Chapter 19 The Awakening of the Tyrant and the Heroine’s Peril
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The day after Lizel Blanchett, the count’s daughter with the pink hair, visited my home, I walked through the Academy gates as I always do.
Passing through the stone archway, the morning’s usual noise greeted my ears. Students laughed; instructors spoke in low, steady voices—the Academy was full of its typical daily clamor.
Luca Dalton, Lizel’s fiancé, was not at the Academy today.
He’s the one Ashraf mentioned using for an “interesting experiment.”
His absence crossed my mind, just for a moment.
”…Did something happen?”
But Luca Dalton does not rank high on my list of priorities.
It’s a waste of time to worry about the movements of some unimportant background character.
I pushed his absence from my thoughts at once and focused on the class ahead.
The day passed without trouble, leading to the afternoon Mana Manipulation practical.
While other students were covered in sweat, refining their Mana in the wide training ground, I, with my “Zero Mana,” just “watched” their training.
In a corner of the training ground, where the sunlight fell nicely, I had a custom-made chair and table set up for myself.
The polished wood was smooth, and the thick cushion held my body gently.
I sat deep in the seat, enjoying a book.
On the table sat a freshly brewed cup of herbal tea, steam rising, next to pastries from a popular shop in the Royal Capital. A sweet scent floated faintly around.
As the heir to the Grimlock family, a high-ranking noble—
I am simply enjoying the special treatment that is my right.
The looks of other students?
There is no need to worry about such things.
Even those who mocked me and whispered behind my back about my “Zero Mana” would bow down if I spoke to them directly. Neither the students nor the instructors dared to openly defy me.
Once I realized that, the eyes of those around me stopped bothering me at all.
—And so, I have made it a habit to spend this time reading.
Lately, I have been reading romance novels.
I found myself on the edge of my seat, worried about the heroine’s love life.
What will happen next?
I was just about to turn the page. That was exactly when—
A man appeared at the entrance of the training ground.
It was Luca Dalton.
His presence held no trace of the frightened, third-rate noble from yesterday.
Instead, he was giving off an evil feeling, like thick mud, from every part of him.
I should have only been able to feel his usual, weak Mana, but now a terrible pressure was hitting me in waves, like a beast hunting its prey.
The air grew heavy; my skin tingled.
Luca walked slowly toward the instructor, as if cornering a target, and gave a short, fake apology for being late.
Then, his gaze locked directly onto Lizel Blanchett.
His eyes were cold, holding a freezing light.
”We’re going to train. Be my opponent.”
With those words, Luca struck, throwing a mass of black Mana at Lizel without waiting.
”Thud!”
With a dull sound—
Lizel’s small body flew through the air.
Dust rose, and the mood of the training ground changed completely.
”Eek!”
A high-pitched scream rang out across the training ground.
It was a huge amount of Mana, something the Luca of yesterday could never have had. Tossed around by that force, Luca kept hitting Lizel with Mana.
As if he were hurting a bug…
The one-sided, evil attack went on.
Lizel tried to fight back, but the difference in Mana meant she could barely block the attacks. Her pretty pink hair was messy, and dirt stuck to her face.
Fear filled her cute eyes, and tears started to form.
The grace that had once covered the noble young lady was stripped away before my eyes.
Soon, her Mana ran dry, and she was left battered.
She curled up on the ground, no longer able to fight.
”W-wait, stop that!!”
The instructor rushed to step in, but Luca ignored the order and kept walking toward Lizel. The instructor’s face was deathly pale.
The Mana coming off the current Luca must have been at a level no normal instructor could handle. Cold sweat dripped down the forehead of the instructor, frozen in place.
”Hey, how long are you going to stay there? Get up already.”
There was no kindness or feeling in Luca’s voice.
Only a cold, empty command rang out.
”…I, I don’t have any Mana left. I lose.”
Lizel’s voice was weak; still crawling on the ground, she told him she had lost in a whisper. But—
”Thud!”
A dry sound rang out.
Luca had kicked Lizel in the face without mercy after she said she had lost.
A red line was drawn on her mud-stained cheek.
Luca’s face twisted with hate.
That ugly look was no longer human.
”You have been throwing shame on me for a long time now. Do not think I will let you off that easily.”
”Ghk… ugh…”
The students nearby watched to see if they could stop Luca, but they were too held back by his pressure to get close.
Everyone’s face was twisted in fear, unable to move a single step.
Even the instructor stood there, sweat pouring, frozen.
A heavy, choking silence filled the training ground.
Luca started to gather even more Mana.
A mass of black Mana formed in his hand, giving off a strange light.
His target was Lizel, curled up on the ground.
This was not just a simple attack.
A clear intent to kill came from that mass.
”If you want me to stop, then apologize. Of course, just apologizing will not be enough. Take off your clothes right there and get naked. Then, kneel and beg for forgiveness.”
Lizel was trapped.
Her face was full of despair, and her whole body was shaking.
That shaking was not just from fear—it was also full of shame and anger.
”Th, that is impossible…”
—”Thud!”
Again, Luca kicked Lizel in the face.
Clear anger was in that move.
Lizel’s small body flew into the air before hitting the ground once more.
”Do not dare defy me!!”
Lizel closed her eyes, her face twisted in shame.
She must have been out of both Mana and strength.
