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 143.2. The Succession Struggle

Through such circumstances, Albert joined the faction of the Third Princess, becoming the final member among the princess’s direct magic users.

For the next few days, they spent their time deepening friendships and training together.

Everyone had a good relationship with the princess, and as for Liliana—her biting attitude, like the one she showed Hermes on the first day… only occasionally surfaced when dealing with Katia.

The magic training, too—though only scratching the surface in just a few days—marked the first step toward mastering the art of creative magic.

Thus, a few days later, Hermes received an important summons.

“Your Highness… Ah, Hermes, you’re here too. Well then, shall we go?”

In a corner of the royal palace, Jurgen arrived and called out to Liliana and Hermes, who had responded to the summons.

With Liliana clutching his sleeve, Hermes walked alongside her and asked Jurgen a question.

“Your Grace. So, where are we headed today…?”

“Ah. —To the audience chamber.”

“…!”

At the mention of that place, even Hermes couldn’t help but feel a chill run through him.

The audience chamber.

In other words—they were finally about to meet the king of this nation.

“His Majesty is, of course, aware of the ongoing succession dispute.”

Noticing Hermes’s tension, Jurgen continued.

“Thus far, His Majesty has taken an almost laissez-faire stance on the matter. …You might think it would be easier if he just named a crown prince, but that’s not quite possible.”

The king’s ambiguous stance had been puzzling. Naturally, Hermes listened attentively.

“Appointing a crown prince works when there’s a clear disparity between factions, but right now, the two factions are in near-perfect equilibrium. …If a crown prince were declared under these circumstances, it would likely only worsen the chaos.”

“I see.”

It made sense. Hermes could easily imagine how the faction left out would rebel, and the declared faction would have to suppress that backlash, intensifying the conflict.

“Even so, simply letting them ‘do as they please’ would be problematic. So, this meeting will likely serve as an opportunity to lay down some ground rules.”

In plain terms, this summons was essentially for a “rules briefing” on the succession struggle.

Which also meant—

“Both the First Prince and the Second Princess will attend, won’t they?”

“Indeed. For you, Hermes, this will be your first time meeting both of them. That’s precisely why you were called. We can’t bring everyone along, but you at least must be there.”

At that, Liliana tensed up and clung more tightly to Hermes’s sleeve.

Jurgen glanced at Liliana before speaking again.

“…Let’s review who you’ll be dealing with in this fight.”

“Yes.”

For Hermes, this was critical information. He sharpened his focus.

“First, the First Prince—His Highness Herc. Currently, he commands the support of the majority of the nobility.”

“Does he personally possess the charisma to gather such support?”

“It’s not impossible, but… Do you recall? There’s talk that he has an extraordinarily talented strategist working behind him.”

Hermes remembered the mention of this during Liliana’s earlier meeting. He nodded.

“Ever since that strategist came into the picture, the First Prince’s faction has expanded rapidly. That strategist seems to be a key figure alongside the prince—and most importantly, almost no information about them exists.”

“…!”

Even Jurgen hadn’t been able to uncover much about this mysterious, powerful strategist.

Certainly, caution was warranted.

With that crucial point about the First Prince’s faction reiterated, Jurgen moved on.

“Next is the Second Princess—Her Highness Lyla. She is supported by the Church, which holds significant influence in this country. Moreover, she herself is fully committed to the struggle.”

“I see.”

“…In my opinion, the greater threat lies here. The Church already carries many troublesome rumors, and their full backing suggests there’s something more at play.”

“Understood.”

If this was Jurgen’s assessment, it was worth keeping in mind.

From here, all that remained was to confirm it with his own eyes.

With that thought, Hermes looked up at the doors of the audience chamber, which now stood before him. They had arrived.

“…”

Steeling himself, Hermes prepared to open the door.

But first, he turned toward the girl beside him.

Liliana, wearing an expression far more tense than his own.

“…Lily-sama. Are you all right?”

“Yes. …I am prepared.”

Though the details of Liliana’s relationship with the two mentioned royals were not fully disclosed,

the scattered hints suggested that, until recently, things had been amicable.

But with the succession conflict now underway, those relationships had likely broken down.

While Liliana wouldn’t say she wished things had remained under Aster’s reign—it was clear that she believed Aster’s behavior had its share of flaws.

Yet no matter how things had unfolded, it was undeniable that she now had to compete with siblings she once got along with.

Under the watchful eyes of Hermes and Jurgen, Liliana made her declaration.

“There’s no turning back now. For my brother and sister’s sake—for their sake, I will face them head-on.”

Looking up at the audience chamber doors, she declared resolutely.

“And so… Master.”

She turned toward him again, hesitating slightly.

“Before we begin… Could you please, just once more, grant me courage…?”

Timidly, she extended her arms forward, her cheeks flushed, gazing up at him with a shy, pleading look.

Understanding her silent request, Hermes gave a small chuckle.

Obliging her, he approached Liliana slowly, drawing her small frame into a warm embrace.

“…!”

In an instant, Liliana clung to him tightly. Her delicate warmth and the softness of her form filled his arms.

Over the past few days, Hermes had come to realize just how needy she was—perhaps even more so than her age suggested.

“…Do you think this is improper of me? I’ve only known you for a few days, after all…”

“No, strangely, it doesn’t feel that way at all.”

Perhaps it was because Liliana was only eleven years old…

Or perhaps it was simply because, for some reason, Hermes felt no sense of distance between them.

“…It seems you’ve grown closer than I expected.”

Watching the two, Jurgen spoke with a soft smile.

“Is it because she reminds you of someone?”

“Yes. …Did Master behave like this as a child, too?”

“Well… I doubt I was quite this charming.”

They exchanged amused smiles before Hermes gently released Liliana.

It seemed she hadn’t paid attention to their conversation, too focused on clinging to him.

In any case, Liliana had fully gathered her resolve by now.

Leading the way, she placed her hand on the door to the audience chamber—and, all at once, pushed it open.