"Ermes, fall back to the rear."
That said, retreating wasn't an option.
Lucius issued his instructions with swift judgment.
"I'll handle the front lines for all basic engagements — you support me. Besides, I'm sure you understand as well…"
"Yes. …I absolutely will not use any magic other than the two I just demonstrated."
A natural decision.
That boy's words and actions, the magic he had produced, and the consequences that followed.
Anyone could see it — he had clearly copied the magic. There was no guarantee he wouldn't do the same with any other spell.
Therefore, at the very least while confronting this boy, they had to fight bound by the restriction that they could use no magic other than
the *Magic Bullet Archer*
and
the *Messenger of the Faceless*
— the two spells he had just shown.
……But here, Lucius and Ermes stood together. If these two could fight as one, they should at least be able to find a breakthrough.
With that resolve, Lucius once again synchronized with his partner and resumed the fight —
—And yet.
"How boring. The first one was interesting, but you don't have any other magic?"
They couldn't do a single thing.
"Actually, you humans are all like that, aren't you? Why do you stubbornly use only one type of magic? And on top of that, you're terrible at using it. It'd be so much more fun if you could use all sorts of different magic — so why don't you?"
"……!"
"Gh..."
By exchanging blows with him, I understood.
This boy before me —
was definitely a monster.
That much was clear.
In truth, magic wielded by humans has a certain ceiling. There exist domains of limitation tied to the body's functions and constraints — barriers that cannot be avoided so long as one remains human.
This is most pronounced in body-enhancement magic. Effects that raise one's physical performance cannot, in blunt terms, produce movements that are "physically impossible for a human." Both Ermes and Lucius had already reached levels near that very ceiling.
Because I had reached it myself... I could tell. That the boy was not subject to it.
Monsters are magical creatures.
They possess an innate nature that draws magic power to them, and the powerful ones wield their own unique magic —
and... their very aptitude for magic far surpasses that of humans.
Perhaps, in tandem with magical enhancement,
their very bodies
undergo
metamorphosis.
Through this, they generate flesh optimally suited to enhancement magic, enabling them to reap its benefits without limit.
Otherwise, it defies explanation.
Otherwise.
He had faced Lucius head-on in combat, and without landing a single strike, overwhelmed him through pure physical movement alone.
He even managed to deal with Ermes's supporting shots — which should have landed precisely — and, unbelievably, deflected every single one with his bare hands.
Standing uninjured and utterly composed before two opponents who were battered and exhausted on one side alone — such a feat should have been impossible.
"What a bore, what a bore. I want to know more about you guys, though."
On the other hand, there was something worth noting.
Despite possessing that level of power… his overall temperament was, by and large, rather childish.
During the battle he had taken to observing Ermes with open curiosity, and even now — despite this being the perfect opportunity for a follow-up attack — he simply stood in place, making his dissatisfaction plainly visible.
Taking his movements into account as well… he didn't appear to be a master of combat, nor did he seem to possess the proper mindset for fighting.
And yet, his actual ability was beyond the charts. The one thing that did come through clearly was his killing intent toward them, which only made the eeriness all the more pronounced…
…This, then, was the opening to exploit. Ermes steadied his breathing and spoke.
"…If you're that curious about us, perhaps we could talk for a bit?"
"Hmm? Mm, sure, I guess. Go right ahead!"
The boy agreed to hold a conversation with the very person he had been trying to kill moments ago, in an extraordinarily casual tone. The sheer disjointedness of it was all the more terrifying — but setting those thoughts aside, Ermes organized his mind. After answering several of the boy's questions within a range that would cause minimal harm, he turned the questioning around.
"Then allow me to ask a few as well. First — you're a Monster, aren't you?"
"I'm not really sure what you mean by 'Monster'… but if it's the same thing you guys always call my companions, then I suppose so."
"You said 'companions.'… So these Monsters all around us — you really are the one giving them orders?"
"Yep. I don't really understand it myself, but ever since I was born, they've done what I say."
