A Villain's Will to Survive

Chapter 10: News (1)

"So that’s what happened."

Evening had already settled, and dusk blanketed the ground. Sylvia was riding back to the mansion with Glitheon. Her father, who enjoyed driving, held the wheel himself while she gazed out the window from the passenger seat.

"Sweetie, did you do it on purpose?"

In response to her father's question, Sylvia quietly nodded.

"Did you hate her?"

"I have no reason to hate her," Sylvia replied.

"... I see. She may be talented, but it’s already too late for her," Glitheon advised, suddenly recalling an event from long ago.

Ten years ago, on the day of the academy entrance exam, two great mage prospects were discovered during the aptitude test in the Iliade territory. It was a day of celebration for all the territory's residents.

However, the problem was that one of them was Sylvia, and the other was Luna. Luna belonged to a distant branch of the Iliade family, now so estranged that they barely knew each other. With two exceptionally talented individuals, competition inevitably arose.

"She’s already fallen behind in the race, so you don’t need to worry about her. Just ignore her," Glitheon said.

In the Magical Realm of the continent, there was a long-standing tradition. Regardless of their affiliation or attributes, only three individuals could be recognized as Archmages at any given time. The standards were so high that two of the positions had been vacant for nearly thirty years.

One spot undoubtedly belonged to the Chairwoman, so if Sylvia took one of the remaining positions, Luna could not, and vice versa. Although there were many conflicts between the families and numerous incidents, the main reason Glitheon rejected Luna's magical talent was precisely this.

"However, sweetie, be wary of Deculein. He is not an easy person to deal with. As a child, he was called a whiz kid. Although he may seem stagnant now, he can rise at any time. He's only diminishing his own talent because he's distracted by a woman," Glitheon said.

"I know. He has already seen through everything. He has me cornered," Sylvia said.

"... Haha. Like father, like daughter."

Glitheon laughed, but Sylvia clenched the hem of her robe in her lap. She still wondered how he knew. If possible, she wanted to ask him directly. Glitheon observed his daughter's expression and stopped the car.

"... Ah. We've already arrived. I'm disappointed that the drive was so short. It's been a long time since I’ve had the chance to bring my daughter home. Sweetie, how about we go downtown together—"

"I'm leaving," Sylvia replied.

"What?!"

Sylvia opened the car door and stepped out. Glitheon, who had been pretending to cry, spoke as soon as she stepped out.

"Sweetie," he said with a smile, though his eyes were serious. "The whole Iliade family has got your back."

Sylvia looked at Glitheon. In her father, who gazed at her with golden eyes identical to her own, she saw a reflection of herself.

"Don't lose your confidence over something like this. If anyone turns against you, I will cut them down, no matter who they are," Glitheon said.

"Hurry back home. Mother is waiting," Sylvia said.

"... Ahem. So cold-hearted. Alright."

Glitheon awkwardly brushed his hair back and drove away, while Sylvia entered the mansion.

"Lady, Lady Sylvia! Are you alright? I heard the news!" her nanny exclaimed, rushing over with a worried look.

"I'm fine. It's all taken care of. I'll have dinner a little later," Sylvia replied.

"Oh, I'm so relieved. I'll bring your meal whenever you're ready."

"Okay."

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Sylvia trudged to her room, changed into her pajamas, and plopped onto the bed.

With a soft plop, her blonde hair spread out in a fan shape on the bedspread.

"... Deculein," Sylvia murmured quietly, looking disheveled.

Today, Sylvia saw Head Professor Deculein in a completely different light. His magical insight and knowledge were genuinely impressive. Yet, she felt unfortunate. If he truly lacked talent, he wouldn’t have become the Head Professor. Clearly, this was her mistake.

“Mistake.”

Yes, a mistake... Despite that, today’s events left Sylvia full of questions. Not about others, but about herself. Sylvia had never shown emotions to anyone. She neither gave nor received affection. Therefore, she couldn’t clearly explain today’s situation.

“Why do I...”

Sylvia found herself questioning why she harbored such hatred toward Epherene Luna and her father.

“Why do I hate her?”

She lacked nothing, had never been denied what she wanted, and her talent was considered the best in the 500-year history of the Iliade family. She was the perfect creation of the prestigious Iliade lineage, a pureblood noble... Just as she was whispering these questions to herself...

“It’s because I can’t let my guard down.”

