A Villain's Will to Survive
Chapter 272: Gods Meaning (2)

Chapter 272: God's Meaning (2)

Epherene, Arlos, and Rose, the prosecutor from Yuren, had walked down into the volcano’s cave. There, they took turns looking at Deculein—and then at the criminal standing beside him.

“Hmm... it does appear to be a match, doesn’t it?” Rose muttered, her eyes moving between the man and the wanted poster.

“Yes, that’s the puppet I created,” Arlos replied, nodding without even glancing at the wanted poster.

“That’s a puppet?” Epherene said, her eyes blown wide in surprise.

It doesn’t even look like a puppet! Epherene thought.

“A puppet crafted by a professional in the field is something else entirely. It’s not one of those test mannequins they create out at the Mage Tower,” Arlos replied with a chuckle.

“I have little doubt that you used more than a few illegal materials,” Deculein said as he approached.

“Ahem, I was threatened into doing so,” Arlos replied, clearing her throat.

“By the way, what are you doing here, Professor?” Epherene asked.

“Epherene, the mana stone—what happened to it?” Deculein inquired, ignoring her question entirely.

“Sorry? Oh, that?” Epherene said, searching through her pocket before pulling out a single mana stone and placing it into Deculein’s hand. “Here. It’s not stable, but... this one reacted.”

Deculein nodded, then tossed the mana stone over his shoulder, and with a dull thump, it fell onto the bed.

“Possibility. That’s what it is, Carla,” Deculein said.

From the bed tucked away at the cave’s end, someone twitched beneath the sheets.

“C-Carla?!”

“Did I just hear him say Carla?”

The moment that name was spoken, Epherene and Rose’s eyes widened, the weight of it sinking in all at once.

“That will be enough to create your heart,” Deculein added, turning to Carla.

“... I wonder, cough,” Carla replied, coughing as she closed her fingers around the mana stone.

“You have the makings of a heretic, Deculein. The way you reach against providence, it reminds me of those who once stood against the order,” said the person beside Deculein.

“I will regard it as a compliment,” Deculein replied.

A man with red hair. No, is it a man? Or a woman? Epherene thought.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Epherene asked, blinking up at the person—so beautiful that the line between beauty and handsomeness blurred.

“... Are you speaking of me?”

“Yes,” Epherene said, nodding with an almost childlike honesty.

“You and I have met before.”

“Hmm? Have we?”

“Back then, I called myself God—but you denied me the name of God.”

At that moment, Epherene’s eyes widened in shock.

“Wait—you were the one back then!” Epherene said, her hair bristling as she pointed, the memory crashing down all at once.

“Haha, indeed. You taught me one thing—and it was through you that I chose to descend to this continent. I now know how little I understand about your world.”

“... Sorry?” Epherene muttered, startled by his oddly gentle words. They caught her off guard, and the finger she’d raised now felt embarrassingly out of place. “Ahem. Really?”

“Indeed.”

“Then what’s your name?” Epherene asked, clearing her throat as she lowered her finger back to her side.

“... My name?”

“Yes, your name.”

“Well, I would still prefer to be called God.”

“Oh, I get it now!” Epherene replied, nodding with the calm certainty of a child who just solved a riddle. “So your name is actually God, then? G.O.D?”

At that moment, even God Himself fell silent.

“Call me Quay,” He replied, running a hand through his hair.

“Quay? That is an interesting name.”

Fwoooosh—!

Suddenly, the magma flared violently, and the cave thickened with the noxious scent of sulfur steeped in demonic energy. Epherene gagged instinctively, while a vein pulsed across Deculein’s face—the signature sign of Yukline’s violence rising to the surface.

“Blughhhh—! What kind of smell is this? Professor, is it even safe to be in here?”

“No, it is not safe,” Deculein replied with certainty. “The place itself is steeped in filth and decay. The volcano will not wait much longer and will erupt soon.”

Rose furrowed her brow, and beside her, Arlos only shrugged.

“An eruption?” Epherene asked.

“Indeed, the Ashes will be buried beneath it and if the eruption worsens, parts of Yuren may be swallowed as well. What follows will be a disaster—sulfurous rain falling across the land,” Deculein replied, adjusting the scattered materials around him through Telekinesis.

