After Crushing the Final Boss, I Got Infinite Mana and Returned to Earth ～With Cheat-Level Power, I’ll Rule Both the Game World and the Real World～ - Chapter 03: It Felt Good to Crush My Brother’s Pride for Calling Me Useless

Chapter 03: It Felt Good to Crush My Brother’s Pride for Calling Me Useless

After a little while, knights, maids, and nobles who worked in the castle gathered to watch.

In a world with hardly any entertainment—no TV, no modern games—duels were the kind of spectacle that got everyone buzzing.

Well, since duels could sometimes end in death, “death game” might be a more accurate name, but you get the idea.

While I was thinking that, the knight serving as judge for our duel gave the signal.

“The duel between Prince Bavek and Prince Georg shall now begin! —Commence!!”

“Take this!! —Fire Storm!!”

Bavek unleashed an advanced spell as soon as the duel started.

A magic circle bloomed in his hands and a storm of flame roared straight for me. If I took it head-on, I’d be reduced to ashes.

By the way, magic was ranked by strength and effect.

There were five basic tiers: beginner, low, middle, advanced, and supreme.

Spells above the middle tier were deadly and difficult to control.

At only thirteen, Bavek handling advanced magic made him a real prodigy.
Still, I had enough power now to trample that so-called genius into the ground.
I fixed my eyes on Bavek’s incoming spell and decided to test my maximum firepower.

“—Core Flame.”

It was a supreme-tier spell.

All those years of devouring grimoires hadn’t betrayed me—thanks to infinite magic, I could actually cast it.

In the game, this was the strongest fire spell the party’s top mage learned at level cap.

Even a beginner spell would’ve been overkill here, but this was a duel—so of course I wanted to try the big one.

What happened next was instant.

A magic circle bloomed that seemed to encompass the entire Magiluke Kingdom—no, the whole continent.

The overwhelming mana pouring from that circle completely snuffed out Bavek’s attack.

Then tiny flames began to drift down from the sky, falling slowly from the great circle above.

Everyone stared up, frozen. They didn’t scream or run—they looked like they’d realized something terrible.

They must have understood: once those flames landed, it would be the end. The continent would be gone.

“Y-You idiot!! Sure, I told you to kill that brat, but you went too far!! That’ll destroy us both!!”

The only one to complain was Diabel, who kept smacking my head with his tail while grumbling.

Well, no surprise there—this was the same dragon who once tried to destroy the world in the game. Of course he understood exactly what Core Flame would do.

Naturally, if the spell actually landed, I’d be caught in it too.

So I canceled the cast midway. That was the advantage of supreme-tier magic—unlike beginner spells, it actually took time to fire, which meant I could stop it in time.

“W-What was that just now…?”

“It looked like the same supreme-tier Core Flame the Sage once used to slay the Earth Dragon…”

“No, forget that—are you saying Prince Georg cast that spell!?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!! There’s no way the ‘useless prince’ could use something like that!!”

“But right after Prince Georg chanted, a massive magic circle appeared in the sky! That’s too much to call a coincidence!!”

The spectators who came to watch my duel with Bavek were in complete shock.

And Bavek himself? The instant he saw the Core Flame array, his legs gave out and he wet himself right there.

Poor kid.

Back in my old world, in middle school, he’d be teased about it for at least half a year.

“Judge, looks like Bavek has lost his will to fight. Shall we call this duel mine?”

“Eh? W-Well, but—”

“W-Wait!! Don’t joke around!! I was just startled by that sudden magic circle—I haven’t surrendered to you!!”

“—Torch.”

I fired a beginner spell straight into the sky.

But its firepower far outclassed the advanced magic Bavek had used earlier—it was the same destructive light that had half-destroyed the royal capital last night.

Bavek collapsed on the spot, and even the onlookers of the duel dropped to their knees in terror.

With a smile, I looked at Bavek and declared:

“Next time, I’ll make sure this one hits. That means I win, doesn’t it?”

“Y-Yes!!”

Tears welled in his eyes as he admitted defeat, crushed by fear.

Ah, I wonder how it feels to have your pride shattered by the older brother you’d always looked down on.

At the very least, I was feeling fantastic.

And so, I claimed Bavek’s third-in-line right of succession.

From tomorrow onward, no soldier would dare call me the “useless prince” or sneer at me. I’d finally get some peace.

“P-Prince Georg, His Majesty awaits you in the audience chamber.”

A summons from the king himself.

