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A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Trace (3)

“... Hmph,” Josephine murmured as she tapped her cheek with her fingers, eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

It was fascinating, and she almost felt a bit upset at being called the insistent sister, but she couldn't help but smile in the end. The price of using the head of the great Yukline family was merely a monthly smile. It was cringe-worthy but also refreshingly honest.

Yet, Yulie couldn’t even respond to that. Josephine found herself frustrated. If it had been her, she would have secured several mines by now.

"Shall I wait a bit more..."

She had planned to kill Deculein. Ever since that day when Yulie wept alone, she had been devising plans, coming up with hundreds, even thousands, of strategies. She had waited for Yulie to speak up, but Yulie was too kind to even imagine saying such things, so she decided to stop waiting.

“Very well.”

But today, Deculein's sincerity was worth listening to. Josephine could discern the tone of his voice. His declaration that he wouldn’t marry Yulie was indeed genuine. So, she decided to let it go this time and postpone her plan for now.

“... Brother, what do you think of Deculein?” Josephine asked Zeit, who was yawning at a table on the first floor.

Zeit raised his eyebrows and responded, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know, brother. I just want to follow Yulie's decision. What about you?”

Zeit's expression turned slightly grim. He rubbed his temples a few times before running his hand through his hair.

“You can’t move the king like a queen in chess. You can’t move a knight like a king, and you can’t move a pawn like a knight. If something you thought was a queen turned out to be a knight, it would be quite disappointing.”

Zeit hadn’t initially wanted to push for the marriage with Deculein either.

“But Deculein isn’t just a piece. He is the chessboard. Even if the board has a few scratches, it doesn’t mean you can’t place pieces on it.”

“So what?”

Zeit looked out the restaurant window, the embers of past wars still raging in his eyes.

“Josephine, I remember our father’s death,” Zeit said through gritted teeth. The terrifying aura that emerged at that moment suffocated the area, causing the nobles in the restaurant to cough without knowing why.

“Our father was worth more than all those damned bureaucrats in the capital combined. But they treated a knight’s honor as worth less than a mere mana stone.”

Josephine only nodded. Sometimes, like today, Zeit could be frightening even to her.

“It’s the capital, Josephine. In the frontier, we don’t even have a chessboard to play on.”

The frontier county of Freyden, a noble family with a long history of defending the Empire’s northwestern border from Land of Destruction, had lost their head in a past defeat.

“I will not repeat the past. Yulie knows that as well,” Zeit said.

“Yes, I understand, brother,” Josephine replied.

Josephine had accepted her father's death. She always knew that Zeit would succeed him, and she had no way to overthrow him, so she gave up on becoming the head early on. Josephine quickly lost interest in things she couldn't have.

“... Those bastards deserve to be torn apart. One day, I will rip their limbs off and feed them to dogs...” Zeit growled.

Josephine shook her head. Despite being family, Zeit was ruthless, and it worried her. With Zeit being this way, if Yulie ever spread her wings and flew away... Josephine hoped that if that day came, Yulie would be much stronger than Zeit. She hoped Yulie would be able to defeat him and soar more brilliantly than anyone...

Just then, Yulie came down to the first floor, accompanied by Deculein.

Oh, Professor Deculein. Have you finished your conversation?” Zeit asked, immediately changing his expression when he saw Deculein.

There was an awkward tension between Yulie and Deculein, but it wasn't as hostile as before.

Oh~ haha. It seems the conversation went well?” Zeit asked.

“Yes,” Deculein nodded.

That was enough for Zeit. Satisfied, he patted Yulie on the shoulder.

“Then, let’s go! Time for a drink.”

The four of them left the restaurant together. Deculein deliberately walked slowly, allowing the three from Freyden to lead the way.

"Did you enjoy the food, Yulie? We ate downstairs as well~ The meat was delicious," Zeit asked Yulie.

"I don’t know. Also sister, please don’t talk to me anymore."

"Huh? Why? Why? Don’t make your sister sad, Yulie," Josephine said.

"Do you really not know? Think about what you said today."

"What? Did you have a disagreement while choosing dresses?" Zeit asked.

From a distance, they seemed like a bickering but harmonious family. However, a closer look revealed otherwise. As Charlie Chaplin said, "Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot."

“I should be heading back. I have matters at the Mage Tower to attend to,” Deculein said, stopping at the crossroads.

“What? Why are you leaving so soon? Have a drink with us,” Zeit insisted, but Josephine intervened.

She whispered something to Zeit, which included the words about day of remembrance. Overhearing this, Yulie looked at Deculein with a peculiar expression.

Oh. I see. Well, take care. I hope we can have another gathering like this soon,” Zeit said.

“I hope so too,” Deculein replied.

With that, Deculein turned and walked in a different direction from them.

***

Early the next morning.

Bang—!

The chair I tried to lift lightly shot up violently. It almost crashed into the ceiling, but I adjusted my Telekinesis, and it gently settled down like a leaf in the breeze.

“... I’m still not used to this.”

