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 66. Her Heart

…I thought I had gotten a little closer.

Meeting him again, learning how to use my magic.

Overcoming my worries, awakening to the true value of Bloodline Magic.

I thought I could get closer to him, to the him I admired, the him I continued to walk alongside — but.

Suddenly, there appeared his mentor, Rose.

I had heard the name. I knew what kind of existence she was.

Surely, as his mentor, she couldn’t be as bad as people say, I thought. I was prepared to be surprised by her personality.

But I never expected to be betrayed first by her appearance.

To be so young, so beautiful.

And to be so deeply in love with Hermes.

Honestly, I panicked. But at that moment, I didn’t panic too much. We had built something together, something we had accomplished only through magic. I had the confidence that I had gotten closer to him through magic.

But even that was shattered into pieces the moment I saw their master-student showdown.

The clash of magic between softness and hardness using the same [Emerald Tablet]. A fair and square exchange of blows using the same Bloodline Magic, ultimately revealing the depths of each other’s magic, a dense conversation called battle.

Honestly, I was mesmerized. And above all — the expression on his face during that fight, he seemed happier than I had ever seen him before.

The back I thought I had approached suddenly felt much further away again.

…And to top it off, that night, Rose told me about various things from their mentor-student days, and my competitiveness only increased.

With the provocation before entering the maze today, I was completely fired up.

— Even Hermes and I have something that’s just ours, too.

The journey went smoothly, and we were able to use what we had cultivated properly.

So all that’s left is the master of the maze. The target that my past self couldn’t do anything about. I thought I could prove my own growth by overcoming it with my current strength.

— But now, here I am in this sorry state.

“…”

“Ah, how should I put it…”

Katia bowed her head with a grave expression.

To her, who didn’t realize why her current self was in such a bad condition, Rose said somewhat incredulously.

“You’re really too fond of Herm.”

“What?!”

I don’t understand the reasoning.

But I understood very well that what my current self was doing must be incredibly embarrassing even from Rose’s perspective.

“I’m sorry, I underestimated you, too. I didn’t know it would go this far…”

“…Can you not apologize? I don’t quite get it, but it just makes me more mad…!”

Blushing, Katia glared up at her with upturned eyes.

Ignoring that and flowing smoothly, Rose lightly told her the cause of her discomfort.

“I understand wanting to show your best side in front of the one you like. And it’s not a bad thing to be eager to bring out more of your magic. …But, this time, your feelings are taking precedence too much. In the end, you’re just spinning your wheels.”

“Eh—”

It was a reason that was surprisingly simple and unexpected.

However, Katia argued back.

“But, but! Herm said that feelings are important when using magic—”

“That doesn’t mean ‘as long as you have feelings, you can use magic’, you know?”

“!”

But at the following criticism, she choked up.

“Sure, that’s what lies at the core of magic. But at the same time, even more than that. Magic is also about meticulous logic. Are you ignoring that? Is your magic not refined enough, are you not adjusting the output, are you being careless with the manipulation?”

“…”

There was a realization, or rather, a hit close to home.

At the same time, she blushed even more. Embarrassing, and pathetic.

Dealing with magic that prioritized only her inner feelings, believing blindly in them, neglecting everything else.

— She had just seen a person who had been ruined by doing the same not long ago.

The fact that her current self was becoming the same made her feel even more ashamed inside.

“…But”

It might be an excuse, but there was still anxiety.

Suddenly, she looked at Hermes who was fighting.

His situation should have been quite disadvantageous. Two against one. A difference in abilities. The addition of strength through cooperation. Even if he just had to endure, there should have been elements making it difficult to even do that.

Yet — he was holding his own. More lively than before, freely manipulating magic.

Learning from the opponent’s movements accurately, returning with the optimal response. To him, who was continuing to evolve tremendously even at this moment —

“In order not to be left behind, it’s not okay to stay as I am…!”

She expressed her sincere feelings to the witch.

Accepting those straightforward words from her, Rose smiled slightly after pausing for a moment.

“…I see. I understand how you feel.”

“To understand that, you—”

“I feel the same way.”

“—Eh”

Unexpected words came from Rose.

