Chapter 11 The Beginning of the Scheme
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Ashraf held Luca Dalton by the hair—and in a single instant, teleported to the exact height I had chosen.
I followed right behind him, teleporting to the same spot.
Far below, the world spread out endlessly. The lights of the town flickered like scattered stars, its huge size making me squint without thinking.
The ground was as small as a handful of beans. The wind howled fiercely, and a freezing chill cut into my skin. The cold was so sharp it felt like a blade slicing through my cheeks.
”H-Eeegh…!!” Luca squealed, a weak, pitiful sound leaking from his throat.
His face was twisted with pure terror, drained of all color. Whatever boldness he had shown at school was completely gone; it was clear he was frozen with fear. The dread of the dizzying height had turned his face a sickly, pale gray.
The reading of my mana as zero was not a mistake. That is because mana is usually only measured when it is released from the body.
I am completely unable to use “emission-type”1 magic.
Because of this, the school’s magic measuring devices marked my mana as ‘zero.’ The result spread through the Academy like fire, sticking to me as the shameful name: ‘Zero the Loser.’
However, it was not that I lacked mana itself. I had a huge amount of it inside me. I was simply keeping it contained, moving it all inside my own body.
Physical reinforcement, and also this floating. What’s more, I could even use this teleportation magic perfectly, having stolen it after studying how Ashraf’s spell was made.
My ability, ‘Magic Seal,’ is a very strange thing that makes all surrounding mana disappear. Because of this, no one can ever feel or measure the mana held inside my own body.
Floating quietly in the open air, I calmly thought about my own abilities.
Even with the rules of complex, ancient magic, I could copy them in a very short time. The magic Ashraf used was something I could fully understand and repeat using my own mana after seeing it only once.
It seemed the talent I had in this new life was far beyond what was normal.
Though, a worthless lowlife like Luca would never understand that.
Ashraf and I floated in the sky with “levitation” magic, looking down at Luca as he hung helplessly by his hair. The difference between Ashraf’s completely blank face and Luca’s wild screaming was almost funny.
They looked exactly like a cold, hard statue holding a ridiculous puppet—
”Now then, Ashraf. Let him go,” I commanded, my voice carrying across the wind, ringing with icy coldness. It was a voice with no emotion at all, like solid ice.
”As you wish, milord,” Ashraf replied. Without changing his expression at all, he let go of Luca’s hair. There was not a single hint of hesitation in his movement.
”H-Hyah…!” Luca shrieked.
The moment before free fall could take him, Luca lunged forward desperately and clung to Ashraf’s arm. His fingers gripped the sleeve of Ashraf’s butler uniform with desperate strength, his knuckles turning white as if his skin might tear. The pure desperation of the sight was almost sad.
”W-Wait, wait, wait, wait! I—I can’t use levitation magic! I’ll die! I’m going to die!” Luca screamed wildly, his voice echoing hollowly through the thin air of the high sky. At this point, his voice was no longer a real cry; it was closer to a shaking, wordless screech that meant nothing.
”And why should I care?” I asked him coldly.
There was no emotion at all in those words.
Luca’s face lost what little color it had left, turning totally pale. It was as if the shadow of death itself had completely covered his face.
”I-I give up! The duel is my loss!” Luca yelled, completely beaten.
Whatever pride he once had was nothing more than dust in the face of this dizzying height. The overwhelming terror of being thrown into the empty sky had totally broken his last bit of resistance.
And just like that, I had won the duel.
Ashraf used a smooth, practiced motion to gently pull away the arms of the still-clinging Luca. Luca was shaking violently, looking exactly like a small animal about to be dropped to the ground.
Now, the real problem was making sure Luca stayed quiet and handling him going forward.
If I left him alone, he might go around talking about today’s events. That would give a result far from what I actually wanted.
”Xenos-sama,” Ashraf suddenly spoke my name, breaking the silence.
His voice had its usual quiet calm, yet it seemed to carry a faint hint of expectation. His dark eyes quietly locked onto mine.
”If it pleases you, might I take this person? I shall make him my slave and handle him myself,” Ashraf offered, bowing slightly in midair.
I raised an eyebrow slightly at Ashraf’s offer.
To think he would step forward and ask for a slave on his own.
—Is this guy planning something?
Trying to find his real reasons, I looked closely at Ashraf’s face, but his expression was totally blank.
Well, whatever.
It saves me the boring trouble of silencing the brat myself. I might as well hand him over.
”…Very well. I will leave his handling to you. However, make sure you make a strict contract so that he never speaks a word about us to anyone else,” I answered.
Thinking about it, this was actually quite convenient. It removed the need for me to watch him directly.
Ashraf bowed his head with deep respect.
Luca was still frozen with fear from the height, but upon hearing Ashraf’s words, his face twisted further with a new kind of terror. To become the slave of a strange monster was probably a reality far beyond his worst nightmares. Deep lines of complete despair were carved into his face.
”Hic… No, stop, you… What are you—UWAGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!” Luca screamed in pain.
Ashraf flooded Luca’s body with his own mana, forcefully turning him into a slave.
Luca’s painful screams echoed through the high sky once more. Before long, the sound faded into a weak groan, eventually falling into total silence. I could feel the flow of mana rushing violently through his whole body, taking away his ability to fight back.
The slave contract Ashraf used seemed to be very unusual.
Unlike a normal magic slave, he was bound to total obedience to our commands, yet his free will in other matters seemed to stay intact.
After being ordered never to speak of us to anyone else, Luca was finally let go.
