Chapter 141

Chapter 141
## Chapter 141

Dereck slept deeply for the first time in a long while and dreamed.

He imagined himself achieving, one by one, all the magical feats he had longed for for years, and one day reigning at the very top.

What would he think once he had mastered all magic and there was no higher realm left to aspire to?

Even those who dedicated their entire lives to magical research never reached the final realm.

Perhaps even thinking about it was an act of arrogance, but even so, Dereck wanted to consider it at least once.

If he finally achieved the dream of a lifetime, what would come next?

Even in his drowsy state, Dereck asked himself those questions.

***

“We have done everything possible for now, but his life remains in danger.”

The Beltus mansion was practically destroyed, with not a single place left intact; even so, an isolated guest room was in acceptable condition to protect the patient.

The person lying in the dust-covered bed was Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.

He was the one who contributed most to the subjugation of the Beltus mansion, and a genius who reached the 4-star level at an incredibly early age.

But his life was about to be extinguished in vain.

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“Report on his condition in more detail.”

Countess Rodelia, sitting solemnly in a chair in a corner of the room with her arms crossed, spoke.

She was still wearing her great silver armor from the recent battle, and her long white hair clearly evidenced the passage of time.

The physician, following the direct orders of Count Renwell, bowed his head and reported in a firm voice.

“Judging by the magical traces and the state of his body, it seems he first exhausted all his energy and then extracted more magical power to manifest 4-star magic. It was, literally, a suicidal act.”

“Why would he do something like that?”

“As you suspected. To face Grand Duke Beltus with insufficient capabilities, he had to push himself to the limit even at the cost of his own body.”

Although she did not witness the battle directly, the struggle between Dereck and Grand Duke Beltus must have been brutal.

Dereck tried to manifest even more powerful magic even when he felt his entire body burning and blood gushing non-stop.

‘The nobility of attempting to subdue a necromancer, even at the cost of his own life, is truly admirable.’

Since Countess Rodelia felt a deep hatred for necromancy, she highly valued that Dereck had attempted to capture the necromancer with such seriousness.

Therefore, it was absolutely unacceptable for him to die here.

“We must inform His Majesty Gruttel that a new 4-star mage has been born in the southwest. Do everything possible so that Sir Dereck does not lose his life.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

A dry metallic clank.

At the sound of her armor, Rodelia stood up and opened the door.

Before leaving, she observed Dereck’s condition again; the bleeding had not yet stopped and his condition remained extremely critical.

‘Now is the time to organize everything.’

When Rodelia closed the door and stepped out, the hallway was full of people.

The outer wall of the hallway had collapsed, so it seemed as though people were crowded all the way to the garden.

Among those present were members of various families and mercenary groups.

In the front row, those who seemed to be standing with expressions of concern caught her attention.

“How is Dereck?”

“It is a situation in which his life cannot be guaranteed.”

The highest-ranking person among those present, Ellen of the Belmierd family, took a step forward with a worried voice.

Upon hearing the truth as it was, Ellen bit her lower lip.

Although she did not stop Dereck when he decided to act, she never imagined he would be in such danger.

The same was true for the others.

“Whatever we say, he is a hero who made a great effort to resolve this situation. We must recognize his achievements, but first we must clarify what needs to be clarified.”

The Beltus mansion was devastated, and the Archlich escaped with the Grand Duke’s body.

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Happy, the creature most beloved by Fina, had simply obeyed her mistress’s orders, but to those unaware of this, it looked like a loyal subordinate fleeing with the most important person.

In short, it appeared that Grand Duke Beltus had summoned the Archlich, and it gave the impression that it had escaped taking the unconscious Grand Duke with it.

Grand Duke Beltus mastered high-level necromantic magic and was a master of summoning magic. Considering his efforts to prevent the sending of a subjugation force, it was not strange to think that he himself had summoned the Archlich.

“Is Grand Duke Beltus alive?”

“That is unknown. To my eyes, he was completely unconscious, but seeing how desperately the Archlich tried to capture him, there is a possibility that he is hiding somewhere recovering.”

Committing the error of letting the Archlich escape was grave.

