Chapter 28 The Underground Guard Dog and Explosion Magic
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The moment I used my teleportation magic, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
This was the underground facility beneath Margrave Albion Blanchefort’s manor.
Before my eyes stretched a vast, dimly lit expanse that seemed to go on forever.
The damp scent of stone nipped at my nose, and the ceiling soared so incredibly high overhead—resembling the vault of a massive cathedral—that I couldn’t help but look up in awe.
”Hmph. To think he managed to construct something so magnificent right beneath his own estate.”
Faced with a scale that practically mirrored ancient ruins, a genuine murmur of admiration escaped my lips. I was still staring up at the towering ceiling when it happened.
’BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP!’
A shrill, deafening alarm echoed violently throughout the entire underground complex. The magitech lamps mounted on the walls began to flash a frantic crimson. Hearing that eerie warning blare echoing from the depths of the chasm, my heart leapt straight into my throat for a split second.
”What? No way, why?!”
I fell into an absolute, genuine panic.
This was wrong.
How on earth had our intrusion been detected?!
Ashraf, who had infiltrated the place earlier to scout it out, hadn’t mentioned a single thing about a security system in his reports. I had been completely under the impression that this underground facility was unguarded, but….
”As expected of Xenos-sama. To dare to reveal yourself openly and charge straight into enemy territory like this. Such overwhelming confidence and boldness — I, Ashraf, am truly impressed.”1
Standing right beside me, Ashraf offered a graceful, elegant bow with a perfectly serene expression.
His pitch-black butler uniform suited his see-through, porcelain skin flawlessly.
No, you slippery bastard, don’t give me that “I am truly impressed” garbage! What is with that incredibly cheesy smirk on your face—
I wanted to rip it right off his face this very instant. Or rather, if you knew something this important, warn me about it beforehand!
As usual, he was entirely impossible to read. This was my servant, the Teleportation demon, Ashraf.
Outfitted in his usual immaculate attire—a flawless butler uniform wrapping his exceptionally handsome, youthful frame—not a single strand of his raven hair was out of place. His golden eyes, ringed by pitch-black sclera, peered at me with distinct amusement.
Apparently, because he had been using ancient magic to completely mask his own presence, he hadn’t tripped any of the manor’s security systems himself.
I quickly analyzed the structure of the magic Ashraf was employing, copied it on the fly, and erased my own presence as well.
But it was already too late. The alarm had already been triggered, and it wasn’t going to stop.
The underground space was flooded with a pulsing, crimson glare as the warnings continued to hammer against my eardrums. It was impossible to keep calm while that noise was blaring.
(Even when you haven’t done anything wrong, you still get jumpy.)
Though a veritable waterfall of cold sweat was pouring down my back internally, I forced a relaxed, casual smile onto my face, acting as if absolutely everything was going precisely according to plan.
”Well, yeah. Crushing the weaklings one by one was never my style. Drawing out the big fish all at once — now that’s entertainment.”2
It was a massive lie.
This was entirely, completely my screw-up.
Maintaining my defiant, villainous smirk, I suppressed the mounting panic in my chest and warily scanned our surroundings. Within the dry scent of stone, I could swear the faint, metallic tang of blood was beginning to mingle in the air.
Row upon row of countless iron cages lined the walls of the underground facility.
Beyond the rusted bars, huddled in the dim shadows, were faces I recognized—emaciated elves were imprisoned there, utterly devoid of strength. Their chained limbs and despair-laden eyes would appear and disappear, illuminated rhythmically by the flashing crimson glow of the alarm.
Margrave Albion’s territory directly bordered the home of the elves, the “Elven Forest of Sylvain.” This house was supposed to serve as the ultimate frontline defense assigned by the royal family—tasked with halting any elven incursions and launching counter-offensives into the woods.
Was he keeping captured enemy soldiers here as prisoners of war?
Even if that were the case, there were far too many of them. Furthermore, it made absolutely no sense to go through the trouble of building a massive facility like this right beneath his own home.
A deeply sinister ambiance hung heavily in the air, making it feel as though the place was being used for some kind of horrific experimentation.
The air felt suffocatingly heavy and freezing cold.
Still, something was definitely wrong.
Despite the alarm blaring continuously, there wasn’t a single guard in sight. I could barely sense any human presence whatsoever.
Instead, a bizarre, low rumbling began to echo from deeper within.
From the darkness at the far end of the underground facility, a colossal shadow manifested alongside a localized earthquake. Thud… Thud… With every single step it took, the stone floor trembled violently.
