The Villain Wants to Live

─The Magic Tower has magical freedom! So, I would like to conclude with a two-year suspension for Assistant Professor Epherene and a review of the suspension every quarter! Also, if you want to nag further, you should consider her supervisor’s negligence!

Supervisor’s negligence. In other words, Deculein’s fault. Adrienne boldly fired back.

─Isn’t that right, everyone?!

─…

She turned to the faculty and the board of directors, but there was no answer.

─Hmph! You’re just quiet since I’m going down now. Anyway! Assistant Professor Epherene!

The chairman called back to Epherene. She looked up at the chairman’s silhouette.

“…Yes.”

─I, Adrienne, the ‘still’ chairman, recommend a two-year suspension as the level of disciplinary action taken against Professor Epherene!

Adrienne’s cry resounded throughout the conference room. It was much, much better than being expelled.

─We’ll decide by vote.

However, Deculein didn’t show any signs that he would back down easily.

─The level of disciplinary action I recommend is still expulsion.

─Oho!

Adrienne slapped her knee, and Epherene moved her lips as she looked at Deculein. She couldn’t help being upset now. In the magic world, there were often closer relationships between teachers and students than even between family members.

─Well then! Can’t help it, Assistant Professor Epherene?! If you have any remaining arguments, say it now! You could change Professor Deculein’s decision!

Adrienne continued to shout.

─Who knows?! If you soften him now, it may be reduced to one year of suspension!

Or file a conciliatory request if he does not bend his will.

Sitting in the cramped chair and looking up at the people surrounding her, Epherene was dazed. She grabbed at the hem of her robe and thought again about what she’d done wrong.

“…Oh.”

Then, suddenly, the realization hit her.

Gulp-

Epherene raised her head to face Deculein’s silhouette.

“…”

If.

If she were to continue this research.

If she were to connect science and magic and achieve her goals.

If she wanted to become independent as a full-fledged adult wizard.

Wouldn’t it be better to get away from Deculein?

—Assistant Professor Epherene?! Don’t you have anything to say?! Do you want to try?!

And it would be better if she was the only one hated like this. Yukline had a face and a bloodline like that of an empire. Plus, Deculein was a noble. He was the commander of the Emperor’s bodyguards and the soon-to-be chairman of the Magic Tower. It was too high a position, and there would be too much to lose.

As Adrienne said, the supervisor’s neglect. If she didn’t give up, or if she didn’t change his mind, Epherene might end up staining his reputation. Deculein wouldn’t want that either, so maybe that’s why? No, even if Deculein didn’t have that in mind…

‘I don’t want it.’

“…No.”

Epherene said. Exclamations of pity and surprise came from behind the glass.

“I have no intention of withdrawing.”

But she didn’t care about their reaction. Right now, there was only one person here with her, Deculein.

“I, I saw the possibility of science in the thesis submitted by Deculein/Luna. Not science, which is a tool of magic, but as a field that can develop along with magic.”

‘In retrospect, I may have been relying too much on Deculein.’

“Even if it’s a radical idea, different from Professor Deculein’s.”

‘No, I may have depended on him beyond my will.’

“I thought that if it were the Professor, he would acknowledge it.”

Deculein could solve it somehow if something happened. With such complacency, she almost blew up Yuren’s volcano.

“Professor Deculein. Because of you, my father died. Even after turning thirty, he wasn’t even close to becoming an assistant professor-“

─Watch your mouth!

Relin intervened, but she didn’t pay him any mind.

“He was overtaken by his juniors and freshmen, suffering that humiliation before committing suicide. But you thought that just giving his name to this theory would justify everything, right?”

‘Of course, I know the story behind the incident. I know the hidden truths.’

“But didn’t you also write other theses in the past with my father? But why isn’t my father’s name in those papers? It’s because you stole them, right?”

—Assistant Professor Epherene! Don’t say irrelevant things! Head Professor, there is nothing more to see! This ungrateful kid!

He was still playing innocent.

“But now, you’re even trying to get me expelled as well.”

‘Because I’m Cheeky Epherene.’

─…

Deculein remained silent. Whether that silence was of anger, sadness, or indifference, Epherene couldn’t tell since his face was hidden. However, she could tell both the professors and the directors were only watching Deculein.

