A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264: Phantom Ball (3)

Sunlight spilled through the window, warmth curling in like fine grains of light, awakening the world as dawn's glow burned slowly beyond the horizon.

— Deculein.

In the pale dawn glow, Iggyris’s voice faded into silence, and Deculein responded with a subtle bow, as if marking that everything from here on was his to shoulder. Without a word, Deculein stepped into the corridor, Yulie in his arms, and stood by the window, watching the rising dawn—the pale light of morning spreading across the Empire.

“... Professor,” Yulie said, her fingers fidgeting behind her back. “Professor...”

No further words came. Yulie’s chest constricted, her heart straining as if it might fracture, and her legs threatened to give way. But, she held her ground, because a knight never crumbles.

“... I.”

Yulie looked up at Deculein—the man who held her in his arms, lost in thought. Now that she understood him at last, too late, her heart ached, suffocating as if she were drowning. Her thoughts knotted together so tightly that it felt like they might snap, her breath catching short, her chest tight and heavy under the crushing confusion.

“I...”

Words, questions—too many to name—swirled in Yulie’s mind, but each long, trembling sentence broke down, fragmenting before it could rise. All that remained was a single word—simple to the point of childishness, heartbreakingly insufficient, nowhere near enough to express what she felt.

“... I am sorry.”

Deculein gave no response, not a single muscle betraying even the slightest twitch on his face.

In contrast, Yulie’s shoulders dropped as she looked down, weighed down by the weight of her own disappointment.

Is it because the apology came too late? Yulie thought.

“Yulie, I am not a man who deserves your apology,” Deculein said, without looking her way but seeing the light of morning spill across the sky outside the window.

Deculein talked about himself, a dry sneer—so perfectly his that it almost felt like a facade slipping into place.

“I’ve killed far too many, yet never once have I felt the weight of guilt.”

Yulie let her head fall and rested her forehead against his chest.

“When the cause is just, I will trample whatever stands in the way.”

Deculein reached for Yulie’s shoulder but caught himself, clenching his teeth as he forced himself to hold back. Instead, with Telekinesis, he pulled a small object from her inner pocket.

“And if challenged, I favor the blade over argument.”

The item dropped into Deculein’s hand, and Yulie’s eyes widened as she stared at what he held.

“As you say, I am a villain—damned beyond redemption, destined to face every soul I’ve slain when my time in hell comes. A vile villain,” Deculein concluded.

“Professor, that’s—”

The mana stone her guardian angel had given her, containing a video from that day—the only piece of evidence that remained.

“It’s not your fault, Yulie. If there’s any fault in this world, it belongs to the God who created us.”

Yulie stretched out her hand for the mana stone.

Crunch—!

However, before Yulie could reach for it, the mana stone cracked and crumbled in Deculein’s hand.

Whoooooosh...

The fragments of the mana stone hit the corridor, its glittering debris scattered, and from them, the video bled out, projecting scenes from that day in broken flashes, like shards of a mirror.

Yulie's eyes trembled as she stared at the flashing videos.

“Yulie, death is closing in on you.”

Plop— Plop—

Tears dropped onto the fractured mana stone, and as water, dust, and mana mingled together, pale blue smoke curled into the air.

“I admit it. Wanting to keep you alive, to protect you up close, was nothing but my own selfishness,” Deculein continued, letting Yulie slip from his arms and gripping her shoulders to help her stand on her feet.

“Therefore, now...” Deculein added, his fingers wiping away the tears from Yulie’s eyes. “I will let you go and teach myself not to love you any longer.”

The morning sun rose completely, and daylight poured through the window, falling over Deculein.

“The engagement is over, Yulie,” Deculein said, his eyes locked on hers.

Just looking at her was enough to make his chest tighten—Yulie, so heartbreakingly lovely that he wanted to hold her close right then. Deculein cupped her cheek, and though Yulie’s breath hitched beneath his touch, she didn’t resist.

