A Villain's Will to Survive-Chapter 300: Ancient Demon (3)

“Our clan will not allow it,” Lucy said resolutely, refusing Epherene’s suggestion, then untying her eye patch to reveal her face. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Epherene's shoulders gave a noticeable start.

"... When an eye is lost, they say the bones and flesh of the face flow and warp its shape. Therefore, I inserted a glass marble and stitched it myself," Lucy continued.

Lucy’s face was marred by red threads tightly stitching her eyelids, giving her a ghostly appearance, as Epherene turned her eyes to Deculein with a sorrowful expression, while the very individual responsible for such a sight offered no comment.

"If I gained anything from losing my eyes, the foremost is the discernment of waves—the ability to sense the waves and sounds objects emanate. Through them, I perceive the world and manipulate it as if it were my own body."

Lucy continued in a composed tone, yet Epherene could sense the frozen rage beneath her words.

"My second gain was responsibility. I merely sought to conceal myself in Padahal. Abandoning my clan, I considered only my tribe's well-being. That should never have been," Lucy concluded, her mana building. "I came to kill Deculein, and I will certainly do so."

At that moment, Lucy’s voice flared like a blade, and the air around them grew frigidly sharp—as if her claim of controlling the wave was no empty boast, but a threat capable of rending one’s very body at the slightest movement.

"It can't be helped, Professor. I can't persuade her because you're here," Epherene said.

Since persuasion was ineffective with Lucy, Epherene enveloped herself in a suit of mana and unleashed a Barrier.

Clang—! Clang, clang, clang, clang—!

A metallic chime echoed from the barrier's contact with the air, clearly signaling that Lucy had undeniably weaponized the very atmosphere around them.

"... Mage Epherene, do you not also wish Deculein's death?"

"No, I want to survive. We need Deculein here, otherwise who will kill the demon?"

"Is this not the prime opportunity to avenge your father?"

"... You don't know anything about my family matters. If you don't know, don't speak," Epherene replied, biting her lip.

"... Then it is unfortunate," Lucy said, nodding.

That single phrase brought the conversation to an immediate pause, prompting a precarious silence—in other words, the very cue for hostilities.

The moment the mana concentration of the area, and everyone's heart rates, dramatically spiked...

"It is still too early to kill him just yet."

At someone's words, which broke the tension, Epherene and Lucy turned to look.

"A rather interesting situation, wouldn't you say~?" General Bell added, approaching as his torch cut through the corridor's darkness.

***

As the party made their way down from the upper office to Deculein's prison, the number of their members fell from twelve to five, but Bell acquired crucial information through the involuntary sacrifice of the seven.

“We would only need to avoid the darkness. Though they claim it devours humans and the like, in essence, it is a demon of little consequence~” Bell said.

Knowing the demon could only operate in darkness, Bell and his subordinate swung their torches, warding off the creeping darkness from all sides.

"... Am I to understand, then, that you are Scarletborn?" Bell asked Lucy's group first.

Lucy's group offered no reply.

“You, Epherene, were once Count Deculein’s ally, and now, as I understand, you stand as his estranged opponent, do you not~?” Bell continued, gesturing to Epherene.

“And?” Epherene said.

“... Ha. Haha, heuhaha.”

A smile involuntarily played on Bell’s lips, and though he tried to cover his mouth with both hands, laughter kept escaping.

To find so many who regard Deculein as their greatest enemy, the possibilities are delightful, Bell thought.

“Hahahaha—”

Bell threw his head back in boisterous laughter, before calming himself and taking a deep breath.

"Hoo. Good. Excellent. It appears you all hold a grudge against Count Deculein, so do as you please," Bell continued, pausing before glancing at Deculein within the prison.

Deculein stood as straight as a rod, glaring at Bell, and it felt as though he appeared more like a demon than a demon itself.

“Ahem, ahem. I mean it. As I’ve stated, the demon presents no significant threat. They are simplistic creatures, easily repelled with a torch. Will you really miss the opportunity to eliminate Deculein, one of the Empire’s foremost powers, for the sake of such a minor issue?” Bell added, clearing his throat

Then, Bell gestured toward Deculein’s cuffs and concluded, “Those cuffs are Deculein’s leash. They stagnate his mana circulation.”

"... Bell, you are no less a target for execution than Deculein," Lucy said, glaring at him.

