(Hmph.)
The Royal Palace garden.
Looking back at her room's balcony, now far in the distance, Liliana snorted inwardly.
How must she look to that new silver-haired tutor right now?
No need to ask. A bratty little princess who never listens. An exceedingly defiant, impossibly troublesome student. Something along those lines.
...Didn't matter.
She'd never asked for a tutor in the first place. Plenty of people had come because she was a little "special" and they hadn't given up on her, but the end result was always the same.
— Despairing stares.
— Disappointed stares.
— Stares like she was something utterly hopeless.
She was sick of it.
(They get their hopes up, make me think there has to be something special about me — and when none of it comes true, I'm the one they look down on to protect their pride.
How many more times am I supposed to go through this!!)
Then fine. She was done.
She wouldn't be giving him any expectations from the start either.
She'd do the same thing she always had, right from the beginning.
Show off her talent, run him ragged until he couldn't even catch her shadow — and beyond that, toy with him outright.
And then, once he was completely beaten down, she'd look down on him with all her might, and whisper to him about "her magic."
Surely, that would make him belittle her too. To protect his own pride.
She might look down on me. No, rather, I want her to. That way, I can throw it back at her.
— That you're the kind of opponent who loses to a mere existence like that.
Surely, that would ease some of the frustration.
...Even though I know doing that won't change anything.
But then again... what else am I supposed to do?
In any case, she had made up her mind.
She didn't know what kind of person that silver-haired home tutor was. She had heard about his accomplishments from Yurugen, but there was no way she could believe them. No matter who heard the story, they'd think it had been exaggerated to build up expectations.
Therefore, she didn't have the slightest intention of losing this game of tag.
Even without that, she held absolute confidence in this. Because.
— Under these conditions...
Even against Aster...
She had never lost.
Now, let's begin.
First, as if to say "let's see what you've got," she waited to spot the figure of the home tutor approaching from the direction of the veranda.
"No, that's an impressive escape."
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!?"
The voice came from *behind her*, and she let out a full-throated scream.
"...When you scream like you've seen a ghost, it does hurt a little, you know."
"Wha... eh, a...!?"
She had seen something unbelievable.
She had been running at full speed. Using her extraordinary magic power manipulation, she'd achieved a pace no one she'd ever seen could match, and she'd come straight here without letting her guard down for even a moment.
And yet. In that single instant she'd glanced away, without her noticing a thing—
—No. It was impossible. For someone to move faster than her and end up right behind her without ever being detected.
But the silver-haired tutor paid no mind to her shock, and continued regardless.
"Still, I'm satisfied now."
"S-Satisfied about what...?"
"Your intention to test me. The student certainly has the right to choose their teacher, after all. And having the student side get a chance to evaluate the teacher — that's perfectly reasonable. So—"
At that, he gave a gentle smile.
"I'll do my absolute best to earn your approval. Now then—shall we continue with your 'test'?"
And so. Perhaps for the first time in her entire life.
A real game of tag had begun.
◆
Before chasing after Liliana, Yurugen had casually mentioned something to her. He'd said:
"I intentionally haven't told you two the details about each other. I thought it would be better for you to learn about each other when you actually meet. So—come at each other with everything you've got."
Or words to that effect.
On top of that, she'd also been given one more piece of advice — or perhaps it was a request — but she decided to circle back to that later.
In any case, Ermes von Frenbreed was beginning to understand, at least to some degree, what Yurugen had meant.
"...Haha."
She circulated magic power throughout her body as she sprinted across the Royal Palace grounds.
And Ermes found herself overflowing with an exhilarated smile.
Because I was certain.
There was no doubt. This princess was — a genius.
"What is this... thing!?"
Her cry, filled with astonishment... and a touch of fear, echoed as Liliana darted about before his eyes.
Her movements were astonishingly agile. Even Ermes couldn't easily catch her.
And above all, what was truly remarkable — was the fact that he was currently 'giving his almost full effort'.
In his life so far, Ermes had seen several individuals who possessed abilities surpassing his own in a specific field.
For example, his master Rose's knowledge and magic power output, or his academy friend Nina's magic power perception.
This princess was, perhaps, one of those people.
Considering her age — in the field of magic manipulation, she might even possess more talent than Ermes.
The proof was that even challenging her with nearly full effort, he couldn't easily capture her.
...Well, however.
His weapon wasn't just talent. His years of experience and training were different too; if anything, he had done this 'tag' countless times with his master Rose as training to hone his magic manipulation.
In technical fields like feinting and body movement, the difference was too vast. Ermes wasn't soft enough to be overwhelmed by physical ability alone.
