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 197. Escort

Heading to the church are seven people: the initial members of the Third Princess faction, plus Nina.

Sending all key personnel to the church headquarters from the start is too risky. To also deter the surrounding nobles, Lucius, the former Northern Union, and the soldiers from Harvast territory are left behind in the north.

With Lucius and the military force, even if something happens, they won’t easily collapse—something Nina, his sister, also guarantees. They can proceed with a certain degree of reassurance.

And so, after completing all preparations, the day to depart for the church headquarters arrives.

…Indeed, even the church wouldn’t go so far as to summon royalty without sending an escort—such arrogance wouldn’t be tolerated. Properly arranged were the escort carriages and soldiers.

…However.

The escort carriage was a modest one, barely able to accommodate seven or eight people.

And the nervous-looking young man, presumably in charge of the soldiers, opened with this:

“—Well then, starting today, we will assist you in your attendance at the church headquarters.”

“…Huh?”

Along with a formal greeting that was barely above the bare minimum…the word “attendance.”

It carries the nuance of a criminal voluntarily presenting themselves for judgment. The soldiers around him didn’t deny it at all—in fact, their expressions suggested they agreed with the wording…making it clear how they viewed them.

Moreover, after that:

“Now, we’re not idle, so please board the carriage immediately. —Ah, rest assured, we will ensure your safety during the journey…so please, by all means…”

Despite the presence of the Third Princess, Lilliana.

They practically forced them into the carriage, closing the windows so tightly that no scenery could be seen…

Just before shutting the thick carriage door…they said this:

“—In the unlikely event that this carriage is attacked by someone. Please, do not interfere with your unspeakable, abhorrent magic… It would taint us.”

And with a slam, the door closed.

Leaving a stunned Lilliana behind…without a word. The carriage set off.

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“…Well, well. I never expected it to be this blatant.”

By the time the group recovered from the shock of such treatment…

Jurgen, looking around at everyone, spoke with a bitter smile.

“Indeed… I don’t want to say it myself, but…this isn’t how royalty should be treated.”

“…Well, it can’t be helped, I suppose.”

Following Lilliana’s words, Nina spoke up.

With a solemn expression, she shared her insight.

“El and the others, of course, and even we who fought alongside them know how amazing Lili’s magic is—how amazing Lili is. But…”

“…To others in the church, that’s not the case…”

“Exactly, Sara.”

Nina nodded, satisfied with Sara’s muttered agreement.

“Especially something like ‘making all allies use bloodline magic’—they’d never believe it just by hearing it. They’d think it’s a lie, a tall tale. So to them, even now—Lili is still the ‘failed princess’ who can’t use bloodline magic.”

“Ugh…”

—And thus, they can treat royalty so casually, like this.

A blunt fact. Hearing this, Lilliana couldn’t help but lower her head…and Nina hurriedly added:

“Ah, s-sorry! Of course, I’m not saying you should accept this, it’s terrible to shove such a cute princess into a place like this. Well, from the perspective of sticking together, it’s a win for me.”

“Hey! Really…!”

Perhaps to distract her, Nina cheerfully declared this and promptly sat next to Lilliana, hugging her. Lilliana showed a mix of surprise and slight reproach on her face, but sensing Nina’s genuine effort to cheer her up, she quietly accepted it.

…As an aside, this is how it is. Despite initially being enemies upon their first meeting, Nina and Lilliana now have an excellent relationship.

At first, after the northern rebellion ended, Nina tried to maintain a respectful attitude, but Lilliana permitted her to act as casually as she did with Hermes and the others, saying, “It’s too late for that now.” Given Nina’s naturally friendly personality, she quickly accepted this.

…Well, even so, her tone and closeness to royalty might seem a bit too informal. But that’s just who she is, and Lilliana doesn’t seem to mind, so it’s fine.

And with their playful banter, the atmosphere lightened somewhat, allowing Katia to speak—though her tone was stiffer than usual.

“…Still, this feels a bit too harsh. It’s almost like…the treatment of prisoners. The carriage is modest, and the soldiers…no.”

But then.

Katia, as if realizing something, muttered. The others began to catch on as well, and someone voiced it.

“—The number of soldiers…was unusually large.”

“…Indeed. If they were considering the possibility of something happening while escorting Lady Lili, the number would make sense…but in that case, the modesty of the carriage doesn’t add up…”

Sara supplemented Katia’s concern.

Now that it was mentioned, it was true. Could it be…

“…Are they seriously expecting us to cause trouble in this situation?”

