Chapter 126

Chapter 126
## Chapter 126

The Duchy of Beltus is located in the innermost region of the continent’s southwest, bordering the Roben Mountains to the north, the County of Belmierd to the southwest, and the Delros Plain to the east. Its main cities are Ropellen, a commercial center; Stonecrown, a city of transformation magic in the northwest; and Heln, a religious city situated on the outskirts of the Lorm River.

“The exact location of the Beltus mansion?”

“It is located in the Abiton Hills, in the center of the duchy. It is surrounded by dense forests that form a natural defensive line, and the estate is vast and heavily guarded, making access difficult.”

Dereck listened to the report from the butler, Delbritton, while walking down the hallway of the Baron of Ravenclaw’s mansion.

Behind him, with light steps, went Pheline, humming a melody, and also Aiselin, who watched him with worried eyes.

Delbritton, with his head held high, maintained his dignity as head butler while he spoke.

“I have visited the Beltus mansion before.”

“Really?”

“When I was a young assistant, I went several times to deliver letters or receive carriages.”

Butler Delbritton had extensive experience thanks to his work in the Duchy of Rochester. It was not uncommon for him to visit various noble mansions on official business.

While cleaning his gold-rimmed glasses, Delbritton kept pace with Dereck’s quick steps.

“With the five-story main building at the center, the eastern tower houses a seven-story magic research institute, and the western spire is occupied by the military headquarters. The southern part of the estate is an entire garden, so extensive that it is difficult to distinguish whether it is a garden or a forest.”

What is the shape of the Grand Duke’s mansion?

Dereck had also stayed at the Duplain mansion during its golden age.

In a mansion of that size, it would not be strange to have the feeling that an entire forest stretched within its grounds.

“Baron.”

Suddenly, Butler Delbritton called Dereck in an even deeper voice.

Dereck looked at him with an indifferent expression.

“What is it?”

“Are you considering… military action?”

“…”

To an outside observer, it would have sounded absurd.

The territory of the Grand Duchy of Beltus spanned three major cities, and if towns and villages were included, the number easily exceeded twenty.

It was not something a small barony like Ravenclaw, which barely had a few hundred inhabitants, could compete with.

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However, Delbritton asked Dereck seriously.

To Delbritton, Dereck was a man capable of challenging even a colossal duchy if he set his mind to it.

“Of course. Although the barony’s private soldiers are modest, I plan to gather forces from here and there. Nobles usually unite when there is a cause.”

“…”

“The structure of the Beltus ducal mansion does not seem much different from the ducal mansions of Rochester or Duplain. While it is larger, the structures of noble mansions share many similar characteristics when observed closely.”

Dereck entered the reception hall and spread a parchment over the table.

On the blank parchment, he drew a rectangle with a pen and quickly sketched symbols representing the structures within.

Central building. Eastern magic tower. Western military command. Southern garden. Northern training ground.

Although it was still necessary to gather detailed information about the internal structure and defense system, it was not difficult to sketch the general layout.

“The eastern magic tower is likely guarded by the eldest son, Robenalt. Since it is the facility that manages all the protective magic of the mansion, the most important person will be there.”

“I met Prince Robenalt at a social gathering.”

Aiselin, who had entered the reception hall, remembered.

“His appearance was striking and his manners elegant, which made many young noble ladies prefer him, but he had a strange tendency toward self-criticism and a somewhat sinister aura, which made him unattractive.”

“And his magical ability?”

“It is excellent for his age, but honestly, it cannot be compared to you, Lord Dereck.”

Although his name was famous as the heir to the Beltus family, it was said that his qualities as a ruler were far inferior to those of Denise.

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Even so, Grand Duke Beltus seemed reluctant to dismiss him as heir.

Probably because he was much more useful as a puppet than Denise.

Dereck organized his thoughts and then turned his gaze toward the western spire.

The center of the military garrison. The mercenary group led by retired General Orel was stationed there.

Although the number of Grand Duke Beltus’s private soldiers was modest, he had installed Orel’s group of mercenaries within his territory.

The maintenance cost was astronomical, but the mercenaries were said to be worth every penny.

Pheline followed Dereck closely and whispered in a low voice.

“Yes. It is exactly Orel’s Mercenary Corps, led by One-Eyed Orel. Although capturing nobles is fun, the idea of seeing the most famous man in the mercenary world makes me smile.”

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

“Uncle Jayden would be delighted to hear this news after so long.”

When Dereck looked at her with narrowed eyes, Pheline cleared her throat and straightened up.

With Aiselin and Delbritton right there, it would not be wise to show hostility toward the nobles.

Pheline seemed to understand the meaning of his look, because she began to hum again, pretending indifference.

