Chapter 7: The Mob Prince Gets Revenge on the Fourth Prince Who Bullied Him
Two Years Later──
“Ahahaha! Run, run! If you get hit by my [Fireball], you’ll be more than just burned!”
I desperately dodged the fireballs flying at me one after another, rolling around on the ground.
Now seven years old, I was being used as a target for attack magic by Victor, my half-brother and the Fourth Prince, in the Imperial Court’s courtyard.
Victor, who was eight years old and ostentatiously brandishing an expensive magic wand, was enjoying hitting me with magic.
Seriously, what a great personality.
“Ohohoho, as expected of the child of a failed Mazoku, how pathetic!”
Empress Camilla, Victor’s mother, cheered him on with a shrill laugh.
That made Victor even more excited.
“Try to fight back if you’re so upset! You incompetent who can only use the lowest-level magic!”
I had been branded as incompetent by Emperor Alvaise and his aide, Count Saint-Germain, so they looked down on me as someone they could do anything to.
However, this was the result of my deliberate actions, and it was exactly what I wanted.
My mother and Diana were recognized as powerful mages, so they were forced to wear [Magic-Sealing Collars].
These collars took effect as soon as they stepped outside the Prison Tower, rendering them unable to use any magic.
It was a measure to teach Diana magic through my mother while preventing rebellion or escape.
But I, who was considered incompetent, was free from such precautions. I wasn’t wearing any restraints.
The assassination attempt on my mother will happen in about a year from now.
Until then, I have to disguise myself as incompetent while honing my [Dark Edge] skills to become stronger.
Victor enjoys bullying me, but this is a valuable practical training for me.
I created a new type of [Dark Edge]—named [Dispel Sword]—and used it to instantly slice and extinguish the [Fireball] that was about to hit me.
“Huh? I thought it hit…?”
Victor tilted his head.
“Victor, get a grip! Your magic control is still weak. At this rate, you won’t be able to surpass your brothers and succeed His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Y-yes! Mother!”
These two didn’t seem to realize that I had nullified the [Fireball].
They simply thought that Victor’s skills were immature and the magic hadn’t reached me.
This is the result of my two years of effort—a magic sword created to destroy the [Magic-Sealing Collar]. It’s a [Dispel Sword] that combines the Dark Attribute magic to eliminate magic, [Dispel], and [Dark Edge], giving it the ability to nullify all magic.
If I can destroy the [Magic-Sealing Collar] with this when my mother is attacked by assassins, she will be able to defend herself, greatly increasing her chances of survival.
However, it’s best to act in a way that doesn’t raise suspicion about my abilities as much as possible.
Practical tests are important, but the [Dispel Sword] shouldn’t be shown in public too often.
Should I try a different defense method that can be explained away even if it’s discovered…?
The moment a [Fireball] was about to hit my right foot, I instantly created a tiny [Dark Edge] from my right foot, diverting its trajectory.
“What are you doing, Victor?! You missed again!?”
“H-huh? That’s strange… Hey, you, hit him properly!”
Victor was scolded by Empress Camilla for being bad at controlling magic.
For me, it was a great achievement to be able to defend against magic with minimal Magical Power consumption.
Now that I’m over six years old and no longer have to worry about dying from a Magical Runaway, I thought I should learn how to use magic to achieve maximum results with minimal Magical Power consumption, rather than just consuming large amounts of Magical Power.
My battle, isolated and without support, will likely be against many opponents.
“Luke, what are you laughing at? How dare you, born of lowly origins, make a fool of the noble me!?”
Apparently, a smile had naturally appeared on my face. Victor’s face turned red with rage.
“I’ll show you the power of the Empire’s rightful prince! Take this, [Fire Rain]!”
“Kyaaa! That’s right, Victor! Get him!”
Victor unleashed countless fireballs, leaving no room to escape.
[Fire Rain] is a B-rank Fire Attribute magic with a wide area of effect. To be able to use such magic at the age of eight, as expected of the Emperor’s bloodline, but…
Is this guy seriously trying to kill me?
It’s going to be difficult to defend against this while hiding my abilities.
“Brother Luke!”
A high-pitched girl’s voice echoed.
Hair as golden as moonlight and blue eyes that reached her waist. My sister, Diana, had grown into a stunningly beautiful girl.
“Dia!? Don’t come here!”
“Please don’t bully my brother!”
Ignoring my warning, Diana jumped in and shielded me from the [Fire Rain] with her body.
This is bad. Diana, who is wearing a [Magic-Sealing Collar], has no way to defend against [Fire Rain].
“[Dark Edge Wall]!”
I instantly created a wide and thick shield-shaped [Dark Edge]. It deflected the [Fire Rain].
Diana’s life is more important than keeping my abilities hidden.
“Powerful Dark Attribute defense magic!?”
“Could it be that the [Magic-Sealing Collar] on that little girl isn’t working!?”
Empress Camilla turned pale and screamed.
What…?
“Contact Count Saint-Germain! Even the Imperial Court Mage Order can’t stop her!”
The people around me were mistaken that Diana had used the magic and were in a state of chaos.
At the age of six, Diana had reached the realm of a monster when it came to magic. That fear must have fueled the misunderstanding.
Then, this might be the biggest and last chance.
If possible, I wanted to test whether I could actually destroy the [Magic-Sealing Collar] with the [Dispel Sword] at some point.
Doing it without practice is too risky.
In the moment when the [Fire Rain]’s explosion obscured the view, I slashed Diana’s [Magic-Sealing Collar] with the [Dispel Sword].
With a metallic clang, the [Magic-Sealing Collar], now split in two, fell to the ground.
“Yaaah!”
At that moment, Diana pulled out a nearby tree with one hand. Everyone present was horrified by the abnormal sight that was hard to believe for a six-year-old child.
Diana had used a physical ability enhancement magic.
“S-she can use magic after all!?”
“H-how monstrous!”
I did it.
I couldn’t help but cheer inwardly.
I succeeded in destroying the [Magic-Sealing Collar] while keeping my abilities hidden.
Now, all I have to do is crush this collar to pieces and destroy the evidence…
“W-wait! You’re going to hit me, a prince, with a tree!? If you do such a thing, Father won’t stay silent!”
“Diana-sama, please stop!”
“Dia won’t forgive anyone who bullies Brother Luke!”
Diana didn’t listen to Victor’s threats or the servants’ attempts to stop her. With a scream, she charged towards Victor and the others.
Ah, could it be that she’s not just threatening them, but seriously trying to beat Victor up? That’s not good at all.
“Dia, that’s enough, stop!”
I shouted in a hurry, but it was too late.
“Gyaaaa!?”
Diana sent Victor and Empress Camilla, who were trying to escape, flying with the tree.
The two of them crashed into the Imperial Court wall and fell silent.
“Brother, are you hurt!?”
“…Ah, I’m fine.”
I had a headache.
This is too much.
“That’s good! If Brother Luke had been hurt, I wouldn’t have been satisfied even if I burned them at the stake! Those people are always making fun of you!”
Diana still seemed to be angry.
Apparently, she couldn’t stand Victor and Empress Camilla looking down on me and making fun of me all the time.
“You did hold back enough to not kill them, right?”
“Yes!”
Diana hugged me, so I hugged her back.
I was happy that she got angry for my sake, but I’ll set some expectations for the future.
“…I see. Normal people die if they’re embedded in a wall, so next time, hold back ten times as much.”
Victor and Empress Camilla were still twitching, embedded in the wall.
“If that’s what you wish, Onii-sama, I will!”
…Well, Diana is safe, so I guess we’ll let it slide this time.
When I stroked her head, Diana narrowed her eyes as if feeling good.