Albert von Yerk was bewildered.
The moment Ermes, obedient to his words, had turned to leave, Sara — their class representative — had stopped him.
After a brief silence following her and Niina's persuasion, he had suddenly made a mysterious request.
Reluctantly agreeing to Sara's plea, they had come — just the three of them — to a place where no one would see them.
Wondering what on earth was about to happen, Albert watched as Ermes spoke with casual nonchalance.
"Then, Lady Sara. Would you mind setting up a barrier over this entire area using the Spirit Veil?"
"Wh... at?"
"A barrier focused on blocking magic power, if you would. I know it's a bother."
He made yet another mysterious demand.
Though Sara seemed unable to grasp his intentions, she expanded the barrier as instructed.
Was he planning to dispose of him right here? No, if that were the case, Sara wouldn't have been called in the first place — while Albert worried over this, Ermes raised his magic power and began to chant.
"Thus was the world created; the infallible truth is recorded here; throughout all heaven and earth without distinction, it is for the sake of the sole miracle."
"Creation Magic — Primal Inscription."
It was the emerald disc of characters he had shown during his enrollment. His Bloodline Magic — wait, hold on.
What did he just call this magic?
"Albert. Do you remember the effect of the magic I explained when I enrolled?"
Disregarding Albert's confusion, Ermes asked.
Filled with suspicion and irritation, Albert reflexively responded.
"I remember. 'Simple multi-attribute magic manipulation,' right? What does that have to do with anything —"
"I'm sorry. That was a lie."
"...What?"
Unable to grasp the meaning of those words for a moment, Albert was baffled. At the same time, Sara's eyes went wide with a different kind of shock.
Meanwhile, Ermes began — impossibly — another chant.
"The south wind gathers; the north wind tears apart; the divine wind of the horizon reaches all directions."
"Formula Replay — Four Winds of the Heavenly Demon."
"W-what—!?"
An impossible scene unfolded before their eyes.
Ermes, who had called the Primal Inscription his Bloodline Magic, was now using a different Bloodline Magic — and not just any other, but Albert's own magic.
Moreover, he had deployed it with clearly greater power than Albert's.
His flash deduction that Ermes, like Sara, possessed a Dual Aptitude was quickly proven wrong.
By an even more unbelievable revelation.
"My magic is Creation Magic — the Primal Inscription. Its effect is the replication of any magic I have observed. Bloodline Magic is no exception; it too is reproduced through this method."
For a moment, Albert processed what he had been told, turning it over in his mind.
And the instant he understood, goosebumps rose across his skin at the sheer terror of it.
"D-don't tell me. Hey, you — if that's the case, just how many Bloodline Magics can you—!"
"Let's see. At present... roughly twenty, give or take."
A monster.
Not merely a Prodigy — far beyond that. He had not fallen from grace at all.
Having been expelled from noble society, he had returned as something that defied all common sense of the aristocracy.
So great was the shock that his surprise had gone numb.
What arose next in Albert's mind was... a question.
"Why are you telling me this!?"
"..."
"This is something you should absolutely keep hidden! So why tell me? Do you think I won't go blabbing about this to anyone!?"
To this perfectly reasonable question, Ermes answered after a brief silence.
"...Because I wanted to know."
"Know what, exactly?"
"Yes. What you — think about this magic. What impressions it gives you, and what you would do about it."
With that, he directed Albert's gaze toward the magic.
The Four Winds of the Heavenly Demon. A Bloodline Magic of earl-class caliber. Albert's own Bloodline Magic, which Ermes had once reproduced through a different route.
"Think whatever you like. If you want to spread the word, go ahead. — In that case, I'll simply leave the Royal Capital without holding back, just as I said before."
Hearing this, Albert observed the magic once more.
It was clearly far more refined than his own version, and even at a glance he could tell it operated on an entirely different level of performance.
And if Ermes's words were true, then on top of this, he could wield numerous other Bloodline Magics as well.
