"Impressive..."
Seeing Liliana's magic activate correctly and thoroughly hold the soldiers in place, Ermes quietly praised her.
Her magic — [
Primordial Privilege: Pervading Domain
].
As its effect showed, it granted a specific spell to every ally within the domain.
Though the form was different... it was nothing other than a limited crystallization of her wish — that "everyone should be able to use magic in the truest sense of the word." Even from his perspective, having helped develop it... he could say without reservation that it had been refined into a beautiful form.
...That said.
It had many flaws. Only one spell could be used at a time, and only one spell was currently available, and switching between spells took time. Above all, the mana consumption was particularly terrible.
Even for Ermes, with a development period of only two days — and it being his first attempt at collaborating to give form to another person's wish — this was the limit. If anything, managing to produce something minimally functional was already an impressive feat.
Well, those were simply challenges to be addressed in future improvements.
...And above all.
Thanks to her magic, they had perfectly succeeded in overturning one of their greatest weaknesses — the overwhelming disparity in force — and using a small number to hold a great army in check.
The current battlefield was, however roughly, in a state of equilibrium. The enemy, wary of Liliana's magic, could not afford to act rashly.
Of course, that wouldn't last long either. Ermes knew better than anyone how wasteful that magic was in terms of mana consumption, and he was well aware that Liliana's domain would hold for only a few minutes.
But it didn't matter. He had never intended to drag this battle out.
After all, the information advantage still overwhelmingly favored the enemy. Though Liliana's performance had created an opening, the broader situation — having most of their circumstances predicted in advance — remained unchanged.
Therefore — what he sought was a swift, decisive battle.
The ideal was to strike before the enemy could mount a response, deny them time to formulate countermeasures, narrow down their options, and bring them down before they could display their true strength in a head-on clash.
Therefore, during this brief stalemate, he would settle everything.
Thanks to Liliana, that first stage had been achieved.
Therefore, from here on — an opponent who could not be stopped. In other words...
"...Well, here they come."
A young man and a girl wielding swords, bursting out from the enemy formation.
Seeing the Frodit siblings — Rukius and Nina — who had come to break the stalemate just as expected, Ermes murmured to himself.
Yes, from here on. Since Liliana had brought the two armies to a stalemate, it now came down to individual combat — in other words, their Bloodline Magic users.
Nina, Rukius — and far behind them, deep in the rear, the laughing Archbishop Johann.
Defeating them was their task.
With resolve, Ermes turned to the mages standing behind him.
"——Everything as planned. Duke, you observe the battle situation and issue overall commands."
"Got it. I'll make sure we hold out as long as possible — even a minute longer."
"Lord Albert, focus on supporting Lady Lili. They will definitely target her with concentrated fire."
"Understood. I will absolutely protect her."
First, he addressed the two who would maintain the battle situation. Both gave reliable responses — with them, they could buy as much time as possible.
Next, Ermes addressed the remaining two — Katia and Sara.
"——Just as we discussed before. Let's go."
"Yes."
"Right!"
Break through Nina and Rukius, and deliver the blade to Archbishop Johann.
That role would be carried out by these three.
Just as they had discussed two days ago. Ermes, Katia, and Sara kicked off the ground simultaneously.
◆
The first to charge forward, aiming to fell the ruler of the domain—Liliana—was Rukius.
With his extraordinary physical ability granted by his supremely refined Bloodline Magic, he attempted to close the distance into Liliana's range in a single bound—but
"...Hm."
A shadow standing in his way. Recognizing who it was... he called out, somewhat surprised.
"It's you. How unexpected."
"Do you have a complaint?"
The one addressed, Katia, replied with a composed expression.
Her bearing was graceful even on this battlefield. Rukius straightened his posture, for he understood what respect on the battlefield truly meant.
"Not at all. To cross blades with the famed young lady of Tracia—it is an honor beyond measure. However—"
Yet, having said that, Rukius continued—with the demeanor and tone that only someone who truly understood their own strength and possessed confidence could muster.
"This is a battlefield. Under normal circumstances, raising one's hand against a lady would be unconscionable for a knight—but in this place alone, I have cast that principle aside. ...Are you prepared, Lady Katia?"
The meaning behind his words was clear.
Rukius had surely intended—and wanted—to fight Ermes from the bottom of his heart. Indeed, given his strength, there was no question that this was not arrogance.
And so, he was telling her. To him, she was still someone he had the leeway to treat not as a worthy opponent, but as a lady. In short: "You are not strong enough."
He held her in respect and showed her courtesy. But at the same time—that, too, was an undeniable fact.
Having fully grasped his intent... Katia smiled.
