Chapter 142

Chapter 142
## Chapter 142

A long darkness loomed over the Duplain family.

It was a succession of nights that seemed to have no end.

Leigh, the next heir of the declining family, sat in the dark family office, letting out a deep sigh from time to time.

The night was long.

When would the sunlight reach this dark corner?

These were uncertain times.

***

“A new 4-star mage has appeared.”

“Is it the eldest son of the Grodel family from the south? From what I’ve heard, his progress has been quite slow.”

“No, he is from the Barony of Ravenclaw, in the southwest of the continent.”

Kohella, the royal magic advisor, who had been leafing through the books left by the great mage Adelbert, set the book aside for a moment and frowned.

The personal research chamber of the chief magic advisor of the Gremfort Imperial Palace, known as the heart of the continent.

When one of her most loyal subordinates, Roen, reported this, the wrinkled corners of Kohella’s lips puckered.

“It is a surname that is unfamiliar to me.”

“It is someone who recently received a title from Lord Melverot himself. He is a lord who ruled the Rodellen region in the southwest of the continent, and I understand he celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony not long ago.”

“…Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw?”

“Yes, you remember correctly.”

Kohella, well-versed in the noble affairs of the continent, remembered the name of the one who had recently received a title.

She did not remember everyone with weak powers, but she remembered Dereck’s name because he was under the protection of Lord Melverot, a 6-star combat mage.

The ruler of the north, who rarely intervened to protect anyone, had voluntarily granted him a title, so his name stuck with her.

From what she knew, Dereck was the magic instructor for Siern, Melverot’s most beloved daughter, so she hadn’t paid him much attention.

It was common for renowned nobles to secure useful magic instructors by offering them all sorts of incentives.

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However, it turned out to be somewhat surprising that even Melverot, known for her solitary nature, would go so far as to support the magic instructor in charge of her daughter’s education.

“Hmm…”

Kohella thought for a moment, resting her chin on her hand. She felt she had heard his name in another context.

Thanks to her excellent memory, she quickly found the origin of that déjà vu.

It was he who protected the nobles when the Duplain family became involved in necromancy practices. His contributions were of great importance in him being granted a title.

Furthermore, his name came up again because, apparently, he was involved in the serious incident that occurred at the Beltus mansion.

“There are too many coincidences to call it mere chance.”

Only a few years had passed since he reached the age of majority, and he had already become a 4-star mage. The significance of that fact was enormous.

As far as Kohella knew, only two people on the continent had achieved such rapid magical progress: Melverot and Drest.

It was an extraordinary achievement, whichever way you looked at it.

«If the imperial family grants him a medal of merit and announces it, it will cause a great stir. It would be good to meet him before that happens.»

A 4-star mage was practically equivalent to a quasi-lord.

When a mage reached that level, the imperial family personally verified their statistics and sent them a medal of merit to recognize their magical achievements.

Of course, the medal of merit had multiple meanings.

This implied that, from that moment on, they would be under strict imperial supervision and must not act recklessly.

“Although the political situation in the southwest is chaotic, the appearance of another quasi-lord mage is significant. I will have to visit the Ebelstein area soon and review what happened at the Beltus mansion.”

Kohella let out a small chuckle.

That woman was obsessed with magic.

Her desire was so intense that she had transgressed even taboos and moral codes in her search for knowledge, to a point that ordinary people could not even conceive.

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Feeling that she had finally found a kindred spirit after a long time, she smiled with an even more sinister grimace.

***

In the elegant district of Ebelstein, centered around Rose Hall, news of significant political changes spread.

There were two main pieces of news.

The first was the fall of the Beltus family, and the second, the rise of two emerging families.

The three traditionally influential families of the southwest were the Duplains, the Beltuses, and the Belmierds.

However, while Duplain and Beltus faltered due to necromancy, the Renouel family, led by the heroine of Rodentz Island, was on the rise.

And the next name mentioned was that of the Barony of Ravenclaw.

The baronial family from the remote Rodellen region, which produced a 4-star mage—a quasi-lord level mage—was not originally influential enough to alter the political landscape, but the fact that its leader, Baron Dereck, was a commoner from the slums was shocking.

“Have you heard? It seems the title of the Barony of Ravenclaw is going to be raised even further.”

“They say His Majesty Gruttel mentioned his name personally; truly surprising.”

In the academic debate hall of Elfontaine Hall, where a Rose Hall meeting was being held, two young noble ladies whispered to each other.

The youngest of the Duplain family, Diella Katherine Duplain, sat in a corner with a sullen expression, resting her chin on her hand and silently listening to their gossip.

The fame of magic instructor Dereck had been well-established for a long time.

The Ravenclaw training center he founded was thriving, and the young nobles who learned magic with him showed evident progress.

Since Dereck had risen from the very bottom solely through his magical achievements, the theories he taught were also easy to understand and effective.

Therefore, his rise to the rank of 4-star mage and becoming a figure important enough to attract royal attention inevitably led to an even higher valuation.

“I heard the Ravenclaw training center is on vacation, but as soon as spring arrives and the weather improves, I’m sure they’ll accept new students.”

