A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 193

Chapter 193: World of the Voice (3)

... On the dim path of the Voice, I followed Deculein, his stance unwavering, his steps perfectly measured and sure, with no trace of hesitation, as if nothing in this world could touch or disturb him.

I barely spent a year around Deculein, yet I’ve spent far longer hating him with every fiber of my being. I never really got to know him, nor did I make any effort to understand him. And yet... now, I find myself curious about him.

What could he be thinking? What feelings does he carry in his heart? Then, after a while, I realized my own emotions—I found myself feeling sad for Deculein.

I tried to piece together fragments of his life that came to my mind—a father who never placed his trust in his son, the weight of family expectations and conflicts, and the only woman he ever loved, stolen from him by a meaningless death brought about by a letter from a demon. In the end, the ones who played a decisive role in his loss were Kagan Luna... and his daughter, me.

Now, I understand that Deculein has every right to hate me, even to the point of despising me. The very fact that I am Kagan’s daughter gives him enough reason to loathe me.

... Yet, he still accepted me as his protégé, understood my betrayal when I sided with Ihelm, forgave my father, and even honored Kagan Luna by listing him as a co-author on a groundbreaking thesis.

And I... don’t know why. I really don’t. The more I come to know Deculein, the more time I spend with him, and the more the days slip by, the less I seem to understand. In the end, I feel like nothing more than a fool.

Why did he choose me as his protégé? Why didn’t he turn his back on me?

Therefore, I no longer resent Deculein. Instead, I can’t stop worrying about him. If he were to meet his lover, brought back as a demon, and if he really had to destroy her with his own hands—if he had no other choice—what would be left of his heart after that?

Within his heart, already reduced to ashes, like a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grows...

“Epherene.”

At that moment, Deculein broke the silence by calling her name.

"Yeeeees—!" Epherene blurted out, startled out of her wits in a panic.

“... Have you lost your mind?”

“Oh, no... I-I mean, why? What is it?”

"Get inside," Deculein said, tilting his chin toward a building ahead.

Epherene raised her head, her eyes catching sight of the massive signboard hanging above the entrance.

“... A hotel?!”

***

The hotel where Epherene and I arrived served as a save point. Without it, entering the Voice would mean waking up in an unpredictable location. But with a place like this—whether a hotel or a house—we could anchor ourselves here, guaranteeing that this spot would always mark the beginning of our journey.

Room 303

“Should I o-open it?” Epherene asked.

“Open it,” I replied.

Epherene unlocked the door first and hesitantly stepped inside.

“... Tch.”

The moment I stepped inside, the room greeted me with a stifling mustiness; the walls were draped in peeling wallpaper streaked with mold, and the bedding sagged under years of filth.

“Stay there,” I said.

Using my attribute, Encryption, I rearranged the room in my mind with clean, neatly arranged furniture through a Mana Code. Then, with Cleanse, I swept away all the filth and grime until everything sparkled anew.

“Whoa... That’s so cool,” Epherene murmured.

"Sit wherever you like."

"Okay, but... Professor, why are we here?" Epherene asked, looking around the room before taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"First, let me explain the Voice in detail," I said.

“Oh. Yes, Professor.”

"This place is an imitation of reality, a world created by the Voice of a demon—or rather, its very Waves. Though it resembles the real world, it is fundamentally different. Here, the impossible becomes possible, and objects that could never exist in the real world are present. Furthermore..."

I closed my eyes for a moment and used Comprehension to recall the memory of the Voice’s map design, something I had seen before. Back when I was Kim Woo-Jin, a game designer, such things came naturally to me. Without issue, I let the vision flow from my mind to the paper, recreating every detail exactly as I had once seen.

"Memorize this. The structure of the Voice is concentric circles," I said.

Concentric circles shared the same center but differed in radius. As the radius increased, the circles grew larger outward. Similarly, the Voice expanded outward, filling broader spaces as it moved further from the center, while becoming more focused and constrained as it approached the core.

"The two demons are most likely at the heart of it all," I added.

Like ripples spreading across a still pond, the circles of the map stretched outward, with the two targets trapped at the tightest point in the center. But Epherene seemed distracted, her focus elsewhere. Fidgeting with her lips, Epherene looked right at me, as if she had something she couldn’t quite bring herself to say.

Mumble— Mumble—

"Do you have something to say?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Ah... um... are you really going to kill her? Yourself?"

“Yes,” I replied, nodding.

Epherene’s face clouded with sadness, and I wasn’t sure why she reacted that way. But for now, I decided to explain the necessity of it all.

"It’s not a responsibility to be passed on to someone else. Hunting demons is a duty that belongs to Yukline."

"That... I get it... But still..." Epherene stammered.

It was clear that Epherene still lacked the calm and collected rationality expected of a true mage.

... No. Or perhaps it is I who lack something fundamental to being human, I thought.

Surprisingly, I found that I didn’t mind Epherene being like this—the nervous flutter of her fingers, the way she sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me hesitantly, or even the way she worried about me without reason.

“It might be difficult,” I admitted.

At my response, Epherene quickly raised her head. Killing Yoo Ah-Ra—a demon who looked like her—might prove difficult.

"However, I will neither falter nor turn away."

“... Why?”

"Ending the demon’s existence is my responsibility—because I know it is the right path for me to take."

Epherene hesitated, lowering her head for a moment before looking up at me again and saying, "... Professor, there’s something I’ve been wondering about—something I’ve wanted to ask for a long time."

"Speak," I said.

"Why... did you choose me... as your protégé?”

It was a weak question, but Epherene continued, her face as serious as the weight of the world.

"I mean, just like I hated you, it’s only natural that you’d feel the same about me. Because—"

"If your talent had been insignificant," I interrupted, meeting her eyes. "I would have left you to remain as you were—irrelevant, undeserving of my hatred or even a shred of my attention."

Epherene flinched, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"However, Epherene, listen closely. I do not speak falsehoods."

Gulp—

Epherene swallowed nervously, and the corner of my lips twisted slightly. Perhaps it was a smile—or something close to it.

"You hold the talent to define an era.”

Talent—I had long known of Epherene’s talent. It wasn’t just because she was a named character. The growth I witnessed with my own Sharp Eyesight was extraordinary—far beyond what anyone could have expected. It was the kind of progress that made her future as an Archmage feel inevitable.

“To become a mage whose name will be remembered throughout the history of the continent."

Epherene went blank for a moment, and a gentle blush spread across her cheeks, like the first touch of dawn.

"Your talent has nothing to do with the many things about you that I despise. I recognized your potential and believed I could shape it into something greater. That is all—nothing more, nothing less," I concluded.

Epherene nodded slowly, but something in my words seemed to bother her, and she murmured, "Many things about me... that you despise, Professor?"

I felt nothing for Epherene—not affection, nor hatred. Yet, if I were to rely on Deculein’s memories, dislike would be closer to the truth. To say the feeling was free of envy or jealousy would be a lie I couldn’t justify.

"How much does he have to despise me to say there are many things..." Epherene muttered, as if she wanted me to hear.

“Get some rest. Here, you’ll sleep more comfortably and eat your fill, far better than you could in the Northern Region,” I said as I rose from my chair.

“... There’s nothing to eat,” Epherene replied with a hint of sass.

“I’ll go and get something.”

“Sorry? Oh, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I’ll go and get it instead—”

"Oh! It’s Professor Deculein!" Leo exclaimed, his eyes wide as he pointed straight at me.

Room 303

“Snore... Snore...”