The Villain Wants to Live

“Decalane and Kagan Luna.”

…Sylvia’s words conveyed a memory to me. Old films flashed by in a chain, revealing scenes I didn’t know yet.

—Son, she wasn’t the perfect companion for you.

Decalane’s voice rose like a ripple, sparking emotions that ran wildly and ripped through my chest. It was a torrent that became the catalyst for Deculein.

“…”

However, I knew. That this, too, would just pass. The history and facts of the past did not have any effect on me in the present. My ego, composed of both Deculein and Kim Woojin, was designed that way. Sylvia continued.

“But you misunderstood that it was Iliade’s work. That’s why you sent that Demon’s Letter to my mother.”

Deculein returned the letter to Iliade to save his fiancée, but it didn’t work. Sierra was already dying from her disease.

“Yes, I did.”

“…Knowing everything, why didn’t you tell Epherene?”

Kagan Luna, Deculein’s former assistant, and Epherene’s father. Several memories of being with him were coming back. Was this the process of assimilation with Deculein?

“Decalane didn’t want that woman to be my companion and ordered Kagan to send her the letter.”

I would accept the memory alone, however, as Kim Woojin, not Deculein. It would not rekindle that old grudge from the past.

“But I don’t know if Kagan knew the identity of the letter at the time.”

“…”

“You worked hard, Sylvia. In your way.”

Sylvia clenched her fists. I let my eyes slide over her small fist than to her eyes again.

“Everything you said is right.”

“Hmph.”

Sylvia remained expressionless and cynical. I picked up the staff I had left by the bed and grabbed my copy of Blue Eyes. Now, this would be enough.

“Take a rest.”

I stood. There was nothing more to say. She was a proud child who uncovered the truth about her mother.

…But.

“Don’t go.”

A tone unusual for her caught me. It was extremely dry but equally desperate.

“I’m not done yet.”

Her eyes were wet and soft, staring straight at me.

“I have more to say.”

Each syllable trembled softly like it might be cut off at any moment.

“You have a lot to tell me.”

“…”

“I have a lot to hear.”

The girl, unable to overcome her emotions, shook the blanket she was holding back and forth. Tears flowed down her cheeks while I just watched.

“…Tell me.”

The child was trembling like a wet bird, and her growls verged on the point of weeping.

“I said tell me.”

“…”

The child who lost her mother to Deculein. I didn’t know how she felt to face her enemy.

“I have nothing to say.”

Sylvia’s breathing stopped for a moment. Her whole body went cold as her rushing emotions stopped in an instant. She became static.

“The Yukline makes no excuses. All that is left is the truth… I killed Sierra.”

“…”

Sylvia let go of the blanket she was holding and stared at me with empty eyes.

“I will kill you.”

This would be a reasonable response. I nodded.

“Try. You have the right to kill me.”

“…Ugh.”

A half-suppressed groan flowed from between Sylvia’s clenched teeth. The fireplace was still crackling beside us.

“I’ll try not to be killed by you, Sylvia. So that you can live.”

“…What-“

I left her behind and opened the door to the hut.

Whooooosh!

A strong blizzard came in. The whole world was engulfed in snow and wind, but that wouldn’t block my way…

* * *

Whooooooosh…

Epherene walked through the fiercely raging snowstorm. Her hard-earned earthen house was buried under the weight of snow and shattered.

“…I’m glad I learned it at least.”

Manipulation-type magic learned from Deculein; The magnetic field blocked the blizzard, and Psychokinesis pushed the snow out from under her feet as she walked.

Stomp- Stomp-

“Huh.”

Epherene, advancing so efficiently, suddenly found a hut.

“?”

A question mark appeared above her head. A hut in the middle of a snowstorm. She could have just overlooked it, or she could doubt its identity. But Epherene walked forward as if possessed by something. The closer she drew, the warmer her body grew with the heat radiating from the hut.

“This…”

After approaching without a word, Epherene put her eyes to the window to check the inside.

“!”

She was startled. It was a hut with a warm fireplace, but more importantly, inside were Deculein and Sylvia. Sylvia was lying on the bed, and Deculein was in a chair next to it. Their two voices leaked through the window. Sylvia spoke first.

—I know it all.

- …What.

—That you killed my mother.

It was a conversation she shouldn’t listen to. Epherene tried to step away, but her body wouldn’t move, as if she were stuck in place by magic.

- It was because of that demon’s letter. As the letter swept across the continent, Yukline and Carla came out.

Demon’s letter. It was a legend that Epherene knew well, but why were these two discussing it?

- One of those victims-

–Was my fiancée.

“!”

Epherene’s eyes widened. She tried to move, but her body wouldn’t respond. It wasn’t an analogy or an exaggeration. She was stuck in place.

—Someone delivered the demon’s letter to my woman, and she died.

—I know what happened that day. The one who did it. Who wrote the letter to your fiancée.

Amid her struggling, the conversation continued through the window, and Epherene was forced to listen. An incomprehensible force gripped her legs and willed her to stay.

“Why is this…”

That moment-

—Decalane and Kagan Luna.

A familiar name rang in her ears. Epherene froze in place, and her irises grew wide. Naturally, she looked to Deculein.

─Yes.

Kagan Luna. She said that her father delivered a demon’s letter to Deculein’s fiancée.

─…Knowing everything, why didn’t you tell Epherene?

Epherene felt her head go blank for a moment, a fever taking her. She couldn’t close her mouth, nor could she block out the conversation still worming its way into her ears.

Kagan Luna… Demon’s Letter… Fiancée…

─…Decalane didn’t want that woman to be my companion and ordered Kagan to send her the letter. But I don’t know if Kagan knew the identity of the letter at the time.

