A Villain's Will to Survive

Chapter 265: Knight and Mage (1)

Inside the snow globe’s frozen world, in the grave the giant had made for himself, Keiron passed the years frozen still as a statue, with the giant as his only company. From time to time, the giant’s fading consciousness brushed against Keiron’s, and in their brief conversations, Keiron found himself contemplating humanity and the world, slipping into dreamlike reveries.

The giant, an immortal living an infinite life, kept digging into his own origins, but Keiron, who lived a finite life, was certain of his purpose, and his certainty was absolute.

Was I born to be Sophien’s Guardian, or was it a divine calling for me? Keiron thought.

This could not have happened due to some destiny assigned at birth, and Keiron’s parents had not brought him into the world for Sophien’s sake alone—it was his choice, and his alone.

The moment Keiron first saw Sophien, weighed down by ennui, the decision pressed upon him like an unspoken duty, and as he watched her small form moving through the Imperial Palace, Keiron made his decision.

“Humans walk blind through the world, unaware of whence they came or whither they go,” the giant said, immortal speaking of the mortal. “But now, looking upon you, I have found clarity.”

The giant’s eyes shimmered with waves—the reflection of every sea he had ever seen.

“You all believe that the road behind you is all that matters—that your steps, not your origin, shape who you are,” the giant continued, raising his eyes to the heavens.

Keiron’s eyes followed the giant’s eyes, following its silent path into the sky.

“Many thoughts awaken within me. Humans may seem different from one another, yet they are more alike than they know. One need only look into their eyes to understand many things,” the giant added, his eyes resting on Keiron.

The giant looked on with patience at the foolish human—one who believed his sole purpose was to guard others of his kind.

“Human, the time granted to you will never be enough to satisfy you. You reach for all things, yet fall before their end. You labor, desire, seek, and perish—dust in the wind, and yet, you yearn as if eternity were your birthright.”

Suddenly, a dim light shimmered in the giant’s sunken eyes.

“…It is time for you to return. Go, and carry this message to the world,” the giant said, his eyes closed. “That even the giant, though eternal, could not understand the nature of the human and you—ever chasing an end that is not there—are to be mourned…”

The giant’s solemn voice faded into silence, his massive body freezing like a statue, and his last heartbeat echoed with a strength that seemed to raise the world.

And that was when Keiron’s foot moved—his first step forward.

— Keiron.

And so, Keiron walked, guided by the Empress’s voice like a thread of light, pulling him through the silence.

“… My life, I lay before you,” Keiron muttered, advancing with dignity.

***

Throughout the Imperial Palace—its gardens and parks, halls and corridors, dining rooms and training grounds, theaters, prisons, courts, the grand hall, secret rooms, barracks, and even the outer walls—every knight statue began to move.

It didn’t matter if they wore armor or had bare faces, or if they were archers with bows, swordsmen, or spearmen—as long as it could be called a statue, it moved under Keiron’s control, and every one of them moved as Keiron did.

Booooom…

The massive statues lining the corridor where Sophien stood shook off their plaster shells and stepped forward, forming a wall like a barricade against retreat, raising their swords toward the retreating Altar forces.

Wham—

As the massive stone statues’ weapons rose before them, the Altar soldiers froze, their eyes wide with terror and nowhere left to run.

“… Then death is all that remains,” Sophien muttered.

At that moment, Sophien gave the command through the corridor, and the statues brought their blades crashing down.

Boooooooom—!

“Advance! It’s merely a statue!”

More than mere statues, they stood nearly eleven feet tall and moved with the speed and grace of Keiron, their swordsmanship as fluid as water.

“Arghhhhh…”

“Let the demonic energy be released—Argh!”

Even if the Altar managed to escape this corridor, the Imperial Palace held countless more statues—each one an extension of Keiron, and as long as the Empress’s order remained, every intruder would be hunted down and slaughtered without exception.

Boooom—!

The greatblade tore through the Altar, their torn limbs soaring like fallen banners, and a violent rain of blood washed over the Imperial Palace—and through the storm of blood, Sophien walked on.

Thud, thud.

The Empress’s footsteps echoed like glass across the crimson path—its length paved with torn flesh and innards—and at its end, a knight knelt, waiting for her.

“Hmph.”

Sophien sensed the aura coiling beneath Keiron, and the blazing mana that shimmered around him wasn’t ordinary—it was proof that he had surpassed the pinnacle, transcending to the peak of mastery.

“Your delay was not without reason. Zeit… or should I say, you have become something greater than?” Sophien said.

Even compared to being an equal to the King of Winter, Keiron waited with his head bowed—ready for Sophien’s next command.

