A Villain's Will to Survive

Chapter 104: Spoiler (1)

“I am not a wretch. I am a being superior to you,” Decalane’s voice replied, flat and emotionless.

I scoffed, checked the inner pocket of my suit, and said, "You were discarded like trash, yet you still don’t know your place."

Although I hadn’t brought the bulkier Wood Steel, I did have a piece of the Snowflower Stone, which I had partially mastered through Comprehension.

"Let me help," Yeriel said as she approached. I pushed her back with Telekinesis. "Why are you pushing me?"

"This is not your concern."

"Why? I’m still fine," Yeriel insisted, her face full of confidence, though her complexion had already changed. It was the early sign of demonic energy poisoning. "I’m a Yukline too, and I have enough mana to cast at least one spell—"

"Silence."

"... But—"

"I told you not to interfere. Leave now."

Yeriel clamped her mouth shut, her expression a mix of anger and frustration. She wasn’t happy, but I had no choice. She didn’t belong here in this situation.

Sssshhhhh—!

At that moment, Decalane unleashed his tendrils. Dark red energy flickered along the edges, and the surrounding air had already been tainted with demonic energy. I considered it a stroke of luck.

I converted his demonic energy into my mana. Purified by my bloodline, the mana surged to a level almost beyond my control. My head pounded as I activated the Snowflower Stone. The metal, no larger than a ping-pong ball, expanded into a lattice of white and blue crystals.

Szzzrrr...

Thin lines intersected, forming a seemingly fragile barrier just a millimeter thick. But as soon as Decalane's tendrils touched the Snowflower Stone, they froze and ignited at the same time. This contradictory phenomenon was the true power of the mysterious Snowflower Stone.

He kept swinging his tendrils, releasing a dense, lethal concentration of demonic energy. Anything that came into contact with it dissolved instantly.

Yet, I deflected it all with ease, calculating the energy consumption of this prototype Snowflower Stone. The mana consumption was at least ten times that of ordinary steel and could increase up to fivefold depending on the complexity of the Telekinesis involved.

As a result, the total mana consumption ranged from at least ten times to as much as fifty times that of Wood Steel. Without an environment rich in demonic energy, using the Snowflower Stone recklessly was impractical. It remained an incomplete ultimate weapon.

"An intriguing device," Decalane remarked as his attack ceased. He must have realized that the Snowflower Stone was impenetrable.

As I observed him, a question arose in my mind, and I asked, "... Were you truly created by Decalane?"

It was simple curiosity. His energy source was demonic energy, which seemed far too extreme for something crafted by a Yukline mage who despised demons.

"I am the learned intelligence of Master Decalane, designed to replace you," Decalane's voice replied in the same monotone.

At that moment...

A red arc shot up behind me, and I turned toward its source.

"Hup!"

Yeriel had cast a spell—destructive magic known as Fire Chain. This high-level spell combined the element of fire with the concept of space, condensing extreme heat into a thin line, making it impossible for the target to evade. The chain of fire shot toward him, and flames erupted from the center of his forehead.

"Cough—! Cough—! ... See, I can help," Yeriel said, coughing, a look of self-satisfaction on her face. But I could feel my anger rising. "How was that? I—"

"Did you not hear me? I ordered you to get lost."

Yeriel's expression hardened. She swallowed hard, clenching her jaw. She exhaled heavily, her chest rising and falling.

"You could have been more honest... Sigh... Fine, I’ll leave," Yeriel said coldly, turning away. "And don’t think of calling me back."

She stomped away, using the last of her mana to open a door, then vanished from the space, taking the key with her. I turned back to face the front.

Fwoooosh—!

Flames roared as Decalane burned. After all, Fire Chain was an exceptionally destructive spell. It appeared Yeriel had been diligently practicing her magic all this time, keeping it a secret from me.

"Not bad," I remarked as I reshaped the Snowflower Stone into another form.

Kli-klik—!

The lattice-like structure shattered into dozens of fragments of Wood Steel, the particles rushing forward with a metallic clatter.

Swooooosh—!

