Chapter 137

Chapter 137
## Chapter 137
**Crash! Bang!**

“Ugh!”

As Grand Duke Beltus slapped the judicial official, the tall, elderly senior official fell backward, gasping for air.

It happened when Denise went to her father’s office to pay her respects.

Back then, Denise was just over ten years old.

The legal advisor Alderek had reported on the horrors of famine in a village on the outskirts of the Beltus domain and insisted that the taxes for the residents of that area should be reduced that year.

“Sir, our duty is to protect the people. If we continue like this, we will be no different from murderers.”

Muttering such words while clutching his head, the old servant was trampled by Grand Duke Beltus until he was covered in bruises and blood.

“How dare you call me a murderer?”

Grand Duke Beltus despised subordinates who did not obey his orders, so it was no surprise that Alderek soon disappeared from the family.

Even now, Denise did not know what fate awaited the elderly judicial official, who had a family to support and was already too old to fend for himself.

Since then, the immense power of Beltus had seemed to Denise like a current—or a wall—impossible to overcome.

—

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The noble lineage that had made Denise a distinguished young woman often became a burden that oppressed its members.

Luxurious ruffled dresses, beautiful ornaments, the admiring gazes of the servants, delicious food and the scent of scented candles, a beautiful garden full of fresh plants and the singing of birds.

The naive girl thought to herself:

Born as the daughter of Beltus and raised in luxury, she had to shoulder the responsibility that came with it.

However, upon entering the social circles of Ebelstein, that idea began to fade little by little.

The physical distance from the main Beltus estate was considerable, and the atmosphere in that land of opportunity was completely free.

The mansion built exclusively for her was always quiet and serene, making it a comfortable place.

As if sinking into a soft bed, she was completely absorbed in the peaceful atmosphere of Ebelstein.

She thought that as long as she could stay there forever, without worrying about mundane problems or enduring external pressures, that would be enough.

For that reason, she had little interest in the changing trends of Ebelstein’s social circles and no ambition in the struggle for her family’s power succession.

She simply liked things to remain as they were.

In a corner of the room where the sunlight did not reach, occasionally playing with a pen or pretending to work, living like that, letting time pass, did not seem so bad.

However, even while thinking that, she had already subconsciously understood that this ambiguous and temporary peace was nothing more than a fleeting moment.

Grand Duke Beltus, one way or another, would try to take advantage of Denise, who had integrated into Ebelstein’s social circles.

One way or another, it would all end with her being used or betrayed.

She knew perfectly well that endlessly isolating herself, blinded by that superficial peace, would not bode well for her.

Therefore, the more she immersed herself in that serenity, the more she fell into laziness and indolence.

Doing everything halfway, without ambition, limiting herself to observing the reactions of others.

She accepted living like a corpse in that comfortable cradle.

However, as if mocking such resignation, someone appeared who destroyed everything.

A man posing as a professor pulled Denise out of her room to force her to run in the mornings, forced her to study magic books all night, brought in Diella to stimulate her competitive spirit, read without permission the novels she had written in secret, gathered the servants, somehow rekindled her passion for magic, and finally, kicked her out of that cradle.

**Books and literature**

During that whole process, he felt neither fear nor hesitation, as he had lived his whole life as a commoner of the lowest strata.

That man, who had lived a life full of hardships, seemed to speak directly to Denise, who lived in flight, immersed in superficial peace.

*Why settle for a path that leads to the precipice? Why not fight, even a little, to escape?*

Faced with that obvious question, Denise used to think that he had misunderstood something.

She believed he could not understand how the greatness of Beltus crushed people, how the demands imposed on her as a descendant of a prestigious family had oppressed her.

However, seeing him step firmly into Beltus, Denise could not help but hold her breath.

What Derek Lydorf Ravenclaw had fought against all his life was a world that divided nobles and commoners, valuing only blood.

The weight of being a noble lady was but a feather compared to what he had endured.

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Because of that, his image, entering fearlessly into the Beltus domain, looked like Denise breaking with one hand the cage in which she had been locked all her life.

