The Villain Wants to Live

Booooom-!

Zeit flipped the chunk of rock at Quay, and Quay just stared at it. It was disassembled into particles by some unknown force of magic or authority. However, Zeit was just starting.

Gwoooooh…

His body hummed with blue mana. The air froze cold, and the blood vessels over his body became white.

Craaaack—

The talent that made Zeit the strongest on the continent was simple. It was his physical ability equivalent to a giant. By analogy, like an elephant running at supersonic speed…

“Lord.”

…Just before the elephant soared like a bullet, a woman approached him. Zeit’s face hardened as he looked back.

“…”

Julie. Zeit didn’t bother to call her name. Julie also didn’t say anything. She stopped Zeit only with her face.

“Why are you…”

Here. Zeit, who was about to say that, suddenly looked at her and the party behind her. Lia. Leo. Carlos. The three children approached, running.

“Fighting here will cause civilian damage.”

Lia said. Zeit asked involuntarily.

“…Civilian?”

“Yes.”

This time, Julie answered. She pointed with her eyes around them.

“A lot of these civilians don’t know anything.”

“…”

Civilians who don’t know anything. Were they talking about the believers of the Altar looking at them in fear? Zeit quietly looked around. There were children, the elderly, women, and men.

“Knight. Then I’ll leave things here with you. I have to go.”

Lia hastily chimed in. Lia led Leo and Carlos away, leaving Julie behind.

“Yes? Where are you going?”

Julie called after them, but there was no answer.

“Huh…”

Zeit smiled a bit.

“Julie. Follow them.”

Zeit said. Julie pondered for a brief moment. Then, she shook her head.

“No. Where would I go, leaving my family alone?”

“…”

Zeit scratched the back of his neck.

“I have a party too. Even though it’s me, I wouldn’t have come alone.”

“…Yes?”

Julie’s eyes went wide. Zeit chuckled and placed his hand on her head.

“Let’s talk later.”

Zeit, who quickly became serious, looked up at Quay again. The God of the Altar was still looking down on them. He asked expressionlessly.

“Will you follow me?”

“If you want to prepare a separate stage, I’m willing.”

Quay nodded and turned around. As Zeit followed, he restrained Julie from joining them.

“Julie. You go to your party.”

“Yes?”

“Think about it. Even if you come with me, do you think you will be of any help?”

“…”

Julie was dumbfounded for a moment as Zeit went on.

“But you will be a help to them. So go. Leave this to me, come on.”

Stomp, stomp-

Just then, Zeit’s party appeared. The current Julie didn’t know them, but their status and aura were certain. She could tell that they were strong just by seeing their faces.

“These are…”

“Arlos, Jackal, and Carla.”

* * *

…The reason why Zeit came to the Altar was as follows:

First, he marched to the Ashes with his knights. The progress was quick because he cooperated with Josephine. Josephine searched for Arlos; Zeit subdued her and interrogated her about the current position of the wizard named Vervaldi. Arlos didn’t try to resist. Since he wasn’t someone she could do something about, she answered meekly.

Vervaldi was rumored to be in Annihilation, and Zeit believed it, so he went straight to the Altar.

“…There was no need for such a fuss.”

But there was insurance. Arlos and her companions, Carla and Jackal, came along. It was semi-compulsory.

“Lord Zeit. What are you going to do now?”

Arlos asked Zeit. Now they were walking through the heart of the Altar. In other words, in the middle of the enemy camp, in the darkness, it might of been a trap or hell because Quay asked to speak directly to them.

“It’s a waste of time to even plan for an operation. Even if you want to burden everyone here, I will solve the Ice Age of Freyden.”

Zeit said. That’s how desperate Freyden’s situation was, but it was reckless nonetheless.

“Hmm…”

Arlos glanced back. Jackal and Carla were still there.

“Carla. Are you okay?”

“Yes. The gas mask is good, so I think I’m fine.”

After replacing her heart with Deculein’s demonic core, Carla could no longer use high-level magic, but she was still alive. As her escort warrior, Jackal was paying keen attention to everything around them.

“It’s here.”

The Altar’s priest, who took the lead, stopped at that moment in front of a huge underground door.

Creak-

A vast interior was revealed when the priest opened the door. There were only canvases inside, and it was full of the smell of oil paints.

“Is it a flower garden?”

Zeit asked.

“…Yes. It is, and I’m practicing on creating something.”

The answer came from the other side. Quay. The being called himself God was looking at them from the middle of a flower garden.

“Zeit. I know why you came to me.”

Quay said. Zeit glared at him.

“But I didn’t do that. It is a matter of the land.”

“…Matter of the land?”

Zeit asked. Quay nodded and spread his palms out. A round planet was projected above them like a hologram. It was the ‘continent.’

“Yes. As you can see, the Annihilation area is getting wider. The officials of the Empire who survey the land every year should know that.”

The continent in Quay’s grasp. There was a part that had been discolored black.

“In other words, the land is dying. As time goes on, this Annihilation area will only grow wider.”

Quay advanced the continent’s time. Then, the size of the spot gradually widened. Zeit grimaced. Among the areas covered by Annihilation, there was Freyden.

“You think of Annihilation as a ‘land where no life can survive,’ but it’s not. That’s wrong. It is a land that has lost its power and is dead.”

