A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99: Lokralen (5)

"... Goodbye, my professor."

The trembling voice of a child from some far-off future echoed in my ears. The sound lingered like a fading whisper, resonating within me and filling the space she had just left.

I closed my eyes briefly, and when I opened them, the world had already changed, anchored in a single fleeting moment. She was gone from the underground archive; only the silence remained. The wind spun idly, and the damp chill clung to my skin. In this unaltered space, time for me continued without interruption. Yet, in that brief span, 385 years had likely passed.

"... Arrogant," I muttered, a wave of anger and disdain rising within me. It was a natural response.

Flutter—

A scrap of paper at my feet caught my attention. I lifted it with Telekinesis.

To Professor Deculein,

Hello, this is Epherene.

By now, I’m certain you’re angry. Were you muttering ‘arrogant’ under your breath?

I glanced around instinctively. There was no one there. I returned to the letter. The handwriting was firm, pressed deeply into the paper.

I’m sorry, Professor. But this is something I had to do alone.

And this time, it truly is just time. The mana in the air is stagnant, making any training impossible. I will not even be able to replenish my mana.

It’s a time devoid of purpose, where all I can do is think.

Like waves lapping against the shore, time will simply wash over me and retreat, again and again.

Hehe.

Umm, there’s so much I wanted to say to you, Professor.

What happened in the future, how it all unfolded.

But conveying knowledge from the future to the present is difficult. Especially your future, Professor—I couldn’t possibly explain it, no matter how much mana I used.

So, instead of sharing incomplete information, a mere fragment of the truth, I’ll just say this one thing.

What I want to tell you, Professor, is

The letter stopped there, leaving the back of the page blank. Whatever she had meant to convey was left unfinished, abruptly cut off.

Just then...

"Professor!"

The door burst open, and a younger, sharper voice rang out from behind. I quickly tucked the note into my pocket and turned to face her.

"D-did it work?! Was Lokralen abandoned?!" Epherene exclaimed, her fists clenched tightly as she urgently questioned me.

I gave a brief nod in response.

"Oh!"

"But the full Abandonment of Lokralen is yet to come. Though Kaidezite has been neutralized, Lokralen’s timeline will continue until that day," I said.

The complete Abandonment of Lokralen was a matter for the future. Lokralen would continue to exist until the day Epherene became an Archmage.

Epherene hesitated before asking, "Then... what about... me?"

I thought of the future Epherene, enduring 385 years in isolation. The thought made me angry. She had dismissed my abilities and pride, rejecting my offer with such audacious stubbornness. She wasn’t someone capable of bearing such an immense span of time alone. I stepped closer to her. Though Epherene flinched, she didn’t back away.

Tap—

"Ow!"

I rested my hand on her head, noting how small and light it felt.

"You still have much to learn in your head."

"... What did you say?" Epherene asked, squinting up at me, her expression still reflecting a lack of understanding.

"Epherene has returned to the future. In that future, Lokralen has been abandoned, so you won’t see her again."

Then her face fell, disappointment flashing across her features. Without another word, I began to climb the stairs.

"Oh, Deculein! Ya dirty punk!" Rogerio yelled, her voice seething with fury as I continued upward.

As anticipated, she remained completely unaware that she had been locked in time.

"How could ya turn on me like that?!"

"This way. It’s all over."

"... Wha’, it's ovah?"

When we reached the first-floor lobby, nearly everyone from the conference was already gathered. Released from the time lock, they appeared slightly embarrassed. Among them stood the conference president, Lokralen, idly toying with a necklace that had become nothing more than a string around his collarbone.

"... Oh, Professor Deculein!"

"Professor Deculein, did you resolve the matter?"

"I-I knew we could rely on you."

The conference members gradually approached, their expressions a mix of relief and hesitation.

I nodded toward Rogerio and said, "Rogerio. Open the doors."

"Awright," Rogerio said, dissolving the Ductility that had sealed the doors.

Ruuuuumble—!

The sealed conference hall exit finally opened, allowing the first rays of sunlight to stream in.

