A Villain's Will to Survive

Chapter 3: Deculein (2)

A man towered over everyone, his height having surpassed six foot and three, which gave him an imposing presence. Dressed in flawless formal attire and possessing strikingly handsome features that easily caught one’s eye, he showcased the perfect golden ratio.

Deculein von Grahan-Yukline was truly what one might call the Epitome of Noble Dignity. There was not a single flaw or lack in his demeanor; his walk, gestures, and expressions all radiated elegance.

"That bastard..." a robed mage said.

However, to some, no, perhaps to many, his perfect external factors were nothing more than a false front.

"Sigh..."

Epherene Luna had been suppressing her surge of anger since the moment Deculein appeared. It wasn’t just her words that were harsh, her actions were as well. She clenched her fist so tightly that it could have drawn blood and incessantly bit her lower lip.

Deculein had taken all the credit for her father's achievements, thereby reducing him to a wreck, which ultimately led to his death. Although the world praised Deculein as a Genius of Spell Interpretation, she knew that his reputation rightfully belonged to her father.

— Attention.

Suddenly, a crystal orb amplified Deculein's voice.

— I will begin the lecture.

Deculein finally stepped onto the stage and looked out into the vast auditorium filled with hundreds of people. His gaze was as sharp and imperious as a blade. She felt the urge to pull out a dagger and stab him in both eyes.

"That asshole..." Ephrene said with full anger.

However, it was not the right time for her to take action. Although she certainly wished to see Deculein wiped off the map and the only reason she had enrolled in the Mage Tower of the University was to take revenge against him, she knew that blind revenge would only bring her sadness.

After all, her own talents surpassed his. Whether it involved learning more powerful magic to kill him with her own hands or rising to a higher status to obliterate him socially, her revenge would become sweeter the longer it ages. Since she was only living for that single sweet moment when she would get revenge, waiting a little longer was not a problem for her.

— Greetings.

But a little troublemaking wouldn’t hurt. As a lightbulb turned on in her mind, Epherene pulled her robe tighter and smiled.

***

In the wide auditorium with high ceilings, hundreds of eyes were fixed on me. Their gaze was overwhelmingly bright, and the flashes of antique cameras felt almost dizzying. I faced the attention all alone, but, strangely, I didn’t feel bothered by it.

Instead of being intimidated, I found attention to be natural, as if it were my prerogative. It seemed that a lofty sense of chosen elitism was ingrained in me like a second skin.

“Greetings. I am Deculein from the Yukline family.”

Thus, I began the lecture with ease. The opening of the lecture on the script served as both the introduction to the class and the introduction of Deculein himself.

"I am the Head Professor at the Mage Tower of the Imperial University, a Monarch-rank mage in charge of elements. I manage the four elements—water, fire, wind, and earth—and am not limited by any categories of magic."

The statement had an unmistakably narcissistic tone to it.

"As is known, magic is divided into three Properties and nine Categories. The properties include elements, origins, and instruments. The categories are Summoning, Elemental, Destruction, Support, Enchantment, Manipulation, Ductility, Harmony, and Specialization."

I recited exactly what was written in the script. Even that was enough to draw everyone's attention, thanks to the Intimidation and Dignity attribute.

"Therefore, all mages have to concentrate on the properties and categories that suit them to achieve magical success."

Snap!

I snapped my fingers after saying that and following the sound, the lights in the auditorium went out as magic spells appeared in the air.

"Executing these spells with mana is the act of performing magic. Therefore, understanding these spells is essential before implementing magic. We will now take a look at the spell above," I explained, pausing briefly to allow the audience to see the magical circle.

It appeared briefly as a fractal, composed of dozens of straight and curved lines—a geometric shape.

“This sixty-eight stroke magic circle spell forms a curved shape, where mana first concentrates in the center before extending outward. The spread from inside to outside typically signifies destruction and support, however, since destruction magic requires the magic circle to be linear, this pattern is clearly to support magic. Moving on...”

The first chapter, Basics of Magic, continued for about fifteen minutes, and I did not lose my composure for a single moment. The script seemed to flow effortlessly from my mouth. Interestingly enough, I had perfectly comprehended the arrangement of this script, which I saw for the first time today.

"Spell-based magic works as follows. However, one might ask whether the magic always results from mana and whether one must always learn these spells perfectly to use this magic?"

Now, the topic was Methods of Using Mana. Since the auditorium also had participants, including guests who were not mages but were ordinary students, knights, or aspiring adventurers, the topic was specifically arranged for them.

"That is not true. It depends on where in the body you have your mana stored."