“Grand Duke Beltus should be in his office, at the top of the central building. When the operation begins, to bring him down, we will have to deactivate the protective magic of the eastern tower and subdue the Orel Mercenary Corps in the western garrison.”

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“Considering the size of that mansion, we will need a lot of outside help.”

“Don’t worry, Delbritton. We plan to obtain help from Count Belmierd and the Beldern Mercenary Corps for the western tower, and resolve the problem of the eastern tower’s protective magic with Viscount Renwell—or rather, Count Renwell.”

To subdue the Duke’s mansion in one stroke, it was necessary to form an allied force.

And Dereck had already mapped out the entire picture. From the moment Beltus showed hostility toward him, his counterattack plan had already begun.

In that savage world where enemies lurked everywhere, one never knew when a predator would appear to bite your neck.

Therefore, you must bite first to avoid being bitten.

Leap and cut the enemy’s breath before being attacked, and strike the back of the neck before they strike yours.

That was the law of survival for those who had managed to fight their way up from the bottom.

“We are almost ready.”

***

A carrier pigeon flew to the window frame of Count Belmierd’s estate.

A red-haired girl reached out her slender hand and took the letter from the bird perched there.

Although she overflowed with worldly ambition, she had fallen head over heels for a man. This was Ellen, the most prestigious young noblewoman and the favorite daughter of Belmierd.

***

Tavern alley of Ebelstein.

In an old tavern frequented by drunks, *Tears of Beldern*.

The one-armed mercenary, with a kind face and a loud laugh, looked like a friendly waiter.

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But even having lost an arm, he was a legendary mercenary who had survived the Dawn War.

And when he received a request for help from a mercenary he loved like a son, he showed his yellowish teeth and smiled.

***

Under the protection of Emperor Guttrel, Countess Rodelia had finally received the rank and title of Frontier Countess.

The old woman who wielded the holy sword and lived to decapitate necromancers.

She too was sitting in a corner of her white mansion, reading the letter Dereck had sent her.

The clue was related to necromancy; seeing it, she frowned and her expression became somber.

Trisha, who was watching her mother, was so frightened by that expression that the cup in her hand trembled.

***

On the roof of the Ravenclaw Mansion.

Sitting there, silently watching the waning moon sink into the western sky, Fina sketched a slight smile.

Humming a melody while hugging her knees, she eventually exuded a sinister aura, lifting the corners of her lips as if she found it amusing.

If they managed to capture Beltus, Dereck would reach a level of progress incomparable to what he had now, both as a mage and as a noble.

For Fina, Dereck’s existence was a kind of “insurance.” If the advanced necromancy she was researching did not yield the expected results, she planned to use Dereck to embark on the path to the peace she so longed for.

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Before that plan began, she couldn’t help but want to see the arrogant Beltus fall.

It was always entertaining to witness the fall of the defeated.

***

The mansion of Duke Duplain, where repairs were almost finished.

Leigh, who was beginning to seriously fulfill the role of acting head, and Diella, who was gathering the remaining forces of Duplain.

While they worried about Aiselin, who had gone out to earn money, both hardened their expressions upon seeing the letter sent from the Ravenclaw Mansion.

Faced with Dereck’s declaration to attack Beltus, Aiselin seemed to be in tacit agreement. While Aiselin had always been kind and gentle, she did not seem opposed to Dereck’s will.

Attack Beltus.

Aiselin would understand better than anyone what that meant.

Furthermore, Dereck’s letters, in which he detailed his plans, were circulating secretly throughout the continent.

The content of the letters, sent only to those Dereck fully trusted, suggested that there might be a connection between the Beltus family and necromancy.

Some knew it was simply a pretext to attack Beltus, while others sincerely believed what Dereck claimed.

However, the conclusion among all those who received the letters was unanimous.

They believed there must be a reason why the always cautious Dereck had made such a belligerent decision.

***

“…A great commotion will occur in the power structure of the continent’s southwest.”

“Eh? What do you mean, Master?”

And in the social capital of the eastern continent: the mansion of Count Elvester.

Katia Flameheart, who was teaching magic to Countess Freya, read with a serious expression the content of the letter sent by her dear disciple, Dereck.

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Using any pretext, he punished those who opposed him and annihilated them without mercy.

It was the conduct of a lord protecting his territory and his power, and there was no room for doubt about his actions.

Dereck, Katia’s disciple, had finally become a noble.

“…”

In Katia’s memories, Dereck had been a beggar from the slums, stuffing himself with hard rye bread in a corner of an alley next to a tavern.

Seeing him now, leading his territory and his army to punish his enemies, she realized that, from the beginning, he had always been different.

Katia gently closed her eyes, then opened them again and silently contemplated the sky in the direction of Ebelstein, at the southwestern tip of the continent.

The next time she saw Dereck, he would surely have grown so much that she might not even recognize him.

