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 114.1. The Heretical Magic

The scene shifts back a bit in time, to the B-Class classroom.

A black wall suddenly appeared, covering the academy, and immediately after, a tremendous presence of monsters was felt. Hermes’ decision was quick.

“──Nina-sama, we’ll talk later. This is bad.”

An obviously abnormal situation.

He immediately judged it as such, cut off the conversation, and put strength into his legs to head to the scene as quickly as possible.

Postponing Nina’s conversation. Or rather, she should have realized this wasn’t the time for a chat. Therefore, he expected her to follow, and turned to face her.

But.

“……Nina-sama?”

For some reason, she didn’t move.

In fact, she stayed exactly as she was before.──Even in this abnormal situation, she opened her mouth, calm as if she’d known all along.

“……Let’s continue our conversation.”

Without revealing her emotions, she resumed their previous discussion.

In a way, her strange behavior prevented him from leaving, as she slowly continued to speak before him.

“After I was chased out of my original home, I was taken in by the Flodite Viscount family. ……And, well, it seems that family had connections with some rather dangerous people. Because of that, I was told yesterday──”

She raised her head and declared,

“──To keep you here.”

“──”

Confusion, agitation──but only for a moment.

In an instant, he braced himself. With his quick judgment, he understood Nina’s position and lowered his stance, ready to move at any time.

The reason was unclear. The cause was unknown. There was no way to know the sequence of events that led to this point.

But the result was clear. ……At least, at this moment, in this place──

──She was the enemy.

Seeing Hermes immediately shift his posture, Nina smiled.

“As expected. But it’s a little sad that you switched so quickly.”

“……If you feel that way, you could always say it was a joke now.”

He said, clinging to a shred of hope, but she didn’t entertain the idea.

“……I’m sorry. I really do appreciate you──but I also owe the family that took me in, and there are circumstances. So.”

She lowered her eyes and offered a single apology.

When she raised her face again, it was with her usual expression──no, a more confident, slightly enigmatic smile.

“I have a job to do. I’ll tell you in advance──you’ve already lost by the time you got here.”

“…!”

He understood.

He was close enough to converse with her.

In other words……he was already within her range.

Defeating her from this position──no, even escaping would be nearly impossible, against someone with her unparalleled close combat abilities.

(……No)

It wasn’t entirely hopeless──maybe that’s an exaggeration, but if he focused solely on escaping, there might be a chance. He hadn’t sparred with her so many times for nothing.

Thus, the biggest problem at this moment was……as Hermes contemplated her confidence, it seemed almost as if she had timed it.

“──”

Nina heightened her magical power and inhaled deeply.

(I knew it──)

Yes. It was her Bloodline Magic.

There was no one else present, and everyone left at the school was undoubtedly preoccupied with the outside situation. Whatever she did here, Hermes would be the only witness.

──It was an ideal situation to unleash the magic she had kept hidden until now.

Therefore, it was only natural that she would use her trump card here to ensure she completed her mission.

……Calm down, he told himself.

Subdue her before she can chant? No, he knew her abilities. She might even use the chant as a decoy, charging in to counterattack. Such a bold maneuver wouldn’t be out of the question for her.

Similarly, half-hearted attempts at disruption with enhancement magic would only leave him vulnerable. Therefore, the only option was……

(……Observe her. First, identify her magic, then find an opportunity to escape.)

That was the most reliable choice for him.

He was confident. After witnessing many types of magic and accumulating knowledge at this academy, he believed he could handle even a Bloodline Magic he’d never seen before. Besides, he also had a trick or two up his sleeve.

Thinking this, he kept his stance ready to move at any moment while keeping a close watch on her.

Before his eyes, Nina began her chant.

“‘Intertwine, the demon of the summer night, daughter of the stars who sang ninefold, dark song behind closed eyelids.'”

……Hermes’ decision was likely correct.

There was no other choice. Having allowed Nina to get so close, he couldn’t move recklessly; his only option was to wait for her magic. His strategy was the best he could do.

His confidence in handling her magic wasn’t arrogance, given his abilities.

However.

For him, or rather, because it was him,

Her magic was……entirely unreadable.

“Bloodline Magic──[Il Ferulina].”

Thus, her magic activated.

On guard, he focused his gaze on Nina,

Observing her every move, not taking his eyes off her for even a moment──

──Until he realized that he could no longer look away.

By the time he noticed,

He was already fatally trapped in her spell.

“Don’t move.”

At her words, he realized.

“Or rather, you can’t move, right? ……It worked well.”

As she said, his actions were severely restricted. He couldn’t even take a step.

He thought it was some sort of binding magic or perhaps a curse──but no, it was the opposite. It was the result of being forced to focus on her so intensely that he could do nothing else.

“Have you figured it out yet?”

The moment he understood, ‘it’ arrived.

“It was unexpected, wasn’t it? ……Yes, I thought someone as unfamiliar with these matters as you wouldn’t see it coming. ……There are magic spells like ‘this’ in the world, you know?”

With a mischievous smile, Nina looked at him, her laughter filled with success. Her smile was so captivating that it stole his gaze and thoughts even more than before.

And that wasn’t all. Her voice was sweet, her expression soft, and her movements bewitching.

With each exposure to her magic, his mind was further stolen. His thoughts became dull and numb, and everything but her faded from his consciousness.

As he struggled to maintain what little remained of his mind, Hermes finally realized the true nature of her magic.

It was certainly a heretical magic.

A spell that didn’t fit the knights produced by Nina’s family. Far from the ideal of knights who value integrity, self-restraint, and loyalty, it was a magic born from desire.

A magic too disgraceful for a knight, too inappropriate to keep in the family──

Perhaps deciding that it was too late, Nina delivered the finishing blow with an extraordinary smile.

“I think it’s useless to resist now. So just relax──and go ahead, fall in love with me.”

Nina’s magic, [Il Felina].

Its effect──a [Charm] spell, unique to her bloodline.

And with terrifying ease, she had ensnared Hermes.

“……That said, it seems you’re not completely under my control yet.”

Nevertheless, Nina was cautious.

Observing Hermes closely, she judged it wasn’t enough and continued speaking.

“Then, while I keep you here, let’s have a little chat.”

“──”

To Hermes, who was desperately trying to resist the charm from fully taking over, her voice was an unbearably sweet poison.

Even with his dulled thoughts, he understood her words. No──it was as if he could only comprehend her words.

Realizing this, she pressed on, offering more information as if to deliver the final blow.

“I think you’ve already figured out that this magic is a charm spell……but there’s a little condition.”

“A condition……?”

“Yes. The higher the caster’s feelings for the target, the stronger the effect……or something like that, according to the higher-ups……Why do they have to make it so complicated?”

“!”

But with that, Hermes understood. Seeing his reaction, Nina gazed up at him, as if peering into his heart.

“Oh, you realized? Yes, in simpler terms, the more the caster likes the target, the more powerful the spell.”