It was a heavy, oppressive sound, like something crawling its way up from the very bottom of the underworld.
It possessed a mountain of a body. Its skin, hard as obsidian, dullly reflected the crimson light of the magitech lamps.
It was a legendary-class Magic beast, the Behemoth.
It was a full size larger than the specimen I had seen at the auction the other day, and its sheer aura of intimidation was on a completely different level.
(I see. The elves here were being used as its “food”…)
What a thoroughly revolting state of affairs. A wave of disgust so intense it made me want to vomit gripped my heart.
I focused my mana into my right hand. A low, vibrating hum resonated as the space itself trembled slightly, and a faint, pale light ignited across my palm.
”First things first — let me take down that big guy.”
As if my words were the exact cue it was waiting for, the Magic beast lunged.
Boom!!
It moved at a speed completely unimaginable for its huge mass. Its form seemed to vanish entirely, leaving a mere afterimage behind as it charged straight toward me in a relentless line.
The floor shook violently, and the surrounding air compressed in an instant.
In response, I actually vanished.
Utilizing my trademark teleportation magic, I blinked instantly to the Behemoth’s rear, deep within the facility from whence it came.
My vision instantly swapped, and the sensation of that colossal mass bearing down on me vanished entirely.
Having completely lost track of its target, the Magic beast slammed on the brakes and ground to a halt, looking around in utter bewilderment. Its massive frame swayed, causing the floor to groan under the weight.
But its confusion lasted only a moment.
It caught onto my presence almost immediately, its ferocious black eyes locking directly onto me.
(Did it smell me? No, I erased my presence. …Then how?)
Because of my Magic Seal ability, a literal blank zone of mana reactions was created around me. Had it managed to sniff out that localized void?
Despite its brutish appearance, it seemed its nose was incredibly sharp.
I activated my physical reinforcement magic and bolted deeper into the facility at full speed. I could feel the heat radiating from my body with every step my feet hammered into the ground.
However, when it came to pure speed in a straight line, the Magic beast still held a slight mathematical advantage over my reinforced stride.
The distance between us closed rapidly, the thundering earthquakes hot on my heels.
In no time at all, I found myself driven straight into a dead-end wall. The freezing stone pressed hard against my back.
A total dead end.
The Magic beast’s charging horn was right in front of my nose. Its ragged, heavy breathing and raw, predatory stench stung my bare skin.
A split second before impact, I triggered my teleportation once more.
My destination was the open air near the ceiling of the underground chamber. Directly beneath me, a massive, roaring torrent of sheer weight and velocity tore past.
The wind howled furiously, and the ground convulsed.
CRASH!!!
A dull, incredibly heavy impact rattled the chamber. Having slammed face-first into the solid wall, the Behemoth let out a deep, rough shriek of agony. A tremendous vibration shattered through the entire facility, sending a thick cloud of dust raining down from above.
Its movements were halted, if only for a fraction of a second.
This was my chance.
Obeying the laws of gravity, I dropped straight down, landing squarely upon the thrashing Magic beast’s back. The sensation of its incredibly thick, armor-like skin transmitted directly through the soles of my boots.
The moment I touched down, I drove my hand like a blade deep into a structural gap within that dense hide, channeling a staggering volume of mana into the strike.
Squelch!!
Accompanied by a sickening sound, a sickeningly lukewarm sensation crept up my hand.
My inherent ability [Magic Seal] possessed the highly troublesome characteristic of completely suffocating the external release of mana.
But so long as I established direct physical contact with a target, I could inject that mana directly into their system. I poured every single drop of the immense mana I had gathered straight into the Magic beast’s internal organs, feeling the energy violently erode its innards through my fingertips.
”GROOOOOOAR!!”
Desperate to fling me off its back, the Behemoth began to thrash about like a wild creature. Its massive body rocked violently from side to side, nearly launching me into the air.
I had absolutely no intention of playing rodeo with a monster.
Using my teleportation a third time, I blinked far away from the Magic beast in a single move.
The Magic beast quickly locked its vicious eyes onto my newly materialized form. It glared at me with pure, unadulterated malice.
But this time, I didn’t run.
I simply stood my ground, staring right back at the monster with an entirely composed, effortless expression. Gathering every ounce of its remaining strength to obliterate me, the Magic beast took a thunderous step forward.
Its gigantic frame caused the ground to rumble once more.
”You are already dead.”
The words left my lips with quiet finality.
The very next instant, the Behemoth’s massive body began to glow a bright red from the inside out. Like veins pulsing violently beneath its hide, a crimson light writhed visibly through its flesh.