The materials included the Devil’s Claw, the Heart of Memeren, the Blood of the Dark Troll, and the Venom of the Desert Roteo Scorpion—just a few among the many rare and dangerous items gathered.

“Wait—Deculein, were you the one who swept the shelves clean?!” Arlos said.

“Either way, I will use these to reduce the damage through my spell.”

Using the materials he had purchased from the Ashes, Deculein planned to manifest a portion of Decalane’s Study of Art Magic—and, through the ductility of that spellwork, forge a barrier to seal the volcano’s crater and contain the damage.

“However, even my spell cannot completely prevent the devastation of a volcanic eruption. The Ashes shall return to what they are in name—nothing but ash,” Deculein continued, nodding with satisfaction. “For the vermin living loathsome lives who have made their home here, it is no less than they deserve.”

Arlos’s face twisted, while Epherene’s face, too, turned uncertain.

“You call their lives loathsome?” Rose said, almost spitting the words.

Deculein turned his eyes on Rose with a silent stare, piercing as a blade and heavy with command as always, but Rose stood her ground.

“Loathsome? No—that’s far too harsh.”

“Prosecutor Rose, then tell me—do you consider your own life to stand on equal footing with the degraded lives of these criminals?”

“They’ve committed crimes, yes—and I’ll prosecute them and see them imprisoned if justice demands it, as that’s my duty. But I cannot loathe an entire life because of what someone has done. A person’s worth is more than their worst choice.”

“Most of them are the sort who deserve death,” Deculein said, holding Rose’s eyes as the edge of his mouth curled.

“There is no human who deserves to die.”

“That is your ideal, and a strange one at that. There are, without question, people in this world who deserve to die.”

“Hah,” Rose murmured, resting a hand on her shoulder in disbelief. “You say such things because you’ve never had to live among them with noble blood. With such privilege, you—”

“You too,” Deculein interrupted. “You have noble blood, and that’s what lets you speak without consequence.”

Rose remained silent.

“If you were a commoner...” Deculein continued, falling silent for a moment, then holding Rose’s gaze with thinly veiled incredulity. “Do you believe you'd be permitted to speak with me at all? It’s your noble blood that affords you such dangerous thoughts, and if you were born a commoner, those same words would have been met with the blade.”

Rose gritted her teeth.

“Of course, the nobles of Yuren are bound to feel inferior. Compared to the Empire, what else can such lowborn blood feel but shame?” Deculein added, shaking his head.

Then I turned toward Quay, who had been watching the exchange with interest, and said, “There’s still a week until the eruption. The expo will take place before then—you’ll have time to see it all.”

“Hmm? You really would allow me to see it with my own eyes?” Quay asked.

“On one condition—do something about that red hair, as it would draw far too much attention,” I replied.

Quay smiled, tapped his temple, and in a blink, his blazing long hair dissolved—replaced by a sleek black undercut. Just moments ago, he looked like a woman, but now he could have passed for a man without question.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Epherene muttered.

“By law and duty, this is an official arrest. You are hereby placed under arrest for the theft of twenty-seven items from mansions, market halls, and auction houses across Yuren. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

“You have the right to consult with an attorney and to have an attorney present during questioning, and to petition the court regarding the lawfulness of your arrest...” Rose said, her voice tight with suppressed anger as she stepped forward and locked the cuffs onto his wrists.

***

In the palace, Maho—the princess of Yuren—sat surrounded by reports from the officials, letting out sighs as she worked her way through the pile.

“Haa...Hoo...”

“That sigh could’ve come from a steam engine, princess,” said Charlotte, the escort knight, with a smile—her way of loosening the weight in the air.

“If that transformation formula really really is worth one billion elne... what are we supposed to do...?” Maho replied, her words fading like a breath as she hid her face behind the report. “We’ve already poured everything into the new business venture... and we barely have any funds left...”

The real problem is still Deculein’s transformation formula. I wouldn’t have expected it to be stolen aboard the aircraft destined for Yuren... Maho thought.

“Had it occurred outside Yuren’s airspace, we might have had some margin for excuse... perhaps even claimed it happened in the Empire’s airspace. But the theft happened within Yuren’s airspace... sniffle, sniffle, sniffle...”

