"......Eh?"
Katia had been captured.
Ermes froze for an instant upon hearing the terse report delivered by Yurugen after being summoned to the office.
Yurugen's face, though showing signs of fatigue, betrayed little to no visible agitation — at least on the surface. The conflict with the Aster Faction had been escalating lately, and he was clearly being run ragged dealing with it. Despite the exhaustion etched into his features, he pressed on with composure.
"According to the report, she is suspected of 'attacking Sara von Hartmann with magic and pushing her off a cliff to kill her.'"
"——There's no way Lady Katia would do such a thing."
"Agreed. This is almost certainly a false charge. ...Most likely, it was orchestrated by the Aster camp as a pretext to arrest Katia legally."
"W-Wait——"
They'd go that far.
The enemy would go that far.
"The attacker wasn't Katia either. Even if the situation allowed for a surprise attack, there are only so many mages capable of wounding Sara. As a guess, the culprit is someone from the Frenbreed household — either Zenos or Chris."
"Then wouldn't examining the Magic Power Trace prove her innocence?"
"......I'm afraid that's been made difficult as well."
Yurugen's voice carried a hint of irritation.
"After Katia was arrested, Sara was immediately transported to the Royal Palace under the pretense of receiving treatment. The pretense is probably genuine. That's because——"
"The magic administered during treatment can overwrite the Magic Power Trace left during the attack."
"Exactly. Prince Aster is never foolish. He would have had healers standing by, ready to move at a moment's notice, well aware of that possibility."
"That——"
"......I'm sorry. If this fell under the Ministry of Justice's jurisdiction, I could have kept them from doing as they pleased... but to have evidence destroyed so brazenly in a place beyond my reach..."
And then Aster would reshape reality with his own voice once more.
The surrounding nobles would agree with him without a second thought, just as they always had, and Katia's reputation would come crashing down once again.
No — it might be even worse than that. They might go so far as to ensure she could never resist again, once and for all.
...This kingdom. Truly.
"...Is there no other way to prove her innocence?"
"There is, in principle. Fortunately, there were quite a few witnesses. If we keep methodically gathering testimony and physical evidence, we'll eventually find a crack in their story."
"Then——"
"But — that takes far too long. Without a doubt, before we get anywhere, the Prince will have Katia punished — or executed."
"! Then I'll buy time. I'll forcibly extract Lady Katia if I have to——"
Ermes made the proposal without a moment's hesitation, but Yurugen, for some reason, fell silent at that point.
"...Ermes."
He looked at him with an utterly serious expression and asked.
"Do you truly... intend to save Katia?"
"Huh?"
Of course, he nearly answered without missing a beat.
"No, I'm sorry — that came out wrong. What I mean is: is there any benefit to you in saving Katia?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I know you feel indebted to her. But honestly, from an outsider's perspective, I'd say you've more than paid that debt by now."
"......"
"And if you go any further, you'll be dragged in so deep you can never turn back. ...Into the darkness of this Royal Capital."
Yurugen's gaze drifted to somewhere far away — as though recalling a place that was not here, a time that was not now.
"You've probably figured most of it out by now, but the Royal Capital is a wretched place."
He repeated words he had once heard before.
"They say 'magic is everything,' but the reality is far worse. Most nobles are simply terrified of losing the comfortable position they currently enjoy."
"......"
"Magic is just the most convenient way to explain to the common folk that 'we are different from you.' They cling to it — something they believe was granted by the gods — without ever analyzing it or letting it evolve, and instead spend their days pulling each other's feet within the walls they've been given. It's a never-ending hell inside a birdcage."
He gave a faint, self-deprecating smile, thinking he might have been a bit too eloquent.
"——And your former master had grown sick of it all and left the capital."
"!"
"It was a wise decision, I think. Honestly, I was even a little envious."
So Yurugen had indeed confirmed the identity of Ermes's master.
