A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Lokralen (4)

One hour before Lokralen was locked in time, just before dawn, an unsettling silence filled the academic conference building, maintained by Rogerio's Silence spell. Epherene, seated with Allen in a conference room on the second floor, cautiously scanned her surroundings.

"Assistant Professor, are you asleep?" Epherene whispered.

Allen, wrapped in a blanket, responded only with soft, irregular breathing—a small reassurance that he hadn’t been locked in time. Epherene slung her backpack, packed with food, over her shoulder. Her mind was more focused on her future self than the fear of being locked in time.

She must be hungry, just like I am, Epherene thought.

"Oh, that's right," Epherene murmured, almost forgetting something important.

Epherene slipped on her special elevator shoes, hoping to trick Kaidezite into confusing her with her future self. As she cautiously stepped into the hallway, she unexpectedly came face-to-face with Professor Relin, who stood in the middle of the corridor, acting as a self-appointed guard to win Deculein's favor.

“You... You... You...”

Epherene stood in shock, but it was Relin who looked truly startled. His eyes widened, and he could only stammer the same syllable over and over. He had been locked in time.

Epherene pressed a hand to her chest, looking up at him and quietly said, "... Professor Relin."

Despite all their past arguments and the rumors she had spread about him, seeing him like this brought a sudden pang of sadness. She gave him a brief nod before quietly making her way down the stairs.

"Oh, he’s asleep."

The receptionist at the first-floor information desk was dozing off. Without hesitation, Epherene headed straight for the underground archives.

"Epherene... Epherene!" Epherene whispered urgently upon reaching the basement. It felt strange calling out her own name. "Epherene! Where are you, Epherene?"

Finding no trace of her older self, Epherene ducked behind a bookshelf. Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind her.

"This can’t be happening!"

Startled, Epherene turned to see Lokralen, the conference president, hastily fleeing the room in a state of panic.

"Why is he in such a rush?" Epherene muttered as she unpacked her meal, eating while replaying her older self's words in her mind. "... She told me not to hate him."

She had been told not to hate Deculein. It was strange—first Gindalf, and now her future self had given the same advice. Epherene couldn't help but wonder why.

"Epherene!" a voice suddenly called out from above, startling her.

Epherene almost jumped in surprise, quickly looking up. Her older self was perched on top of a tall bookshelf, staring down at her.

"You s-scared me!" Epherene exclaimed.

"Hehe, sorry about that. Thanks to you, it’s all done now."

"What is all done?"

"I caught the host," the older Epherene said.

"Really?!" Epherene’s eyes widened with amazement as she spoke.

Older Epherene smiled as she landed softly beside her, saying, "Yes, and it’s all thanks to you."

"Because of me? What did I do?"

"Your shoes! Since we're basically the same person, and with both of us in robes and the same height, it was easy for Kaidezite to get confused. While it was distracted by you, I went out and caught it."

"Ah, I see! Haha, that was my plan all along," Epherene said, proudly displaying her shoes.

The older Epherene chuckled softly and said, "As expected, you really are me. Very smart."

Epherene beamed with pride as she unpacked her backpack.

"Hold on, I brought something for you," Epherene said, pulling out a lunchbox.

Older Epherene's eyes widened in surprise and said, "Wow~"

"Unfortunately, there’s no Roahawk"

"Ah, Roahawk... I’d just managed to forget about it," older Epherene said, licking her lips in disappointment.

Epherene smirked and asked, "Do they still have Roahawk in the future?"

"Of course. It’s become quite the delicacy. My favorite time having it was with the professor."

Epherene’s smile wavered as she asked, "With Professor Deculein?"

"Yes. But it will be a while before you can share a meal with him. The professor has a near-obsession with cleanliness and won’t touch food he can’t eat tidily."

"... I guess so."

I couldn’t picture Deculein holding a Roahawk and tearing into it with his hands. But that wasn’t even the main concern.

"Wait, you and the professor—I mean me, no, aren’t we supposed to be enemies? Can you at least give me a hint about what happened?" Epherene asked cautiously.

Her older self fell silent, her expression turning serious and thoughtful.

After a brief pause, older Epherene gave a faint smile and said, "Yes, he is my enemy."

"Right."

"But... in my world, the professor is no longer there. So, don’t hold too much hatred for him. And if you can, try to keep him around in your world for as long as possible," the older Epherene said.

The words hit Epherene hard, sending a wave of dizziness through her.

The older Epherene quickly steadied her and said, "You’re already feeling lightheaded, aren’t you? You can’t absorb any more than this..."

"Y-yes... and I’m so tired."

"Then get some sleep. I’ll eat the meal you brought."

"Ah... okay," Epherene murmured as her eyelids grew heavy, rubbing them sleepily.

"Rest well. When you wake up, it will all be over."

"Okay... but what will be over...?"

In response to the question, older Epherene offered a faint smile. Without receiving any reply, Epherene soon slipped into a peaceful sleep.

***

In 953, witnesses described the meteor’s fall as two radiant streaks of light, akin to twin forks of lightning striking the earth in unison. The surrounding area was subsequently named Lokralen, after the meteor’s scientific designation.

