Chapter 102 The Cautious Adversary
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Breakfast time.
The light pouring down from the high windows reflected off the polished silver tableware, glittering like countless specks of stardust. The fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread and freshly brewed tea slowly thawed the chilled air, whetting the appetite.
At this otherwise peaceful breakfast table, I was listening to a troubling report from my servant, Ashraf. Under normal circumstances, I’d have preferred to enjoy my meal in quiet, unhurried peace.
But this demon had been investigating the movements of the family steward, Oscar—the man who’d directed killing intent toward me just yesterday. That report demanded priority.
After leaving this manor, Oscar had apparently contacted an assassination syndicate lurking in the Royal Capital.
The contact was a high-ranking member of [Whispering Shadows], an assassination syndicate with longstanding ties to the Grimlock family.
Oscar floated the idea of my assassination—but surprisingly, no contract was reached on the spot.
The syndicate had its own cautious opinion about assassinating me.
After all, I had an unsettling track record: turning back multiple assassins dispatched by Margrave Blanchefort, the colosseum master Zoltan, and their skilled spies. The syndicate, as professionals in the underworld trade, were diligent about intelligence-gathering. They sometimes refused contracts when the target’s danger level didn’t balance against the reward.
Oscar didn’t press further.
His meeting with the syndicate seemed to be about gathering detailed information on me and my true reputation in the underworld.
Hearing Ashraf’s report, I grasped the general picture.
Oscar must have learned from my father, Gaius, that I commanded an elusive “Teleportation Demon.” Even if I myself was just a “Zero Mana” nobody, it seemed he judged that hidden trump card—the Teleportation Demon—was nothing to scoff at.
In fact, I suspected the assassination request itself was secondary—the real purpose was gathering intelligence from a reliable source like [Whispering Shadows].
Father and Oscar probably didn’t know the Teleportation Demon’s detailed abilities.
They only knew of it from books. They had no idea how effective it could be as a combat asset. They wanted an objective assessment from underworld sources to gauge the true strength of my forces.
In the end, they concluded the Teleportation Demon’s defensive capabilities were formidable enough to warrant caution—and called off the assassination for now.
A cautious and wily man.
”What are your orders now, Xenos-sama? If you command it, I can continue watching that man.”
”No, I’m done having you watch him. Instead, focus on guarding this manor.”
Having Oscar watched—and monitoring Father’s response—was tempting. But while Ashraf was away from the manor, its defenses would thin.
Unlike previous enemies, Oscar knew about my trump card: the Teleportation Demon. If he was the type to plan strategy with that knowledge in mind, he might use Oscar himself as bait to draw Ashraf away from the manor.
And beneath this manor, there was a “bomb” named Liliana-hime—one that could explode at any moment. The security of this estate was my top priority.
I dismissed Ashraf after his report.
With the demon—who’d been wrapped in such heavy, ominous mana—gone, the dining hall air felt refreshed again. Now I could finally finish my breakfast in peace.
After finishing my meal, I went to check on Liliana in the basement before heading to school.
When I opened the heavy oak door of the luxurious confinement room, Liliana was sprawled lazily on the bed, lounging without a care. Her extravagant robe, woven with silver thread, had fallen open—but she didn’t seem to mind.
Her manners left something to be desired.
She appeared to have been reading a novel.
Despite being a prisoner, she was thoroughly enjoying her freedom.
She’d already grown close with Lilia, Mina, Kuuko, and Lumia. Without a strict governess around, she’d been cutting loose to her heart’s content.
The moment she spotted me, her large eyes narrowed with maximum alertness—but at least she showed no signs of homesickness.
”…! I didn’t give you permission to enter my room! Kindly refrain!”
Her haughty voice echoed through the enclosed space.
”This is my house, you know.”
”I didn’t call for you! Besides, bring Mina here to be my playmate!”
”Yeah, yeah. I’ll tell her to come by later.”
(She was the one who reigned supreme as the “queen” back in that criminal organization’s hideout, after all—so this tough attitude wasn’t surprising.)
Belying her delicate appearance, she was quite bold.
I lightly flicked the tip of Liliana’s cheeky nose with my finger—”pin!”—and left the room without looking at her puffed-up cheeks, heading for school.
At school, I started gathering information about one particular student.
If I asked Cecilia and Lizel, I could usually get any academy student’s background. As high-ranking noble daughters, both were diligent about their intelligence-gathering.