"You were expelled from the Frenbreed family and hold no Bloodline Magic. That means you have even less reason to be bound to this capital than she does. If you stay here any longer, you'll be dragged into more and more trouble — and your goal of 'creating new magic' will slip further and further away, won't it?"
"That's..."
"Don't worry — I'll handle things regarding Katia as well. Proving her innocence may be difficult, but I'll find a way to at least prevent her execution. Katia would never blame you, either."
One by one, Yurugen peeled away his reasons — and then, finally:
"...But still. If there is a reason you want to save Katia, I want to hear it. ...Forgive me, but at this point, I can't afford to drag in someone whose resolve is half-hearted."
With quiet expectation, Yurugen spoke.
"......"
After an uncharacteristic silence, Ermes finally answered.
"...You're right — the Royal Capital is a wretched place."
He began by affirming what Yurugen had said.
"I've only been here a short while, but I understand it well enough. I can see why my master left, and if I'd known all this when I first arrived, I probably would have done the same. The Duke must have witnessed things far worse than what I've seen — over and over — until he despaired."
"......"
"——But it's too early to give up. That's how I feel, right now."
Katia, for one. She was not bound by magic — not by Bloodline Magic, at least. In the spiritual sense.
And beyond her, there were others like Sara who harbored doubts without actively opposing the established order.
If people like them existed — then perhaps the capital was changing too.
Moreover, he had thought of something.
"Your Grace compared the Royal Capital to 'a birdcage and a never-ending hell.' Then — what if I said I wanted to destroy the entire cage?"
"!"
That fearless grin, inherited from his master.
After speaking what his time in the capital had distilled into his truest conviction, he concluded:
"...Well, in any case, the reason I want to save Lady Katia — here it is."
With a perfectly relaxed expression, he declared:
"——'Because I want to.' Isn't that reason enough?"
"......Ha."
Involuntarily — almost reflexively — Yurugen let out a laugh.
"Truly, for you, it doesn't get any more valid than that. ...What a terribly selfish thing to say."
"Isn't it? My master used to say the same thing to me all the time — 'You really don't look the part.'"
"Haha, it's true — your appearance and manner give off an aura of total selflessness. But your desires just happen to point in a different direction from everyone else's — is that it? Come to think of it, you were like that from the very beginning. Yes... that's exactly why I can trust you."
Yurugen raised his face.
"Very well — I'll bet on you. As you said, we need time to prove Katia's innocence. There's no room for a drawn-out approach. Use your strength to forcibly extract Katia from confinement, no matter what it takes."
"Yes."
"Oh, and... there is one concern."
At Ermes's questioning look, Yurugen's expression turned grave.
"According to the report... Katia put up remarkably little resistance when she was captured."
"...Eh?"
"If she realized it was futile, then fine. But depending on the circumstances, something may have been weighing on her own heart. You may find it harder than expected — but I'm counting on you."
With nothing but the face of a father concerned for his daughter, Yurugen bowed his head.
"Until now, I've restricted your use of magic, mindful of the effect it has on you. ...Consider that restriction lifted. Use every ounce of power I can grant you — and bring Katia back, by any means necessary."
"! ...Understood. I will."
And so — the greatest monster of the Royal Capital, who possessed the most powerful magic, set out with every ounce of his ability to rescue Katia.
Yurugen stared at the door Ermes had closed for several seconds.
Then, softly, he murmured:
"...He's dazzling."
No ulterior motive. No calculation. And yet it wasn't thoughtlessness either.
A person who grasped every interest and every consequence — and still moved solely in accordance with his own will.
That was how Yurugen saw the young man called Ermes.
...He truly was dazzling.
Because it was something none of them had been able to do.
"So that's what you passed on to the next generation, Rose. ...Then I suppose I'll place my bet on that light as well."
After picturing the beautiful friend who had once raced through the capital with his future wife Theta during their long-ago youth, Yurugen rose from his desk to do what he, too, must do.
Next time — the operation to rescue Lady Katia.