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?

Short Story 2. Affection

“…Herm, sit on your knees.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

It was on a day when the commotion that had struck the academy had finally settled.

Following a certain conversation between the master and servant, they now found themselves in this current situation.

For now, as ordered, I sit on my knees. …At least she’s allowing me to do so on the bed and not the floor, which seems to show her kind nature, in a way.

Well, I suppose this is my fault, too, Hermes thought, glancing at his master before him.

Katia, her beautiful face slightly flushed from a mix of emotions, still raised her eyebrows and asked,

“Now then, could you repeat it once more? …That day, when you were dealing with Nina, the spy—what magic did she use on you, and what exactly did she do?”

…That’s what this was about.

Since we were discussing the academy’s terror incident again, it naturally brought up the points I hadn’t mentioned last time—specifically, my interactions with Nina.

As expected, she seemed curious and pressed me for details I had omitted. I couldn’t dodge it any longer and recounted everything about Nina’s magic, its effects, and conditions—without leaving out a single thing.

…Well, considering that we might face her again in the future, I suppose it was necessary to share this information at some point. So in that sense, it’s good we cleared it up early.

But the problem is…

“…I see. So Nina’s magic is a charm spell, and it strengthens the more you like the person. And when you were the target, it was so powerful that even you, Herm, couldn’t resist it.”

“…Um…”

“That’s… extremely important information for various reasons. Why did you keep it quiet until now?”

“…I sincerely apologize.”

The fact that my master’s mood soured more than I expected.

“And? So after being charmed by Nina’s magic, you were, well… tempted in various ways and almost fell for it?”

“…I deeply apologize.”

Having to confess that part in detail was far more embarrassing than I had ever imagined.

An awkward silence filled the air between master and servant.

Hermes was feeling incredibly uncomfortable, while Katia remained silent, wearing a complex expression.

“…Haa.”

With a sigh, the heavy atmosphere seemed to disperse slightly, and Hermes noticed it.

“…Um, Katia-sama? If you want to scold me, I’ll accept it…”

“I’m certainly angry, but…”

Katia sighed again before continuing.

“More than that… I’m surprised. Or rather, I feel a bit relieved, in a way.”

“…Relieved?”

“…Herm, you really are a boy, after all.”

This time, it was Hermes who was caught off guard.

“…What did you think I was before this?”

“If I’d been told you were a magic puppet trying its best to mimic human emotions, I might have believed it before we joined the academy.”

“Why would you think that?”

Though Hermes knew he lacked emotional expression, hearing his master’s perception of him was somewhat of a shock.

It was probably a joke, at least partly, but Hermes was still taken aback. Meanwhile, Katia averted her gaze slightly.

“But… yes. At least you have some interest, don’t you?”

Blushing, she glanced down at her own chest with a conflicted expression.

…Hermes instinctively knew this was a moment when he shouldn’t say anything.

“…Anyway, I understand now. When we face Nina again, I’ll have to think carefully about how to handle things… yes, in various ways.”

Though a slightly dark mood reappeared at the end, Katia brought the conversation to a close and released Hermes from his kneeling position, allowing him to sit on the bed.

After that, she seemed lost in thought for a while, but suddenly, as if she had come up with an idea, she asked,

“Oh, by the way, Herm. That is… can you replicate Nina’s magic now?”

“Huh? Um…”

Hermes thought for a moment.

Now that he had witnessed the magic firsthand, he was fairly confident he could replicate it to some extent, even though it was a bloodline magic unfamiliar to him.

However, considering how unusual Nina’s magic was, even compared to other bloodline magics, and the fact that he had closely observed it…

“…I could replicate it, but it would be quite limited.”

“Limited? How, exactly?”

“For one, it would be difficult to control the actions of the target. At best… I could induce slight feelings of affection or attraction toward me, a sort of mild charm effect.”

“That’s enough!”

Before he could finish, she raised her voice and leaned in closer to Hermes.

“Herm, I have a request. Could you… use that magic on me?”

“…Excuse me?”

According to Katia,

“Well, you see… if we’re going to face Nina again, there’s a chance you might get hit by the same magic. So, um… it would be useful for me to understand firsthand how the magic feels, right? It wouldn’t hurt, really.”

Her tone clearly suggested she was hiding something, but her reasoning wasn’t entirely without merit.

“…Understood. Please excuse me.”

Though casting a mind-altering spell on his master felt wrong, if it was her request, Hermes had no choice.

Taking a deep breath, he began chanting.

“Spell Reenactment—[Il Ferulina]”

He activated the magic.

Being close enough for it to take effect, Hermes’ magic was absorbed into Katia.

She accepted it, eyes tightly shut, with a slight tension. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Hermes.

“…?”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“Um… how do you feel, Katia-sama?”

“…I feel nothing.”

To both their surprise, the result was as she said.

“Wha—”

“H-How is that possible!? Shouldn’t you start seeing me as incredibly handsome, or be unable to think about anyone but me?!”

“Hearing you describe it like that is a bit embarrassing… But yes, that’s how it’s supposed to work.”

Hermes pondered why it hadn’t worked. Meanwhile, Katia, as if realizing something, looked shocked.

“Could it be, Herm, that you really don’t feel anything toward me—”

“No, that’s not it.”

Hermes quickly denied Katia’s concern that the lack of effect was because he had no feelings for her.

“This magic works unless the person really dislikes the target. And well… I can say for sure that I don’t dislike you.”

“I-I see… yes, that’s true…”

Blushing, Katia nodded in relief at his final declaration.

But then, what was the cause?

Hermes began analyzing the situation, convinced that the spell had activated properly. Just as he was about to conclude…

“Elmes, are you in there?”

A knock on the door, was followed by a familiar voice.

Katia jumped in surprise, and Hermes, sensing that this was not a good situation to be seen in, quickly dispelled the magic and responded.

The door opened, and in walked the maid, Layla. She glanced at the two facing each other, but since it wasn’t an unusual sight, she proceeded with her message.

“Hermes, the Duke has called for you. He wants to discuss something regarding your tutoring.”

“The Duke? I see, I’ll head over right away. Katia-sama, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

When it was the Duke, his summons took priority.

After bowing to the still-displeased Katia, Hermes left the room.

In the end, he didn’t figure out why the magic hadn’t worked, nor what Katia’s real intentions were.

He pondered this while heading to the Duke’s office but couldn’t conclude before he arrived.

And so, for the time being, he let the matter drop.

…Meanwhile, back in the room after Hermes had left, Layla, noticing that something was off with her mistress, probed for details.

After hearing what had transpired, she understood.

“I see. So you thought that if you experienced that charm magic yourself, you’d know ‘how much Hermes likes you.’ If the magic works as described, that makes sense.”

“S-So what? Is it wrong?”

“Not at all, it’s a very endearing motive, thank you for sharing. But nothing happened… meaning your feelings remained completely unchanged.”

That was probably the most shocking part.

Looking as if she might cry, Katia demanded an explanation, while Layla, after some thought, gave her hypothesis.

“…This is just a guess, but…”

In an ironic twist, Layla, the least knowledgeable about magic, managed to hit upon the truth.

“…Isn’t it simply that there’s no room for the charm to work because Katia-sama already loves Hermes so much?”

“────”

After a brief pause, a silent scream of frustration echoed through the room.

But, of course, Hermes was blissfully unaware of it all.