Chapter 38: Humiliation (Part 3)
The moment had come.
The blazing inferno was closing in on its target, the searing heat already forming perspiration on the surface of his skin.
Impact was imminent... and yet...
WHOOSH!
All of a sudden, Richard vanished, almost as though he had become invisible like the wind itself.
The blazing fireball was now launched at Jason, who was right behind Richard and was ready to strike him once he tried to stop the frontal attack.
Now having to deal with the fireball himself, Jason had no choice but to rapidly alter his trajectory. This sudden shift in momentum created a brief moment of imbalance, mixed with confusion and hesitation.
It was the perfect moment for Richard to appear!
’W-what?!’
Jason felt a presence right behind him, and a chilly sensation coursed through his spine.
Before he could react, however, he felt a strong push forward.
"E-eh...?"
Forward... towards the fireball.
"Ahhh!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The impact was splendid, as the young Noble Representative from the Vert Family was turned into a smoking, blackened figure.
"U-urghh..." As he groaned, smoke proceeded from his lips.
Then, he collapsed.
He, too, had fallen thanks to Richard.
Barely a minute had passed since the fight started, yet this Young Noble had taken down two Nobles, while not displaying any weakness or exhaustion.
How was this possible?!
What exactly was happening?!
Liliana tried to answer this question, but before she could even arrive at an answer, she noticed someone was right next to her.
It was... Richard!!!
"Arghhh—!" Before she could conclude her screams, Richard grabbed her by the throat and stared intensely at her.
"That fireball just now... It’s not your true Principal Disposition, is it? Hmm... I see, so you pretended to have a Pyrokinetic Ability, but your true power must have to do with creating a separate space where you store different things and can release them whenever you desire."
"W-wha—gurgh..." Liliana wanted to deny this assertion, but she was choking, so words were difficult to let out.
"You can’t fool me. I noticed the slight distortion in space before the flames appeared. Plus, if you were truly pyrokinetic, you would have dispelled the fireball before it reached your ally. Of course, you could have also resorted to returning the fireball to your inter-dimensional storage, but the fact that you couldn’t tells me that you require some conditions before you can store things there. I’m thinking proximity and the expenditure of some time. Thus, even if you can release your stored objects almost instantaneously, storage is a different story entirely. In that case, your Principal Disposition must be [Great Inventory]."
The audience stared in shock at this revelation.
Many of them exclaimed.
To think Richard had identified her Principal Disposition so easily, and it turned out to be something like [Great Inventory] and not some kind of Elemental Manipulation.
[Great Inventory] was only a Medium Rank Principal Disposition—a rather useful and versatile ability, but not especially powerful.
Still, it was better than [Basic Inventory], which was its Low Rank counterpart.
It was clear that Liliana wanted to trick the crowd by making such a deceptive debut.
However, Richard saw right through it.
He completely exposed her!
"Y-you... n-no way... l-liar... y-you are... keuk!"
Liliana fought the tears that began to form on her face, but she could not hide her shame and fear.
Her body trembled under the weight of all the stares.
She felt Richard’s grip tightening around her neck, the sensation too stifling to describe.
Amidst all of this, she felt her legs grow weak.
And then... something hot and nearly transparent white flowed between them.
A tangy smell of ammonia filled the immediate environment.
It became clear at that moment.
Liliana Winifred Vi Jaune, representative of the Jaune Family...
... She had soiled herself!
"Gross..." Richard dropped her immediately, causing her to land in her own filth.
Unfortunately for the girl, she could neither complain nor resist.
She had passed out already.
Sparing her no attention at all, Richard turned to the remaining person on the battlefield.
"That leaves you, Noir Family Representative..." He narrowed his eyes while looking at Mira Uriel Vi Noir.
It was clear that the latter was absolutely dazed by the boy before her.
Her stunned expression only lasted a moment, though.
Throughout the battle royale, she had been carefully watching every move without leaving her position. Since her primary assignment was to observe, she stuck to it and stayed out of the conflict.
But now... she could not avoid it any longer.
"I surrender." She sighed, raising her hands. "I forfeit this match."
This was the best choice.
Mira already knew she could not win against the monster that was Richard Lamperouge Von Blanc. He was simply too strong, and even if she resorted to her Principal Disposition, she still wasn’t confident that she would be able to take him down.
"Hmph! How underwhelming. But considering my engagement to your household... I will accept it." Richard sighed, taking his gaze away from her.
He looked in the direction of the referee, who had not said anything since the match began.
"Priest... I believe it’s only appropriate that you announce the winner."
"A-ah... Yes! You’re right!" The bumbling old man rushed to the center of the battlefield, almost stumbling as he did so.
He then grabbed Richard’s hand and raised it.
"W-we have a winner!"
His voice was shaking, as was the hand that he used to hold Richard.
His palms were also excessively sweaty.
The Priest couldn’t help but feel a tremendous pressure just standing next to the thirteen-year-old boy who ended up thoroughly humiliating so many Nobles at once.
He had completely flipped the table and destroyed the opposition.
And the most amazing part?
He didn’t use his Principal Disposition even once!
Everyone was amazed by this except Richard’s aide, who remained in his seat and watched the entire thing play out.
The only thing that came as a surprise to him was how brutal Richard was.
’Why would you go that far? The poor girl even pissed herself...’ The aide shook his head as he sighed, feeling embarrassed from the whole thing.
Still, he felt proud.
Yes... ’He.’
For you see... the Aide had been the real Richard this entire time.
As for the Richard whom everyone saw, it was none other than Neia in disguise.
Her Principal Disposition [Impersonation] allowed her to perfectly disguise herself as another person, and through these three years, it had developed to the point of total mastery.
Not only could she impersonate anyone, but she could also detect disguises from others.
She could notice minute details in all kinds of deception.
That was how ’Richard’ was able to know that the Rouge Noble was an impostor, as well as detect the true nature of Liliana’s Principal Disposition.
It also explained the exquisite combat ability that Richard displayed in the fight.
None of it could have been achieved by the real Richard.
It was Neia all along.
’Since she told me that all the Noble Representatives were interested in me and that one person wanted to kill me, it was for the best that she took my place.’
Richard—the real one—heaved a sigh of relief.
How fortunate!
He was so glad they did this.
If Neia hadn’t taken his place, he would have been so screwed!
To anyone wondering how it’s possible that Richard came up with this big brain move, it actually wasn’t his idea. It was Neia who suggested the body double/decoy plan. She even offered herself to be the decoy, and since Richard knew firsthand how competent she was, he agreed to the idea.
He never made any major contributions.
Neia was just blinded by her deep loyalty and respect for him, something born from three years of constant misunderstandings.
Thus, she naturally gave him the credit for the plan she came up with.
If only she, as well as everyone else in the audience, knew he was a fraud...
Yet all of them had to look at him in a different light.
How sad.
Amidst the audience, there was one in particular who had an amused expression.
His red hair spilled like wine, and his crimson red eyes showed a hint of cruelty and deep malice. Yet, when he stared at the Richard on stage, a flame of intrigue as well as deep desire began to manifest in his countenance.
Who knew just how many people had this same reaction upon witnessing this scene?
Just like that... Richard made his debut among the Nobles!
He could stand proud.
He was strong.