The Floating Island acquired the rights to Lokralen for an astounding 1 billion elne, a transaction that sparked significant debate within the academic community. Given that Lokralen was terrestrial rather than celestial, concerns arose regarding potential accidents during the Floating Island’s research endeavors.

The Imperial newspaper, The Journal, strongly condemned the purchase, denouncing it as the dark ambition of the Magical Realm. Conference President Jesen went so far as to change his name to Lokralen.

Deculein had spent the entire day deeply absorbed in his investigation. While Rogerio, Kreto, and the other mages who had accompanied him had long since retired for the night, he continued, unfazed by the need for sleep or rest.

The tension and focus coursing through his Iron Man body drove him to meticulously explore every corner of Lokralen. Then, he suddenly stopped.

"... You there," Deculein called out, his gaze fixed on an Addict standing silently in the corner of the third-floor conference room.

The Addict gestured toward himself and asked, "Do you mean me?"

"Yes, you. There are 500 Addicts in Lokralen, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir, that's correct."

"And where might they all be now?"

"During the conference, every one of them is present within this building."

"Not a single one absent?"

"Certainly not. As Addicts of Lokralen, we all convene here for the conference, whether we're working at the hotel, the store, or serving as staff."

Deculein nodded quietly before asking, "Then no one remains outside the conference building at this moment?"

Except for Drent, who collapsed in the hotel.

"Yes, that is correct."

At the Addict’s response, a fleeting thought passed through Deculein’s mind—an idea that wasn’t fully formed but hinted at a possible clue.

"Professor Deculein!" an Addict burst through the door, his voice urgent. "The conference president has been locked in time!"

The urgent cry didn’t disrupt Deculein’s composure. He calmly straightened his collar, adjusted his sleeves, and smoothed his tie before rising from his seat.

"Let’s head out."

"Yes, sir."

They quickly arrived at Lokralen, who was locked in time on the stairs leading to the third floor.

“Huff... Professor Dec...!” Lokralen gasped.

"... How did you know? Huff... Professor Dec...! ... How did you know? Huff... Professor Dec...! ... How did you know?"

Lokralen’s condition, locked in time, was disturbingly unnatural.

Deculein inquired, "How long has he been in this condition?"

"He was already in this condition when we found him this morning."

Just then, a shout echoed from behind them. This time, it was Rogerio.

"Deculein! We got a wicked problem! Kreto, Grand Prince Kreto, he's been locked in time too!" Rogerio said as she came running, her voice sharp with panic.

But Deculein kept his attention fixed on Lokralen, unshaken by the news.

"... Something isn’t right."

Deculein’s unease lingered. The time lock showed signs of contagion, yet the usual death variable was nowhere to be found. This absence suggested that the time lock might not equate to death, though its unyielding nature made the difference almost indistinguishable. With these thoughts in mind, Deculein examined Lokralen even more intently.

“Huff... Professor Dec...!”

As Lokralen’s time-locked figure continued his muttering, Deculein noticed a necklace near his collarbone—just a string with the pendant missing, as if someone had deliberately removed it.

At that moment, a flash crossed Deculein’s vision—a system message declaring the quest complete. His eyes widened in surprise as a passage he had read earlier that day sparked in his memory, like a sudden jolt of static.

In 953, witnesses described the meteor’s fall as two radiant streaks of light, akin to twin forks of lightning striking the earth in unison...

Twin forks of lightning striking.

"... Rogerio. Lokralen wasn’t struck by just one meteor. And Kaidezite isn’t the only one."

"What? What're ya talkin' about?"

"Follow me," Deculein commanded, his voice steady as he maintained his composure and calmly descended to the first floor.

Rogerio, an experienced high-level mage, quickly regained her composure and followed closely behind.

"We must leave! We cannot continue to rely solely on Professor Deculein! We must trust in our own intellect—"

"Prepare the magic!"

"Begin with destructive spells—"

"We must leave! We cannot continue to rely solely on Professor Deculein! We must trust in our own intellect—"

"Prepare the magic!"

"Begin with destructive spells—"

The first-floor exit had descended into chaos. Around a dozen mages, locked in time, were trapped in an endless loop of casting spells.

“Won’t be long ‘fore we end up like that,” Rogerio muttered with a cynical edge.

"Professor!" Assistant Professor Allen called out as he hurried down the stairs from the second floor, breathless. "We have a serious problem! Assistant Epherene has disappeared!"

"... What? Deculein, ain't Epherene ya student?" Rogerio asked sharply, turning to look at Deculein.

However, Deculein paid little attention and continued his steady pace toward the underground archives.

"Professor~! I’m coming with you! Ow!"

Allen stumbled and fell to the ground in an effort to catch up.

"Professor~! I’m coming with you! Ow!"

"I’m coming with you! Ow!"

Thud—

Thud—

Click—

Epherene Luna greeted him with a composed smile and said, "Yes, Professor. It’s good to see you."

Thud—

"Carbon Barrier. You invented it, and I perfected it. No one can break through," Epherene said, effortlessly manipulating the space with her carbon magic.