Sylvia (4)

Sylvia pushed away Deculein, who was holding her shoulder. No, she couldn't push him away. They struggled for a while.

"Let it go. Let me go. Let go."

She was forced to ask him to let her go, and Deculein nodded. Free, Sylvia glared at him.

"If there is no paradise, then there must be no hell to suffer."

Sylvia clenched her teeth.

"I am in hell now."

Suddenly, she had a knife in her hand. She shook it to threaten him.

"I hate you for killing my mother. And I don't want to live shamelessly hating you. I don't even know what you're hoping, doing this."

Deculein said nothing. However, he wiped away the fat and flesh of the steak from the knife with Cleansing. It seemed he thought it was dirty.

"Are you kidding me-!"

Sylvia yelled. Her anger swelled up.

"Sylvia."

Deculein called out her name. She only felt more annoyed.

"I don't want anything from you."

"Then why-"

He spoke in a low voice.

"I feel compassion for you."

For a moment, Sylvia's mouth fell open. The knife's shaking stopped. Deculein let out a small sigh.

"Let's end today's conversation."

He wiped his lips with a napkin, then took the knife from her and placed it next to his plate. Finally, he tidied up his messy outfit with Psychokinesis.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I'll come back until you're ready to leave. The trip won't be long."

She watched his back as he left the restaurant.

* * *

…Deculein was poison. Sylvia, returning home to lay down, thought so. Deculein was poison. A stupid man that thought she would poison a steak. Deculein was poison…

Sylvia, thinking about it, suddenly sat up. She glanced around her room to the numerous books on her bookshelf. Deculein's name adorned several of their spines. Of course, these were the magic theory books written by Deculein.

「Magic of Probability」

「The Revolution of Formulas」

「The Interpretation of Magical Space」

They were theory books that any wizard on Floating Island would want. However, there were very few wizards that Deculein allowed to read or purchase them, and Sylvia was one of them. She still questioned it: with what emotion and with what thought had Deculein given these?

Knock, knock-

Sylvia opened the door to a familiar face.

"…I heard Deculein has arrived."

Her magic teacher, Idnik. To be honest, as a student, she felt like she was learning on her own. She felt like her own academy instructor, but anyway.

"Yeah."

Idnik nodded.

"You have to go back now."

"How?"

"He knows how. The problem is your will."

Even in this world where the mysteries of magic supported providence, unchanging laws existed. They were very simple. No matter what happened, the dead couldn't come back to life. Thus, Sylvia knew that this world was fake. That awareness was tormenting her.

Wouldn't she be happier if she was drenched in oblivion?

"If I return, the Voice will spread across the continent."

Sylvia lied to Deculein. She didn't win over the Voice; he was still in her body. If she returned to the continent, it would become a hell where the living and the dead were mixed.

Because now she was the source of the Voice.

"Dad spread the demon to save me."

The Demon's letter. Sylvia said that. Idnik pouted.

"Right."

That information was obtained by torturing several of those belonging to the intelligence agency. And, as long as she held the etheric rank, there was no information that she couldn't find out on the Floating Island.

…So, she turned around to Idnik.

"I don't want to do that, Idnik."

Sylvia looked up at Idnik.

"I'd rather forget everything."

"…So, do you plan on staying here for the rest of your life?"

"If possible."

"So you are painting Deculein?"

"…"

Sylvia went silent. Idnik shook her head.

"It's Deculein, not anyone else. Can you implement him just by simply painting?"

"…"

"Sylvia, you are so strange. It's Deculein, the one who killed Sierra. But you don't want to abandon him either?"

Sylvia wanted to paint Deculein with her talent.

"I can do it."

If she embodied a new Deculein and forgot that fact, she could be saved from this torment. She could erase the dark past and live like a human.

"…Do you like him?"

Idnik asked. Sylvia replied.

"Yeah."

"Do you hate him?"

Idnik asked again. Sylvia's answer was the same.

"Yeah."

She liked him and hated him. Love and hate. Fortunately for Sylvia, those feelings were already in this world. Countless others had also experienced this feeling. It wasn't her mental illness; it was love.

"Take a rest."

Idnik shook her head and walked out. Silvia took her diary without a word. She sat at the desk and wrote as she gazed at the sleeping panda.

—Aesthetically and artistically, it is a perfect work. Intuitive brushstrokes. The sense of using color. The method of interpreting an object and expressing it on the canvas. I like it all very much.

She wrote down Deculein's praise.

* * *

The next day. I was looking out to Sierra from a high place on the island. She was hanging laundry with Sylvia. I observed her face and tilted my head for a moment. She had the same benevolent aura left in Deculein's old memories. This was the woman who sacrificed herself for Sylvia and her husband.

I asked the person next to me.

"Is that Sierra?"

"Yeah."

Idnik, Sylvia's teacher and Rohakan's disciple. She responded while eating ice cream.

