A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20: University (3)

A youthful voice echoed from deeper into the forest as it called out, “Where is it?!”

Now that the situation had already been resolved, I put my six beloved swords into my briefcase.

“Where is it?!” the Chairwoman repeated as she flew over on her staff, her Cherished Item.

Her eyes widened upon finally finding the demon, which now had a hole in its forehead.

“Oh! You’ve already killed it!”

I tried to use Cleanse to remove the splatter of blood on my face, but the mana infused in the blood resisted the spell. I had no choice but to wipe it off with a handkerchief and throw it away.

“As expected of a Yukline mage! What spell did you use? Oh! Judging by the cut, was it my Whirlwind Blade Awl?”

"What a silly name," I replied, my tone unintentionally sharp.

The Chairwoman's eyes widened in surprise and asked, "W-what do you mean? Everyone liked the name!"

“Do you really think anyone would dare criticize you, Chairwoman?” I asked as I turned away.

“R-really? Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.”

The Chairwoman looked crestfallen. The Chairwoman feigned innocence, which made me feel uneasy, then did something genuinely brutal. She picked up the demon's corpse and hurled it like a shot put.

Boooom—!

It flew past my shoulder and hit the ground, bursting into pieces and splattering flesh and blood everywhere.

"I can't believe the Whirlwind Blade Awl wasn't good enough..." the Chairwoman muttered dejectedly.

I walked calmly through the bloodshed, not a single drop touching me thanks to my Telekinesis. Descending the mountain, I saw a crowd of mages from the Mage Tower. They reminded me of Epherene, whom I now regretted treating so harshly.

Grabbing one of the spectating mages, I asked, "Hey. There was a Debutant mage here. Where did—"

"Head Professor Deculein," an unfamiliar, gentle voice interrupted. "How have you been?"

I turned around, finding a handsome, golden-haired man in clerical robes. Thanks to his hair and outfit, I immediately identified him as Terfeit, a devout priest from the cathedral and a named character. He was known for helping those who held grudges against me, which made him a troublesome figure from my perspective.

"Now that I’ve rescued the mages, I would like to ask you about the situation, Head Professor."

"Talk to the Chairwoman. She’s inside. For some reason, she blew up the corpse," I said.

"Aha, I see," Terfeit said with a nod.

He smiled and sent the rescued mages on their way before heading up the mountain. I then called the names of the remaining mages, who in turn, looked at me in fear.

"Julia, Ferit, Rondo."

Paling, Julia answered, "Y-yes?"

"Is the last person in your group okay?"

"Sorry? Oh, yes! Epherene is in the university hospital—"

"That’s good."

I then turned away, choosing not to listen to the rest of what she had to say.

I felt mentally exhausted. I had never wanted to go home this badly before. In the distance, I saw professors running toward me.

"Head Professor! Are you alright?!"

Considering all the paperwork, the imperial report, and the coordination with the cathedral awaiting me, I felt an overwhelming urge to escape.

***

Chirp chirp chirp—

Epherene groggily blinked awake to birds chirping and sunlight streaming in through the window. Seeing the white ceiling, she realized she was in the university hospital. A voice as warm and gentle as the sunlight tickled her ears.

“You’re finally awake. Nice to meet you.”

Startled, Epherene sat up and saw a priest by her bed. Remembering the saying about being wary of handsome men, she pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

“W-who are you?” Epherene asked.

“I am Terfeit, a priest of the Euref Cathedral,” Terfeit said.

“... Parfait?”

Terfeit smiled at her and said, "You’ve grown so much, Epherene Luna.”

Epherene’s brows furrowed in suspicion and asked, “... Do you know me?”

"I knew your father. I’ve seen many pictures of you.”

“... So?” Epherene defensively asked.

“I came to ask about what happened at the Mountain of Darkness, but... it seems you still haven’t fully grasped what exactly happened.”

“... No. Unfortunately, I was caught by an enchantment spell—”

“Professor Deculein saved you,” Terfeit said.

“Ah... I see.”

“The entity that enchanted you was a demon. The Mountain of Darkness has been temporarily closed, and our cathedral is currently searching the area with the Mage Tower.”

Epherene covered her face with her hands. Deculein saving her wasn’t just a dream.

