Chapter 102

Chapter 102
## Chapter 102
### “W-why did you break the window…?”

“Shh.”

*Thump, thump!*

Dereck shook off the water, healed the wound on his hand, and looked out the broken window again.

The rain was pouring down, and the growing darkness spreading outside the window covered the landscape like a curtain.

Luckily, it seems that no one saw Dereck climbing the exterior wall and breaking the window.

While slowly repairing the broken glass with transmutation magic, Dereck spoke.

Currently, Lady Ellen cannot meet with strangers or obtain information without the consent of high-ranking officials. If someone from the outside discovered that I entered the room without the servants and vassals knowing, things would become unnecessarily complicated.

“You snuck in? The number of servants in the Belmierd mansion easily exceeds a hundred, and with the soldiers stationed there, it is not a place that a single person can quickly control…”

“There was someone who helped me. Now is not the time to explain the details.”

When the window was perfectly repaired, Dereck began to bandage the blood dripping from his hand with a piece torn from the collar of his shirt.

“I didn’t plan on making such a fuss by breaking the window, but I had to enter somewhat violently, fearing that Lady Ellen might make a hasty decision due to the situation.”

“That…”

Dereck’s blood was on the dagger rolling on the floor. Ellen looked at her own disheveled appearance with a heavy heart.

What had she tried to do?

If she had done it, it would have been the most useless and foolish decision of her life.

However, Ellen’s fingertips were still trembling.

Just one step away, she found herself caught in the intrigues of the nobility, carrying the guilt of a crime she had not committed.

For someone who had already fought within the social circles of Ebelstein, it was not an ordeal she could not endure.

But more important than all that was the doubt about the values she had defended her entire life.

Whoever it is, to rule the masses, you must know this: Human beings are, by nature, treacherous beings.

Those who are subjugated by authority and power can turn their backs on you at any moment if you fall.

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Some criticized it as cruel, while others accepted it as part of human nature.

Ellen gathered strength in her trembling chin and slowly raised her head.

From her low position, looking at Dereck, he seemed tall.

His eyes, visible under the hood, did not seem to reflect much emotion.

His appearance was not much different from when he had passed by her with Leonard.

But why had she forgotten? Dereck had always been like this.

“…”

Dereck remained silent for a moment.

For Ellen, who had barely regained the course of her life before making an extreme decision, he could have recited lines from the third-rate romance novels that Denise liked so much.

*Your life is noble and valuable, so do not make foolish decisions.*

*I will be by your side, so cast away that fear.*

*Trust only in me and give me your heart, and I will surely heal your wounds.*

It was easy to imagine that process in which he comforted her with grandiose words, became her pillar, and rebuilt trust by taking her hand.

It is like pulling the arm of a girl trapped in a well.

However, Dereck did not do that.

Dereck was Ellen’s master.

Dereck did not believe in unilateral words of salvation that come from the heart.

To see a girl who sought power, who believed in righteous values, and who forged her own path in life, and then offer her a unilateral hand of salvation, he thought, was to respect neither her life nor her ideals.

That is what it means to teach someone.

He who unilaterally pulls the arm of someone stuck in the mud is not a teacher.

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A true teacher is one who rolls up their sleeves, gets to work, and teaches how to get out of the mud by oneself.

That is why Dereck did not lift Ellen up, but instead knelt beside her and looked into her eyes.

Ellen, who was sitting on the floor, raised her head and looked into his eyes.

Her appearance was haggard. Her tangled hair clung to her cheeks, and her dull eyes were like those of a living corpse.

“You have understood loneliness.”

In an empty room, the experience of seeing how those you believed would follow you and believe in you for life turned against you one by one left a void and an open wound in the heart.

Those who aspire to rule the masses must experience it at least once—the sooner the better.

Ellen was also in that process.

Even those who reigned over the world from on high had lived through it at least once.

But there was no one to tell her.

Then Dereck whispered in a low voice, without needing many words.

“You have grown again.”

Upon hearing that, Ellen’s eyes widened.

