From there, there were no further mysterious attacks.
The procession continued on schedule, the church soldiers serving as guards causing no unnecessary trouble, and the carriage moved onward in solemn silence.
And then, on the second night—at the lodging they'd stopped at as planned.
(…Now then)
Ermes sat on the inn's veranda, deep in thought.
…If everything continued without incident, they would arrive at Church headquarters by tomorrow morning.
The plan for what would follow their arrival had already been mostly settled during their discussion in the carriage. Whatever the case, their objective—uncover the Church's mysteries, and if possible, secure a means of bolstering their fighting strength. To eliminate any lingering worries about the effort to reclaim the Royal Capital.
As long as they didn't lose sight of that objective, things would work out… or so he believed.
"…"
And precisely because of that, what weighed on his mind was everything else.
The inner thoughts of his companions—people other than himself. Yurugen's warning about the Church's unfathomable technology, about the incomprehensible, monstrous things they would be made to witness.
And then, there was one more thing.
Recently—or rather, ever since the Northern Rebellion had ended. The behavior of a certain dear girl who had been acting strangely had been nagging at him, and just as he was thinking that—
"…El?"
A voice from behind.
He turned around—and upon recognizing the familiar purple hair, Ermes answered in kind.
"Lady Katia. What's the matter?"
Coincidence, or perhaps something more.
The very girl he had been thinking about. The girl who, as of late, had been wearing a stiff expression especially in his presence—right here, right now. The two of them met again for the first time in a long while.
Chapter 7: The Reason Behind the Stiffness
Katia's attitude towards Ermes was even stiffer than before... or, to put it more accurately, she was being noticeably distant, and there was a reason for that.
It was, of course, because of that time. When she was heading to the infirmary to talk with Ermes, and was confronted there by Nina, who had been accosting him...
"...Yeah, I like you. I like you, Er-kun, as a girl."
To say it again.
It was because Nina, with a voice full of genuine feeling, her cheeks charmingly flushed, had shyly declared exactly that.
"That... is..."
"I want Er-kun to look at me more. I want him to look only at me.
—I want to be your number one."
"—!"
Nina knew, of course, of Katia's own heart.
Therefore, if put into words... it was, without a doubt, a declaration of war.
And... the one who received that declaration, Katia. More than any black emotion... it was confusion that surfaced first.
"...U-umm... that's..."
Because it was the first time.
Someone so close to her, looking straight at her and... showering her with such powerful feelings, so directly and so clearly.
Nina was her enemy. Since she had said so herself, at least as far as anything concerning Ermes was concerned, they had become adversaries. In other words... Nina was the one she should be directing her darker self towards. Her ruthless self. The one she should be lashing out at—
—And yet.
When faced with an actual, clear 'situation where she should do just that', no matter what...
"...Fufu. You're hesitating. That makes me happy."
"You really do love Lady Katia too, don't you?"
As if seeing right through that inner conflict of hers, Nina smiled.
"Oh, and before I say anything else, I want to keep getting along with Lady Katia just like before—no, actually, even better than before."
"!"
"After all, I always felt a little guilty about things at the academy. From now on, I want to have lots of fun conversations and do all sorts of wonderful things. With Er, with Lady Katia, with everyone together. ...So let me say this."
She took a small step toward Katia. Looking her straight in the eye, she spoke.
"Just like I said before. ...I don't think it's a good idea to assume that he's the type who'll pull back just because you put on 'that kind of attitude,' or that he'll simply forgive you for it."
That tone of voice.
Just as when she'd spoken earlier, it carried nothing but genuine concern—for herself, for all of them, pure and sincere.
"Er is kind. Once he's let someone into his heart, he's incredibly kind to them. So if you sulk, he'll pay attention to you, and if you're feeling down, he'll worry about you. ...He'll spoil you so much it's practically shameless. ...And that's exactly why."
Without changing that tone one bit, she took another step forward—and declared firmly.
"That's precisely why. ...We can't let ourselves be spoiled rotten."