“That’s a possibility, but…”

Albert voiced his concern. While that was a valid thought, Hermes, considering everything so far, felt something was off…and then it hit him.

The words of the soldier before they boarded the carriage.

[—In the unlikely event that this carriage is attacked by someone. Please, do not interfere with your unspeakable, abhorrent magic… It would taint us.]

Yes, those words.

From here to the church headquarters…it’s unlikely that any foolhardy bandits would dare attack a church carriage. The real threat would be monsters. Yet, they mentioned “someone’s” attack.

—That’s a rather specific concern, isn’t it?

No way, he thought.

The moment that thought crossed his mind…

Thud—the carriage shook violently from a powerful impact.

Immediately after, the voices of the soldiers outside…and another group, presumably, erupted into a storm of angry shouts.

Combined with the carriage’s sudden stop, there was no doubt.

“Eh—”

“…Looks like we’ve been attacked by ‘someone’, as expected.”

Hermes, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion, calmly spoke to a shocked Lilliana.

There were many things to be concerned about, but regardless, if they were under attack, they couldn’t just sit back. Hermes and the others stood up to act…but then.

“Tch! Princess Lilliana and her entourage! You are forbidden from exiting!”

Perhaps sensing the commotion, the voice of the person in charge outside rang out.

“…Why is that?”

“We told you at the start! It’s absolutely unacceptable for you to wield your filthy magic before us, the holy knights of God! Know your place, you meddlesome fools! We alone are more than enough to defeat them! Do not even open the windows!!”

His voice was filled with desperation.

The intent behind it was clear—contempt for them…was strongly present. It was definitely not out of some noble thought like “we must not trouble those we are escorting.”

But more than that…there was a clear intention to keep Hermes and the others from exiting the carriage no matter what.

Additionally, the unnatural increase in soldiers.

All this information…led Hermes to form a hypothesis.

“—It seems. The church soldiers escorting us had a fairly high certainty that we would be attacked by ‘someone’ during this escort.”

He stated this…without holding back.

“And they really don’t want us…to find out who that ‘someone’ is.”

“…I see. So that’s why they said ‘do not even open the windows’.”

Jurgen nodded in understanding, and the others followed suit.

And if that was the case…what they needed to do was clear.

“Katia-sama.”

“It’s already activated.”

While the carriage could physically block their view, it had no magical defenses.

Unfortunately for them…they had a girl who could perceive the surroundings even without a direct line of sight.

Before Hermes could even finish speaking, Katia, understanding what he wanted, immediately activated her magic.

Soon after, a semi-transparent humanoid familiar slipped through the carriage wall.

After receiving its report and patting the ghost soldier’s head…

“It’s faster to see for yourself.”

She said with a serious expression.

“More importantly…the attackers seem to have the upper hand.”

“!”

Hearing that, there was no hesitation left.

They broke the carriage’s lock with minimal effort and burst out from the windows and entrance in three directions.

“Wha…! What are you doing!?”

“Sorry, but we can’t afford to let you all be wiped out before delivering us.”

Ignoring the person in charge’s shouts, Hermes scanned the area.

“…I see.”

“Tch, you damnable demons…!”

He no longer paid attention to the voice. There was something more important now.

It was the attire of the attackers—still engaged in battle.

“…We thought we were being escorted by church soldiers, under the church’s orders. But then, why are they…”

The question that arose was simple. Hermes voiced it.

“—Being attacked by other church soldiers?”

The attackers, who were quite numerous…wore the same church insignia on their armor as the soldiers escorting them. It was undeniably odd.

And so, it seemed…

“‘The church has some shady movements too’. …The Duke’s speculation is becoming increasingly credible.”

Just confirming this alone made the trip to the church headquarters worthwhile.

Deepening his conviction, Hermes turned to the still-shouting person in charge.

“R-right now, return immediately! Those people are not of the church! They are remnants of past evils, vile usurpers! More importantly, how dare you defy our orders to escort you—”

“We don’t care. More importantly.”

Cutting him off with words and pressure, Hermes continued.

“We also need you to deliver us safely. So…please, take your time and witness the ‘filthy power’ you spoke of.”

Even Hermes couldn’t remain silent after his magic, a source of pride inherited from his teacher, was so disparaged.

Moreover, demonstrating this magic aligned with the goal of reforming the nation. It might be inappropriate, but this was the perfect opportunity to silence them with a demonstration.

—They would experience the power of creation magic up close.

With that intent…Hermes, along with his reliable disciple and comrades, activated his magic to ensure their safety on the journey.