Chapter 38 Reward for the Princess and a New Way to Make Money
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The following morning, Cecilia, Lizel, and I sat around the breakfast table together.
The sweet, private hours we had shared until yesterday felt like a distant illusion. The dining room was quiet, save for the light, metallic clink of silverware. Cecilia had transformed back into her usual elegant self as a duke’s daughter, while Lizel had returned to her prickly, neutral demeanor as a count’s daughter.
Once we finished eating, Cecilia set her knife and fork down without a sound and fixed her eyes on my face.
Even in a simple gesture like that, her flawless grace was unmistakable.
”So, Xenos-sama. What is this place you mentioned last night, the one you wished to invite us to?”
”Ah, the truth is, I’m running a theater. It finally opened the other day. I’d love to invite you both out for dinner sometime soon. What do you say?”
When I revealed that I was the owner of a theater, both of them blinked in momentary surprise. Immediately, their expressions softened into smiles, a faint glimmer of curiosity surfacing in their eyes.
They readily accepted the invitation.
After breakfast, I saw Cecilia and Lizel off, sending each of them back to their respective family estates in separate carriages.
Then, I headed for the academy. My feet felt heavy after taking a three-day absence, but skipping wasn’t an option.
I had work to do.
* * *
Stepping into the courtyard, the sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees was blinding.
Basking in that radiant glow, a familiar mane of gold hair caught my eye. It was Princess Elenor.
――Perfect timing.
She was currently wearing the [Collar of Submission] I had forced upon her.
I linked my own mana to that choker-style magic artifact. Then, flicking my wrist conceptually, I channeled a microscopic pulse of mana directly into it.
”Ngh…! This is… nothing… Just a little… pain…♡”
Standing some distance away, Elenor flinched violently, her shoulders shuddering as her body writhed ever so slightly on the spot. Her silken, golden hair swayed, catching the light and shimmering beautifully.
As the surrounding students turned their heads to see what was wrong, she fought desperately to maintain her composure, trying not to let her agitation show. As usual, it seemed she was thoroughly enjoying the “reward” I was giving her.
Vibrant, golden hair. Eyes that looked like the deep blue of the sky melted into them, harboring an unyielding spirit that refused to be broken. A sharply defined bridge of the nose. Flawlessly contoured lips. Every single feature was so noble and beautiful, it looked like a sculpture crafted by the hands of a god.
Slowly, I closed the distance between us.
Recognizing my presence, Elenor glared at me with the razor-sharp intensity of a bird of prey locking onto its target.
”Don’t look so terrified, Your Highness.”
”Who do you think is terrified. Do you have any idea who I am. As if I would ever cower before the likes of you!”
Deliberately misinterpreting her defensive posture as “terror,” I provoked her. True to form, Elenor fired back with rigid defiance.
Honestly, she’s an incredible woman—so incredibly rewarding to break in.
”I have a bit of business with you. Come to my estate this coming holiday. There’s something I need you to assist me with, so make absolutely sure your schedule is clear. “
”Hmph. Unfortunate for you, but my schedule as a princess is packed down to the very minute. Unlike a worthless failure like you, I happen to be a very busy person. “
Hearing those words, I channeled mana into the choker she was wearing once more―― This time, just a fraction stronger than before.
”Ghh, kuhaaa…♡”
A sweet, stifled scream slipped past Elenor’s throat.
The strength drained completely from her body, and she fought desperately against the sudden urge to collapse to her knees right there on the pavement. Her trembling fingertips reached out, bracing against the wall for support.
”When I tell you to clear your schedule, you shut your mouth and do exactly as you’re told. Don’t make me waste my breath. …You useless slug. “
Though Elenor writhed from the lingering aftershocks of the pain, her eyes alone refused to surrender their defiance. Her gaze, drenched in a mixture of rage and humiliation, pierced right through me.
”Ngh… hah…! Hear me… well… Who would… ever… submit to your… whim…! “
”Is that so. Well, if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to. ――However, if you choose to ignore my command, your ‘rewards’ end today. “
Leaving her with only that, I turned my back on the princess and began walking toward my classroom.
”Wha――!? Wait, you bast――!”
Behind me, a frantic, desperate voice rang out. The empty bravado from moments ago was entirely gone. She was desperately trying to call me back.
But I didn’t look back.
Whether she came or not was entirely up to her. Though, nine times out of ten, she would show up.
* * *
Once the school day ended, I returned to the mansion and immediately began setting up for the “show.” I had just struck upon a brand-new idea to raise funds, completely separate from the theater business.
I needed to lay the groundwork to execute the plan.
In the courtyard atelier, I prepared a single, massive sheet of fabric. Spreading out across the light brown cloth—which resembled aged, weathered parchment—was an incredibly intricate magic circle scrawled entirely in pitch-black ink.
It was a monster-summoning magic artifact that I had personally designed and refined through continuous experimentation.
My innate constitution, [Magic Seal], constantly interfered with precise mana manipulation whenever it was channeled away from my physical body. Because of that, I couldn’t freely construct complex magic circles directly onto the ground the way someone like Ashraf could.