"I hear you," Bell replied, his brow lifting. "However, there is a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my ally. Moreover, isn’t this the prime moment to eliminate Deculein~?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lucy eventually nodded.

"Count Deculein, my congratulations. You are released from house arrest," Bell said, smiling brightly as he dismantled Deculein’s prison.

At that moment, Lucy immediately bound Deculein with a wave, tightly shrouding him as if to transport him, and kept him close by their side.

"Hmm? You do not intend to kill him immediately?" Bell asked.

"Only after we leave this place," Lucy replied.

"Oh~ Yes, you wouldn't wish to kill him outright, I presume."

"Excuse me," Epherene said, reaching a hand out to Bell.

"What is it?" Bell replied, tilting his head.

"The key to the cuffs."

"... Why the key?"

“This serves as proof of the contract, and if you should know that keeping that key will only cause you trouble, won’t it? Just pretend we took it from you.”

“Hmm?”

It appears, after all, that there is considerable logic in her words, Bell thought.

"Well, how fitting it is for a protégé who suffered so severely under Deculein to be so thorough. Here, take it," Bell replied with a hearty laugh.

Bell pulled out a key from within his robe, appearing as though he planned to give it to Epherene, but then...

Gulp—

The sound of Epherene's throat working to swallow was audible.

"It would be better if you take this instead~ This one, it seems, holds some remaining attachment," Bell said, handing the key to Lucy, not Epherene.

With teeth clenched, Epherene observed Lucy as she accepted the key.

"Now, let us take our leave," Bell concluded, bowing slightly in true gentlemanly fashion. "I will assist in your escape, for escorting is the duty of a gentleman~"

***

... Together, Lucy, Epherene, and Bell’s group had escaped from the main building and were making their way across the desert.

Thud, thud— Thud, thud—

Eleven camels scaled the sand dune, and the surroundings were consumed by a completely impenetrable darkness, as if enshrouded by a lightless veil.

“Shoo! Shoo!”

Bell's subordinates warded off the darkness with their torches, and General Bell chuckled, looking back to see Deculein, the prisoner, strapped to the camel's back.

“You see? Claiming that we cannot escape this space because of the demon? It was all Deculein’s fabrications~ Don’t you all agree that it was just a mere struggle to survive, nothing more?” Bell said.

"That seems to be the case," Lucy replied.

Epherene, on the other hand, clenched her teeth against her lip.

"Count Deculein, do you find yourself in good order?"

There was no answer in return, and whether sensing his approaching death or not, Deculein stayed silent with his eyes remaining closed.

"One must guard only against the torch’s flame failing. Hey! I demand to know—is there ample oil?!" Bell continued.

“Yes, General!”

Since no unusual events occurred as Bell had stated, his subordinates' expressions brightened with cheer.

"But where is your sanctuary located? It seems to be taking some time to get there," Bell said to Lucy, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Do you believe I would show it to you? You have come far enough—now fall back," Lucy replied, scoffing.

“Haha. That is not my objective. Rather, it would be beneficial for us to share secrets. Having surrendered Deculein into your hands, I will be mindful not to attack your sanctuary.”

Lucy remained silent.

"If you are to be captured, or should even one of you survive and reveal this truth to Her Majesty, would I not face immediate execution~?" Bell added.

Lucy looked back at Bell.

General Bell is surprisingly perceptive, and rather pragmatic as well. Then again, since he's only self-interested in his own advancement and glory, perhaps he bears no prejudice against people like the Scarletborn? Well, it barely matters, as we'll kill him later anyway, Lucy thought.

"Since we've advanced this far north, it should be close to revealing itself soon," Lucy replied.

"Oh~ In that case, we will then transfer Deculein to your custody at that location."

“That is incorrect.”

At that moment, the voice that had been silent behind them belonged to Deculein, and everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward him.

Whooooosh...

"Incorrect? Are you speaking of our direction?" Bell replied, his collar ruffling in a sudden gust of wind as he let out a chuckle.

"No," Deculein said, shaking his head. "Your speculation about the demon."

Furrowing his brow, Bell replied, "It appears even you are not immune to the fear of death, are you? How utterly pathetic—"

"Do you genuinely believe that this is an advance?"

Out of nowhere, Deculein made an unusual statement, and the reactions were varied—Epherene leaned in to listen, whereas Lucy, her face still overflowing with hostility, continued to lock him with a piercing glare.