He was far, far beyond the norm.
This could not be allowed. He was no mere concern of the academy — left unchecked, he could shake the entire aristocracy.
...In that case, it would be best to have him leave the Royal Capital, just as he had declared.
Spread his words around, drive him out as an alien element. That way, the Royal Capital would remain peaceful as always, they could continue dutifully accepting their roles, and the kingdom would keep turning without issue.
Yes — dreaming big or rebelling never led to anything good.
So follow what he said. Drive out the heretic who might disrupt the Royal Capital. Preserve the way things had always been. That was the duty of a noble, and—
(—No, that's wrong!!!)
That was the primal feeling still lingering inside Albert.
Right. Noble duty, academy stability — those were not what he should be thinking about now.
What he should be thinking about, what he should be looking at—
—was nothing other than this magic.
Remember. Before coming to this academy, and even further back — the feeling that had first been born within him.
The pure, uncorrupted will that had emerged when magic first manifested within him, unburdened by thoughts of duty or anything else.
(I wanted to take this magic... and raise it higher. That was supposed to be my only wish!)
Then look — look right here.
The Four Winds of the Heavenly Demon, deployed before his very eyes. Far superior to his own, yet the same magic. Which meant—
—this was where his magic was meant to reach. The perfect model was right in front of him.
Then not as a noble, but as a mage — there was only one thing to do.
"...Let me ask you one thing, Ermes."
After a long silence, Albert spoke.
Whether intentional or not, it was the first time he had called Ermes by name.
"—Could I do the same thing?"
At that question, Ermes's eyes went wide.
He had been hoping for it, but never truly expected it to come — and yet here it was, without fail.
"...No."
And so, Ermes answered.
"You can do more than that."
"!"
"As someone who inherited this magic as a Bloodline Magic, you cannot wield other magics the way I can."
"However, when it comes to the Four Winds of the Heavenly Demon specifically, you can use it more freely and powerfully than I can — than anyone can. Bloodline Magic works that way, as I was taught the other day."
Ermes's answer surpassed even Albert's expectations.
Hearing it, blood surged through him. His heart pounded until it hurt, and an exhilaration he hadn't felt in ages enveloped his entire body.
...Ah, it was bitter. To do this for someone he had looked down on until now — it was pathetic beyond belief, and undoubtedly unforgivably rude to him as well.
But still. Compared to this exhilaration — those reasons were not nearly enough to give him pause.
And so, Albert—
"—Please."
Bowed his head.
To the commoner. To the one who had once been expelled. To Ermes, who should have been a dropout by noble standards.
"I know it's shameless to say all that and then turn around and ask this. That the very person who tried to drive you out would do something like this is absurd!"
"—But! I want to go further as a mage! I don't want to give up on my goal, and I want to meet my family's expectations! So please — teach me how to raise my magic further, how to train it...!"
"..."
Words so straightforward they were almost painful.
Hearing them, Ermes was momentarily stunned.
"...Strong resolve, and a hard worker. — I see. That's exactly right."
With that, he turned toward the girl who was still maintaining the barrier.
"Lady Sara."
"Y-yes!?"
"I owe you an apology, and my gratitude. ...It seems I was the one who hadn't tried hard enough to understand."
...Honestly, the grudge from being looked down upon hadn't entirely vanished. But still.
To witness firsthand a mage far superior to himself —
Not deny it, not reject it — but to find someone who could honestly feel the desire to learn, to study...
Perhaps it had been a little too soon to give up on him after all.
Ermes turned back to Albert and spoke.
"I have two conditions."
"W-what are they?"
"First, you must not reveal the contents of my magic to anyone. And second — you must absolutely never complain."
"If you can do that, then it may be difficult at first, but... I promise you, before long, you will be able to wield this magic better than I can."
"!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Albert nodded.
And so — in a sense, at long last —
The first step toward changing this academy had been taken.