There were broadly three reasons why her magic had been deflected.
First was Ermes's nature. Due to his innate characteristics and past experiences, his emotions and heart were thinner compared to most people.
—In other words, magic that targeted the mind was uniformly less effective against him.
...And yet, the fact that he had still been cornered this far spoke volumes about just how formidable her magic truly was.
And on the other side — the magic Ermes had activated. Nina touched the wall generated by the Spirit Veil that stood between them and murmured.
"This is Sarah's... Ah, so that's what's going on."
The completely unexpected resistance from Ermes, whom she had believed was fully caught in her technique.
Shaken out of her certainty, Nina collected herself, grasped the situation, and murmured with a sense of understanding.
"I knew you were hiding your power, but... I didn't think you could do something like this.
Did you have this set up from the very start?"
"Yes, before I came here.
...I had hoped it wouldn't come to using it."
That was the second reason.
—To put it bluntly, Ermes had suspected her from the very beginning.
"When did you realize?"
"What set me off was the incident during the final stretch of the intersquad competition."
At that time, Nina had declared that Clyde's magic was "not a direct-attack type."
Back then, he hadn't looked too deeply into where she'd gotten her information—
but now that he knew what Clyde's magic truly was, it was a glaring inconsistency.
"—Why"
"—
—and why
do
you
know
that? That magic of Lord Clyde's is the kind of thing that must never, under any circumstances, be leaked. I find it impossible to believe that someone with no connection whatsoever could learn of it, even if only in fragments."
At this point, suspicions had already arisen that she might have a connection to Clyde directly—or, at the very least, to someone connected to Clyde, someone who knew him.
On top of that, the timing of her summoning, immediately after he'd pinpointed Clyde's magic.
When all of this lined up, it would have been difficult not to be on guard.
"I was caught from the very beginning, huh… I don't suppose there's any chance you'll untie this, is there?"
"Ngh—"
Having understood the situation, she looked up at him from beneath her lashes, questioning him through the wall.
…Even though the immediate crisis had passed, the charm magic was still gnawing at him. His gaze was drawn to her eyes and gestures, his awareness sucked in no matter how he struggled, and he felt an impulse to simply do whatever she said, no matter what was at stake.
But he had known this would happen. He had approached her with full knowledge of the risk.
Therefore, he steeled his will, resisted it—and with a tone that was almost like he was forcing the words out, spoke a single sentence.
"…Do you truly wish for this to be done to you?"
"!"
That her heart had been pierced by his words was evident from her reaction.
That was the third reason.
That her magic grew more potent the closer it got to its target was something he had understood through bitter experience.
In the most extreme case, if she had simply closed the distance or made contact from the start, there would have been nothing Ermes could do about it.
He could rationalize it by saying he had judged it dangerous to approach carelessly while her hold was still shallow, and had kept his distance until it wore off somewhat — but even so, he couldn't shake the impression that his overall approach had been sloppy.
In the end, he had sensed something like hesitation in her.
That was precisely one of the reasons he had decided to speak with her here.
Around that point, he had finally managed to shake off enough of the charm magic to regain some composure.
And so Ermes looked straight at her — through the wall — and spoke.
"...So. You have ties to Lord Clyde — or rather, more likely, to the person or organization pulling the strings behind Lord Clyde."
"..."
"You were instructed to keep me under surveillance, and to bind me with magic if the time came... Approaching me in the first place, deepening our relationship — that was the purpose."
Having heard his matter-of-fact account, she let out a somewhat self-deprecating laugh.
"...That's not quite right. It's true that at first I approached you because I was told to... but even without that, I was interested in you, and my gratitude and my feelings are genuine. They're not things I fabricated just because the magic required it—"
After blurting all of that out in one breath, she looked back at him and asked:
"...If I fed you some convenient excuse like that, would you believe me?"
"
Yes
.
Of course
"
But at that, her eyes went wide.
The affirmative meaning of his words was obvious from his tone — she clearly hadn't expected an actual "yes" to come back.
But this was something he didn't need to waver over.
"I don't know your circumstances. So I'll believe what I've seen with my own eyes. The sword you've honed without a shred of corruption, straight and true — your heart that treasures your bonds with your classmates — your feelings that you expressed with gratitude to me… I'll believe what I want to believe is real."
"Aren't you being a little too softhearted? I can't exactly laugh at Sarah for that."
"I have no intention of laughing at her whatsoever… You're right, though. The Duke told me I was 'naive' too."
What he recalled was right after he'd returned to the Royal Capital. Having grasped none of the situation, he'd made the decision to side with Katia — and been called out on it by Yurugen.
What he was doing now was exactly the same.
…But he had no intention of changing that.
Blind faith was wrong. There were times, like now, when suspicion was necessary.
But at his core — because he himself was someone whose heart had been worn thin — the principle of protecting the certainty that had been born within that emptiness…
…He would not doubt his own feelings. That was the one thing he couldn't compromise on, couldn't change, because it was for the sake of his purpose: to create magic.
Therefore, knowing this, what he had to ask her and what he had to say was already decided.
"If I go along with the instructions you've been given — then following you would mean turning a blind eye to the atrocities being committed at this academy right now."
"…That's right."
"Can't you be on our side?"
"…I can't."
"Could you tell me the reasons why?"
"…I'm sorry. That, too, I can't tell you right now."
"…Then it's going to be difficult for us to join hands here and now."
Exactly the answer he'd expected, and the natural conclusion he'd drawn.
Unable to say a word, she could not simply stand by and watch — no matter what — as this academy, the place where the people precious to him were finally beginning to change, was trampled underfoot.
Thus, for now, their paths diverge here. It is an unavoidable reality.