─Fine. Let’s end this now.

Adrienne knocked on the desk.

─Today’s personnel committee is the last decision of my tenure. I will soon leave the whole world behind. Of course, the Magic Tower too.

But her voice was very strange. It was emotional and serious, unlike before, when she was ignorantly having fun.

─Of course, this situation is fun now, but… with my final authority, should we end this now?

It was the first adult-like tone they had ever heard from her. The professors shut their mouths when they noticed Adrienne acting so weird. The only person who could break that heavy silence was Deculein.

─I’ll be going.

He spoke as usual, but Epherene was heartbroken. He must be disappointed. Of course, he would be.

—Professor, let’s start voting.

Adrienne asked Deculein to vote, and Deculein answered.

─I still vote for expulsion.

Epherene lowered her head, hiding her trembling.

─Yes. Well then. Let’s continue in turn, starting with Relin.

Slam-

Deculein seemed to have left, and the disciplinary vote of the personnel committee continued slowly without him…

* * *

…That was a week ago. The vote was received on the spot on the day of the personnel committee, but it was being announced today at the Magic Tower.

[Personnel Committee Results]

[Suspension: Epherene]

[Submitting a blasphemous and incomplete thesis to academia without being reviewed by any professors, damaging the prestige of the tower…]

“Whew…”

The result of the personnel committee was stamped across the Magic Tower’s board, as Adrienne said, suspension for two years and a suspension review every quarter.

Epherene had no regrets. She wasn’t sad. After all, she realized that the research she was trying to pursue would not be tolerated by the Magic Tower.

─…Oh, that girl that got suspended?

─…I didn’t like her from the beginning.

─…But is that true? That her father died because of Deculein.

─…Yeah. I heard it is. It was almost covered. I heard that they opened up the buried suicide case at the personnel committee.

─…Wow, she was stuck with Deculein all this time to get revenge? She’s something.

Epherene received all their gazes and stumbled into the elevator. Even in an elevator full of wizards, they kept glancing back at her, but what could be done about it?

Ding—

She arrived on the 77th floor. Epherene walked out into the hallway and looked around. Professor Deculein probably wasn’t here.

Because today she came to clean things up alone.

Knock, knock-

She knocked on his office just in case, and when there was no response, Epherene opened the door and entered.

“Phew.”

It was empty. She sighed with relief. Deculein wasn’t in the office chair where he always sat. The table where she worked as his assistant hadn’t been cleared yet.

“…I’m sorry, Professor.”

It hurt to look around.

‘Should I have kept silent?’

A father who committed suicide after suffering at Deculein’s hands, and a father who delivered a letter from the devil to Deculein’s fiancée. Even knowing their tangled tragedy…

“Hate me, please.”

Mumbling to herself, Epherene put the mana stone, thesis, and a ‘gift’ on Deculein’s desk. For reference, the mana stone was a proofed mana stone created with her mana as evidence that the 「Deculein/Luna」 thesis was implemented. With this proved, the Professor would be able to become an elder.

“But, I guess I’m becoming a real wizard now.”

Now, she was ready to pursue her research. She didn’t want to throw away this research, the theory that would be her magic. She didn’t want to waste any more time. Did this mean that she became a real wizard?

“I guess it’s time to get out of the shadows.”

It was time to become independent as a wizard. It was an opportunity to become an adult.

“…Then I’ll be going.”

After leaving behind a small smile, Epherene left the office and entered the corridor on the 77th floor. Passing the tight spaces such as the research lab and the laboratory, the assistant professor room, and conference room…

“…Huh.”

Suddenly, disappointment entered her mind.

“But. Where do I do my research?”

She had no laboratory. No, she had no place to sleep, let alone a laboratory. She usually stayed in the dormitories and sometimes in the Yukline mansion.

“The stocks…”

Of course, if she sold all her stocks, she would get enough to buy a house, but the price of mana stones, magic books, and various experimental tools was astronomical. She would need at least five million Elnes for a facility for her research-

“…I do have support.”

Support from Deculein. The donation that Deculein had sent anonymously for quite some time, but Epherene didn’t want to waste it.

“How can I use it after saying something like that to the Professor?”

“You mean that?”

“Yes. Rumors are also circulating in the tower. About our personal history…?”

What.

