A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Dreams, Memories, and the Voice (2)

I settled Epherene into the chair in my office, leaning in close as I shone a light in her eyes to check the pupillary response.

"... Hic," Epherene muttered, suddenly hiccuping.

"Is there a problem?" I inquired, glancing up at her face.

"... I think you are too close, Professor," Epherene muttered, pouting.

"Epherene, remnants of demonic energy were detected in your pupils," I said, stepping back and seating myself as the examination came to a close.

“Sorry?”

Demonic energy, even in the tiniest particles, was a turbulent force that could stir a tempest within me. It stood as the greatest adversary of the Characteristic I had acquired not long ago. However, I felt no pressing concern, as the nature of Deculein’s wrath—although his words and actions grew more abrasive—always settled into a frostbound tranquility.

"What has led you to this?"

"Ah, um..." Epherene mumbled, her eyes darting away from mine as if searching for an escape.

“Speak.”

"... Umm, my dad came to me in my dream."

I watched her in silence, saying more than words ever could.

Epherene lowered her head and added, "But... it wasn’t him. It felt like I had been deceived in some way, or something like that."

I pieced the words together in my mind—dream, father, deception, and demonic energy.

"Did nothing else occur in the dream?"

"Sorry? Oh, well..." Epherene stammered, her eyes wide, her fingers fiddling and her feet shuffling like a squid, her cheeks flushing bright red.

A strange sense of discomfort stirred within me.

"Still your hands and legs, or I will have no choice but to cut them off."

"What?! Cut them off? ... Something did happen, actually."

As I continued to press my glare into her, Epherene finally began to speak, her words cutting through the stillness as I listened in silence. She had met Kagan Luna in her dream, but it wasn’t really her father. Had she approached him, it could have been disastrous, but she explained that she had survived thanks to a recent mental training session...

"It could only have been a demon."

“... A demon?” Epherene asked, blinking.

"Correct. Now, which of the five human senses fades from memory the fastest?"

“Hearing, Professor.”

"Correct. The sounds of the distant past fade from memory, making them vulnerable to distortion."

Hearing, the first of the human senses to fade, gradually faded into complete obscurity. For this reason, it was also the easiest to deceive.

"Beware the voices that call to you in your dreams."

In a world untouched by recording devices, the voices of the dead faded into silence, and the Voice slithered into the cracks, like a shadow slipping into the void.

"They call it the Voice," I concluded.

"Oh! I’ve been there as well! But it was all in ruins when I was there," Epherene exclaimed, her voice echoing through the room.

I nodded and replied, "That demon has both a concept and a phenomenon that shapes its world. In those ruins, memories, dreams, desires, and wishes take form. Do they not sell strange items there?"

"... Oh, yes, they did. And I also have this. I got it from Rohak... I mean, from that old man a while ago," Epherene said, pulling a coin out of her pocket. "But why did I have such a dream?"

In silence, I stared at Epherene—from the crown of her head to her temples, across her brow, and down to her forehead.

Epherene suddenly squinted at me and asked, "W-why are you staring at my lips like that?"

"... Have you lost your mind?"

“Sorry?”

Leaning back in the chair, I said, "That being said, you’ve been formally invited. Most likely, all the memories of Decalane, Kagan Luna, and the others have already flowed to the demon."

"So what happens after that, Professor?"

"In those ruins, the door to your memories will open. Only those who manage to clear the challenge will receive that coin," I said, pointing to the coin.

“Clear... Clear? Clear the challenge?” Epherene muttered, her face filled with confusion. “How could anyone possibly clear my memories?”

"Like a dungeon, where the villains of your memories rise up as the final boss."

“Oh~ So, if the villains of my memories are like... Glitheon, Lolu, Lucia, and Deculein...”

Epherene stiffened, startled by her own unfiltered thoughts spilling out, a bead of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She quickly pretended to be distracted, muttering to herself as if correcting what she had just said.

"... Deculein is n-neutral now, so let’s not count him, and we will be left with—"

"Enough of that. That said, the difficulty of your memories is likely at its highest."

“Ahem... But why would that demon do something like this? What is it trying to accomplish?"

"World domination," I answered.

Epherene blinked at me and asked, "... Is that even possible?"

"It's within the realm of possibility. The more people become obsessed with the ruins of the Voice, the stronger its power grows. By entering their dreams and twisting their memories, as it did with you, it leads them to be dominated by it."

