I Reincarnated as a Mob Villain Prince Who Dies Before the Game Starts ~ In Order to Be Happy with My Favorite Heroine's Younger Sister, I Overcame My Weakest Magic [Dark Blade] with Excessive Effort, and It Became the Strongest Broken Power ~ - Chapter 7: The Mob Prince Gets His Revenge on the 4th Prince Who Bullied Him

Chapter 7: The Mob Prince Gets His Revenge on the 4th Prince Who Bullied Him

Two years later──

“Ahihihihi! Run, run! If you get hit by my Fireball, you won’t just get burned, you’ll suffer more!”

Fireballs flew one after another, and I was desperately rolling to dodge them.

At seven years old, I was being targeted by my half-brother, the 4th Prince Victor, for his magic practice in the palace courtyard.

Victor, who was eight, proudly swung a fancy magic staff and enjoyed throwing spells at me.

What a great personality he had.

“Oh ho ho! You’re just a useless demon child, so pathetic!”

Victor’s mother, Empress Camilla, laughed shrilly while egging him on.

As a result, Victor became even more confident.

“If you’re so upset, try fighting back! You useless fool who can only use low-level magic!”

Because Emperor Alvais and his advisor, Count Saint Germain, had labeled me as incompetent, they treated me like someone they could do anything to.

Of course, this was the result of my own deliberate efforts, and I welcomed it.

Since my mother and Diana were recognized as powerful mages, they were both wearing magic-nullifying collars. These collars would activate when they stepped outside the prison tower, preventing them from using magic.

It was a measure to prevent them from teaching Diana magic or planning an escape or rebellion.

But I, being seen as incompetent, had no such restraints. I was free to do whatever I wanted.

My mother’s assassination was about a year away, so until then, I had to keep pretending to be useless while secretly honing my skills in the Dark Edge, and I needed to get stronger.

Victor enjoyed bullying me, but this was a rare practical training opportunity for me.

When one of his Fireballs almost hit me, I quickly summoned a momentary Dark Edge, called the Dispel Sword, and sliced through the fireball, making it vanish.

“Huh? I thought I hit you…?”

Victor tilted his head, confused.

“Victor, focus! Your magic control is still too weak. At this rate, you’ll never surpass your brothers or inherit the throne!”

“Y-Yes, mother!”

Neither of them expected that I had nullified the Fireball. They simply thought Victor’s magic was too weak to reach me.

This was the result of two years of training—the magic sword I created to break the magic-nullifying collar. The Dispel Sword, which combined the Dark Edge and the Dispel magic, could nullify any magic.

When my mother is attacked by assassins, if I can destroy her collar with this sword, she’ll be able to defend herself, and her chances of surviving will greatly increase.

However, it’s best not to draw suspicion about my true abilities. I need to avoid revealing the Dispel Sword too often.

Maybe I should test a different defensive method, one that can be explained away if it’s noticed…

As I dodged another Fireball, I used a small Dark Edge from my right foot to deflect it off course.

“What are you doing, Victor? You missed again?”

“Ah, huh? That’s weird… Hey, you, get hit already!”

Victor was scolded by Empress Camilla for poor magic control.

For me, though, successfully defending with minimal magical energy was a big achievement.

Now that I was past six years old, I didn’t need to worry about magic surges that would kill me. Instead, I focused on learning how to use the least magic possible to achieve the best results.

I would likely end up fighting many opponents alone, so efficiency was key.

“Luke, what’s so funny? Are you mocking me, a noble prince, with your lowly birth?!”

Apparently, a smile had appeared on my face naturally. Victor’s face turned red with rage.

“You’ll see the power of the rightful heir to the empire! Take this, Fire Rain!”

“Yay, as expected of you, Victor! Show them what you’ve got!”

Victor fired countless fireballs, trapping me with no way to escape.

Fire Rain was a wide-area B-rank fire magic, and at eight years old, being able to cast it was impressive, but…

Is he trying to kill me for real?

Blocking this without revealing my abilities would be tough.

“Luke, brother!”

A high-pitched voice called out, and there was Diana, with golden hair that reached her waist, shining like moonlight, and blue eyes. She had grown into a stunningly beautiful girl.

“Diana!? Don’t come!”

“Don’t bully my brother!”

Ignoring my shout, Diana jumped in front of me, shielding me from the Fire Rain with her body.

This was bad. Diana, wearing the magic-nullifying collar, couldn’t defend against Fire Rain.

“Dark Edge Wall!”

I hastily summoned a thick, broad shield-like Dark Edge to block the fireballs.

Protecting Diana’s life was more important than hiding my abilities.

“A powerful dark defense spell!?”

“Wha—? The magic-nullifying collar on that girl isn’t working!?”

Empress Camilla screamed in shock.

What?

“Contact Count Saint Germain! The palace mages won’t be able to handle this!”

People around us were panicking, thinking that Diana had used the spell. Her magical power was so terrifying that they assumed it was her doing.

This could be my greatest chance.

I needed to try breaking Diana’s collar with the Dispel Sword and see if it worked. I couldn’t risk doing it for the first time in a real battle.

When the Fire Rain blocked my view for a split second, I quickly cut through Diana’s collar with the Dispel Sword.

With a hard metallic sound, the collar split in two and fell to the ground.

“Yaaaaa!”

At that moment, Diana ripped a tree from the ground with one hand. Everyone froze, shocked by the sight of such unnatural strength in a six-year-old.

She had used a physical enhancement spell.

“Wha—? She can still use magic!?”

“W-What a monster!”

I couldn’t help but cheer inside. I had successfully destroyed the collar without revealing my true abilities.

Now I just needed to smash it into pieces and get rid of the evidence…

“W-Wait! Are you trying to hit me with a tree? If you do that, my father won’t stay quiet!”

“Diana, please stop!”

“Anyone who bullies my brother will pay!”

Diana ignored Victor’s threats and the servants’ pleas, charging at them with a scream.

Is she seriously going to hit Victor? That’s too much!

“Diana, enough! Stop!”

I shouted in panic, but it was too late.

“Gyaaah!”

Diana hurled the tree at Victor and Camilla. They crashed into the palace wall, both of them falling silent.

“Brother, are you alright!?”

“…Yeah, I’m fine.”

I felt a headache coming on. That was a bit too much.

“I’m glad! If you had been hurt, I would have burned them alive! They always mock you!”

Diana was still furious. Apparently, she couldn’t stand how Victor and Camilla always looked down on me.

“I hope you didn’t hurt them too much?”

“No, I didn’t!”

Diana hugged me, and I returned the embrace. I was happy that she got angry for me, but I needed to make sure she learned a lesson for next time.

“…Remember, ordinary people die if they get slammed into a wall. Next time, ease up by at least ten times.”

Victor and Camilla were still stuck in the wall, twitching and spasming.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll do it!”

Well, since Diana was okay, I guess this whole thing turned out fine. I patted her head, and she smiled contentedly, closing her eyes.