Never Die Villain

The following morning, the rumbling sound of carriage wheels echoed across the stone roads as the capital gradually disappeared behind them.

Their destination was the Northern Krai of Severye, the empire’s northern frontier. Even among the nobility, there were many who had heard countless stories of Severye without ever setting foot upon its frozen land.

Severye had not always belonged to the Velenreich Empire.

Before its annexation, Severye existed as dozens of independent principalities owing allegiance to no crown but their own.

Every prince ruled only as far as his soldiers could march before the forests, frozen rivers, and mountains forced them to stop, leaving the north divided for centuries despite sharing the same language and traditions.

It was only after the Northern Campaigns that those lands were finally united under the banner of the Velenreich Empire.

However, victory alone did not guarantee control.

The northern frontier was simply too vast and too unforgiving for officials from the capital to govern effectively, and replacing its local rulers would have only invited another generation of rebellions.

For that reason, the Emperor of the time established the Northern Krai and entrusted its stewardship to House Belozersky, granting them near-autonomous authority in exchange for defending the empire’s northern frontier.

Since then, generation after generation of Grand Dukes had ruled Severye in the Emperor’s name, serving not only as governors of the north but also as the empire’s first line of defense against whatever lay beyond the endless sea of snow.

"Young Lord... I apologize, but would it be alright if I took this opportunity to get some shut-eye?"

The young maid, who had introduced herself as Sherry shortly after they departed the capital, spoke hesitantly from the seat across from him.

Although she did her best to stifle a yawn behind her hand, the attempt accomplished little as her heavy eyelids and weary expression made it obvious that she had hardly slept the previous night.

Ilya looked up from the book on his lap and regarded her for a moment.

"As long as you don’t start snoring."

The maid blinked in surprise before letting out an embarrassed laugh.

"I-I’ll do my best not to, Young Lord."

"Then don’t mind me."

"Yes, Young Lord. Thank you."

Sherry nodded before leaning against the side of the carriage. She tried to keep herself sitting properly for a while, but every time the carriage rocked, her head drooped a little lower than before.

Within minutes, she had fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, Ilya used the opportunity to continue his mana circulation. Although he had successfully entered the First Circle, he had only just crossed its threshold, and there was still a considerable distance before he could truly be considered an established First Circle wizard.

According to Vera, the average first-year student in the Magic Department had already reached the peak of the First Circle, with many being only a step away from breaking into the Second.

Slowly closing his eyes, Ilya adjusted his posture within the carriage before bringing his legs together.

He raised his right hand just before his face, extending only his index and middle fingers while the remaining fingers stayed folded against his palm, then gradually guided the mana within his body.

The Imperial Family’s mana circulation technique was practiced in the same order every single time.

First came the breathing, then the posture, and finally the hand sign. Changing even one step was enough to throw off the entire circulation.

The hand sign itself held no magical power.

Rather, it existed to keep the body in the same posture each time the technique was performed, minimizing unnecessary movement while making it easier to concentrate on the flow of mana.

After repeating it thousands upon thousands of times, the gesture became second nature, and the moment one’s fingers formed the sign, the body naturally entered the proper state for circulation.

"Hoo..."

The mana in the air gradually gathered around him before being drawn into his body with each inhale, entering his mana circuits like countless tiny streams merging into a single river.

From there, he guided the mana through every pathway within his body, allowing it to circulate through each circuit before returning it to his mana core, where the newly absorbed mana was gradually refined into something that truly belonged to him.

Once a complete cycle ended, another immediately began. Each revolution polished his control while strengthening both his circuits and his core.

Whether one was a prodigy or an ordinary wizard, everyone advanced through the same monotonous process of breathing, absorbing, circulating, refining, and repeating the cycle thousands upon thousands of times.

Talent merely determined how much mana one could absorb in a single cycle and how little of it was lost along the way.

It was then.

"Young Master, please remain inside the carriage."

"...."

Ilya slowly opened his eyes.

The carriage had come to a complete stop. Hurried footsteps echoed as the accompanying knights climbed down from the supply carriage behind them.

Pulling the curtain aside, he glanced outside, narrowing his eyes to make sense of what he was seeing, and immediately understood the reason.

"...?"

A Frost Bear stood in the middle of the road.

Its enormous body blocked the narrow mountain pass. The creature remained motionless, watching the convoy with a fearsome gaze, as though deciding whether the strangers before it were worth attacking.

They seemed to have already entered the northern reaches of Severye. Snow covered the roads, and the rivers had begun to freeze over.

The season had yet to arrive in the capital, but the north had never cared much for the empire’s calendar.

Without another word, Ilya pushed open the carriage door and stepped onto the snow.

"Y-Young Master!"

Several knights immediately turned toward him, one of them quickly moving to block his path.

"Please return to the carriage. We’ll deal with this immediately."

"It won’t take long," another knight added. "It’s only a Frost Bear."

"A single beast isn’t worth putting you at risk, Young Master. Please leave this to us."

Ilya looked past them toward the Frost Bear before letting out a sigh.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!