Chapter 17 - Thunk
After losing to the vile noble, Hollow von Heisenberg, and even going so far as to beg for mercy to be spared, Nia returned to the Ainsworth estate with an overwhelming sense of defeat she had never felt before.
“...”
When she opened the large doors of the front entrance with a gloomy expression, the butler—who had been in the middle of cleaning—widened his eyes in surprise.
“My lady, what has happened to school...?”
“...Sorry. I wasn’t feeling well today, so I decided to take the day off.”
“Good heavens. I’ll summon a doctor immediately.”
“No, it’s fine. I think I’ll be better if I just lie down.”
“Very well, my lady.”
“I’d like to be alone for a while, so please don’t let anyone into my room.”
With that, she entered her room, collapsed onto her bed still in her school uniform, and gripped the sheets tightly in her hands.
“...I lost...”
She had never imagined the gap between them would be so vast.
Hollow was First Rank, and she was Fourth.
A mere difference of three in the rankings—yet between them lay a chasm as wide as heaven and earth.
“What the hell was that...?”
What shocked Nia most was Hollow’s godlike mastery of magic.
Her proud, Unique Magic, <Primordial Flame>, had been completely nullified—by nothing more than a common low-tier spell, the universally usable <Wall>.
<Primordial Flame> is an Origin-Class Unique Magic—the highest rank. In terms of magical specs, I should have completely overpowered him... and yet I couldn’t even scratch him...
Hollow’s prowess as a mage left Nia far behind in the dust.
The disparity between them was so immense that not even <Primordial Flame> could bridge it.
Hollow’s magic was terrifyingly fast.
From spell construction, to mana charging, to altering phenomena—the entire process flowed with abnormal speed, yet remained flawlessly precise.
He cast magic as naturally as breathing.
How could he have possibly acquired such skill...?
It was a genuine question.
Magical skill could not be gained overnight. It was the fruit of daily accumulation—of steady, grinding effort.
No... impossible. That lazy, arrogant embodiment of vice would never put in that kind of work.
In truth, Hollow’s divine magical skill was exactly the product of such unglamorous, monotonous training... but Nia had no way of knowing that.
At any rate, Hollow wasn’t even fighting seriously. He’s still hiding something… some trump card...
The image that came to mind was the teleportation he had shown toward the end.
That mysterious magic that let him get behind me—there’s no way it was just <Refraction>. It was something far more advanced... a space-domination type Unique Magic. Could it be... the magic of the Xeno the Calamity, the one who destroyed the world a thousand years ago—
She stopped her thoughts there and gave a small shake of her head.
She would not pry into Hollow’s affairs.
She herself had promised that much.
To lose the duel and then break her word on top of that... she could never forgive herself for it.
Nia’s heart was pure and upright—unlike that so-called “debt horse woman” from somewhere else.
...I’ll forget about it...
She quietly shook her head again.
How he knew of the Ainsworth family’s dark side... where he had learned the secret of her body... his godlike magic skills... his mysterious Unique Magic... the dreadful, overwhelming mana she had felt at the end—she shoved it all deep into the vaults of her memory.
Hollow... that monster is an irregular.
Every so often, the world birthed such “singularities.”
Comparing herself to one of them only made her feel pathetically small.
But at this rate… I won’t make it in time...
She loosened the collar of her white shirt and gently placed her hand over her soft chest.
...It’s growing again...
The magic factor of <Primordial Flame> sleeping within her body was increasing in strength day by day.
For most mages, the growth of a magic factor was not a bad thing—in fact, it was something to be celebrated, as it meant the mage’s own power was increasing.
But for Nia, the situation was very different.
When her body fully adapted to the magic factor, and <Primordial Flame> awakened—
It would mean “the vessel’s completion,” and the “plan” would be set into motion immediately.
(If I don’t defeat my grandfather—Zova, the Great Elder—before then, everyone will be killed...)
She had no one to rely on.
Neither her parents, nor the butler, nor her teachers—none could oppose her grandfather, the current family head, Zova le Ainsworth. And for good reason.
Zova was an old man of over three hundred years.
His very existence was a living part of the Ainsworth family’s history.
Nia had to face this monster alone.
—Kill Zova, and atone for her own “sin.”