With a terribly serious tone, Katia was taken aback.

“Certainly, for now, I’m stronger than Herm. If we fought a hundred times, I’d win a hundred times, that’s how much the difference in our abilities is… But, only for now.”

“…”

“Definitely, without stopping. He’ll keep evolving. And eventually, I’ll be surpassed. And after that, I might never catch up.”

Because she stopped there and continued.

“—We are cursed with bloodline magicBloodline Magic.”

“!”

“Because of this curse within us, our limits as magicians are determined. I might be higher than an ordinary magician, but there is still something. I’ll be surpassed by him eventually. As a mentor, I’m very happy… but as a magician… It’s a bit complicated.”

“…Rose-sama”

“But”

Turning towards a negative topic, Katia looked down again.

But, as if to interrupt that, she negated it.

“I’ve been starting to think differently lately.”

“Eh…?”

With a calm face, reminiscent of fond memories, she said.

“He’s said it to me many times. ‘My mentor’s magic is amazing.’ With eyes that sparkle with sincerity that can’t be faked, you know? Well, that was really cute.”

“…Um. Are you teasing me?”

“Oops, sorry. Thanks to that, I thought.”

As she was about to boast lightly about her disciple, Rose regained her serious expression once more.

“‘A curse that grants unconditional power in exchange for the inability to use other magic.’ I’ve defined Bloodline Magic like that until now… but that’s not it.”

Quietly, she revealed.

“Bloodline Magic is something that ‘grants the qualification to elevate the inherited magic to its utmost limits in exchange for the inability to use other magic.'”

“!”

“It’s not a curse, nor a gift. It’s an Idiosyncrasy with both sides. I’ve come to see it that way — that’s how I want to define it now.”

Rose talked about how Hermes had changed her perspective.

“Do you understand? Surely, in the future, Herm will be able to use many different kinds of magic. Lots of magic that we absolutely cannot use. In that regard, I’m sure we won’t be able to compete.

—But. We’ll never lose when it comes to the magic we were born with. Because our bodies are optimized to use that magic.”

“…Ah”

At that moment, Katia remembered. The showdown between master and disciple the other day, where Hermes and Rose simultaneously unleashed [Hlidskjalf] as if they had planned it.

—And then, the sight of Rose overwhelming Hermes with her light.

“Once I thought that, I felt relieved. I can look forward to Herm’s advancement without feeling any anxiety, and I can eagerly await it. …I felt like I wanted to further enhance my own magic.”

Lastly, placing her hand gently on Katia’s head.

Smiling, the solitary witch spoke.

“I’d be happy if more people like you came to that place. Like you, for example.”

“Eh”

“I think I said it yesterday too, but I like you, you know? It’s quite something to be able to stay by Herm’s side and face magic without rotting away. You’re a bit strong-willed but honest, and cute. That’s important.”

After lightly speaking jokingly, she placed her hand on Katia’s back this time.

“You have plenty of potential to become a great magician. …Do you want to become one yourself? Well, then, go ahead. You should be fine by now.”

“……….Yes.”

After thinking for a moment.

With a face free of doubt, in the end, she nodded. Katia dashed off… but then.

“…Ah, Rose-sama.”

As Katia seemed to have turned back once more, she timidly called out.

“Hmm?”

“Um… you’re quite careless and too unconventional, and I think it’s not good to stick so close to Herm even though you’re his mentor!”

After making various criticisms to herself for some reason.

While blushing slightly and avoiding eye contact with Rose.

“…But. As Herm said, I understand that you’re a wonderful magician. Both in ability and heart. So, um… I want to, well… respect you!”

After saying that much, she quickly turned on her heels. This time, she ran towards Hermes.

“……….”

Left behind, Rose showed a dumbfounded expression for a while.

“…She’s too cute.”

To cover up the fact that she was inadvertently mesmerized, she murmured, covering her face with her palm.

For a while, she remained in that state, then, eventually, she moved her palm about halfway back, revealing a nostalgic wry smile.

“…Haha, she’s just like her. Yeah, really—just like you, Theta.”

With a voice filled with nostalgia, she said so. And she watched over the children’s fight.