(...Well now)
Ermes murmurs inwardly while checking his surroundings.
He understands the situation.
The problem is 'which one'—but...
(Probably the First Prince.)
If that's the case, then Laplace appearing there explains everything.
Likely through his machinations, the First Prince seized the throne before the succession war even began. With that momentum, he'd moved to crush the remaining candidates.
The commotion at the Royal Palace, the flow of magic power—plus the circumstances—Ermes correctly deduces the situation from these factors.
But still.
He has plenty to say to the person who caused this, but now isn't the time.
His plan is set: first, get Third Princess and disciple Liliana out of here. Just as he reaches that decision—
"—Ha, haha. I see... So you're the hero of the academy incident?"
A voice calls out from the other direction.
He looks—and is surprised.
Because the soldier captain he'd just kicked away with godspeed magic, though bleeding, has stood up and is walking toward him.
Of course, Ermes had kicked him with the intent to finish him off... But before Ermes can analyze his considerable resilience, the captain smirks and speaks.
"I've heard from Lord Laplace. Apparently, you handle any number of outrageous magics? That's impressive, really enviable—but"
Simultaneously, the surrounding soldiers turn hostile and assume combat stances.
"Against us, such things are utterly meaningless."
"...You're really going to fight? We'd honestly be fine if you just ran away."
"Ha! As if I'd do that! Besides — were you even listening to our conversation? I already know all about you from Lord Laplace. How you fight, your habits — even your weaknesses!"
And then, the moment he gave the order to the surrounding soldiers, the soldier commander grinned with a face full of sadistic glee.
"Tell me — have you ever actually fought 'a group of truly trained magic users'?"
In that instant.
A dozen or so soldiers from one corner—
all at once
—
fire—
general-purpose magic—
was unleashed
.
"!"
Convergent Chant—
that's what this technique is called.
The principle is this: even if it's just general-purpose magic, if you align the trajectories so the spells don't interfere with or cancel each other out, the combined power becomes formidable — rivaling even Bloodline Magic.
He knew the theory, but it required considerable magic power manipulation — and not just from one person, but from every single caster involved. On top of that, even with all that effort, what you could manage was
at best,
Bloodline Magic—
was all it could amount to.
.
What was considered useless in this country, dismissed as mere armchair theory—was now bearing down on Ermes.
"......"
Still, he handled it calmly. He generated a barrier with Enhanced universal magic, deflected the spells, and activated his counterattacking Bloodline Magic with the returning blade──
──
Before he could
.
The next squad launched a converging chant of lightning.
He blocked that without difficulty too, but the following squad attacked without leaving a gap. Wave after wave of long-range magical bombardment forced Ermes into a purely defensive posture.
"──I see."
"Weakness number one. You can wield multiple types of Bloodline Magic, but──each time you switch, you need to chant again. This is quite different from having multiple affinities, isn't it?"
The captain declared smugly, puffing out his chest.
Around him, the soldiers carried out their attacks in flawless coordination.
As for the question of what that captain was actually doing──that was answered by his magic power perception.
He was probably
the commander
.
Specialized magic power could be detected radiating outward from him at regular intervals. It was likely some kind of specialized magical tool. Through it, he issued precise commands and controlled the soldiers' movements.
If that was the case, then defeating him would cause the entire coordination to collapse.
As for the issue of needing a chant to use Bloodline Magic──he certainly had countermeasures prepared. He had Enhanced universal magic. With that, he could create an opening and charge at the captain once more──
I thought as much, but in that instant came a bad feeling. You could even call it certainty.
As Ermes changed his actions in obedience, the soldier captain's voice rang out.
"Weakness number two. You're not accustomed to fighting while protecting someone!"
In that instant — just as expected.
The soldiers' magic — turned toward Liliana.
"Wha—"
It was fired without a moment's pause, but an instant before that, Ermes stood in the way.
"No matter what, I won't make the same mistake twice."
He blocked the magic aimed at Liliana.
This was the point where he'd been caught off guard in the fight against Klide before. He would never again expose himself to the disgrace of taking damage while shielding someone.
—But the attack didn't end there.
