The Frenbreed family would cease to exist. As had just been discussed, Zenos's crimes — committed at will ever since he'd placed himself under Aster's banner — had been brought to light.
Their father, Zenos, would at best become a commoner like Ermes once had; at worst, he'd be sentenced to heavy penal servitude as a criminal.
Their elder brother Chris, lacking charges such as embezzlement, would receive a lighter sentence; even so, it was said he stood to lose everything except his standing as a noble. The usual path was to become a servant of one household or another, depending on one's magical talent.
He had met Chris just a short while ago as well, and something astonishing had occurred.
Chris had been training in magic — and not in the inherited "Magic Bullet Archer" either.
He had been activating the "Primal Inscription" that Ermes had transferred to him back then.
It was true that the "Primal Inscription" was magic anyone could use, and the transfer from Ermes had granted him the qualification as well.
However, as had been explained at the time, merely reaching the point where one could activate it with one's own hands required considerable effort, and mastering it demanded still more herculean labor.
And yet, even after having that drilled into him until he understood it thoroughly, Chris had succeeded in activating the spell. He was alternating desperate glances between the inscription tablet and the magic itself, groaning with effort.
When Chris noticed Ermes watching this spectacle, he had only one thing to say.
"...Could you not interrupt? Even at this level, I'm giving it everything I've got."
Curt words, but ones that — turned another way — conveyed that his obsessive fixation on Ermes had finally fallen away.
Hearing this, Ermes gave a small bow and left the spot.
Surely, through that battle, something within Chris had reached its resolution.
It might not have been the resolution he'd wanted, but if he was setting out in a new direction, then even without ties of friendship, one could quietly cheer him on as a blood relative.
When it came to training in magic, Chris would have no desire to be taught by Ermes, nor would he want to learn from him.
Still, studying all of that alone was simply too harsh. Ermes decided he would look into Chris's new residence later and send along the Rose-manufactured textbooks he himself had used for study.
Chris might balk at receiving charity from Ermes, but Ermes himself would have understood nothing without them. He hoped Chris would accept at least standing on the same starting line.
The other person caught up in that turmoil was Aster. Even after awakening, she had apparently failed to comprehend her situation and had screamed and ranted.
It was her usual self-delusion and denial of reality — this was some kind of mistake, they'd used cowardly tricks, and so on.
But what was different from before was that there was no longer a single person who believed her.
Aster was someone who had been validated through strength, who had maintained her very existence and the faith of others through never losing.
Turn that around, and the instant she lost even once, that faith crumbled to nothing. Moreover, the manner of her defeat and the identity of her opponent being what they were, a complete reversal in how people regarded her was only natural.
Those soldiers had been capable and high-ranking enough to qualify for direct service under the royal family; when they spoke with one voice spreading their distrust of Aster, her reputation in the Royal Capital plummeted.
Many had harbored private resentment toward Aster's overbearing behavior all along, and she rapidly lost what trust remained.
To make matters worse, there was the censure of Katia — which had been clearly excessive by anyone's standards this time — and Aster's role in leading the effort to pin the blame on her.
She was put on trial, but there, as was only to be expected, she offered no proper defense — instead she continued to repeat her self-justification.
Her lack of remorse was plain for all to see, her sentence grew heavier, and she too was expected to be stripped of her standing as royalty.
And then there was Ermes. His own disposition had just been settled as well; he would remain a servant of the Trackia household, just as before.
At first Yurugen had even considered adopting him, but apparently Katia had fiercely objected. "Becoming family is... well, it's just... I don't think that's right!" — her reasoning somewhat vague and hard to pin down.
Yurugen had smiled wryly and said, "Well, if I went and made him my child without asking, Rose would probably be terrifying," and so things settled into their previous arrangement.
With Aster gone, the Royal Capital would descend into chaos. Someone who had reigned as a towering presence was vanishing, the balance of power would shift dramatically, and turmoil was inevitable.
That fallout might even reach them.
But it would be all right, surely — so long as a firm resolve lived within them.