But that is—
By no means to say they can never walk together again for the rest of their lives.
More than anything, that is… terribly lonely for him as well.
Thus, he speaks.
"So—
next time
you want me
on your side—
please
tell me."
"…What?"
To her dumbfounded expression, Ermes continues.
"The circumstances… it would help if you could tell me about them at that time. As long as the content isn't excessively unreasonable, I'll see to it. And it would be appreciated if the objective is clear as well."
"…"
"And on top of that—if your wish is sincere. If your feelings are something beautiful that you need not be hesitant about before anyone—"
He believes.
That she, too, had been unwilling about having to drag this academy into things. That sad face, that desperate expression—he wants to believe.
Surely right now there is neither the means nor the time to overturn that. But that next time, she would certainly make sure not to tread the same path again.
"If that is the case, then rely on me."
So he spoke, straight and without a trace of hesitation.
"When that time comes—I promise that I will stand by your side, to the full extent of my power."
"...Why would you say something like that?"
Niina asked, her face a mask of disbelief.
...Well then. The reasons he had just laid out covered everything—there was nothing more to say.
So, after a moment's thought, he flashed a slightly mischievous smile, as if imitating her.
"Perhaps, without realizing it, I may have fallen under 'your magic.'"
That was what he told her.
At his answer, Niina looked as though her weak spot had been struck—
—and then, as if playing along, gave a wry smile.
"...Ko-san. You win. I can't stop this anymore."
At the same time, he felt the magic power enveloping the area dissipate. She had dispelled her magic.
Once Ermes confirmed that she had released it, Niina spoke to him with a serious expression.
"You can go. I won't stop you. ...No—please. That guy's magic is honestly more dangerous than I imagined. Lady Katia, Sara, and everyone at the academy... I want you to protect them all. ...Sorry for the selfish request."
With those words, Ermes realized that his assessment had not been wrong.
"Understood. ...Ah, then as a token of thanks—one last thing."
"Hm?"
"The instructions you were given were 'hold me here,' correct?"
"Y-yeah, that's right."
"Then," he said with a smile, and continued with a measure of respect in his voice.
"That — you can count it as a 'success.'"
"...Huh? No, but—"
"Rest easy. ...In real time, it's been just over five minutes. They may fault me for only managing to stall for that long, but..."
He walked outside the classroom and opened the window. Taking in the sight of the Monster horde filling the view below and the familiar students standing against them, he declared:
"
Now
,
I will
get serious.
After all, I can no longer afford to worry about things like 'it would be bad if they found out.' And if you could report on what you see... I believe anyone with even half a brain should understand."
After completing the Chant, he placed his foot on the windowsill and leaned out in one fluid motion.
"That 'this me' could be held back for a full five minutes — I'll show you what that's worth. ...Well then, I'm off.
Formula Replay —
Seamless Great Eagle
"
Activating the magic, he kicked off the windowsill—
Without pause,
across the sky
he raced,
rocketing straight toward the Monster horde.
◆
"............"
The shock of the final vision Ermes had shown her left Nina frozen once more for a long moment.
After she recovered and accepted the situation, she murmured softly.
"...I got turned down."
...Even as she said it herself, it hurt more than she'd expected.
No—jumping to that conclusion was premature. He had promised that if there was a next time, he would be on her side. If her feelings were pure, he would lend her his strength.
That was—so, so wonderful.
"..."
She had come here prepared to be hated.
Prepared to be despised for the act of trampling on trust, scorned for using magic that exploited affection, loathed so deeply that he would never want to speak to her again.
She had told herself all of that, steeled herself for it, and faced him while desperately trying not to let any of it show.
But he had been sincere.
He neither shut her out nor got swept along. He drew a clear line—saying he couldn't cooperate now—yet even so, he didn't abandon her and promised his help next time.
He was too kind. On top of that, he made sure to follow up at the end, considering that she had failed her mission. He wasn't the type to throw out strong words like that proactively, so it was definitely for her sake. Too considerate—was he perfect?
"Yeah... He's really something."
She felt a renewed sense of pride in having exchanged words with him, in this class.
And at the same time, she felt ashamed of herself. ...Never before had she so deeply regretted the person she had been—drifting along with the current, resigning herself with a sense of helplessness, muddling through life.
...She believed he possessed that kind of power.
The power that only those who do not deceive their own hearts can wield. Something that those who are merely strong could never possess—the ability to move the people around them, something rarely seen in this country.
And she thought the same, without exception. ...Yes, she wanted to be like that—she wanted to become someone worthy of receiving his respect. She truly, deeply wanted that.
"...Ahaha, how pathetic. I'm the one who's been charmed, aren't I?"
But she never once felt bad about it.
...That's right. There was no point in giving up and resigning herself—not until she had tried every option available to her.
For now, what she could do was—first, watch. Burn into her eyes the full extent of his strength, the strength that gave him the confidence to say what he had said with such conviction.
And then, after that. There was no longer any doubt that he would bring this crisis under control. And once she returned to where she had been before.
That was where her solitary battle truly began.
She had been thinking about it for some time, after all. About how she wanted to do something about this situation—being connected to an organization that would bring harm to the kingdom, being forced to do things against her will.
It was something she had thought about, but never found the courage to act on. But—if he would be her ally, if she had that promise, then that gap could be filled.
Above all, she wanted to return to those people with a smile on her face. She could feel that desire, strongly.
"Thank you, El. ...Ah, honestly, I love you."
After letting those heartfelt words escape her lips one final time.
She turned her gaze toward the window, offering a prayer, to witness the outcome of the battle.
Her main episode is planned for the first half of three chapters.
And thank you all for your long wait—next time, the Ermes untouchable arc finally begins...! Look forward to it!