I Reincarnated as a Cringeworthy Villainous Noble, but Got Obsessed With Magic

Episode 11: Resolution

“Hehe… Hahaha… To challenge someone like me, who’s been called the Witch of the Null Circle… It’s quite amusing, don’t you think?”

…Did I mess up?

But there are circumstances that prevent me from revealing my hand. I don’t have a mentor, and I can’t disclose where I learned the “Kanji” language. Even if I made something up, this witch would see through it anyway.

Revealing my secrets is out of the question. Trying to deceive her is futile as well.

…No matter how hard I struggle, I can’t win against Nova.

The difference in power is like that between an ant and an elephant. All my magic would be blocked by her magical barriers. But I won’t give up. I’ll never surrender as long as I’m alive.

“If you’re going to forcibly take my knowledge and skills, no matter how great the power gap, I’ll resist as long as I’m alive.”

“Oh, really?”

I began drawing a magic circle.

In silence, Nova and I increased our magical power. It was a tense standoff.

Nova, who could cast spells without using a magic circle, could unleash magic anytime. However, there should still be a moment of fluctuation in her magical power when she cast a spell.

I observed that fluctuation.

Don’t miss it. Don’t miss it.

Keep your focus! On her magical power—!

…I saw it waver.

“【Lightning】.”

“【Supernova Nova】.”

☆☆☆

“─Who the hell uses unique magic against an intermediate magic user?”

I muttered bitterly as I woke up under the familiar ceiling.

“Lost, huh?”

I never thought I could win.

But I didn’t want to just lose without putting up a fight. I wanted to achieve something, even if it was just a small victory… but that didn’t happen either.

I had to begrudgingly admit to the strength I couldn’t deny. In that moment, my magic had been slightly faster. I saw the fluctuation in Nova’s magic and unleashed 【Lightning】 a fraction of a second before she cast her spell.

【Lightning】 was my fastest spell in terms of activation and travel speed.

When a spell is cast, even Nova’s magical barriers must weaken momentarily. I thought my magic might be able to break through her defense… but it didn’t.

“She blew away all my magic. I wonder how much the garden repair bill will be… No, seriously, who uses unique magic against someone clearly beneath them? What’s wrong with that brat, so immature.”

Calling someone immature when I just acted the same way… that’s quite a contradiction.

*sigh* No matter how much I complain, the fact remains that I lost.

“Cutting a pretentious figure and losing without putting up a fight, that’s indeed acting like a paper tiger… Aah, it’s so frustrating…!!”

I’m frustrated!!!

I wanted to win, but there’s also a part of me that’s making excuses for the loss. I’m angry at both my desire to win and the way I lost.

If only I had predicted her big attack, I could have used wind magic to create some distance. 【Supernova Nova】 was a strike with her holding back to avoid killing me, so there was a chance I could have avoided fainting.

I have a lot to reflect on.

That’s why…

“Next time, I won’t lose.”

I’ll definitely make that little girl understand.

What if the pathetic underdog beats the world’s strongest?

That would be absolutely awesome.

──Knock, knock, knock, knock.

As I reaffirmed my determination, the sound of knocking echoed, and my father entered through the door.

“Are you awake? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“I see. When they brought you in all burnt to a crisp and half-dead, I was quite surprised.”

“─Burnt to a crisp and half-dead?”

Wait, hold on. Was I really in such a terrible state?

“Yeah. They say they got a bit carried away, teehee, but the person who left you half-dead was kind enough to heal you and then left.”

“…”

Yeah, I definitely won’t forgive that bratty witch.

No wonder I didn’t have a single injury. Of course, with healing magic, it’s like nothing happened.

“By the way, the guard knight who was nearby also turned into a burnt crisp.”

Oh, right, he was there, wasn’t he?

He stayed out of the fight the whole time on my orders, didn’t he? Sorry about that.

“…I’m sorry. It’s my responsibility for getting into a fight.”

“No, it’s fine. If you had an encounter with that witch, it couldn’t be helped. Think of it as a natural disaster.”

As Father spoke, he had a distant look in his eyes, and it became clear that he had experienced something similar. Or maybe Nova being treated like a natural disaster was just the norm.

“Besides, it’s not all bad.”

“Hmm?”

Father handed me an envelope.

I opened it with a letter opener and checked its contents.

“A ‘Royal Academy Enrollment Recommendation’…? For the next academic year? What is this?”

“She said it’s an invitation to the Early Admission Program.”

“Early Admission Program? I’ve never heard of such a program.”

“She said she just came up with it.”

“…”

She’s really doing whatever she wants.

“I also have a letter addressed to you. You probably don’t want to read it, but you should.”

“Oh… alright.”

The letter handed to me was addressed “To Xenon Lestinata.”

『To Xenon Lestinata,

“I thought I’d go easy on you, but your【Lightning seemed like it might reach me first, so I accidentally overdid it. Sorry about that?

Now, onto the main topic. I’ve decided to recommend you for the Royal Academy’s early admission program. This program is designed to allow talented individuals to attend the academy early and nurture their abilities… Well, it’s more like a program I just created for your sake. But I got a bit scolded by some higher-ups, so I have to apply this program to about four more students, which means you won’t have the unfortunate event of having no same-age classmates.

Well, that’s the gist of it, and I don’t think it’s a bad proposal for you.

To you, who wants to surpass me, I’ll be waiting.”

— Nova Mist』

Nova Mist, that brat… I can’t believe she sent this.

“Xenon, what do you want to do?”

There was only one answer to that.

“I’ll go.”

“I see. I’ll take care of the paperwork.”

“Thank you.”

With that, my father left the room.

…Interesting.

There are limits to learning at home. I’ve always wanted to go to the academy sooner, to have access to ample facilities for magical development and access to books.

“Be stronger. I don’t want to lose to anyone.”

Surprisingly, it seems I hate losing.

Well, that’s only natural. Winning is much better than losing. That should be obvious, right?

Half a year left until enrollment.

I’ve decided to train harder than ever before.

—

Author Note:

Chapter 1 is now concluded.

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