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 151.1. Countermeasure

The final barrier standing in their way was a silver-haired man with a deep connection, Laplace.

Sensing his combat readiness through his magic, Hermes lowered his stance and stepped forward—but stopped short.

“Laplace… that person…!”

“Lily-sama?”

Lilliana moved a step ahead of Hermes with a grim expression, glaring directly at Laplace and shouting out.

“What did you do to my brother!?”

Her beautiful emerald eyes shone with fury and hostility as she continued.

“You did something to my brother, didn’t you? Otherwise, there’s no way he would do something like this…!”

Lilliana knew what kind of person Laplace was and that he had wormed his way into the confidence of First Prince Herc.

Her reaction and question were natural. Laplace, seeing her fierce accusation, opened his eyes slightly—

“Nothing?”

But even so, he twisted his lips into a cruel smile and replied.

“At most, I simply informed him.”

“Informed him of what—”

“Of how truly dire this country’s situation is. I showed him both what is visible and what isn’t—how close the kingdom is to ruin if left unattended. That’s all, as a loyal patriot, you see.”

With deliberate mockery, Laplace’s words ended, a smile that cut deep growing on his face.

“Then, that oh-so-responsible prince acted right away, exactly as I predicted. And this is where it brought us. Did you understand, Princess Recluse?”

“No way… Father… so easily…”

Even though she’d feared it, hearing it confirmed left Lilliana stunned. She wandered in shock before an idea hit her.

“No, the royal palace can’t be taken down so easily! Father personally chose the finest magic corps in this kingdom for this very situation—”

“Oh, you mean the King’s personal mage corps?”

Laplace’s cruel gaze crushed even that faint hope.

“I already wiped them out myself just a moment ago.”

“—”

“That’s why I was a bit late getting here. Otherwise, I’d have come straight for the biggest threat, wouldn’t I?”

“…No…”

“To be honest, I was surprised too. The best mages of this kingdom? Ha! That’s a joke. If they’re the best defense this country can muster, it deserves to be a historical footnote—though it won’t even have that.”

Lilliana staggered backward in shock, and Laplace, seeming satisfied with her reaction, spoke again.

“Now then, Princess. We’ve chatted long enough… it’s time for you to exit.”

He kicked off the ground, his magic swelling, preparing to attack.

Hermes stood in front of the dazed Lilliana, whispering something to her. She snapped out of her stupor, and Hermes pushed her back before facing Laplace head-on.

“You really are a tough one, Hermes. But can you protect the princess and fight me?”

“Try me. I’ve got a personal score to settle with you, too.”

With those words, their clash resumed.

It was a battle between opponents who already knew parts of each other’s abilities.

Thus, the fight unfolded as expected—with Hermes on the defensive.

“—”

“I know your weak points.”

Laplace’s Bloodline Magic, [Goetia]. Its full mechanics were unclear, but certain things were evident. The black walls surrounding Hermes spelled doom if touched.

Thus, he focused on narrowly evading them—because he had no other option.

Hermes had a weakness. If he was pressured relentlessly without a chance to chant, counterattacks were difficult. Even with general enhancement magic, his options were limited against someone with Laplace’s power and skill.

In short, Hermes was forced into a desperate defense—

—but.

“…”

“Persistent, aren’t you?”

Still, Hermes kept his composure, dodging every strike with precise, flawless movements, sometimes aiming for counter-attacks. This was made possible by his unparalleled skill—

“Hey.”

Finally, Laplace voiced his suspicion. Hermes offered no answer, deepening Laplace’s doubts.

(What’s going on? He isn’t protecting the princess at all?)

Indeed.

Throughout the fight, Hermes showed no sign of worrying about Lilliana, focusing solely on Laplace. It let him hold his own against such a formidable opponent—but it was madness to ignore what he was supposed to protect.

(If that’s the case…)

Laplace decided to exploit this. While he wanted to win on merit, he couldn’t afford personal feelings against such a foe.

Turning his focus, he aimed magic at Lilliana, surrounding her with black walls—

—but failed.

“What—”

For the first time, Laplace’s expression changed.

His magic missed Lilliana by a decisive margin.

It wasn’t a mistake on his part, nor Hermes’s doing. The answer became clear when he noticed the green disk in Lilliana’s hand—identical to Hermes’s.

“What… how…?”

Cold sweat dripped from Laplace.

“She’s not just some useless princess? What is going on…!?”

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