Chapter 105

Chapter 105
## Chapter 105

“I already heard about Sir Rodeia’s legendary exploits on Rodentz Island during the last meeting. I was told she wielded the Holy Blood Sword and annihilated dozens of necromancers in a massive underground hideout in a single day.”

In front of Ellen, who had just finished her explanation, the expression of Count Belmierd—sitting at his desk with his arms crossed—turned even more serious.

“They say that every time she returned to the detachment covered in the blood of necromancers, she looked like a reaper resurrected from the underworld. She had dedicated her life to hunting the necromancers of Rodentz Island, and it was said she could recognize the specific necromancy of the island just by its faint magical aura.”

Within necromancy, there were various branches, but at least regarding the necromancers of Rodentz, they could never escape her sharp gaze.

Count Belmierd closed his eyes gently.

If Leonard had truly left under the pretext of a pilgrimage to study necromancy, that also represented a tremendous disgrace to the House of Belmierd.

The situation had reached a point where daughter and son were pointing fingers at each other, shouting that the other was a necromancer.

For Count Belmierd, who had to mediate between the two, his thoughts were inevitably complex, but in the end, he had to make a decision.

Even if they were of his own blood, he had to cut ties with them when necessary.

That day, he had to choose between his daughter or his son. The weight of that truth oppressed the Count’s heart.

“Father.”

Ellen, who was enduring the hostility of the mansion’s servants and vassals, spoke to the Count, who lowered his gaze burdened by responsibility.

—
**Discover more**
*Fantasy books*
*Coin shop*
*Translator recruitment*
—

“Father, since your youth you have lived as a lord, leading armies, governing heaven and earth, and guiding the people.”

“…”

“I admired your life. I thought an existence dedicated to power, to victories, and to the respect of others was noble and wonderful. The most glorious and ideal life I could imagine was one like yours.”

Were those words flattery intended to win over the Count? No, they were not.

Count Belmierd knew Ellen better than anyone. No matter how cornered she was, she was not the type to resort to cheap flattery to gain favor.

“However, the life I imagined for you must have been very different from reality. You must have faced many trials and setbacks while maintaining the peak of Belmierd. At times you were betrayed, you lost companions whom you considered family, you failed in your objectives, things were snatched from you, you were slandered, and you fell due to the envy of others.”

She spoke in a low voice while playing with the hem of her dress.

In that hell where everyone in the mansion called her a witch, she seemed to realize something new.

The dreaming girl who had blindly pursued the power she admired had matured, and now she reflected on the ups and downs of life and her journey through it.

The Count’s eyes trembled as he looked at Ellen.

The girl he believed was locked in her room, going through a hard time, had met someone, expanded her vision of the world, learned something, and matured because of it.

That is how one should teach another.

Ellen whispered with a calmer expression.

“That is also part of life.”

And before continuing, she gently closed her eyes.

Even at that moment, the world was full of people traveling their own path on this roller coaster that is life.

And as if she had made a decision, she slowly opened her eyes and spoke.

“Father, I am not asking you to trust me immediately. But I wanted to tell you at least this, for all the tireless effort you have made for me.”

Leonard’s cry echoed in the basement.

A white-haired mercenary summoned a magic arrow to subdue Leonard.

Leonard quickly pulled a small vial from his chest and smashed it against the floor. With a crash, the vial shattered and smoke began to fill the narrow underground laboratory.

Dereck covered his nose with his sleeve and summoned wind magic to recover his sight.

When he regained his vision, the corpses that Leonard had resurrected through necromancy moved grotesquely and lunged at Dereck.

“I am a naive daughter with many shortcomings, so I still have much to learn. The only fortunate thing is that I met someone I can call a true master, something that will never happen again in my life.”

Dereck’s unsheathed sword quickly cut through the horde of corpses.

However, Leonard took advantage of the momentary restriction in Dereck’s movements to unleash a shockwave of first-level combat magic, kick down the wooden door, and escape to the surface.

Dereck quickly neutralized the corpses and pursued him without hesitation. Leonard cursed as he looked back and saw Dereck coming up the stairs.

A murderous look crossed his eyes. Even in the darkness, his hostility was evident.

—
**Discover more**
*Language learning tools*
*Romance novels*
*Fantasy books*
—

A single glance was enough to chill the blood, for it was evident he had become a hunter.

The only thing the prey could do before a predator was run with all its might.

“I am not of noble birth nor perfectly just in everything, but… your life was noble, your conviction firm, and if you had a fixed objective, you never wavered.”

Leonard barely managed to escape the basement and rolled across the floor of Ellen’s room.

The darkness faded and his vision cleared. While he caught his breath in the sunlit room, Dereck also came out of the basement stairs.

Leonard tried to flee the room quickly, but Dereck grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him into a corner.

With a dull thud, Leonard rolled on the floor and groaned in pain.

