Chapter 10 The Fool Takes Flight
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I’m not laughing, really. I suppose I did find it… pathetic, though.”
The murmuring ceased as the class turned their eyes toward us. I could practically feel their curious gazes pricking at my skin.
…I’ve never been fond of being the center of attention.
Though I was weary of it inside, I didn’t let a single trace of that show on my face. Instead, I fixed a cold, impassive stare on Luca Dalton.
Luca, a textbook example of a low-level lackey, was—
His irritation mounting by the second. A vein pulsed in his forehead, and his eyes burned with a glare so intense he looked ready to lunge at me at any moment.
”The hell you starin’ at? You’re nothing but the ‘Zero of Defeat,’ yet you dare to mock me! …Duel! Duel me right now!!”1
’The Zero of Defeat’—it’s the dishonorable nickname they’ve slapped on me, Xenos Grimlock.
Known as a Mana-less failure, I am nothing more than a target for ridicule in noble society. I could hear the whispers of the onlookers.
Between my magic measurement results and refusing that duel with Aldrick Stonewall, many here take pleasure in looking down on me.
I see how it is, this guy…
He figured I wouldn’t accept a duel, so he came to pick a fight to vent his frustrations. He probably thinks if I refuse here, he’ll at least maintain a shred of his dignity.
Perhaps he wanted to show off for his fiancée, the Count’s daughter, Lizel Blanchette. ――But that’s a shallow calculation.
I avoided the duel with Aldrick only to keep my real ability hidden. If I can deal with things without revealing my hand, I won’t run.
Besides, I can’t have people challenging me every time I turn around.
I need to make an example of someone.
With the training ground’s attention focused entirely on us—
I spoke calmly, but in a tone that allowed no room for debate.
”I understand. I’ll take care of it. I accept your duel. However, I will be the one to specify the location.”
My response clearly rattled Luca.
Deep wrinkles formed between his brows, and his eyes widened.
On his face, I could clearly see the shock of “He actually accepted?” mixed with the regret of “Oh, I messed up.” His expression was as rigid as if he’d been frozen solid.
”The hell, you’re actually accepting!? Do you really think you can beat me? Don’t underestimate me, you Mana-less freak!”
That parting shot was nothing but pure desperation.
His voice trembled, and his footing was unsteady.
”What’s the matter? Are you getting cold feet?”
When I asked him with a mocking smirk, Luca’s face flushed red instantly.
It seems even a bottom-feeder has his pride. That pathetic sense of self-worth must be why he can’t back down.
His lips quivered, and he looked ready to bite my head off.
”Who’s scared of a guy like you! Fine, you’re on! Where’s the spot!”
Good, he took the bait.
”After school, come to Grimlock mansion. I’ll be your opponent.”
At my words, Luca’s expression faltered for a moment.
Grimlock mansion—in other words, my home.
That choice must have filled his head with unsettling imagery.
His eyes were filled with wariness.
”…You, don’t tell me you’re planning to gather a crowd to ambush me, are you?”
I almost cracked a smile at his question.
He’s not entirely an idiot, I see.
”It’s a duel between nobles. It goes without saying it will be one-on-one.”
(If he gets scared here and runs, I can avoid the hassle, though.)
――I muttered internally, fixing my gaze on Luca’s face.
His eyes were darting around.
Will he choose to back down now?
He seemed suspicious, but perhaps judging that he couldn’t retreat now, he gave a reluctant nod. Then, he shouted with a show of bluster.
”It’s a promise, then!!”
Leaving those words behind like a curse, Luca stomped out of the training ground.
The murmurs of my classmates hadn’t died down yet.
Their curious gazes were fixed on me, the one left behind.
I accepted their stares in silence.
And just like that, I was set to duel my classmate, Luca Dalton.
After school, I was in the vast garden of the Grimlock mansion.
The perfectly manicured lawn stretched endlessly, and the distant sound of a fountain trickled faintly. Dusk was approaching, and the sky had begun to stain with crimson.
The soft rays of the setting sun cast long, trailing shadows from the garden trees.
”Ugh, Uggghaaaaaaa!”
A piercing scream shattered the silence.
I looked up to see Luca Dalton falling from five meters in the air, gravity claiming him like a puppet with its strings cut, slamming straight down toward the ground.
With a dull thud, he crashed onto the garden grass. Dust billowed up, and the faint scent of earth tickled my nostrils.
I’ve lost count of how many times he’s fallen.
We started at two meters, and I gradually increased the height.
By the time we hit five meters, he’d already been slammed into the dirt so many times he likely couldn’t remember them all. Each time, his groans echoed through the air.
”Guh, uuuugh…”
Luca possesses water-attribute Mana, which allows him to use low-level healing magic.
He’d been using it to patch up his damage, but it seemed his Mana had finally run dry.
His breathing was ragged, and his entire body wouldn’t stop shaking. He was curled up on the ground, looking like a mushroom that had just sprouted from the dirt.
He clearly didn’t have the strength to stand up anymore.
”Hey, hey, hurry up and get up. At this rate, it won’t be a fight, will it?”
When I provoked him, Luca slowly turned his face toward me.
