Chapter 114

Chapter 114
## Chapter 114

Many remembered the image of the great demon Noir, who roared with enough strength to raze the entire northern continent and reduce the world to ashes.

The “Dawn War,” one of the greatest disasters in the history of the Empire, was still remembered among the people, and those who commemorated that horrible devastation were scattered throughout the continent.

A gruesome calamity, where blood ran like rivers and corpses piled up like mountains.

The brave group that stopped that great catastrophe, known as the crisis of humanity, was still mentioned as a legend.

Melverot, Peria, Reveltone, Lusric.

And the six-star battle mage, Kalimford, who led them at the front.

The names of those five spread across the continent, becoming synonymous with the heroes of the previous generation.

However, those who were only drawn to heroic tales were unaware of the truth.

Behind their glorious deeds was hidden necromancy, an art that everyone considered an atrocious sin.

‘Reina. I need your help.’

It was during the height of the Dawn War. The place: a ruined warehouse in the Barony of Ankail, on the outskirts of the continent.

There, the great hero Kalimford, about to embark on his final expedition to capture Noir, was kneeling on one knee, staring intently at a young girl of innocent appearance.

The hero had an unkempt beard and a face showing the first signs of age. Behind him stood his old friend Melverot, his lover Peria, and his loyal companions Reveltone and Lusric.

The light entering through the open door of the warehouse bathed them like a sacred halo.

However, the interior of the warehouse, permeated with the smell of blood, was plunged into an ominous darkness.

In that dismal place, covered with vestiges of necromancy, the great hero spoke with a firm expression.

“To reach Noir, we need someone who can break his necromantic magic.”

The person Kalimford was addressing was a girl who had barely passed puberty.

Sitting in a corner of the warehouse, hugging her knees, the girl looked at him with bright eyes.

Her current name was Reina.

Before, she was Aileen, and before that, Seraphine.

She had also been Isabel, before Laies, then Poyna, Katlan, Amelia, Coilen, Magat, Victoria, Frederica, Aines, Cirque, Rushiel, Leti…

And later, she would carry the name Fina.

The girl observed the hero in silence for a moment, until finally the corners of her lips curved into a mischievous smile.

“Hehehe, hahaha.”

“…”

“The situation is quite curious. The last hero left to these imperial citizens, who tried so hard to capture and kill me, now comes to ask for my help. What irony!”

A girl who barely looked like a teenager suddenly spoke in an archaic dialect of the Great Plains.

It was not difficult to understand, but the mere fact that such antiquated language came from the mouth of a child provoked an inexplicable unease in those who heard it.

This girl was, by nature, a sinister being.

“I’m sorry, Kalimford, but I have no reason to help you. In fact, the most logical thing would be to hinder you. Why should I help you?”

“…”

“They say the magic level of the Great Demon Beast Noir of the North is astounding. Perhaps that creature can fulfill my wish. So the most sensible thing would be to kill you right here with my own hands.”

At those words, Kalimford’s companions tensed and instinctively reached for their weapons.

But Kalimford raised a hand to stop them. Still crouching, he stared at Reina and spoke calmly.

“Reina. The Great Demon Beast Noir cannot fulfill your wish.”

“Well, we don’t know that yet.”

“Do you regret having studied necromancy?”

Reina’s eyes trembled slightly upon hearing that phrase.

In silence, she continued to observe him until he spoke again in a low voice.

“The mark of reincarnation is a blessing that guarantees the transcendence of death, something all beings long for. But… it seems you have already understood it, too.”

“Shut up, Kalimford.”

“It is not a blessing. It is a curse.”

Reina grit her teeth. Her sunken eyes cast an even longer shadow.

The repetition of reincarnation. Even if you die again and again, you are reborn as a noble lady and continue your life. That magic grants “eternal life,” something everyone craves.

When you lost your youth—whether at twenty or thirty years old—you died for whatever reason, and life went on, always with the same youthful face. It was, in appearance, eternal youth.

However, as centuries passed in that endless cycle, you finally came to understand.

Once you touch necromancy, it is inevitable that you live with your hands stained with blood.

And after wandering countless times through that somber life, one ends up forgetting who they are.

Who am I? Am I Reina? No, that is only my current name.

