Chapter 130 You Don’t Actually Think I’m Going to Run, Do You?
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
During the short break between classes, Cecilia and Lizel came rushing over to me, both looking flustered.
”Xenos-sama! I just heard – you’re really going to duel someone!?”
”Seriously. You’ve gone and gotten yourself tangled up in another mess, haven’t you?”
They spoke in unison, their voices laced with genuine concern: Are you really okay?
Cecilia has her own information network within the academy – a major faction she leads, composed of influential young ladies from prominent families. Her informants had apparently caught wind of the duel between me and the new student, David Hargrave, first thing this morning, and wasted no time delivering the news to her.
That’s why they’d come running to me like this.
Watching them fuss over me with such earnest worry was honestly adorable. I barely managed to suppress the smirk threatening to break across my face, keeping my expression cool and unruffled – just as always.
At this school, there’s no class reassignment, so I’ve been in the same class with both of them since last year.
”You two, thank you for worrying about me. But really, there’s nothing to be concerned about.”
I said it with deliberate confidence, trying to put them at ease.
Cecilia and Lizel had already received detailed information about David through their well-connected noble connections.
David Hargrave.
Second son of Count Hargrave.
Although he’s only just enrolled, his academic performance is exceptional, and he’s already accumulated a sizable entourage. Apparently, he’s a wielder of potent fire-attribute mana.
From his casual conversations, it’s clear he possesses absolute confidence in his extraordinary abilities, harbors deep resentment over his status as a second son who’ll never inherit the title, and is attempting to curry favor with the royal family in hopes of carving out a new peerage for himself.
More or less, exactly the sort of person I’d sized him up as when we’d confronted each other that morning.
(Hmph. Quite the ambitious one, isn’t he.)
And he’d foolishly chosen me as the first “stepping stone” toward achieving his ambitions.
I almost felt sorry for him.
Almost. But I had no intention whatsoever of going easy on him.
After all the day’s scheduled classes ended, it was finally after school.
Waiting at the classroom exit was none other than David Hargrave himself – along with his sycophantic entourage, standing there like debt collectors.
(…Dedicated enough to skip class and wait here, huh.)
He seemed determined not to let me slip away.
To think he’d openly stake out the classroom of an upperclassman – the heir of House Grimlock, no less – in the hallway like this. The guy was clearly riding high on his own arrogance.
At this academy, where the children of nobles gather, status takes precedence over age. Nevertheless, the ethical principle of respecting one’s elders certainly still exists.
(Neither older nor higher in status commands any respect from him, apparently.)
If I didn’t move, I’d only inconvenience the other students trying to head home.
My belongings were already packed. Meeting their provocative stares, I rose from my seat immediately and approached them at a leisurely pace.
”We’ve come to escort you, Lord Grimlock.”
”Much obliged. Well then – shall we?”
My response was so utterly composed, so completely unruffled, that David’s expression flickered with a hint of discomposure.
The training ground where we’d be fighting – David’s crew had apparently already secured it. They’d filed all the official paperwork with the academy, all the tedious procedures required for a formal duel – his sycophantic followers had taken care of everything.
David and his entourage led the way down the corridor, and I followed silently behind. And trailing after me was a growing crowd: Cecilia and Lizel, along with other students – those intensely curious about the duel’s outcome, and those who were simply here for the spectacle.
”Still, I must say, I’m quite astonished. For you, Lord Grimlock – a man with zero mana – to accept a duel predicated on the use of mana. I’m well aware of your prowess with the sword, of course. If we were to fight purely with blade techniques, I’d no doubt be forced to struggle. But… I’m afraid I don’t possess the generosity to handicap myself by forgoing magic just to accommodate you.”
As we walked, David hurled prolonged provocations at me. He seemed perplexed by my utter lack of intimidation, probing for any crack in my composure.
”Nothing to it. I don’t need mana to crush a brat like you. Don’t worry – I’ll make short work of you. Look forward to it.”
I answered with maximum nonchalance.
”…Is that so. I do hope you won’t come to regret those words.”
David was growing agitated.
How amusing.
One of the academy’s several training facilities – a vast, circular outdoor colosseum used for official duels.
Bleachers encircled the sprawling arena, and students were already filing into their seats, eager to witness the spectacle with their own eyes.
We each retreated to our designated waiting areas on opposite sides of the training ground, preparing for the duel.
Soon after, the official witness for the duel made his appearance.
Prince Liam’s aide –
The green-haired giant, Aldrick Stonewall.
Seated in the stands were Prince Liam himself, along with his other aide, Elliot – who had the designated role of the “intellectual one” of the pair.
David had likely requested Aldrick as witness in his shallow attempt to ingratiate himself with Prince Liam.
Now, all the players were assembled.
”I pray for your success, Xenos-sama.”
Cecilia’s refined voice carried across the arena, her hands clasped before her.
”Hmph! Just make sure you come back in one piece, got it!?”
Lizel crossed her arms, trying to mask her worry with a huff.
I received their heartfelt encouragement at the edge of the arena.
”Yeah. You two watch closely.”
I strode toward the center of the training ground.
From the opposite side, David approached with ill-concealed irritation written across his face.
From the stands, Aldrick leaped down with surprising lightness for his massive frame, landing wordlessly and striding toward the same center point.
