Chapter 110

Chapter 110
## Chapter 110

“These are the three books of necromancy recovered from the Belmierd family. I hear that the sacrificial sorcerers of Rodentz Island revered them as sacred scriptures.”

“Good work, Rubric.”

In the central part of the Gremfort Palace, where Emperor Gattrel resided, the three books of necromancy were placed in the personal study of the Chief Magic Advisor.

“Indeed, if magic power is not properly incinerated, it will become a major problem in the future.”

The position of Chief Magic Advisor, the highest academic authority among the royal mages, had been held by Kohella Deinalt Elvester, a 6-star transformation mage, even before Emperor Gattrel’s ascension to the throne.

It was said that the elderly mage had reached the pinnacle of transformation magic and mastered various forms of sorcery. Because of this, she was the first to examine magic artifacts that were difficult to handle.

In her vast magic study, the largest in the entire sprawling Gremfort Palace, various magic weapons were lined up.

Each of them far exceeded the value of a mansion, and some were out of reach even for the wealthiest nobles.

Transformation mages excelled in the creation of magic equipment and weapons.

Among them, the meticulously crafted weapons of Kohella, a 6-star transformation mage, held astronomical value.

In a world where magic was the symbol of power, she occupied the top of the magical hierarchy.

—

The elderly mage sat alone in a corner of her study, flipping through the book known as the necromancy tome of Rodentz Island.

Although its content was monotonous, the magic energy it emitted was undeniably extraordinary.

It was not the first time she had encountered research books on necromancers scattered across the continent. However, the grimoires circulating near Rodentz Island were of a different quality than those written by amateurs.

The creator’s name was listed as ‘Sinia,’ but it was obvious that this was a pseudonym.

Kohella had desperately tried to locate this creator, but over the years, not a single clue had been found.

Not even Drest, a 6-star search mage, had been able to completely evade Kohella’s tracking.

It wasn’t simply a matter of hiding well; the degree of concealment was such that it seemed impossible to find that person. Sometimes, she even wondered if they truly existed.

Even so, as the years passed, by following the clues in the research books of the necromancer known as Sinia, Kohella was able to partially interpret her intentions.

She exerted influence over necromancers scattered throughout the continent, including Rodentz Island, and what she was researching was the resurrection of corpses.

«If it were simply a matter of making a corpse move, it wouldn’t be difficult with the current level of necromancy. But a necromancer of that caliber wouldn’t be studying something so simple.»

What Sinia was researching was the power to fully utilize a corpse, making it manifest the same abilities it had in life.

That was also possible, to a certain extent, with the current level of necromancy. However, if the corpse’s abilities exceeded a certain threshold, it could not deploy its full power with the magic energy of an ordinary necromancer.

The necromancer using the pseudonym Sinia was researching a forbidden art that would allow her to revive any corpse at its maximum power, collecting all kinds of research books and practical data.

So, who exactly did she plan to revive?

Upon reviewing her research books, they were filled with references to the traces of the great demon ‘Noir,’ who had devastated the north.

In that case, it was not difficult to reach a conclusion.

«There was a great mage who died trying to subdue the great demon Noir in the north.»

It was said that Kalimford, the 6-star combat mage, was capable of summoning meteors and reshaping the map.

Among the 6-star mages, about whom it was joked that none were in their right mind, he was one of the few considered wise and kind.

He had already faded into the annals of history, resting in his grave.

Does she plan to revive Kalimford?

The mere existence of a 6-star necromancer was an omen of great disaster, and if she managed to revive a 6-star combat mage to use as a puppet, who knew what kind of calamity would occur.

Kohella took a deep breath and immersed herself in thought.

It was still joked that there was no 6-star mage who was sane.

Regrettably, Kohella herself, to whom the joke referred, agreed.

In the research room of the Chief Magic Advisor, in the Gremfort Palace of the central continent, shadows flickered as the candle on the desk wavered.

The elderly mage, absorbed in reading grimoires among splendid artifacts, was Kohella, a 6-star transformation mage.

***

In the north, in the Duchy of Rochester, snow fell softly.

In an office, with her chin resting on one hand and her legs crossed, silently contemplating the snowy landscape, was Melverot, a 6-star combat mage.

