Chapter 133

Chapter 133
## Chapter 133
‘Maybe I should tie my hair up every once in a while.’

A young girl walking through the middle of a forest, where the sounds of insects resonated, naturally brushed her hair back.

After living for so many years following a similar pattern, it was only natural to think about trying small deviations.

She liked how her abundant hair covered her body, giving her the appearance of a somewhat fragile girl, but showing a more vivacious side from time to time was also part of a person’s varied charm.

The girl emerging from the forest with such trivial thoughts was a 6-star Great Mage whose name would not be strange to see engraved in history.

Fina Raffaella Tigris, daughter of a baron, was leaving the Beltus estate discreetly, without anyone noticing.

The sun had already set. For her, who could hide among the shadows, leaving the place without being seen was as easy as breathing.

She turned and silently contemplated the mansion standing on the hill.

In the middle of the burning grounds, numerous soldiers ran toward their own objectives.

What rose toward the sky were spirits materialized by necromancy. The chaos and confusion emanating from that cursed mansion were so satisfying that, for this girl made of pure evil, they constituted a spectacle more exciting than any other.

“Melverot and Drest will not stay still.”

The 6-star mages who despised chaos would likely disapprove of Fina’s actions.

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However, Fina was a person who would use any method to achieve her purpose.

“Even if Melverot doesn’t understand, Drest will. After all, times change.”

As she walked through the forest, a damp wind blew.

The forest breeze, tinged with the scent of grass, remained unchanged despite the passage of time, but people always changed.

The young heir of Duplain, Leigh, was regaining consciousness and standing up.

He would overcome all regrets for what he had lost and, with the help of Aiselin and Diella, would try to rebuild the prestige of his family.

The next heir of Belmierd, Ellen, already had a reputation that reached the heights.

She would become a symbol of power, exercise enormous influence over the southwest of the continent, and even attempt to absorb the social circles of Ebelstein.

The next heir of Beltus, Robenalt, was still going through the difficulties typical of adolescence.

It was not clear if he could become a legitimate lord, but at least his mental strength was unbreakable. In any case, he was someone who would undoubtedly be eliminated if things continued as they were, so the future of Beltus was also uncertain.

In the end, generations change, and she had simply given them a small nudge.

Fina smiled slightly as she went deeper into the forest.

Times change. What can the old ones do?

In the meantime, take everything you can.

The only thing those old foxes could do, at most, was that.

A halo of light rose from the main building of the mansion.

What filled the sky was the figure of a demon summoned by Grand Duke Beltus, master of summoning magic.

In fact, being originally 5-star class, even the newly infused necromancy had a considerably high level.

***

**Clash! Clash!**

After piercing through the roof of the main mansion building, a gigantic demon revealed itself before their eyes.

That demon, with the head of a bull, had enormous horns protruding from its temples, and its coarse, muscular body was covered in heavy armor.

Among the forbidden spells of necromancy, the most malignant were those that manipulated the demons of hell.

Among the many mages who had fallen under the vile aura of necromancy, it was especially the experts in summoning magic who handled such spells.

And when speaking of summoning magic, the name that came to mind was undoubtedly that of Grand Duke Beltus.

If anyone could summon a demon of that magnitude, it was him.

**Bang! Bang!**

– Roar.

The huge demon, half-emerged from the roof of the mansion, let out a sound.

Its magnitude was so immense that it sounded more like the horn of a gigantic ship than a roar.

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Everyone around the mansion had to cover their ears, their faces contorted with pain.

Taking advantage of the moment, numerous bat-like monsters began to pour out in mass from the broken roof of the mansion. The horde was so large it could be considered an army.

The demon had arrived.

Who controlled that demon? Everyone could only answer in unison.

Undoubtedly, it was Grand Duke Beltus.

“Has the protective magic of the tower not been withdrawn yet?”

Rodelia, advancing with a detachment toward the main building, struck down the monsters that stood in her way.

Dereck had gone alone to destroy the magic tower. Leading an army would only trigger the appearance of defensive forces, so it was decided that infiltrating alone amidst the chaos caused by the monsters was the best option.

Thus, Rodelia advanced alone toward the main building to subdue Grand Duke Beltus himself.

However, the protective magic deployed at the top of the eastern tower showed no signs of vanishing.

Unless that enormous battle formation was completely neutralized, entering the main building was too risky.

As Rodelia gritted her teeth, staring fixedly at the tower…

**Flash!**

**Burst!**

The size of the magic circle blooming at the top of the tower began to shrink little by little until it finally lost all light and disappeared.

Dereck, indeed, had managed to infiltrate alone and resolve the situation.

No matter how chaotic the area around the tower was, or how urgent the situation, it was an incredible feat.

