I'm so terribly sorry about yesterday...!
"...El, seiza."
"Huh, ah, yes."
It was a certain day after the commotion that had engulfed the academy had finally subsided.
Due to a certain topic the Boss and her subordinate had been discussing, they had somehow ended up in this current predicament.
First, he did as he was told and settled into seiza. ...Being permitted to do it on the bed rather than on the floor—he couldn't help but feel that it spoke to some small measure of her conscience showing through.
Well, this was partly his own fault, Ermes thought as he looked up at the Boss before him.
And there sat Katia, her stunning features faintly flushed for any number of reasons, yet with her brow still firmly furrowed—this was what she asked him:
"Well then, won't you let me hear it one more time? ...That day, with Niina the spy—what magic did she use, and what exactly did she do to you?"
...That was the issue at hand.
When the topic of the academy's terrorist incident came up again, the natural focal point became the parts he hadn't covered last time—his exchange with Niina.
Inevitably, he was pressed for details by the very person who had probably been curious about it all along... and in the end, he found himself unable to keep deflecting, forced to lay out everything about the effects and conditions of Niina's magic, as well as what had been done to him, down to the very last detail.
...Well. Given the high likelihood of facing her again in the future, this information needed to come out sooner or later. In that sense, getting it over with early wasn't entirely a bad thing.
However, the problem was.
"...Huh. Niina's magic—"
"Charm—"
"—was the effect, and it even had the trait that 'the stronger your feelings for the target, the more powerful it becomes.' And when it was used on you, it was strong enough to work perfectly—even on you, El."
"...Um..."
"That's... incredibly important information for a whole lot of reasons. Why did you keep quiet about it until now?"
"...I'm terribly sorry."
There was the fact that, upon hearing this, the Boss's mood had turned worse than she'd ever imagined.
"So? El received Nina's magic, and on top of that, was subjected to all sorts of temptations—going so far as to nearly fall, is that it?"
"I'm... so deeply sorry."
What embarrassed her far more than she'd anticipated was having to explain that particular part in detail.
A strangely awkward atmosphere settled between master and servant.
As Ermes squirmed in deep discomfort, Katia fell silent with an indescribable expression on her face, then—
"...Sigh."
She exhaled. And with that, Ermes felt the dark tension in the air lighten somewhat.
"...Um, Katia? If you're going to scold me, just go right ahead—"
"No. I am angry, that much is certain, but—"
In response to Ermes's words, Katia released another sigh, then spoke:
"More than that... I was surprised. No, maybe it's more like it makes sense. Or perhaps... I'm relieved."
"Huh?"
"...It's just that you really are a proper boy after all, El."
Now it was Ermes's turn to be surprised.
"...Then what did you think I was all this time?"
"Before we entered the academy, if someone had told me you were"
a magical automaton
"struggling its hardest to develop a human heart, I might have actually believed them."
"What do you mean?"
Well, he was well aware that he lacked emotional range, but to realize his Boss saw him that way was rather a shock.
Surely there was some joking in it, but still, Ermes was shaken. Katia, paying him no mind, casually looked away.
"But... yes. I suppose you do have some interest."
She said this while coloring her cheeks, glancing down at her own chest, and then her expression turned subtly uncertain. ...Ermes instinctively sensed this was not the right moment to say anything.
"...In any case, I understand now. When we face Niina going forward, it seems I'll need to think carefully about my approach. ...Yes, carefully."
With a slightly dark aura resurging about her, Katia brought the conversation to a close. She let him get up from the formal kneeling position, and he settled onto the bed.
She spent a while longer lost in thought, but then — as though something had suddenly occurred to her, she spoke up.
"Come to think of it, Ermes. ...That Niina's magic — can you reproduce it now?"
"Hm? Oh, uh..."
At her question, he paused to think.
He was fairly confident that with Formula Replay, he could replicate even a bloodline magic he'd seen for the first time to some degree.
But — Niina's magic was extraordinarily unusual even compared to other bloodline magic. He'd been close enough to receive it firsthand and observe it in detail, yet factoring all that in...
"...Replication itself is possible, but it would be quite limited."
"Limited? How so, specifically?"
"First, it would be difficult to manipulate the target's actions the way the original magic does. At best, I could... draw the target's awareness and favor toward me — a mere light"
Charm
"effect, nothing more ——"
"That's plenty!"