Seeing the blood dripping from Dereck’s fingertips, she finally felt as if cold water had been poured over her.

Whoever aspires to be the next director of Belmierd must always live with dignity, like a single flower.

However, mental fortitude is a resource that is consumed.

Sometimes, one must set everything aside and prepare a place where the mind can rest.

Only now, feeling a great doubt about the purpose of life and as if she had hit rock bottom, could she understand the importance of that.

“Dereck.”

She squeezed her nose hard and held back the tears that were about to spring forth.

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Ellen stood up on her own, without Dereck’s help.

Then, after raising her chin again, she lifted her eyes—still haggard, but now with a spark of recovered life.

“I made a fool of myself. I’m sorry, Dereck.”

“It’s okay. Anyone would feel mentally cornered in a situation like this.”

“Hahaha… Such a slander can be refuted by gathering evidence and responding with logic. For a moment I was about to make a mistake thinking it was difficult, but it was only an illusion. As the heir of Belmierd, who has reigned for so long, I will not let myself be influenced by such a small obstacle, so…”

Ellen, who once again spoke fluently, demonstrated her strong character.

But when she saw the young man in front of her, observing her in silence without refuting or nodding, she was left speechless.

“Then…”

Her voice faded as she looked around.

A blood-stained dagger, an overturned table, a carpet soaked with rainwater. It was a total mess.

Her reflection in the mirror was so haggard that she barely recognized herself at first glance.

And the same was true of her reflection in Dereck’s eyes.

Ellen hesitated and finally, with a trembling chin, spoke.

“So I was having a hard time.”

“…”

“Dereck, I understand what you meant. Although I have had much authority and power at this age, my essence was not that strong. But even so, Dereck…”

Finally, Ellen embraced Dereck’s chest and spoke with a trembling voice.

“I am very glad that you are still on my side.”

After an emotional storm, people quickly regain their composure and calm.

When Dereck finished cleaning, Ellen was sitting quietly on the corner of the bed, her head turned toward the wall.

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Seeing her fiddling with her fingertips and avoiding his gaze, it seemed that, as her anger subsided, she felt embarrassed.

“Lady Ellen.”

“Yes! No, I mean, yes…”

Her voice rose suddenly, and Ellen hurried to lower it again.

The calm that follows an emotional shake-up, as if one had become a sage.

However, that calm did not dispel the embarrassment.

“Oh, I should warn you in advance to avoid misunderstandings, but it would be problematic if you thought I was the type of woman who easily embraces a man. I just got a little carried away and did something I wouldn’t normally do. Imagine it as if I had been drunk on strong liquor.”

“Understood. I will consider Lady Ellen as someone who clings to a man when she is drunk.”

“…Why do you say it like that?”

*Have you calmed down?*

As expected, Dereck made Ellen turn her head.

Ellen trembled and hesitated suddenly, and then she realized that even that reaction had been provoked by Dereck.

‘Although I possess much more secular power and maintain strict etiquette, when I speak with this man, I feel as if he drags me along with him.’

For Ellen, who had been designated as the next director of Belmierd since she was young, it was a new experience.

If one is above, one is above, and if one is below, one is below; it was the first time she felt that someone inferior to her controlled her, and yet, that did not hurt her pride or infuriate her.

Dereck was a peculiar man who seemed neither inferior nor superior.

‘I see. I think I understand why Lady Aiselin fell in love with him. Noble ladies are often weak before men like this.’

Then, she put two fingers to her forehead and muttered to herself.

‘A womanizer.’

In reality, Dereck was not thinking any of that.

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It was just that Ellen gave it meaning by herself.

However, Ellen was not just anyone, so her perception was not entirely wrong.

Noble ladies had such a subtle temperament that they often found no attraction in men who were excessively polite, kind, and compliant.

Rather, they tended to feel an ardent love for men who did not move completely according to their will, but who still seemed to be within their reach; it was truly paradoxical.

‘Suddenly, thinking like this gives me the chills. To consider that someone who manipulates others effortlessly, while I have all of Belmierd in the palm of my hand, makes me falter in this way… it is a heavy blow to my pride, isn’t it?’