The one I planned to make contact with:
Bartholomeus Crowley, scion of the Crowley Duke family. The Crowleys were a distinguished noble house that had governed the vast mountain range called Eisen—home to the stout dwarf craftsmen—for generations.
My father’s movements also concerned me—but there was no move I could make from this side. Without knowing how they’d act, staying on guard would just exhaust me for nothing.
So I decided to temporarily ignore Father’s movements and proceed with a plan I’d been considering for a while: strengthening my forces by contacting the dwarves and commissioning a custom weapon.
And with that, I set my plan in motion.
—
Summary:
Having received Ashraf’s report that Oscar cautiously gathered information on the Teleportation Demon but called off the assassination, Xenos shifts focus to securing his own position. He checks on the captive Liliana, who is surprisingly comfortable in her gilded prison, then heads to school to begin gathering intelligence on Bartholomeus Crowley. The chapter ends with Xenos initiating his plan to contact the dwarves for weapon development, leaving the threat from his father unresolved.
—
Trivia:
Ashraf, Xenos’s demon servant, was spying on Oscar and reported that the assassination was put on hold due to the Teleportation Demon’s reputation.
[Whispering Shadows] is an assassination syndicate with longstanding ties to the Grimlock family, but they refused Oscar’s contract after assessing Xenos’s danger level.
Xenos has a track record of defeating assassins from Margrave Blanchefort and the colosseum master Zoltan, which contributed to his fearsome reputation.
Oscar knows about the Teleportation Demon from Xenos’s father, but neither fully understands its capabilities beyond what’s in books.
Liliana is confined in a luxurious basement room, but she’s become comfortable and has befriended Lilia, Mina, Kuuko, and Lumia during her captivity.
The Crowley Duke family governs the Eisen mountain range where dwarves live, and Xenos plans to commission a custom weapon from them.
Cecilia and Lizel are Xenos’s information sources at the academy, both being high-ranking noble daughters.
Xenos temporarily decides to ignore his father’s movements to focus on strengthening his forces through dwarf contact.
Notes:
• Ashraf – Job: Teleportation demon; Relationship: Guardian of Xenos’s mansion; Note: Guards against potential attacks.
• Oscar – Head butler of the Grimlock family and Gaius’s most trusted confidant. A tall, lean man in his late forties with impeccably groomed gray hair, silver-rimmed glasses, and a perfectly tailored black tailcoat, he is known for his expressionless face and piercing azure eyes. Beyond managing the family’s servants, he serves as the Grimlocks’ strategist and spymaster, overseeing finances, intelligence, covert operations, and rebellion funding.
• Grimlock – Xenos’s family name.
• Gaius – Leon’s father and head of the Grimlock family. Suspected by the royals in Liliana’s disappearance but holds significant authority in the frontier.
• 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.
• Liliana – Known as the “Angel of the Asgard Kingdom” for her golden hair and sky-blue eyes, this princess is the younger sister of Prince Liam and Elenor. While maintaining a refined, angelic public facade, she is a manipulative mastermind who wields explosion magic. As Serena’s liege and the true culprit behind recent assassination attempts, she carefully hides her dark nature behind whispered, noble asides.
• Lilia – Xenos’s fiercely loyal, trauma-resilient Head Maid is a lovely, pale, busty woman with long dark hair, a chest tattoo, and a nullified crest. Dressed in a black uniform, she maintains refined, icy elegance when disciplining others, especially Elenor. While formal and efficient with guests, she masks deep, jealous anxiety for Xenos, finding her greatest joy in serving him and sleeping by his side.
• Kuuko – Beastkin staying at the theater. Already asleep in the staff quarters.
• Lumia – Beastkin staying at the theater. Already asleep in the staff quarters.
• Mina – A personal maid for the Grimlock estate, serves Xenos with childlike devotion. With soft brown hair and a playful bunny kigurumi over dancer’s attire, she uses cheerful gyaru speech and remains oblivious to tension. She shares a loving bond with her brother Kai, cares for Lumiá, Kuuko, and the estate kitten, and holds a deep affection for Cecilia, recently announcing Serena’s arrival.
• 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.
• Bartholomeus – First son of the Crowley family and student council member, which governs the Eisen mountain range where dwarves reside. Described as a plump, round-faced, harmless-looking noble with refined features befitting his high-ranking lineage. Wears a perpetually polished, gentle smile that softens the atmosphere around him. Member of the Crowley family who provided Xenos with information about dwarf blacksmiths in the Royal Capital.
• Crowley – Bartholomeus’ family name.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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