Dereck, sword in hand, approached him, while Leonard trembled and raised his voice.

“Alright. I lost. You won. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just don’t hand me over to that woman, Rodeia, who looks like a reaper. If you help me escape this mansion right now, I’ll do anything. I’ll give you money, I’ll restore Ellen’s honor.”

He tried to convince Dereck with a long speech, but Dereck paid him no mind and kicked him in the face.

With a dull sound, something flew out of Leonard’s mouth along with fresh blood. When he looked at the object rolling on the floor, he saw it was a white molar.

“I think a good master is someone who goes ahead. There will be moments of confusion in life, many moments when life seems like a maze… but seeing someone walk with a firm step helps you find your own path more quickly.”

Leonard, clutching his swollen face, begged for his life, but Dereck responded.

“Didn’t I tell you from the beginning? I can’t kill you now. But I can leave you on the brink of death.”

Leonard, with a trembling voice, said:

“You can hit me all you want, you can leave me in tatters, but please, do not hand me over to Rodeia.”

The necromancers who had witnessed that woman’s deeds on Rodentz Island thought the same.

The woman who had lost her parents at the hands of necromancers had skinned and disemboweled those profaners in Rodentz, carrying out a great vengeance.

Those who witnessed the massacre up close knew very well what it meant to fall into her hands. Perhaps it was better to die beaten by Dereck.

However, Dereck said,

—
**Discover more**
*History*
*Action and adventure novels*
*E-book publishing*
—

“I have no intention of killing you, Leonard.”

Leonard saw Dereck’s indifferent face and gnashed his teeth, trying to push him away by force.

While Dereck hesitated for an instant, Leonard broke the window with his entire body and jumped outside.

*Crash!*

The sound of breaking glass in one of the rooms of the main building spread, even reaching the office where Count Belmierd and Ellen were conversing in private.

“…?”

“The person who serves as my guide on my path through life is someone I fully trust and whom I follow as a mentor.”

Something strange was happening in the mansion.

However, Ellen continued speaking with a serene expression and closed her eyes gently.

“As I said, I met an admirable and excellent mentor. Although I strayed a bit from the path, I learned to find my way. Knowing who the authentic people are when you are at your lowest, that is what really matters.”

“…”

“Father. I am not sure if this is the right time to say this… but please, do not be too surprised.”

*Bang! Boom!*

Noises echoed from the mansion’s central garden.

It was the sound of Leonard trying to escape and Dereck pursuing him.

While Ellen spoke calmly with Count Belmierd, the chase between the two had already reached its peak.

Leonard fell to the ground and ran back toward the main hall.

Dereck was also pursuing him.

The servants in charge of managing the mansion were shocked and paralyzed upon seeing the scene.

Leonard shouted,

“What are you doing?! Stop that intruder! He is attacking me and trying to frame me!”

Despite his cries, the cleaning staff only trembled, unable to comprehend the situation.

Leonard moved through the hallway with unsteady steps. After receiving several blows from Dereck, his vision clouded and became blurry.

Even so, he bit his bloody lips hard and kept running down the hall, kicking furniture and knocking over bookshelves. He tried to slow the pursuit with desperate movements, but Dereck’s magic destroyed every obstacle.

He could not physically overcome a veteran mercenary. Nor could he beat him with magic.

In the end, if Leonard wanted to face him, he had to resort to cunning and luck. Without resorting to forbidden necromancy, Leonard could not even touch Dereck.

Dereck’s hand, approaching step by step, reached Leonard’s back.

Leonard grit his teeth and pushed that hand away, rolling on the floor and unleashing his necromantic power once more.

Numerous vengeful spirits gathered around his body, taking shape, and when he clenched his fist, they transformed into magic.

The spell he cast against Dereck was “Life Drain.” Among the forbidden spells, it was one of the vilest, as it directly drained the opponent’s vitality.

—
**Discover more**
*Short story writing courses*
*Novel subscription service*
*Character products*
—

However, before the magic could fully manifest, Dereck grabbed him by the neck and began to hit his face over and over.

*Thump, thump!*

The sound echoed through the entire hallway.

His face contorted horribly, unable even to emit a groan. Blood splattered Dereck’s face, but his expression remained impassive.

Dereck was recognized as a skilled mage.

However, he used almost no real magic against Leonard.

Responding to an opponent’s magic with magic only made sense when both were at similar levels.

Leonard’s magical abilities were no match for Dereck.

He didn’t even need to use magic to subdue him.

But Leonard did not give up. While reciting another necromantic incantation, a skeletal hand emerged around Dereck’s feet and made him stumble.

Dereck quickly regained his balance, but Leonard broke free from his grip and ran down the hall again. Staggering, he managed to get a little further away.

He could escape.

Dereck was a very skilled mercenary, but it was not impossible to get rid of him.

If he managed to block his path using necromantic magic, in which he felt more confident, and managed to leave the mansion, he could survive.