“... Advance?” Bell repeated.

Whooooooosh—

The wind whipped up once more, and Bell, turning his attention around, found the barren sand dune offered no reference points, making it an oppressive landscape where determining whether they were walking or merely spinning in place was impossible.

"You continue to circle the very same ground. Nevertheless, you fail to perceive it. As is often said, you are enchanted by a demon," Deculein said.

Deculein’s voice held exceptional composure, and despite being restrained in the most disadvantageous and humiliating manner, it was as if he ridiculed all within the surroundings.

"Notwithstanding, the reason I chose to speak of this truth only now is... Three.”

Deculein mentioned the number three, at which point a countdown was initiated.

“Two.”

At that moment, Lucy instantly prepared her mana, while Bell likewise enveloped his body in a Defensive Mana Barrier.

“One.”

Squeeeeeeeeelch—!

At the sudden peal of a gruesome sound, Bell’s eyes widened, and he snapped his head sideways.

“... Oh!”

The subordinate, who had just been standing with a torch, was nowhere to be seen, with only his remains—blood and bone fragments—seeping across the ground.

“... The demon’s restraint from devouring you was not due to the darkness. Rather, it is now marking you without your knowledge,” Deculein continued, a twist of his lips.

The demon of the desert, possessing the Killing Field attribute, branded a mark onto the human it targeted. Bell frantically inspected his body and then fell silent. The strange demon's mark was located near Bell's right collarbone.

"It might even resemble those childhood urban legends, wouldn't you say?" Deculein added, a sneer playing on his lips.

Behind him, the other group members scanned their own bodies—too late by a moment—and their reactions matched Bell’s.

"The activation of the mark, of course, varies by individual. The conditions are mental strength, mana, and physical might. However, should time proceed in this manner, you will all be entirely devoured by it."

Squeeeeeeeeelch—!

The second death claimed Bell's subordinate without a sound or warning, and Lucy gripped the camel's reins.

"It waits, maw open wide in patient anticipation, but you lack the means to kill it—no, you cannot even discern its presence."

Even more than the relentlessly passing moments and the sweat pouring down his entire body, Deculein’s words constricted Bell’s heart.

"Moreover, it gains strength with every human it devours. Should it not be contained here...”

Lucy glanced back at Deculein behind her.

“It will spread throughout the entire desert, bringing death in its wake. The desert tribes will all face annihilation. Her Majesty would likely favor such an outcome. Wretches as insignificant as you shall merely bring about your own self-destruction,” Deculein added, meeting Lucy’s eyes with a sneer.

Lucy bit down hard on her back teeth, stung by Deculein's dismissive contempt.

"Lucy, you pitiable blind woman, I will present you with a choice."

Squeeeeeeeeelch—!

In the meantime, the fourth death claimed another.

“Will you, blinded by wrath, forsake the fate awaiting your clan and the desert?”

... The demon had already opened its maw wide in this very place.

"Or," Deculein continued, extending his wrist, his smile radiating noble grace and refinement, which Lucy found so obnoxious she wanted to slap his cheek. "Will you rather forsake your grudge?"

Deculein reminded Lucy of a past memory—the terrifying and brutal moment when he extracted her eye with full awareness.

"The very fate of the desert hangs upon your choice," Deculein concluded.

The Scarletborn held a significant fear of the demon slayers, the House of Yukline, because a small amount of demonic energy streamed through the Scarletborn's bloodline.

“... I want to know one thing. Are the Scarletborn considered demons by Yukline? Is that the reason why you despise them?” Lucy asked.

"Yukline blood does not respond to the Scarletborn," Deculein replied, his eyes resting upon Lucy's face—more precisely, on the empty sockets where her eyes once were.

“Then...”

"The Scarletborn are not descendants of demons."

With a slight intake of breath, Lucy sighed.

I never thought I would hear that the Scarletborn are not demons, least of all from Deculein, Lucy thought.

"... I believe I now understand Karixel's reason for sending me here," Lucy said.

"It was Karixel who sent you here?" Deculein muttered with a subtle nod.

"However, my loathing for you remains."

Deculein remained silent.

"But I had believed you claimed my eye simply out of interest," Lucy concluded, taking the key from within her robes.

“W-Wait—”

Bell hastened to hold Lucy back.

"Now it would appear there was a reason."

Click—!