Mana filled her eyes, and her golden irises blazed like the sun. This was the Eternal rank, which only those at the pinnacle of the Magical Realm could achieve. Those who reached this level were called Archmages and were etched into the continent's history.

From the Celestial Realm, the highest layer of the Floating Island, a place even the Emperor could not easily touch, they could look down upon countless mages with great pride.

It was a position she desired, not for her father or her family, but for herself. It was a throne already half within her grasp. So she would achieve it, not as Sylvia of the Iliade family, but purely as Sylvia. She would make it happen, no matter what.

Sylvia sprang out of bed and sat at her desk. Books, books, books. She needed to read. If she wanted to avenge today's humiliation, if she wanted to repay it with skill, she needed to read and learn more.

She reminded herself again that Deculein was not an easy professor. He was more than a match for the Iliade family. And Epherene... she wasn't even worth considering. Sylvia refused to acknowledge her. Just as her father had said, that girl had already fallen out of the race.

***

Since becoming Deculein, I have woken up early every morning. Mornings were always refreshing for me, and I always felt rejuvenated, but today I had muscle aches. It was because I had used near-berserk levels of magic yesterday.

However, the routine I set, leveraging Deculein's personality and diligence, made my body move naturally. As soon as I got up, I began my magic training.

Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—

Every piece of metal in the room moved according to my will. My technique had noticeably improved compared to just two days ago. Thanks to using 3,375 mana last night in a practical way, my proficiency had skyrocketed.

Incidentally, my attribute Sharp Eyesight allowed me to see this abstract proficiency. The exact percentage was 85%. Once it reached 100%, I planned to inscribe Beginner Telekinesis. I wondered how painful it would be then...

Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—

I controlled the metals, making them almost brush against each other without touching, and stopped when my mana was about halfway depleted. The next part of my routine was learning new magic. Today's magic was Basic Fire Control, which wasn't very important, so I planned to roughly memorize it.

"Wait a minute."

While examining the spell for Basic Fire Control, an idea suddenly struck me. It was as reckless as the idea of memorizing Telekinesis across my entire body.

"Instead of acquiring Fire Control, what if I just add its core function to Telekinesis?"

If I took a specific stroke from the spell, the central stroke of Fire Control, and transplanted it into Telekinesis, it would be a kind of spell splicing or, rather, a spell upgrade. After all, Telekinesis and Fire Control belong to the same Manipulation Category and have somewhat similar structures.

Telekinesis focuses on objects, while Fire Control focuses on fire and heat. As a result, they share quite a few lines. Out of the twenty-two strokes in Fire Control, eight were similar to those in Telekinesis. With that overlap, it seemed possible to splice spells together like editing a thesis or manipulating genes.

I activated Comprehension. After fully memorizing the spell form of Fire Control, I closed my eyes. I then extracted the core of Fire Control imprinted in my mind and transplanted it directly into my entire body's Telekinesis.

An immense pain struck me. It was indescribable agony. Blood trickled from my mouth as I clutched my heart and dropped to one knee. I felt it clearly that if I had been an ordinary mage, I would have died at least once.

"I succeeded, but..."

Fortunately, the spell had successfully combined. I could feel it within my body. The spell for Fire Control was now added to the magic circle near my shoulder, distinct from the original Telekinesis.

"... I'll need to add another routine from now on."

The artificial upgrade of Telekinesis was a novel and effective enhancement. However, it was extremely dangerous, and the more I performed it, the greater the strain on my body. Therefore, I needed to train my Iron Man attribute, which meant exercising. At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

Knock, knock—

“Sir, it's Roy. Are you ready to attend the social event?" Roy, the butler, spoke after knocking.

I looked at the clock. It was already 1 p.m.

"I'll head down soon," I replied.

“Yes, sir. I'll be waiting outside the door.”

"Roy, from now on, do not schedule any social events unless they are very important," I spoke to Roy, as I put on my outer garment.

I wanted to cancel most social events, but today was the significant Flower of the New Year event.

“I will keep that in mind, sir.”

The main reason I was attending today's social event was to identify the faces of potential named characters, but more importantly...

[Side Quest: Attend the Social Event 'Flower of the New Year']

◆ Store Currency +0.5

This was the crucial part. Store currency. I needed at least five coins to access the store, but I only had 2.5 coins so far. I needed more to purchase what I wanted.

