Ermes touched down on the ground, his initial preemptive strike complete.
He gazed across the battlefield to where his magic had detonated, and murmured:
"…The power's weaker than I expected."
"No it isn't."
An exasperated response came from his side.
When he looked over, there she was—his Boss—wearing exactly the expression her tone of voice would suggest.
"You just sent multiple Dungeon Boss-class monsters flying at once, and you're still unsatisfied? Also, what the heck was that just now?"
"'Combined Bloodline Magic'—that's what I'm provisionally calling it, unchanged. In theory, at least, the output should still be capable of going higher, but… to combine them properly, I still need more practice, obviously."
"…Fine, whatever. The fact is, you saved us."
She'd gone a while without seeing him and had half-forgotten—but come to think of it, he really was something else. With a sigh equally laced with exasperation and admiration, she moved the conversation along.
"You got here fast, El. …But you were actually slower than I expected. I'm not going to blame you any further—but what were you doing?"
"……I was being held up by their spy."
"!"
Katia was sharp.
The word "spy," the fact that Ermes had been uncharacteristically hesitant to speak of it, and the girl who still hadn't arrived on the scene.
With all those pieces together, it was more than enough to draw one possible conclusion.
"…Rest assured. I don't think they'll interfere again."
"…I see. Understood."
But she couldn't press the matter right now.
The situation still wasn't one where they had time for a long conversation. Coming to that conclusion, they put an end to the discussion, and master and servants alike turned their gaze toward the Monsters.
At the same time, Albert and the other B-rank students arrived. Ermes offered them words of acknowledgment.
"Good work, everyone. ...You managed to hold out this long against multiple Monsters of that caliber? An impressive result."
"I'd say something like, 'And what about you, blowing them all up in a single strike,' but fine — I'll accept the praise gracefully. You're not really the type to make snide remarks, are you."
Furthermore, Albert continued with a grim expression, turning his eyes to the opposite side.
"This isn't really the time for banter, is it."
"...No, it isn't."
There, in the distance, were still many more — Monsters probably on the same level as the ones they had just faced.
Worse still... the group of Monsters Ermes had blown away earlier were also making their way back to the front lines. The survivors had been healed by other Monsters and were rejoining the fight.
So they even had recovery. How were these any different from an army at this point.
There was nothing to do but deal with it. They all shared that understanding, and Albert spoke up first.
"So then. You do have a way to take them all down, don't you."
"Yes. Besides the spell I just used, there are a few others."
"Would it be easier to handle alone, or is there something we can do to help?"
The concise and precise question made both Ermes and Katia's eyes widen.
But the offer was genuinely appreciated.
"...If we're talking about all of them, I won't have enough magic power on my own. I'll need to thin them out with heavy attacks or lock them down, and I'd like your help with finishing them off. Katia, can you cover any I miss?"
"Understood."
"I'll do it."
The three of them at the center shared information and quickly settled on a battle plan. —It was then that Ermes, struck by a thought, asked a question.
"......Actually, more like—"
"Hm?"
"Lady Katia doesn't surprise me, and I can still understand Lord Albert, but... everyone in Class B... um, are you not shocked? Seeing my magic like that."
That was it.
He had, at long last, unleashed his full-powered
Primal Inscription
for the first time since enrolling in the academy.
And in the past, every single person who had seen it was left stunned, shaken—and depending on the individual, they came to loathe it, even wishing to cast him out. That was precisely what Yurugen feared when they had sealed away Ermes's true power.
Now, in this emergency, he had not hesitated to release it... but of course, he had braced himself for the stares—exactly the kind Yurugen had warned him about.
After all, he had come to understand well enough that his magic would be a potent poison to today's aristocratic society.
...But.
Reading the doubt and unspoken suspicion behind Ermes's question, Albert first exchanged glances with the others from Class B.
They nodded to one another, then turned back to face Ermes, and he spoke on behalf of them all:
"......Well, I won't lie—we were surprised. The whole class was, and so was I. ...What the hell was that? You're not just reproducing Bloodline Magic. That's far beyond any normal scale."
"......"
"And. I can tell—you were afraid of that, weren't you? You figured we'd cut you off as something beyond our understanding, that it would only be natural for us to reject you. ...I can't blame you for thinking that way. Honestly, I know that's exactly how we would have reacted before. But... if you'll allow me to say it anyway—"
He paused there, and Albert walked toward him—
—slowly reaching out to grasp the front of Ermes's shirt, and told him:
"—Don't be ridiculous."
His tone was steady, never harsh, but carried an unmistakable weight.
"
The one who taught you
a different way
of being
was none other than
you
yourself
"
"!"
"You — the one who rejected this academy's way of thinking, who set a fire under us, who showed us the possibilities of magic and proved there was no need to keep looking down. And now you're the one afraid of something like that? That we might still be thinking that way?
——Don't be ridiculous. That's not concern. That's an insult to us."
Albert's eyes, as he continued, were piercingly vivid and filled with a certainty of anger.
——And yet, there was not a shred of the clinging, suffocating will that Ermes had felt from every noble before him.
Fierce, yet noble. Yes — there was pride there.
"If you showed us the way forward, then keep leading from the front. If you possess that kind of magic, then own it with pride. Stand at the head and show us what we ought to be. —We're not about to break over something like that anymore. Understood?"
Having said that, he finally released his grip on Ermes's collar.
Ermes, with his feet back on the ground, stood stunned for a moment — unusual for him — and then.
"……Ha ha."
——It had been a long time since someone had scolded him like that. Perhaps not since the day he'd reunited with Katia.
And for the first time, he understood. ……That there are, in this world, even such things as joyful scoldings.
And so Ermes replied honestly.
"My apologies. You're right. I was the one looking down on you all. Please forget what I said earlier."
……Now, he could say it without hesitation.
——Master, this country has changed.
With that thought in his heart, Ermes turned to face the B-class members once more.
With a slightly defiant smile—one inherited from his master—he declared:
"So then, let me rephrase. I'm going to go on a rampage, so I'll need you to handle the cleanup afterwards."
"……Hearing it said so bluntly is annoying in its own way. But understood."
In response, Albert shot back with a sour remark, though the corners of his mouth loosened ever so slightly.
At the same time, the members of B-class each gave their own agreements.
——And then, at that very moment, a voice called from the side.
"……Has everything been settled? If so, you'd better hurry. The other side has more or less regrouped their formation by now, and they won't wait around for any more chat."
It was Katia. She was pointing in the direction of the Monsters, and the slight puff of her cheeks was probably not just his imagination.
……Even Ermes could guess that it was because he'd completely left her out of the conversation.
"Indeed."
"Ah, yes."
Still, her point was perfectly valid. Ermes smoothly readied his stance, and Albert followed suit, looking somewhat sheepish about it.
And first to leap forward—so as to buy time for Ermes's big move—were the B-class students.
Supporting them with his magic, Ermes heard Katia murmur softly beside him.
"……How enviable."
"Hm?"
"It's nothing — I was just talking to myself. Focus on your magic, El."
As Ermes began preparing his chant as instructed, her words once more drifted to him on the wind.
"…I really do wonder why he ended up in Class A. —Perhaps I should have him bear the full weight of my anger on top of it all."
…Feeling a slight chill from the dark aura the girl beside him was giving off…
Ermes drew in a breath, raised his magic power, and began his chant.
—With more resolve than before.
I'm sorry, the content expanded in an unexpected direction, so given where things break naturally, this is all for today…!
This person is more of a protagonist than the actual protagonist…
Next time, it'll finally be Ermes's moment to go wild. Look forward to it!