If they had subdued him completely, Dereck’s efforts to defeat the Grand Duke would not have been in vain.

Feeling deep shame, Rodelia hardened her expression.

Next, she gave orders to the gathered troops, instructing them to organize the situation and thoroughly investigate the battlefield.

Her intention was to uncover all the details about Grand Duke Beltus’s crimes and the reasons why he had resorted to necromancy, to report it to Emperor Gruttel.

While inspecting the area and receiving reports, she saw a young woman resting near the main hall with Rodenalt lying back.

It was the eldest daughter of the Beltus family and a central figure in this disaster. It was Denise.

Her dress, covered in dust, was in tatters, and her tired eyes reflected deep exhaustion.

Even so, seeing Countess Rodelia approaching, she quickly straightened up, bowed her head, and spoke.

“Your Excellency, Countess, regarding this matter…”

‘I have already spoken with Sir Dereck. You were the one who best understood the darkness of Grand Duke Beltus and who first warned Sir Dereck that the family was going down the wrong path, allowing him to act in time. Lady Denise, you maintained your sanity in a terrible environment. I sincerely thank you.’

Denise had mentally prepared herself to receive criticism, as she did not expect the daughter of the Duke responsible for all this disaster to be treated with benevolence.

But Dereck had already taken care of that matter.

Hearing the Countess’s words, Denise’s eyes widened in surprise for an instant, but, being as intelligent as she was, she immediately understood the situation.

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She bowed her head and replied.

“Oh no… I only did what I had to do.”

“When I present myself before His Majesty, I will make sure to mention you. In the midst of this madness, you were the only one who maintained sanity. I will ensure that the consequences of the wrongdoings do not fall upon you.”

“I appreciate your consideration. But… is Baron Ravenclaw still not improving…?”

“I just checked his condition in the room where we have him admitted, and it seems his life cannot be guaranteed.”

Hearing that, Denise swallowed hard.

He was the man who tore the darkness out of Beltus and who, even so, protected her until the end.

If something happened to him, she felt her heart would break.

“Some people say that he must be involved in what happened.”

While cleaning the battlefield, survivors of the Beltus family and their higher-ranking servants murmured bitterly.

‘Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw is involved in this.’

‘The situation is too perfect.’

‘It is too convenient that it happened just as the Beltus family was drawing their swords against him.’

The cruel baron shouted that he was responsible for weaving necromantic magic and that they should not be deceived.

Hearing those words, Rodelia hesitated at first, but when she saw Dereck agonizing in the room, she had to gradually discard those suspicions.

No matter what tricks someone might use, no one would risk their life in that way.

Dereck was on the verge of death, and in his state, it would not be strange for him to pass away at any moment.

The best available doctors were attending to him, and even so, those who supported him remained deeply concerned.

What Countess Rodelia overlooked was that Dereck was not a sane person either.

He was a lunatic capable of risking his life for a magical breakthrough.

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And that was why he had come so far.

But it was difficult to notice just by his appearance.

Outwardly, he only looked like someone dedicated to training magic: a man who ruled a remote region and taught young people as a profession.

‘If he truly were the mastermind behind all this, at least he wouldn’t be on the brink of death.’

Others might not know it, but Countess Rodelia, who had seen Dereck stop Grand Duke Beltus with all his might, could not doubt him.

His miserable appearance, bleeding profusely and trembling from head to toe, was right before her eyes.

“First, we must review the situation of the recovered Beltus mansion and organize what information should be reported. We must hear the testimonies of the people who were inside Beltus, but we have not yet fully determined who we can trust and who we cannot.”

Countess Rodelia shook her head slightly and spoke to Denise, whose face reflected concern.

“At the very least, Lady Denise, for whom Baron Ravenclaw has vouched, is someone we can trust. Could you organize yourself and report to us on the situation in the Duchy of Beltus?”

It was a position from which she could present suggestions directly to Countess Rodelia, who at that moment held actual control of the mansion.

And that was the last gift Baron Ravenclaw left for Denise before losing consciousness.

Hearing those words, Denise swallowed nervously.

Originally, she had been a sailor on a sinking ship. Naturally, she thought she would end up sinking with that ship.

