A Villain's Will to Survive-Chapter 223: Wooden Pocket Watch (2) Part 2

Plop— Plop—

Drops of water fell.

“Ugh...”

Plop— Plop—

A foul stench hung in the air, brushing against her skin before dispersing.

“... Ah,” Epherene murmured as her eyes slowly opened.

Scratch, scratch—

Epherene scratched her head and glanced around. Time had passed, yet the scenery remained the same—the depths of a sewage facility. By now, she had grown so used to it that the stench no longer bothered her, and the rats had long since become familiar company.

“... I’m so tired of this place.”

Of course, Epherene hadn’t spent an entire month in the same sewer; she moved from place to place, yet whenever the chase grew too close, she always found herself back in some sewer beneath the city.

What day is it today? Must be around April 4th or 5th... Epherene thought, sitting on the damp ground.

“When will it be...”

Epherene could do nothing but wait, holding on to a single hope—that April 9 would arrive one day faster.

“... I feel disgusting.”

A month’s worth of filth and stench stuck to her, the result of avoiding mana detection and withholding from using Cleanse. With a sigh, Epherene rummaged through her belongings and pulled out Deculein’s letter.

Epherene,

I leave this letter to you.

You will undoubtedly understand the meaning of this letter.

“... I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

I’ve read this letter hundreds, no, thousands of times while hiding, but I still have no damn clue what it means. How am I undoubtedly supposed to understand this? This is just... fu... fu—

"Frick! Seriously! Frrrrriiiick—!"

After shouting with both fists clenched, Epherene let out a heavy breath and sprawled onto her back.

Drained of all strength, Epherene muttered, “How am I supposed to understand this letter...? If I regress, I’ll make sure to ask...”

Epherene's voice trembled, her sentence left unfinished.

... A month ago, Yulie died. But not in Rekordak, and from what was said, not from any visible wounds. With her own strength and the support of Josephine and Zeit, she managed to break through part of the force that had been working behind the scenes.

However, the aftermath of that day destroyed her heart, and she died from it. Her sister, Josephine, took her own life soon after. But thanks to Yulie, one name from the forces hidden behind was uncovered—Jaelon Vadaspe.

... Delic had gone missing. After Rekordak, he had reunited with Epherene before setting off alone to chase down more clues. Until then, they had kept in touch through the crystal orb—until one day, his messages stopped. The last thing he ever said was a name—Yuplait von Sven.

... Sylvia had been locked away. Idnik, Glitheon, and Gindalf had bound her, describing that she had gone crazy.

Having lost everything, her greatest fear now was the possibility of regressing to a time after Deculein’s death.

“If that really happens...”

What would I do? If I regress to a time where Deculein no longer exists, is it all over? Epherene thought.

“... You said you wouldn’t place everything on me,” Epherene muttered, curling up like a shrimp on the hard floor. “You said I was still too young to bear such a burden...”

It was an anguish indescribable by words, a pain she had never imagined before.

"But now...”

With everyone gone, I’m just crawling in the depths, struggling to move like a worm in the dirt... What kind of...

"... Whaaa."

Sniffling, Epherene shot upright as a thought took hold, bringing with it a rush of anger. Perhaps, in the end, rage was the only fire that could burn away sorrow.

"No, I mean, seriously.”

Hanging from Epherene’s waist was a wooden pocket watch, a gift from Murkan.

“... What is this even for?" Epherene muttered.

No matter how much she fiddled with it or poured mana into it, the wooden pocket watch remained unresponsive, refusing to even tick forward, as if time itself had abandoned it.

"What even are you?! Say something! At least a letter can be read! But you—what are you supposed to do?!"

Epherene clenched the pocket watch tightly, as if trying to strangle it, holding her breath... but, as expected, nothing happened.

“... Miss Epherene?”

Just then, a voice like a whisper slipped closer, making Epherene flinch as she quickly turned toward the sound.

“... Assistant Professor Allen.”

“Are you alright?” Allen asked.

"No," Epherene replied, shooting him a flat look before shaking her head.

