Chapter 63 The Dominator’s Frustration and the Counterattack’s Signal Fire
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I picked up the Communication Magic tool from the colosseum’s waiting room. The cold stone walls pressed in around me, and a faint mechanical hum reached my ears. I connected to the theater’s communication device and sent a short message—a simple order to Hawks, the hawk beast-man worker secretly employed as a theater employee, telling him to fly up above the underground colosseum immediately.
The order was simple: “Watch for tails.”
”Alright, let’s head back.”
I ended the transmission and called out to Elenor, who still seemed worried. Her eyes still held the heat of the match she’d just seen, along with a remaining fear she couldn’t quite shake.
”…Are you sure about this? That man doesn’t seem like the type to back down quietly.”
I wrapped my arm around the princess’s thin waist as she looked up at me with clear worry. She felt light but warm, her body heat going through my palm.
”Don’t worry. I’ve already set things in motion. Leave it to me.”
We played the part of a loving couple as we walked through the dark corridor of the underground colosseum.
The air was thick with the smell of wet earth and dust. Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, we came above ground—the cool evening air hit my flushed skin like a welcome relief. In the western sky, painted with the first touches of red, a pale moon floated faintly.
We got into the expensive carriage with the Grimlock family crest, waiting outside. The inside, decorated with rich ornaments and the light smell of leather, was comfortable and barely moved.
I gave the driver instructions, and we took an intentionally long route back to the mansion.
First, as always, I brought Elenor home with me. I led her to the guest room and had Lilia, my loyal slave, serve her the best tea. The steam rising from the silver teapot released a light sweet smell into the room.
In the meantime, I went out into the courtyard alone.
As the cool night began to settle, I looked up at the red-streaked sky. A single hawk came down silently from the pale blue sky, cutting through the air without a sound—Hawks.
”Any suspicious activity?”
”Yeah, you were right. A carriage kept a careful distance and followed us the whole way. Three men got out, and they’re still hiding around the mansion’s edge.”
Likely Zoltan’s informants. They’d have confirmed that I brought Elenor—or rather, her gladiator double—back to the mansion. Their goal was clear: find out whether she lived here or used the mansion as a stop, then plan their kidnapping of the real Elenor once they’d found where she lived.
”Ashraf, come out.”
At my casual call, a low voice answered from behind me, as though my own shadow had separated itself.
”You called, Xenos-sama?”
A strong presence that seemed to merge with the darkness itself.
”There are three suspicious individuals around the mansion. Capture them alive and throw them in the monster cages.”
”Understood.”
That suspicious demon would handle such dirty work well—and, no doubt, with some enjoyment. I’d leave the intruders to him.
As Ashraf went back into the shadows, I turned to Hawks. His bright eyes shone in the increasing darkness.
”As a precaution, keep watch from above on the carriage that will take Elenor to the castle. If there are still any other followers, come report to me immediately.”
”Yeah, yeah… Damn, you really work me hard, boss.”
”Don’t complain. You spend most of your workdays taking naps on the roof. The least you can do is work properly when it counts.”
”…Fine.”
Hawks shrugged with a giving-up expression, then changed into his hawk form and rose silently into the night sky.
His large wings spread, disappearing into the darkness like ink in water.
I returned to the mansion and went to get Elenor, waiting in the guest room. Her expression still held a bit of tension. I put an arm around her shoulders—she knew nothing of what was happening—and led her gently to the carriage I’d prepared at the entrance.
”Wh-why must you be so familiar with me, you fool?”
Her cheeks flushed red even in the low light.
”You’re happy, but you can’t be honest, can you?”
I watched silently as the carriage carrying Elenor disappeared into the night.
Only the faraway sound of the leaving carriage broke the quiet.
Back in my private study, I sat down to write a letter to Zoltan, the colosseum’s ruler. The smell of ink filled the room.
”I’ve taken the liberty of hosting your three dogs here. I’ll return them—if you come to apologize.”
By using the captured informants, I was sending an invitation to talk.
Afterward, I spent a relaxing evening with Lilia and Mina taking care of me in my private room, enjoying the comfort of their presence and letting the tiredness from the fights of recent days fully melt away.
As I sank into the soft bed, I felt the tension slowly loosen from both body and mind. I pulled both of them close and gently stroked their heads. A villain of my position needed these quiet moments to secretly admire the important things in my care.
The next day, during lunch break at the academy.
I left the noise of students behind and went to the rooftop.
Under a sky of bright blue, the wind brushed nicely against my cheeks. There, I received a report from Hawks on last night’s watching. So far, no suspicious individuals had appeared around Elenor. As long as she stayed at the king’s palace or the academy, the princess should be safe.
Zoltan wasn’t targeting the “real” princess.
Still, I couldn’t leave things as they were. We still needed to compete in the colosseum matches.
I sent Hawks back to the theater and left my classes early, returning to the mansion to check for Zoltan’s reply.
On my private study desk lay a strange envelope.
The letter had arrived as expected.
But its contents completely ignored my demand—instead sending another threat, demanding once more that I hand over “that woman.” The paper clearly showed Zoltan’s pride.
He clearly had no intention of making an agreement.
”…Ashraf.”
I called my servant’s name into the empty room.
”Yes, Xenos-sama?”
”Talks with Zoltan have failed. We move to the next phase.”
I started planning our next steps with Ashraf. The quiet sound of our voices filled the quiet study.
And that night—
I found myself heading back to that place. The place where blood and desire mixed in equal measure.