However, the master who had once instructed her had rescued Denise from the sea, calling her his disciple, and had handed her the helm again to sail.

In exchange, Dereck lay inside the “cabin,” completely collapsed.

Denise could not allow his sincerity to be wasted. She opened her eyes wide and composed herself.

It was time for Denise to stand firm.

**

[You have reached the 4-star level. You are a master of magic.]

[You can now access the fusion theory of the magic system.]

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“…”

Creek, creek, creek.

When Dereck opened his eyes, it was already morning and the sun was rising.

His entire body throbbed with intense pain, but he was used to enduring it.

As he got used to the blinding brightness of the morning light and lifted his torso, he saw a familiar figure sitting by the bed, with arms crossed and one leg over the other.

“…”

“…Hello, Dereck.”

“Pheline. What are you doing here?”

“What do you think? I’ve been taking care of you.”

Pheline also had scratches all over her body.

It seemed only a day had passed since that chaotic night.

“…You don’t look like someone who is taking care of a patient.”

“It’s just a way of speaking. If you saw how things are outside, you’d be surprised. A lot of people wanted to come see you, but for some reason, I’m the only one who managed to sneak in and stay here.”

“And how did you get in with all that fuss?”

“I was going to ignore it anyway, but they told me it didn’t matter because I’m the Baron’s wife…”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence filled the place for an instant.

Despite everything, Pheline was officially Dereck’s partner.

A romantic atmosphere did not exist between them, but officially, that was their marital status.

Dereck held his aching forehead while Pheline brushed back her bangs with a complex expression.

“Well, I know how tough you are, Dereck… so it seemed ridiculous to talk about life or death over a wound like this.”

To a stranger, it seemed his life hung by a thread.

In reality, Dereck’s wounds and bleeding were serious, and if he hadn’t been a properly trained person, it would have been normal for him to die on the spot.

Facing a 5-star mage while being only a 3-star mage from the start implied accepting an extreme risk.

But for Pheline, who had traveled through labyrinths with him for years, seeing Dereck seriously injured was nothing new.

Before, Pheline would despair, carry him on her back, bandage his wounds, walk anxiously without sleeping, but that pure behavior had already disappeared.

Now she just looked at him with an expression that said: “This guy loafing around again, what an idiot!”.

They knew each other so well that they felt no special sense of crisis.

“Dereck, when I look at you, I feel like you’re someone who wouldn’t surprise anyone if one day you died while training magic.”

“You know well that I don’t die that easily.”

“It’s hard to deny it… anyway, it’s your life. Besides, thanks to you, I had fun.”

Pheline, who also had considerable wounds, smiled broadly.

When else could she kick the nobles’ butts if not in situations like this? It seems in the end we’ll get a good reward: when the status of someone you know goes up, the benefits arrive.

“You say you hate nobles, but you don’t seem to care when I behave like one and cause a mess.”

“You are Dereck before you are a noble.”

“…”

Philine laughed softly and continued speaking.

“Well, there are a lot of people worried about you, so lift that heavy butt of yours and go. I heard some inhabitants of the barony rode all night, terrified that you would die.”

“Yes. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Thanks? While I was running around with the Beldern Mercenary Corps, you were flirting with a bunch of women, and now I’m stuck with the title of Baroness… terrifying!”

Pheline let out a deep sigh, picked up her bow, her sword, and her cloak, and stretched lazily.

It was early in the morning. She must have been exhausted in her own way too.

As if she had already said everything she had to say, she waved her arms nonchalantly and opened the door to leave.

Her relaxed attitude, even in situations like this, was truly impressive. Unlike the ladies of aristocratic families, her constant naturalness was her greatest strength.

Creak, thud.

Dereck watched the closed door for a few seconds and then, as best he could, moved his aching body to stand up.

He still wasn’t used to walking and barely felt any magical power inside him, but he could clearly feel that his magical level had gone up one more step.

Even Dereck, always so calm, couldn’t help but crack a slight smile.

4-star level.

A realm that even those born with noble blood and extraordinary talent might never reach in an entire lifetime.

The mere fact of having set foot on that threshold moved him deeply.

His breathing quickened and he felt a surge of euphoria.