Am I Isabel then? Or Laies? Poyna? Katlan? Amelia? Coilen? Magat? Victoria? Frederica?

When one traces back the origin of the origin again and again, one ends up forgetting, unable to give meaning to their existence. Their original self, what they were, what they lived… everything becomes dust buried in a distant past.

Sunken in that lack of meaning, you become a wandering ghost, unable to find a purpose.

Death, which comes to everyone equally, is denied to you.

Reaching the pinnacle of necromancy means exactly that.

The mark of reincarnation, once engraved on the soul, never disappears.

During the first two hundred years, you might consider it a blessing.

But in the end, you only desire one thing: to rest. And no matter how exhausted you are, the world never allows it.

Alone, under the curse of necromantic magic, living only among blood-stained shadows, she longed for one thing above all: rest.

“I can kill you. Not only your body, but also your soul.”

And then, before that wandering spirit, the legendary hero and six-star battle mage Kalimford spoke.

His body aged, but his eyes still shone.

Six-star battle magic: Soul Incineration.

Kalimford, who had reached six stars by contemplating the constellations from the Rotan Mountains, mastered the technique of erasing even existence itself. It was said that, with a few months of preparation, he could eliminate a six-star necromancer from the world.

It was his own domain, completely different from that of other six-star mages like Melverot, Kohella, or Drest. And, paradoxically, it seemed like a lifeline.

Kalimford, the legendary battle mage, could kill her.

That simple truth made the girl raise her head.

And the following year, Kalimford’s group managed to subdue the Great Demon Beast Noir that ravaged the North.

However, Kalimford could not keep his promise.

Because he died along with Noir.

***

Fwooosh.

On a gray and rainy day.

In front of the main entrance of Gremfort Palace, where Emperor Gratell resided.

A huge portrait of the legendary hero who had perished along with Noir was displayed on high.

During the funeral, countless citizens of the empire shed tears before that portrait.

His old friend, the frigid Melverot, also bowed his head. All the legendary hero’s companions remained in silence with somber countenances.

At the back of the crowd, a girl with her hood up stared silently at the portrait of the hero.

Finally, she turned around and grit her teeth.

“Damn it… bastard…”

As she slipped through the crowd and disappeared into the streets of the capital, a chilling aura still surrounded her.

Kalimford had not kept his promise.

And so, a persistent coldness settled in the girl’s eyes.

***

In reality, no matter how renowned Master Dereck was, and no matter how meticulous Aiselin was, the first training center they opened was destined to have problems.

Aiselin had imagined countless unforeseen situations, but even so, she believed that once the center began to operate, all sorts of problems would arise.

And she was fully prepared to face any problem that came up.

However, the Ravenclaw Training Center operated all too smoothly.

“……”

Ten days had passed since the center officially began its operations.

Aiselin was sitting in her private room inside the mansion Dereck had prepared for her, silently reviewing the class material.

She had already checked them several times, so there was no point in continuing to look at them.

Court etiquette, which had cost her so much effort to master when debuting in society; the basic manners necessary for banquet conversations; and elementary education for a lady were organized in a clear and easy-to-understand way.

There was nothing to worry about in Aiselin’s etiquette classes, and the same was true for the magic classes taught by Dereck.

The young noblewomen attending the center progressed by leaps and bounds, exclaiming that this was truly a land of knowledge, even though only a short time had passed since classes began.

The ladies receiving training seemed very satisfied, and although there was some minor friction, the newly hired maids were not causing major problems.

The externally contracted instructors were very individualistic, but they seemed to perform their duties with dedication, and there appeared to be no serious conflicts within the mansion.

Everything worked perfectly.

There was no inconvenience.

In other words, there was nothing to do.

“…”

“Miss Aiselin… do you have any concerns?”

When the head butler Delbriton approached and asked, Aiselin replied with an expressionless face.

“I am worried because I have no worries…”

“…”

Delbriton had come to know Aiselin quite well since the preparations for the training center began.

At first, he thought only Dereck, the master of Ravenclaw Mansion, was peculiar, but after observing closely, he realized that Aiselin was no less eccentric.

People obsessed with something tend to achieve success faster than others.

In any case, it meant they were not entirely sane.

