How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 202

Chapter 202 – Wish

“Let know if you see anything unusual near the roots.”

“Hold on.”

A spirit is an ethereal existence, capable of passing through physical matter.

If the Sacred Tree had been absorbing mana for centuries, then examining its roots might reveal clues about the magic it had gathered over ti.

Since Gereflam’s spirit was a formidable one, I had hoped it would easily uncover sothing.

That assumption was a grave mistake.

Puh—!

“N-Natasha!”

She had been forming a seal with her hands, concentrating deeply—

When suddenly, her face twisted in agony, and she violently coughed up blood, staggering backward.

Even as she attempted to re-summon Gereflam with another seal, her body collapsed limply onto the ground.

Breathing heavily, she tried to stabilize her disrupted spiritual energy.

“…Are you alright?”

“Cough… What the hell…?”

“What happened?”

“…I was rejected.”

“…What?”

“The Sacred Tree’s energy attacked Gereflam. I can’t descend beneath the roots.”

The Sacred Tree attacked Dortas?

A dry laugh escaped as I looked down at the ground.

What the hell is beneath this tree?

But before I could dwell on the thought, I heard a dull thud.

Turning, I saw Natasha had lost consciousness and collapsed.

Whether it was from the attack or simply from spiritual backlash, even she—an Dorta—hadn’t been able to withstand it.

I quickly hoisted her onto my back and hurriedly carried her away from the Millennium Tree.

As I sprinted toward Elder deia’s hut, I called out to Reto.

“Did you figure anything out?”

[Rather than trying to harm that witch, it felt more like the tree was pushing her away to protect sothing.]

…Protect?

I had always assud the Millennium Tree existed to protect witches.

But then—what could be so important that it took priority over them?

“What could it be protecting?”

[I don’t know. I wasn’t able to see it directly.]

Still left with more questions than answers, I arrived at the Elder’s hut.

Given the urgency of the situation, I didn’t bother knocking—I simply pushed the door open and stepped inside.

deia frowned, clearly displeased at having her tea ti interrupted, but upon seeing Natasha’s unconscious form, she imdiately stood and approached .

“…What happened?”

“There was a problem while investigating the Millennium Tree.”

“A problem?”

“Please, check on Natasha first.”

“Lay her down.”

Muttering under her breath, deia tapped Natasha’s body several tis with her staff before nodding.

“She’s just lost consciousness from severe spiritual backlash. Nothing serious.”

“…That’s a relief.”

“For soone as skilled in Spiritual Manifestation Arts as Natasha to collapse from spiritual shock… What exactly happened at the tree?”

“…Well—”

By the ti deia finished examining Natasha, I had already sorted my thoughts.

I left nothing out, detailing everything from my initial encounter with Natasha to our investigation of the tree.

This was an issue tied to the Millennium Tree.

Without the witches’ help, solving it would be impossible.

And the most reliable way forward was gaining Elder deia’s support.

“…So, you’re saying the tree hasn’t been erasing mana, but rather, it’s been absorbing it all this ti? How did you figure that out?”

“I used Elf Stones to track the flow of mana.”

“…You did?”

“I had help, but I can vouch for this with my na—there is no falsehood in my words.”

As I revealed Reto’s existence and presented the drained Elf Stones, deia let out a soft groan—

And then, unexpectedly, she chuckled.

“…Now that I think about it, none of us witches are capable of sensing mana.”

“Because magic users are forbidden from entering this place.”

“…I overlooked sothing so obvious.”

A rare mistake from soone as perceptive as deia.

If it weren’t for , she wouldn’t have discovered this at all.

The realization seed to hit her hard.

She remained silent for a long while, deep in thought—

And then finally, she turned to and asked,

“…So, you believe the roots hold the answer?”

“I can’t be certain. But if I could examine them directly, I might be able to find out. What if we just… dug into the ground?”

“That’s impossible.”

“…Why?”

“Disturbing the surrounding area could break the Great Hex.”

“…Can you tell exactly what kind of hex is on the tree?”

Of course, I already knew the answer.

But I asked anyway, wanting to steer the conversation deeper.

“…Wish.”

“…Wish.”

For a brief mont, I was concerned that deia might refuse to discuss it—

But she seed to trust now.

The Great Hex, Wish.

A colossal sacrificial spell, ford during the Witch Massacre.

Out of the eight Dortas, four sacrificed their souls.

And thirty-six witches gave up their lives.

The spell’s power was dictated by the desires of those sacrifices.

And those who died had two wishes:

A land without mana.

A sanctuary for themselves and those who had bled alongside them.

If the Wish were broken, the Dortas’s first desire—the eradication of mana from this land—would vanish.

And with it, the Millennium Tree’s ability to absorb mana would cease.

That was precisely what Demtor wanted most.

Under no circumstances could that be allowed to happen.

“…So physical investigation is impossible.”

“What about Cordy? Couldn’t she investigate without disturbing the roots? She’s the Dortas who can sense everything in the forest.”

“She may be the Witch of Ten Thousand Ears, but even she can’t reach the Millennium Tree’s roots.”

No matter what solution I suggested, deia responded with firm rejection.

She wasn’t being stubborn—she simply had no alternative.

Now’s my chance.

“In that case—let do it.”

“…You have a thod?”

“If I learn Natasha’s Spiritual Manifestation Arts, I might find a way.”

“…Spiritual Manifestation? But you don’t even have a spirit following you. I don’t sense anything special from you.”

“You can confirm it with Natasha later. If I’m lying, I’ll be exposed soon enough.”