Amid the flames Yeriel had created, the Snowflower Stone moved relentlessly. It sliced through Decalane's body, cutting, freezing, and burning him over and over. Yet Decalane didn’t scream. He merely extended his tendrils in all directions, as if he felt no pain.

I murmured softly, "No sense of pain... That makes you a failure."

"No... I am... the learned intelligence of Master Decalane..." Decalane’s voice droned, repeating the same words again and again. "I was created to replace both of you..."

Demonic energy poured out of him in torrents. His body started to disintegrate, with the fuel inside leaking out.

"I am..."

Simply put, he was dying.

"Master... Deca... lane’s..."

His voice, once drawn out, suddenly cut off. The creature that had mimicked a human crumbled like sand, disintegrating into nothing but ashes...

"Wretched creature," I muttered as I slowly approached him.

Though his body had turned to ash, something remained buried within it—a bizarre object that pulsed like a heart. I examined it with my Sharp Eyesight.

───────

[Artificial Core]

◆ Description

: A core artificially created.

: An organic compound made of demonic energy.

: An incomplete product.

───────

"... An Artificial Core?" I murmured, frowning in displeasure.

Using my Comprehension, I analyzed its structure. It was laced with circuits from various life forms, all fused with demonic energy. A loathsome substance, born of dark magic.

"Decalane..." I murmured, my gaze fixed on the Artificial Core.

Why would he create such an artifact? As a Yukline mage, what could have driven him to invent something so demonic? The more I considered it, the more it seemed that only one group could have a reason for such an act... I thought.

"... The Altar."

It had to be the Altar. Could the Yukline family have been connected to it? Or was this the work of Decalane alone?

"I’m not certain yet," I declared, raising the Artificial Core with Telekinesis.

Though its appearance was revolting, it provided ample reason to begin my research.

***

Meanwhile, Yeriel, who had stepped out first, grumbled to herself as she waited for Deculein, murmuring, “He’s always the same, never surprising...”

Is giving a simple compliment really that difficult for him? I already know how he is, but if he were a bit more honest... it would just feel strange. Deculein being Deculein is how it should be. If he suddenly changed, that would mean something was seriously wrong, Yeriel thought.

"Cough, cough. Ugh, my throat hurts," Yeriel muttered, leaning against the wall as she checked her condition. Her mana was nearly depleted, and the early signs of demonic energy poisoning were setting in. "... Wait a minute."

She touched her throat and frowned. The Yukline bloodline had long relied on demonic energy—or so the vassals had always claimed.

"So why aren’t I...?"

The demonic energy was making her cough, and she also felt a bit dizzy.

"Am I just tired?" Yeriel wondered as she pulled out the Key of Yukline.

Regardless, it was time to rescue her vassals.

As for Deculein, I’ve opened the door, so he’ll take care of things and make his own way out.

"... He probably wouldn’t lose?" Yeriel muttered, unable to shake her worry. But then she recalled the way Deculein had looked at her just moments ago, as if ready to kill her. "I dare him to lose."

With the way he had confidently told her to leave, Yeriel thought that he had to return victorious. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have even deserved a funeral for disgracing the family.

"Now, let’s see..."

Click-clack—

Yeriel’s heels echoed through the corridor of the diary as she passed by Deculein’s memories.

"There’s no title, huh...?"

The frames holding Deculein’s memories had no titles. As expected, they were all untitled.

"Where could the vassals be...?"

Then, something had caught her eye.

"Hmm?"

Yeriel noticed a memory from a relatively recent day in Deculein’s life.

"Oh~ This day..."

She still remembered what had happened that day. It had been intense, a day she could never forget. With a bitter smile, she approached the memory frame. As soon as she looked at it, a sharp voice seeped through.

「You're treating me like trash..」

It was a cold, murderous voice. It was late at night, at the Yukline mansion in the capital. She had come to confront Deculein after he had squandered two hundred million elnes.

"... I remember this.”

Back then, she had brought anything that could be considered a threat. She had been that furious.

「Do you think I'm just here to clean up after you?」

Her voice had trembled with rage, but Deculein had remained calm.

「Do you think I want to live like this forever? I quit college because of you! I've never even had a proper relationship!」

Yet he had only looked at her as if she were a barking dog. His indifference had only fueled her anger.

