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 98.2. Tides

Hermes muttered, panting.

“…This is bad.”

Hermes initially planned to stall Katia, the greatest threat.

This purpose has been met until now──

──but the cost was far beyond his imagination.

His body was already covered in countless wounds, all from her ghost soldiers’ charges and magical cannons.

He couldn’t fend off their relentless attacks from all directions, and his magic wasn’t effective against her soldiers’ abnormal durability.

Even when he tried to attack her directly, she was always surrounded by her ghost soldiers, leaving no openings.

…He expected a tough fight, probably a loss.

But──he never thought he would be this helpless.

(Should I be happy or lament?)

As someone who knew and taught her when she struggled with her magic, he felt deeply moved──but wished she could showcase it elsewhere.

Katia approached him and spoke.

“Sorry, Herm. I’ve hurt you a lot.”

Her voice sounded apologetic, yet──her expression had a faint smile.

“But it’s strange. Seeing you so strong, always ignoring me, and focused on other things… It makes me feel a bit better. I even think it’s okay to hurt you a little more.”

(…Yeah)

A definitely bad switch was fully turned on.

It was probably temporary due to the excitement of the match… But still scary.

Hermes thought he might need to rethink how to interact with her in the future. She raised her hand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll heal you properly after the match. I’ll take care of you, the whole time, myself.”

At the same time, the ghost soldiers surrounded him. He felt their anger directed at him.

This was really bad.

Hermes was already beyond his limits. He could barely fend off the attacks──almost impossible.

But he couldn’t think of an effective way. As the ghost soldiers charged from all directions──just before.

A silver flash zipped past his side.

“──!!”

Katia widened her eyes and used a ghost soldier as a shield. Immediately, a sword strike hit──

Nina, the girl who launched the attack, spoke to Katia, her golden eyes defiant.

“Hey Katia-sama. No matter if he’s your master, don’t hurt our Herm any further──”

“Our Herm? Quite amusing, intruder.”

“──Oh, this is bad.”

Nina, sensing trouble from Katia’s response, quickly shut her mouth and jumped back.

Standing protectively in front of him, Hermes spoke.

“…Nina-sama. You being here──”

However, on the verge of collapse, he couldn’t hold himself up and fell──

──into a warm, soft embrace.

“…Good job, Hermes-san.”

With a light hug that showed heartfelt respect for his efforts, the blonde girl, Sara, healed Hermes with blue light.

Able to move again, he looked up and saw──a few Class B students approaching from the rear.

No one was chasing them. Only a Class B student was left guarding the crystal.

──The result was clear.

As if to confirm it, Albert, the leading Class B student, spoke.

“──We won, Hermes. Any complaints?”

Calm yet proud, his words left no doubt.

Hermes’s response was clear.

“…None at all. Well done.”

Separating from Sara, Hermes turned to the Class B students again.

“Thank you for winning. …But don’t let your guard down.”

He warned and turned to face the opposite side──where Class A’s last and greatest opponent was.

Hermes made three miscalculations.

One, Class A students were dumber than he thought. They reached the initial chaotic battle with almost no risk.

Two, Class B fought better than expected. Not a single one fell even when Katia joined, and they defeated all Class A students, which was a pleasant surprise.

But the last and greatest. A miscalculation that pleased Hermes but was troublesome for the match.

“Katia-sama was far stronger than I imagined. I thought I could hold her off better.”

“I think you did enough, holding her until we won…”

Albert, exasperated, muttered, but Hermes analyzed it was because she was fixated on him.

Nonetheless, he spoke again.

“The match isn’t over yet. …I don’t think we’ll lose with this number difference, but it’s Katia-sama. Stay vigilant.”

Seeing the Class B students nod, he turned to the remaining eight of them.

“…Too bad. Our time alone is over.”

Understanding the situation, Katia sighed.

Then she lifted her face with a smile.

“But I don’t plan to lose──rather, I want to win. Right, my former classmates who got so close to Herm behind my back?”

“…Yeah, maybe Herm is at fault here too.”

Sensing the situation, Nina muttered with a bit of exasperation.

“Katia-sama, as you can see, is quite devoted and gets like that. It’s probably temporary, but take care of her after the match, okay?”

“…Yes, I’ll reflect.”

With no objections, Hermes nodded solemnly.

Recalling what the duke said before the match, he refocused on the match.

“Then, Nina-sama and I will attack. Everyone else, attack with bloodline magic from the periphery, and Sara-sama, handle overall command and support.”

Instantly understanding their roles, they prepared for the final battle.

To secure their victory──they plunged into the last fight.