Maho pretended to cry and calculated her next move, hoping that if she could win Deculein’s sympathy even slightly, she could soften the blow from the theory stolen in her territory.

“Hmm...Oh? Say that again?” Charlotte said, raising a hand to her earpiece and pausing to listen as the report came through. “Oh! I understand. That's good news.”

“Why?! Why—what is it?! What is it?!” Maho asked, snapping her head up with wide eyes. “Did they find the transformation formula? Did they?!”

“No, not the transformation formula, but they have the infamous thief in custody.”

“The infamous thief... Oh, you mean the one who stole nearly fifty million elne in just a week?”

“Yes, princess. Prosecutor Rose of House Cion captured the infamous thief herself. They’ve already arrived—and are on their way to the palace as we speak.”

At Charlotte’s words, Maho’s eyes widened in surprise. Rose was one of the rising talents behind the founding of the republic—and lately, Maho had been keeping a close eye on her.

“It seems that the weightiest matters fall to the hands of those born to noble houses,” Charlotte added.

"... I don’t believe her house was the reason," Maho replied.

Charlotte cleared her throat at Maho’s reaction.

“If I may ask... does the plan stand as before, princess?”

“Yes,” Maho replied. There were no tears in her eyes, and her voice didn’t shake.

Maho wanted a true republic—where leaders rose not through bloodline or house but were governed by the people—and her goal was to strip the title of principality from Yuren and rebuild it as a republic founded on democracy and the vote of the many.

“The risk is considerable, given the current climate,” Charlotte said.

“It must be now. The Empress of the Empire rules with fire, and if the Empire grows stronger and becomes more powerful, Yuren won’t stand a chance. We will lose our ground, and they’ll come for us too,” Maho replied.

The Principality of Yuren held little political sway and had no real claim to legitimacy—after all, its roots came from the ruins of a kingdom long since fallen. Therefore, Maho wanted Yuren to leave its past behind and rebuild a new future as a republic.

“Deculein, one of the Empire’s most brilliant figures with unmatched intellect, is already here and will sense it in a moment—and if he does, all may come undone.”

It was a dangerous plan—one that couldn’t reach Deculein’s ears under any circumstance.

If Deculein hears of the plan, he’ll act without delay—sabotage it, deconstruct every point, and deliver it straight to the Empress of the Empire, Maho thought.

Maho knew that all too well.

“The Empire will never accept a republic, much less the concept of elections. That a nation’s people could hold power over the nation, rather than being mere subjects? I still cannot understand how such a thing functions, princess.”

“It’s simple. What becomes of the Empire if only the imperial family remains?” Maho replied without hesitation. “Power can only exist where there are people to be governed. Which means the rightful owners of the nation are...”

Knock, knock—

At that moment, a knock echoed through the room. Maho and Charlotte jumped as one, like startled cats, then turned toward the office door.

“Yes, yes! Yes, yes, yes~”

“This is Prosecutor Rose of House Cion, Your Highness.”

“Yes, come in~ I’d like to hear more about the capture, really~” Maho said.

Then the door opened, and Rose stepped inside, her face tight with nervous strain as she bowed her head to Maho.

“No need for formalities—please, come in~”

“Yes, Your Highness. There is an urgent matter I must report—regarding Professor Deculein and the volcano...”

***

In the palace detention center of Yuren, Epherene stood before the cell, watching Quay from beyond the iron bars.

“Even if it’s just for the experience, I can’t say I like being behind iron bars,” Quay said, tapping the bars with his knuckles, a displeased look on his face.

“It’s not every day you get locked behind iron bars, don’t you think? Weren’t you the one who said every experience counts?” Epherene asked.

“This isn’t my first time. It happened a long time ago.”

“Wait—are you telling me you used to be some kind of criminal already?” Epherene said, narrowing her eyes.

Quay smiled, saying nothing.

“But more importantly, why did you steal all these?”

The list of stolen items from the prosecutor was extensive, and Quay had taken everything he could get his hands on—jewels, tomes, anything within reach ended up in his pockets.

“It caught my interest, that’s all. I meant to put everything back where it belonged—eventually,” Quay replied.