Without showing agitation or doubt, he broke the iron bars and entered with his boots on, looking at Denise with those indifferent eyes that never changed.

He always said the same thing.

*Are you going to keep sitting there like that?*

**Clang! Clang!**

**Crash! Bang!**

“As you can see, numerous external forces have already arrived in the vicinity of the mansion. We will handle matters inside the main building, so it would be best for Lady Denise to evacuate to a safe place accompanied by Captain Orel.”

Then Denise regained her senses.

It was an urgent situation. Although she had to act quickly, Ellen explained the situation to her calmly.

In the midst of all the chaos, Denise was the person closest to the scene. Naturally, her body was exhausted and it must have been difficult for her to calm her confused mind.

That is why Ellen tried to pull her away from the scene.

There was concern for her, but also distrust toward Denise, who was practically a confidant of the family, and she did not wish to leave her with Dereck.

Was it feminine intuition?

Seeing Denise restless and timid, Ellen felt that nothing good would come of keeping them close.

Therefore, she planned to create a suitable pretext to evacuate her to a safe place.

“…”

Denise hesitated for a moment after hearing Ellen’s suggestion.

Certainly, at that moment, there was no reason to take risks and go to the main building.

Whatever happened to Grand Duke Beltus, it would be enough to receive a report later.

Although everything was not yet known, Dereck’s attitude convinced her to some extent.

He would not hurt her. Regardless of the outcome, she was convinced that if she trusted him and left the task to him, she would be safe.

Was it the moment to withdraw?

Perhaps it would be prudent to retreat to a safe place for a while, evaluate the situation, organize her ideas, and establish principles on how to act afterward.

Because it seemed clear that, once this matter was resolved, the power structure of the Beltus family would be deeply altered.

However, she also felt a strange intuition beginning to emerge.

Was it also feminine intuition?

She perceived Ellen’s intention to keep her away from Dereck and held her breath.

‘…’

But what would happen even if she perceived that intention?

What great consequence could arise simply from having separated from Dereck for a while?

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Her rational side tended to honestly recognize what should be recognized. In fact, she felt a certain attraction to the man named Dereck. But that was all.

Dereck might be a good man, but there was no need to be swept away by passion or become obsessed with him.

It was absurd to be influenced by a man and make foolish decisions in the midst of such chaos. She was not the protagonist of a romantic novel full of sentimentality, so there was no reason to behave as such.

However, something continued to unsettle her.

“…”

Finally, Denise held her breath and met Ellen’s gaze.

Did she reach a conclusion after a brief moment of reflection?

Denise seemed to have regained her composure.

“No. Of course I should go with you.”

The meaning of those words was important, and a strange spark seemed to ignite in her eyes.

Denise did not want to hand Dereck over to that red-haired girl who already had everything.

Because she already had too much.

For some reason, even in the midst of the fire consuming her entire family, she felt the need to hold onto Dereck tightly. Because he was the only person who saw Denise as Denise.

“…”

Not just Ellen, but everyone who had any kind of connection with Denise could sense it.

Denise, who mastered all kinds of tricks and cunning, was the most problematic person to have as an enemy.

Ellen narrowed her eyes and swallowed hard.

***

The great hall of the Beltus mansion echoed with the roar of the Archilich.

Three-star necromantic magic: Low-level corpse resurrection.

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In every room of the mansion, corpses appeared and attacked, but the well-trained special forces of Countess Rodelia systematically struck down those monsters.

However, unless the Archilich, who continued to resurrect corpses endlessly, was defeated, it was impossible to reach the core of the mansion.

**Shiiing.**

Countess Rodelia, unsheathing the Sacred Blood Sword, spoke with wide eyes.

“I will finish the Archilich myself! Make way…!”

“Yes, milady!”

The mere presence of the Archilich radiated an overwhelming sense of threat.

The cadaverous mage, floating in the air and shooting red bolts from its eyes, seemed to spread the cold of death over the skin just by approaching.