"!"
"I think we need to be mindful of that on our own end, so it doesn't come to that."
"Er is very strong, but he's not invincible. So if we lean on him too much, if we're too spoiled... he'll eventually break. I'm sure he already knows that."
"...!"
Remembering the early events of the Northern Rebellion, Katia lowered her gaze.
Seeing Katia respond so honestly, Nina gave a wry smile and drew even closer—then gently, with no pretense of the affection she felt, wrapped her arms around Katia.
"I'm sorry for saying all those bossy things."
"What I'm trying to say is... if you really want to move your relationship with Er forward, I think it might be better to face him a bit more honestly."
"...Niina."
"Otherwise, I'm sure we'll end up truly ruined someday. ...I can't explain it, but that's what I feel."
Those words were filled with the same powerful intuition that Yurugen had spoken to Ermes about the other day.
Nina spoke once more, her voice just as sincere, as Katia etched the words into her heart against her will.
"I know it's frustrating, but... I really think Boss and Katia have an amazing relationship. So... I don't want it falling apart for some terrible reason."
Coming from her, these words carried a faintly sulky note—a kind of earnest worry that Katia had never seen from her before.
Katia was taken aback all over again, but still... she nodded, saying "I understand," and returned a light embrace.
And now.
Katia steps forward to where Ermes stands, bathing in the night breeze.
"Katia. Um, it gets cold out here, so you really shouldn't come out too—"
"That goes for you too, doesn't it?"
Katia replied in a voice that was, if anything, a touch cool toward Ermes, who had hurried over with concern in his tone.
...And yet, despite that guarded tone,
just the fact that he was worrying about her was enough to set her heart racing. Every step he took closer raised her temperature, lifted her spirits higher.
—*I love him*, she thought.
That feeling she had held for so long, rekindled by their reunion and growing only stronger with each passing day—she was recognizing it once more, fully and clearly.
Up until now, she had never spoken it aloud.
...No, there had been no *need* to speak it aloud.
Because even without doing so, their current relationship was deeply comfortable. He served her, cherished her, indulged her whims—and she had grown, in a way, content with that arrangement of "master and servant."
...But, surely.
From now on—the world around them, and themselves as well. Things were beginning to change drastically in this new era, and she could sense, with quiet certainty, that the way things had been wouldn't be enough.
(Then—)
Right now. Right here. Should she confess her feelings?
……But when she actually considered it, that wasn't quite right either.
It wasn't because she was embarrassed—no, honestly, that was partly it, but the biggest reason beyond that was probably this:
——She didn't have the confidence that she was someone worthy of confessing.
Because—
(……I swore I'd catch up to him… but I still haven't, not yet)
That day, the day Rose visited the Traukia household. The words she had sworn in front of him.
He continued to progress at a brilliant, astonishing pace, and she had poured everything she had into finding something—anything—that would let her stand at his side, pushing herself to the limit……
……And yet, she realized that she still didn't possess anything she could clearly point to and call her own.
That had to be it.
Raising her magic, changing her heart, moving forward—there had to be something beyond all of that.
Something. A firm, defining something that would make her who she was.
She was certain she needed to find that first.
……And so, until then.
She resolved to keep the feelings threatening to overflow locked away, just as she always had.
——Because someday, she would have him accept all of it.
With that resolve, she steadied her emotions once more.
"Um…… Lady Katia……?"
As for how Katia felt about that, Ermes tilted his head, his expression a mix of worry and... apology, and asked this.
"Um... Have I done something to upset you?"
"...Huh?"
"Your attitude has felt a bit stiff ever since the Northern Rebellion ended... I'm sorry, I can't seem to figure out the cause... If you would tell me, I would do my best to make amends."
"..."
...It seemed he had mistaken her change in demeanor for being in a bad mood.
Well, that wasn't entirely wrong, and she supposed there was no way for him to know, and she certainly didn't want to push some exhausting demand like "figure it out without me telling you" onto him... but still.