His cold voice still echoed in her ears, “You damn halfwit.”

"I’m not here solely due to the incident, though. I also wanted to meet you, the daughter of an old friend—"

“A friend? Of my father’s?”

"Yes. I may be wrong, but I do believe I understand what he had to go through. If you ever need any help—"

With a serious expression, Epherene resolutely shook her head and said, "No. It’s fine."

Terfeit was slightly taken aback.

She had to resolve this matter between her and Deculein, as well as Deculein and Luna, on her own. She wouldn’t allow anyone to help or interfere. At least when it came to her father’s death, she was the only one who had the right to hold Deculein accountable.

"Please stay out of this, Mister Terfeit," Epherene said firmly.

"I see...”” Terfeit said, letting out a quiet laugh. Afterward, he asked, “Well, are you sure you want to keep resting?"

"Sorry?"

"Today is Wednesday, and it’s currently a quarter before three. You’ve been out cold for exactly thirty-six hours."

At that moment, Epherene realized that she had forgotten something.

He continued, "You’re about to miss Professor Deculein's class. No one will blame you for resting, but I doubt that strict professor will let your absence slide.”

"... Oh no!" Epherene exclaimed, sprang up from the bed.

"Miss Luna, studying is important, but in your current condition, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”

"Ah, thank you! You be careful on your way back too, Mister Teporo!"

"Hmm? Haha. Thank you. You've called me by so many different names today."

Ignoring the nurse’s call to pick up her medicine, Epherene ran out of the university hospital.

Normally, even at full speed, it would still have taken her at least fifteen minutes to reach the Mage Tower. However, due to her desperation, it only took her ten minutes to climb to the third floor.

Panting, she opened the door to Classroom A only to be stunned by the sight that greeted her.

"Huh?"

The classroom was now larger and had a long magic table for each student. On the tables were elements like soil, sand, wood pieces, and water.

"Ephie!” Julia said, waving. “Over here!"

Epherene nodded. She then walked over to Julia.

"How are you feeling? You were still unconscious when I visited you. It's not something serious, is it?" Julia asked.

"No, I'm fine. I finally got some good sleep after so long, so I’m actually in my best condition," Epherene replied.

She hadn't slept more than four hours a night since her father had committed suicide three years ago. Now, she felt as refreshed as if she had finally caught up on all her sleep debt.

"That's a relief..." Julia said.

Just then, Head Professor Deculein entered with a short mage.

"Class, this is Assistant Professor Allen.”

Everyone was surprised, especially Epherene. Typically, once someone had become an assistant professor, they could undergo evaluations to become an associate professor or even a full-time professor. With enough achievements, they could even advance without Deculein's approval. Therefore, he usually didn’t keep an assistant professor.

Epherene's father had worked like a slave under Deculein without ever advancing. As a result, despite already being thirty years old, he had failed to get past the Solda rank.

Thinking about those days made her neck stiff with anger. Why did he have an assistant now?

"As I mentioned last week, we’ll have a Practical Application session today," Deculein said.

Feeling a brief, intense dizziness, Epherene pinched her thigh to stay focused.

"I will give you five tasks based on the lecture last week. Your scores will count toward your grades, so it's in your best interest to take them seriously," Deculein continued.

Assistant Professor Allen walked from table to table, placing a clock on each one. _{freewebnoveℓ.com}

With a snap of his fingers, he made the assignments appear in midair. The first was Will-o'-the-Wisp, the second was Engulfing Smoke, and the third was Rising Metal...

The mages immediately warmed up their mana. Likewise, Epherene quickly placed her hands on the elements on her table. First up was the Will-o'-the-Wisp.

Snap!

"Ah, hold on."

"Will-o'-the-Wisp confirmed,” Allen suddenly announced. “Time is four minutes, one second.”

Already?!

Epherene looked over in shock. As she had expected, Sylvia had completed the Will-o'-the-Wisp and was already starting on the second task.

"... Ugh!"

“You damn halfwit, you damn halfwit, you damn halfwit, you damn halfwit, you damn halfwit, you damn halfwit, you damn halfwit, you damn halfwit—”

Remaining emotionless, she let out a huff. "Hmph."

Epherene, you’re really out of the race.

Keep watching, but don't envy or concern yourself with me. You'll never reach my level anyway.