A Villain's Will to Survive

Chapter 4: Deculein (3)

[Side Quest Completed: University Lecture]

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Bathroom. Bathroom, bathroom. Where is the bathroom? I urgently need to go to the bathroom...

This reaction was definite proof that I was not really Deculein. Even though some of his personality traits had influenced me, it was only to a small extent and for the most part, I still remained Kim Woo-Jin. The cramp in my lower stomach was the result of accumulated mental stress that I hadn't even realized.

Gurgle—

The biological reaction that I was experiencing was unbearable. Nevertheless, I maintained a perfect model-like walk on the outside. Although I was desperate inside, I maintained a composed look on the outside as I searched for a bathroom. Suddenly, I encountered a woman standing at the other end of the hall, looking at me from the long corridor.

I walked toward her and she stood still at her position. As our distance naturally closed, I was the first to stop when we were within arm's reach.

"It's been a while," Yulie said, bowing her head first.

She was a beautiful woman with smooth, white hair and eyes as clear as ice. Her appearance reminded me of that blood-soaked moment I had once seen on a monitor. Eight out of the sixteen deaths of Deculein that I had tested were related to her.

“... Yes, it's been a while,” I replied.

Her name was Yulie, the fiancée of this body. She was also a named character who would become the ultimate knight in the near future.

“Have you been well?” Yulie asked.

It wasn’t a question I had an answer to.

If it had been a servant, they would have walked away, unable to withstand my gaze. However, Yulie simply waited. Inevitably, I had no choice but to respond to her in this manner.

“I’m unsure.”

It was the best I could do, but Yulie seemed irritated by my reply. She took a deep breath and spoke.

“Do you remember the promise you made to me a week ago?”

I stood still, looking directly into her eyes. In those deep and beautiful eyes, a clear smoldering hostility burned.

“You broke the promise,” Yulie continued.

I remained silent as it was a promise I knew nothing about. I nodded and tried to pass by her.

I had to poop.

Yulie took a step to the side and blocked my path.

“Are you trying to run away?”

I was trying to run away because I really had to poop. In a situation I knew nothing about, saying anything would only make it worse.

“Are you really doing this to me again?”

But the woman didn’t let me escape. She glared at me with a face as cold as ice. In this situation, the best I could do was far from adequate.

“... What promise did we make?”

I genuinely didn’t know, so I asked, but Yulie's anger sent chills down my spine.

My back itched and felt hot. I wanted to scratch, but this body bound by Noble Etiquette wouldn't permit such low-class actions. Instead, I continued speaking with a hint of awkwardness.

“I'm asking you. I must have forgotten because I've been sick with a fever for a while.”

“Haa," she sighed, feeling somewhat resigned and nearly hopeless. It was a sigh burdened with more than just anger.

“... Damn it. That’s what you were after all,” she said, her tone as cold as ice and filled with contempt, sadness, and disappointment directed at her fiancé. “Go.”

She stepped aside, and I walked right beside her shoulder. Even as I walked away, I could still feel the gaze drilling into the back of my neck.

Leaving the corridor, I entered the VIP bathroom. I looked around, worried that someone might come and only after confirming that no one was there, I finally used the toilet.

“Phew, I was nearly at my wit's end from itching all over and desperately needing to use the bathroom...”

As I emptied my bowels, I scratched my itching back and neck. The need to wait for the right place and time to scratch was exhausting. No wonder he died early.

***

Yulie stood still for a long time after Deculein left. The rage and fury inside her didn't subside, burned like an unquenchable fire. As she was barely calming down her anger, another uncomfortable person appeared—the Chairwoman of the Imperial University.

“Oh my.”

She was a young Ethereal-ranked mage in a conical wizard's hat, positioned just below the highest rank of Eternal, and was considered a strong candidate for Archmage. In terms of personality, she was the worst among Yulie's acquaintances, known for how mean she was. As soon as she saw Yulie, she playfully covered her mouth with her hands.

“Look who it is! Isn't this Professor Deculein's fiancée?!”

Yulie nodded silently. She already knew that saying anything like “we're not married yet” wouldn't work with her.

“I really enjoyed his lecture~ As expected of the Head Professor, he explained so well! I wish I could learn such lecture skills~”

“I know. I was watching too.”

Although Yulie tried to end the conversation, the Chairwoman eventually nitpicked her words.

“Oh, you were watching him? Are you supporting him now? Have you two gotten closer?”

Supporting him was not her reason for being here. Yulie had come today to see with her own eyes whether Deculein would keep the promise he had made to her. Yulie had clearly told him that if he kept his word and admitted his deceit to everyone asking for forgiveness, she would stay with him no matter what even if the world fell apart.

This wasn't about preserving the family's honor or maintaining appearances. It was purely her belief as a knight, above all worldly concerns. That was all it was and he had agreed to it.

“What's wrong~? Today's lecture was great,” the Chairwoman asked.

Grit.

Yulie ground her teeth at the Chairwoman's mocking tone. Deculein had broken his promise to her until the very end. He had achieved his success by stealing and exploiting others' talents, never repenting for his misdeeds and corruption.

He didn't even have the courage to do so, leaving Yulie with no choice but to finally give up on him. He would live forever in the miserable web of deception and lies he had created.

“You're no fun today. Well, take care! I'm leaving!” the Chairwoman said, pouting her lips as she left.