Even if I could pump mana into the earth, the subsequent process of weaving it into a highly complex geometric arrangement always fell apart.
This fabric was the substitute I created to bypass that weakness.
Unrolling the canvas across the atelier floor, I suppressed the passive radius of my [Magic Seal] to its absolute minimum, keeping it tight against the surface of my skin. Then, placing my palms flat against the magic circle drawn on the cloth, I flooded it with mana.
”――Come forth, my servants.”
The magic circle emitted a faint, eerie glow, and distorted shadows began crawling out from its center one after another. A pitch-black mist swirled outward, accompanied by a rancid stench like rotting flesh, as the grotesque entities began taking physical form. The creatures I had called forth were goblins.
One, two, three….
Eventually, a small army of twenty goblins stood lined up in neat rows right before my eyes. Looking at their hideous, malformed visages, I nodded with deep satisfaction.
Perfect. A total success.
With this, I was now capable of summoning monsters even outside designated “spawn points.”
I had the called goblins moved into a reinforced, heavy-duty monster cage located in a secluded corner of the Grimlock family’s sprawling estate grounds.
Summoned monsters could be used as live targets for training soldiers or as disposable pawns; consequently, facilities of this nature were standard equipment for militant noble houses like mine.
Afterward, I stepped into the mansion’s private study and drafted two separate letters.
One was addressed to Balthazar Zaitz, the slave trader’s son and my current business partner.
The other was addressed to a powerful figure operating within the criminal underworld—the manager of the illegal fighting arena known as the [Bottom of the Abyss].
The curtains were about to rise on a brand-new show. I set my pen down, a sinister, predatory smirk playing across my lips.
My eyes were already fixed on a future where the thunderous roars of a bloodthirsty audience echoed through the colosseum.
—
Summary:
Xenos returns to his regular schedule at the academy alongside Cecilia and Lizel following their recent intimate encounters. While walking through the school courtyard, he confronts Princess Elenor and utilizes her magic choker to demand her attendance at his mansion. Back at his estate, Xenos successfully summons an army of goblins on an engineered fabric canvas to circumvent his Magic Seal limitations, setting a new underground money-making venture into motion.
—
Trivia:
Xenos has been absent from the academy for a total of three days prior to this morning.
The Magic Seal trait actively disrupts fine mana control the further the energy travels from Xenos’s physical skin.
Spawning monsters usually requires a fixed spawn point, but Xenos’s customized cloth artifact successfully overrides this regional rule.
Militant noble families like the Grimlocks routinely possess heavy-duty monster containment units for tactical combat practice.
Notes:
• Cecilia – The eldest daughter of the Vermillion Duchy is a graceful noble with crimson hair and cobalt-blue eyes. Cold and status-driven, she despises her non-magical fiancé, Xenos, seeking an annulment while secretly courting Prince Liam as a potential concubine. Despite her political maneuvering, her soul is marked by Xenos’s crest. Privately, she loves beastfolk advocacy and playful, themed cosplay.
• Lizel – A petite, graceful count’s daughter from the Blanchet family, this magic academy student features vivid pink twin-tails and deep purple eyes. A powerful wind mage with a volatile temper, she is Luca Dalton’s fiancée and Kai’s master. Though she plays the bullying victim, her prickly tsundere exterior hides a vulnerable side and deep romantic feelings for Xenos, whom she shadows constantly.
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Xenos – Reincarnated as House Grimlock’s “Zero-Mana” heir, he masks immense power and a Magic Seal constitution behind an incompetent facade. A calculating strategist and theater manager, he manipulates politics and the underworld to dismantle enemies. This anti-hero masterfully subjugates noblewomen and elven slaves, orchestrating alliances and relationships to assert dominance as a future military leader.
• Elenor – The Student Council President, a revered princess known as the Saint of Light, possesses a noble beauty defined by long, radiant golden hair and unyielding, sky-blue eyes. Despite her dignified posture, she is currently held captive by a specialized magical choker designed to enforce submission through pain. Her spirit remains unbroken, and she maintains a resilient, defiant resistance.
• Ashraf – As Xenos’s powerful demon butler, Ashraf serves with elite decorum, masking a dark, experimental past and pleasure-seeking nature behind a formal uniform, pitch-black sclera, and golden pupils. Though possessing a shady, untrustworthy aura, he is a loyal, shadow-bound anchor capable of deploying magic circles to teleport individuals across long distances, acting as a silent, independent servant.
• Grimlock – As head of the influential Margrave noble house, Xenos manages the family’s vast assets and military legacy in the Royal Capital. Alongside his father, Gaius, he leverages their prestigious standing to defend the nation’s borders and uphold their name. Their deep bond and shared duty to the frontier ensure the continued dominance of the estate inherited by Xenos.
• Balthazar – The arrogant, sweating heir to the Zaitz Merchant Guild, this short, plump man reeks of pastries and wears stained finery. As the son of a slave trader and a fawning proxy for the Grimlocks and Xenos, he masks his deep insecurity and cowardice with grotesque, unethical business proposals and childish bluster. Though easily intimidated, he remains a key, if trembling, partner in illicit trade.
• Zaitz – The Zaitz family name, carried by Balthazar.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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