"........."
"That was the fifth time, wasn't it...? ...Have you acknowledged me even a little bit...?"
After cornering Liliana several times, Ermes asked.
She, on the other hand, had become completely silent after being caught the third time.
...Huh.
Was this perhaps the case where, even though she was the one who started it, he had gone too far against a younger child...? Ermes broke into a slight cold sweat at the thought.
Liliana spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.
"……Just one question, if I may."
"Y-Yes."
"During this entire time……did you use any Bloodline Magic?"
A fair question. He answered honestly.
"No. To match Lady Liliana, I likewise held back and used only basic magic abilities."
Someone of her caliber would be able to tell this was no lie.
Just as Ermes had expected, Liliana nodded with an expression of understanding, and then —
"……So the rumors were true. Then — is it also true that you can wield multiple Bloodline Magic?"
"That too is true. Then, as a demonstration —"
Now was his chance to be heard. Ermes seized the moment and deployed the
Primal Inscription,
demonstrating several simple Bloodline Magic spells.
Seeing this with her own eyes, Liliana……laughed.
"……Ahaha. Just as Yurugen said — you really are an extraordinary person. ……That is……truly……enviable."
"——"
He had initially written her off as an arrogant princess, overconfident in her own magical power.
This reaction was something he could never have predicted from that first impression.
"There's nothing to be envious of. This test made it perfectly clear that Lady Liliana possesses wonderful talent as well. So you too will surely —"
"——!!"
What came back in response to his next words was the sound of someone suppressing fierce emotion through clenched teeth.
Noticing a distinct sense of unease from that, he asked with a cautious expression.
"...Lady Liliana."
"...What is it?"
"This may just be my own impression, but—when you said there was nothing to learn from me, regarding the matter of the tutor... I didn't think you were entirely serious about refusing."
"!"
"What were you expecting from me... or from anyone else who might teach you? If you don't mind, I'd like to know..."
"Know... what good would that do...!"
From within her, Ermes could feel something surging upward.
Just as his intuition told him, Liliana spoke as if wringing the words out of herself.
"Yes, that's right...! Even I, deep down, wanted power like yours! Something real and tangible—not just the ability to run fast!"
"Wh—"
"If I had that... then I could have done something! I wouldn't have had to watch helplessly as Brother Aster lost his mind, as my kind brother and sister turned against each other, and despair at how utterly worthless I was! But!!"
There, she paused, and directed at Ermes a gaze filled with a swirl of emotions.
"It's impossible. It's pointless. No matter what I hope for, nothing can be done about it! Fine, I'll tell you now. Because I—!!"
And so, she confessed.
"—I don't have it."
Her starting point. What she had defined as something "nothing could be done about."
"I—
do not possess Bloodline Magic."
don't have it."
"!!!!"
"────"
—Everything made sense at last.
"It's what they call 'Incompatibility.' Surely you understand — I am someone who doesn't even qualify as a noble, let alone royalty!"
Why Ermes von Frenbreed hadn't known of Princess Liliana's existence.
—Because she had never been treated as royalty in the first place.
"No matter how skilled I am at wielding magic power, it means absolutely nothing! Every last bit of it was a complete waste!!"
Despite possessing such extraordinary talent, she had drawn not a shred of attention. Not a single person had ever stood at her side.
Even setting aside her own indolence, the nobles of this country would have flocked to anyone who wielded high-level magic — at least to some degree.
The reason that hadn't happened...
was simply
because she had Incompatibility.
By convention, she was nothing more than someone waiting to be disinherited at the age of fifteen.
"Even so, I kept hoping — wishing with all my heart that there had to be something, something waiting for me! And every single time, I was betrayed, met with nothing but cruel stares... So you know what? I'm done with all of it!!"
Looking down on others... it was the only way she could protect herself.
And.
The reason Yurugen had said that Ermes von Frenbreed was the one destined to guide her.
Ah... it might be nothing more than self-delusion, but right now, I want to believe this.
—That it was true.
"...What is this about?"
Perhaps sensing the strangeness in Ermes's manner, Liliana glared at him with tears brimming in her eyes.
"Fine, go ahead and look down on me! You're the true hero who possesses greater magic power than I do, and on top of that, you hold an extraordinary Bloodline Magic to boot! So tell me then — what could you possibly have to teach someone like me!?"
A girl betrayed by her Bloodline Magic, scorned by the customs of the kingdom, on the verge of giving up on everything.
——That was, without question, the very same path he himself had once walked.
And so, he spoke.