However, Countess Rodelia, accustomed to necromancy, knew no fear.

The crimson sacred scriptures engraved on the blade of the Sacred Blood Sword glowed intensely.

Her silver armor gleamed under the moonlight, and her eyes sparkled even more.

Rodelia, the heroine of Rodentz Island, swung her sword and charged into battle.

Each time her sword cut through the air, cadaverous monsters fell, spilling blood, and when she roared, the morale of her soldiers rose to the heavens.

A leader who always stands at the front of the battlefield instills courage in those who follow.

Aware of this, Rodelia imposed her authority on everyone with her fearless presence.

Sensing something unusual, the Archilich raised its head and cast the three-star combat spell: Petrifying Gaze.

But Rodelia climbed the stairs with her eyes closed. She was an experienced warrior, so skilled that she had internalized countermeasures for almost every spell.

She slid across the floor once, pushed off the railing, and reached the Archilich in an instant.

Numerous cadaverous monsters blocked her path, but she reduced them to pieces of meat with a few quick slashes.

It was the moment when her Sacred Blood Sword was about to cut the Archilich’s neck.

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**Boom! Crash!**

**Burst!**

However, the vestiges of advanced necromancy did not come only from the Archilich.

A giant fist smashed through the ceiling of the mansion and struck hard.

A demon with the head of a beast.

The terrifying creature, born from the fusion of high-level summoning magic and advanced necromancy, shattered the ceiling of the main hall and crashed into the floor, unleashing a shockwave.

**Boom! Thump!**

A tremor shook the entire mansion.

The chandelier plummeted, a cloud of dust rose, and many soldiers were buried under the rubble as screams echoed.

When the shaking stopped, the night sky could be seen through the collapsed roof.

Under the starry sky, the giant demon that had broken through the roof looked down at the ground.

**Crash! Clang!**

Countess Rodelia, who had rolled across the floor, swallowed hard.

Even the Archilich, summoned through five-star necromancy, was a formidable enemy, and now she also had to face this unknown demon.

Despair washed over her for an instant. But she could not stay still. Heroes never give up.

In that moment, she gripped her Sacred Blood Sword again and stood up.

**Whoosh! Whoosh!**

In the shattered main hall, illuminated by the moonlight, an old mage appeared on the grand staircase leading to the second floor.

Rodelia held her breath.

It was Duke Beltus.

The arrogant and haughty noble who had always looked down on her domain was now covered in dark magic patterns all over his body.

The marks glowed with a faint violet light, emanating a sinister aura.

The crimson magic flowing through his skin was, without a doubt, a trace of necromancy.

*By God…!*

Duke Beltus writhed in agony, but madness surfaced in his eyes.

*He really… has been consumed by necromancy!*

It was a scene that was all too familiar to her from Rodentz Island.

Necromancy was not something just anyone could handle. She had seen countless people who dared to touch it be devoured by madness in an instant.

The only mercy that could be granted to such victims was the peace of death.

When one is corroded by uncontrollable power, the end is always gruesome.

‘Duke Beltus is a five-star summoner… If even a mage of that level cannot resist it… what on earth did he touch…?’

The movements of Duke Beltus, writhing and moaning, suddenly stopped.

Then he turned his gaze toward Countess Rodelia, who lay on the hall floor.

A glimpse of sanity seemed to remain in his eyes, but it soon transformed into pure killing instinct.

“Everyone, be careful! He is a five-star summoner!”

**Crackle!**

Swords erupted around him. It was the non-biological summoning magic: Sword Storm.

Unlike previous spells, which had a bluish tone, crimson swords imbued with sinister energy now appeared.

In that moment, Rodelia raised her Sacred Blood Sword to respond…

**Thwack! Thump!**

Duke Beltus, standing on the second-floor railing, was about to roar in madness when an arrow flew and embedded itself in his shoulder.

At that distance, the shot was chillingly accurate.

No noble robe could stop a blade.

“Argh…!”

As the Duke screamed in pain and stumbled, a young woman performed acrobatics over the rubble.