"Ha ha, I figured you wouldn't go down that easy. But how long can you keep up that composure?!"
Relentlessly, relentlessly.
The magic assailed Liliana — who had no will to fight, who couldn't move carelessly. Ermes, shielding her, was even more restrained in his actions beyond defense.
Trapped in place, unable to do anything but block magic, the soldier captain's triumphant laughter rang out at Ermes.
"Do you understand now, you upstart hero who got ahead of himself! In the end, a single human being is left with no recourse at this level!!"
Watching that scene in a daze,
Liliana gazed on in despair.
"Ma...
Master...
"..."
"Rest assured, Lady Liliana."
Lily managed to catch this faint whisper from Ermes, and he spoke.
His voice was terribly, terribly powerful.
It was a voice that forced one to feel safe, no matter what. Hearing it, Liliana let her thoughts drift to her present situation, and to her life until now.
...Why, she wondered.
◆
—It had been a life like being trapped in a birdcage.
From the moment she was born, always. Unchangeable things had wrapped themselves around her, binding her tight.
Her position as royalty. The "talent" of Incompatibility. The disadvantage of being the youngest child.
On top of that, the reputation of "resembling the Sky Witch."
All of it had imprisoned Liliana.
It had forced helplessness upon her. It had encouraged apathy.
Furthermore, there were even voices suggesting it might be best if she simply "hadn't existed" at all.
And each time, she had been protected by someone.
To shield her from the voices calling her a disgrace to the royal family, she was given an opulent room in the Royal Palace.
From the voices calling her "dust without Bloodline Magic," she was protected by the very fact of her being royalty.
"Why? The fact that she is royalty at all is an insult to the royal family."
This was said last year. The one who said it was her brother, Aster.
His eyes, as he spoke those words, were dominated by fury.
Anger at things not going her way, and then—
Irritating
Someone
Reminds her
Because
Quickly
Gone
——harboring that loathing inside.
"Why don't they disinherit this 'failure' already?!"
From there, her older siblings — fellow royals — protected her.
"There's absolutely no such thing as you having no reason to exist. Both me — and you. So rest easy. Even if your disinheritance is decided for the future... I will never let things go badly for you."
"Aster probably hates you. But... letting everything go the way he wants isn't good. So... I will."
...She knew.
Both Helck and Laila were jealous of Aster.
She had vaguely suspected that they sought Lilliana as an outlet for that flame — as a fellow royal who was less blessed than themselves.
Even so, they were family. She loved them.
Above all, no matter what their motives, the two of them had cherished her.
That was why she decided to accept this position.
She chose to imprison herself in a birdcage of her own accord.
Convincing herself that this was her role.
Aster fell from grace.
I couldn't believe it, yet some part of me had always sensed this was coming.
Because lately, Aster had clearly gone too far.
At the same time, Helk and Lyra went mad.
The two who had always protected me now began pushing me away.
I was anxious, hurting, and grew to hate everything.
I lashed out at those around me, yet still clung to the faint hope that someone might come to save me—and that was when—
My Master came.
Just like in a story, the person who would save and guide me arrived to help.
I relied on them. Clung to them. Begged.
At the same time, I felt relieved. Surely everything would be fine if I left it to this person.
My Master would guide me. If I left it to my Master, it would surely be alright.
I could surely reclaim those family times we once had. Believing that, I studied magic as my Master commanded, dreaming of those sweet days gone by—
◆
—
The outcome of it all
—
was this.
Everything was already too late. My brother Helk was cornered with no way out.
The malice directed at the kingdom was corroding it beyond any hope of resistance.
Several buildings in the Royal Capital could be seen burning.
Clashing shouts echoed across the Royal Capital.
The scene she had envisioned—the peaceful Royal Capital, time spent with family. She could hear it all fading further and further away.
"—Why...?"
She murmured, dazed.
Why wasn't she allowed this? She had only wanted to be with her family. Why did the world, why did fate, have to chain her down like this?
She cursed, she raged, and then—
"...It's all right, Lady Lily."
Even in the midst of all this, just as before—
There was still someone who would protect her.
Ermes spoke up, his voice steady and reassuring.