That was the sole purpose of her life.
She had trained her body, swung her sword, devoted herself to study, pored over magical tomes—relentlessly pursuing strength.
When children her age were playing with friends, enjoying family gatherings, or sleeping soundly in warm beds—she had continued her training with reckless abandon.
She had always been alone—never praised by anyone—silently, relentlessly sharpening her fangs.
It’s fine. It’ll be fine... I’ve worked this hard, so everything will definitely work out... I can beat that monster. No—I have to win...
She told herself that over and over again.
She used strong words to rouse her spirit whenever it felt like it might crumble.
If she didn’t, she feared something inside her would snap completely.
The time she had left was already running out.
She had no room to waste it on self-pity.
No one understood that better than she did.
And yet, the burden she carried was far too heavy for a fifteen-year-old girl to bear...
“...Someone… help me...”
Trapped in the clutches of her tragic fate, she shed quiet, lonely tears.
■
After my victory in the mock battle with Nia, I left the underground training hall and made my way to the special advancement class.
The moment I pushed open the back door of the classroom, the eyes of my classmates washed over me like a tidal wave.
“Ah—so it was Hollow’s win, huh...”
“Miss Nia still hasn’t come back yet... think she’s okay?”
I didn’t even glance in their direction. I walked straight in, silent and brisk, and sat down by the window.
At that moment, a <Call> came in from Miss Fiona.
Um, Lord Hollow, may I ask you something...?
What is it?
I can’t see Miss Nia anywhere... you didn’t, uh... kill her or anything, did you...?
Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t just kill a classmate so easily.
R-right... whew, that’s a relief. It’s just... Hollow, you’ve gotten so strong that your “holding back” isn’t really holding back anymore, you know? I was honestly kind of nervous thinking—what if you accidentally—
—Hey. We’re still connected, you know?
Ghhk?! Ah—uh, that’s... I-I’m terribly sorry...!
Miss Fiona hurriedly cut the telepathic link.
Honestly... what does she think I am?
I sighed—then realized the class’s attention was still locked entirely on me.
“Hey, look—he fought Fourth Rank Miss Nia and didn’t even get a scratch...”
“You’re kidding... even among the Four Great Noble Houses, the gap’s that big?”
“As expected of the First Rank. The ‘Vile Noble’ name isn’t just for show.”
...Yeah, I was definitely standing out a little too much.
But oh well—couldn’t be helped.
If I hadn’t stepped in back when Allen and Nia were arguing, the two of them would have ended up dueling anyway, and things would’ve played out exactly like in the main route.
In the original main route, the Vile Noble—Hollow—ends up dead...
That was the one thing I absolutely had to avoid.
A bit of unwanted attention is worth it if it lets me break the protagonist’s power-up event and put Nia in her place. On the plus-minus scale, this is a big net gain.
As I was, as usual, running cost-benefit calculations in my head, a voice like ice sliding down my spine came from behind me.
“...You’re Hollow, right?”
“—!”
Every cell in my body screamed. My skin prickled all over.
I fought to keep my heart from bursting out of my chest and slowly turned around—and there stood the bane of my existence, Allen Fortis.
“...What is it.”
I kept my composure on the surface, but inside, I was trembling.
Allen was the arch-nemesis of the original Hollow.
If we fought now, I’d almost certainly win.
Nine times out of ten, the victory would be mine.
But even then… I can’t call it “absolute”...
After all, Allen was the chosen one—blessed by the world itself.
There was no telling what sort of convenient miracle might occur in his favor.
The optimal approach to the protagonist was simple: do not engage.
Hold no good impressions, no bad impressions—simply remain nothing.
“About earlier... you were protecting me, weren’t you?”
“Hah, don’t flatter yourself. That woman was just irritating me. You? I didn’t even spare you a thought.”
“I see... But still, I was happy you did that. So... thank you.”
Allen said it with a soft smile on his androgynous face.
“I just wanted to say that... well, see you later.”
With an awkward little wave, he returned to his seat.
—Thunk.
My heart skipped a beat.
What the hell... he’s actually a really nice guy...
Back in the real world, if I’d had a friend like him... maybe my life would have been a lot more fun.
I hope you will post more chapters . All the best
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