In the eastern plains, a warm wind swept across the land.

The edge of a tattered robe fluttered. Upon climbing a serene hill, a figure suddenly turned to contemplate the open landscape: Drest, a 6-star search mage.

And in the southeast of the continent, in the Barony of Tigris, where vast barley fields and mountain ranges stretched out.

Under the bright blue sky, a young woman shielded her eyes from the blinding sun with her hand. She was sitting on a large rock.

In one arm, she carried a basket full of flowers she had gathered early on the hillside.

With her other hand, she tried to block the sunlight, but soon blinked, dazzled by its intensity.

“Leonard must have been captured as well. It was inevitable.”

She murmured softly as she brushed hair away from her forehead.

The tips of her hair, which fell in soft waves, seemed to wrap around her waist.

Its color was primarily silver-gray, but under the sun, it took on a mysterious hue between violet and blue. Her eyes also reflected a mixture of blue and purple, a color that would captivate anyone.

“That’s enough! Stop picking flowers and come down! Dad has something important to tell you!”

From the foot of the hill, the voice of Baroness Tigris called her. As a rural noble of little power, the Baroness, with her sleeves rolled up, also radiated the strong impression of a hardworking woman.

When called, the young woman responded with a sweet smile and lightly descended the path.

The azaleas she had picked on the mountain were fragrant.

Their scent remained wherever she passed.

***

*To my esteemed teacher Katia,*

*Autumn is already here. It seems I have decided to inform you of my situation once per season, but with such a busy life, even this seems quite frequent.*

*Being busy is a good thing, so I should feel encouraged. However, if you ask me if everything is going well, I cannot say yes.*

*It is not good to start a letter with gloomy words, so first I will share the good news.*

*The construction of the Ravenclaw Training Center has finished, and it seems that soon we will be able to properly receive the ladies of the nobility at the manor.*

*The scale of the project is larger than expected, so we will be quite busy.*

*Of course, we have hired assistant instructors and renowned magic professors at a high cost, but many come for my name, so I cannot simply ignore them.*

*I have been playing the role of a teacher for quite some time, something that was not in my destiny, and when I realized it, I already had many students and felt that I had strayed quite far from the life path I had planned.*

*All I wanted was to become a high-level mage. However, teaching others is like teaching myself, so it also helps me in my magic training.*

*By the time I realized it, Lady Aiselin had already expanded the work, and now we have six administrative employees and nine teaching staff.*

*For tea ceremony, ancient continental languages, and string instruments, Lady Aiselin seems to have hired external instructors, as she found it difficult to teach those subjects herself. For magic, we hired some commoner teachers who seem capable of teaching the fundamentals, so I feel relieved.*

*The situation is somewhat overwhelming, but considering the income I am about to receive, I am also quite satisfied. High-ranking nobles seem to open their wallets with ease.*

*After the grand opening in four days, it seems there will be quite a few people here. This period can be considered my last rest.*

*That was the good news, and now I must tell you the bad. Lately, Lady Ellen has been behaving very awkwardly with me.*

*I wondered if perhaps she liked me too, but I did not dare to check, for fear of appearing like a patient with delusions.*

*She is a lady of the Belmierd family, who can choose any promising young man from a good family. She would not be impressed by a simple baron, so I reflected on whether I had been impolite.*

*After careful reflection, I realize that during the uproar at the Belmierd manor, I committed several acts of discourtesy in my own way.*

*The urgency of the situation made me forget to show the respect due to the authority of the Belmierd family, and I thought that from now on I must strictly adhere to hierarchical etiquette.*

*Even if I have forged a master-disciple bond with Lady Ellen, I cannot ignore secular authority… From now on, I must not mistakenly think that we are close or informal, but maintain a strict hierarchy and respond with formality.*

*Noble culture is, indeed, something difficult to understand.*

*I must always remain alert and reflect deeply on myself.*

*And I have personal concerns regarding my magical achievements. In fact, this is the biggest problem.*

*I feel like I am about to master 3-star level magic, but I have no idea how to take the step toward the 4-star level.*