“Now that I think about it… is Lord Dereck having any problems? I see him at meals, but we don’t talk much because he is always so busy…”

“The Baron is managing his schedule without major problems. Rather, he seems to be worried about you, Lady Aiselin.”

“R-really…?”

Aiselin swallowed hard while listening intently to Delbriton’s words.

Lately, she felt she only had work-related conversations with Dereck, but even so, she seemed to feel a subtle joy in knowing he cared about her well-being.

When Ellen visited her some time ago, she almost died of fright, but that was a thing of the past.

No matter how talented Ellen was, she could not surpass Aiselin, who saw Dereck face to face every day at the training center.

Furthermore, the fact that the stoic Baron Ravenclaw personally worried about her health gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.

Although Aiselin knew perfectly well that it was just a courtesy remark, she couldn’t help but feel a peculiar sense of superiority.

It was said that whoever falls in love first, loses.

Aiselin cleared her throat several times and then looked out the window, where the landscape was beginning to show signs of autumn.

Yes, it was already autumn.

Time seemed to fly like an arrow.

“…”

Suddenly, Aiselin felt a cold sweat run down her back.

“When was the last time I went back to my family’s house…?”

It was an idea that only arose after most of her tasks had been finished and her daily routine had stabilized.

No matter what could be said, Aiselin was still a disgraced noble carrying the fate of the decaying Duplain family.

“Are you referring to the salary? Now that you mention it, yes, we agreed to split it.”

“Talking about money like this is a bit uncomfortable… but, in any case, we must settle accounts.”

***

Breakfast the next day.

Dereck, sitting at a fairly large dining table, was eating simple vegetables, bread, and fruit.

Aiselin approached Dereck with the intention of talking seriously about the distribution of income.

For his part, Dereck was reviewing the day’s basic magic training schedule, in addition to planning supplementary classes for some young ladies whose recent progress had been slow.

Despite everything, once he took on a task, he completed it diligently, a characteristic that had not changed since his days as a mercenary.

One of the reasons Aiselin valued Dereck was precisely for his diligence.

“This quarter’s tuition fees have already been collected. I will give you half, Lady Aiselin. I will keep the other half.”

“What? You’ll give me half? That, that is too little…”

“Too little? If you want to negotiate, I won’t object. But let’s talk about it properly with a notary in the office.”

“No, it’s quite the opposite. You are giving me too much.”

Aiselin spoke with some hesitation.

Actually, Aiselin used to be quite firm on these matters, but for some reason, her voice always became weaker before Dereck.

Dereck looked at her in silence, then set his fork aside and pushed his plate away.

At that moment, the servants rushed to clear the remains of the meal.

“Miss Aiselin… I know…”

“Yes…?”

Dereck spoke while pressing his temples.

This Ravenclaw Training Center was established in Dereck’s name, built on his lands, and he was listed as the director.

However, Dereck only taught magic and did not actually serve as an administrator.

Instead, it was Aiselin who occupied the dean’s chair, handling all the administrative work alone. From the beginning, Aiselin laid the foundations of the center and was the one who solved all the scattered problems.

Now that the center had just opened its doors, many things were unstable, but, frankly, it seemed that even if Dereck were absent from the territory for a time, Aiselin could manage well on her own.

At that point, it was a bit strange for Dereck to monopolize all the center’s income.

“Besides… don’t you need money? You have to rebuild your family.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“The Duplain family will need to have many resources available immediately. If the center works well, the flow of money to the Duplains will also increase. So, in a way, working hard here is saving your family, don’t you think?”

Dereck’s words were true.

The amount of gold coins contributed by more than thirty noble ladies was enough to be considered a fortune.

If half of that could be delivered to the Duplain family, it would be enough to put out all the urgent fires for now.

It was a good thing and something to be grateful for, but Aiselin never imagined that Dereck would give in so easily.

Territorial nobles were usually stingy with this kind of distribution, so there would hardly be anyone like Dereck who voluntarily gave up such a large sum.

Aiselin’s eyes began to shine.

She silently watched Dereck, who was brushing his clothes at the end of the long table, and then spoke with a radiant face.

“Dereck…”

“Yes?”

“I am going to… bury my bones here…”

“There is no need to go to that extreme.”