"Are you tired? Well, stay positive. We found out who was behind it all~"

Allen was right—they had identified who was behind it among the seven suspects Delic had named, including Sirio. Though Sirio remained uncertain, Allen had confirmed one undeniable truth—he was the one who had handed Sylvia over to Glitheon.

“... But I feel like I’m losing my mind,” Epherene muttered.

Even knowing I'll regress, the stress is too much. What if I get caught? Will I still regress if I die, or is that the end? And even if I do regress... what if Deculein isn’t there?

"It’s alright. Today is April 9," Allen replied.

“... What?" Epherene muttered, her eyes widening in shock "But yesterday, you said it was April 3!"

"Well~ wouldn’t it be better to jump straight from April 3 to April 9, rather than just moving from the 8th to the 9th—"

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“You—!” Epherene yelled, rushing forward to grab Allen by the collar. “How does that even make sense...?"

In the next moment, her words caught in her throat.

“... Assistant Professor Allen? Why is your body... so cold?”

"Well~ that’s because I’m dying."

Only then did Epherene realize the severity of Allen’s injuries, his body marred with deep wounds and blood seeping into the ground beneath him. The worst was near his pelvis, where something like a spike had impaled him straight through.

“Why... Why?”

"I came across the Altar. No, actually, we have been on the front lines against them for a while now. Conflicts happen often," Allen said with a faint chuckle. "But this time... they already knew. They knew, Miss Epherene—that you regress."

Epherene remained silent.

"But... this is what they told me. Even if Miss Epherene regresses, Professor Deculein will not return. The Empress will not return. The criteria for regression have already changed."

“... Sorry?”

"That’s why... that’s why I said it was April 3. I’m sorry. Because even if you regress..."

Allen’s body slumped against Epherene’s shoulder, his weight pressing into her as if the last of his strength had left him. Epherene’s mind went blank as the world before her blurred into a haze of white. It felt as though the thin thread she had been holding on to all this time had finally snapped.

“... Assistant Professor Allen?”

"But, it’s okay," Allen continued, a faint smile appearing as he leaned against Epherene, a single tear slipping from the corner of his eye. "For a month, I was able to live with hope."

Epherene looked at Allen, her lips trembling, her legs weak, shaking as a despair she had never known before welled up within her—overwhelming, unstoppable, and clearly as it sank deep into her heart.

"Miss Epherene, if you regress again... please try to keep this information to yourself for as long as you can."

Epherene remained silent.

"You will... won’t you?" Allen muttered, closing his eyes, his faint smile from the corner of his lips never fading.

Ruuuuumble—

The ground trembled as if shaken by an earthquake, the wind roaring through the air, vibrating with the very atmosphere. In the chaos, Epherene held Allen tightly.

And...

... Epherene had regressed.

“Epherene! Hurry up!” Delic called out from a distance.

Blink, blink— Blink, blink—

Snowflakes descended, falling into Epherene’s blurred vision as she slowly opened and closed her eyes.

“Oh...?" Epherene muttered, standing still as she glanced around.

The scenery before Epherene was filled with pointed trees, a land buried beneath snow—the endless expanse of the Northern Region’s coniferous forest. A bitter wind sliced through her clothes, sending a chill deep into her skin.

"Epherene! Why are you just standing there? It's time for the meeting!"

The point of regression had taken her back to the Northern Region, to the moment just after she had told Yulie the truth about Deculein and the meeting was about to begin. In other words, it was a timeline where Deculein was already dead.

“... Ah,” Epherene murmured blankly, the word slipping from her lips like a final breath.

At that moment, Epherene finally understood, and despair sank deep, turning certainty into cold reality and confirming Allen’s final words—the very criteria for regression had changed.

“Epherene!”

“... Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!” Epherene screamed, her legs giving out as her body shuddered out of control, a suffocating wave of hyperventilation gripping her chest, as if her very heart were caving in. “Aaaahhh—!”

“Miss Epherene! What’s wrong—”

“Epherene! W-What is happening?!”

From a distance, Yulie and Delic rushed over in a panic.

"No, no, no, noo, noooooooo...!"

In the heart of the howling blizzard, as the trees of the Northern Region bent and swayed like waves in a storm, Epherene let out a harrowing scream before passing out into the snow.