A Villain's Will to Survive

Chapter 290: Chairperson (1)

It was a clear afternoon at the Imperial University square, with pollen dancing through the air.

— … Starting today, I’m officially the former Chairwoman of the Mage Tower!

Adrienne stood on the podium, giving her retirement speech, and the crowd that had gathered to listen was larger than anyone had expected.

Although Adrienne might have looked too young and, sure, her wit had always been childish, she was an Archmage, which is why the mages of the Mage Tower, the imperial mages, and even the Addicts from the Floating Island had shown up to pay their respects.

— I’ve been in this position for just over ten years now—hard to believe how much has happened, isn’t it?!

Ten years sounded simple enough when Adrienne said it, but to me it felt strangely distant, like a stretch of time I’d never lived through in this world with her.

— Our Mage Tower was really fun! It kept me busy in the best ways—I was never bored! That’s why I really liked it… but I guess no one can stay in one place forever!

Adrienne said with a bright smile.

— I’m glad I get to step down just when it feels right, and even after I’m gone, I know the Mage Tower of the Empire will keep growing brighter and brighter, even without me!

Adrienne turned to look over at me in my direction while I stood on the same podium but a few steps apart from her side.

— Now let me introduce who’s going to take my place!

Adrienne announced, her arm outstretched toward me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

— Please welcome our new Chairman, Deculein!

Adrienne stepped back from the podium to the sound of applause, and I stepped up in her place, looking around the square packed with people as far as I could see.

“Greetings, I am Deculein, your new Chairman,” I said.

I recognized every face in the front row—Yeriel, Louina, Ihelm, Delic, Bethan, Primien, the elders of the Round Table, and even Ria was there, her head drooping as sleep tugged at her eyes.

“Long speeches are often remembered only for their length. Therefore, I will spare you all that and keep it brief.”

Of course, I didn’t plan to make my opening address a long one because I’d lived through more than one principal’s speech and knew their ceremonial drag was enough when I was young.

“For the advancement of the mages of our Mage Tower, I will see that our curriculum is refined with precision, seek out the finest talent without reservation, and guarantee that merit alone determines one’s worth.”

On paper, the Mage Tower of the University didn’t care about class, as everyone went by their first names and that was supposed to mean something, but beneath the polish, class distinction held firm, bloodlines mattered more than talent, and even the most brilliant new professors couldn’t move up if their background wasn’t good enough.

“Every mage, thesis, and theory within the Mage Tower will be judged exclusively through the lens of a magical perspective.”

Adrienne had never understood the politics behind it all—and truth be told, she never cared to.

“Furthermore, I assure you.”

However, I was different because at least within the Mage Tower, class would mean nothing, nobles wouldn’t bear down on commoners with the weight of their name or the pride of their house, and here, only skill would matter.

“The Mage Tower of the Empire will be remembered as the greatest institution of learning in the records of history,” I concluded.

That was the end of it—my inauguration as Chairman was over, my speech was barely eight lines long, and thankfully there were no bombings or dramatic disruptions.

Clap, clap, clap, clap—

However, as the crowd burst into applause and the former Chairwoman Adrienne fastened the Chairman’s medal to my chest, a system notification blinked into view—like an official seal on my appointment.

[Inauguration Completed : Chairman of the Imperial University]

◆ Title Achieved ‘Chairman of the Imperial University’.

: Mana Enhanced.

◆ Rare Attribute Catalog Acquired

I nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment…

Through the sea of crowds—easily tens of thousands strong—I caught a glimpse of a woman in a robe among the trees as if veiled by them, her eyes clear as glass watching me from beneath her hood.

“… Yulie.”

As the eyes of an Iron Man locked onto her, a passerby crossed my line of sight—and in that fleeting instant, she was gone as if she had never been there.

“You did great!” Adrienne said, holding out her hand for a handshake.

I turned to Adrienne without a word.

“Now keep up the good work!” Adrienne added with a bright smile.

“Miss Adrienne, you’ve worked hard as well,” I replied, accepting her handshake.

“Chairman,” Relin said from behind me, interrupting the moment I shared with Adrienne’s offered hand.

“Sorry?! … Oh!” Adrienne replied, turning to Relin at the sound of the title Chairman, as if she had heard it as Chairwoman, but then laughed at herself and scratched the back of her neck. “I’ll get going now! Wishing you all a peaceful evening!”

Adrienne left the podium in a hurry.

It seemed her voice was caught ever so slightly—maybe the weight of parting had finally reached her, I thought.

“What is it?” I inquired.

“Chairman, the police have compiled a report on Epherene’s movements, but… they haven’t been able to pin her down. It’s like she disappears like smoke every time they get close,” Relin replied, offering me the report.

I opened the document Relin handed me with one hand, not really paying attention.

“It seems she’s slipping away by magical means. Should we request the Floating Island to issue a wanted notice?”

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “That will be unnecessary. A wanted notice has already been issued across the entire continent. I find all this noise disagreeable. Asking the Floating Island for help would be beneath my dignity.”

