The Villain Wants to Live Chapter 153: Epherene's Time (1)

Chapter 153: Epherene’s Time (1)

It also snowed on the Floating Island, though it was a magical phenomenon that the wizards artificially implemented. If they didn’t, many addicts wouldn’t know the change of time and seasons.

In the city center of the Floating Island, Sylvia stepped through the snow while waiting for Idnik. She stepped to deliberately make a sound.

Ding-a-ling-!

At that moment, the door of the magic shop opened with the ring of a bell. Idnik, carrying a backpack, stepped out and handed Sylvia a newspaper.

“Read it.”

Sylvia took the newspaper without a word; her expressionless eyes scanned the text. Deculein and Julie were in the headlines.

“They say that the divorce is in progress, but there is a lot of gossip. Rumor has it that Deculein killed both Veron and Rockfell… ”

“No.”

Sylvia shook her head. Then she pointed to Julie in the newspaper.

“This woman is stupid.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“…”

Sylvia knew what Veron did to Deculein. What happened between the two. Also, how much Deculein loved Julie. But this stupid woman didn’t know that; she didn’t know anything…

“Forget it.”

With Sylvia’s blunt reply, Idnik shrugged.

“Is that so? Anyway, you’re ready, right?”

“Yes. But-“

“Here. What you asked for.”

Idnik handed a stone to Sylvia. The stone was called ‘Deculein’s Test.’ As soon as the Imperial Magic Tower distributed it to the Floating Island, it became hugely popular. She could tell by looking around right now, as a similar stone was being held by almost every wizard she could see. More were sitting on tables in cafes and restaurants. She even noticed a fainted wizard at one table, a stone by their head.

“Hmm. Gosh, he’s a master at making trends.”

At Idnik’s words, Sylvia looked at the stone. However, just by staring at it with her mana, it moved.

“Oh, and… did you know that Deculein privately published his writing?”

Sylvia raised her head.

“Writing.”

“Yes. It’s very noisy because of that. It was published privately and hasn’t been released to the public. Also, I don’t think it’s going to be sold due to Deculein’s nature. Rumor has it that the library on the Floating Island has increased its security to protect their copies.”

“…Increased security.”

“There are five books. There seem to be some wizards who were seriously thinking about robbing the library.”

“…”

Sylvia bit her lip. The wizard Deculein was accomplis.h.i.+ng much on the Floating Island. His theory was now treated akin to royalty on the Floating Island.

“Sylvia. Aren’t you curious too?”

Sylvia pondered for a long time before she opened her mouth.

“Maybe I can borrow it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Deculein’s Theory.”

“Hmm?”

Sylvia immediately turned around and ran to the library. Then, sprinting with her magic, all she left was an afterimage. Before long, she arrived on the 10th floor of the Floating Island’s Megiseon. This was the gathering place of all the books in the world— the Penta Mall. Sylvia approached the librarian at the info desk.

“You came, Etheric Sylvia.”

He nodded as if he was waiting. Then he handed her one of the books, double and triple-sealed.

「Yukline Theory: Essence」

“Read carefully. This item is cla.s.sified as a second-level book. Also, this is a note from Monarch Deculein to Etheric Sylvia.”

Sylvia was handed another small piece of paper containing a short sentence written in Deculein’s elegant handwriting.

[I look forward to the day you kill me, Sylvia.]

* * *

A blizzard spread outside the train window. The raging blade-like wind scattered pure white dust around them, but the inside of the room was warm.

“Look here. That’s why you should have studied the theory a little harder.”

“…I could’ve learned if it wasn’t that difficult.”

Drent was teaching Epherene while Allen quietly knitted, the only sound being the occasional rumble from the engine. This peaceful atmosphere wasn’t bad either. For me, for Epherene, or Allen. Because I knew this quiet wouldn’t last long.

“Professor. What book are you reading?”

I showed Allen the cover.

“The complex properties of the dual series magic circuit and the dynamics of magic for correct operation.”

“…Hehe.”

Allen chuckled in a silly way and held out a tuft of fur she had knit into a scarf.

“Here… so your neck doesn’t get cold.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Oh… okay.”

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Allen lowered her face as if a little disappointed.

“Let’s consider that I gifted it to you. I don’t get cold, so you wear it.”

“Oh… o-okay…”

Creeeek—

Just then, the train slowed down with the sound of sc.r.a.ping iron. The three a.s.sistants stood quickly and packed their things.

- Knock, knock. We have arrived, Professor Deculein.

The attendant knocked and led us out of the train.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Thus we arrived at the Mazar station in the North. As soon as I stepped onto the open platform, Epherene and Allen wrapped their arms around their shoulders. I looked around, a bleak landscape greeting me. There wasn’t a single person in sight, and the snowy mountain ahead was faintly visible through the obscuring blizzard.

