The magic-meter right before my eyes showed zero.
The number on the screen stayed at zero, not even twitching. It was completely
frozen. A cold declaration thrown right at me: “You have no magical power.” All that from a simple
machine, acting so high and mighty.
That’s strange. I definitely had some yesterday…
”Is it broken?” I muttered.
No, it was working just fine for the other students.
This was—
A cold, hard reality thrust upon me.
In that moment, I realized I had been reincarnated.
In my past life, I was just an ordinary high schooler. Average grades, no special
talent, then suddenly hit by a truck running a red light and died just like that. A textbook-perfect
reincarnation.
But the cause of my past death doesn’t matter.
The problem is the reality right in front of me.
The number on the meter remained at zero, refusing to budge.
”…Wait, seriously? Zero?” I whispered.
The murmur welling up from the bottom of my heart was heard by no one.
It couldn’t be.
This auditorium had been wrapped in a strange buzz for a while now. The sound was a
mix of whispered secrets from countless noble children, the faint hum of magic tools (devices powered by magical
energy) starting up, and the rustle of silk garments they wore.
This is the Royal Magic Academy, “Arcanum.”
It’s the day of the annual magic measurement.
In this ritual, where newly enrolled noble children measure their magic, a high
score earns the respect of those around them and guarantees their future. Conversely, a low score means being
treated accordingly. But “zero”? That was unheard of in the academy’s long history.
My status is the second son of the Margrave of the Asgard Kingdom—
Xenos Grimlock.
The Grimlock family stands on the front lines of the warrior class, tasked with
guarding the border against the Adrastea Empire, a long-time enemy of the kingdom. For generations, we have
produced those with immense magical power, supporting the kingdom’s defense with that very strength.
And I, the second son of such a house, have zero magical power—?
”No way. I’m the final boss, aren’t I?” I thought.
That’s right.
I know about this world.
Because this is the world of ‘War Chronicles of Light and Darkness: Prince
Liam’s Great Adventure,’ a game I played like a madman in my past life. The final boss of this game is
none other than this man, Xenos Grimlock.
The dark summoner who stands before the kingdom’s army at the end of the game.
The “incarnation of despair,” possessing vast dark magical power, capable
of summoning demons, monsters, and dark beasts at will, driving the forces of light led by Prince Liam into
desperate straits time and time again.
That was Xenos.
I am the final boss… or I should be.
And yet, my magic is zero.
Not only no dark attribute, but I’ve been judged to have no magical power
whatsoever.
I am literally nothing.
The faint light of the measurement device pulsed, as if to point out my sense of
emptiness.
The game is a story where the hero, Prince Liam of the Asgard Kingdom, goes through
three years of magic academy life, plunges into a world war, and finally defeats me, Xenos, to save the world.
The first day of academy life.
In this magic measurement, Prince Liam shows immense light-attribute magical power
and becomes the center of attention. And I—Xenos—am supposed to shock everyone with an extraordinary amount of
dark-attribute magic.
…That was the plan.
Instead, zero magic.
At that moment, I heard the sound of the game’s scenario shattering in my head.
A final boss with zero magic?
That’s not a final boss anymore.
Just a mob noble.
No, even less than that.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
At this rate, my life is in danger, let alone the game’s progression.
In this world, non-human demi-humans are looked down on, and even commoners with
magic are used as slaves. In a world where the strong survive, a noble with zero magic has no value. Especially
in the warrior-class Grimlock family.
My inner panic had hit its limit, but on the surface, I acted perfectly cool.
I offered a cold smile and stepped away from the measuring device.
The sound of my hard leather shoes scraping against the floor echoed strangely
loud.
”Hmm… so this is the result. Interesting,” I said, keeping my voice calm.
A cool distance, as if I had foreseen this result from the beginning.
No, I was just pretending not to care.
Inside, I was screaming, “Are you kidding me, man!”
I felt something bitter rising in the back of my throat.
I could feel the whispers of the surrounding noble children turning into mockery.
Curious eyes, pitiful eyes, and disdainful eyes.
Their gazes pierced my back like thorns.
At the edge of my vision was Cecilia Vermillion, my fiancée.
A Duchess’s daughter with striking, flaming red hair; her eyes were fixed on me
with clear disdain.
Her crimson dress shimmered with an attractive light, as if showing her anger.
Knowing her competitive nature, her pride wouldn’t allow for a fiancé with zero magic.
No, the Vermillion Duchy, her family, holds strong influence over the Asgard
Kingdom’s military. A Xenos with zero magic is simply worthless now.
What should I do now….
”…Nothing I can do for now, I guess.” I sighed.
I can’t blame her for hating me.
Because I’m the final boss, and I have zero magic.
As I left the auditorium, whispers rained down on my back.