[Mana Quality Enhancement (Level 1) has been applied.]

[You can now harness mana with greater purity.]

The qualitative enhancement of mana meant that the mana in my body had been purified. Mana circulation was smoother, allowing me to produce superior output with the same amount of mana.

As a result, the power of my Telekinesis, with magic circles memorized all over my body, had increased by at least 25%. However, the inconvenience of having to readjust from the beginning was annoying.

Anyway, it was time to memorize Beginner Telekinesis again. My current Telekinesis was a mix of Basic and Beginner levels, but with one more week of effort, I could fully transition to the Beginner level of Telekinesis and expect a dramatic performance improvement. At that moment...

Swoosh—

The door to the annex suddenly swung open.

“What is it?” I asked.

I had clearly stated that no one should enter without permission. Who dared to—

“What do you mean, what is it? It’s me,” Yeriel said.

It was Yeriel. Her eyes bulged in disbelief as soon as she saw me.

“What... Aren’t you going to put on some clothes? You’ve been working out lately, but have you developed some kind of exhibitionism? Why are you shirtless all of a sudden?” Yeriel asked incredulously.

In Yeriel’s hand was a piece of parchment. Its appearance was unusual, and the system reacted immediately.

[Main Quest: Gatherings from Berhert]

“Take this. Berhert has convened a meeting. It’s the first in fifteen years.” Yeriel said.

I used Telekinesis to bring it over and read it. There wasn’t much to it, just a notice that the Yukline family had been called, with a postscript to take care of my own safety.

“But seriously, did you go through torture or something? Are you dying soon? You look terrible, and kinda disgusting,” Yeriel continued, scrutinizing me with a frown.

She was right; my body was covered in wounds and stained with blood.

“It’s nothing,” I replied.

I had been planning to clean up anyway. I used a cleanse spell to wash away the grime and asked, “Did you come all this way just to deliver this parchment?”

“Partially. I have other things to do, so I’ll be here until tomorrow,” Yeriel said with a shrug, her tone grumbling and looking somewhat shy. “Oh, by the way, remember the room I used when I entered the university? I’ll be staying there, so don’t even think about coming in.”

“You’re being rude,” I said.

“... Sir. You’re really picky about manners, aren’t you? Oh, so picky~” Yeriel replied sarcastically.

With that taunt, Yeriel left the room and shouted, "Bring me some food!"

I could hear Yeriel immediately shouting at the servants.

“... Tomorrow, huh.”

Yeriel said she’d be here until tomorrow... Today is the day of remembrance. It surely couldn’t be just a coincidence.

***

Com’on, Join Our Club! CMRC: Common Magic Research Club

Epherene looked at the sign on the club room door and laughed. The wordplay in the club's name, with the phrase Com'on cleverly carried a double meaning—it was both an invitation to come on and join the club, while subtly hinting the commoner background of its club members with the shortened com.[1]

Ah, why do I find this so funny?” Epherene chuckled. As she tried to stifle her laughter, the door suddenly swung open. “Yikes!”

Oh, Ephie! You’re here?! Come in!” Julia said as she grabbed Epherene’s wrist and pulled her inside.

Oh, Epherene, you’re here,” Rondo said.

“Want to play cards with us?” Yufin asked.

The club had only seven members, far fewer than expected, but Epherene found this small, tight-knit group to be quite enjoyable.

“Ephie, what do you think? Isn’t it spacious?” Julia asked, twirling in the middle of the club room.

“Yes, it is,” Epherene replied.

The room was much larger than she had expected, almost as big as her old house.

“There’s even a sofa...” Epherene murmured as she walked over and sat on it. It was soft. She pressed down on it with her hips, and it quickly returned to its original shape.

Wow.”

She pressed down again, and it bounced back just as easily. She pushed harder this time, but there was still no problem. Indeed, this was the finest sofa she had ever sat on.

Epherene glanced at her classmates and then slowly lay down on the sofa. Yawning, she asked, “By the way, Julia, what did you list as the club’s purpose?”

Hmm? Oh, Practical Understanding and Exploration of Magic. If we do well, we might even get to visit the Floating Island,” Julia replied.

Chapter 24: Trace (3) 1

Wow! I mean, uh, I see.”

Hmm... Maybe Epherene could ask? She seems to get along well with Professor Deculein,” Julia said after thinking for a moment.

Favors? Epherene’s face twisted in annoyance. Unbelievable. Such a ridiculous rumor.

Chapter 24: Trace (3) 2

Ugh. Relationship? He’s just...” Epherene said, scratching the back of her neck.

Hahaha, your serious face makes it even funnier.”

Halfwit again? It seems to be a popular term among the Mage Tower's professors. Epherene glared at Relin.

Hah, look at this cheeky brat, staring at a professor... Hey! Lower your gaze!” Relin shouted, his face turning red with anger.

Hah! You must have forged it. If you did, you’ll be expelled. Even if not, you’ve clearly defied me. I’ll tell the professor who approved this club exactly what I think to their face!” Relin sneered.

Umm...”

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