“Wicked... first sunlight in near two days. Professor Deculein, sorry ‘bout the mix-up,” Rogerio mumbled, and a few mages, still eyeing me, started to head outside.

They were unaware of the sacrifice made, so their reactions remained subdued.

"... This is Conference President Lokralen speaking. Due to unexpected events, this conference is now officially concluded," Lokralen announced through an amplification spell. "Please return to the hotel and rest. Departure procedures will begin tomorrow. I repeat, everyone, please return to the hotel and rest...."

Epherene scowled at him, her lips pursed and eyes filled with irritation.

***

The following day, Drent had partially recovered from the effects of mana exhaustion, and the remaining sessions of the conference were officially canceled. Conference President Lokralen announced that a period of reorganization was necessary, signaling that it was time to depart.

"Reorganization? Wouldn’t it make more sense to cancel the whole conference now? That way, we can prevent something like this from happening again," Epherene asked, her suggestion entirely practical.

I shook my head and replied, "There’s no evidence to support that. And even if there were, Kaidezite is still a threat to the future. The Floating Island would probably claim that it’s safe for the time being."

The Floating Island appeared rational and intellectual on the surface, but beneath that facade, it was deeply conservative and ruthlessly cold in its judgments.

"Oh..."

"Professor~ Everything is packed and ready," Allen called out.

"I can manage on crutches as well, Professor," Drent added.

I nodded and opened the door to the guest room. There was much to contemplate, beginning with the Advanced Attribute Catalog I had acquired as a quest reward.

As we entered the hotel elevator, Epherene asked, "When we leave Lokralen, will I forget everything that happened today?"

"It depends on your mental strength, but for you, it will likely linger as a vague memory. You won’t forget entirely, but the details will be hard to grasp," I said.

Epherene nodded, her expression tinged with sadness.

Ding—

The elevator doors opened to the busy lobby, where many were preparing to depart Lokralen. Though they greeted me, I had little interest in responding. We walked directly out of the hotel and onto the street.

"Apologies for the inconvenience, Assistant Professor. Am I too heavy?" Drent asked.

"It’s no trouble~ We’re a team, after all," Allen replied cheerfully as he supported Drent.

"I fainted like a fool... I never thought one word could knock me out..."

"Yeah, that was strange."

Their conversation ignited a thought in my mind, a small ember flaring to life within my consciousness.

"Professor! Professor—!" Conference President Lokralen called out loudly as he waved and approached from behind.

When Epherene spotted him, she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. I, too, fixed him with a silent glare.

"Hahaha, leaving already? Why not stay for a farewell banquet? It’s almost ready," Lokralen suggested cheerfully, unaware that he had been Kaidezite’s host.

"Not interested," I replied.

"Hahaha~ Of course, you must be busy. But I wanted to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, the conference was saved."

"Tch. Saved, my ass," Epherene muttered under her breath.

Noticing her displeased expression, Lokralen turned to Drent and said, "Oh? I don’t think we’ve met before."

"He’s the mage I spoke of, the one who collapsed after a single word," I said.

"Ah~ That’s unfortunate. You must have been truly exhausted to collapse after a single word."

"... I apologize," Drent muttered, lowering his head. _{freēwēbηovel.c૦m}

Lokralen gave a bitter smile, and at that moment...

"Wait," I said, as the spark in my mind flared into a sudden flash of realization. "Lokralen."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned that it's rare for someone to faint after saying just a single word."

"Yes, normally that wouldn’t occur, even with weak mental strength."

"Yet he still fainted," I said, gesturing toward Drent.

Drent lowered his head, covering his face in shame. "Um, I was just tired at the time—"

"Describe another possible condition."

"Sorry? Another condition?"

"If he indeed fainted, the problem likely lies with the mage he faced."

So, instead of sharing incomplete information, a mere fragment of the truth, I’ll just say this one thing.

What I want to tell you, Professor, is

"Oh, that’s a bit complicated. It goes against Lokralen’s regulations—"

Gulp—

“Phew...”