Epherene stopped talking and blinked.

“Hehehe. Long time no see~.”

And behind her, a cute laugh sounded out. At that moment, Epherene spun around.

“…A-Assistant Professor Allen?!”

Assistant Professor Allen. The mischievous person who disappeared from Reccordak pretending to be dead was looking at her as he used to before. At first, she asked herself if he was a ghost, if this was a dream, or if she had gone back in time again…

“Nice to see you~. I missed you so much, but I also had things to do.”

“…Things?”

Epherene asked blankly.

“Yes.”

Allen answered cheerfully and grabbed her wrist.

“Would you like to go with me?”

“…Together?”

“Yes. I heard you have nowhere to do your research.”

“I mean… where?”

“If you come, you will find out.”

With a smirk, Allen took a step forward. At that moment, the world changed. The hallway on the 77th floor blurred by, and a completely new landscape surrounded them.

“…Ahhhh! W-W-What is this?”

Perplexed, Epherene spun in circles.

“Where are we?”

It was dark and looked vacant. The only light source in the dark, whether a cave or a basement, was a glowing tree in the middle.

“Oh, you brought her.”

Under the shade of that tree, a robed wizard was sitting at a tea table and watching her. Epherene looked into their face with squinted eyes.

“…Wizard Idnik?!”

The narrowed eyes opened wide again.

“Yeah. Long time no see.”

Idnik answered, raising her hand.

“W-What is this? Where are…”

“Here? We call it Sanctuary.”

She took a sip of her cup.

“The official name is Time. It was built under the underground of Annihilation, and it’s a community… to fight against God? You can call it that.”

“…I beg your pardon? Then this is Annihilation…?”

“Yeah. This is in the north. It’s great for studying magic.”

She grinned and pointed behind Epherene.

“And there. There is another one.”

“?”

Epherene turned around. Indeed, there was one more person there. A woman wearing a robe like Idnik but with a sword around her waist. A knight with white hair fluttering like snow through the hood, determination etched across her face.

“Nice to see you, Epherene.”

Julie von Deya Freyden.

* * *

“That ungrateful bastard finally left.”

In the hallway of the tower.

Relin chattered while chasing after me.

“Whew. I’m relieved. Oh, and don’t worry.”

He constantly spoke while we entered the elevator.

“I will make sure that she never passes the next examination or the one after. After two years, well, she should get tired and leave for the countryside.”

Ding—

We arrived on the 77th floor.

“You can go now.”

“…Oh, yes!”

Relin saluting like a soldier behind me, I opened the door to my office.

“…”

Only one person had left, but the office seemed empty now. Oh, of course, there was still one person in my lab… Drent. He was now my only assistant professor.

Anyway.

“…I learned something a bit strange.”

I shook my head as I recalled Epherene’s appearance that day. I was a little angry at what she said. In particular, when she mentioned bloodlines, my personality boiled over on instinct alone. However, it was good that our teacher and student relationship was cut off.

She had acted clever, which wasn’t like Epherene. It was safer for her to do this.

“Hmm?”

I noticed several new objects on my desk. It was a mana stone, a thesis, and a book with a post-it note stuck on that Epherene had left behind. I read the post-it note first.

[This is the Deculein/Luna thesis verification mana stone. It was made with my mana, so the implementation is certain. Originally, I would present it, but I’ll just leave it here. No. Even if I had tried to present it, you would have interfered somehow, right? It’s obvious.]

[Whether you announce it and become an elder or not, do whatever you want. Don’t write my name on it. I don’t want to get involved with you anymore. And, if that arrogant view of magic is still valid, read this book. Science is just as great as magic.]

[Let’s not see each other again.]

Even her attitude in seeking hatred was clumsy. For reference, the title of the book that Epherene left was [Theory of Relativity, Volume 1].

“…”

I laughed quietly as I sat down.

“Hmm.”

Then, I took a deep breath and looked around the office. It was quiet. It was so quiet and clean. In other words, I was alone.

Again, I was alone.

“Good.”

Satisfied, I nodded and took up Epherene’s thesis. I frowned as I read it line by line.

“Why are there so many typos?”

Maybe she wrote in a hurry, but even still, there were too many typos. I started making corrections.

[AT: Read tomorrow’s chapter, trust.]