“There is no one here.”

“It seems that everyone is refraining from going out because it is winter.”

The conductor explained.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

Outside the platform were four horses.

Hee, hee-!

Seeing the agitated horses, Epherene and Allen swallowed hard. Those two suffered from a disease known as horse-riding sickness…

* * *

The destination where we arrived was the northern fortress Rezental.

“You can stay here. We call it a small magic tower, but I am embarra.s.sed to introduce it to a professor from the Imperial Magic Tower. It’s quite a distance from the training ground so that you can stay comfortably.”

The officer who guided explained. It was a cylindrical and small tower with five floors. But, given it was in the North, it was rather tall by comparison.

“I understand.”

“Yes. Take a rest from your travels. Your a.s.sistants too.”

When the officer left, Epherene, Allen, and Drent quickly went to their rooms. Epherene smiled brightly.

“I’ll take this one! This is my room!”

“What? If you’re the youngest, use the smallest room.”

“What? Don’t you know about talent? The a.s.sistant professor gets the biggest room, then me…”

I left them on the first floor and went upstairs. It was clear that the equipment laying there was quickly prepared for the wizards coming on a business trip. The third floor was a laboratory equipped with various tools, the fourth floor was a reading room, leaving the fifth floor as the s.p.a.ce for me to stay. However.

“h.e.l.lo.”

There was an unexpected guest already waiting for me.

“Brother… or I guess you’re not anymore.”

A clear voice and a soft smile. My eyes met Josephine’s.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh. It’s nothing. Just… I’m here to offer a warning.”

Josephine laughed softly.

“Warning.”

“That’s right. Oh, I don’t mean anything aggressive. We identified the start of a mana phenomenon in this part of the country.”

Josephine handed me some photos. One of a red thunderbolt, then a s.h.i.+mmering aurora, and the tail of a comet falling then ascending.

“This all happened two days ago.”

In particular, as if going against time, the comet fell and soared again, soared and fell again, and then disappeared by twisting s.p.a.ce.

“…I don’t know. You can overcome anything, but people like the newbies downstairs who are sensitive to magic might be caught up.”

I nodded.

“Thank you for the information. So-“

“Julie is doing well. Still hates you.”

“…”

A smile appeared on Josephine’s lips, but at the same time, she looked at me with hardened eyes.

“Her health is improving. Julie is overcoming it herself.”

“I’m glad.”

Josephine rested her chin against her hand and tilted her head.

“It’s amazing, brother. I didn’t think it would be just like you said…”

“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t lie.”

“Huhu. You don’t~.”

She looked back at me, chuckling playfully.

“Is this… what you wanted?”

“… ”

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I looked into her eyes without a word. Her pure white irises sparkled like gla.s.s. Those eyes resembled Julie’s.

“I want Julie to live.”

At those words, Josephine took a deep breath, then mumbled with a small smile.

“You, too, love Julie as much as I do.”

[The Villain’s Fate: Death Variable Extinction]

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Death Variable Extinction? It was a sentence I’d never seen before. Perhaps it meant that Josephine’s intention to kill me had completely disappeared… could this mean that this skeptical sociopath finally trusted me?

“Then I’ll just go. But if anything happens, please contact me at any time~.”

Josephine laid a crystal ball down on the table, then faded away like a shadow.

“…”

I sat across from her and looked out the window. The sleet was falling like petals outside.

* * *

The next day Epherene woke early in the morning to dark outside the window but feeling strangely refreshed. Mana was overflowing from her.

“What?”

A ball of fire rose from her hand. It was the simplest magic one could use to tell a magician’s condition, and from it, she could tell her concentration and power were exceptional today.

“…Leaf, what are you doing?”

Then Drent appeared with a sleepy expression. He rubbed his eyes.

“Oh, Drent. You’re unusually energetic today.”

“…Yeah.”

“Oh, right. We’re supposed to work on public support today, right?”

“…Right.”

Drent went into the bathroom yawning, and Epherene rolled up her sleeves.

“This overflowing vitality is a good thing!”

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She shouted cheerfully, heading off near immediately to their first destination: the village near the fortress.

“Oh my gosh, how could a precious wizard come to such a shabby place…?”

“Is there anything I can do to help?!”

“The barricades did collapse a bit, but….”

“I’ll help you! Where is it?!”

“… Yes? Oh… I will guide you.

Epherene restored the barricade that had been destroyed by a recent monster invasion. She also repaired the vigilantes’ weapons, the herbalists’ equipment and cut down trees to provide firewood for the winter.

“Kid, how old are you?”

