Chapter 62 The Ruler’s Games and the Princess’s Pride
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
We crushed our first tournament match. Still feeling the excitement, we made our way back to the waiting room.
”How did you do that? Magic of that scale… and you nullified it like it was nothing.”
Elenor’s sky-blue eyes shone with curiosity and the desire for answers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give her one. Even I didn’t fully understand how the Magic Seal worked.
I had no choice but to dodge the question.
”Hmph… if we got a little… closer… maybe I’d share that secret.”
I slid my hand around her waist, pulled her close, and whispered in her ear. A light floral smell drifted from her hair.
”Wha—! Y-you bastard… You’re just like him!”
Her face burned bright red as she glared at me with anger. Her glare was sharp enough to cut glass—but honestly? Even that reaction felt kind of cute.
”Relax. It was just a joke.”
I laughed, left her in the room, and headed for the VIP area reserved for team owners.
I stripped off the heavy, stiff combat gear and changed into my usual fine noble clothes. Removing the mask and transformation ring, I shifted back from the “Black Magic Swordsman” to “Zero the Loser”—Xenos Grimlock.
The man staring back from the mirror looked nothing like the swordsman from moments ago.
After taking a breath, I returned to the waiting room where Elenor was. Faint candlelight lined the corridor at even intervals, my quiet footsteps the only sound.
As I approached the door, I heard voices arguing inside. One of them was Elenor’s. I opened the door quietly—and found a disturbing scene.
Zoltan Rex—the master of this colosseum, the Abyss Pit—had cornered Elenor against the wall with several burly guards surrounding her. She was half-undressed. They must have barged in while she was changing.
Zoltan matched his reputation: a scary figure with a body built like steel, muscle upon muscle that could serve as a weapon in itself. His head was clean-shaven, and his right arm was covered in a dark tattoo of a dragon crossed with a sword.
Any child who saw him would burst into tears.
He grabbed Elenor’s chin, forcing her face up. She struggled desperately, her slender arms trembling. The distant roar of the colosseum felt far away—here, the air was heavy and stagnant.
”What do you want with my gladiator, Zoltan-sama?”
I spoke calmly, undeterred by the heavy atmosphere. My voice came out lower than I’d expected. Not anger, exactly—more a growing disgust rising from the back of my throat.
Zoltan barely glanced at me, as if I wasn’t worth his time, then turned his dirty look back to Elenor and stated his business.
He looked down on me completely—from the very core of his being. I felt heat slowly building in my chest.
”Nothing much. I was thinking I’d borrow her for the night. I’ve had my eye on her for a while—she’s a good one. Strong, spirited women… I love breaking them. And if she happens to be an exact copy of the princess? That just makes it all the more exciting. Ahh… I’m looking forward to this.”
Elenor glared at him, her eyes sharp with anger. But behind that anger… maybe a hint of fear. Her face had gone pale. Her lips trembled.
”Hoh. I like that look in your eyes. Makes the punishment all the more satisfying.”
The bastard was spouting nonsense. Elenor was mine. I wasn’t about to hand her over to someone like him. My fists tightened at my sides.
”Sorry, but she’s not for rent. If you need a bed warmer, look somewhere else.”
I stepped between Elenor and Zoltan, acting as if his guards didn’t even exist.
The moment I did, a killing pressure erupted from Zoltan’s entire body, locking onto me. It felt like a heavy boulder pressing down on my shoulders.
”Listen here, boy. Let me give you some advice. I don’t care if you’re some high-born noble—the world doesn’t always bow and scrape to your whims. Do yourself a favor. Lend me the girl for the night. If you do, I’ll forget your little disrespect just this once.”
Zoltan was a man who’d climbed to the top of the underworld with nothing but his fists. The colosseum’s top predator. His threats carried weight—nothing like some street punk’s empty threats.
It was terrifying. Truly. A chill ran down my spine that made my skin prickle.
But I kept my cool and flatly rejected him.
”I said no. Don’t make me repeat myself. …Lowlife.”
Not just a rejection—I threw in a little provocation too.
At my words, Zoltan’s face twisted with rage. His guards’ faces darkened to a reddish-black as the air around us seemed to freeze solid. One of the guards reached for his sword.
”…You’re gonna regret those words, you little brat.”
Zoltan left with those words, stomping out of the room with his guards in tow. The door slammed shut with an unnerving finality. Slowly, the heavy atmosphere began to lift.
After the storm passed, Elenor—still in her undergarments—tentatively spoke to me.
