Chapter 129 The New Student’s Challenge
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After commissioning the dwarf princess Eil to craft my exclusive weapon, I saw Liliana back to her quarters, then headed straight for the academy.
The steady rhythm of hooves striking cobblestone.
The fragrant aroma wafting from the bakery.
Morning in the Royal Capital was always alive with activity.
From the Grimlock family’s private stable at the academy, I walked on foot toward the white-walled school building, gleaming in the morning sun.
The short walk drew plenty of looks from students on their way to class. This time of day saw many commuters, across all grade levels. Their gazes were a complicated blend of curiosity, awe, contempt, and a hint of hostility.
I was, after all, something of a spectacle at this academy.
The zero-mana failure.
Yet also the heir to the leading house of the pro-war faction.
And despite all that, the mysterious man who exchanged candid opinions with Princess Elisabeth of the enemy nation – the Adrastea Empire.
Not to mention, I’d fought Prince Liam’s battle-hungry aide Aldrick to a standstill with nothing but my fists, and I was the young owner of the Royal Capital’s most popular theater-restaurant, Star of the Desert.
To the freshmen who’d entered this year, I must have looked like some novelty celebrity.
Near the school’s main entrance, I spotted a cluster of students waiting. Unfamiliar faces – probably a group of first-years.
The well-dressed young man at the center of the group stepped forward, clearly having been lying in wait for me.
”Excuse me. You are Lord Xenos Grimlock, I presume?” he said, his tone polished and respectful. “I am David Hargrave, second son of the Hargrave Count family. I apologize for the suddenness, but I challenge you to a duel. Will you accept?”
The freshman’s neatly groomed brown hair gleamed richly in the morning sun. He was handsome, too. A count’s second son, judging by the crowd of followers around him, he was clearly one of the top performers among the new students.
(So this guy’s challenging me to a duel, huh… I see.)
If I refused, he could trumpet his “legend” across the academy: The Margrave Grimlock heir fled in fear. And if I accepted – well, with me being zero-mana, he probably figured he could easily win using magic.
Even if I’d fought Aldrick to a draw, that had been a no-magic, fist-only brawl. It looked to outsiders like Aldrick had simply chosen not to use magic out of fairness to the magicless me. If you heard only the broad strokes, it wasn’t unreasonable to think, I can win with magic.
Since he was picking this fight, he’d obviously done his homework on me.
David wasn’t the heir – he was the second son. He probably felt the pressure to make a name for himself while still a student. The kind of merit that would earn him recognition – he must have craved it like a drowning man gasping for air.
Not just David’s followers, but the other students on their way to class had stopped too, focusing their attention on our exchange.
At the edge of my vision, I spotted three figures who stood out.
Prince Liam, his aide Aldrick, and Elliot.
The prince and his two attendants – all three together, unusual for this early hour.
( – Alright. What to do?)
I had options. I could accept the duel or turn it down.
Until now, I’d deliberately hidden my true abilities. To avoid unwanted attention.
But more than a year had passed since I’d regained my past-life memories in this world. I’d fought in numerous battles, secured ample funds through theater management, and built a network of trustworthy allies. I’d even completed the material gathering for my new custom weapon.
Meanwhile, Prince Liam – who was supposed to be my rival – showed no signs of intensive combat training. He was probably studying magic diligently at the academy, but that was all.
Prince Liam had fallen behind while I’d sprinted from the starting line.
It was still better to keep my strength hidden. But now, for me, that was a preference, not a necessity.
(…I don’t mind accepting this duel.)
But first –
”Before I answer, let me ask you one thing,” I said, fixing him with a steady gaze. ” – What’s your reason for challenging me to a duel?”
Confirming his motive. I had no interest in pointless fights here.
Depending on his answer, I’d decide my final response.
”…My reason for challenging you,” David replied, his voice carrying a note of determination. “It’s to search for Princess Liliana. If I win this duel – or if you flee and refuse it – I’d like permission to search every corner of your family estate, the Grimlock manor.”