“Now live your life,” Deculein concluded, his hand brushing Yulie’s neck and pressing on her pulse point.

At that moment, Yulie’s eyes opened wide in a flash of clarity—but her spirit was already worn thin and couldn’t take anymore.

“No...”

Right after Yulie let out her last broken breath, she slumped onto Deculein’s shoulder, and he gently ran his fingers through her hair, holding her close. Then, without a word, Deculein looked up past Yulie, his eyes locking on a man standing there. But it wasn’t just one—Gawain, Isaac, Ihelm, and Adrienne were all there too, staring, frozen in place with their eyes wide.

“Take her—and leave.”

At Deculein’s words, Ihelm hurried to Yulie’s side, gathered her onto his back, and pushed himself up, glancing back and asking, “Deculein, you’re not coming?”

“My work here remains unfinished,” Deculein said.

“... Alright, then.”

Ihelm didn’t let curiosity get the best of him. On the other hand, Adrienne’s eyes sparkled, a tangle of curiosity and excitement written all over her face as she moved to get closer.

“What?! What just happened?! Professor Deculein?! Oh, what the?!”

Ihelm’s hand reached out and caught her by the hair.

“What are you doing?! Let go of me!” Adrienne barked.

“Just come.”

“It looked so fun—oh no, no! I wanna know what happens later, please!”

Adrienne was pulled away by Ihelm as he led her down the corridor, disappearing from view. Gawain and Isaac gave Deculein a bow, their faces hard, before following.

... The corridor had fallen into deep silence, and Deculein stood at the window, staring into the deep shadows gathering in the corner.

“I have a question I would like to ask.”

— ... What is it?

Out of the shadowed corner came a voice from the depths of a well.

“Did you really never love Yulie?” Deculein asked.

— The woman I loved more than my own life gave her life for this child, over her own.

Iggyris paused in silence before releasing a long sigh, his voice steeped in regret, and sorrow coloring every word.

— It would be a lie to say I resent Yulie for it. But even a knight like myself wasn’t immune to weakness when thinking of someone I had loved. Every time I saw that child, I couldn’t help but think of my wife.

Deculein turned his head.

— The cause of my wife’s death was freezing to death.

Sometimes, a child born with powerful magical talent and a legendary bloodline can inflict illness—or even death—on their mother.

— As she gave birth, her body turned to ice from within, freezing her from the inside out. My wife died in excruciating pain.

As Iggyris had said, Yulie was the child of winter—born from Freyden’s purest bloodline, her first breath stealing her mother’s life with frost.

— ... I was too weak and limited.

Unlike Zeit or Josephine, Yulie had been born with a different fate—the curse of being named the main character in the world of the game.

— Professor, I was never capable of loving that child the way you could.

At that moment, Deculein’s face contorted, his jaw tightening with anger and contempt that he could no longer contain.

Bang—!

“How pathetic,” Deculein said, bringing his staff down onto the floor, the sound slicing through the hallway.

— Are you going to leave?

“... My work here remains unfinished,” Deculein replied.

Before the sun climbed high, before the afterlife’s gate clanged shut, there was unfinished business left for Deculein to complete.

***

... With the brilliance of the invisible sword forged from the Empress’s mana blazing through the air, Sophien moved like a tempest, unleashing the full extent of her natural talent.

Squeeeeeelch—!

Shhhhhhhrip—!

The Professor, who shared memories with Sophien, called himself a being of memory and mana, but his soul must have been much the same as the original Deculein’s.

Of course, he’ll think, feel, reason, speak... and come to the end of loving Yulie again. Damn it, Sophien thought.

The key difference between this Professor and the original Deculein was simple—he didn’t eat, didn’t need to relieve himself, and couldn’t die.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—!

“Hmm,” Sophien murmured, scanning the surroundings before glancing back at the door, a smile tugging at her lips. “Tell me, Professor—whether inside or out, is there any difference?”