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 139.2. Doubt And Trial

I understand. At some point, I knew I’d have to prove myself, so this is reasonable.

“So, what’s this test you’re talking about?”

“Fufun. Don’t be too shocked when I tell you.”

With a smug grin, Liliana walked across the room—opened the window, then turned back to face him.

“──It’s a game of tag. You’ll need to catch me.”

“…Huh?”

Hermes blinked in disbelief, but Liliana’s smile deepened even further.

“Oh? You just underestimated me, didn’t you? Thought, ‘That’ll be easy.’ Well—wait until you see this!”

She grabbed onto the window frame—and with a swift motion, leaned outside.

“!?”

Hermes was startled—no, panicked. After all, this was the princess’s chamber—meaning they were at the top of the castle. Frantically, he leaned out after her but…

“…She’s gone?”

“──I’m over here.”

Hermes scanned around for her, only to hear a voice from above and to the side…

“…No way.”

And then, shock struck him again. Liliana was there—on the balcony of a nearby room. But—it was two floors up and about two rooms away.

Did she… jump that distance? In short, that kind of movement—whether for a child, a normal adult, or even a typical mage using magic to boost their physical abilities—was utterly impossible.

The meaning was clear. This girl possessed an extraordinary magical ability far beyond the norm.

“Did you think I was just a sheltered princess? My apologies, but I am still ‘royalty,’ you know.”

Her voice carried from afar. She laughed—somehow both taunting and provocative.

“So, here are the rules. It’s simple: I’ll be running around the castle garden, and if you catch me even once, you win. After all, a teacher who can’t catch a student skipping class has no right to teach, don’t you agree?”

In a kingdom where status was determined by magic, and the royal family stood at the top. While fully displaying her power, she remained as arrogant as ever.

“Don’t worry, I won’t use any Bloodline Magic. I’ll just use my regular abilities to evade you.”

“What—”

“Oh, and of course, feel free to use your Bloodline Magic, won’t you? Use that so-called power to handle any magic, and try to corner me. If you think you can.”

Her words were laced with mockery, utterly belittling him. And as if reading his thoughts, Liliana added, her tone sharp:

“By the way. I called you my ‘new tutor’, didn’t I?”

“Wha—”

“That means, there were ‘old tutors’, too. And yes, quite a few.”

She paused and looked down at him with a smug expression.

“And—all of them lost to me under these same conditions.”

“!”

“They used Bloodline Magic, chasing me at full power, but couldn’t even touch my shadow. It was—really quite pathetic.”

She chuckled—a cruel yet delicate laugh. Liliana’s transformation, ill-suited for her age, left Hermes slightly bewildered, but she turned back toward him.

“I told you from the start, didn’t I? ‘There’s nothing you can teach me.’”

“…I see.”

“So, this is my final piece of advice. I suggest you go all out from the beginning. If you’re really the hero Jurgen spoke of, catching me should be easy, right?”

Without needing to voice it, her body language declared that she didn’t believe he could. She opened her mouth again, with the same attitude:

“Go ahead and try to catch me. I’m sure you’ve received plenty of praise until now, haven’t you? I’ll shatter your pride, losing to a small girl like me. Breaking everything you’ve ever been—and leaving you crawling in defeat…”

Finally, with a cold expression and an eerie, dark voice, she took one more breath.

“──That’s when you’ll realize. There are things in this world that are utterly hopeless.”

But just as quickly, her usual cute smile returned.

“And with that, your fate-sealing game of tag──begins now!”

With that declaration, she vaulted off the balcony at an astonishing speed and vanished in an instant.

“…Well now.”

Hermes muttered. …Somehow, in a vague way, he felt like he was beginning to see the outline of who this princess really was.

She must be carrying something. Though it was too soon to tell what exactly…

“──Tag, huh. How nostalgic.”

He instinctively felt that through this game, he would come to understand it. At that moment, his hesitation and confusion vanished. Reverting to the playful spirit of a child, he too launched himself off the balcony in pursuit of Liliana.