The Genius and Calamity of the Villainous Noble: A Brilliant Prodigy Unaware of Their Reincarnation as the Game's Antagonist Defies the Scenario and Dominates with Talent and Hard Work - Chapter 2.21

First Martial Arts Class

The first thing we did in class was a mock battle.

“You…! You…! You filthy commoner!!!”

I was deliberately restricting myself—no magic, suppressing 99% of my natural physical abilities, limiting my technique to half of its full potential, and only using footwork, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand combat.

Even under these self-imposed constraints, I calmly dodged the frenzied attacks of the nobleman in front of me, who was wildly swinging his sword with desperate energy.

A noble struggling against a commoner.

That unbearable truth made him tremble with rage, his face flushing deep red as he attacked with reckless abandon.

His sword strikes became increasingly wild, driven by emotion rather than skill.

“There’s an opening.”

“Guh!?”

The moment he exposed a fatal gap in his defense, I moved in swiftly, striking with my sword.

“Ngh!?”

Once the balance is broken, it’s difficult to recover.

I exploited his single mistake, pressed forward, and disarmed him, knocking his sword from his grasp.

“It’s over.”

With my blade pointed at his throat, the match was decided.

A complete victory.

“Winner: Alto! The victor remains in the arena, while the defeated leaves the stage.”

The format of the mock battles was a survival-style tournament.

The winner stayed in the arena, while the loser stepped down, making way for a new challenger.

That was how this worked.

“You’re strong, aren’t you?”

A handsome young man stepped onto the stage.

I couldn’t quite remember his name, but he was the second son of a marquis, and rumors in high society described him as incredibly skilled.

“…Honestly, are you really a commoner? You don’t seem like one at all. Over on the other stage, another commoner has also been winning continuously.”

There wasn’t just one arena—there were three in total.

And in two of them, the undefeated champions standing victorious were commoners.

Eletoria and I had remained as the winners in our respective arenas.

Susia, on the other hand, had fulfilled the expectations of a true commoner and lost in her very first match.

“The effort it must have taken for a commoner to reach your level… It’s commendable. But you see, nobles are meant to stand before the people and fulfill our duties. We can’t afford to lose to those we are supposed to protect. Let me show you the true power and pride of nobility.”

“Please go easy on me. Not that it matters, since I’ll be winning.”

“Hahaha! That arrogance! I don’t dislike it! Here I come!”

“Very well.”

Even with my self-imposed restrictions, I carefully analyzed my limited options and prepared to secure another victory.