While lost in these thoughts as he walked through the gardens of the Frenbreed estate, a voice called out to Ermes.
"El!"
He looked up to see a purple-haired girl standing before the gate — his mistress.
Beside her stood her friend, a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl.
"Lady Katia and Lady Sara. What are you doing here?"
"Father told me you'd be here today, El, so I came to pick you up."
"Pick me up...?"
He started to ask for what purpose, then suddenly noticed.
She was in high spirits — more so than usual. She looked as though she might break into a skip at any moment, humming a tune.
And it wasn't just her. Sara, beside her, was no less delighted, though she was trying to hide it behind a modest smile.
"Has something good happened?"
"Hmph! ...Hehe, I'm glad you asked."
Katia was briefly surprised by Ermes's perception, but she had clearly been bursting to say it; she placed a hand over her heart with a cheerful expression.
"You see — I've been allowed to return to the academy!"
"Oh!"
That was unquestionably wonderful news.
Still, it was only to be expected. Katia had been expelled because of Aster's selfish denunciation. With that person's influence gone, reinstatement would have been stranger if it hadn't happened.
Ermes rejoiced without reservation, but a question suddenly occurred to him.
"Congratulations. ...But if that's the case, what am I supposed to do during the day?"
At this question, Katia showed a slightly mischievous smile.
"What are you talking about? —You're going too, you know."
"...What?"
Caught off guard by the reply, Ermes was struck speechless.
"...But why?"
"Why? From my perspective, the question is why you wouldn't attend. The school we go to exists for the purpose of magical study. If you already possess that level of magic, there's simply no reason not to recommend someone your own age, is there?"
"But... isn't that limited to children of the noble families? I belong to the Frenbreed—"
"I heard from Father that you won't be going back. But the Frenbreed family is being dissolved and taken over by Trackia anyway. So — if you first returned to the Frenbreed household, then the family was dissolved, and with nowhere else to go you ended up becoming a servant of the Trackia household — well, that's essentially the same as having returned to being a noble's ward. That's what Father says too."
"That's so high-handed..."
The sequence of events was beautifully reversed, and if that was really the logic, then what had the earlier conversation with Father even been about?
"...Well, even I think it's a bit forced. Father seems to have some scheme to get you into the school that goes this far, but I don't know the details either, so ask him later. ...More importantly, El."
As she finished speaking, Katia fixed him with a look that was equal parts adorable and sulky.
"What's with that reluctant tone? ...Is going to school with me really that unpleasant?"
"That's not—"
When put to him so simply, his heart made up itself immediately.
He himself, as a boy his age — and as someone whose future had been snatched away at the age of ten — naturally had an interest in the idea of school.
"...Forgive me. Yes, I would very much like to attend."
When he said this with a light smile, Katia's cheeks flushed but her face lit up at once, and she took Ermes's hand.
"That's all I needed to hear! And actually, that's why I came today. We're going to buy new clothes for you for school."
"Clothes? You don't have to go that far—"
"No. You're my attendant, so if I put you in something halfhearted, I — your mistress — would be the one losing face. Yes, it's simply unavoidable. It's not like I want to see you dressed up or anything like that... just a little bit."
The fact that she couldn't quite bring herself to deny it entirely said everything about her personality.
Changing the subject, Katia turned toward the other girl.
"That's why I brought Sara along. This girl's sense of fashion is amazing — good enough to do it professionally, I'd say."
"Eh? Y-yes!"
She had been watching the exchange between mistress and attendant with a warm smile just moments ago, and now, suddenly put on the spot, she nodded despite looking slightly flustered.
"I-I'll do my absolute best!"
From her expression, there was not the slightest trace of the guilt or wariness toward Katia that had existed before.
Surely over the course of that week, through long conversations, the two girls had been able to return to the close friendship they once shared.
With a sense of relief, Ermes smiled. Katia showed a genuinely happy expression, and Sara smiled softly as well.
The carriage, carrying the three of them, slowly set off.
A new day in the Royal Capital — a day they would spend together — was beginning once more.