"...Ahaha."
After all, there was no denying it. The young man standing before her was someone even Ermes might not be able to defeat—an opponent far, far above her own level. That was an ironclad fact.
In truth, the role Ermes had given her was to stall for time. Defeating him was never part of the expectation. In that regard, Ermes was incredibly pragmatic and utterly unsparing.
She didn't take offense. Ermes and Lucius alike—they showed her exactly what they expected, and that was easier for her to accept than the inappropriate expectations and burdens others placed on her. They were more dependable than other nobles, and in that sense, far more kindly disposed toward her.
She still couldn't measure up to that level. There was no getting around that, not yet.
—And yet.
She had her pride, too. She had her feelings, too.
And besides... there were things she wanted to unleash.
"There's no need to worry. I understand everything and have steeled myself completely. That's why I'm standing here."
With those words, she began to Chant—activating her own magic, '
Netherworld of Salvation
', and calling forth the inhabitants of the netherworld one after another.
At the same time, she stoked the flames of her emotions. It was necessary to bring her magic to its fullest potential.
Her adoration for him, and the desire to catch up to him.
And one more—her trump card.
...In truth, there was also a feeling that perhaps didn't quite belong in a moment like this, and she released that too.
"You know, I've actually been resentful this whole time."
The instant she whispered those words... the number and quality of the Souls being summoned shifted.
Before Lucius could grow wary, the numbers continued to climb.
"I know that Ermes can't afford to deal with anything else right now, and that this is a make-or-break moment. I completely understand that I can't drag him around with my selfish demands—yes, I truly do."
If the person witnessing her behavior hadn't been Lucius, but rather someone who had once attended the academy... they might have caught on immediately.
"But you know what? Isn't El lately—getting way too hung up on that cute little princess?"
—Ah, so that's what it was like during the tournament.
Yes, actually, there was something she really wanted to say.
Pay attention to me too. She wanted to be more spoiled and to spoil him more. She was wildly jealous of Liliana. The lap pillow incident had eased things somewhat, but if she was being honest, it still wasn't nearly enough.
Just like when they'd been sorted into different classes at the academy. Those restless emotions had been swelling inside her all the while.
……Well, but. She did reflect on what happened.
The result of not being able to fully vent those emotions, causing them to explode in a weird direction, was how she'd acted at the tournament. To put it bluntly, it was a dark chapter in her history. And what made it truly rotten was that the stronger those feelings grew, the more her magic performance skyrocketed.
Therefore, these feelings shouldn't be suppressed. In fact, they couldn't be suppressed at all—she'd come to understand that about herself after that incident.
But that didn't mean she could unleash them on him. ……Honestly, even if she did, she wouldn't exactly mind, but it would cause far too many problems on multiple fronts, so she rejected the idea.
So, what should she do?
Simple. If she couldn't unleash them on him—she could unleash them on someone else.
Yes, for instance, someone who wouldn't have any complaints even if she displayed the full force of that magic—a powerful enemy on the battlefield, perhaps—
And so.
The Queen of the Netherworld, who now commanded more Souls than ever before, by an extraordinary margin—
"……I'm going to apologize in advance, Lucius."
She showed a smile that was lovely, devastating—and carried a terrifying presence and beauty.
I—
right now
am going to
take my frustration out on you.
"...because I will."
"……And as for you — you're prepared, aren't you?"
Seeing this, Lucius broke into a cold sweat. A genuine sense of awe filled him, though he returned her smile all the same.
"I see. Allow me to apologize for my discourtesy. ……You are, without question, a formidable opponent."
Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his sword. At the same time, countless souls surged toward him.
The first confrontation had begun — a critical battle to contain the enemy's strongest fighter, erupting with all the ferocity such a clash deserved.
Black Catia-sama returns! Look forward to the next chapter!
And now, some news that was finally unveiled yesterday!
"Recreator of Creation Magic 1: The Talentless Boy and the Sky Witch, Part 1"
It goes on sale February 25th from Overlap Bunko!
The illustrations will be handled by Hanagata!
We're terribly sorry for the long wait……!
For more details, please check our activity report — we'd love for you to take a look!
Both the illustrations and the main text have turned out wonderfully.
We also have various other exciting news, so please look forward to additional announcements, including the design reveal—
we'd be very grateful if you did!
Going forward as well, please continue to support "Recreator of Creation Magic"!
[If you wouldn't mind, we have one more small favor to ask]
If you found this interesting, are curious about what happens next, or want to show your support, please rate it with the "☆☆☆☆☆" at the bottom of the screen and add it to your bookmarks!
Ratings make a particularly big difference. Just one click would really mean the world to us……!!