Chapter 84 The Price of a Substitute
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I sat quietly in a chair, amid the smell of scorched stone and the heat that still burned against my skin. The room was thick with dust, turning the world white.
This was the royal palace.
And until mere moments ago, it had been the private chamber of Liliana-hime—the “Angel” of the Asgard Kingdom.
I’d been summoned here, waiting for the princess to finish changing, when I was swept up in a massive explosion—merciless, unrestrained, with no regard for anyone.
Someone had attempted to assassinate Liliana-hime. Or perhaps it was me they were after.
Given the situation, I was ninety-nine percent certain: I’d been the target all along.
The Time-Delay Magic bomb had blown the entire room away—completely, cleanly, utterly.
The palace’s framework, reinforced with high-grade magic and strong stone, had barely held. But everything else—the interior, the furnishings—had been reduced to rubble. The walls were covered in countless cracks, and tiny fragments still rained down from the ceiling.
This explosion wasn’t purely magical.
If it had been only magic, my [Magic Seal] would have completely dispersed the force. And indeed, the chair I’d been sitting in and the wall behind it were almost entirely undamaged.
But this explosion had included a purely physical component—gunpowder.
And that wasn’t all. The gunpowder had been carefully packed with many small iron pieces, which had pierced the walls like bullets, leaving dozens of small holes scattered throughout the room.
Unfortunately, my [Magic Seal] was powerless against a purely physical attack.
And naturally, my body was no exception.
In that moment, I should have been riddled with holes—like a beehive.
I’d made certain adjustments beforehand—an automatic activation trigger for fatal injuries—and it was a good thing I had. Though my memories were hazy, I recalled a vague sensation of dying and coming back to life, over and over again.
The black sorcery I’d prepared for “just in case”—my [Substitute Sorcery].
If it hadn’t worked, I would be dead right now.
Seventeen goblins had died in my place—taking on all the fatal damage I’d sustained.
The sheer scale of the injuries was too much for a single goblin to bear. Even with their high vitality, they died instantly. Seventeen of them.
(…Who in the world could have done this?)
It wasn’t that I had no suspects.
If anything—I already had a prime suspect.
The blue-haired scholar. Prince Liam’s loyal attendant, Elliot Valias.
Just a few days ago, he’d said this to my face:
”I’ll kill you—by whatever means necessary.”
—That had been a clear declaration of intent.
I never expected him to go this far—blowing up a princess’s chambers in the heart of the royal palace.
But that bastard with the glasses had made his resolve clear: “by whatever means necessary.” His words carried unwavering determination—and a bottomless well of murderous intent.
Moreover, if it was Elliot, he could easily have learned I’d be here today. He was the prince’s attendant—and also a member of the student council with Elenor.
Through casual conversation with Prince Liam or Elenor-princess, he would have had plenty of opportunities to learn about my meeting with Liliana-hime.
Having obtained that information, Elliot had set his plan in motion—willing to involve Liliana-hime herself, if necessary—and set off a bomb to kill me.
…That was the most likely scenario.
I knew who the culprit was now.
But at this stage, I had no physical evidence whatsoever to prove Elliot was the one behind it.
(Now, what to do about it?)
For now—the smart move was not to act rashly.
I was the heir to the Grimlock family, the “pro-war faction” viewed with hostility by the royal family. Any suspicious move would give them an opening.
If I vanished from this room without a trace, I might even be suspected of carrying out the bombing myself. To avoid such a troublesome situation, it was better not to leave the scene at all.
If I carelessly stepped outside and ran into someone—they might think I’d planted the explosives and detonated them remotely.
But that created a new problem:
I’d need to explain how I’d managed to survive this “hopeless” situation unscathed.
(Well, I suppose I’ll just say, “It’s a secret technique passed down through my family, so I can’t reveal the details.”)
If anyone found out about the black sorcery I’d developed, it could easily be designated as forbidden magic. This was an absolute secret.
Time to assess the current situation.
Since I’d transferred all physical damage to the goblins, I was completely unharmed. But my clothes had been burned by the blast and riddled with holes from countless iron fragments. My jacket sleeves were torn to shreds; the smell of scorched fabric clung to everything.
I’d liked those clothes too—ruined.
As an excuse for surviving this explosion attack, something like:
”I always wear a special magic artifact that instantly, completely heals physical injuries. That’s how I managed to survive.”
…would be a reasonable enough explanation.
Even if they asked what kind of artifact it was, I could just say, “It’s the culmination of my family’s secret arts—I can’t disclose the details.”
While I was thinking this over, the area around the room suddenly grew noisy.
The palace guards, alerted by the distant explosion, came rushing over. Their footsteps and the clatter of metal armor echoed through the hallway.
Among the commotion, I heard a voice:
”Stay back! It’s dangerous, Liliana-sama!”
So it seemed the one whose room had been blown up—the princess herself—had come running to see what had happened.
”Hey, someone’s in there!” one guard exclaimed.