Not that he was truly free. Bound by his contract to Ashraf, he was forced to step into a completely new existence. The proud light that once filled his eyes was completely gone.
The next day at the Academy.
During class, I sat in my usual seat, listening carefully to a very boring lecture. Deep down, I really was a hardworking student.
The sunlight streamed through the window, making the dust dancing in the classroom air shine brightly.
In the seat right next to mine, Luca Dalton sat completely frozen with fear, looking exactly like a frog pinned under the gaze of a snake. His face was deathly pale; the moment he felt even a hint of my gaze moving toward him, his shoulders would flinch violently as he looked away. His behavior was exactly that of a fully tamed, shaking animal.
It was certain that he had not said a single word about yesterday’s events.
Though our classmates found his behavior strange, none of them knew the real situation. A variety of rumors whispered back and forth across the room, filling the classroom with quiet murmurs.
”Hey, did you hear? They say Luca got completely destroyed by Xenos-sama,” Classmate 1 whispered to the others.
”The Zero-Mana loser? How could he beat someone who actually has mana…?” Classmate 2 muttered in disbelief.
”No, the rumor says Xenos-sama sent one of his family’s highly skilled servants to beat Luca to a pulp. It’s exactly the kind of brutal method you’d expect from the militant Margrave house,” Classmate 3 said knowingly.
Those kinds of whispered talks drifted from every corner of the classroom.
It was a very convenient misunderstanding. It helped keep my true strength safely hidden.
I saw no reason to correct the rumors.
Not that I had any friends to correct them to anyway…
If my true power became common knowledge, it would only bring unwanted trouble. The current misunderstanding was the best situation for me. A faint, small smile played on my lips.
The moment the day’s lectures ended and I got ready to go home, a voice called out to me from the hallway.
The loud chatter of the busy students seemed to fade into the distance instantly.
”Xenos Grimlock-sama. A moment of your time, if you please—”
Turning around, I found my fiancée standing there.
Cecilia Vermillion.
With striking, fiery red hair and deep blue eyes, she glared at me with a gaze as cold as ice.
Deep in those eyes, a clear hatred for me was unmistakable. Yet, alongside it, there burned a fierce, determined light—as if she had firmly made up her mind about something.
The chilling feeling she gave off seemed to completely drown out the surrounding noise of the school.
What exactly did she want to talk to me about?
Well, I had a pretty good idea. Everything was moving exactly according to my plans.
—
Summary:
Hovering miles above the world, Xenos forces the absolute submission of his school bully, Luca Dalton, by commanding his butler Ashraf to threaten him with a fatal drop. After forcing a dynamic surrender, Xenos permits Ashraf to bind Luca into a highly specialized, unorthodox slave contract that ensures permanent secrecy. The next day, convenient rumors sweep the academy attributing the victory solely to family enforcers, an ideal cover that remains completely undisturbed until Xenos is suddenly confronted in the corridor by his deeply hostile fiancée, Cecilia Vermillion.
—
Trivia:
Xenos is fundamentally incapable of utilizing any outward emission-type magic.
The academy’s standard measuring devices only detect mana once it has been successfully externalized from the physical form.
The unique Magic Seal ability totally nullifies and vanishes environmental mana around Xenos, keeping his own internal flow untraceable.
Ashraf’s specific brand of slave contract leaves the victim’s general free will perfectly intact while enforcing flawless compliance regarding designated taboos.
School rumors misattribute Luca’s severe beating to a tactical military deployment by the Margrave family retainers.
Cecilia Vermillion possesses long, burning crimson hair paired with striking deep azure eyes and displays open aversion to Xenos.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Ashraf – A stoic, emotionless demonic butler serving the Grimlock household, he maintains perfect decorum and absolute obedience to Xenos. Clad in a formal uniform with pitch-black sclera and golden pupils, this non-human entity possesses supernatural teleportation and elite covert skills. His inorganic demeanor and mysterious motivations make his true loyalty a subject of constant, unsettling suspicion.
• Dalton – The Dalton family name, carried by Luca.
• Luca – A prideful, blonde-haired noble student who uses water magic to bully those he deems weaker. Formerly a manipulative lackey to Xenos, his fragile arrogance crumbles into trembling, absolute terror during his high-altitude duel. As a textbook antagonist, he serves as a pathetic contrast to his initial posturing, easily cowed when faced with true opposition.
• Xenos – A reincarnated noble and Grimlock head, he masks immense power and his Magic Seal ability behind a facade of incompetence as a “Zero Mana” social pariah. He uses cold, strategic manipulation and game-script knowledge to survive and orchestrate conspiracies, such as his own annulment. While projecting haughty or cowardly personas, he remains deeply calculated, relaxing only around personal servants.
• Grimlock – The Grimlock family is a noble military house to which Xenos and his father, Gaius, belong. As members of this lineage, Xenos and Gaius carry the family name, upholding their noble status and military legacy through their shared identity and familial bond.
• Vermillion – The Vermillion family name, carried by Cecilia. The Vermillion family name, carried by Cecilia. The lineage is a distinguished and long-running noble house of sorcery that endures for generations.
• Cecilia – The eldest daughter of the Vermillion Duchy, she is a noblewoman with striking crimson hair and translucent blue eyes. Cold and statue-like, she harbors deep disdain for her fiancé, Xenos, due to his lack of magic, and is actively seeking an annulment. Driven by status and an anxious, secret longing to become Prince Liam’s concubine, she views her current political engagement with icy contempt.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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