She wore mercenary attire and a cloak; it was an unfamiliar face.

But those who knew her recognized her instantly.

Although she rarely showed herself in the Barony of Ravenclaw, she officially held the title of Baroness.

Pheline, of the Beldern Mercenary Corps.

The most renowned archer of the corps climbed the rubble and the railing, landed in front of Duke Beltus, and delivered a direct kick to his solar plexus.

**Crash! Bang!**

“Well. Kicking a noble feels fantastic.”

She said it as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Standing on the railing, she tightened her bowstring and smiled with the freshest expression in the world.

Then she shouted with a resonating voice.

“Uncle Jayden! Over here! Over here!”

Following her words, reinforcements began to burst into the main building of the mansion.

Those who arrived, striking down the monsters pouring out in throngs, were members of the Beldern Mercenary Corps, Dereck’s former companions.

The one-armed mercenary Jayden, who was in command at the front, burst into laughter and shouted.

“All right, let’s go! It’s time to take down some monsters!”

Amid cheers, the mercenaries threw themselves into battle to help Rodelia’s army, trapped among the rubble.

In an instant, the tide of battle began to turn.

“Are those… Baron Ravenclaw’s reinforcements…?”

In that instant, Countess Rodelia, who had barely managed to stand up, looked up at the archer on the railing.

Pulling slightly on her skirt, worried that her underwear might be seen, Pheline smiled confidently at the world.

However, it lasted only an instant.

**Snap!**

A first-class combat spell, Shockwave, emanated from Grand Duke Beltus, who had fallen.

The magnitude and power of a first-level spell cast by a five-star mage were colossal.

In an instant, Pheline screamed and was sent flying from the railing.

“Ahhh!”

– **Crash! Bang!**

– **Crunch!**

Pheline, who had just enjoyed the satisfaction of kicking a noble, collapsed down the main staircase, revealing the figure of Grand Duke Beltus emerging from the rubble.

He was bleeding profusely. Trying to cling to sanity, saliva was already dripping from his mouth.

The deranged mage staggered to the railing and looked at Pheline.

It was said that a five-star mage could face an entire army alone.

As if to prove it, the demon in the sky began to spit fire; its target was Pheline.

– **Snap! Zip!**

But a man dropped down among the shattered remains, stepped on the railing, jumped forward, and grabbed Grand Duke Beltus’s arm.

He threw him backward and, from the momentum, rolled across the floor.

– **Crash! Bang!**

Beltus, who was about to finish off Pheline, was knocked down once more, and the man stood up under the moonlight.

It was Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw, the young mage, already seriously injured, his body covered in cuts, entering the battlefield.

“Baron Ravenclaw!”

The moment Rodelia shouted that, Belmierd’s forces began to join from the main building of the mansion.

At the front, mounted on horseback, were Ellen de Belmierd and Denise from this Beltus domain.

The tide of battle was changing and the situation was approaching its peak.

And at the height of it all, Dereck, who had rolled across the floor, stood up once again.

The enemy buried under the rubble was Grand Duke Beltus, now completely consumed by madness.

The ruler who had dominated the world, controlling everything at his whim, stood panting, completely enveloped in necromantic magic.

The dirt and dust covering him fell away with a faint sound.

The only thing left to him was madness and hatred toward Dereck, the cause of everything.

A savage and murderous intent filled his eyes.

Although it was Beltus himself who had drawn his sword and declared war, he never imagined his opponent would counterattack with such force.

But now they were in the middle of the battlefield.

Grand Duke Beltus, bleeding, stood tall as sinister magic began to swirl around him.

In the end, they faced each other with their swords, and having reached that point, the only thing left was a battle to the death.

The enemy was, at most, a three-star mage.

Although he was two ranks below, he did not lower his guard. Baron Ravenclaw’s skills were already proven.

All kinds of monsters emerged and covered the main building, and a giant demon descended from the sky, creating a hellish scene.

In the midst of all that, two men joined by ambition stood face to face.

It was a path of no return.

In order to move forward, one of the two had to fall.