I felt cold determination rising from the soles of my feet.
* * *
Zoltan was frustrated.
He slammed his fist against the heavy desk in his office, the thick wood groaning in protest—a sound that matched the violence of his mood. Three of his informants—sent to gather information on Elenor, that beautiful prize—had yet to return. Not one.
”…Did they actually fail?”
They were experienced workers. Not the type to get caught so easily.
But then—a letter arrived. From Xenos Grimlock.
Zoltan tore it open carelessly, and as he read, his expression turned with disgust.
He clicked his tongue in irritation, bitterness filling his mouth.
It seemed his opponent’s security had outsmarted him. He’d thought himself subtle, following the woman to learn where she lived. Instead, his men had been found and captured.
”…So he’s got some real professionals on his payroll.”
He’d sent back a response to Grimlock’s letter, insisting the bastard hand over “the fake Elenor” quietly.
”The hell would I take orders from some snot-nosed brat?!”
Zoltan stood up, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles went white. His mood was bad. Nothing cleared his head like some action.
So he decided to satisfy himself.
Standing alone in the silent colosseum ring—empty of spectators, lit only by dim, flickering lights.
The air was thick with that clear blend of cold dirt, sweat, and the remaining metallic smell of blood. It filled his lungs.
He had a magic beast and two slaves dragged out from the cells. The groan of rusted iron bars and the rattle of chains echoed through the silence. What followed would be a private match—for no one’s fun but his own.
First, he beat the magic beast to death with his bare hands—a careful, thorough tearing apart. The beast’s painful sounds echoed through the underground space. The feeling of flesh splitting, bones crushing to powder beneath his fists, went straight to his palms. Red spray splashed across the ring’s floor, and the metallic smell of blood grew stronger in the air.
The feeling—the smell—slightly comforted his troubled mind.
Having made his point, he turned to the slaves.
They were young brothers. Pale with fear, shaking as they stood before him.
He gave them each a polished knife. Blades sharp enough to cut clean through bone.
Zoltan had no weapon.
And yet the brothers couldn’t move. Frozen by his scary presence—by the atrocity they’d just seen.
Their eyes swam with despair.
”Come, then. Let us begin.”
Zoltan smiled—a cruel, eager smile. The look of a predator sizing up its prey.
And in the next instant—
—CRUNCH!!
His fist, heavy as a hammer, drove into the face of the older brother. The dull sound of flesh giving way—the crushing feeling of broken bone—went straight to Zoltan’s palm.
The younger brother’s despairing scream echoed hollowly through the empty colosseum.
That painful cry—
Perhaps to Zoltan, it sounded like beautiful music.
—
Summary:
Xenos orchestrates surveillance and captures Zoltan’s informants, then sends a letter demanding an apology, which Zoltan refuses with threats. After a peaceful evening with his slaves, Xenos receives Zoltan’s defiant reply and prepares for the next move. Meanwhile, Zoltan’s frustration boils over into a private, brutal exhibition of violence against a magic beast and two enslaved brothers, revealing his sadistic nature and escalating the conflict.
—
Trivia:
- Xenos uses a Communication Magic artifact to contact Hawks, who works undercover at the theater.
- Elenor’s gladiator double is used as a decoy to mislead Zoltan’s informants.
- Ashraf is a shadow operative who merges with darkness and handles dirty work.
- Zoltan’s private matches involve killing a magic beast and tormenting slaves for stress relief.
- The letter exchange between Xenos and Zoltan marks a failed negotiation, escalating the conflict.
- Xenos’s leisure time with Lilia and Mina contrasts with Zoltan’s violent outburst.
- The academy rooftop serves as a surveillance point for Hawks to report on Elenor’s safety.
- Zoltan’s informants were captured and thrown into monster cages as a message.
- The older slave brother’s face is crushed by Zoltan’s fist, producing a sickening CRUNCH sound.
- The younger brother’s despairing scream is perceived as beautiful music by Zoltan.
Notes:
• Hawks – A weary, sharp-eyed hawk beast-kin with a melancholic past as an enslaved assassin, he now lives as a grounded, sarcastic theater employee. Though he projects a laid-back air, he remains a dedicated operative for Xenos, balancing his theater duties with covert surveillance. Haunted by his history, he brings a cynical yet pragmatic perspective to his work and his complex relationships with others.
• 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.
• Lilia – A voluptuous, mature slave and maid at Xenos’s underground facility, she bears a chest tattoo and nullified crest. Quiet and submissive, she balances sycophantic devotion to Xenos with professional grace, whether tending to him, collaborating with Mina, or handling high-society receptions. She remains efficient and competent, rarely showing emotion except when expressing unusual, hidden zeal.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ashraf – Ashraf is a dark elf shadow operative and Xenos’s loyal butler. A master of stealth who merges seamlessly with darkness, he balances elite decorum with cold, brutal efficiency. Dressed in a tailored suit, the powerful, shadow-bound anchor hides pitch-black eyes and a dark past behind a deferential tone, serving as a silent, formidable protector who eliminates all threats to his master.
• 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.
• Mina – Kai’s sister, a dedicated Grimlock estate maid, serves Xenos with loyal, childlike enthusiasm. Adorned in a rabbit kigurumi and dancer’s attire with soft brown hair, she provides him comfort and companionship in his private chambers. Beyond her duties, she is deeply devoted to her allies, caring for Kuuko and Kai’s kitten while maintaining a private, loving bond with her brother and affection for Cecilia.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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