“That is called stealing, you know.”

“Haha, then let’s call it that.”

Epherene glared at Quay through the iron bars, then took a seat nearby and opened her theory. To her surprise, the detention center wasn’t all that bad, being clean and strangely peaceful—more like a library than a prison.

“Epherene, was it? Aren’t you leaving?” Quay asked.

“Professor told me to keep an eye on you, Mister Quay.”

“Oh... and what’s that?” Quay asked, nodding toward the thesis in her hands.

“It’s a thesis my father and the Professor wrote together... and I’m studying it, but I haven’t even wrapped my head around a third of it yet,” Epherene replied with a chuckle. “But I am in a hurry—I need to master my part by the end of the week.”

“Why are you in such a hurry? You are still young. Even humans, though mortal and fragile, live long enough to grow old.”

“There’s a volcano on the edge of erupting and I’m trying to stop it,” Epherene replied, pulling out a pen and scribbling across her magic paper. “This property—called allotropy—might actually help hold back the volcanic eruption.”

“Hmm... but isn’t that Deculein’s responsibility?”

“But the Professor is not planning to protect the Ashes.”

Then, a mild confusion crossed Quay’s eyes.

“By learning this and adding it into the Professor’s spell, I am trying to protect the Ashes as well,” Epherene added.

“... You mean to go against your mentor?”

“Nope. But more importantly,” Epherene said, stopping her notes, raising her eyes and narrowing them toward Quay. “Why did you come down here? What is it that you’re planning? You said you would become God.”

“Indeed.”

“How do you become God?”

Quay looked at Epherene.

How to become a god and how to cleanse a continent long stained by centuries of corruption were questions Quay had pondered for ages, yet Epherene asked them so innocently and easily—she was a child impossible to hate.

“I will bring everything to a stop—the world, time itself, and space. Then, I will melt it all, and from its essence, create something entirely new.”

Then Epherene opened her mouth as if to reply but said nothing, instead letting out an audible snort of disbelief.

“Of course, I will spare those among humans who are worthy,” Quay added. “You are one of them.”

“Me?”

“Indeed.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why is that?”

“What kind of God ends up behind iron bars?” Epherene asked.

“Oh~”

At that moment, Quay smiled, stepped forward, looked at Epherene from beyond the iron bars, and asked, “Is that enough?”

“Oh my!”

“Epherene. More to the point—where is Deculein now, and what is he doing?”

“How did you get out of the...”

He is not even wearing cuffs anymore. Now I really do want to know how he did that, Epherene thought.

“You want to see the Professor?” Epherene asked, narrowing her eyes at Quay. Then, with a shrug—since he said he wanted to be a god—she pointed toward the door.

Quay tilted his head.

“He’s waiting just outside.”

“Why is that?”

“He’s your lawyer. Professor Deculein is representing you, Mister Quay,” Epherene said with a chuckle.

“... Representing me?”

“Yes, didn’t you say you wanted to see the expo? Then you’ll have to leave through the proper doors—legally.”

For a moment, Quay seemed suspended in thought before closing his eyes, as if staring into something only he could see.

“... No, it seems my defense ended long ago,” Quay said.

“Really? Can you see him now?”

“I do see him. Right now, he is...”

Quay was just about to explain what Deculein was up to when his face stiffened before a word could leave his mouth.

“Why? What is he doing?” Epherene asked.

“... He’s writing down a letter.”

“Letters? What kind of letters?” Epherene asked, frustration rising—she couldn’t see a thing.

“It’s from the Holy Era. Known as the Holy Language,” Quay muttered as he opened his eyes and let out an incredulous laugh. “Has he deciphered the language’s structure just from fragments? And what is he planning to do with it?”

With a shrug, Epherene replied, “Maybe he’s just trying to have a proper conversation with you, Mister Quay. Anyway—”

At that moment, the door to the detention center slammed open.

“Quay, you are scheduled for temporary release... wait, did you break out?!” said one of the guards.

The guards just beyond the doorway froze at the sight of Quay—no longer cuffed and standing outside the iron bars—as they instinctively reached for the cuffs and revolvers at their belts...

“Hands up! Hands up! Miss Epherene, I need you to step away from him—now!”