Finally, Deculein spoke, 「I will give you the position of head of the family.」

「... Ehh?」

"Pfft," Yeriel chuckled, unable to hold back her laughter as the memory continued to unfold.

「Th-that's bullshit! No, it doesn't make sense. Why? Why so sudden?」

「I plan to dedicate myself to the Mage Tower and my magical research from now on. I won't have time to act as the head of the family, and you should already be fairly skilled as a lord.」

At the time, I never thought he would actually go through with it, she thought. Watching it now felt like observing a play, and she found it surprisingly intriguing.

「Then... When will the succession ceremony... take place?」

「You probably know the best time.」

「Three years from now. On the Day of Exceptions.」

Back then, the sudden shift in her stance had left her stunned. Looking back on it now, she felt embarrassed—it had been such a transparent reaction.

"Ughhhh..." Yeriel muttered, shuddering as she watched, while the Yeriel in the memory continued to speak.

「If you're lying, there will be serious consequences. Got it? Everyone in our territory already considers me the lord.」

「Trust me. It's not a lie.」

「... Hmph.」

Right after that shocking conversation, the Yeriel in the record had begun packing a dagger and a pistol into her bag.

"I brought a gun, too?"

It had been a small pistol, but she had taken any weapon she could get her hands on.

"What could I have been thinking back then...?"

Just as she had been about to leave, struggling to contain her anger...

「Yeriel.」

Deculein had stopped her. Seeing this, Yeriel cringed.

「You must be hungry after all that traveling. Stay and have a meal before you leave.」

"Ugh, I can’t look at this," Yeriel muttered.

That single line had been excruciatingly embarrassing. It was unbearable, making her skin crawl and giving her goosebumps. The Yeriel in the memory had reacted just as her present self did.

「I'm f-fine! Don't say weird things now! I have to go, so just stop...」

What had made Deculein say something like that? Yeriel thought.

"Ugh, this is painful to watch," Yeriel muttered, shaking her head as she tried to escape the memory.

However, Deculein's memory hadn't ended there.

「... Hmm,」 Deculein murmured.

With Yeriel gone, the mansion was now empty. He quietly exhaled and settled into a chair with a glass of wine.

At that moment...

Whirrr...

A mysterious wind had begun to swirl around. At the same time, a strange voice had softly drifted in.

「How interesting..」

This had been a memory Yeriel hadn’t known about, something that had occurred after she left. Her eyes widened as she watched.

「... I just came by.」

The voice had been sweet and seductive. Red hair fluttered in the wind. A woman had suddenly appeared, swinging her legs from the windowsill...

「Something interesting happened here.」

... It had been Ganesha, the leader of the Red Garnet Adventure Team, whom Yeriel had been searching for all this time. In the memory, Ganesha had given a playful smile as she looked at Deculein.

Deculein frowned deeply and said, 「You're not welcome here, Ganesha.」

「Sorry. I really am...」

Yeriel had watched their conversation in a daze. Her heart had raced, her mouth had gone dry, her temples had throbbed, and cold sweat had dampened her back.

「But are you seriously giving up the position of head of the family? Are you really-really trying to change?」

Deculein had entrusted Ganesha with a specific task, something related to Yeriel. That memory might have held a clue to it.

「I simply thought she'd handle it better than I would,」 Deculein in the memory spoke.

"Ah..."

It had been his true intention. His offer to hand over the family headship hadn’t been a lie.

「Really? But still... You know,」 Ganesha said, twisting her lips into a mocking smile.

"That bitch..." Yeriel muttered, her face contorted with anger. That expression had been extremely irritating to her.

Yeriel could hardly believe that Ganesha had eavesdropped on such an important conversation between Yeriel and Deculein. She had glared at her, ready to curse at any moment. But in the next instant...

But then, in the next instant...

「She's not even your real sister.」

Yeriel tilted her head in confusion. She hadn’t understood what she had just heard, her brow furrowing even more.

What was that I just heard?

Yeriel stood frozen, struggling to process what she had just heard. There had been no way to rewind the memory, and Ganesha’s words had continued, slowly.

「She doesn't have any Yukline blood in her.」