A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Imperial Palace (1)

The Head Professor’s office was deathly quiet. Deculein focused intently on the scroll without saying a word. The scroll was covered with various lines and circles. Epherene swallowed hard and clenched her fists, watching Deculein with tense anticipation. Her heart pounded, cold sweat trickling down her temples as her breath grew ragged.

“The knots connecting the magic circle are loose,” Deculein said, still examining the scroll. Behind him, a fountain pen floated up. “These sections here.”

The pen marked eight different spots, and he soon instructed, “Observe the difference between a secure connection and a loose one.

Sylvia compared the marked and unmarked areas with her eyes. The differences were subtle but noticeable. Epherene, for once, took his advice seriously.

“The remainder of the work meets satisfactory standards,” Deculein noted with a nod.

At that moment, Epherene felt a surge of joy rising from deep within her chest. His remark that the rest of the work was satisfactory meant he hadn’t detected her trap.

“... Hmm~”

In truth, it was only natural. Catalyst Magic involved inscribing runes onto the catalyst itself, dedicating 70% of the spell's power to the catalyst and only 30% to the caster. It was a burden-relief technique, with 70% of the spell concealed within the catalyst.

“Proceed as you have been,” Deculein said, unaware of the trap.

Epherene couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, “Aha-ha.”

Deculein looked back at her, and she responded with a beaming smile, “Thank you, Professor. I feel so relieved now.”

“If everything is complete, you may all leave,” he said.

“Yes, sir!” Epherene exclaimed, jumping to her feet, her face lighting up with a broad smile.

Sylvia cast a narrow-eyed glare at her, but the five of them soon left together. Once outside Deculein’s room, Sylvia muttered, “Arrogant Epherene.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Epherene replied with a laugh.

The team took the elevator down to the study room in the lower levels of the Mage Tower. Thanks to Sylvia, the room was spacious and tidy. Epherene spread the scroll out on the large table.

“Wow, the Professor is incredible. The work isn’t even half-finished, and he spotted the issue immediately,” Eurozan said.

“Yeah, I only noticed what was wrong after he pointed it out,” Daine added.

“Actually, this is pretty fun. I thought it would just be difficult, but it feels like I’m being able to see the world through magic,” Eurozan said.

Sylvia inwardly scoffed at their words about seeing the world through magic. They were so out of their depth, it was almost pathetic. It felt like an eagle watching caterpillars boast about their tiny feelers.

“Nope,” Epherene said confidently, shaking her head. “Deculein was wrong this time.”

"Arrogant Epherene," Sylvia said, frowning as her eyebrows twitched with irritation.

“Sylvia, remember our bet?” Epherene said with a small smile as she pulled a mana stone from her pocket.

“You guys made a bet? What was it about?” Eurozan asked.

Last week, during an argument at the mansion, Epherene and Sylvia made a bet about Deculein's skills.

"Look at this," Epherene said, taking out the mana stone she had received as a reward from Deculein in a previous class. She had divided it into four parts for practical use and had inscribed a circuit on one of them.

“Remember what I told you before,” Epherene said, placing the mana stone on the scroll and infusing it with mana. The catalyst reacted with the intricate runes on the scroll. “He didn’t even catch my trap—”

Splat—!

Before she could finish, a liquid burst out, covering Epherene’s face.

“He... didn’t even... notice my trap...” she said, her words trailing off slowly.

She stumbled back, and the team blinked at her in surprise. Sticky black ink clung to her teeth and gums, coating her face entirely.

“Ah... Ah... Aaah!” she screamed as the burning sensation hit. Thrashing around, she caused her teammates to burst into laughter. “Aaaaaah!”

“Why are you, haha... like that, Epherene?”

“Aaah, gaaah!”

Only Sylvia turned her head away. She didn’t want to laugh, so she avoided looking, but her nostrils and lips kept twitching.

“Aaah, it burns!” Epherene gasped, hastily making a bowl from whatever she could find to douse her face with water.