While it was a cause for celebration to see a disciple advance at full speed on the path to success, watching a child leave the cradle and spread his wings produced a peculiar sense of loneliness.

***

Knock, knock.

Finally, after completely concluding the analysis of the internal structure of the Beltus family mansion, Dereck organized the letters in his office.

As he gathered the documents and tapped them gently to align them, it seemed that not a trace of hesitation remained in him.

Delbritton, who was assisting him, swallowed hard.

Even he, who had been through countless trials and tribulations, had to fight the lump forming in his throat at that moment.

The origin of the letters he holds.

The territory of Count Belmierd, the territory of Duke Duplain, the territory of Duke Rochester, the Beldern Mercenary Corps, the property of Count Renouel, the property of Count Elvester, the property of Baron Tigris, and the noble district of Ebelstein.

That a rural frontier baron would become the central point of such a gathering was something so unreal that one might think Emperor Guttrel himself had summoned them by imperial decree.

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The reason such formidable figures were able to send their responses so quickly was because that man’s way of life had been authentic.

Winning the trust of all these people was no easy task.

Each of them was a hero who ruled his own mountain.

Even so, the white-haired mercenary turned rural baron, whom he served as his lord, showed no concern about being at the center of such a storm.

His only concern was the presence of a certain young lady who remained in the territory of Duke Beltus, faithfully serving as a piece on the board until the end.

Even so, he had no choice but to respect her decision. That was also her life.

Therefore, Dereck simply pushed back his chair and stood up, murmuring:

“Let’s go.”

With his head slightly tilted and his gaze raised, Dereck’s expression was solemn.

He was already prepared to become a high-ranking noble.

***

Bang!

The Beltus mansion.

Denise was pushed into the guest room located in the center of the main building.

The servants treated her with courtesy, but in reality, it was almost like imprisonment.

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The room, clean and elegant, had all the windows covered with curtains, and not a single ray of light entered.

The room, which at first glance seemed grand and luxurious, had a separate slot under the door where meals could be slid through.

Denise swallowed hard upon noticing the existence of that slot. Despite all its refinement, the room was no different from a prison.

“W-what is this?”

“It is by order of His Grace, the Grand Duke.”

Denise had deliberately hidden secrets about the weaknesses of the Ravenclaw Barony.

That meant she had chosen loyalty to Dereck over loyalty to the Beltus family.

Denise had dedicated her entire life to Beltus, and although she could sometimes be lazy, she would never betray them.

The Duke of Beltus knew Denise’s nature very well; that was why he had used her as a pawn without hesitation.

But now, Denise was about to show her fangs to the Duke of Beltus.

The Duke sensed it by animal instinct before anyone else.

Denise, with her sharp mind and quickness, could perform any trick at any moment.

A sharp blade is an excellent weapon, but if not handled correctly, it can end up wounding the one who wields it.

The Duke of Beltus was not the type of man who would leave a sword that could stab him uncontrolled. Denise knew this better than anyone.

“The Duke will come down personally shortly. Until then, you must wait in this room. His Grace has ordered that all your belongings be checked, so you must also change your clothes.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. All the luggage brought from the baron’s residence must be sent to the lobby. I will return in the afternoon, so please organize your belongings.”

With that dry tone, the butler conveyed the Duke’s orders, made a deep bow, and left the room.

Bang.

“…”

She was alone in the room.

Only emptiness and silence remained.

Denise took a few steps back and collapsed onto the table with a discouraged expression. The ruffled edge of her dress fell over the furniture.

What had happened to those who had rebelled against Beltus?

The vassals? The servants? The distant relatives?

She didn’t know.

They simply disappeared one day. That was all.

Suddenly, she remembered the Duke’s face looking at her with cold eyes, devoid of his usual warm smile.

That ruthless look made her feel like a discarded object.

“……”

At a certain moment, Denise realized her chest was trembling.

Then she thought, finally admitting her true feelings.

“Uf… Uf…”

She was afraid.

Even in that sordid political stage full of intrigue and manipulation, she had always been a naive girl who spent her time reading romance novels.

Only now, in this situation, did she truly understand what fear was.

But unlike most girls her age, she did not cry or ask for forgiveness.

She simply furrowed her brow tightly, suppressed her emotions, and bit her lower lip.

Decisions carry responsibility.

Even if it had been a momentary impulse, she had chosen to side with Dereck.

If she had made that decision, the responsibility should naturally fall on her.

But because it was a decision made by Denise and not as Lady Beltus, she did not want to regret it.

That was why she had to suppress and swallow the fear rising in her chest.

That was Denise’s way of showing respect to Dereck.

“Uf… Hoo… Huff…”

At that moment, while Denise held her breath…

*Rattle…*

“Eh…?”

The personal luggage that had arrived along with Denise.

From the crack, a strange magic began to emanate.