"——You're amazing, Lady Lily."
Not a single word different from what he had once been told.
"Wha..."
"I'll be blunt. ...Right now, I'm very happy. That there was someone like me. That I wasn't the only one with the same talent. And — that I've been given the chance to guide that person."
And with that, he began to speak.
The truth of magic as he had once been told it. The nature of Bloodline Magic. The kingdom's twisted view of magic — all of it.
When Liliana had heard everything... she trembled and spoke.
"I... I can't believe it."
She wanted to believe... but it was so outlandish that, above all, she was afraid to believe.
With eyes filled with such emotions, she continued.
"That's... that's far too convenient a story just for me...! Stop it, don't raise my hopes. Because...!"
At the same time, he understood the request Yurugen had made of him earlier.
Which was — *"I'd like you to reveal your name only after learning everything about Her Highness."*
Grasping the full meaning of those words, he spoke.
"Do you happen to know the name Ermes von Frenbreed?"
He needed her to read the intent behind those words correctly.
"Based on what His Grace told me… I believe Lady Lily must be aware of it."
"…Y-Yes, I know of him. A person recognized for their talent just like me, yet deemed Incompatible. And then, at the age of ten, cast down into commonerhood at the hands of Brother Aster — silver-haired—"
Liliana's eyes went wide.
"…It can't be—"
"Please forgive the discourtesy of introducing myself so belatedly. My name is Ermes."
With those words, Ermes offered her a deep, courteous bow.
"My former surname was von Frenbreed. Just as you said, I was expelled from the marquis household, and in the end… I returned having inherited this Creation Magic — a person who holds the same qualification as you."
Liliana's beautiful azure eyes gleamed with an expectation she could no longer contain.
Seeing that, Ermes smiled at her once more.
"Lady Lily, you possess truly wonderful talent in magic."
With no trace of falsehood, he spoke the words he himself had once so desperately wanted to hear.
"Innate magic power, high manipulation ability, and above all — you love magic."
Of this, Ermes was certain.
After all, the power he had just learned of was something that could never have been innate.
Like him, it belonged to a realm one could only reach by dreaming of magic and relentlessly honing one's craft.
"Someone like you, Lady Lily, is more qualified than anyone to wield Creation Magic. You have every right to handle all manner of magic freely and give shape to the beauty within your heart."
And then, he declared:
"You will surely become a magnificent mage. I want to witness that. And if possible, I would be grateful if you would let me assist in that journey. So — would you please allow me to teach you?"
Meeting her gaze, he asked gently.
Surely, everything had reached her. Liliana stood dazed for a while, but gradually—gradually—as the words sank in, her face twisted, and then—
"Waaaaah," she sobbed.
She wept, casting aside all her arrogance, all the cruelty unbecoming of her age.
With her emotions laid bare, she cried like a girl her age should—yet the tears were warm, never cold.
He heard her say, "I'm sorry." He accepted it with a wry smile.
And so, taking her hand as she still sobbed, he began to walk—just as he had once done before.
On the way back to the room, Liliana whispered tearfully.
"……Please take care of me......
Master.
"
Ermes murmured.
"……The Duke truly is heartless."
If that was the case, he wished the Duke had just said so from the start.
……No, surely, as had been said earlier, the Duke had figured that words alone wouldn't be enough to convince Liliana, and so he had decided to let her face it head-on first. When it came to that sort of nuance, Ermes couldn't really argue.
Besides, things had turned out well in the end, so he supposed that was that.
Yurugen had surely been aiming for this from the very beginning.
Sending Ermes to the academy may have been part of this setup all along. Alongside the academy's reform, there had perhaps also been the purpose of correcting his own difficulties in relating to others at that point.
Well, he could always ask about that later.
……No, even so.
Ermes didn't really believe in destiny.
"Still, this is… quite the extraordinary chain of fate."
Walking hand in hand with her as she still sniffled beside him, Ermes thought to himself.
She was a truly adorable girl — not just because of her natural features and appearance, but more so because she resembled the person he knew best and respected above all others.
He, who had been taken in by the previous Third Princess and inherited Creation Magic…
was now meeting the current Third Princess, and would go on to teach and guide her in Creation Magic.
"So I'm the mentor, huh… That's a little embarrassing."
Though he smiled bashfully just as his words suggested, he felt nothing unpleasant at all.
Dreaming of her future, the new master and disciple continued on their way.
The matter had been successfully settled.
With this, the introduction arc comes to a close. Starting next time, Lady Katia and the others will finally join the fray, and we'll be diving headlong into the heart of the royal succession. Stay tuned!