The opulent guest room of the Grimlock mansion.
Polished black floors reflected the light. Gold-rimmed paintings with fine carvings lined the walls at even distances. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, filling the whole room with bright light.
I sat deep in a leather sofa, looking over the two people in front of me.
One was Count’s daughter, Lizel Blanchett. Her bright pink hair was long. She had a doll-like face with wide, round eyes.
Under her pretty behavior was a flash of annoyance.
The other was Kai, the magic-slave boy who followed her like a shadow. His face was pale, showing a mix of fear and caution.
A tension they could not fully hide hung over them. I wore a bold, mean grin and set the trap on purpose.
”Welcome, Mademoiselle Blanchett,” I said, my voice full of rich mockery. “What business do you have with me today? Maybe you came to challenge me to a ‘Duel’ to get back at your fiancé?”
At my words, Lizel’s eyebrow moved.
Her thin brows went up in annoyance. Her fiancé, Luca Dalton, had challenged me to a Duel the other day and I beat him soundly.
”Who would do that for a guy like that….” she spat, her tone full of noble dislike. “I don’t care about him.”
Her voice had no feeling.
It seems she has no love at all for her fiancé.
”My business today is with your slave,” she said, looking down her nose at me. “There should be a girl named Mina here.”
”Oh?” I replied, acting casual. “And what business do you have with my maid?”
I knew everything already, but I asked like I did not care.
”I want you to give her to me,” she ordered, her body stiff. “She is Kai’s… only younger sister. As for money, I’ll pay double what you paid — no, triple.”
”…Hmm, triple, you say,” I said, resting my chin on my hand and acting like I was thinking hard.
”It seems there is a special reason for this,” I went on, watching her closely. “It’s only human to not want to let go of something someone wants this badly…”
”Wh—!” Lizel gasped, her face going red as she saw her mistake.
A clear look of impatience showed in her eyes.
Just as I thought, she was not used to this kind of mind game.
A sheltered little miss, indeed.
”…What are you trying to say?” she snapped, a look of bitter disgust on her face. “You are not going to start saying you want my panties like that pervert, are you?”
”Ghk…!”
I held back the urge to burst out laughing.
I did not see that coming.
(Hold it together, me. If I laugh now, the dignity of the master of this house will fall…)
”Underwear, is it?” I said, steadying my voice with smooth style. “While an offer from a young lady such as yourself is truly charming… I am a gentleman. I will say no.”
I kept my calm and went on with the talk.
I dropped my voice a little, making it more serious.
”Instead of that, why do we not play a fun game? For example, we play a game, and if you win, I will give you the slave for free.”
”Ha?” she said, narrowing her eyes. “What do you get from that?”
”Putting something you want on the line makes for a real, serious match, does it not? What shall we play? Chess, darts, or maybe billiards. Anything is fine. Pick what you like.”
At my offer, Lizel looked confused for a moment, but then a fighting light grew in her eyes. She looked like she had just thought of something clever.
”Anything is fine, right…. Then, let us make it a magic match,” she challenged, her voice cold. “How about that? A ‘Zero Mana’ like you, are you really going to agree? If you run, I will count it as my win.”
—Yes, she took the bait.
Things were going just as I planned.
”Very well,” I agreed with a smirk. “Then, shall we have our Duel in the courtyard?”
”Eh…?”
When I agreed right away, Lizel looked shocked, like she was caught off guard. Her mouth stayed open a little, frozen.
She probably thought I would surely run away.
We left the guest room and went to the mansion’s courtyard.
The smell of wet soil and grass with morning dew touched my nose. We faced each other, keeping a few meters of space.
Lizel and Kai, standing next to her, began to raise their Mana at the same time.
The air around us grew restless, and the wind began to spin around the two of them. Small stones at their feet floated lightly into the air. The air felt like it was pricking my skin.
(It seems they only want to hit me with a strong gust of wind, nothing deadly.)
From the flow of their Mana, it was clear they did not plan to really hurt me.
”Do not blame me,” Lizel shouted, her voice nearly lost in the roar of the wind. “You are the one who proposed this match!”
(I would have an easier time if you came at me with real killing intent, but…)
Well, whatever.
After I win this Duel, I will “train” her well, just like I did with Elenor.
Come on, then.
I braced myself—
And just as Lizel and Kai were about to let out their spinning wind.
For a split second, I thought I saw something white flash from the shadows of the mansion at the back of the courtyard.
”Please stop! Big Brother!!”
A high-pitched girl’s voice cut through the tense air.
Mina, in her maid uniform, had heard the noise and come running out from the mansion. Her white apron fluttered at her chest.
”Mina!?” Kai cried out, his voice cracking with surprise, and his control over his magic shook.
The spinning wind dropped in an instant.
”W-what are you doing to my Master!” Mina yelled, standing in front of me and spreading her arms wide. “Master is a very kind person who treats me very well!”
Her small back was shaking, but she stood firm, ready to protect me.
Afterward, after hearing through her tears how well she was treated in this mansion and about her kind senior, Lilia, Lizel and Kai seemed fully disarmed.
”…I-I am sorry,” Lizel said, looking quite awkward. “It seems it was all a misunderstanding on our part.”
”No, it seems there was a misunderstanding, but think nothing of it,” I replied, giving a generous nod.
After checking Mina’s safety several times, Lizel and Kai left, looking quite down.
(I wanted to take this chance to “train” Lizel, though…)
—Well, that is fine.
It is a shame things did not go as planned, but it is certain that Lizel’s likability has gone up.
”I am glad you and my brother did not end up fighting, Master,” Mina said, smiling with real relief. That smile was like a cloudless blue sky.
I patted her small head.
Watching Mina, who was squinting happily, I found myself thinking that maybe this outcome was not so bad after all.
And then, it happened.
Suddenly, a cold voice that seemed to crawl over my skin echoed from behind me.
”As expected of Xenos-sama,” a smooth, mean voice said. “To have a ‘Duel’ while using it as a way to charm your classmates and make your friendships deeper… I, Ashraf, am truly impressed.”
That usual, shady flattery—
It was the Teleportation demon, Ashraf.
(I do not care, but stop talking to me from right behind my back. It is bad for my heart. Why does this guy always come at my back?)
”Hmph… well, I suppose,” I said, putting on a brave face. “Everything is going according to plan.”
In truth, it had not gone exactly as planned, but there was no way I would not act cool here. I played along with the conversation.
”—And, what were you doing?” I asked, throwing a sharp look over my shoulder. “Were you up to some other scheme, Ashraf?”
”To think you even saw through that, as expected of Xenos-sama,” Ashraf replied with a bow. “Yes, I was visiting an acquaintance… By the way, do you remember that young nobleman I turned into a slave earlier?”
Ashraf played along with my random nonsense.
He is surprisingly easygoing, this guy.
—And, who is that slave?
Ah, you mean Luca?
”I would like to do an interesting ‘experiment’ using him,” Ashraf said, his voice dropping lower. “Would you give me permission?”
”What is this, an experiment…?” I asked.
I could feel a deep pleasure seeping through his voice.
—Now, what should I do?
Lizel’s fiancé, Luca Dalton, is Ashraf’s slave. It seems he wants to use him for something.
”…Fine. Do as you like,” I ordered.
If I stopped him here, it would be annoying to show such a lack of generosity.
I gave a generous nod and gave him permission.
But, well—
I think I should have asked what he plans to do.
Summary:
Xenos orchestrates a tense duel negotiation with the aristocratic Lizel and her magic-slave Kai. Mina, the house maid, inadvertently disrupts the confrontation, earning Xenos unexpected favor with his rivals. Ashraf appears afterward, manipulating the situation to propose a mysterious experiment involving another slave, Luca, which Xenos authorizes without fully understanding the consequences.
Trivia:
- Lizel’s disdain for her fiancé, Luca, suggests that the engagement may have been entirely political or arranged against her wishes.
- The mansion’s interior design reflects Xenos’s status as a wealthy, potentially powerful individual in this setting.
- Ashraf’s ability to teleport and his habit of speaking from directly behind Xenos highlights a significant power imbalance or boundary issue between them.
- The “experiment” Ashraf mentions regarding Luca is the primary cliffhanger, indicating potential future dark developments for the nobleman slave.