Without waiting for him to finish, she raised her voice and leaned her face close to his.
"Elle, I have a favor to ask... that spell,
on me,
can you cast it
for me?!"
"......Huh?"
Katia said.
"Y-you see. If there's a possibility I'll have to face Niina in the future... that means there's a chance Elle could be hit by the same spell again, right? So, well, experiencing firsthand what that spell is like can't possibly be a waste. Yes. I'm not lying."
Her tone was obviously hiding something, but then again, her reasoning wasn't entirely without merit.
"...Understood. Then pardon me."
Even though some part of him balked at casting a mind-manipulation spell on his own master, it was her own request after all, and so Ermes drew a breath and began the Chant.
"Formula Replay — '
Dream Palace of the Fairies
'"
He activated the spell.
At close enough range for the spell to take hold, Ermes' Magic power was drawn into Katia.
Nervous but keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Katia accepted it. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Elle.
".............?"
She tilted her head.
"Um... how was it, Lady Katia?"
"......Nothing at all."
And so it was that a surprising result was presented to both parties.
"Huh—"
"W-What do you mean!? Isn't it supposed to make El look really cool, or make it so you can't see anyone but El?!"
"Having it spelled out like that is a little embarrassing... Well, the effect is supposed to be something along those lines, though..."
Ermes pondered. Why hadn't it worked? Meanwhile, Katia's face went blank with shock, as if something had just clicked.
"C-Could it be that El really doesn't feel anything for me—"
"No, that's not it."
Ermes firmly denies the possibility that Katia's concern — that the caster's affection for the target might have influenced the outcome — was the cause.
"This spell produces a consistent effect as long as you don't particularly dislike the person. And, well... it's awkward to say this myself, but dislike is completely out of the question."
"R-Right. Right, of course..."
Katia nodded while flushing at that final declaration, visibly relieved.
But then what was the cause? He was certain the magic had activated, and he could feel it had... Just as Ermes began analyzing based on the results, it happened.
"—Ermes, are you there?"
A knock, followed by a familiar voice.
Katia's shoulders flinched. Realizing this wasn't a situation he wanted witnessed, Ermes dispelled the magic and answered.
The one who opened the door and entered at his response was the maid, Leila. She paid the sight of master and student facing each other no special mind — that was just how things usually went around here — and calmly delivered her message.
"Ermes, the Master is calling for you. Apparently he'd like to discuss the matter of the tutor."
"The Duke wants to see me? Understood, I'll head there at once. ...If you'll excuse me, then, Lady Katia."
"Y-Yes."
A summons from Yurugen took absolute priority. Ermes gave a bow to the still-dissatisfied-looking Katia and left the room.
……In the end, what had been the cause of the spell having no effect? And what had Katia been trying to accomplish?
Ermes pondered the question during his walk but arrived at no answer. Upon reaching Yurugen's office, he cut short his musings and switched his focus.
After that, he would not have another opportunity to revisit the matter for quite some time.
…………Meanwhile, back in the room after Ermes had left.
Leila, having noticed that her master's behavior was clearly off, coaxed the full story out of her and came to understand what had just taken place in this very room.
"……I see. So you thought that if you subjected yourself to this so-called charm spell, you'd be able to tell 'just how much Ermes cares about Lady Katia.' If the properties of the spell are as you described, I can certainly see the logic."
"Y-Yes, and what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing at all—it's a wonderfully endearing motive, truly. ……However, the spell produced no effect whatsoever—no, Lady Katia's consciousness did not change in the slightest."
That, perhaps, was what had shaken her most. As Katia, looking close to tears, demanded to know why, Leila considered the matter for a moment.
"……This is merely speculation, but—"
As it happened, she—the one least knowledgeable about magic of them all—was the one who hit upon the answer.
"—Could it be that Lady Katia already cares for Ermes so deeply that there was simply no room left for the spell to take hold?"
"————"
A beat of silence followed.
Then a wordless shriek echoed throughout the room—but that was something Ermes would never know about.
That was the deep-dive episode on the Fairy's Dream Palace. This magic is also slated to play a role in chapter three.
Next time, something rare will happen with Ermes. Look forward to it!