“Wasn’t he a former mercenary? It seems he has exceptional experience in these types of guerrilla operations.”

He was a veteran who had repeatedly infiltrated labyrinths and hunted monsters in small groups, accumulating abundant experience in real combat.

“Steady, experienced, and mature, but at the same time young. If it were possible, I would like to have him under my command.”

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But those who knew Dereck usually thought the same. He would be a very useful officer, but he was not the type to submit easily to anyone.

The only person he pretended to respect was Melverot, who had reached the rank of 6-star mage. Competing with such a monster was impossible.

‘Rather, if I could unite him through marriage…’

But he was already married, and even if his marriage were annulled or he took a second wife, it was unlikely they would pair him with her fierce daughter Trisha. In any case, it would not be easy to have Dereck under her protection.

‘…’

Leaving that aside, the path was now open and the task was clear.

Rodelia unsheathed her sacred blood sword and raised it high, shouting to her detachment:

“The path to the main house is clear! Capture the master of that vile necromancy and inform Emperor Guttrel that we have resolved this disaster!”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go!”

**Thud, thud, thud.**

Even within the hill where the mansion grounds stretched, Duke Beltus’s main house stood at the highest point.

They were going to assault that nest of evil, where all kinds of monsters rampaged and vengeful spirits emerged, and put an end to the situation.

Emperor Guttrel, who loathed necromancy, would surely recognize their merit.

Soldiers always thirst for honor.

Many members of the detachment following Rodelia cheered. They were veterans among veterans, who had conquered Rodentz Island at her side.

As they advanced toward the main entrance, Rodelia’s army arrived at the site.

– Grooooh.

The main house of the mansion no longer belonged to Duke Beltus.

When the massive doors of the main hall opened, an Archilich floating in the air awaited them.

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They saw pods expelling swarms of vengeful spirits and monsters.

The monster that had installed itself in that mansion had no intention of allowing intruders.

A monster summoned through advanced necromancy of 5-star level or higher.

Seeing that gigantic creature, something they hadn’t even encountered on Rodentz Island, Rodelia’s expression of indifference instantly hardened.

***

**Thump! Thump!**

**Grrr!**

Denise ran out of the main house and down the northern hill.

Rodelia’s army was approaching from the south.

Although the mansion grounds were swarming with monsters, excluding those inside the main house, their level was not particularly impressive.

Ghoulish goblins and trolls: their appearance was grotesque and terrifying, but because their movements were slow, one could escape them simply by running at full speed.

Their endurance was also mediocre, so well-trained soldiers or mages capable of using even level 1 magic could handle them without much difficulty.

Although the urgency of the moment and their terrifying appearance were unsettling, as long as one remained calm, surviving was not too difficult.

However, someone had to take charge of the disaster in the main house, block the advance of the armies toward the Beltus mansion, and, at the same time, protect the servants and vassals.

It had already been decided who would be responsible for those tasks.

They were the Orel Mercenaries, who had protected the territory under contract with Grand Duke Beltus for many years.

They had maintained such a special relationship that they even had their own barracks within the grounds of the Beltus mansion. Now was the time to demonstrate all their power.

At that moment, Denise was heading to the western barracks to resolve the anomaly in the main house together with the Orel mercenaries and, somehow, block the approaching armies.

It seemed like a daunting task, but Orel, the leader of the group, had been commander of the royal guard for a long time. Undoubtedly, he had survived countless crises like this.

That was why Denise’s destination was the Orel mercenary barracks.

But even as she hurried her steps, Denise couldn’t help but catch her breath.

“If everything is resolved… what will become of me…? And the servants who followed me? And my personal maid, Bella? No… what will become of our family…?”

She pushed those negative thoughts away. Do what you can right now.

Though she repeated it to herself several times, the anxiety boiling in her chest did not diminish.

Especially since she herself had earned the enmity of Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.

That fact, by itself, was like a thorn stuck in her heart, tormenting her incessantly.

Now, she and Dereck were enemies.

Even if the situation were resolved, Dereck would treat her with hostility.

Sometimes she remembered Dereck’s cold gaze: those piercing eyes, the same ones he showed when facing monsters he had to kill or enemies he had to subdue. They were completely opposite to his usual calm and seriousness.

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Now, the target of that gaze was Denise.

And the reason was not even profound: she simply belonged to the Beltus family.

For a long time, she was used as a chess piece by the cruel Grand Duke Beltus, contributing to the family and living under his shadow.

Now the time had come to pay for those sins.

**Tap, tap.**

Denise’s hurried steps began to slow down.

Shortly after, she leaned a shoulder against a tree in a corner of the garden, grabbed a lock of her disheveled hair, and tried to catch her breath.

