the impeccable calculations based on your theory, Professor!”