“…Even Gereflam failed to descend into the roots. Do you really think your spirit can endure?”

“It’ll be fine. The spirit that follows is absurdly resilient. If I keep sending it down, it’ll break through eventually.”

[Hoh… Interesting. Very interesting.]

As expected—

To Reto, whose only goal was death, even this kind of insanity was acceptable.

The real issue was whether or not I could materialize him.

And that decision rested with Elder deia.

Would she be willing to break one of the fundantal rules of witch society?

deia’s expression remained unreadable—

But she was clearly considering it.

After all—

In just one day, I had uncovered a secret about the Millennium Tree that not one witch had ever managed to find.

“…So, this too is the fate of witches.”

deia let out a bitter laugh before giving a small nod.

“This will be the first and last ti a witch’s core magic is passed down to a human.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“I’ve given permission, but whether your body can contain Spiritual Manifestation Arts remains to be seen.”

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect—

A chance to learn Natasha’s Spiritual Manifestation Arts had arrived.

deia told to wait in my quarters, saying Natasha would co to find soon.

Returning to my lodging, I reflected on everything that had happened today.

“…Was it just luck?”

If it hadn’t been for the Elf Stones Dorneth had brought—

Or if Reto hadn’t sensed the anomaly—

No one would have discovered the Millennium Tree’s mana absorption.

Those who possessed mana weren’t even allowed to set foot in the forest.

And the witches, who ruled the forest, couldn’t perceive the flow of mana in the first place.

“…So, just like deia said, no one but could have figured this out?”

This was new information—

Sothing that hadn’t existed in the original story.

The Millennium Tree had awakened at the exact mont I arrived in this world.

Was that really just a coincidence?

Or had I unknowingly been caught in the currents of so greater fate?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t reach an answer.

Closing my eyes, I decided to rest for now.

The witches had provided accommodations for Hunt’s party, but the place was eerily empty.

I was the only one here.

Karl and the others had started training in the Ghostly Forest to grow stronger.

Lochter and Dorneth were pouring their souls into forging new weapons.

***

Two days passed.

That morning, Natasha knocked on my door.

She seed fine, but there was a slight drop in her usual energy.

It was clear that losing consciousness during our investigation of the Millennium Tree had shaken her.

“…Are you feeling alright?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about —worry about yourself instead. Spiritual Manifestation training isn’t like normal training.”

“…Does it require risking my life?”

“Even if you do risk your life, you still might never master it. I’m the only witch who’s fully learned it.”

“…Why?”

“Talent.”

Natasha raised her fist.

Thick, crimson energy swirled around her arm—

And in an instant, a massive, blood-red fist materialized over her own.

The Giant Gereflam’s fist.

“If you have talent, it won’t take you more than a month. If you don’t… you could dedicate your whole life and still never grasp it.”

“…What kind of talent is required?”

“The ability to connect with a spirit. Most witches have it—But the ones who attempt to learn Spiritual Manifestation Arts often give up. To master it, your ability to communicate with spirits has to surpass even the average witch.”

“…So it’s not just any ordinary talent.”

“To be honest, I don’t think you’ll succeed.”

“How do we determine if I have talent or not?”

“…Follow .”

Natasha turned and started walking.

Even from a distance, I could tell where she was heading.

***

“AAAHH!!”

“F-FUCK!!”

Familiar screams rang out.

It was Karl’s group.

The voices echoed from beyond the forest—

Right where the Ghostly Forest was.

“You fucking ghosts! Just let sleep for once! Huh?! And you, you bald-ass ghost, don’t co near ! Stop calling your kin!!”

Karl’s wailing complaints reverberated through the air.

In just two days, his voice had already turned hoarse from all his shouting.

It seed their spiritual fortification training was progressing smoothly.

I was genuinely curious to see how much Karl’s group would grow after a full month of training.

“…That’s when things will truly begin.”

The Mad Butcher, Kal Blazer.

And—

Arcane, the Prophet of Fate.

I had already instructed Beneta to prioritize gathering information on both of them.

With Dorneth’s backing, the entire Blood Oath faction would move to uncover their whereabouts.

Since I was still in the witches’ forest, I hadn’t received any updates yet—

But once Karl’s party finished their training and could move freely within the Ghostly Forest, I would finally start receiving information about them.

Which ant—

I only had one month to focus entirely on training.

After that, depending on the situation, I might have to leave the forest entirely.

For now, I planned to master enchantnts within that tifra.

If Spiritual Manifestation Arts worked the way I envisioned, then my plan was entirely possible.

“…Are we heading to the Ghostly Forest?”

“There’s sothing I need to check before testing your talent.”

“…What’s that?”

“I need to identify the spirit inside your body. Only then can I decide how to train you.”

“…Identify, huh? Yeah, I’m curious about that too.”

Spiritual Manifestation Arts was the technique of controlling and wielding spirits.

And the spirit within my heart—

Was none other than the incarnation of an absolute being.

Could I even learn Spiritual Manifestation Arts?

To be honest…

It was probably going to be an unbelievably brutal process.

Because in this world, everything I did ca packaged with suffering.

***

It wasn’t just a vast space—

It was a place where the very concept of size felt aningless.

Before the eyes stretched endless rows of massive bookshelves.

Towering tos were neatly arranged, stretching out as far as I could see.

A library so expansive, it felt like a fortress of knowledge.

An unending sea of books.

And within the Ivory Tower’s grand library—

Arcane examined the newly arrived books with a casual gaze.