Once his safety was guaranteed, the time for revenge would come.

The House of Belmierd would reprimand and excommunicate him, but as long as he kept his body alive, he would always find an opportunity to kill that ignorant mercenary.

With that thought, he clung to the thin thread of hope and ran back toward the garden.

Running through the garden bordered by labyrinthine hedges, he pushed the gardeners aside and made his way through them.

*Boom!*

Dereck entered with large strides, knocking down all the hedges in the garden, and found him.

—
**Discover more**
*Translation software*
*Adventure games*
*Online bookstore*
*E-books*
*Discord server access*
*Coin packs*
*Anime and manga*
*Comic subscriptions*
*Gaming-related content*
*Discord community access*
—

Leonard, once again, surrounded himself with spirits and used basic necromancy to hinder Dereck’s movements.

Seeing that Dereck was slowing down more and more, a smile formed on his face.

Evidently, Dereck was having trouble due to his interference.

Allowing the escape from the basement had been his mistake from the beginning.

In this mansion, Leonard had played since he was a child. He knew all the escape routes and secret passages by heart.

If he made good use of the environment and necromancy, getting rid of that slow mercenary would be no big deal.

Before the servants or soldiers arrived, he had to quickly escape the mansion.

If he took a horse from the stables and galloped away, he could reach the plains before a real pursuit began.

It was then that he looked back to calculate the distance separating him from Dereck.

*Thud!*

The ambient magic fluctuated, and his movements became so fast they were impossible to follow with the eyes.

It was a 3-star magic transformation: “Acceleration.”

Dereck, with his natural talent for magic, had been able to completely replicate the acceleration spell that Siern had used, just by seeing it a couple of times.

Leonard could not know this. When Dereck decided to move quickly, it was impossible to follow his movements.

Before he realized it, he was lifted by the neck and held by Dereck’s arm.

Leonard clawed at the hand squeezing his throat, choking with a sound.

But Dereck didn’t care.

In the middle of the garden, where the hedges had been torn down and the ground lay in ruins, Dereck held Leonard by the neck and spoke.

“Do you wish to continue?”

As he said that, Dereck’s serene gaze fell on Leonard.

“Gu… ugh… gu…”

It was then that Leonard realized.

From the beginning, in the basement, Dereck had not lost him. He had let him escape.

If he had used his acceleration capability from the start, there would have been no such pursuit.

But he gave Leonard the hope that he could escape, made him believe he could overcome him if he tried his hardest, and forced him to fight desperately to break free.

Why had he taken so much trouble?

The reason was evident.

“It’s necromancy…! Young Master Leonard used necromancy…!”

“Call the Count…! And the head butler…!”

“Aaaah! Aaaah!”

While chaos broke out in the mansion, Leonard bit his bloody lip hard.

He had the feeling that everything was unfolding according to Dereck’s plan.

“There is a lot of noise outside the mansion, father.”

Ellen spoke in a low voice.

While the Count and Ellen held a private conversation, what was happening outside?

Although Ellen could not know the details, she spoke with her usual calmness.

She laughed softly, ran a hand through her beautiful red hair, and smiled seductively.

Even at that moment, when she was the object of everyone’s hatred and contempt, she remained as serene as if nothing were happening.

Seeing her, Count Belmierd spoke.

“Yes, Ellen. So, what do you want to say for the last time?”

“…Please do not misunderstand me, father. As I told you, I, Ellen, was born as an ordinary person with many deficiencies, I dreamed of power, I encountered an invincible rival and felt frustrated, I hit rock bottom and lost all confidence and faith.”

Ellen’s soft tone seemed to hide a deeper meaning.

Hearing his daughter’s confession, Count Belmierd felt that something didn’t fit.

“Even so, I believe all those processes made sense. Because I met a good person.”

“…”

“Yes. In every trial, the one who supported me in the end was Baron Ravenclaw. What else can I say? I have come to believe without a doubt that he is truly trustworthy, deserving of faith, and that he will be a great ally for a lifetime if I keep him by my side.”

Count Belmierd nodded and finally responded.

“I agree that he is a good man. Many people would wish to have him as a mentor, but that lone wolf would never swear loyalty to another.”

“Yes, father. But I am not saying that I want that man as my mentor.”

“…Then, what do you mean?”

Faced with the new question, Ellen remained silent.

When their gazes met for an instant, she lowered her eyes uncomfortably.

Her strangely flushed face and her interlaced fingers made her look more like an ordinary girl than a noble lady.

The difference was unsettling.

What image came to mind when you thought of Ellen?

At the height of her power, commanding her vassals, giving off an aura so noble it was intimidating to approach her… She was like a rose blooming on a cliff.

But now, who was this unmistakable girl in front of him?

Seeing her like this… the bewildered Count Belmierd’s expression began to harden little by little.

Soon, drops of cold sweat began to run down his neck.