“I already spoke with my mother. While a lot is learned at the Rose Hall meetings, I think I should also attend the center’s classes if I want to improve my magical fundamentals.”

Whatever was said, the social center of the southwest was the noble district of Ebelstein, and its most prestigious academic circle was Rose Hall.

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Even so, among the young noblewomen in the hall, several were already interested in enrolling in Dereck’s training center.

Trends emerged in an instant, and if you fell behind, you stayed behind.

Since the opening of the training center, Derek had accepted many students, but only four could be considered his direct disciples.

And at that moment, those four were considered Dereck’s greatest achievements.

* Diella of Duplain.
* Ellen of Belmierd.
* Denise of Beltus.
* Siern of Rochester.

Each of them was so exceptional that it was easy to predict that Dereck, with the deep teacher-disciple relationship he maintained with them, would exert considerable influence over the southwest nobility in the future.

In short, it was a sign that authority was beginning to back Dereck’s actions.

And the most sensitive to this were the young women of the noble district of Ebelstein.

“E-eh… Lady Diella.”

Perhaps due to that influence, some absurd changes were occurring around Diella.

“I’m very sorry about the other day… Lady Diella…”

“…”

When Diella looked at her with a threatening expression, one of the young noble ladies who had previously fought with her approached and bowed her head awkwardly.

For a moment, Diella could only frown in confusion.

In reality, she had had so many brushes with young nobles that she couldn’t remember them all. She even struggled to remember why she had quarreled with that one in particular.

Supreme and egocentric. There was no better phrase to describe Diella.

In the noble district of Ebelstein, the only people capable of controlling this young lioness were Aiselin and Dereck.

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Both were busy, so there was no one who could contain this uncontrolled tyrant.

From trivial power struggles to disputes over seats in the hall, to childish pranks, Diella had never yielded to the insistent glares of the young noblewomen who dared to challenge her. As a result, she had earned numerous enemies.

But one day, when she least expected it, the most arrogant and dominant girl in the group bowed her head to her.

“I think… I misunderstood Lady Diella back then…”

“What are you plotting?”

“I… I’m not plotting anything. It’s just that… I wanted to gather the necessary courage to clear up the misunderstanding and… maintain a good relationship from now on…”

Just by looking at her, Diella radiated the impression of a snarl.

Fierce, uncontrollable, with an aura indicating she could show her fangs at any moment.

She was like a rabid dog who would not hesitate to throw tea at someone or slap them if something displeased her.

And yet, trembling, the girl with her head bowed did not move from her spot.

Seeing that, Diella slowly began to understand. There had to be a reason why the young noblewomen of Ebelstein—those most obsessed with social hierarchy—bowed their heads in that way.

«She must want to establish a connection with Dereck.»

Dereck was someone who dedicated himself to teaching magic in detail to every student at the training center, but he treated his four direct disciples with special attention.

He taught them more than magic; he transmitted wisdom, values, orientation; they seemed to receive more from him than from anyone else.

Enduring a bit of humiliation, if it allowed them to become his direct disciples, seemed worthwhile.

“…”

But it was obvious that the beast called Diella would not react well to such transparent attempts.

Diella smiled slightly, but a cross-shaped vein throbbed on her forehead.

She placed her hands on the shoulders of the girl, who kept her head down, and whispered in her ear:

“Do you want to die?”

“…”

“Did you think I was going to laugh and say yes just because you did something so obvious? Do you think I’m going to introduce you to Dereck?”

The truly unfortunate thing was that Diella was not the generous type of person who would introduce Dereck to other girls.

To be honest, she herself was frustrated at not being able to see him as much as she wanted due to her obligations, and such provocations only irritated her more.

“You knocked on the wrong door, and by a long shot. But seeing your humble attitude, I’ll tell you nicely. Could you please leave?”

With a hollow laugh, she walked out of the hall.

Diella sneered as she crossed the corridor of Elfontaine Hall.

In any case, it seemed that more and more people wanted to get close to Dereck.

The surest way would be to contact his four direct disciples, but at least Diella had not the slightest intention of acting as a gatekeeper.

She had not the slightest interest in helping anyone.

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***

They say no flower lasts ten days, and, indeed, no one knew what turns life could take.

In recent years, the political situation in the southwest had been extremely turbulent.

Even the Duplain family, which once aspired to dominate the world, faltered, and now even Beltus found itself facing an uncertain future.

Of course, time had passed since the great misfortune of the Duplain family, so their power had been greatly reduced compared to before, and they seemed to be entering a stage of decline, although they had managed to stabilize a bit.

They say even a wealthy family lasts at least three generations.

They sold part of their assets, asked for help from their collateral branches, and thanks to that, they seemed to pull through better than expected.

Even so, the size of the mansion and the number of servants were reduced to less than half, and their territory was devoured by peripheral nobles. Their former grandeur was only a memory.

Leigh, who inherited the position of head of the family, did his best, but it was not enough to reverse the trend of slow decline.

In this way, Duplain would slowly sink until it disappeared from the historical records.

That was what most nobles had predicted.