"…Are there other Monsters of your kind — ones shaped like humans, the same as us?"
"Don't know that either. Like I said, I just sort of found myself here."
Even from this exchange alone, there was an enormous amount of highly useful information.
First, he had obtained confirmation that the boy before him was indeed a Monster. Second, the worst-case possibility — that other beings like this boy existed — had become somewhat less likely.
And then... about the ability that stood at the heart of this situation — "making other Monsters obey."
Judging from the way he spoke, it seemed unlikely to be a spell. If that was the case, then... it might be an ability he was born with — though this was only speculation, it was possible it was an ability automatically acquired the moment one became a "humanoid" Monster. There were precedents among Monsters of hierarchies forming based on strength, so perhaps that was the connection.
...And that reminded him of the time he had clashed with the Second Prince, Aster.
The flight with Katia, and the final confrontation with Aster. That abnormally powerful—
Phantom Species
that had appeared.
Looking back on it now—
the timing
had been far too
good
.
Moreover, his current ability to control other Monsters.
He sensed something fishy... but at the very least, it seemed unlikely that this boy was directly connected to it — and so he shifted his focus.
...And as he continued to think, a certain idea came to mind.
It was simple, really. If, unlike the Monsters he had encountered before, this one could actually communicate... then perhaps there was room for negotiation.
Acting on that thought, Ermes continued... carefully choosing his words, as if probing.
"Then... what is your purpose? Why have you surrounded the Royal Capital like this — attacking people, attempting to kill them?"
In response to the question, the boy—
First widened his eyes, then tilted his head.
"Huh? I don't really have a reason, though?"
"——"
"I dunno, it's like... or rather, it's more like 'I just really, really want to kill them, so I do.' Y'know? It's like this feeling keeps welling up from the very deepest part of my brain, over and over and over. Weird, weird."
Detailed information about monster ecology remains largely unknown.
The only thing that is known... is that they attack people with relentless persistence.
The origin of it all. Perhaps —
"This is just a guess, but I'm sure that from the moment 'we' were born,
—
just like that,
'
by magic
'
it was
decided.
Don't you think?'"
............Something far too terrifying.
"Let me ask you something in return.
Have you guys... ever killed 'monsters' while thinking about something?"
It was like catching a glimpse of something at the very bottom of the world.
"I'm the same way. Right now I'm leaving you guys alone because your magic interests me, but if you really, truly have no more magic left..."
"Kill," he said.
Pure, unadorned killing intent — the same kind as what he had felt from Kerberos back then, yet incomparably more potent in quality. An intent so overwhelming that even they shuddered, and he was staring directly into the full force of it.
"Actually, what even is this? The more we talk, the more irritated I'm getting."
"Hey, seriously, are you really not gonna show me any more magic? If not, then honestly, I couldn't care less about just two humans... Can I just go ahead now?"
It was exactly like a child's whimsy.
And yet — the boy's expression and his output of magic power shifted violently in an instant.
Further stalling was impossible.
And — there was absolutely no room left for negotiation.
Ermes, who had reached that split-second judgment, who had already crossed the point of no return — in the end, not because it was necessary, but... as one final courtesy.
"Then, one last thing."
"...What is your name?"
"A name? Oh, you mean that weird word you lot use to refer to each other? I don't have anything like that... but if it's words that have been in my head since the moment I was born, there is one."
In response to Ermes' question, the white monster boy wore an expression drenched in killing intent, yet eerily calm.
"—Karma."
With a resonant, almost polyphonic ring to it, he offered only that single word.
"If you want to call me by a 'name,' go ahead and do it however you like. ...But whatever, it doesn't really matter."
True to his declaration, that exchange was the last of it. The boy — provisionally named Karma — once again wreathed himself in magic power of an utterly different magnitude and lunged forward.
...Deep within this world, a terrible, inescapable law. He could feel its presence.
With no visible chance of victory whatsoever, he resumed the battle alongside Lucius.
Next time, the story will shift to Liliana's side for a bit.
We might finally get into what's behind this whole incident — stay tuned!