The moment Lucy's key was inserted into the cuff...

Crush—!

Deculein theatrically spread his arms, shattering the cuffs, and at that very moment, the desert's demonic energy seeped into his body, like a raging tempest.

Fwoooooooooosh—!

The Yukline required no special preparation or equipment to accept demonic energy, as all that was needed was his physical body, which absorbed the demon's demonic energy while the Snowflower Stone refined it.

However, the Devourer's demonic energy was far too immense for refinement, overflowing externally and transforming the Yukline's outer appearance into that of a demon, with eyes glowing dark red and mana manifesting in black.

"... A demon. It’s a d-demon!" Bell yelled, his finger trembling as he indicted Deculein.

Deculein appeared as if the demon barely maintained its human semblance, yet preserved impeccable posture and noble dignity as he stared intently at something. The demon’s form materialized in the empty air, revealing the gaseous Devourer—for no demon could evade his Sharp Eyesight.

"Oh! It looks like it's started already!"

Epherene and Lucy turned their heads at the innocent voice that arrived just in time, as Ria and Delic appeared.

“... Ria?” Epherene called.

"Miss Epherene, you actually came," Ria replied, nodding as she turned toward Epherene.

"... Yes, everything is being resolved.”

"Yeah, looks like it."

Yukline, the archenemy of demons, experienced a power amplification of at least ten times and was, in such encounters, the mightiest in the world, the definitive final weapon, a Lethal Weapon, and a living Devil May Cry.

The words had barely left their mouths when a groundbreaking vibration struck, and Deculein was already out of sight, consumed by demonic energy in the distance.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Ria shouted, pointing somewhere.

It was Bell, attempting to slip away unnoticed.

"Hold it right there! You've got a court-martial waiting for you."

Epherene chuckled and lowered her head, impressed by Ria's determined expression.

Somehow, this child feels like a replacement for my old self to the Professor. It’s good, bitter, and a little confusing, Epherene thought.

"... Ria, I feel like I've dreamt this before, you know?" Epherene said, looking at Ria.

"A dream?" Ria replied, her eyes widening.

"Yes, of course it's probably not a dream right now, I think. But, when the Professor has dealt with the demon...”

Epherene, believing it to be a dream, was gradually being consumed by her talent of time, and even the current scene tormented her with a sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

“You have to help him."

“Me?”

"Yes, he might be going through a lot, you know. Overload—is that what it's called? But you... if you go and help him..."

"Because I look like his former fiancee?"

“Yes, he'll calm down.”

"Okay, I'll do that," Ria replied. "What about you, Miss Epherene?"

"I have somewhere else to go. And besides, what good would I be if I stayed? The Professor would only loathe me terribly, wouldn't he? You know it too—how completely ungrateful I am..." Epherene replied, smiling bitterly.

***

... At the same time, Sophien arrived at the Sanctuary of the Ages.

“Is this the place?” Sophien said.

— Yes, Your Majesty, it appears to be so.

The sanctuary was a place with research equipment, arguably as valuable as any artifact, all arranged around a single tree.

"... These appear to be Deculein's equipment."

The research equipment was composed of items Epherene had stolen from Deculein’s laboratory. Sophien chuckled as she walked among them, brushing past reagent bottles and microscopes, when she suddenly discovered a large cylinder, spacious enough for a person to lie within.

"... To think she was here all along."

Within it was Yulie, the knight who had taken Deculein’s heart, receiving a direct intravenous infusion of lantern flower solution into her bloodstream as she slept, unaware of Sophien’s presence—or rather, rewinding her own time.

— Your Majesty, do you genuinely intend to kill her?

Keiron asked.

Without a word, Sophien gripped the sword at her hip.

Shing—

From Sophien’s belt, a flash of steel appeared as she pulled the sword.

"There is no need to kill her directly. If only this cylinder were destroyed..."

However, before she could shatter the cylinder with the blade, Sophien’s eyes fell upon a diary placed on the table next to the cylinder, which was as neat and orderly as Yulie herself.

"How insignificant..." Sophien continued, her sword hanging loosely as she reached for Yulie's diary.

Rustle—

From the very first page, the words Yulie had carefully penned in her diary began with the opening line—“To my future awakened self.”

"... Hmph," Sophien murmured, a scoff escaping her as she read Yulie's diary, before settling into a chair for a moment.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eew𝒆bn(o)vel.com