Yulie still stood as if her legs were rooted to the marble floor. A whirlwind of emotions seemed to be swallowing her whole. His Yukline blood and her Freyden blood. The words someone had once said echoed in her ears.

“With Deculein's magical skills and Yulie's natural talents as a knight, their union was expected to be beneficial both politically and in terms of family lineage.”

But both families eventually realized Deculein's magical talents were only average. He had deceived the world by claiming to be the Genius in Spell Interpretation and became a professor, but his outstanding achievements ceased after a certain incident.

If either family had fewer political connections, one would have surely reacted violently. Both were proud noble families, so they kept it quiet. The engagement wouldn't break unless one family refused, and even if it did, Deculein's deceit wouldn't be exposed. Therefore, Yulie thought Deculein had to correct himself.

Despite this, he decisively broke his promise to her today, and now she had to end this wretched engagement herself. The end of their relationship was near.

“Are you okay?”

Her subordinate knight spoke in a low voice from behind. It was Veron, a man with jet-black hair covering his face. Yulie shook her head without looking back at him.

“I'm fine. It's time for the lecture. Let's go.”

She continued walking, with many knights following behind her slim back. Yulie, a direct descendant of the prestigious Freyden family, known for both the masters and the holy land of knights, was scheduled to give a lecture today. Unlike Deculein, who only explained with words, hers was a real lecture where she demonstrated her skills and engaged in swordplay with the students.

Among the knights following her, one suddenly stopped. His red eyes gleamed through his long black hair. He slowly turned around, gazing at Deculein as he walked away in the distance, his cold and murderous intent focused on Deculein's neck.

Yulie’s knight Veron thought to himself as of today, he had found the answer to his countless anguish and agony. It was his resolution for his master, an act only he could perform. He decided to kill that vile, dirty man. Cut his throat and dismember him to make his master happy...

***

In the campus cafeteria, Epherene sighed, poking at her omurice.

“Sigh...”

She had tried to embarrass Deculein during the lecture. Deculein's Spell Interpretation ability was an obvious fraud that originally belonged to her father. She thought he would have panicked if asked to interpret a new spell without any tricks he had in that split second.

The risk of becoming Deculein's target was quite obvious, but she had been countered instead. No one would have expected him to humiliate her in front of the entire class just for not stating her name. Indeed, he was not someone to be underestimated.

“It was so embarrassing...”

The sardonic laughter still echoed in her ears, but she had made progress.

“Pfft. Enchantment category, my ass,” Epherene smirked, remembering what he said.

Clearly, he was inexperienced in this kind of situation, saying it was Enchantment magic. It made no sense. Of all things, he claimed it was Enchantment magic. Enchantment magic was definitely one of the most incredibly difficult categories of magic.

It required an enormous amount of mana to deceive and disrupt a person's perception, making it highly inefficient. Most Enchantment magic requires a medium, making the idea of performing it without one nearly impossible.

“What an idiot. Seriously, he's a total idiot.”

As she repeated it to herself with satisfaction, a loud voice called her name and approached her.

“Epherene! Epherene!”

She looked toward the source of the noise. It was her colleagues from the freshman mage orientation last week.

“Thanks to you, we figured it out!”

“Huh? Figured out what?” Epherene blinked, had no idea what they were talking about.

“That magic spell at the entrance of the dormitory last night!” one of the freshman mages shouted, placing a hand on Epherene’s shoulders.

An unidentified spell formation was found at the entrance of the mage dormitory last night, drawn in red mucus. Initially thought to be the work of a demon because it had not been reported to the Academia. It had become a competitive project among freshmen from different category majors, all eager to interpret it.

“What do you mean? I didn't do anything.”

“Come on. You asked Professor Deculein about it,” one of the freshman mages replied.

“Huh?”

Epherene was puzzled. She hadn't asked anything. All she intended was to mess with him, but now their conversation had taken a completely different turn.

“Oh my god~ We were too scared to ask him about it. You are really brave aren’t you?”

“Huh? No, wait. That magic was... really a barrier?” Epherene asked, shocked.

So that means Deculein was right?

“Yeah, it was. When we restructured the spell assuming it was a barrier, it fit perfectly. Wow, Deculein is amazing, isn't he? I wonder how he knew it was enchantment magic without any medium in the spell?”

Epherene's jaw dropped. She could only gasp at what she heard.

“Thank you for your help, Epherene. We're going to submit the research report soon and include your name as well,” one of the freshman mages said.

“Eh? Oh, you don’t have to... But, o-okay, you can include my name.”

“Okay!”

They all left together, smiling with joy. Epherene blankly stared after them. They were kind people. They could have taken all the credit for themselves, but they chose to share it with her. However, the situation wasn't ideal. Deculein's reputation had only improved.

“L-lucky man, wasn't he? Got it right on the first try just by guessing it?”

Denying reality, Epherene pulled a paper from her backpack. It was a syllabus written by a professor for the upcoming semester at the Mage Tower.

Understanding the Properties of Element Magic

Grade: Advanced class for Debutants only (5 credits)

Professor: Deculein von Grahan-Yukline

It was Deculein's class. Her properties weren't an element, but there was no reason not to attend. Elemental magic is fundamental to all magic, and as they say, “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.”[1]

“You just wait...” Epherene growled, staring at the syllabus.

1. Sun Tzu's famous quote emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and understanding one's opponent in achieving victory. ☜