“I am ten years old. I’m not a kid.”

“Hihi, I see.”

She stroked the cute-looking boy’s head. He was short and looked very young, but he was a skillful herbalist or something, according to the villagers.

“Your name is?”

“I’m Zuphan.”

“Well, Zuphan. Then, keep up the good work on gathering herbs~.”

“Yes.”

Zuphan nodded stiffly and went straight into the woods. Epherene watched him leave with a hand on her waist.

“Now~, everyone!”

She turned to the people gathered around her.

“Anything else?”

“No, it’s fine now. Yesterday a shooting star fell in that forest-”

“It’s okay! Oh. There were a lot of weeds over there for livestock feed. I’ll grind them for you!”

Epherene moved vigorously. At that very moment, as she was about to step into the forest and clear the pile of weeds-

“Huh?”

She found a mysterious pond. It appeared to be dug deep in the middle of a bunch of bushes. The water sparkled like a star, and clear mana was bubbling out. Epherene tilted her head and approached for a closer look.

“What is this…?”

Silently she looked into the pond. Epherene’s face was reflected on the surface.

‘These days, the more time pa.s.ses, the prettier I get….’

Ahem! Anyway, the color and light of this pond were so pretty that she reached out her hand without realizing it. The hand inside the pond and the hand outside the pond touched-

Bzzz-!

- and sparks of electricity sputtered out with stinging pain.

“Ugh!”

Surprised, Epherene quickly pulled back. Flicking the water off her fingers, she looked at the pond.

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“What is this?”

Should she ask the Professor? This pond itself could be a mana phenomenon. Epherene thought so and went back the way she had come.

“…?”

But, it was strange… the road was different. This wasn’t the path she had just walked. First of all, the snow had piled up much higher than it had been ten minutes ago, and the weather was much colder. She didn’t know how to express it any further, but it was bizarre.

“What is this now… huh! Hey!”

Then she noticed a young man pa.s.sing by. Epherene quickly waved her hand to him. The herbalist-like man shuffled towards her.

“Yes. Speak.”

“What just happened to the town?”

“What happened?”

“Yes.”

Epherene nodded over and over, but when she checked the man’s face a bit closer, her eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No way…”

He was taller than Epherene and a young man in his twenties. However, that youngish face was one she had seen recently…

“Are you Zuphan?”

“Hmm? How do you know my… oh~.”

The young man seemed to recognize Epherene.

“The wizard I saw in the past. You haven’t aged at all.”

“What do you mean…”

“Well. No wonder. You came with that professor.”

“Professor?”

“Yes. There was a professor who came with you last time, right?”

“Where?!”

Epherene asked loudly. Zuphan pulled back and answered a bit reluctant now.

“He’s waiting at the town hall, but….”

Epherene ran to where Zuphan was pointing. She sprinted through the snow-covered road surface, shocked by the sights that greeted her.

“What…”

The village was no longer a village. A market filled with people suddenly appeared in a simple village until just now, and merchants and residents in fur clothes were bargaining loudly around her.

“What is this?”

Epherene trudged along. For some reason, she felt timid, pulling in both her hands to her chest. The town hall that Zuphan mentioned wasn’t far away.

“…Over there.”

The town hall. When she saw it this morning, it was just a hut. But suddenly, it grew bigger. Epherene was bewildered, but for now, she focused on finding the Professor as she grabbed the doork.n.o.b.

Gulp-

She swallowed hard, nervous, and opened the door slowly.

Creek-

A man wearing a black robe could be seen through the gap in the open door. He was sitting in a chair and reading a book. A lamp illuminated him, and Epherene…

“…Professor?”

Then he turned, only the lower half of his face visible under the hood, but Epherene could tell who he was at a glance. Deculein.

He rolled up his sleeves with a hard face and tapped his watch.

“You should have told me the exact time, Epherene.”

“Yes? What is that…”

“6:05 pm.”

Deculein took off his robe hood. He was as neat as ever.

“You’re five minutes late. When you go back, say it’s 6:05, not 6:00.”

“…?”

Epherene moved her lips wordlessly again and again and eventually tilted her head.

“Eh?”

She felt like her spirit was leaving her body. However, all the changes that Epherene witnessed as she walked through the burgeoning town resulted in only one realization.

Time.

“No way.”

And the future. Deculein nodded, his brow furrowed slightly as if she had realized it too late.

“You’re right. There was some confusion about your time. I came here for that.”

Seeing her stunned, Deculein then smiled warmly.

“Ugh…”

But that smile was far more shocking, frankly more than their current magical situation, so Epherene let go of her mind for a moment.

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Bang-!

…She collapsed and slammed her head against the wooden floor.