"Are you trying to kill her now?"

"…"

I shook my head.

"Why?"

"It's counterproductive."

"Just kill her already."

I glanced at the ignorant Idnik. She shrugged.

"Why? You have to kill the fake right away, so Sylvia will consider leaving this island."

"I still don't know anything about this island."

Then Sylvia noticed me. She glared at me and went inside with Sierra.

"And yet, you killed Rohakan without hesitation."

"…"

Idnik's words held a deep sorrow. However, there was no hostility. Rohakan must have made her promise.

"Let's go to the beach."

Idnik frowned, but she didn't say anything. So, by the time we reached the beach together-

"Where are you going?"

Sylvia appeared. She had followed us. I responded with a warning.

"Can you leave Sierra alone? I could take that chance and kill her."

"Do not say that."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes. Idnik giggled.

Anyway, we reached the sea.

—Why the sea suddenly?

Idnik asked with a whisper so that Sylvia couldn't hear. I looked over the waves silently.

—…Hey. Why did we come? Hey. Hey.

Idnik whispered a few more times, but I stayed still. One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours… we arrived in the morning and stayed until sunset.

"What are you doing? Hey, Sylvia. What is this bastard doing?"

Not being able to stand it any longer, Idnik approached Sylvia, not me. Sylvia grabbed the hem of my sleeve with two fingers as if to drag me out of the sea.

"…What are you doing?"

Sylvia asked. I sneered.

"I don't need to tell you. We are enemies."

"…"

Sylvia's brow furrowed, and I turned to walk along the beach. But a certain question echoed clearly in my mind. Just now, I observed the water moving. Waves on the beach were always irregular. The time they hit, the shapes, the way they scattered… they were all different every day.

But not on this island. The flow of the waves, the shape of the waves, and the strength of the waves were all regular. So, I could make one assumption…

"…Sylvia."

I called Sylvia's name. She looked at me.

"Let me ask you one thing."

Sylvia looked unsure.

"Now, what number am I?"

* * *

…Meanwhile, Sophien was thinking about Deculein. Perhaps it was because of the woman sitting in front of her. She stared at the board with a constipated look.

Julie.

"Hey, you idiot."

Julie's body trembled at that remark. Her eyes were wet with tears of defeat. Not tears of sadness, but tears of anger.

"Are you angry?"

"…Yes."

"What do you have to be angry for? I have a skill that can't be beaten even with decades of training."

"I know. So, I am not angry about my defeat; I am angry with myself."

Julie looked up at the ceiling. Today, Sophien deliberately invited Julie to the Imperial Palace because of Deculein and the assignments.

"How far have you progressed?"

Sophien asked. Julie clenched her teeth.

"I was interrupted by Professor Deculein, but I am progressing steadily."

"Okay."

Sophien grinned. Right now, there were a lot of documents Julie brought to her. All of them were related to Sophien's attempted poisoning.

"But, do you know where Deculein is now?"

"On the Voice's Island-"

"Don't you need to go?"

"…No."

Julie nodded.

"By the way, you seem to hate Deculein."

"Yes. However, it will not affect Your Majesty."

"I know. You do not gossip about others."

Sophien leaned back. She moved both the white and black stones with Psychokinesis.

"If I were you, I would explain in detail why I hated Deculein. That is how I would make a preemptive move."

"…No."

"Politics is the way to victory. Don't you know?"

"It isn't."

"Is what I said wrong?"

"Ah."

Julie firmly shook her head.

"Your Majesty is right. Your Majesty is the one who determines the rightness of the Empire. However, my victory does not come from politics. It is done by justice."

"…"

At that, Sophien quietly touched her chin. She looked at Julie with narrowed eyes. Then, she twisted her lips into a faint smile and nodded.

"Fine."

The Emperor placed six black stones on the board first. She gave five points first, but Julie was defeated, so this time it was six points.

"I know."

"…?"

Julie looked at Sophien with wide-open eyes.

"The reason you hate Deculein. Why you broke up with Deculein."

"…"

Julie's fist trembled. She shook her head inwardly. There was no way Her Majesty would know about that smallest and most intimate thing. That was what she thought.

"Veron, and Rockfell. Knights of Freyhem."

However, Sophien was on the right track. Julie's heart beat loudly.

"Deculein must have killed Veron and Rockfell. He must have ruined the Knights of Freyhem, too."

Sophien smiled softly and placed the first white stone.

"I will tell you the rest slowly. Also, listen to it carefully. Come on, put the stone down. The longer this game lasts, the more you'll hear…"

Gulp-

Julie swallowed. Her agitation was clearly visible, but Sophien sternly demanded they play a match.

"Hurry. What are you doing? I have something I would like to hear from you regarding the professor too."

At that, Julie had no choice but to nod. She picked up the black stone with two fingers and placed it on the board. Although she had won seven out of nine points on the board, it seemed to her that her odds were infinitely small.

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