Huh. I see.
He wants to make a big show of personally contributing to the search for Princess Liliana in front of the royal family. If he beats me – the pro-war faction heir – it’d earn him royal favor. And it demonstrates his willingness to cooperate with the royal family’s investigation. And if, by some luck, Princess Liliana were actually discovered at the Grimlock manor – well, that would be an astronomical achievement.
For David, a count’s second son with anxiety about his future, even marrying Princess Liliana wouldn’t be a pipe dream.
…A shrewd one.
Just as I opened my mouth to accept his ambitious challenge –
An unexpected voice called for a halt between us.
It was Prince Liam himself.
”Hold! Hargrave!” the prince interjected, his tone carrying regal authority. “As her brother, I’m truly grateful for your concern for my sister. But Xenos here was the one who actively cooperated with our investigation the other day. For you to unilaterally challenge him to a duel and search his estate – I cannot condone that.”
Strange.
For Prince Liam to throw me a lifeline…
I felt a faint but undeniable sense of wrongness.
(…What is it?)
I sifted through the feeling, trying to pin it down.
Wrongness one: Aldrick – that battle maniac – hadn’t reacted at all to the sweet word duel. He was staying completely quiet.
Wrongness two: Elliot, who usually came at me with spine-reflex aggression regardless of the setting, was just biting his lip and staying silent.
And above all, this was completely out of character for Prince Liam.
(…Are these three trying to stop me from dueling? Or maybe it’s the house search they’re trying to prevent?)
But the house search should be a perfect opportunity for Prince Liam – a chance that’s practically a godsend.
The sudden princely intervention had David – the one who’d challenged me – looking flustered.
Well, whatever.
I’m the one who was challenged.
How I answer is my decision.
”Prince Liam, I’m honored that you would arbitrate personally,” I said, my voice carrying a note of theatrical confidence. “However, I cannot disregard Sir Hargrave’s passionate concern for Princess Liliana. – Sir Hargrave. I respectfully accept your duel.”
I declared it with absolute confidence radiating from my entire being.
I met David’s eyes – opened slightly in surprise – directly. He was pitiful prey, soon to be taken down.
Like a prince played by a stage actor, brimming with charisma, starlight glinting in my eyes –
I rose to the challenge with unwavering dignity.
—
Summary:
Xenos returns to the academy after commissioning a weapon from Eil and escorting Liliana home, where he is confronted by an ambitious new student named David Hargrave who challenges him to a duel as a pretext to search the Grimlock manor for the missing princess. Prince Liam unexpectedly intervenes on Xenos’s behalf, a move so out of character that Xenos begins to suspect a hidden motive behind the prince’s uncharacteristic protectiveness. Despite the prince’s interference, Xenos accepts the challenge, leaving the true purpose behind the sudden intervention of Liam, Aldrick, and Elliot unresolved.
—
Trivia:
Xenos has been hiding his true combat abilities for over a year since regaining his past-life memories, deliberately avoiding attention.
The duel challenge is explicitly framed by David as a way to gain royal favor by appearing to personally contribute to Princess Liliana’s search.
All three of Prince Liam’s entourage (Liam, Aldrick, Elliot) behave out of character in this scene, with Aldrick staying silent despite normally reacting to combat challenges.
Xenos notes that Liam shows no signs of intensive combat training and has fallen behind while Xenos built his resources and network.
The Star of the Desert theater-restaurant is established as the Royal Capital’s most popular venue, providing Xenos with substantial financial resources.
Notes:
• 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.
• Eil – Dwarf princess and skilled artisan. Energetic and earnest with a bright, hopeful demeanor. Works alongside her four attendants to forge weapons and build a smithy. Shows shy vulnerability when confronted with romantic advances.
• Grimlock – Xenos’s family name.
• Elisabeth – Princess of the Adrastea Empire, an enemy nation. Xenos is noted to exchange opinions with her, contributing to his mysterious reputation.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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