She had run for too long with such a weak body. To conserve strength, she breathed shallowly and soon pressed her forehead hard, feeling like she was about to cry.

“Even though I lived pretending to be rational and intelligent… now that everything has collapsed, I am nothing more than just another daughter…”

A hollow laugh escaped her. While suppressing the prickling in her nose, Denise mocked herself.

“Don’t cry. Crying won’t change anything. Letting emotions dominate me in this situation will only accelerate my death. I have to judge everything calmly.”

The Orel mercenaries must have already begun to move. They would be eliminating the monsters around the barracks and preparing to clear the main base where the demon had appeared.

If she headed toward the western barracks, she would surely find them.

If she moved to the west, perhaps she could save her life.

Just as Denise finished catching her breath and stood up…

The heavens abandoned her.

Someone appeared from within the forest.

A man covered in monster blood emerged from among the bushes.

Someone she should never have run into at that moment was there, walking with a deadly stride, soaked in blood.

His eyes still glowed with a chilling red hue. Although he was covered in dust, his pure white hair shone under the moonlight as always.

He was carrying someone unconscious on his shoulder.

It was obvious who it was: the same ash-silver hair as Denise’s, a fragile noble.

The one who had been guarding the magic tower.

Her older brother, Robenalt.

A timid man, without great ambitions or notable achievements. But if he had dared to face Dereck, the result would have been evident: he would have been brutally beaten, with a swollen face, hanging limp from Dereck’s shoulder.

Was he dead? No, it seemed he was still breathing.

But the murderous look in Dereck’s eyes as he carried him…

As they said, the gods had abandoned Denise.

In a place where there was no one left to protect her, she stood face to face with the very essence of the enemy.

Robenalt, completely subdued and unconscious, was proof enough.

Dereck was a man full of hatred toward the Beltus family and would never treat anyone who had belonged to his family with kindness.

What should she do? Resist?

Would it make sense to oppose someone whose magical skill surpassed hers by several ranks?

Should she throw dirt in his eyes, scratch him, and flee?

For someone as weak as her, resisting such a formidable man was useless.

Then Denise let herself fall against the tree and ended up sitting on the ground.

Dust clung to her expensive dress, and bits of bark were tangled in her messy ash-colored hair.

“Yes… Dereck, in the end, it was you.”

In that last instant, Denise managed to sketch a smile full of false bravery.

No matter the crisis, she always had to smile and never stop thinking rationally.

Even if she died at any moment, she would not lose her composure.

That was the attitude with which she had always lived, as if it were her destiny.

She remembered her private residence in Ebelstein.

She remembered the moment in the underground art warehouse, when Dereck comforted her while she lamented her fragile life.

Remembering that, Denise thought,

‘If Beltus blood did not run through my veins… would I have been able to get along with this man?’

‘Like Aiselin and Ellen? Could I have trusted him, shared my concerns, faced dangers together and, somehow, lived happily?’

Suddenly, she remembered the presumptuous Lord Robain.

When she wrote about that foolish noble who lost Tracy by letting himself be carried away by status differences and family duty… perhaps she was hiding a hint of mockery toward herself.

On a night of a full moon, sitting at her desk with a pen in her hand, perhaps she hoped someone would understand her inner emptiness.

Now it didn’t matter anymore.

But she never imagined that the arrogant Lord Robain would become her last work. If she had known, perhaps she would have tried harder; those thoughts ran through her head.

And so, when Denise gently closed her eyes, it was when she left everything behind.

**Step, step.**

**Thud!**

Dereck approached Denise with heavy steps and deposited the body of Robenalt, whom he had carried until then, beside her.

Robenalt, leaning against a tree stump, was breathing heavily, completely unconscious.

He was a pitiful brother, yes, but at least he had been sincere with his family.

“He tried to stop me until the end. Knowing what Grand Duke Beltus is like, and yet staying loyal… it seems he believes his duty is to be honest with the place where he belongs.”

Dereck’s voice was much softer than Denise had imagined.

He no longer had the fierce look of the bloody mercenary who hunted monsters, but that of the kind instructor who once stayed at the mansion and taught her magic.

Denise held her breath.

“D-Der… Dereck…?”

“His loyalty was simply misdirected. If the Beltus family pulls itself together, young master Robenalt will be a great asset to it. In the end, what remains is not someone loyal to a person, but someone loyal to their family.”

“You… you are…”

Denise raised her trembling eyes to look at him.

Under the moonlight, Dereck’s serene gaze lacked the ferocity she expected.

In fact, they were exactly as she remembered them.

“Didn’t you come to capture me…?”

Dereck brushed the dust off his collar and replied with a bewildered expression.

“…Me?”