“… Oh—yes, of course, my apologies. That was shortsighted of me!”

Relin laid on the flattery as best he could while I flipped through the file tracing Epherene’s movements, finally seeing why they called her impossible to pin down since one day she’d show up in Leoc, the next in Yuren, and then again somewhere in the Empire.

Of course—she’s with Allen, isn’t she? I thought.

Thud—

“Tch,” I murmured, closing the file.

***

… Time moved on—the Ages, and the continent along with it. It had already been two months since Epherene had broken into Deculein’s laboratory, and the days since had rushed by like water slipping through fingers.

“The frame-dragging and Tipler cylinder theory…” Epherene muttered.

Epherene spent the day as usual, conducting experiments while flipping through her science literature, and with the Sanctuary of the Ages stocked full of Deculein’s finest machines, she rarely had any reason to step outside.

“Frame-dragging and the Tipler cylinder. If I could just wrap my head around this… maybe time travel using nothing but my own body might actually be possible.”

“Miss Epherene~ why don’t you eat something first—”

“Okay, okay, okay, okay!”

The moment Allen mentioned food, Epherene dropped everything she was doing and raced to the table.

“Knight Yulie!” Epherene called as she sat down in her seat.

Yulie awoke from sleep in the hammock, slowly opening her pale face eyes as she smiled, sat up, and came closer.

“You need to eat well, especially when you’re not feeling well.”

“… Yes, you are absolutely right,” Yulie replied, taking her seat and picking up her fork and knife.

Watching her, Epherene felt an ache in her heart, but there it was—Yulie had strength in her now and the will to survive.

However, Yulie was dying, her condition unchanged and no better today than the day before.

“Tonight’s menu is Roahawk sirloin steak~ Please, help yourself however much you’d like,” Allen said.

The moment Epherene saw the eight slabs of Roahawk steak, her eyes went wide, and just as she pressed one thick cut with her knife…

Whoooosh—

A beam of light settled into the passage of the Ages as Idnik stepped through, and like the Floating Islands, the Ages connected to the world beyond through magical passages.

“Hey, Epherene. The new release’s out,” Idnik said.

“Really?!”

Epherene’s eyes flew open, and she even set her knife down because it was news of a new release from Caasi, the leading scientist of the era and her greatest inspiration.

“However, it looks like this one won’t be made available for sale.”

“Is it because of the Floating Island?”

“Yes, that’s right. Every publishing company rejected it. They’re clearly playing it safe with the Floating Island and the Mage Tower watching.”

“Oh… I see. But I need that book. I can’t save Knight Yulie without it,” Epherene said, her face clouded with disappointment.

Every book Caasi released was more than just knowledge to Epherene—it was a part of her that lived on through it.

“Then, does that mean there’s no way to get it?”

“I can’t say for certain. But if anyone has it, it’d be Deculein.”

“Why would the Professor have it?”

“Deculein is the Chairman now. Anyway, Yukline owns the largest publishing company on the continent.”

“Oh, that’s right!”

Black Hound, founded by the House of Yukline, was the preeminent publishing company on the continent.

“That scientist, Caasi, must have sent the original copy to Black Hound as well, and if it’s that book, there’s no doubt Deculein would have received it too,” Idnik said.

Epherene was lost in thought for a moment.

Then, should I sneak into Deculein’s mansion and steal it again? Epherene thought.

“For your information, Deculein is currently preparing to go to the desert,” Idnik added.

“To the desert?”

“Yes. The Empress’s Elite Guard has finally begun to move, as each one is a force unto themselves—there’s no need to bring an entire battalion.”

Again, Epherene was lost in thought for another moment.

“If you’re planning another theft, now’s the best time,” Idnik added with a chuckle.

“… Okay, but first, let me grab a bit… Ahhhhhhhh!”

“Ah, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

At Epherene’s scream, which came without warning, Idnik flinched from where she stood while Epherene clutched her cheeks in despair because there was no Roahawk on the table.

There were eight pieces just a moment ago, but only five remain, Epherene thought.

“What seems to be the matter?” Yulie asked, her eyes wide and her cheeks still puffed from the bite of steak.

“M-Maybe we shouldn’t rush through it,” Epherene replied, swallowing her words—and her saliva—without daring to admit it was her fault for eating too fast.

“Oh, okay. The steak is really good. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually enjoyed a meal,” Yulie replied with a warm smile.

“… I mean, I am really glad to hear that, but…” Epherene said, already reaching for the steak with her fork.

“Oh yeah? Then I’ll help myself. Just so happens I’m starving,” Idnik said, moving in on what little was left of the Roahawk.

… I really want to rewind time right now. But I can’t do complete time travel—if I went back five minutes, my old self would still be sitting there. Only if I could just rewind the steak Knight Yulie ate, bring it back to the plate, and share it all over again, that’d be fair and square… Epherene thought.

The moment Epherene got lost in those unimportant thoughts…

Epherene’s eyes snapped open as an idea shot through her, rushing down her spine and the realization burned through her mind like a flame.

“… I think I have an idea,” Epherene said.