Ellen put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath.

‘For Lady Aiselin’s love, I must never lose my composure.’

“Lady Ellen.”

“Huh?!”

However, as soon as Dereck suddenly approached and called her name, Ellen broke into a cold sweat and backed away.

She leaned against the wall and spoke with wide eyes.

“Don’t approach so suddenly. I have just recovered from a state of physical and mental weakness, and even a slight stimulus can scare me.”

“I’m sorry. I was inconsiderate.”

“No, no… strictly speaking, it’s not your fault… no, it’s I who should apologize.”

Ellen shook her head and fanned her face with her hand.

After tidying the papers on the table, Dereck spoke in a slightly faster tone.

“Staying here too long only increases the risk of the guards discovering me, so I will quickly deliver the necessary information and then leave.”

“Leave? Are you going to leave me here alone?”

“Well, it’s not like I can stay here forever…”

“No, I was just asking. It’s natural.”

Ellen looked up and sat on the bed.

Alone, the darkness of that private room seemed to weigh on her shoulders, but she did not want to show such weakness before Dereck.

As already mentioned, she was in a state of physical and mental weakness. In such a situation, saying strange things would only bring her trouble later.

“I am pretending to cooperate with the young master Leonard while I question him. Do you remember when Lady Trisha visited Baron Ravenclaw?”

“Lady Trisha? Yes… she asked us to investigate the necromancers who escaped from Rodentz Island.”

“Necromancy is not something that common mages can easily access, and its nature is difficult to comprehend. But having encountered it in the Duplain family, I can understand it.”

Dereck, with his arms crossed, quickly reviewed the information.

“The necromancy laboratory in the basement is very different from the necromancy I witnessed during the Duplain family disaster. It seems very likely that it is related to the necromancy of Rodentz Island. Of course, it is not a story with solid evidence.”

“So Leonard wasn’t on a pilgrimage all this time…”

“For some reason, he ran into necromancy and studied it on Rodentz Island.”

Pine, the six-star necromancer, is a person who has written numerous books on necromancy.

The necromancers of Rodentz Island gathered to study the books written by Pine, worshipped her somewhere on the continent, and searched for her writings scattered throughout it.

Leonard also joined them and remained active until the island was subdued by the family of Viscount Renouel, after which he had no choice but to return to the family of Count Belmierd.

Upon returning, he discovered that Linus had resigned from the position of heir and that Ellen had taken his place.

From Leonard’s perspective, having been displaced by Linus, he must have thought he was more fit to be the head of the family than Ellen.

“…But the connection between the necromancy of Rodentz Island and Leonard is only speculation. Without proof, how can we refute Leonard’s slanders?”

“There is no need to counter it. We can return it with even greater slanders.”

“What…?”

Why fight on the battlefield created by the opponent? Let’s redefine the game so that we are the masters.

Dereck unfolded a letter and showed it.

It was a message written directly by Aiselin, of the Duplain family.

*The late Prince Valerian of the Duplain family made a grave mistake under the influence of vile necromantic magic, but it was not of his own will; he was dominated by the control of that magic. This brought great misfortune to our family, and the outcome was disastrous, but he never actively investigated necromantic magic.*

*— To distort these facts is a great disrespect toward our Duplain family. We deeply regret the passing of Prince Valerian and will not tolerate unnecessary slanders against him.*

It was a letter that directly refuted the claim that Ellen had spoken with Valerian about necromantic research.

Of course, no one would want to proudly admit that someone in their family investigated necromancy. These negative words from the Duplains could be just a formal expression.

However, it would be one of the many elements that would prove Ellen’s innocence.

“…Sending such an aggressive letter to Belmierd must have been a difficult decision for Lady Aiselin…”

“Lady Aiselin firmly believes in your innocence.”

“…And this letter from Viscount Renouel?”

“It is a letter announcing that the great hero of Viscount Renouel, Lord Rodeia, will soon visit the Belmierd family.”

