Chapter 131 The Duel’s Ace in the Hole
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
My duel against the arrogant freshman, David Hargrave, was under way.
Dark, heavy clouds covered the sky, casting a gloomy shadow over the area. The stands surrounding the colosseum were packed with students who had heard the rumors. Every single pair of eyes was glued to us, watching our every move with bated breath.
The moment the match began, I threw a hidden pen, pulling off a flawless surprise attack. I had been practicing the throwing tricks I picked up from Myuril – the bodyguard to the Demon Realm’s princess, Lucifiel – in my free time, and my aim was pretty sharp by now.
”Gah!” David shrieked in high-pitched agony, the shock hitting him as the pen sank deep into his right arm.
At almost the exact same time, the massive fireball he’d launched went wildly off course, roaring past right beside me.
The blast of heat scraped against my cheek like a burn.
My biggest ace in the hole, [Magic Seal], nullifies all mana, but right now I had its range dialed down to the bare minimum. Unless a spell hit me dead-on, just passing near me wouldn’t be enough to cancel it out.
It wasn’t like I had to hide my true strength forever, but I wasn’t about to show off recklessly in a duel like this, either.
My attack landed, and his went wide.
A golden opportunity – the momentum was entirely on my side.
Even so, I didn’t try to end things in one blow, nor did I rush in to close the distance. Instead, I casually walked toward David as if I were just taking a stroll.
* * *
”Urgh… Damn you! How could you use such a cheap trick…!” David spat out.
Clutching his bleeding right arm with his left hand, his face twisted in pain as he backed away to put distance between us. He didn’t even reach for the wand he had dropped. Instead, he began conjuring a new fireball right in front of him.
However, doing it without a wand while suffering from blinding pain threw off his concentration. The accuracy and power of his magic were visibly worse than before. The clumsy, flickering flame showed just how much he was struggling.
I decided to press my advantage.
I slowly drew the sword at my waist, making sure he saw it. The blade gave off a dull shine under the cloudy sky.
The expression on David’s pain-contorted face shifted to pure dread.
He’d just taken a direct physical hit. Seeing a bare blade right after that had to be terrifying.
”N-No… Stay back!” David screamed.
Panicking, he threw the unstable spell right at me. Even if it was incomplete, the blast carried enough fire to easily kill a man as it came roaring toward me.
But I had timed his cast perfectly.
The second he released the attack, I threw myself sideways into a roll across the ground.
I didn’t just dodge, either.
As I rolled, I spun the sword in my hand and hurled it straight at David. The weakened fireball flew harmlessly through the empty air where I’d been standing just seconds ago.
My thrown sword struck David in the chest, mercilessly tearing through his high-end uniform. The wound was shallow, but red blood quickly began to seep out and run down his front.
It dripped onto the ground like crimson sweat.
* * *
After rolling past his spell, I used the momentum to spring to my feet, instantly closing the gap between us.
”Eek! You… stay away from me!” David yelled.
In a desperate bid to stop my advance, he scrambled to cast a spell, trying to summon a wall of fire. A faint shimmer of heat flared up around him, ready to grow into a protective shield.
But before the magic could fully take shape –
I grabbed David by the collar and slammed my open fist directly into his shocked face with everything I had.
CRACK!
The wet, sickening sound of impact echoed across the colosseum.
The frail flames trying to protect him shattered instantly. Whether that was because of my [Magic Seal] or simply because David completely lost his focus, I couldn’t tell.
Either way, the half-baked spell vanished.
I kept my grip on David’s collar. If I kept beating him like this, I’d win easily. Instead, I let him go and called out in a loud voice that carried all the way to the stands.
”Are we still doing this? Or are you giving up?” I asked.
”Ugh… n-ngh…” David groaned.
His fight was completely gone.
Still, with so many students watching his pathetic state, he couldn’t bring himself to back down easily.
He didn’t surrender.
Even so, it was obvious that if he tried to cast another spell right now, my fist would hit him long before the magic went off.
I was far too close to him.
And he had already lost his wand.
Magic was out of the question.
Still, he had to try something – so, in a last-ditch effort, he resorted to a physical attack.
David swung his good left fist, aiming straight for my face.
I easily caught his amateur punch with my right arm. Hidden underneath my sleeve was a specialized defense vambrace.
SMACK!
A dull, hard thud echoed between us, and David’s face twisted in agony.
That had to hurt like hell.
- Sorry about that.
I grabbed the arm he’d swung at me, swept his legs, and slammed him mercilessly onto the ground.
”Gah!” David choked out.
He couldn’t get back up right away, squirming pathetically on the floor.
”That’s match! The winner is Xenos Grimlock!” Aldrick announced, his booming voice echoing across the field.
* * *
”Not bad, Grimlock! Hey, what do you say – how about a round with me next?” Aldrick yelled out.
”I’ll have to pass,” I replied.
I flatly turned down Aldrick’s ridiculous offer and headed straight toward Cecilia and Lizel, who had been quietly watching my victory.
I’d much rather spend time with two lovely girls than a sweaty brute.
David’s followers, who had been acting so big and tough earlier, stood stunned by my overwhelming victory for a while. But as soon as I started walking away, they snapped out of it and rushed over to David, dragging him off toward the infirmary.
Honestly, this match was heavily stacked in my favor from the start.
I had an absolute ace in the hole: my [Magic Seal].
I didn’t even use it this time, but simply having it gave me the mental composure of knowing I could neutralize any magic thrown at me.
David’s spells had enough raw power to kill someone on impact. Normally, just having that kind of firepower pointed at you would make anyone sweat, tremble with fear, and lose their cool.
When you’re that tense, you can barely hold a sword straight.
That kind of mental composure often matters far more than raw skill when it comes to deciding who wins and who loses.
”That was a splendid victory, Lord Xenos,” Cecilia said warmly.
”W-Well, I guess you did alright. For you, anyway… I suppose you deserve a little praise,” Lizel mumbled, turning her head.
Heartfelt words of praise from my two beautiful fiancées.
And so, the duel meant to put the new students in their place came to an end, blessed by two lovely girls.
Notes:
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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