The Roahawk had gone from four pieces to three, but Epherene didn’t even glance at it, her eyes remaining on Yulie.

“What do you mean by that?” Idnik asked between mouthfuls of steak.

“A way to save Knight Yulie.”

Then both Idnik and Yulie stopped as if suspended, with Idnik blinking in confusion while Yulie turned to Epherene with seriousness.

“Is that… really true?” Yulie asked.

“… Yes, I’ve only just come up with the idea, but I believe it could work. No—I’m confident that I can make it work,” Epherene replied.

In the hush that fell over the Sanctuary, Yulie set down her fork and knife for good while Epherene placed a piece of Roahawk in her mouth, chewed, and then swallowed.

“You’re just making that up so you can keep the steak to yourself, aren’t you?” Idnik asked.

“No, I am serious. But… if this really works—and if I ever use it…”

Right now, there was no way to save Yulie—and Epherene had no choice but to accept that devastating truth. Epherene had spent the past month giving it everything she had but hadn’t found even a single lead, and if things continued like this, Yulie would die without a doubt.

“Are you going to tell us or not?” Idnik asked, growing impatient.

“I’m going to rewind Knight Yulie’s time,” Epherene replied.

What Epherene realized, sparked by the taste of the meat she’d already swallowed, wasn’t about time travel but something else entirely—a rewind of time, a reversal of existence itself—and she was thinking of turning Yulie’s body and mind back ten years.

“What? Is that even possible?” Idnik said.

“… I can try my best. I believe it’s possible. But if I do…”

However, if she were being brutally honest—it meant giving up on the Yulie that existed now.

“Knight Yulie will forget everything that happened after that incident.”

It was the act of giving up on the Yulie that existed now, but only so she could keep living, and at the very least, she wouldn’t die.

“Knight Yulie’s body and spirit would return to her twenties—to a time when her story with the Professor hadn’t even begun,” Epherene concluded.

The thought struck Epherene like a bolt of lightning—terrible in its cruelty, but the only idea she had.

***

Meanwhile, at that same moment, on the 77th floor of the Mage Tower at the Imperial University.

“Hmmm, hmmm~ Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm~”

Seated in her office chair, Louina hummed to herself as she ran her fingers over the nameplate on her desk—Head Professor Louina.

“Funny how everything circles back to this,” Louina muttered, caught in a sudden wave of reflection.

Deculein kept his promise to make Louina Head Professor, and somehow she ended up as something like a loyal subordinate by his side.

“They were right—giving up really does bring peace.”

Louina once stood against Deculein and was exiled to the kingdom, but the moment she bent the knee, she returned as Head Professor.

It’s a little bitter, but I’ve got years behind me now, and I don’t have the strength—or the will—to fight forever. Maybe this is just how we learn to live with it, Louina thought.

“Mmh, that’s right,” Louina muttered, nodding to herself, rising from her chair and opening the door of her office.

“Hey! That’s the assistant professors’ lab. Assistants and undergrads have their own rooms now—use that one,” said Louina’s assistant professor.

“What about the break room?” asked one of the undergraduate students.

“We’re working on it. Hey—be careful with those lab supplies! I said no Telekinesis while moving them! They’re magically sensitive, and one wrong move will ruin everything!”

“Assistant Professor, would you mind reviewing this theory for me?”

“Ask me again later. Move the equipment first.”

The 77th floor had always been empty under Deculein, but now, as nearly two hundred members of the Louina Division filled the space, the sight brought her satisfaction.

“How could I stand against Deculein with all this going on?” Louina muttered.

I have too much to lose now. These kids are all I have, and because of that, Deculein no longer feels like an enemy. If anything, he’s more like a savior to me, Louina thought.

“Head Professor!”

At that moment, someone called Louina—it was Dzeko, her personal secretary and dutiful assistant professor.

“Yes, what is it?” Louina replied.

“Head Professor, I remember you mentioned the Mage Tower would be selecting a few part-time professors. These are the resumes of the mages who applied,” Dezko replied.

“Oh, right—that was my responsibility, I almost forgot.”

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind taking a moment to look it over.”

Dzeko handed her a full stack of one thousand resumes—all for just five part-time professor positions.

“Alright, I’ll give them a look,” Louina replied, gathering the resumes in her arms, returning to her desk in the office, and sitting down in her chair. “A thousand applications… People really are desperate, even for part-time positions these days.”

Beoran, Praghan, Dethen—Louina skimmed through the names one by one, and then, all of a sudden, her eyes widened at a name that felt oddly familiar.

“… Hmm? Wait a second.”

Louina narrowed her eyes, staring at a single name, wondering if it was really her or just someone with the same name.

“… Sylvia?”

The name read Sylvia, but beyond that there was nothing—no credentials, no photo—since photos had never been allowed in that part of the Mage Tower’s applications ever since Chairman Deculein enforced his blind recruitment policy.

“Probably just someone with a matching name~”

Louina muttered under her breath, but just in case, she pulled Sylvia’s resume from the stack and set it aside.