Well, I had just dueled Bavek with succession rights on the line, so of course I’d be called in.

Still, I never expected the father who had always ignored me to actually summon me.

On the way to the audience chamber, I whispered to Diabel about the duel we’d just finished.

“It was the same with the beginner spell… when I use your magic, the power shoots up like crazy. Fascinating stuff.”

“No, that’s not me.”

“…Huh?”

“Even if I cast my own spells, they wouldn’t look like that. Most likely, you’re more compatible with my magic than I am.”

“…I see.”

At least in the game, Georg never had anything like that.

But hey, discovering hidden lore like this wouldn’t be all that surprising either.

While we chatted, we arrived at the audience chamber where the king was waiting.

Inside, a middle-aged man with a thick beard looked down at me, sweat dripping from his forehead. His complexion was pale—he didn’t look well.

“Y-You came, Georg…”

“It has been a while, Your Majesty.”

“D-Don’t talk so stiffly. You and I are family, are we not?”

…Oh, please. The man who never gave me the time of day suddenly trying to act like a father? Painful.

Still, I understood why.

The useless son who couldn’t use magic had suddenly displayed world-ending power.

Of course he was afraid of revenge.

And sure, I was holding plenty of resentment. His sudden change of attitude grated on me too.

But as long as he didn’t come at me first, I had no intention of doing anything to him.

All I wanted was to use my power however I pleased.

Anyone with “normal values” would probably say it was wrong to wield power without purpose.

But that had nothing to do with me.

I only did what I wanted to do.

And I didn’t bother with what I didn’t.

“B-By the way, Georg… that supreme-tier spell earlier, and the beam of light that followed… was that your doing?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I nodded with a smile at the king’s question.

At once, cold sweat trickled down his forehead and his face went pale.

Still, he forced a smile—clearly trying to read my mood—and asked:

“I-Is there anything you want? Come to think of it, I was always too busy with politics to act like a proper father to you…”

“Oh, what a generous offer. In that case, could you arrange for me to enroll in the magic academy?”

“M-Magic academy?”

Of course, he wouldn’t understand.

Up until now, I’d gained my knowledge of magic almost entirely on my own—but at the end of the day, self-study had its limits.

My mana control was rough, and I’d heard the Magiluke Magic Academy’s library was even larger than the royal archive beneath the castle.

If I enrolled, I might gain access to even greater knowledge.

Naturally, the king couldn’t refuse me. By tomorrow, he had already arranged my admission into the academy.

As a father, questionable.

As a bureaucrat, impressively efficient.

Time passed, and night soon fell.

“Today was another good day, don’t you think, Bel-kun?”

“…Oi, don’t tell me you’re calling me Bel-kun!?”

“Yes. You’re Diabel, so Bel-kun. Honestly, with that mascot-like look, the name ‘Diabel’ doesn’t really fit. So I came up with something better.”

“I—I’ll have you know I once slew a god in ancient times! Bel-kun wounds my pride!!”

Looks like he wasn’t thrilled with the nickname.

I thought it was perfect, but if Bel-kun doesn’t like it, I’ll drop it.

I climbed into bed, pulled the blanket over myself, and let sleep take me.

“Diabel, you still awake?”

“…I’m sleeping.”

“You’re clearly awake. …This feels like a school trip or something, doesn’t it?”

“I have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting.”

Diabel brushed me off coldly.

Still, just saying “school trip” was enough to drag up memories of my past life.

Above all, I couldn’t help but think of the family I’d left behind.

My father had already passed away, but my mother was a little scatterbrained, and my little sister… well, she was a total klutz.

If I could see them again, I’d want to.

Technically, with teleportation magic—which lets you instantly move long distances—it might be possible.

The catch was that crossing worlds would require an infinite amount of mana.

…Oh wait. I do have infinite mana.

“Diabel, you still awake?”

“Ugh, what now!? Have you finally decided to give me back my magic!? If not, then hurry up and sleep!! Or do you want me to sing you a lullaby, hmm!?”

“No, nothing like that. I was just wondering—how about we take a little trip to my previous world right now?”

“…Hah?”

Diabel froze with the most clueless look on his face.

Adorable.

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[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Diabel is ridiculously good at lullabies.

If you thought “Why the heck do I need this trivia?” then gimme those ★s!

And if you find yourself thinking “Serves the little brother right!!” or “The king’s flip-flopping is hilarious” or “Bel-kun is actually kinda cute,” —then don’t forget to leave a comment, bookmark, ★rating, or review!