His eyes were a muddy, turbulent mix of fear and resentment, like the dark depths of the deep sea. He spoke as if squeezing the words through bloodied lips.
”Y-you… coward! You said it was a one-on-one duel!”
His gaze shifted to the man standing behind me.
Standing there was Ashraf, a man who wore his butler attire with impeccable grace. His black hair swayed in the breeze, and his expressionless face—void of any emotion—was striking.
My “servant.” A demon of teleportation.
There was no rule saying I couldn’t use him in a duel.
(Did he really think that because my Mana is zero, I couldn’t create a Magic Slave?)
His calculations were off.
It would be a pain to explain those circumstances in detail, so I’d just talk him down with some vague excuse.
I glanced at Ashraf, then back at Luca.
”I said a duel between nobles. I didn’t say it would be a duel between knights. I have no intention of sticking to meaningless creeds like ‘fair play.’”
In a duel between nobles, the winner makes the rules.
No matter what the loser says, it’s just the barking of a defeated dog.
”How shall I dispose of this insolent wretch?”
Ashraf asked quietly.
His voice was deep, as if it were echoing from the bottom of an abyss, yet it carried an tone that allowed for no objection. He grabbed Luca’s hair without hesitation, lifting his head with effortless ease.
Luca’s face twisted in agony and terror.
His unfocused eyes wandered into the void.
”Ah, ahhh, it hurts, it hurts, ahhh!”
Hair clutched, forced into an upright position, Luca could do nothing but struggle.
His limbs thrashed futilely at the air.
He looked exactly like a helpless puppet.
The light of dusk illuminated his pale, drawn face in an eerie way.
”Let’s continue this upstairs for a bit. Let’s say… at ten thousand meters.”
At my words, the blood drained from Luca’s face.
Ten thousand meters.
It was a height where the air thinned and the cold bit into the bone.
Large tears spilled from his eyes.
”At once, sir. It shall be done.”
Ashraf didn’t change his expression. Still holding Luca, he quietly warped the space around them.
The scenery rippled and twisted, and in that instant, they vanished completely from the garden. Only the silence remained, as if nothing had happened at all.
By now, ten thousand meters up, Luca was likely savoring the taste of his own stupidity.
”――Well then, I suppose I should go check on them.”
I looked up at the sky, observing the gradient as it shifted from blue to crimson.
A cold wind brushed against my cheek.
Suddenly, a faint smile played at the corner of my mouth.
—
Summary:
Xenos Grimlock provokes his classmate, Luca Dalton, into a duel to make an example of him. The confrontation moves to the Grimlock mansion, where Ashraf, Xenos’s butler, repeatedly drops Luca from increasing heights. Finally, Xenos orders Ashraf to teleport the defeated Luca to a dangerous altitude as further punishment.
—
Trivia:
- Luca’s nickname ‘敗北のゼロ’ (Zero of Defeat) implies he expects Xenos to lose by default.
- Xenos is intentionally hiding his true power level by avoiding duels with notable characters like Aldrick.
- Ashraf is identified as a ‘teleportation devil’ and a ‘Magic Slave’.
- Luca possesses low-level water healing magic, which he exhausted during the torture session.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Luca – A student and a textbook example of a low-level lackey who relies on water-attribute magic and harbors an intense, fragile pride. He is easily manipulated and serves as the primary antagonist for the duel. A noble student with slicked-back blonde hair who seeks to provoke those he deems weaker. He was originally a lackey of Xenos in the game script.
• Grimlock – The military noble family to which Xenos and Gaius (his father) belongs.
• Xenos – A man who acts as the protagonist of his own calculated path, concealing his true ability of Magic Seal while posing as a coward to ensure his survival and long-term planning. A student known as the ‘Zero of Defeat’ who possesses zero Mana and is treated as a social pariah. Despite his reputation, he is a calculated and manipulative individual who hides his true abilities to clear the game. A young male noble who has been named the next head of the Grimlock family. He possesses zero Mana, a fact that has made him an outcast at the Academy. He uses a facade of haughty aristocratic confidence to mask his internal panic and anxiety. A young noble who has recently seized his family’s headship. He possesses no Mana but commands a powerful extradimensional familiar and uses strategic intelligence to maintain political standing. The protagonist and reincarnation who possesses memories of a game script. He manipulates those around him while maintaining a facade of incompetence.
• Aldrick – A character previously involved in a failed duel negotiation with Xenos. A male student with green hair and a towering, hulking physique. He is a member of the Royal Guard, signified by the silver lion crest on his uniform. He is physically intimidating and serves as an enforcer for Prince Liam. A massive, muscular man and aide to the Prince, known for his physical prowess and his role as a vanguard in combat.
• Lizel – A count’s daughter with pink hair who attends the magic academy. She displays overwhelming magical talent during practical classes. The daughter of a Count and the fiancée of Luca Dalton.
• Ashraf – A stoic, emotionless demon serving the Grimlock household as Xenos’s butler. Clad in a formal uniform with pitch-black sclera and golden pupils, he possesses supernatural teleportation and excels in covert operations. While he maintains an eerie, obedient facade and perfect decorum, his inorganic demeanor and mysterious motivations leave his true, underlying loyalty a subject of constant suspicion.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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