Genius 23

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Chapter 23. The Engaged Girl

In this manner, Hermes and Katia continued their activities. Sometimes they repelled monsters that troubled other nobles as before. 

Other times they ventured into difficult dungeons, returning with several useful magical tools, although not quite ancient magical artifacts.

Naturally, among them were some even with a bit of Bloodline Magic were still beyond their level. 

But Katia, under Hermes' guidance, grew stronger with each passing day in her mastery of magic. Hermes took charge of all supportive roles besides firepower, flawlessly protecting Katia in battle. 

Thanks to him, they often acted alone, as even the need for knight escorts diminished, allowing them to be more versatile.

Moreover, unlike other nobles, they didn't adopt a needlessly oppressive attitude towards those they rescued. That earned them favorable impressions among the people.

Gradually, the duo, young and beautiful, the daughter of a duke and her talented servant became well-known among the common folk. 

That, in turn, led some nobles to reassess Katia, which meant questioning the judgment of Prince Aster.

At first, they performed so well that no one could complain, gradually diminishing his influence. Their purpose was progressing smoothly.

◆

One day, amidst his recent busy schedule, Hermes found himself with a rare day dedicated entirely to rest. He had been asked by the chef of the Toraquia family to go to the town below the castle for some shopping.

As he finished his purchases and began to head back, he caught sight of a scene in an alleyway.

(Children from the town... and a woman?)

It was likely a commoner child, wearing simple clothing, and a figure with a hood, possibly a young woman judging from her voice. From their conversation, it seemed the boy had gotten injured, and the woman was comforting him.

Then, as Hermes recognized the chant, a familiar azure light leaked from the woman's hood. It was undoubtedly the incantation he had heard before.

"'Angel's hands guide the skies, Crowns of flowers under human protection, Deep love fills the earth'"

"!?"

"Bloodline Magic... [Ars Paulina]."

With the clearly recognizable chant, azure light leaked from the hooded woman. It got absorbed into the boy's knee, and his scrapes seemed to melt away.

"It... doesn't hurt! Amazing! Are you a magician, miss?"

"Yes, something like that. But using magic without permission can get me in trouble. So, please keep it a secret that your sister helped you with her magic, okay?"

Her voice carried a mischievous tone. Plus, seeing her through the hood, the boy blushed.

"Uh, okay! Thank you!"

With a big thank you, he darted out of the alley, passing Hermes.

After watching him go with a smile, the woman stood up and walked towards Hermes.

And then, their eyes met.

"Huh...? Oh, you're!!"

She also widened her eyes as she looked at him.

Under the hood, her face got revealed: light blond hair, deep blue eyes, and a gentle beauty that retained a hint of youth.

Sara von Hartmann.

Prince Aster's new fiancée. In other words, Hermes had accidentally encountered someone from the opposing faction.

"Katia-sama's... attendant!"

As soon as she recognized Hermes, Sara's expression turned panicked and frightened. 

She attempted to turn and flee, but they were in a dead-end alley. The only way out was onto the main street, and Hermes was blocking that route.

After realizing this, her expression turned to despair.

"P-please... forgive me..."

She kneeled, bowing her head as if pleading.

"I-I am... His Highness Aster's fiancée. But I have virtually no substantive influence, merely a decoration. So..."

"No, wait a moment."

It was a bit bothersome to deal with various emotions alone.

"I have no intention of doing anything to you right now."

"Huh?"

Sara looked up, puzzled.

He could roughly guess what she was thinking. She might believe he intended to capture her here and use her as a bargaining chip with Aster.

Given their recent exploits, she would have heard of them and probably guessed their intentions.

But...

"Even if I were to capture you, I doubt His Highness would act. And we intend to make him acknowledge his mistakes our way. Moreover."

Even if, she was undoubtedly complicit in belittling Katia at that party.

She might have even made some rude comments herself. But there was a reason why he didn't do anything.

"...Katia-sama was concerned for your well-being."

"!"

"Even if you were to admit that Katia-sama bullied you, still... I don't know much about you, but I understand your situation. So, I have no intention of blaming you here."

He stated firmly, looking directly at Sara to show he meant what he said.

She listened to Hermes' words, initially in shock, but eventually...

"..."

Tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Huh?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

And they kept flowing.

As she wiped away her tears, she spoke in a broken voice.

"I said such awful things... I thought for sure you'd hate me. But, for worrying about me. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"..."

As expected, there were circumstances. Well, they weren't so complicated.

She just couldn't defy Aster. Watching her cry, Hermes became convinced of that.

For now, he guided her to a secluded spot.

He couldn't leave a crying woman alone. But more importantly, he wanted to know.

Why she ended up like this? How Katia, who didn't like talking much about herself, and this girl who used to attend the same school, interacted, and what happened there.

Most likely, Aster was involved.

Not just impressions from the party, but their past actions and conversations with many people, to reconsider their position towards them.

Making one-sided judgments based on one-sided information would lead them to do the same thing as Aster and his faction, currently hostile to them.

Moreover, having a multi-faceted perspective was crucial not only in magic analysis but also as his master had told him.

In that sense, meeting Sara here was fortunate.

While thinking, Hermes began to organize his questions for her.