Hearing those words, Ellen’s eyes widened.

The Viscountess was a hero who had conquered the island of Rodentz and was recognized as someone who would soon receive the title of Margrave, which would greatly increase her authority.

She despised necromantic magic and was a person who spared no effort to hunt down and kill all vestiges of Rodentz Island.

Dereck had contacted Trisha with the intention of bringing the Viscount, who was practically the nemesis of necromancers, to Belmierd.

“Are you really going to escalate this matter so much? And if Leonard has nothing to do with Rodentz Island? Will you be able to face the consequences?”

“I can handle it.”

“How?”

“Because this letter is a lie made up by me.”

Hearing those words, Ellen’s jaw dropped.

“When the opponent argues with lies and pressures us with fabricated evidence, why should we fight fairly?”

“…”

“Viscountess Rodeia of the Renouel family is practically a grim reaper for the necromancers of Rodentz Island. Just by mentioning her name, we will gain an advantage.”

If Rodeia, who had killed more necromancers than anyone else, visited and inspected the place, she could detect the magical energy remaining in the vestiges of the necromancy of Rodentz Island.

For most experts it would be a difficult task, but for a master like Rodeia, it was different. No one in the world knew the necromantic magic of Rodentz Island better than she did.

If that happened, Ellen’s innocence would be proven.

Ellen had spent her entire life in Ebelstein and with the Belmierd family, and had never been near Rodentz Island.

“Dereck. Leonard is an expert at forging documents and creating situations. This letter may seem good at first, but Leonard could quickly realize that it is a crude and clumsy forgery.”

“That is what I hope for.”

Seeing Dereck’s smile as he said that, Ellen could no longer reply. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Dereck was setting a trap for her.

“Staying here any longer will only increase the risk of being discovered, so I’ll leave through the window now.”

“Already?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, no… I mean, it’s a relief that it’s already stopped raining.”

After receiving Dereck’s plan, Ellen looked at him with a complex and subtle gaze as he tied a rope to the window frame.

It was the first time she had expressed her deepest resentment to someone, especially someone of the opposite sex, so she found it difficult to easily correct that uncomfortable and hesitant attitude.

However, she couldn’t continue like this, so Ellen shook her head vigorously and said.

“The exterior wall will be slippery, be careful not to fall.”

“Don’t worry.”

*Whoooosh!*

When the window was opened, the wind from the sky rushed into the room.

Feeling the cold night air, she suddenly realized. That man had burst in like the wind, parrying Ellen’s dagger, and now he was about to leave again like the wind.

Well, they would meet again tomorrow morning when the plan was set in motion.

But why did that brief farewell make the empty darkness seeping in from behind feel a bit heavier?

“Tomorrow, Count Belmierd will come to hear everything in person. That is the moment we will act.”

“Don’t worry. I can convey my opinion clearly to my father.”

“Yes, I trust it will be so. Then, rest well for the rest of the night…”

Before descending the rope, Dereck looked Ellen in the eyes and reassured her firmly.

“Don’t forget that I am on your side, Lady Ellen.”

Confirmation of the facts.

That was all, but Ellen suddenly felt as if a knife had been driven into her chest.

As always, she only had to nod indifferently and say “Yes.” But… it was strange that her heart felt so full with just those words.

When Ellen nodded, the man moved quickly into the darkness of the night. Soon he landed on the ground and blended into the shadows.

After confirming it, she untied the rope, closed the window, and returned to the empty darkness.

Lying on the bed, she looked silently toward the ceiling.

“Don’t forget that I am on your side, Lady Ellen.”

The words he had left as a gift before leaving seemed to ring in her ears.

“Don’t forget that I am on your side, Lady Ellen.”

“Don’t forget that I am on your side, Lady Ellen.”

Was it because of those words that echoed like a chorus?

When she suddenly regained consciousness, she no longer felt the empty darkness of the room, but instead, a strange sense of fullness welled up inside her.

Ellen thought calmly and rationally.

‘This is definitely dangerous.’