"Both my inability to activate magic and my unsuitability for guard duty are things I'm well aware of. They've targeted both weaknesses efficiently, so it will take some effort... but I will find a way through."
True to his word, he deflected attacks with a calm composure even while being pushed entirely on the defensive.
Not a shred of threat passed through to Liliana. Beyond that, he observed the incoming attacks, calmly searching for an opening.
...Surely, just as he said, he would manage somehow.
Even now at a disadvantage, he would find a way to turn this situation around. And then he would formulate a proper plan to retake the Royal Capital and guide her forward.
Because that was who her master was.
A hero. The kind of person who could make the impossible possible.
That was why she was someone who should be protected.
She had found him, entrusted everything to him, and would watch over his path—and that would be enough—
──Also, am I okay with just watching something important break again?
(...No, I'm really not!)
A light kindled in her eyes.
Once more, she reflected on herself—on everything up to this point.
──It had been a life like being trapped in a birdcage.
From the moment she was born, something inescapable had clung to her. She was constantly exposed to the malice of those who resented it.
And then──
Into that
A person who would
Protect her
A birdcage of
Goodwill
...she was trapped.
Making excuses that it couldn't be helped, resigning herself to being powerless.
She was in the position of lamenting tragedies outside the cage, merely seeking solace.
She admitted it──it had felt terribly comfortable.
Surely this scene was the bill coming due.
For a self that did nothing but shed tears, that only pretended to act while ultimately leaving everything to someone else──it was a punishment.
That was precisely why, now, here.
If she didn't change, then surely... she wouldn't even have the right to call herself a disciple.
"You don't plan to become king?"
──Don't talk nonsense.
"You couldn't do anything?"
──Give me a break.
You just didn't want to do anything — that's the real issue.
"The royal family is finished in your generation?"
──Shut up.
Then
,
overturn it
yourself.
"...Lady Lily?"
Ermes, sensing the shift in her demeanor, spoke up.
...I don't mean to badmouth my master.
But he was perhaps the ultimate expression of this birdcage.
He would protect her if she asked. Rescue her. Coddle her.
That was precisely why she had to keep herself in check.
──
Don't go soft.
, she told herself.
Now, I ask you once more, Liliana Yosef von Yustia.
Is being "just a princess who's protected" enough for you?
"──No. It is not."
She answers once more. This time, clearly, in her own voice.
Don't stand by and watch tragedies unfold. Don't count on rescue from the very start.
──Hold fast to the will to handle things yourself.
That you're still young, that you don't have magic, that you've only just begun, that you're a girl — none of that is an excuse.
Fate does not listen to such excuses.
Above all — even if you accomplish something solely through another's power.
You will surely have no pride in that moment.
As long as you remain that way... the family life you dreamed of will never return.
There is no logic to it. But she was convinced of it all the same.
And so, as that first step, she declares:
"......You don't have enough hands, do you, Master?"
She analyzes the battlefield and realizes her own master is being cornered.
Then what should she do?
The answer is obvious. She herself will become that final move.
She doesn't know if she can manage it. She hasn't had the courage until now. Above all, she simply doesn't have nearly enough time to master it.
But that doesn't make it a reason not to try.
The version of herself who just leaves everything to her master — throw it away.
"Leave it to me. —I will see to it myself."
Besides… in truth, she had been thinking it all along.
She had been too afraid to voice it, too painful to bear, and so she had locked it away.
In truth—she had grown weary of being someone who could only weep before fate.
Now, the time has come, Liliana.
The time to cast aside that sweet little cage and take flight has finally arrived.
It's all right. There is nothing to fear. Because—
—she already has her wings, given to her by the master she loves most dearly.
And so, the girl rises to her feet.
She draws a breath, resolute of her own will to stand and face what lies ahead,
and sings—bearing what she has inherited, with the resolve to walk forward together.
"──[
Thus
was the world created—
Infallible
truth is inscribed here
Without distinction between heaven or earth, for the sake of the one miracle]!"
The three-chapter prologue is the story of her journey toward becoming king.
Next time, the awakening chapter. Stay tuned!