They cut into my heart like sharp blades.
”To think the Margrave’s son would have zero magic…” someone
whispered.
”The Grimlock family is finished, then.”
”With this, your engagement to Xenos-sama will surely be broken,
Cecilia-sama.”
Yeah, I know.
I know it all.
I somehow finished the first day at the magic academy and returned to the Grimlock
mansion in the royal capital, Grau. The hustle and bustle of the capital felt far away, and the mansion felt
terribly quiet.
I lay on the bed in my spacious room, staring at the plastered ceiling.
What should I do from here?
The faint light of dusk filtered into the room, making my impatience even worse.
Reincarnation bonus, cheat ability, awakening. In a game world, there should be
something.
But right now, the reality of having zero magic and the setup of being a final boss
weigh heavily on me.
”A final boss with zero magic—doesn’t that just make me a harmless
civilian? I mean, there’s no need to subjugate me, right? No, wait, before that, this is ‘exile’
from aristocratic society… isn’t it?”
As I was thinking, there was a quiet knock on the door.
”Xenos-sama, the Master is calling for you. He says to come to his
study,” the butler announced.
The butler’s voice.
The sound was no different than usual, but to my ears, it sounded like the call of
a grim reaper.
It came, just as I expected.
I had prepared for the worst-case scenario.
But I didn’t think it would be this soon.
I had no choice but to brace myself for my father’s summons.
I stood up and headed to the study with heavy steps.
The carpet in the hallway was so quiet it seemed to swallow the sound of my
footsteps.
When I opened the heavy oak door of the study, there sat my father, Margrave Gaius
Grimlock, and my older brother, the heir, Leon Grimlock.
The room was filled with a heavy silence and a faint, dusty smell. Portraits of
past heads of the house lined the walls, and their gazes felt like they were piercing right through me.
My father’s face was stern, his mouth set in a hard line, showing clear anger.
My brother had his arms crossed, directing a cold gaze at me.
His eyes were like ice.
”Xenos. Sit,” my father commanded.
My father’s voice, unlike his usual proud tone, was somehow cold.
It rang out as if all emotion had been scraped away from it.
I sat in the hard wooden chair across from them, just as told.
The coldness of the seat ran down my spine.
After a few seconds of silence, my father opened his mouth.
His words shook the heavy air of the room.
”I heard about the magic measurement results. To think someone with zero magic
would come from the Grimlock family…”
My father’s words struck me in the chest.
Of course they did.
This family is all about magic.
It is the proof of our blood, and our reason for being.
My father knows that I had magic up until yesterday.
But now, I have none.
That is everything.
”Xenos, I have decided to exile you from the Grimlock family.”
As I thought.
I had predicted it.
But hearing it, a cold drop of sweat ran down my spine, and my skin prickled.
My throat was terribly dry.
”However, I cannot just throw you out and be done with it.”
At my father’s words, I couldn’t help but look up.
My gaze had been fixed on the cold floor, but I looked up without thinking.
Not just an ordinary exile?
…What does that mean?
My muscles stiffened. My heart was beating hard.
My father’s gaze shifted to my brother sitting next to him.
”Fight a duel with Leon. A zero-magic wretch like you probably will not stand
a chance against Leon… but at least, face your end in a way that does not shame the blood of the
Grimlocks.”
A duel—?
Me, with zero magic, against my brother, who possesses the strongest magic in the
Grimlock family…?
”No, that’s impossible…” I wheezed.
A rough voice leaked from my mouth.
Weakly, as if swallowed by the heavy air of the room.
There’s no way I can win.
With zero magic, I have no future but death.
This is not an ‘exile.’ It’s a death sentence—
An ‘execution.’
I thought I had been reincarnated as a final boss, only to head straight for a bad
end within hours of the game starting.
You have got to be kidding me!
My inner scream just echoed hollowly.
The red of the setting sun shining into the room looked exactly like the color of
blood.
Summary:
Xenos, a student at Arcanum Academy, is shocked to discover his magic meter
registers zero during an annual measurement. He realizes he has reincarnated into the role of the game’s
final boss, but his lack of power threatens to turn his expected “final boss” life into a swift
execution. Upon returning home, his father, Margrave Gaius Grimlock, formally banishes him and forces a
death-match duel against his brother, Leon. Xenos is left trapped in a deadly situation with no clear path to
survival.
Trivia:
- The setting is the Royal Magic Academy, Arcanum, in the Asgard Kingdom.
- The Grimlock family is a warrior-class house specializing in border defense
against the Adrastea Empire.
- Xenos had magical power yesterday, implying his current state of “zero”
is a recent and mysterious development.
- Cecilia Vermillion’s disdain is driven by her family’s influential
position in the kingdom’s military, rendering an alliance with a “zero-magic” noble strategically
void.