At that moment, her unidentified oppression was released. Epherene staggered back from the hut, sending her sprawling butt-first to the snowy floor.

“What…”

Someone was approaching her.

Stomp- Stomp-

The sound of footsteps crunching through the snow and a shadow cast behind her. Epherene raised her head, her skin prickling with goosebumps.

“You saw it.”

It was Sylvia. Epherene couldn’t understand; Sylvia was definitely inside that hut.

“How… did you?”

“Stupid Epherene.”

Mumbling, she waved her hand toward the hut. The scenery beyond her faded in the breeze.

“…”

It was Sylvia’s magic.

“That happened an hour ago. It’s real, not fake.”

“…”

“Stand up, you fool.

Epherene slowly stood. She felt no strength in her legs, so it proved difficult to stand on the slippery surface.

“…Why?”

Epherene stared at her blankly, and Sylvia met her eyes, seeing tears. She noticed her body swaying.

“Are you asking why I told you?”

Epherene nodded.

“O-Of course.”

A large snowflake fell on Epherene’s face. Sylvia looked up to the sky, peering around at the darkened world. It wasn’t just the snow. No, it was because of the snow. Tears or snow, either way, Sylvia looked at Epherene again.

“I must be jealous of you.”

“…What?”

Epherene calmed her trembling heart. She kept her composure as a wizard, acting as rationally as possible. Rule out the confusion. If you get shaken here, you are not a wizard…

“Sylvia, you. You really-“

“Yeah.”

Sylvia interrupted Epherene.

“I love him.”

Epherene couldn’t keep her composure. She had just heard the conversation between Deculein and Sylvia, who said he killed Sylvia’s mother…

“Um, er…”

She couldn’t speak right. The blizzard raging around them stopped at some point. The sky cleared.

“And I hate him. More than anyone else in the world.”

Epherene looked into Sylvia’s eyes. The feelings that she embraced, the feelings inside her, Epherene couldn’t even dare to comprehend.

“The only person who has and will have my heart is the Professor.”

Sylvia’s voice shook for the first time. No, she was stained with tears from the beginning.

“I’m going to kill that professor.”

“…”

Epherene stood, then shook her head. She meant that she wouldn’t let that happen. Epherene didn’t want Deculein to die or Sylvia to become a murderer.

“Yeah.”

Sylvia nodded knowingly. At that moment, Epherene vaguely and faintly understood her intent.

“Maybe I also want you to stop me.”

From the sky cleared of dark snow-laden clouds, sunlight descended.

Swoooooooosh…

A gust of wind rustled Epherene’s hair. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again quietly-

“Sylvia?”

No answer. Epherene looked all around her, but Sylvia was already gone.

“…Oh.”

And a belated storm surged in Epherene’s heart.

“If you leave like this, what am I supposed to do?”

She sat on the ground.

* * *

─I was surprised by the blizzard.

─Is this also an event?

—As expected from Yukline. How did you make that blizzard?

Epherene arrived at the training center. Two hundred wizards were already chatting away with each other as they dried their snow-drenched robes.

“…”

However, that previous conversation still lingered in Epherene’s head.

─Decalane didn’t want that woman to be my companion and ordered Kagan to send her the letter. But I don’t know if Kagan knew the identity of the letter at the time.

Was it her father’s mistake or fault? However, Epherene’s reason was more focused on the justice of the situation, the reason why Deculein couldn’t help but hate her father. Whether it was a mistake or his fault…

“I think everyone enjoyed the blizzard. Oh, I’ll keep it short from now on. Okay?”

Yeriel, appearing in the pulpit, cut through her endless agony and contemplation. Epherene looked up at Yeriel. She continued, pretending that the blizzard was an event orchestrated by Yukline.

“Then I will start the Yukline magic training in earnest. First, let me introduce the mentor team! Come on~.”

The curtains in the auditorium lifted. Epherene looked at them. Rose Rio, Gindalf, Louina, Ihelm, and… Deculein.

Deculein.

“We have chosen quite skilled mentors for each of the eight series, right? You can choose one of these mentors and send us the training schedule.”

There were eight people in a line. Epherene was a wizard who majored in the four classes of destruction, assistance, manipulation, and ductility, but there was no need to wonder which of them she would choose.

“Come on then. Everyone choose!”

*

…The 200 wizards were divided into eight lines. However, there were only four people in my group. There were twenty wizards whose focus was manipulation, but it appeared they had flowed into a different series. I was dissatisfied with it, but some skilled people gathered.

“Did you choose?”

“…Yes. Professor.”

First, the one who was directly under my control, Epherene.

“Haha. Of course, I am not. Because you are the superior here. Ahem. That Kreto. He was always watching Professor Deculein.”

Next up was Sophien’s younger brother, Prince Kreto.

“Me too, me too~. Me, me~, I’ve been looking forward to this day~. This day to see the Professor again~~.”

The third was Maho of the Yuren Principality, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. Finally…

“…Fuck.”

Reylie of the Red Garnet Adventure Team. That woman, Julie’s cousin, had been staring at me for a while now. The reason, of course, I knew. She was Julie’s cousin.

“…Hey.”

I knew that, but that reaction was annoying. I turned to Reylie, who snorted.

“Look down. You are just invited.”

“… Oh, yes, sir~. Yes~, yes sir~.”

Reylie nodded abruptly. I beckoned to the four of them.

“Follow me. The first schedule of my training will begin.”

I guided them to a cylindrical magic gravity machine. They would demonstrate their magical power in a place that was ten times higher than normal gravity. It was an extreme training tool made using the natural magic of this lake island.

“Reylie. You go first.”

I pointed to her not because she was the rudest of the four but because she had the most outstanding magical skills, according to Vision.