”What—the culprit?” another demanded.
”Would a culprit be that stupid? No one sets off a bomb before making an escape!” the first guard retorted.
”Fair point,” the second conceded.
”Then they must be a victim caught in the blast. But—they sure don’t look like one…”
I was sitting quite arrogantly in the scorched chair, legs crossed, practically lounging back. For a supposed victim, I looked entirely too smug.
But I wasn’t about to sprawl on the ground and play dead at this point.
—Why? Because I was the “Dignified Villain.” The Final Boss.
As I sat there calmly, one of the guards stepped aside, and from the gap, a beautiful, charming young girl peeked into the room.
That must be Liliana-hime.
When she saw me, she tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled. Her eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity—the same look someone might give a strange insect.
Then she murmured, her voice carrying the refined elegance of an aristocratic young lady:
”…How is it that you’re still alive?”
—I see.
(So it was YOU!)
I screamed it inside my head—at this little princess wrapped in angel’s skin, wearing a mask of innocence.
—
Summary:
The protagonist survives a devastating explosion in the royal palace through his Substitute Sorcery, sacrificing seventeen goblins in his place. He deduces Elliot Valias as the likely culprit based on a prior death threat and opportunity. However, Liliana-hime’s innocent question about his survival reveals she may be the true mastermind.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist’s Magic Seal nullifies all magic, but is powerless against physical attacks like gunpowder and iron fragments.
Seventeen goblins died instantly from a single explosion’s fatal damage transfer.
Elliot Valias is Prince Liam’s attendant and a member of the student council with Elenor.
Liliana-hime is called the “Angel” of Asgard Kingdom, but is revealed as the likely mastermind.
The protagonist’s Substitute Sorcery would be designated as forbidden magic if discovered.
The protagonist intentionally sits arrogantly to maintain his “Final Boss” persona.
The Grimlock family is the “pro-war faction” viewed with hostility by the royal family.
Notes:
• Liliana – A princess renowned as the “Angel of the Asgard Kingdom” for her unparalleled beauty and purity, she is the younger sister of First Prince Liam and Elenor. Not yet attending the Royal Academy of Magic, she has golden hair like woven sunlight (shorter than Elenor’s) and large, deeply intelligent sky-blue eyes full of curiosity. She sends a letter to the protagonist.
• Asgard – Elenor Asgard, the esteemed Saint of Light, and Prince Liam share a prestigious royal lineage. While both belong to the noble Asgard family and maintain a high social standing, they navigate distinct public roles and responsibilities within the realm. Their shared identity defines their status, balancing the expectations placed upon them as they fulfill their unique duties to the kingdom.
• Lilia – Xenos’s fiercely loyal, trauma-resilient Head Maid and slave is a lovely, pale, busty woman with long dark hair, large eyes, a chest tattoo, and a nullified crest. Wearing a black uniform, she speaks with refined Kyoto elegance, masking her subtle jealousy and anxiety for Xenos. Formally efficient with Mina and guests, the devoted maid finds deep joy sleeping by her master’s side.
• Elliot Valias – Elliot Valias is a tall, slender, blue-haired student council member with glasses. A sharp-minded intellectual and loyal attendant to Prince Liam, he harbors a deep, unrequited love for Elenor, reacting with murderous jealousy toward Xenos Grimlock and others close to her. He is currently a suspect in a bombing due to a prior death threat.
• Elliot – A tall, slender, blue-haired student council member and loyal aide to Prince Liam, Elliot Valias is an intellectual with a sharp mind. He harbors a deep, unrequited love for Elenor. Driven by intense jealousy, he reacts with fury and freezing hostility toward her intimacy with others, particularly Xenos Grimlock, harboring murderous hatred toward the protagonist for stealing her.
• Valias – The Valias family name, carried by Elliot.
• Liam – Asgard’s golden-haired, emerald-eyed First Prince Liam Asgard is Liliána’s older brother. An arrogant “born winner” with a flawless smile, he is betrothed to Princess Elisabeth and allied with aides Elliot and Aldrick. His obsessive pursuit of Cecilia jeopardizes his standing, and he underestimates Xenos due to his Zero Mana status during meetings with Prince Azim.
• Elenor – Princess Elenor, the “Saint of Light” and sister to Liliana-hime, is a haughty, analytical silver-blonde gladiator, swordswoman, and healer with gray-blue eyes. Bound by a Magic Seal, she is the MC’s dedicated, submissive slave and has unknowingly fallen for him. Though absent, her lethal grace remains the object of Elliot’s intense obsession, which the protagonist exploits to taunt him.
• Grimlock – Xenos, the mana-less protagonist and heir to the Grimlock Margraviate—a noble Asgardian war family—masks his cunning as “Zero the Loser.” This “Royal Phantom” uses spatial magic and a Collar of Submission alongside his father Gaius to manipulate others, asserting family authority to bypass Prince Liam’s interference while Azim uses the Grimlock name and crest when apologizing to him.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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