*Of course, my teacher would say that being at level 3 at my age is already an incredible achievement and that I should be humble, but from my point of view, I always want to go further, and that worries me.*

*If you know someone who can teach 4-star magic, could you write me a letter of recommendation?*

*The high-level mages I know personally are not the type to teach others, so it is a rather complicated situation. If you know someone who can help me, I would appreciate it if you could introduce them to me.*

*This letter has grown longer than expected.*

*I am not a very talkative person, but when I write to Professor Katia, my pen seems to never stop.*

*Is everything going well with Count Elvester?*

*If the opportunity arises, I look forward to the day we can meet.*

*From the Baron of Ravenclaw,*
*Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.*

“…”

Dereck reflected on whether there was anything else to add as he set the pen aside.

*Creak.*

“Ah, Dereck. Are you busy?”

“No. I was just writing a personal letter.”

“A personal letter…? It’s the first time I’ve seen you so concentrated on writing something.”

Dereck nodded in greeting, and Aiselin waved her hand to indicate she didn’t mind.

In any case, Aiselin was redefining her identity as a disgraced noble and was, in fact, residing in the Barony of Ravenclaw.

Considering the value of the work she performed, the word “residing” was not entirely appropriate.

“I was writing a letter to my teacher in the eastern continent. When I write to Professor Katia, the content always ends up being longer than expected.”

“I see. She must be someone very valuable to you.”

“That’s right. I received a lot of help in my moments of weakness.”

Dereck said as he carefully folded the letter he had finished.

Since his urgent return from the Belmierd manor, there truly were many things to attend to and he was very busy.

It was understandable that Aiselin had called him so urgently. Of course, her haste was not just due to the accumulation of work at the manor, but from Dereck’s perspective, it was not something of great importance.

“In fact, the list of young people who will attend the upcoming inauguration ceremony is already finalized. Since you’ve been busy and haven’t had the chance to review it, I organized it so you could see it in advance.”

“That sort of document could be managed by the administrative staff or the servants…”

“Aren’t they people I must teach directly? I must start memorizing their names immediately! Ahem!”

That said, she rolled up her sleeves again and breathed hard, looking truly energetic.

As he watched her in silence, Dereck felt a strange pressure to gather energy as well.

He accepted the list and began to review the names.

“Viscount Rointel, Viscount Sidmer, Count Pluder, Baron Caldeorn, Baron Lodtek, Viscount Bleton…”

“…The list seems a bit imposing, doesn’t it? But they are all kind-hearted people…”

“Do you know them?”

“Half of them I’ve seen at social gatherings, and the other half I’ve heard of at some point. Of course, I don’t know all the young ladies from small, distant families…”

In any case, Dereck also had to memorize those names.

While reviewing the list of various families…

A familiar surname caught his eye.

“…!”

Dereck’s eyes widened slightly and he held his breath.

He didn’t make much noise or show great surprise. However, it was rare for him to have such a strong reaction.

He was a person who maintained his composure even in the midst of the collapse of the Duplain manor.

Seeing such a reaction from Dereck was not easy, so even Aiselin was startled, trembling with surprise.

“Dereck?”

Aiselin called him, but got no answer.

Dereck leaned back in his chair, rested his chin in the palm of his hand, and sank into deep thought.

Could there really be something in this world that disturbed this man, whose coldness was unrivaled?

Even Aiselin, bewildered, had no choice but to wait for Dereck’s response.

He had to look again at the list Aiselin had brought to make sure he hadn’t imagined it.

— **Baron Tigris**

The name of that family on the list was familiar to him.

The Tigris family was a typical rural family from the border. Which meant they were insignificant.

The territory was extensive, but mostly barren, and what remained were wheat fields. There were no major cities or towns in the baron’s domain, so he was considered more of a village head than a feudal lord.

The head of the family, Leopold Oswin Tigris, was nothing more than an old soldier who had risen by luck… a former quartermaster.

It was a family that represented the archetype of the lower nobility. Anyone would wonder why such a family would cause surprise.

However, the important thing was not the name of the head of the family.

‘Fina Raffaella Tigris, Baroness.’

Dereck ran his fingers over his lips and sank into deep reflection.