A land where life couldn’t survive. Or the land that lost power and died. They seemed similar at first glance but were very different.

“Then, what caused it to lose its power?”

Quay closed his hand. The continent disappeared.

“It’s because of you. Humans. Humanity’s reckless use of magic. Abusing nature’s mana as magic, wasting it as a tool, exhaust was inevitably released.”

This is also evidence of original sin… Quay mumbled softly and beckoned through the library.

“If you can’t believe it, you should study. There will be a lot of data and evidence on the continent. I recommend the library of the Imperial Palace. They already knew it all, but they covered it up.”

“…So, in the end, does that mean that the Ice Age in Freyden isn’t your fault?”

Zeit only asked that. Quay nodded.

“Yes. It is a product of nature. It’s also nature’s revenge. You, Freyden, were the first to receive that sin just out of luck.”

Zeit stretched himself. The joints of his neck and hands cracked menacingly, and his mana bloomed.

“Well then. You stay locked up for the time being.”

Quay beckoned lightly.

Whooosh—

He waved his hand as if dealing with a fly. The power that arose at that moment wrapped around Zeit and his party and delivered them elsewhere.

“…”

The garden became quiet.

Quay walked around, slowly looking at the paintings on the wall. One, two, three, four…

“You’re here.”

Among them, the eighteenth canvas. Originally, it was a landscape painting of an empty train track, but new people were added. Zeit, Arlos, Carla, Jackal. The four uninvited guests stared out of the frame.

“…I will no longer accept your foolishness.”

Speaking with hostility, Quay moved on.

There were many people in the various paintings in this garden. This was because the purpose of this garden was to be a prison. A prison where Zeit, the strongest in the human world, and giants could be imprisoned without difficulty.

“…?”

At that moment, a picture caught Quay’s eye.

“This…”

It was a picture that wasn’t there before. Specifically, it was one Quay didn’t draw.

“Portrait of Deculein.”

A canvas was depicting a half-length figure of Deculein. Seeing it, a certain person came to mind.

“…Epherene. So you passed by.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Lia was chasing Deculein. Leo and Carlos were with her. Deculein walked somewhere past the crowd of the Altar. From the underground up, up, up, up…

“There is a restaurant over there. Lia.”

Leo muttered.

“Follow me.”

Lia dragged him along. Now the situation was serious. They didn’t have time to even be distracted. They had to be patient even when they were hungry because Deculein was in Annihilation.

“…Where is that professor going?”

After following him for about fifteen minutes like that, Carlos spoke.

“I know.”

Lia bit her lip slightly. Deculein had already opened the door leading outside of the Sanctuary. In other words, he had risen from the underground to aboveground.

“…Should we go up too? We don’t have a gas mask.”

Carlos asked. Lia shook her head.

“No. We don’t have to.”

Carlos would suffer the worst if exposed without a gas mask to the thick dark energy of Annihilation. Also, if they left the Sanctuary, they wouldn’t need to cover themselves. There was nothing out there. Thus, Lia utilized her talent, one of the many variations of Elementalization.

Applying Elementalization to the optic nerve to remove the limitations of the field of vision, Clairvoyance.

“…Can you see? Lia?”

“Lia? Can you see anything?”

The kids kept asking about this and that, but Lia paid them no mind and concentrated. She could see Deculein staring at the lighthouse.

…Lighthouse. Lia knew what it was. That thing would lead to the worst ending.

“…Why?”

Therefore, Lia had no choice but to ask.

“Why… are you trying to fix the lighthouse?”

Deculein was trying to fix the lighthouse with his knowledge and abilities.

* * *

…At the same time, in the garden of the Imperial Palace, Sophien was learning magic from the selection of wizards. No, it had been a long time since she had learned what they had to teach.

“You guys lack stamina, huh?”

The wizards were exhausted and sleeping. They spread on the floor, passed out, and occasionally groaned.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

However, one person, Sylvia, was still alive. Looking at Sophien with a sleepy face, she was proud of her because she seemed to have good physical strength, unlike the other wizards.

“Yes. You should also go to sleep now.”

Sophien said. Immediately Sylvia made her bed and lay down.

Snore…

Sophien stood. Just then, Ahan approached.

“Your Majesty.”

“…Did you find him?”

Sophien asked. Ahan answered with mixed feelings.

“Yes. Prince Kreto…”

“Is he in the Sanctuary?”

“Yes. I still don’t know if he’s a hostage…”

Kreto was at the Altar’s stronghold. Sophien already knew what that fact meant. If he were a hostage, it would be an unbearable provocation, and if it were cooperation rather, it would be a huge political blow to the royal family.

Swoooosh—

The moment Sophien was pondering about her limited information, the wind rushed past. The cold air cooled her head. At the same time, a piece of paper fluttering by fell to her feet.

Sophien looked down.

“…?”

She tilted her head.

“Conversion?”

It was Deculein’s conversion formula. Why was it here all of a sudden?

“This…”

As Sophien looked down at the paper, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

“…Oh.”

Right.

“I had forgotten.”

She smiled a little. There was one more selection wizard. That wizard also definitely submitted the correct answer to Deculein’s selection problem.

“…The fall of the moon.”

In other words, Epherene Luna. Sophien murmured as she recalled her.

“…What are you expecting from me?”