Then, with a spectacular, earth-shattering roar, it exploded into absolute oblivion. A violent shockwave tore through the subterranean chamber, rattling the walls as a blast of wind swept across the expanse.
The sound was so cataclysmic it left my ears ringing intensely.
What I had injected into its body was a highly concentrated, time-delayed blast magic.
As for why I had made it a timed charge, the answer was simple: if it had detonated instantly, I would have been caught right in the epicenter of the blast wave myself.
If a normal human body were caught in an explosion of that magnitude, there wouldn’t even be ashes left.
”That was truly impressive. As expected of Xenos-sama.”
As a rain of shredded flesh descended around us, Ashraf finally manifested out of thin air without making a single sound. Naturally, not a single speck of blood had soiled his pristine butler uniform.
…This guy. He was totally planning on hiding out in a safe zone until that Magic beast slaughtered me, wasn’t he?
I wanted nothing more than to hurl a barrage of complaints at him, but doing so out loud right now would make me look incredibly petty and small-time. Suppressing my internal distrust completely, I addressed Ashraf with an air of absolute, unbothered superiority.
”Well, yeah. So, how did your part go?”
I hadn’t actually ordered him to do anything specific, but I figured delivering a cool-sounding line like that would fit the persona perfectly.
”Yes. While Xenos-sama was drawing the Magic beast’s attention, I found the keys to the cells. Here they are.”
(Ah, so that’s what he was doing — getting the keys.)
Still, you’d think prioritizing backup for your master during a life-or-death battle would be the standard operating procedure. Despite the nagging thought, I refrained from scolding him.
After all, letting it slide just looked so much cooler.
”Well done.”
As I took the ancient, heavy ring of keys from Ashraf’s extended hand, the metal let out a dull, clinking chime. The rough, rusted texture of the iron pressed into my fingers.
With measured, deliberate steps, I began to walk toward the row of prison cells where the elves were kept.
From the depths of the cages, I could feel the trembling, terrified gazes of the elves locking squarely onto me.
—
Summary:
Blinking deep beneath Margrave Albion Blanchefort’s manor alongside his demon servant Ashraf, Xenos triggers a sweeping security warning system that floods the dark structure with alarm blares. He retains his villainous posture externally while internally spiraling over the defensive trap until a mountain-sized Behemoth emerges from the darkness to assault him. Swiftly utilizing physical enhancement and precise teleportation maneuvers, Xenos tricks the creature into a wall collision before injecting delayed detonation magic directly through its hides, leaving him holding the keys to cells holding captive elves while harboring heavy suspicions about his butler’s tactical fidelity.
—
Trivia:
- The underground facility resembles ancient cathedral-like architectural proportions built deep beneath the aristocratic residence.
- Ashraf bypassed the security lines entirely by rendering his presence unreadable through ancient magic arts before Xenos mirrored the style.
- Albion’s domain functions strategically as a sovereign militarized buffer directly adjacent to the Sylvain elven forests.
- Xenos cannot project his magical power outwardly due to the constraints of his Magic Seal ability, forcing him to establish direct physical touch to output energy.
- The Behemoth killed in this skirmish exceeds the structural metrics of the specimen previously put up for public bidding at the regional slave market auction.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Blanchefort – The Albion family are the margrave lineage ruling the border territory. A noble house defined by its fraught and notorious conflict with the neighboring elves, they maintain a formidable presence as the guardians of the frontier.
• Albion – Margrave Albion de Blanchefort is a nobleman with flowing silver hair, known for his elegant, playful demeanor and chilling nonchalance. Guarding a secret underground stronghold near the Elven Forest, his charming smile masks deep arrogance and dangerous intent. As a fierce enemy of the protagonist, he wields his authority and hidden power with calculated, aristocratic coldness.
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Ashraf – A teleportation demon and flawless butler, he serves Xenos and the Grimlock household with perfect grace, composure, and hidden absolute obedience. Clad in a formal uniform with pitch-black sclera and golden pupils, he masks his eerie, pleasure-seeking nature and suspect loyalty with elite decorum. Though kept hidden from nobility, his suspicious past includes unsettling experiments on students.
• Xenos – Reincarnated as the “Zero Mana” head of the Grimlock house, he masks his immense power—including copied magic and teleportation—behind a cold, incompetent facade. Utilizing his deep game knowledge, he strategically manipulates the underworld and key figures like Mina. Calculating and ruthless toward his enemies, he acts as a benefactor to others while currently orchestrating an annulment with his fiancée.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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