“Lift your head.”

Keiron raised his head, and the image of the Empress, drenched in crimson, filled his clear eyes.

“Do you have a taste for making an entrance? You kept me waiting far too long. There were more moments than I can count when your presence was needed,” Sophien said, not without reproach.

Keiron closed his eyes, as if in silent apology—but now, silence was no longer a virtue.

“It was to become an Imperial Palace,” Keiron replied, offering the words of a knight to the lord who had waited for him so long.

Then Sophien looked around in silence, and the statues that moved within the Imperial Palace, along with the massive stone statues crushing the Altar like meat, would not disappear, for even if the Palace fell, they wouldn’t break.

“… Hmph.”

Therefore, Keiron said that the Empress’s palace was not built from stone walls or ceilings that caged the sky, but something more.

“So that’s what it was,” Sophien replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

The Keiron who stood now carried an unshakable resolve.

“That was what you meant to do.”

To Keiron, the Empress’s palace was not a single place, but all the statues spread across the continent—each one guarding Sophien, each one an extension of him.

“From this moment on, I will be Your Majesty’s palace,” Keiron said.

***

From the old mansion, I looked out toward the Imperial Palace. Even through the window, it appeared perfectly clear—so close it felt like I could open the door and walk straight into it.

“The unfinished work within the Imperial Palace is now complete,” I said.

Due to Keiron, who had arrived just in time, what I saw in him then was extraordinary. My Sharp Eyesight told me that he had grown into a force that rivaled Zeit himself, or even surpassed him.

With the main quest fast approaching, Keiron’s presence will prove invaluable, I thought.

“Professor—listen! That’s not the problem! We’re trapped, can’t you see?!” Adrienne barked.

I glanced toward Adrienne.

Just as Adrienne had said, the door of the old mansion had shut—whether by the Altar’s doing or Decalane’s.

“It just won’t open anymore!” Adrienne continued, shaking the gates of the old mansion with both hands.

Even Louina and Primien, gathered here with us, had their faces drawn tight, just like everyone else.

“Why can’t I get out?! Ihelm, Yulie, Gawain, and Isaac just walked out a second ago!”

According to Adrienne, this was what had happened—Ihelm had carried Yulie out about thirty minutes ago, and Gawain and Isaac had followed after. Adrienne had waited there because she wanted to ask me about what had happened between Yulie and me.

But when she had finally tried to leave, the door wouldn’t open. And now we were cut off—every line of communication was dead.

“You reap what you sow, Chairwoman,” I replied.

“What did you just say?!” Adrienne said, her whole body shaking and her face turning red.

It wasn’t that Adrienne had an aggressive personality, but rather that the fairies and the afterlife didn’t get along. The dead, and the places of the dead—their presence stirred something in her, much like the way I had reacted when exposed to demonic energy.

“Why is it always me?!”

“You should calm down, Chairwoman.”

“How am I supposed to calm down?!”

“Noise doesn’t solve anything.”

Then Adrienne’s expression froze, as if she might explode at any second.

“What are you doing right now? Do you know if the Chairwoman loses it, we’re all done for?” Louina asked as she pulled on my arm.

“I am aware,” I replied.

I moved beside Adrienne and leaned in near her ear.

“If you would calm down, I’ll tell you what happened between Yulie and me,” I whispered.

At my words, Adrienne’s eyes lit up bright, and her ears perked as if to catch every syllable, ready to pounce.

“Really?! You promise?!” Adrienne said, lighting up with a bright smile and looking up at me with trust, as if nothing had happened.

The most persistent busybody, she is, I thought.

“Yes. You have my promise.”

“… Well! Then, it’s time to look for another way!” Adrienne said, pumping her arms as if she were already halfway there.

At that moment…

“It seems we have no option but to call for backup from outside. The question is—how are we to reach them now? The crystal orb’s connection has been lost,” Primien said.

I replied, “Before anything else, we must deal with the Altar—”

“Hey—just so we’re clear, it wasn’t us,” Sirio interrupted, raising his hands as he appeared.

Clank, clank—

The sound of metal clinking from armored plates reached our ears, and right behind it came the footsteps—more than a few.

“… Are you the Altar?! Just who are you people?!” Adrienne yelled, pointing her finger directly at them.

“Haha. It’s nice to meet you, Chairwoman,” Sirio replied with a friendly smile.

“It’s not nice to meet you, Altar!”

“… We don’t know what’s going on either,” Sirio said, ignoring Adrienne completely as he walked right up to me with a smile and grabbed the old mansion’s doorknob.

Thunk, thunk— Thunk, thunk—

Of course, the door didn’t open.

“Well, we’re screwed.”