I opened the door, and the butler waited with his head bowed.

"I'm ready."

"Yes, sir. Here is the list of blacksmiths you requested," the servant said.

"Good."

Last week, I had asked the butler to find skilled blacksmiths.

"Shining Geum-Chul...[1]"

Among the list of about forty-five blacksmiths the butler handed me, one name stood out the most. I chose the place identified by my Wealthy Magnate radar.

"That's an unusual name. Take this blueprint to Geum-Chul," I said.

I handed the blueprint to the butler. It was for an item that would become my Cherished Item. Usually, a mage’s Cherished Item is a staff or wand, and if it’s highly developed, it's called an artifact. However, my Cherished Item would be quite different from those sticks. It was a weapon solely for Telekinesis, so I had high expectations.

"Yes, sir."

The butler carefully took the blueprint without unfolding it or showing any curiosity. Truly, he had the perfect demeanor of a loyal butler.

"Shall we go? The car is ready, sir."

"Alright, well done," I replied.

"... Pardon me? Thank you, sir."

We stepped outside the mansion together.

"The weather is nice," I said.

"... Sorry? Yes, it is."

The early spring weather was clear and pleasant. Though the butler seemed a bit flustered by my every word, I enjoyed the fresh scent as I got into the car.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir," the butler replied.

The car smoothly moved forward. Sitting in the back seat with a dignified posture, I suddenly thought of Midas Touch. I wondered if I should try it on this car. With 1,300 mana left, I could imbue about 1,000. Acting on this curiosity, I used the attribute.

Vroom—!

The car accelerated suddenly. The driver, startled, banged his head on the steering wheel and apologized.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. Continue driving," I replied casually.

"Yes, yes. I'm very sorry!"

The driver, who had been hitting his head in self-reproach, quickly regained his composure, and the ride became even smoother. The already rare vibrations and noise almost disappeared. Enhanced ride quality—something like that. Not bad at all.

***

We soon arrived at our destination. It was the grand castle in the heart of Haileich, the most glamorous part of the capital. This entire castle in the middle of the city served as a social space for nobles.

"We've arrived, sir."

The driver, who had gotten out first, opened the door for me. Instantly, all eyes were on us. This car was an incredibly luxurious item in this world.

"It is an honor to meet you, Head Professor Deculein," the team of well-trained waiters said, greeting me first.

I walked on the red carpet, guided by them. Reporters lined up outside the castle's entrance, their cameras flashing incessantly. Without sparing them a glance, I entered the castle.

— The distinguished head of the venerable Yukline family, the youngest Head Professor of the Mage Tower of the Imperial University, Deculein von Grahan-Yukline.

As I entered the hall, an announcement blared, and I was nearly startled. It was an introduction announcing my arrival.

"Have a pleasant evening," one of the waiters said.

I nodded and proceeded into the hall. The lights shimmered like stars, illuminating the spacious and splendid interior filled with many people. Seeing their familiar faces, I realized coming here was a good decision. There were many well-known figures, such as Yutsirin, Paige, Sirio, and Raphel.

Among the glamorous crowd, one person stood out distinctly. I recognized her immediately. It was Yulie. Even though Yulie disliked social events, it seemed she had to attend this one. For some reason, she was the only one in armor. When our eyes met, Yulie looked away without any greeting. I didn't make an effort to approach her either.

"Miss Valenta, you look exceptionally beautiful today."

"Lady Rucca, what are you..."

"The results of last year's adventurer exam were quite interesting."

In this game, the most respected statuses are nobles, mages, knights, and adventurers. An adventurer is a highly professional and systematic occupation, and one must pass an exam to earn this qualification. Those who venture without it are called vagrants or wanderers and are subject to legal penalties.

"Miss Ganesha! I read about your exploits in the Continental Journal."

Among these adventurers, I discovered a key named character, a pivotal figure in the game's storyline.

"As someone who enjoys sailing, I found your exploration of the archipelago..."

A woman with long red hair tied into twin tails had a somewhat irritable and edgy appearance. She seemed annoyed by the social event itself, yet many people surrounded her. She was the overpowered adventurer Ganesha, who ranked fifth in initial combat power.

I decided to muster the courage to approach her.

1. The original word Geum-Chul can be a person’s name and a word mix of Gold(Geum) and Iron(Chul) in Korean ☜