Gurgle gurgle—

After a while, the burning sensation subsided, and she lifted her head. Her lips were swollen, and her eyelids were red as she moaned, “Ah... Ah... I’m going to die...”

Sylvia smirked and said, “Arrogant Epherene, look at this.”

Epherene struggled to open her eyes and looked where Sylvia was pointing. A glowing blue message hovered above the scroll.

Your ingenuity is deserving of commendation, albeit modest.

“Oh damn it, it’s burning again...” Epherene groaned, plunging her face back into the water.

Meanwhile, Sylvia calmly resumed her corrections. This time, she exercised more caution. Catalyst Magic was a secretive art, revealing only parts of itself.

Predicting the circuits the opponent inscribed was crucial. It required not only magical ability but also a creative and mathematical mind. To dismantle, steal, and transform an entire spell, Professor Deculein was proving to be more of a genius than Sylvia had anticipated.

***

Three days later, my butler Roy brought me the auction results.

[82,145,005?]

Even after deducting taxes and labor costs, we netted over eighty million. Because we hosted the auction after acquiring the appraisal office, there were no fees. I transferred twenty million elne to the Hadecaine family account, hoping Yeriel would make good use of it.

"Close to one billion."

There are still plenty of items to sell, so we can likely earn at least another one billion elne. The effectiveness of the Wealthy Magnate attribute is undeniable. Feeling satisfied, I sat down in my study and picked up the grimoires again. One massive, thick tome was titled Metal Enhancement.

This was part of my effort to upgrade Telekinesis. Previously, I lacked the necessary knowledge and mana to understand the Metal Enhancement spell. The mana consumption for Comprehension is based on my level of magical knowledge.

For example, solving calculus with elementary-level knowledge required extreme mana consumption, but with high school-level knowledge, it was somewhat reduced. Metal Enhancement was a mid-level spell that demanded enormous mana and intricate spells. It was incredibly heavy and complex, often used for fortifying massive castle walls.

Despite its simple name, it's akin to an ultimate siege weapon. In the past, I couldn't Comprehend the core circuits of this spell, even if I poured all my mana into it, nor did I see the need.

However, thanks to my consistent reading and magical studies, my knowledge has improved enough to partially decode the enhancement aspects of this spell. It’s a supplementary form of Metal Enhancement, composed entirely of curves without any straight lines.

Now, I plan to integrate this circuit into my Telekinesis. Naturally, I can't replicate the original scale and performance of Metal Enhancement. Instead, I will significantly reduce its output, apply it only when Telekinesis grasps an object to minimize risk, and inscribe parts of the Metal Enhancement spell onto my Wood Steel shurikens.

"... In a way, I suppose I owe Epherene my gratitude."

The inspiration came from her challenge three days ago, involving a Catalyst Magic that reduces my mana burden.

Scratch—scratch—

I engraved the circuit onto the Wood Steel shurikens. It took only thirty minutes to complete all twenty. After enhancing them with Metal Enhancement, I planned to work on Basic Restoration. This spell would grant Telekinesis the ability to restore, allowing objects manipulated by Telekinesis to recover on their own.

Such a versatile form of Telekinesis likely didn't exist in this world. Then again, I was creating it by combining various techniques. With both Enhancement and Basic Restoration, it would become much more than just Telekinesis.

"... Restoration magic?"

A sudden thought struck me. I retrieved a pendant from my drawer. It held a photo of Epherene and her father, but his face had been erased. If I could find an expert in restoration magic, repairing this torn part would be easy. Of course, fixing it wouldn’t change much...

"It is better than doing nothing."

***

The Mage Tower of the Imperial University, the tallest structure on the continent, stands at 101 floors. The floors above the 80th, referred to as the upper levels, manage the Mage Tower's most confidential matters. Access to these levels is restricted based on a Mage Tower professor's rank.

"Alright! Let us now commence the executive meeting of the Mage Tower of the Imperial University!"

Clap clap clap clap—