“What do you mean, we’re screwed? That’s just bad luck talking!”

“It’s not just bad luck talking—there’s an eclipse coming, and it’s not far off,” Sirio replied with a sigh. “When it comes, we’re all headed straight for the afterlife. You know that, don’t you, Deculein?”

The event where the sun disappeared—here, of all places, it was the worst possible one.

“W-What do you know, Deculein?!” Adrienne stammered, her head whipping between me and Sirio. “What will happen when the eclipse comes?!”

“We will be able to go back, in six years and six months,” I replied to Adrienne, as her question tumbled toward me.

“… Six years?! Are you kidding me?! I’ll break down that door before I wait that long!”

“Haha, if you break it, we’ll all die,” Sirio said, placing a hand on Adrienne’s shoulder. “This whole place is connected—no, it’s alive, and it moves.”

“… What do you mean it’s alive and moves?”

“Yes, we didn’t know until we got here either,” Sirio said with a dry, disbelieving laugh. “Turns out someone had gone and done Magical Modification on this old mansion.”

“Magical Modification!”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Magical Modification meant exactly what it said—modification done by magic—but the term had never meant anything positive.

In most cases, when it’s a normal modification, it’s usually called an enhancement instead, I thought.

“Was it Decalane?” I inquired.

“Yeah, who else but Decalane?” Sirio replied with a stretch, smiling as he offered his hand. “Why don’t we cooperate for now? If we want to get out—without throwing away six years—we’ll need to work together.”

I left his hand hanging between us and walked on, my shoulder brushing against his as I passed.

At that moment…

“Do you know? If this old mansion isn’t dealt with, even the Empress will be at risk, and your protégé—Decalane’s already taken them,” Sirio whispered in my ear, his voice slipping through like a breeze.

I offered no words.

“Haha. Well hey there, Louina. Been a while~” Sirio said, waving with a bright smile, as if the weight of the moment didn’t affect him at all.

“… Oh? Oh, yeah. It’s b-been a while…” Louina replied, her expression hard to read.

“Man, being back like this really brings my memory back. Remember when we—”

“Whistle—!”

“Ahh!”

“Then we have to find Decalane first, right?!” Adrienne said, her spell Whistle sending Sirio flying through the air.

“No!”

At that moment, someone’s voice rang down the corridor, and two bold silhouettes appeared as if they owned the place.

“There’s no need.”

It was Epherene—and right beside her stood Ria.

Ria, that young adventurer, the more I see her, the more uncomfortable I feel, the worse it gets, I thought.

“I—no, we’ll guide you,” Epherene said. “We’ve just come from meeting with Decalane.”

“Oh, what? I thought you both had been kidnapped,” Sirio said, brushing himself off as he reappeared beside them.

“Kidnapped?! No, we were trying to get away from you!” Epherene replied, her words ringing like glass.

For some reason, Epherene seemed to find Deculein more favorable than she did with Sirio.

“Hmm? What happened to you?” Sirio said, his eyes widening. “You didn’t get brainwashed by Decalane, did you? Deculein, scan her brain or something.”

“What are you talking about?” Epherene said, furrowing her brow as she walked over.

Thump, thump—

I heard Epherene stomping my way—not even trying to be subtle—as she closed the distance without hesitation, and suddenly…

Squeeze—!

Epherene threw herself into my arms—pressing close like a wild animal. As it was a moment no one had prepared for—not even me—we stood there for a long second, the whole room freezing.

I looked down to push her off—but before I could, Epherene’s eyes were already staring right back at me.

… In those eyes, there was a kind of sorrow, and for some reason, I thought I knew what it was.

“You were the one who gave the mana stone to Yulie,” I said.

Epherene’s eyes shimmered, barely holding back tears, and she said nothing—just wrapped her arms tightly around me and let out a trembling breath.

“No way! This is a headline! Deculein and his protégé—in love?” Adrienne shouted, her voice echoing through the room.

I kept Epherene where she was and glared at Adrienne, who was already making noise through the silence, like a pebble thrown into still water.

“This is gold—I need a shot of it! Oh no—wait! I forgot my camera!”

Adrienne was already tearing through the place, flipping out to search for her camera, while Louina just stared at me with confusion and questions she didn’t dare ask.

“No, wait! Forget the camera, I’ll sketch it instead—”

I gave Adrienne a flick on the forehead with Telekinesis.

“Ow!” Adrienne murmured, clutching her forehead as she wobbled.

I loosened her hold, Epherene’s arms falling away like petals after the rain.

“… I’m sorry, Professor. I didn’t mean to, but I saw everything,” Epherene replied, her head hanging low.