A Genius Boy Who Was Exiled From His Family Home for “Not Being Able To Use Magic” Becomes a Witch’s Apprentice and Masters All Magic in the Right Way. This Is How You Use Your Magic, You Know?

Chapter 181. Confrontation 2

At the same moment when Katia and Lucius faced off.

“…So, my opponent is you?”

Before the other assassin, Nina, a single girl stood in her way.

“A little unexpected, but fair enough, I guess. At the very least, if you’re going to fight me seriously, you need that magic to even start the conversation.”

Facing the girl—Sara—Nina asked her in her usual friendly manner. She knew her magic worked best in such a context.

But… Sara didn’t seem to be under the influence of Nina’s magic, [Il Felrina], yet.

The reason? The barrier of light that surrounded the two.

Yes, one of Sara’s bloodline magics, [Theur Gy].

It forcibly severed the magical medium that allowed Nina’s [Il Felrina] to charm its target. As long as this barrier remained active, Nina couldn’t immediately bring her opponent under her influence.

Given that Nina’s magic activation conditions applied to all of their Bloodline Magic users, this [Theur Gy] was the only current method to counter Nina.

Thus, the only ones who could stand against her were Hermes and Sara.

It made sense, then, for Sara to take up the challenge. Even Nina acknowledged this.

Using the barrier to block her magic and trapping her within the light prison. Without direct offensive power, Nina couldn’t break free from the barrier, rendering her powerless. Only these two had the means to execute such a strategy.

—But.

Even so, Nina asked:

“Sorry, I mean this sincerely—are you sure you’re up to this?”

“…!”

A quiet question, yet one that made Sara, aware of Nina’s menace, hold her breath.

Indeed. If Nina were trapped, she would be neutralized.

But—what made Nina who she was… was not letting that happen.

With overwhelming sensory abilities, she could detect the flow and concentration of magic, even discerning the nature of a spell before its activation. Her evasive maneuvers bordered on short-term future prediction.

The only reason Nina hadn’t moved yet was that Sara hadn’t initiated her magic to trap her. The moment Sara tried, Nina would exploit every ability she had to evade it and incapacitate Sara in return.

And due to the geass constraints imposed on Nina herself, there was no way for Sara to force her to stop.

To truly stop someone like Nina, one needed Hermes-level mastery of magic. Even he would struggle against her. For Sara, a support-oriented magician, it seemed unreasonable to handle this alone.

—Yet, even so.

“…Thank you for your concern. But—I am aware of all this.”

Sara responded through the light barrier, her tone as warm and affectionate as when they were at the academy.

She recalled the words Hermes had said when proposing this matchup.

He had asked Sara to face Nina alone.

At first, Sara, touched by Hermes’ trust, had felt joy. But rationally, she had doubted herself.

In her current state, she couldn’t do it, she had admitted.

“Yes. You’re probably right—under normal circumstances, opposing her alone would be difficult.”

“…What?”

Hermes had agreed with her assessment, even praising her for her clear understanding of their situation. And yet, he still concluded:

“But Nina-sama isn’t fighting at full strength right now.”

“!?

“To be precise… it’s more like she’s deliberately holding back, isn’t it?”

Sara couldn’t fully grasp his meaning from this one statement. When she sought more clarification, Hermes elaborated.

“I suspect she’s suppressing her abilities within the limits of the geass constraints imposed by the Archbishop. She’s likely trying to avoid causing excessive harm and minimizing casualties on our side as much as possible.”

“Why… do you think that?”

“Because I’ve fought her many times at the academy. Based on that experience, her past behavior, and, most decisively, the combat records with Lady Lily—it’s clear. No matter how skilled she is, Nina-sama let Lady Lily escape far too easily.”

His confidence in his analysis was evident.

“Moreover, I believe Nina-sama has placed some geass constraints on the Archbishop as well. Likely related to ensuring her family’s safety and limiting her orders.”

“Limiting her orders?”

“Yes. I’m convinced, from her actions so far, that the Archbishop is unable to command Nina-sama to ‘kill.’

“…!”

“How she managed that, I don’t know. But she likely negotiated or maneuvered cleverly, limiting her actions while resisting to the best of her abilities under such severe constraints. Nina-sama is fighting her own battle—within her limits.”

Sara looked at Hermes in astonishment.

“With all this in mind, I judged that ‘the current Nina-sama’ is someone you can handle alone. Capturing her would be ideal, but there’s no need to push yourself unnecessarily. Like Katia-sama, all I ask is that you buy us time until the resolution.”

He had lowered his head in gratitude, expressing trust, appreciation, and—for some reason—guilt.