Until Aiselin rolled up her sleeves.

“Hello, brother. I’ve earned some money.”

“…”

After inheriting the position of head of the family and formally beginning to lead the higher-ranking servants, Leigh silently observed Aiselin, who dropped several leather bags full of gold coins onto the desk.

“This is my share of the operating profits from the Ravenclaw Training Center, and this is part of my personal tutoring fees. I was paid in high-purity Altram gold coins, but I’ll have to exchange them to use them in Ebelstein.”

“…”

“With this we can cover all the food expenses for the servants next month, and we can also fully pay for the restoration costs of the mansion that we financed with bonds. We already paid back the money our relatives lent us last month, so it would be good to replenish the soldiers’ equipment and recover the artworks we left as collateral.”

Aiselin had always worked very hard at the Ravenclaw Training Center.

When she started bringing small amounts of money to help the family, Leigh was on the verge of tears.

Leigh, who had sunk into apathy, reacted upon seeing Aiselin striving so hard to revive the Duplain family, saving every last silver coin.

“It’s not much, but I want to do more for Duplain. I believe that one day, my brother Leigh will emerge from this state and work hard for the family again.”

Aiselin, smiling and fulfilling her duty, seemed like the strongest person in the Duplain lineage.

Observing Aiselin, who spent even small sums for the family, Leigh gradually began to fulfill his duties as head of the family.

He managed the service staff, sought help, and, little by little, tried to restore the prestige of Duplain.

He was always grateful to his dear sister, who helped him get back on his feet, and tried to reciprocate her efforts.

But.

*Thud.*

At a certain point, the amount of money she brought began to seem a bit strange.

“This month we also received part of the payment for the magic items sold at the Training Center. Luckily, Sir Dereck shared a portion of the profits with us.”

“…How much does all this cost…?”

“Well… I haven’t counted it all yet, but it should be enough to cover the operating expenses of the mansion this month.”

“…It’s more than enough. We don’t need that much.”

“Oh, really? Then shall we expand the stables? It seems we also need to hire more gardeners…”

In Duplain’s golden age, Leigh had strong muscles, but after so many troubles, his appearance had become thin and tired.

As he silently watched Aiselin, she seemed to have brighter skin and a more radiant presence than even when the family was at its peak. It was as if she were in full bloom.

He knew Aiselin was capable, but he never imagined she was *this* capable.

To exaggerate a little, she was the one who carried the Duplain family.

“The Barony of Ravenclaw seems to be experiencing an unexpected boom.”

“Yes. Thanks to that, I’m also in a position that allows me to pursue my own ambitions. You can’t imagine how happy I am to be able to help the Duplain family.”

It was no longer simply a matter of “helping,” but she was practically maintaining it.

Leigh rubbed his face briefly, not knowing what to say. Although he was a duke, he found it embarrassing to depend on the progress of a barony to survive.

*Creak.*

“Oh, sister Aiselin. It’s been a long time since you returned to the main mansion.”

“Diella! You’re still as beautiful and adorable as ever! It breaks my heart not to be able to see you more often!”

“Y-yes…”

Diella, returning from her social activities in the noble district of Ebelstein, appeared in the patriarch’s office.

In the Rose Hall she always seemed haughty and moody, but in front of Aiselin she lowered her head like a gentle little lamb.

For anyone who had seen the “beast” Diella used to be, this was shocking.

Aiselin approached Diella with a radiant smile and embraced her, hiding her between her chest and her blonde hair.

Diella looked down shyly, her cheeks tight.

“I heard the news. There was a big confrontation between the Barony of Ravenclaw and Beltus.”

“Yes. Sir Dereck pushed for the resolution, but he was seriously injured and is recovering.”

“S-seriously injured…?”

“I was very worried too, but when he returned to the barony and we checked his condition, it seems the worst is over. He will recover in winter and return to work at the training center in spring.”

Diella immediately tensed with anxiety.

Dereck was the kind of man who would risk his life if it meant achieving a magical breakthrough.

Diella knew this better than anyone, and she couldn’t help but tap her foot on the floor, tense.

“I understand your concern. But there’s no need to feel burdened. He told me he would come to the Duplain mansion once he recovers.”

“D-Dereck… is coming?”

“Yes. He mentioned he wanted to talk to brother Leigh about something related to magical achievements…”

Leigh also arched an eyebrow, confused.

He didn’t have a close relationship with Dereck.

However, given that Aiselin worked at the Ravenclaw Center and that the Duplain family owed so much to the barony’s rise, they couldn’t treat him lightly.

Leigh rested his chin on his hand and sank into deep thought.

And Leigh wasn’t the only one absorbed in thought.

‘Dereck… Is Dereck coming…?’

Diella grabbed her head without realizing it, shaking it back and forth with anxiety.

The thought of seeing him again after so long made her extremely nervous.

They had seen each other several times before and had spoken, but Dereck always had the knack for making others tense.

His status and position had changed completely since Diella first met him.

Around him were dazzling disciples like Ellen, Denise, and Siern. Each of them extraordinary.

To be able to stand on equal footing with them, she felt she also needed to prove something.