The three of us reached the arena’s heart almost simultaneously.
At my hip hung a perfectly ordinary sword – one of the many spares kept on standby at the training grounds.
I didn’t draw it.
After formally reciting the standard pre-duel warnings, Aldrick slowly raised his right arm high into the air.
A moment of silence.
And then –
”BEGIN!!”
The instant his voice split the air –
David produced a magic wand from within his robes, designed to amplify power and precision. He began weaving a fire magic construct. The standard procedure for a mage entering combat.
In response –
I already had a single fountain pen in hand, concealed within my school uniform sleeve.
Without hesitation.
I hurled it straight at David with all my might.
Swoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
It was a simple throw – just a swing from a dangling arm, nothing more.
I wasn’t aiming for precision.
This strike banked entirely on speed and surprise.
If it lodged anywhere in David’s body, that would be fine.
But –
The pen tip pierced the dead center of David’s right arm – the one gripping the magic wand.
As if drawn there, it sank deep into his flesh.
”GAAAHHH!!”
After David’s agonized cry –
For a single, suspended moment, everything stopped.
The buzz of the crowd. David’s movements. Even the sound of the wind.
Silence descended upon the colosseum.
—
Summary:
Xenos accepts a duel from the ambitious new student David Hargrave, who seeks to use him as a stepping stone to gain favor with the royal family. Despite being known as a zero-mana user, Xenos remains completely unfazed and confident. The duel begins in the academy colosseum before an audience of students and Prince Liam’s aides.
—
Trivia:
Xenos has been in the same class with Cecilia and Lizel since last year due to the academy’s no-class-reassignment policy.
Cecilia leads a major faction of influential young ladies and maintains her own extensive information network.
David is the second son of Count Hargrave – a status he deeply resents due to being unable to inherit the title.
The academy has multiple training facilities, with the colosseum being designated for official duels.
Aldrick Stonewall serves as Prince Liam’s aide and the official witness for the duel.
Elliot serves as Prince Liam’s other aide, with the designated role of the “intellectual one.”
The academy’s social hierarchy prioritizes status over age, though respect for elders remains a cultural expectation.
David requested Aldrick as witness to ingratiate himself with Prince Liam.
Notes:
• Cecilia – The eldest daughter of the Vermillion Duchy and a former saint, she is Xenos’s fiancée and one of his romantic interests. Known for her flame-red hair, blue eyes, and pet, Lumiá, she possesses a cold yet playful nature. Though she rejected Prince Liam, she adores Kuuko and teases Lizel. Lilia shows no jealousy toward her. She occasionally uses a ring to adopt a revealing dancer’s disguise.
• Lizel – A petite, graceful Blanchet count’s daughter, wind mage, and academy student with pink twin-tails, purple eyes, and a signature smirk. Known for her protective, anxious tsundere nature, she is Luca Dalton’s fiancée, Grimlock’s classmate, and Cecilia’s friend. Disguised in a dancer’s costume, she walks the “Path of Light” and is one of Xenos’s devoted romantic interests whom Lilia does not resent.
• Xenos – Job: Heir to a high-ranking noble house; Relationship: Owner of Lilia; Has romantic connections with Elenor, Cecilia, and Lizel; Item/Magic: Summoning magic, [Substitution Collars]; Note: Was caught up in a Royal Palace explosion and missed three days of school. Pragmatic and calculating personality. Job: Noble of Grimlock family, protagonist; Relationship: Manipulator of Princess Liliana, pursuing Serena; Item/Magic: [Ring of Transformation]; Note: Reincarnated villain with game knowledge, calculating and arrogant. Job: Theater Owner and noble of Grimlock family; Relationship: Fiancé to Cecilia; Item/Magic: Game knowledge/metaknowledge; Note: Reincarnated villain protagonist who knows the original game script.
• Hargrave – David’s family name. The second son of Count Hargrave.
• David – Second son of the Hargrave Count family. New student at the academy with neatly groomed brown hair and handsome features. A top performer among first-years with a crowd of followers. Ambitious and seeking to make a name for himself by challenging Xenos to a duel. Wants to earn royal favor through the search for Princess Liliana.
• Grimlock – Xenos’s family name.
• Liam – Liam Asgard, the golden-haired, emerald-eyed First Prince of Asgard, is Liliana’s older brother and the liege of Elliot and Aldrick. Betrothed to Elisabeth, he is an arrogant yet fundamentally kind man who speaks with elegant grace. Though he underestimates his rival Xenos’s Zero Mana status, he shows consideration toward him, even as his obsessive pursuit of Cecilia threatens his political standing.
• Aldrick – Job: Aide to Prince Liam; Relationship: Subordinate to Liam; Appearance: Green-haired giant; Note: Battle-obsessed and simple-minded. Job: Holy Knight; Note: Muscle-headed battle maniac.
• Elliot – Elliot Valias, a tall, slender, blue-haired noble and intellectual aide to Prince Liam, masks his deep, unrequited love for Elenor with crude, condescending arrogance. A pseudo-intellectual prone to quick accusations, he harbors murderous, freezing hostility toward Xenos Grimlock, driven by intense jealousy over Xenos’s intimacy with Elenor.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply