Chapter 16 - Nia le Ainsworth of the Four Great Nobles
The Ranking Duel in Redrick was a “school-sanctioned mock battle.”
Whoever won could take the opponent’s rank.
If fourth-ranked Nia defeated me, the current first rank, she would become the new number one, and I would be demoted to fourth place.
There were, of course, various detailed rules—such as not being able to challenge someone more than four ranks away, or needing a six-month interval before having a rematch with the same opponent—but...
To put it simply, it was a “battle with rank on the line.”
As the sudden announcement of a Ranking Duel between Nia and me sent the surroundings into an uproar—
Lord Hollow, what should we do?
Miss Fiona used <Call> to speak to me directly through thought.
She was asking whether to allow the duel or to stop it.
Everything’s going exactly as I planned. Let it happen.
Understood.
Receiving my instructions, Miss Fiona quietly stepped back.
“Nia, did I just hear the words ‘Ranking Duel’? Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m perfectly calm. You’re not about to chicken out, are you?”
“Hah... troublesome, but so be it. I’ll give you a proper lesson, just like back at the martial arts tournament.”
The instant the duel between Nia and me became official, the classroom’s energy spiked.
“Whoa, members of the Four Great Noble Houses are going head-to-head all of a sudden?!”
“Heisenberg versus Ainsworth—that’s an insanely hot matchup!”
It seemed the other students intended to come and watch.
Hmm, that’s a bit of a problem.
It’s true that Ranking Duels were open for other students to spectate...
But I had something I wanted to confirm in my fight with Nia—just in case.
Depending on the outcome, I might need to give her a warning.
If other students are around, that’ll be a real pain to pull off...
I sent Miss Fiona a glance, and she quietly nodded.
“I understand everyone wants to see Mister Hollow and Miss Nia’s fight. However... you will all be staying here for homeroom.”
“Hey, come on, that’s not fair!”
“We students have the right to watch Ranking Duels!”
In the face of these protests, Fiona calmly explained,
“According to Redrick’s school regulations—‘Ranking Duels are only permitted after the first homeroom has been completed and student handbooks have been distributed.’ Our class hasn’t had homeroom yet. That means, as of now, neither of them has the right to hold a Ranking Duel, and this is officially just a mock battle.”
Students did have the right to leave class to watch an official duel, even during lessons.
But a mere mock battle was nothing more than a private dispute between students—outside the scope of that spectator privilege.
Ah, clever.
By reframing our match from a “Ranking Duel” to a “mock battle,” she had shut down the spectator loophole entirely.
Wearing a gentle smile, Miss Fiona moved to wrap things up.
“Our school encourages competition among students, and we will not interfere with mock battles. However, allowing you to skip homeroom just to watch a private fight is something I cannot permit as a teacher of Redrick.”
Her explanation was flawless—no room for argument.
“Damn, seriously...?”
“Ugh, to think we can’t watch such a perfect matchup...”
Grumbling in frustration, the students reluctantly returned to their seats.
As expected of Miss Fiona—her personality was a disaster, but her wits were among the sharpest in the story.
Honestly, for someone who burned through the Ministry of Magic’s funds on horses and alcohol, she sure has a lot of nerve lecturing us about rules...
Still, this was a brilliant piece of work.
I’d have to slip her a cash gift later as “horse money.”
She’d probably drool with joy.
And so, with the stage now set—
“—This way. Follow me.”
I began walking.
“Don’t give me orders.”
Nia followed right behind me.
If I remember right, for this kind of private fight, the underground training arena should be available...
I was absentmindedly thinking about that as I stepped out of the classroom—when my eyes met the protagonist’s dead-on.
Don’t worry, it’s fine. I will make sure Allen has a safe school life!
So grow strong and healthy.
And whatever you do—don’t go “awakening in a pinch,” okay?
■
I wasn’t sure how long it had been since my mock battle with Nia had started.
“Y-you... DIEEEE!”
Her fierce roar shook the air as a searing inferno raged toward me.
But—none of it hit.
Every last bit of that violent blaze was diverted far away by the defensive magic <Wall> I had deployed.
“Haa... how long are you planning to keep this up?”
Feigning laziness and arrogance, I let out a weary sigh as I spoke. Nia’s face twisted into despair.
“No... how!? I’ve fired so many shots, so why hasn’t even one hit...?!”
。
Well... I had to admit, this kind of disheartened look suited her.
In the official “Pitiful but Cute Character Rankings,” Nia had taken first place by a landslide.
Back then, I didn’t really understand it—but seeing it now, in real life... yeah, I could see the appeal.
No wonder some people became rabid fans.
While I was entertaining such pointless thoughts, Nia’s attacks suddenly ceased.
“Haa... haa... haa... haa...”
She clutched her chest with her right hand, her breathing ragged and pained.
Well, after firing off that many spells, of course her mana would be running low.
“What’s wrong? Already done?”
“Ghh... not yeeeet!”
Nia’s <Primordial Flame> was an Origin-Class Unique Magic, boasting overwhelming firepower and an abnormal regeneration rate.
Most mages couldn’t even touch her raging flames—they could only be reduced to ash.
But precisely because her Unique Magic is so strong, she never bothered with tactics.
Her magic was always straightforward, with no tricks at all.
And more importantly, she didn’t hide her mana—so I could read both the origin point and the casting timing of her spells with ease.
“Take this—<Primordial Flame Lance>!”
Origin point: above Nia’s head.
Trajectory: straight forward.
Timing: the moment she swung her hand down.
From there, all I had to do was receive the incoming flaming lance not at a “point” but with a “surface” to redirect it, and—
“—<Wall>.”
With a well-timed deployment, I could deflect it effortlessly.
A spell your opponent has fully read loses half its power.
That’s why I always hid mine—my magic, my mana, my fighting style.
By suppressing my mana to zero, I prevented anyone from gauging my strength.
Through precise mana control, I erased every trace of my casting signs, and whenever I struck, I aimed for nothing less than a “finisher.”
Not exactly an honorable, straightforward way to fight... but then again, the Heisenberg family has made a living out of this kind of thing.
My family preyed on evils that the law couldn’t touch.
A greater evil that devoured all others—hence why we were feared as “the Vile Nobles.”
Still, saying “Die” in a mock battle... that’s a bit much, don’t you think?
I was the heir of the Four Great Nobles’ Heisenberg House.
If she accidentally killed me, it would undoubtedly spark a massive political crisis.
But Nia, as if she didn’t care in the slightest, continued to hurl powerful magic at me.
“You little...!”
...Not that any of it was hitting.
While I was using this as a game-like opportunity to practice my defensive magic, Nia suddenly glared at me sharply.
“Haa... haa... Hollow, enough with the mocking! If you don’t fight seriously... I’ll get angry!”
...W-Whoa.
That killing intent—anyone else would have wet themselves by now.
Still, I figured it was about time to wrap things up.
My experiment with defensive magic without relying on <Void Possession> had been a huge success.
And I’d gotten to enjoy a firsthand look at her Origin-Class Unique Magic, <Primordial Flame>.
The gains were more than enough.
No point in wasting any more time.
Alright, let’s try that next.
I needed to see how Nia would react.
Depending on the result, I might have to give her a warning.
“So... is it okay if I get serious?”
“Of course! You should have done that from the start!”
“Very well—”
I linked my position to a spot directly behind Nia with <Void Step> and slipped through space in an instant.
“—Don’t move.”
I landed right behind her, pressing my index finger against her back—right where her heart was.
“Wha—?!”
Checkmate.
Her life was now, quite literally, in the palm of my hand.
I-it’s impossible... my ‘heat detection’ didn’t pick up a thing. That just now—yes, it was as if he had... teleported...
After a brief silence, she finally forced out her words.
“...Who... exactly are you...?”
“A lazy, arrogant, and utterly vile nobleman—that’s what you just called me, wasn’t it?”
“Kh...!”
A small measure of retaliation landed, and Nia clenched her fist in frustration.
“Listen. I know everything—the vile schemes of House Ainsworth, the cross you bear, and the wish you hold as your ultimate goal.”
“D–don’t be ridiculous! What could someone like you possibly—”
“That body of yours... it doesn’t have much time left, does it?”
“...!”
This time, she was struck speechless.
“Who are you, really? And that magic from before—it wasn’t <Refraction>, was it?”
“What are you saying? That was an application of <Refraction>. By bending space in multiple layers, it enables a pseudo-instantaneous transpor—”
“—Lies. That was not <Refraction>. That reaction was from a ‘space-dominating Unique Magic.’”
“...Heh... so you can see it.”
When I smiled wickedly,
“...!”
Nia stiffened in fear.
Ah... good. I was right to ‘check’ just in case.
The Ainsworth bloodline—her family—was a leading authority in magic factor research.
Even in the original story, she possessed top-class knowledge of magic. I had guessed she might see through the fact that my Unique Magic wasn’t <Refraction>—and sure enough, I was spot-on.
The bandit leader, Glad, also noticed <Void>—but that was only because I’d flaunted my power. He never truly saw through it.
But Nia, in that fleeting instant—less than a heartbeat—during my <Void Step>, had seen through it completely.
Her eyes didn’t just watch the surface of magic—they pierced its depths.
Frankly, that made her dangerous.
“What is your true magic? And how did you even manage to rewrite the Arcana records? Don’t tell me you’ve bribed an adjudicator...!”
Nia was sharp, both in intuition and intellect.
This was a point where I needed to drive in a firm warning.
That said... she was a little headstrong.
For someone like her, brute force and fear wouldn’t work as well as steering the conversation toward cooperation.
“Don’t pry into me. Just as you have your ultimate goal, I have mine. Let’s agree to a peaceful ‘mutual noninterference.’”
“...And if I say no?”
“Hm. Well then...”
Right now, Nia was prickly, sharp-tongued, lashing out at the protagonist in almost childish ways—but at heart, she was truly a good person.
She had refused to bow to Zova’s, the Great Elder’s, rule, throwing away her own life for the sake of everyone else, working tirelessly day after day.
And not just for a year or two—ever since she was old enough to understand the world, she’d lived like that without pause.
That noble spirit was worthy of being called a heroine, and I sincerely wanted her to find happiness.
But the fact remains—Nia le Ainsworth is ‘the protagonist’s heroine’...
In the days to come, she would spar with Allen, pushing each other to grow stronger.
For a villainous noble like me, her existence could only be a liability.
“If you insist on saying no... then perhaps, right here and now—”
But I stopped mid-sentence, suddenly snapping back to my senses.
...Wait. What was I just about to do?
The grand magic I had nearly cast in my hands was not something to be used in a place like this.
Killing Nia would spark a large-scale political conflict.
And hadn’t I just been the one to point out that exact risk when I commented on her behavior?
It was... the stirrings of an ‘evil impulse.’
...Thinking back, this wasn’t the first time.
During my mock battle with Orvin.
When I was mastering the magic of the Void.
When I fought Entia.
And now, when I nearly tried to kill Nia.
There had been moments when my thoughts slipped—when the consciousness of the original Hollow surfaced.
Using Hollow’s mindset deliberately was fine.
It was useful when playing the part of a villainous noble.
But letting it happen unconsciously—that’s a problem.
Could it be that my mind was being pulled by the soul of the original Hollow?
I can’t say for certain... but either way, I need to sink ‘laziness and arrogance’ deep into my subconscious, and firmly root ‘humility and prudence’ in their place.
While I was lost in self-reflection—
What was that terrifying magic just now...?! Its quality and quantity were both beyond reason. No... I can’t win. No matter what I do, I can’t reach Hollow—this monster. I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared...!
—Nia suddenly began trembling, her body shaking violently.
“...F–fine. I’ll never pry into you again. So... please... spare me...”
Clutching the hem of her skirt tightly, she begged me in a voice steeped in shame and humiliation.
I honestly wasn’t sure why she was so terrified... but everything was going exactly according to plan, so there was no need to worry about the details.
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