Having lost any way to fight back, as if giving in to her fate, she reached with shaking fingers toward the buttons of her uniform. Her white fingertips touched the fabric, slowly.
In that moment, my body moved on its own.
Before I knew it, I was standing right in front of Luca.
In the perfect spot to shield Lizel from this man.
I had moved fast, almost without thinking.
I thought, “Well, that was a mistake,” but it was already too late.
Oh well. Everyone was too lost in watching Luca’s change and his huge rise in Mana.
They would not have many questions about my sudden appearance.
I just walked over without them noticing and was now guarding Lizel.
That was the only thing they would notice. Probably.
Still, I had gotten between the two of them.
And Luca, having been stopped at such a “good” moment—
Yelled at me for getting in his way.
His face was badly twisted with hatred and anger.
Bloodshot eyes stared at me.
”What do you think you are doing, ‘Zero the Loser’? Do you really think someone like you can defy me!!”
—Does this guy really not remember getting beaten up by me?
No, that is not it.
In his mind, I am still just the “Zero Mana” failure.
He must think the one who is strong is the “Demon Ashraf.”
He was looking down at me, right in front of him, as if I were nothing but a small fry.
”R, run away! It is hopeless!”
From behind me, Lizel screamed that.
Her voice was shaking, but she was still worried for me. My heart moved a little, seeing her care for another while she herself was in pain and fear.
But it is fine.
No matter how much his Mana has grown—
He is powerless against my Magic Seal.
”Fwahahaha! It is too late! For the crime of standing before me while being a Zero Mana, you deserve a thousand deaths!!”
Luca began to create a huge ball of water above his head, meaning to attack me with his favorite water magic. The black sphere of water grew to over two meters across in a flash.
The air grew heavy and still, and cool water drops started to float in the air.
If I took that attack head-on, I would be dead.
But—
”…You die.”
”Thud!!”
I punched him square in the face the second before he could let out the magic.
I did not bother using any Mana; I used pure physical strength.
A heavy impact hit my fist.
Luca rolled across the ground like a pebble and passed out.
His unconscious body was soaked by the huge amount of water he had made himself, and he lay there, not moving.
With that punch, the vast Mana he had been storing seemed to disappear into nothing.
The heavy, crushing feeling in the area lightened a bit.
”At this distance, it’s faster to just punch than to cast magic.”
I said it loudly, just for the classmates to hear.
I still wanted the school students to look down on me.
By saying that my “win” was because of “distance,” I could hide the truth about my ability.
(Still, is this the experiment Ashraf was talking about?)
He probably gave human-like demon Mana to make them stronger, but Luca, with his Mana rising so fast, seems to have gone crazy, taken over by his own wants.
What a huge bother.
I looked down at the unconscious Luca with a sigh.
—
Summary:
The protagonist observes a morning Academy scene and encounters an unnaturally aggressive Luca Dalton. The scene descends into violence as Luca brutally assaults Lizel, eventually prompting the protagonist to intervene. The protagonist effortlessly subdues the powered-up Luca while carefully maintaining the illusion of his own weakness.
—
Trivia:
- The protagonist deliberately cultivated his own special, luxurious spot in the training ground to avoid interacting with other students.
- Luca’s shift in behavior is explicitly linked to the “experiment” referenced by Ashraf earlier.
- The protagonist’s public remark about “distance” serves as a strategic lie to misdirect his classmates about his true capabilities.
- The protagonist’s intervention was described as an accidental use of instantaneous movement, hinting at his lack of total self-control or just a lapse in his act.
Notes:
• Blanchett – The noble Blanchett family name is carried by Lizel, defining their highborn identity and structuring their societal relationships and obligations with others.
• Blanchet – A noble family line carried by Lizel.
• Lizel – A doll-like, graceful count’s daughter of the Blanchet family, this magic academy student has vivid pink hair, overwhelming wind magic, and a high-handed, volatile temper. Fiancée to Luca Dalton and Master to the purchased slave Kai, she acts as a bullying victim to be shielded from assault. Despite her tantrums and poor negotiation skills, she harbors hidden romantic feelings for Xenos.
• Dalton – The Dalton family name, carried by Luca.
• Luca – A prideful, blonde-haired noble student and fiancé of Lizel, this former lackey to Xenos initially used water magic to bully the weak. Following a sudden, aggressive personality change, he wields vast, dark Mana. Despite his posturing, his fragile arrogance crumbles into trembling terror during a high-altitude duel, leaving him easily cowed when faced with true opposition.
• Ashraf – Clad in a formal uniform with pitch-black sclera and golden pupils, this demonic butler serves the Grimlock household with absolute obedience to Xenos, though his existence is hidden from noble families. Perfect decorum masks his suspicious flattery, eerie pleasure-seeking, and suspect loyalty. He possesses elite covert and teleportation skills and has mentioned an experiment involving students.
• Grimlock – Xenos bears the Grimlock name, an influential noble martial house entrusted with guarding the national border. Reflecting their high-status identity, the succession of this prominent household carries significant weight. As bearers of this lineage, Xenos and his father, Gaius, share a strong familial bond dedicated to upholding their family’s prestigious military legacy.
• Demon – A mysterious, high-status being who appears after the duel, appearing as a beautiful, pale humanoid with teleportation abilities.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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