In fact, even Dereck was starting to find Aiselin a bit terrifying lately.

After the fall of the Duplain family and after she accepted that she was a disgraced noble, she seemed to awaken in many ways.

Dereck also lived intensely, dividing his day into minutes, but even for him, it was difficult to keep up with Aiselin’s pace.

“By the way, when the first quarter ends this autumn, I plan to give reinforcement classes to some of the young ladies of the nobility.”

“Oh, yes. There were some whose performance lagged a bit. According to the center’s policy, we never leave anyone behind.”

“Lady Sidmer, Lady Rosfeld, and the lady of the Tigris family… I think I will give them separate lessons.”

“Really?”

Aiselin knew that Lady Sidmer and Lady Rosfeld were somewhat shy and lacked self-confidence, which slowed their progress.

But she hadn’t imagined that Lady Fina, of the Barony of Tigris, would also be among those receiving reinforcement classes.

Lately, Dereck has been paying a lot of attention to Lady Fina of the Tigris family.

He also did it out of a sense of duty, but Aiselin perceived something more subtle.

She herself was too busy fixing the problems she had caused, so she barely had private conversations with Dereck.

On the other hand, Dereck seemed especially attentive to Lady Fina of the Tigris family.

Even after classes ended, he would stay to give her countless tips or even go to the student residence to give her life lessons… Sometimes, they even went out together during the holidays, spending a lot of time together. (Of course, from Fina’s perspective, those were tests as painful as a punishment).

As if that weren’t enough, he even planned to give her private reinforcement lessons. (Of course, from Fina’s perspective, it was a torture comparable to death).

In short, Dereck was almost completely neglecting Aiselin.

“…”

What cruelty and heartlessness.

That thought crossed her mind briefly, but Aiselin immediately opened her eyes wide and regained her composure.

Cruel? What had Dereck done to deserve being called that? Dereck was simply fulfilling his duty.

Aiselin felt momentarily confused by her own thoughts and shook her head, bewildered.

Dereck, seeing Aiselin like that, looked at her with a strange expression, wondering if she felt uncomfortable. Considering Aiselin’s workload, it wouldn’t be strange if she was exhausted.

Upon receiving such a sincere show of concern, Aiselin blushed immediately and shook her head vigorously.

“I got distracted for a moment. I’m sorry. I’ll check the morning schedule right away.”

“You always work very hard.”

“Not as much as you, Lord Dereck. Anyway, thank you very much for the income distribution. I will do my best to represent the Duplain family.”

With that, Aiselin gripped the documents tightly and headed quickly into the hallway.

While fanning her reddened face with one hand, she was completely bewildered.

Aiselin, who was quite naive in these matters, could not understand what was happening to her.

The same had happened with Ellen and with Fina.

For the first time in her life, the emotion of jealousy was awakening in Aiselin.

«…Before this autumn ends, I will expel Fina. If I handle the justification well, Fina probably won’t have much to complain about.»

After Aiselin left the dining room, Dereck went over the supplementary class schedules he had organized once more.

Fina was enduring Dereck’s subtle tests better than he had expected.

Although Dereck behaved like a textbook authoritarian, Fina’s social skills, honed over the years, were much more skillful than he had anticipated.

‘…To think she would endure it so well.’

A necromancer is like a virus.

If left unchecked, they will surely infect the group and cause a catastrophe. The tragedy of the Duplain family was proof enough that, if not eradicated in time, great calamities would follow.

This level of acting was not yet enough. It was time to take more drastic measures.

Dereck was ready to act.

“When this quarter ends, I plan to give her additional reinforcement classes. Lady Tigris still has areas where her performance can improve, so we will do more classes together. During the sessions, I will teach her wise ways to face life’s adversities, how to respect her elders, and the truths and subtleties of existence.”

That same afternoon, after finishing his classes, Dereck called Fina and told her.

“…Oh, heavens! T-thank you… I really am sorry you have to dedicate your time to me…!”

Fina endured the stiffness of her expression with almost superhuman patience. Seeing her try so hard to maintain a smile, even Dereck couldn’t help but be impressed.

She was not an easy person at all. She was as tough as Dereck.

And when two people with strong characters meet, the situation tends to escalate to the extreme.