The demon’s ultimate goal was to rule the world through humanity. However, it was not the pure representation of evil; instead, it offered opportunities for growth, making it both a chance and a peril—a double-edged sword.

“So... if I’m invited, what about you, Professor?”

"I have already been invited."

"... How can you tell if you are invited or not?"

“The shoulder.”

“Shoulder?”

Using Telekinesis, I lowered the hem of Epherene’s robe, revealing the curve of her shoulders and collarbone.

Epherene screamed in panic and exclaimed, “Ahh! W-what are you—what are you doing to meeee?!”

“There.”

“Professor, you are crazy! Ahhhh!”

I clenched my teeth for a moment and continued, "Look at your shoulder."

“... What?!”

“There should be a tattoo made with a single stroke.”

Epherene, doubt evident on her face, wove the spell—Whispering Wall—forming an opaque barrier.

“Oh, what?!” Epherene gasped, glancing at her shoulder as the wall vanished, her face flushing with awkwardness as she looked at me. “I... wonder what this could be~?”

"That tattoo allows you to determine the timing of your entry. For now, since the Voice's duration is limited, access is restricted to once a week. Further instructions will follow—be sure to align your schedule with mine."

"O-okay. Yes, Professor," Epherene mumbled, scratching the back of her neck and avoiding eye contact as she nodded awkwardly.

***

On a bitter winter morning, as the harshest season took its hold, Yulie awoke from her sleep.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Cold sweat drenched her body, her breath coming in ragged gasps, as the voices lingered faintly in her ears.

“Grand Knight, please avenge my death.”

“Grand Knight... I...”

The voices of Rockfell and Veron echoed in her mind—Rockfell, pleading for vengeance as his limbs were torn apart, and Veron, a Wood Steel blade driven deep into his heart—a nightmare that wouldn’t release its grip. Yulie struggled to calm her racing heart, attempting to meditate, but the circumstances offered no mercy.

“Knight Yulie! This is bad!”

Yulie sprang to her feet, casting a light Cleanse spell to wipe the sweat from her skin. She armed herself, slipped into her tiger pelt armor, tied back her long hair, and reached for her sword before pushing open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Reylie rushed over and said, "This is bad, this is really bad!"

"What happen—"

"Just come! You'll see when you get there!" Reylie said, hurriedly pulling Yulie toward the meeting room.

As they hurried to the location, a number of knights had already gathered, and the meeting was already underway.

“Oh~ Hey, Yulie. You’re here,” Sirio greeted.

"Take a seat," Gwen said.

Unlike the welcoming faces of her trusted knights, the knights of the Imperial Palace avoided making eye contact with her.

"... This is the scene described by a scout who ventured deep into the outskirts of the Land of Destruction," reported Delic, a knight of the Imperial Palace.

The meeting, which had briefly paused, resumed, with a drawing pinned to the board at the front of the room. Yulie’s expression stiffened the moment she saw it.

"Innumerable demonic beasts are advancing from the Land of Destruction. While their exact numbers remain unknown, their target is clearly the wall here."

It was the densest monster wave she had ever seen—far more than anyone had expected.

Yulie could hardly believe her eyes as she watched the dense wave of monsters, more terrifying and massive than ever before.

"Professor Deculein’s prediction proved correct."

Even those who had gathered in Rekordak initially questioned Deculein’s prediction. The idea that a monster wave, far greater than the one that had devastated the continent nineteen years ago, could be approaching seemed almost unbelievable.

"... What will you all do?" Delic asked, sweeping his eyes around the knights at the table. "In less than a week, these maddened beasts will be upon us, and by then, their hunger will make them far more vicious in their onslaught."

Yulie frowned as she understood the meaning of his words.

After a moment of silence, Delic concluded, "I will be leaving."

"... Knight Delic," Yulie said, attempting to stop him.

Delic shook his head and said, “The corrupted knight should remain silent.”

Yulie clenched her fists, a flood of anger rising within her.

"To hold our ground at Rekordak is meaningless," Delic continued. "Of course, Knight Deya would argue in favor of holding the line."

Creeeak—

“... Ah!”

"Hmm. Indeed, Delic, your argument is sound. There is no flaw in your logic," Deculein said with a slight nod.

So, even Deculein feels that this might be too much to handle. The fact that his predictions were proven right will undoubtedly bring him tremendous honor. It’s only natural that he would avoid taking further unnecessary risks, Delic thought.

Gulp—