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 65. Slump

The polar bear’s deadly claws swung horizontally, approaching swiftly.

“Hmph.”

The distance was still too far. Even if it swung normally, those claws couldn’t reach.

…However, he already knew that judgment could be fatal.

With a quick decision, he leaped high. A moment later, something glimmered from the tip of the polar bear’s claw.

─The ground where he had stood a second ago was sharply cut and gouged out.

“…Troublesome.”

This was likely the polar bear’s magic.

The base was wind magic or enhancement. A spell that sent slashes along the claws, extending their already long reach significantly.

Moreover,

“Roaaar!”

Another polar bear swung its thick arm at Hermes as if to match his jump.

“Hmph.”

He defended with a wall of light and cushioned the impact using enhanced wind magic. Yet, the force still resonated through his body. He was blown back, landing against the labyrinth wall, a slight numbness remaining.

“Erle!”

Katia shouted, using the ghost soldiers of [Soteira Trivia] to keep the enemies at bay. Thanks to that, they avoided a follow-up attack, but one misstep could have been dangerous.

I see, he thought.

Even a single polar bear monster was quite troublesome. High agility and strength, combined with those powerful extending slashes. The assessment that they were on par with the tortoise dragon was not wrong.

And there were two of them this time. Additionally, these monsters were even using coordination.

Just now, one bear’s slash had induced Hermes to dodge by jumping, exploiting that opening. The fact that such powerful monsters were using such advanced combinations.

─They were indeed formidable foes.

“…But,”

Hermes muttered.

Still, he thought, he and Katia could probably win.

As usual, he analyzed their actions, predicting their moves. Gathering information, increasing precision, and defending until a counterattack was possible.

Then, he would surely defeat them.

With Katia’s support and her defensive capabilities, it was possible. Once enough information was gathered, they would create a significant opening. During that time, he would activate [Laevateinn] and win. These monsters were quite durable, but once the sword was generated, it could overpower them.

They constructed a path to victory and shared it with Katia, and all that was left was to execute it.

Thinking that, they continued to observe and fight.

─However,

“Hmph─!”

For some reason, contrary to their expectations,

Hermes and his companions were gradually being pushed back.

There were no issues with the analysis. They had accurately read and responded to the polar bears’ behavior patterns. Soon, depending on Katia’s maneuvers, they would create an opening for magic, but,

…The crucial point was that Katia’s magic was extremely off.

Both the number and quality of ghost soldiers were significantly lower compared to the battle against Aster.

Because of that, they couldn’t exhibit their true defensive power, and they were forced to fight defensively without any counterattacks.

Even Hermes found it extremely tough to face such powerful monsters with high-level coordination. Without the support they were supposed to get, it was too harsh.

Finally, the breaking point came.

“Ha!”

With a shout, he struck the polar bear’s snout with an accelerated charge using [Mistle Teinn]. The damage wasn’t much, but it hit a weak point of living creatures. The polar bear recoiled and screamed, stopping at least one of them from attacking.

However, as a consequence, Hermes had exhausted his magic in midair. The other bear seized this opportunity to attack. It was Katia’s turn, her ghost soldiers should have come to cover Hermes’s opening─

─They didn’t come.

“Damn─!”

“Hmph!”

This time, without a moment to defend, the deadly claws slashed Hermes.

He was blown away, rolling towards where Katia was. Katia ran over, teary-eyed.

“Hermes! I’m sorry, I, why─”

“…Don’t worry. I avoided a critical hit.”

Even so, from his left shoulder to his upper arm, deep claw marks were carved. He had stopped the bleeding with enhanced general magic, but it was far from a minor injury.

More importantly, the problem was Katia. Judging by her expression, she seemed unaware of the cause of her slump.

He didn’t intend to blame her. [Soteira Trivia] was originally an extremely delicate magic. He assumed something about her was affecting the magic, but without knowing the cause, immediate correction was difficult.

…So,

Right now, there was no way to deal with the monsters that were about to attack them all at once.

He couldn’t think of a breakthrough, but he couldn’t just leave it. Holding his wound, he faced the monsters again─

“…This is bad.”

Rose, who had stepped out between them, spoke.

“…Master.”

Hermes muttered, Katia looked at her regretfully.

The polar bears, wary of the sudden appearance of Rose, but still driven by instinct, were about to pounce again.

“─Whoa. Sorry, but could you be a bit quieter, bears?”

Her intimidating magic stopped them in their tracks.

They didn’t lose their fighting spirit, but they understood. The red-haired woman was the most dangerous one here.

The polar bears, glaring at Rose but unable to move carelessly, were stalled.

Hermes asked Rose, who had created this stalemate.

“…Will you help us?”

“Hmm, I could. But what about you? Do you still want to win by yourselves?”

Rose returned the question. Hermes thought for a moment and then,

“…Of course, I want to win with just the two of us. Especially if you think we can.”

He answered honestly.

Katia, reacting to Hermes’s words, looked down, unable to hide her frustration.

“…Me too. But…!”

“─I see. That’s enough for me.”

Katia tried to explain her mysterious slump, but Rose interrupted her.

And then,

“Alright, Hermes, I’ll borrow Katia for a bit. Meanwhile, you─hold off those monsters by yourself.”

“…Excuse me?”

It was a request with many questionable points.

He wanted to ask about several things, but there was one thing to confirm first.

“…Master, do you perhaps know why Katia is in a slump?”

“Yeah. I kind of expected it to turn out like this.”

Hermes and Katia’s expressions turned to surprise.

“If Katia is willing, we can probably fix it. But more importantly, can you do it, Hermes?”

Rose asked provocatively.

…Holding off those two polar bears, even with Katia in a slump, they had struggled together against the monsters.

It was an enormous challenge. Despite having read some of their moves, the physical ability difference was significant, plus the numerical disadvantage. The coordination they used took full advantage of it. Even conservatively, the success rate was low.

But,

“─I’ll do it.”

If he hesitated now, Hermes wouldn’t be standing here.

As long as there was even a slight chance, there was no reason for him not to challenge himself to improve.

Satisfied with Hermes’s response, Rose nodded.

“That’s my disciple. I’ll be smitten all over again.”

“But, I can’t promise no injuries. Please heal me properly later.”

“Sure thing. I’ll even throw in a lap pillow. …Well then, I’ll borrow your master.”

With that, Rose pulled the still-puzzled Katia back.

Perhaps because the threat to them had lessened or due to the position, the monsters directed intense killing intent towards the now-alone Hermes.

“…Alright.”

Seeing that, Hermes reflected.

Maybe he’d been relying too much on Katia.

Thinking back, the initial plan to defeat these monsters was based on Katia’s presence.

Not anticipating a situation where Katia wasn’t at her best was, in a way, his mistake.

Relying on someone wasn’t bad. But taking their presence for granted could lead to situations like this, which wasn’t good for either.

…Well, all that aside,

─Fighting alone was rather desirable.

He sharpened his senses. Removed unnecessary information from his thoughts, sinking deeper into the sea of concentration.

Taking a deep breath, he immersed himself further into the battle. The goal was to hold them off, but he needed the mindset to defeat them.

Sensing Hermes’s change in demeanor, the polar bears cautiously but decisively pounced.

At the same time, Hermes kicked off the ground, smoothly activating his magic.

The second round of the battle began.