(...It would be nice if he noticed a little, at least.)
Having that honest feeling somewhere deep down was probably unavoidable, too.
...Truly irritated now by his very words, Katia answered him.
"...It's not like that. I'm not avoiding you or anything."
"Is that so...?"
The words were spoken with a tone that was now even more clearly irritated, so they held no conviction, and Ermes naturally tilted his head again, but...
(...Ugh!)
Frustration peaked inside Katia at that, and she looked him straight in the eye.
"!"
She threw her arms around him.
She buried her face in his chest and stayed like that for a moment... then, slowly, she raised her head.
From point-blank range, she narrowed her beautiful amethyst eyes, looked up at him, and said:
"...Now do you understand? That I don't dislike you."
"...Y-Yes."
In truth, Ermes' confusion had only deepened, but the unmistakable tone of her voice left no room for dissent, so he simply nodded.
Seeing that, Katya... once more, buried her face in his chest to hide her gaze.
"...El. I'm going to try harder too."
She murmured it, almost as an afterthought, at the very end.
"I'll work harder than ever before, so I can stand by your side. So until then..."
Surely, he wouldn't understand this part either.
Still, alongside the words she had wanted to convey, she whispered one small, selfish wish.
"So until then... please don't leave me behind."
──Realizing that this, too, was something he should answer from his instincts, Ermes replied:
"...Of course. I understand."
He answered in a sincere voice.
And just like that, the small rift between master and servant was mended... and that night slowly drew to a close.
◆
The next day.
Without any notable incidents, the group arrived at their destination right on schedule.
"...So this is it."
Stepping down from the carriage, Ermes stood before the main gate, where a church soldier assigned as their escort had led him.
Standing there, Ermes murmured almost involuntarily:
A cathedral that soared high enough to pierce the heavens.
Grand and majestic, its refined design was built upon a foundation of white.
The expansive grounds, meticulously tended, only served to amplify the sense of sanctity further.
...Indeed.
A colossal edifice sat enthroned before them — one that made you wonder if this was what the word "authority" would look like, given physical form.
Those seeing it for the first time were awestruck by its sheer size and majesty. Even those already familiar with it could feel the imposing aura it radiated, all over again.
A building that thrust its dominance upon you whether you willed it or not. This was —
"— Welcome. To the Church headquarters."
— A voice they had heard before.
Everyone turned in that direction... and the first to react was Liliana, whose face immediately filled with shock.
Can you blame her? Because the one who had just spoken was...
"What a splendid reaction. Watching someone who strolls out here completely oblivious get overwhelmed by the grandeur of the cathedral — it never gets old, does it? Given how amusing that was, I suppose I ought to pardon your discourtesy in not kneeling at once — or so I'd like to say."
Striking golden hair, and those familiar ruby-red eyes.
Terrifyingly beautiful, with long, sharp eyes that lent her a touch of headstrong confidence — her features were nothing short of devastating.
There was so much he wanted to ask this girl, so much that needed saying.
But for now... this line felt the most appropriate.
"...You're safe?"
The Royal Capital's
coup d'état
must have made her a prime target just as it had them, and yet she had apparently managed to flee all the way here.
"Big sister..."
The Second Princess, Laila—upon hearing the words of Ermes and Liliana, smiled beautifully and fearlessly.
I've been setting up various flags here and there.
We've finally reached the church, and the Second Princess Laila has made her return! The story will really start picking up from here, so I hope you'll look forward to what comes next!
And tomorrow, Volume 1 finally goes on sale!
The author is thinking of sneaking over to the local bookstore, but already feeling nervous about it.
Also, one more announcement!
Overlap Bunko has created a promotional blog and a special website!
On the blog you'll find new illustrations, and on the special site—
—the character designs of everyone who appears in the illustrations, including Ermes Catia, have been revealed!
I've posted links to both the blog illustrations and the special site on my activity report page, so—
—please, please take a look if it helps at all with your purchase decision!
With that, please continue to support *Reproducer of Creation Magic* going forward!