”Hey, Grimlock-sama… I…”
Her eyes still held a trace of fear.
I pulled her soft body into a tight embrace, trying to reassure her. I’d saved her from a crisis. I deserved a little contact, didn’t I? Her warmth seeped through my arms. I could feel her trembling slightly.
”Wha—?!”
”Were you scared? It’s okay now. You’re my woman. I’ll protect you. So don’t worry about anything.”
”L-Let me go, you shameless bastard! And who the hell is your woman?!”
Elenor shoved me away, her face burning red. Her strength was surprising—she was stronger than she looked.
”Hoh. Looks like you’ve got your spirit back.”
”Hmph! A-As if I was scared of scum like that! None of your business!”
She was putting up a brave front, but her voice still trembled slightly.
I took a moment to enjoy the sight of her messy state before saying, “Maybe you should get dressed first.”
Finally realizing her state of undress, Elenor shrieked and kicked me out of the room.
Sighing.
I leaned against the waiting room door, pulled out my portable communicator, and sent a message to the magical artifact installed in the arena.
The cool metal pressed against my palm.
There was no way those bastards would back down quietly. They’d make a move. And if they did, I’d need to be ready.
The bell had already rung. We were already at war.
—
Summary:
Xenos and Elenor return to the waiting room after a dominant tournament victory, where Elenor presses him about his magic-nullifying ability. Zoltan Rex, the colosseum master, corners a half-dressed Elenor and demands to borrow her for the night, leading Xenos to intervene with defiant refusal. After Zoltan retreats with a threat, Xenos comforts Elenor, then prepares countermeasures, knowing the conflict is far from over.
—
Trivia:
- Xenos’s Magic Seal ability remains unexplained even to himself, setting up a mystery for future chapters.
- The colosseum’s nickname “Abyss Pit” carries Buddhist hell imagery in the original Japanese.
- Zoltan’s tattoo of a dragon crossed with a sword marks him as a significant underworld figure.
- Elenor resembles the princess of the country, which heightens Zoltan’s predatory interest.
- The transformation ring is a key artifact enabling Xenos’s identity shift.
- The portable communicator and magical artifact setup suggests technological-magical hybrid systems exist in this world.
- Xenos’s internal admission of fear occurs only after the threat passes, never shown externally.
- The chapter title references both “ruler’s games” (Zoltan’s power play) and “princess’s pride” (Elenor’s dignity under threat).
Notes:
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Elenor – Princess Elenor, the “Saint of Light,” is a proud, haughty gladiator for Xenos’s Royal Phantom team. This elegant, blonde-haired princess with piercing sky-blue eyes carries herself with royal dignity, though she masks a stubborn, tsundere nature. Bound by Xenos’s Magic Seal, she shares a complex history with him, secretly harboring twisted desires for his dominance despite her outward disdain.
• Grimlock – As the mana-less heir to House Grimlock, Xenos masks his influence behind a noble facade and the “Zero the Loser” persona. Operating a shadow network with his father, Gaius, this “Royal Phantom” uses spatial magic and a Collar of Submission to manipulate others. He wields family authority to dismiss interference from Prince Liam, who maintains a cold, formal distance from him.
• Xenos – Xenos Grimlock, a reincarnated otome game villain, masks his genius as a loser heir to manipulate events from the shadows. Known as the “Black Magic Swordsman” under a cold mask and jet-black attire, he uses his [Magic Seal], [Ring of Transformation], and mind control to build an empire. Strategic and theatrical, he commands a loyal household of allies, including his slave Cecilia and familiar Kuuko.
• Zolta – Zoltan Rex, the ruthless master of the Abyss Coliseum, is a muscular, intimidating figure with a clean-shaven head and a dragon-and-sword tattoo on his right arm. Known for his thick neck, heavy gold chains, and cold, greedy eyes, this profit-fixated kingpin commands absolute authority over his underground domain, having climbed to power through brute force to organize the annual tournament.
• Rex – Zoltan bears the Rex family name, an authoritative lineage that commands the underworld hierarchy and rules over the underground colosseum.
• Zoltan – Zoltan Rex, the steel-forged kingpin of the Abyss Coliseum, is a large, brutish man known for his cruel disposition and intimidating authority. Easily recognized by his thick, gold-chained neck and cold, greedy eyes, this profit-fixated dominator wields power through fear and violence. He rules his domain with an iron fist, commanding all who enter while organizing the annual tournament.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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