As I finished speaking, the magical spells scattered and were replaced by a human anatomical diagram showing blue masses of mana positioned in the heart, head, and abdomen.

"Firstly, the head or the brain can easily imagine spells, making it capable of forming complex lines and circles. Therefore, mages usually store mana in their heads."

I probably also have mana points stored in my head. If expressed numerically, they would be 3,375. This is not very high, considering I had seen some named characters with initial mana points at 30,000.

"Next, the heart. Since the heart pumps blood throughout the body, mana stored in the heart spreads more easily but is difficult to hold in one place. Therefore, the heart is more suitable to knights than mages," I said, reading from the script and speaking slowly and simply so that everyone could understand.

Perhaps the ability to lecture well was fully comprehended from the attribute, Comprehension.

"Lastly, the abdomen. The core of the abdomen is where the inside and outside mix most frequently, therefore it is universally applicable to all mages, knights, and ordinary people alike..."

As I continued, I checked the time and realized forty minutes had passed.

"My points are simple. Effort is important, of course. However, if one's talent is modest, it is necessary to consider efficiency. Talent is not given to everyone, so in most cases, you need to focus and make choices for yourselves."

I almost laughed while reading the script. If any of your talent is modest, efficiency should be considered focus and make choices, perfect advice for Deculein at the moment in reality.

"And..."

When I reached the final part of the script, I felt a wave of annoyance at the content. I paused, considering whether to continue reading. I wondered if the original Deculein would have, given that it was included in the script.

"Finally, does anyone have any questions?"

It was silent, thankfully.

"If not—"

Just as I was about to turn away in relief, someone suddenly raised their hand and stood up—a mage wearing a robe. She began to speak before I could say anything.

"Professor Deculein. Last night, a mysterious spell was found in the mage's dormitory. It is suspected to be the work of a demon, and given your reputation as a Genius of Spell Interpretation—"

"Are you affiliated with the Mage Tower of the University? If so, it is customary to state your name and affiliation."

I cut her off immediately as she spoke, feeling uneasy in my stomach yet remaining elegant on the outside. It was an instinctive use of noble rhetoric.

"Eh, ah, my name is—"

"It's too late. I won't take questions from someone without manners," I said, cutting her off once again as she tried to say her name.

"... What?"

The robed mage's face turned red. I felt sorry, but there was nothing I could do. The mana points consumption for Comprehension was enormous.

[Mana Points: 2,005 / 3,375]

The lecture alone had drained about 1,300 mana points. Interpreting a new spell would require much more, and I didn't particularly want to strain myself, not to mention, I felt a bit dizzy right now.

"Class dismissed."

Pfft— Pffhfh— Hahaha—

While the mage who had stood up alone in the center of the auditorium was met with sardonic laughter, I adjusted my crumpled suit sleeves, put on my coat and buttoned them up. Lastly, I gathered the script and stepped down from the stage. My movements flowed naturally like a wave.

"But...!"

A loud voice echoed in my ear as I turned around. The still-standing unknown female mage drew a spell with her mana and floated it in the air.

"Currently, the Mage Tower treats this incident as mere rumors and refuses to interpret them! Given Professor Deculein's reputation, I thought you would be able to quickly determine the category of this magic!" the mage continued.

I stared at the persistent mage in silence. It was audacious of her to challenge me in such a manner. It was hard to believe such a character existed, especially since most people are intimidated by the character Deculein.

However, the spell she presented was undeniably strange. It wasn’t defined by straight lines or curves unlike usual magic circles; instead, it resembled dozens of interconnected living parasites. The moment I saw the spell, my comprehension kicked in involuntarily.

My vision turned blue as if dye were seeping into my eyes, and my thoughts and calculations seemed to speed up as if time had slowed. I could smell the burning strain on my brainstem at the tip of my nose. But it lasted only for a second.

[Mana Points: 360 / 3,375]

In less than a second, my mana points were depleted. With that, I could barely manage to identify the nature of the magic.

[Enchantment Category: Barrier Magic]

Beyond this comprehension, to implement or disassemble the spell would require twice the mana points. But fortunately, the mage who asked the question didn't want that much information. She only wanted to identify what the spell was about.

"Currently, the freshmen remaining in the dormitory are analyzing it as an assignment themselves, but progress is very slow due to the vacation and the lack of seniors or professors to consult with us about it. If you could at least give a hint—"

"No such hints or anything else is needed. It’s a barrier magic from the enchantment category. It seems someone wanted to trap you," I said.

"... What?"

"That's it," I said with a confident affirmation.

The audacious mage appeared quite confused, but I didn't look back as I left the auditorium.