“I’m sorry for imposing this dangerous role. But please, with your hands—save Nina-sama.”

Now, standing face-to-face with Nina, Sara placed her hand over her heart, recalling her answer from that moment.

“…Of course.”

Hermes likely didn’t realize how much those words meant to her. How they filled her chest with a warm sense of purpose.

She had always wanted to be someone who could change others, like him.

Someone who had always solved everything on his own, who had the strength to do so, had entrusted her with something important, with clear trust.

Sara didn’t believe it was her doing alone that had brought such change in him.

But she understood that she had played a part.

—So now, it was her turn.

With resolve, Sara focused on the girl in front of her.

“…Nina-san.”

A girl with striking golden eyes and an inexplicable charm.

Usually cheerful and carefree, but now carrying an air of exhaustion and desolation.

Knowing Nina’s circumstances, Sara genuinely wanted to help her.

She couldn’t fully understand everything Nina was facing. It might involve complexities or darkness far beyond what they could imagine.

Even so—she had resolved to help her.

There was no reason in the world to stop her.

Thus, Sara—the girl once called the saint of the academy—spoke the words Hermes had affirmed.

“I will save you… No, you will be saved.”

A declaration of salvation, bold and uncompromising.

At those words, Nina, with a tired, inscrutable expression, countered.

Effortlessly evading the barrier that Sara began to deploy—

The second clash commenced.

◆

“──Alright.”

Lucius faces Katia, while Nina faces Sara.

As planned, the matchups were arranged, and the battles began.

Confirming this, Hermes muttered softly.

So far, everything was according to plan.

And since the siblings of Frodite were matched with their respective opponents, it was obvious who remained.

“──The Archbishop’s opponent is me.”

Declaring this, Hermes directed his gaze to the enemy’s rearmost position──to the figure of the opposing commander.

… Whether the Archbishop was surprised was unclear. Perhaps even this had been foreseen.

But──there was no doubt it was unexpected.

After all, the source of the Archbishop’s power lies in the ancient artifact Skaldrogia, which grants future sight.

Hermes, being the most predictable target of foresight, would logically seem to be the easiest opponent for the Archbishop to deal with.

…However.

Thanks to Lilliana, a crack had formed in that foresight.

Even now, the Archbishop might be able to predict Hermes’ actions to a high degree, but the once-perfect ability could no longer be entirely flawless.

Moreover…

Even if Hermes was the most predictable, that didn’t mean the task could be entrusted to someone else.

The Archbishop’s full capabilities remained an enigma. Undoubtedly, hidden cards still lay in his hands.

Under such circumstances, it wouldn’t do to send in an ill-suited opponent simply because they were harder to predict.

──And so, Hermes was still the most suitable candidate.

──More importantly.

Hermes had a trump card. …Though, if he were to reveal it now, it might not sound like much of a trump card at all.

Its purpose was to counter the Archbishop’s future sight.

Until now, they had relied on Lilliana, a figure resistant to foresight, to introduce uncertainties and counteract the Archbishop’s predictions.

…But here’s the fundamental question.

Is the goal of this fight to “break the Archbishop’s foresight”?

The answer is obviously no. The ultimate objective of this battle is to “defeat the Archbishop.”

These two goals are not the same.

To put it bluntly… as long as the Archbishop can be defeated, there’s no need to counter his future sight.

That’s right. In other words──

──You simply have to deliver a future that cannot be avoided, even if it is foreseen.

For that purpose, this situation had been orchestrated.

The northern coalition forces were held off by Lilliana and her magical troops.

The Frodite siblings were engaged by the strongest of their Bloodline Magic users, Sara and Katia.

And thus──a one-on-one situation with the Archbishop had been achieved.

“────”

And so, Hermes.

The boy who had overcome countless challenges with his astounding magical abilities, intellect, resourcefulness, and conviction, now stood here with both pride and power.

“…Archbishop Johann.”

After completing the chant for the first spell he would cast,

he declared with unwavering determination:

“From this point forward, I’m coming straight for you. This future──stop it if you can.”

Foresight all you like. Prepare all the countermeasures you can.

Use every artifact and spell I’ve never even heard of.

It doesn’t matter──I’ll adapt, overcome, and crush it all.

The Archbishop stopping Hermes in a one-on-one fight? Such a ludicrous future──even if foreseen, could it be realized?

Arrogantly, challengingly, Hermes hurled the question. He kicked off the ground, and then──

The decisive battle that would shape the Northern Rebellion,

and the very future of this nation,

began in those crucial few minutes that would decide its fate.