Chapter 147

Chapter 147
## Chapter 147
### Kohella Deinalt Elvester.

“The old vixen of Gremport Palace sent a letter saying she would visit the Ravenclaw territory in about four days.”

This was no ordinary person, but the Chief Imperial Magic Advisor and the most famous figure in the magical world, who said she was coming all the way to this remote region.

Even the servants of Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion, who had already become quite proficient at attending to important guests, couldn’t help but grow tense once again.

Every time they began to get used to something, a new trial arrived, so the maids and servants of the mansion were already half-dead inside.

“If Lady Kohella is coming personally, we must receive her according to imperial protocol. There will be much to prepare…”

As the butler and the head of the maids frowned, Dereck continued cleaning the blade of his sword and commented as if nothing were wrong.

“I don’t think we have that much time.”

Delbriton and the head of the maids, Lana, looked at him, soaked in sweat.

“How much time do we have then? With the experience of having served important nobles before, if we had three or four days, we could prepare everything quickly.”

“She says she arrives tomorrow.”

Dereck glanced sideways at the open letter.

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Following those words, the faces of the two servants responsible for the mansion turned even paler.

***

Kohella was a surprisingly agile person for the position she held.

If she needed to investigate something, she appeared anywhere. Although protocol required her to travel with at least a dozen subordinates, she often disappeared alone.

The presence of a companion was merely a matter of etiquette, nothing more.

A 6-star mage did not need guards to protect her life.

So it was not strange that she simply appeared out of nowhere.

At dusk the following day, Imperial Advisor Kohella appeared alone in front of the main gate of the Ravenclaw mansion.

The maids had already prepared a space to house her carriage and another area for the servants who were supposedly accompanying her.

But upon seeing Kohella, they could not believe their eyes.

She did not arrive in a carriage.

She did not bring servants.

She simply walked along, dragging a massive magic staff, larger than her own body.

She wore a light violet robe with some adornments, a cotton blouse, a linen skirt, and a huge amber necklace.

She approached the mansion as if she had just stepped out for a walk.

Gremport Palace, where her laboratory was located, was a considerable distance away even when traveling by carriage, but she did not seem to have made such a long journey.

“Mmm, nice mansion.”

Her voice was rough and brittle like a dry branch.

“Thank you for the long journey.”

*Journey? Nonsense. Just an old mage taking a stroll.*

Dereck looked at her in silence.

The way age had left its mark on her exterior emanated a special authority.

If Drest had a poor and fragile appearance, Kohella looked like an elegant old woman who had aged surrounded by luxury and power.

That was natural; she had lived her entire life as the chief advisor of the empire and matriarch of the Elvester family.

Kohella sat at the reception table and firmly pressed her back against the backrest of the chair.

“The old body always complains when you overload it with work. Lately, my back hurts a lot.”

“You must take good care of yourself. You are the elder of the Elvester family.”

“Yes, yes. I heard you are a disciple of Katia, the one who is lately giving lessons to my adorable granddaughter.”

Young Freya, of the Elvester family, was being instructed by Katia Flameheart, Dereck’s master.

Although Dereck had already surpassed Katia’s level, he continued to show respect toward the one who had once been his teacher.

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“4-star magic at your age: you are advancing at almost the same pace as Lord Melverot of the north. I thought I should see you at least once.”

Kohella let out a laugh and continued.

“Well, now you are Baron Ravenclaw. I must treat you accordingly. I spoke too lightly. When one grows old, one gets used to looking down on the young. Consider this the clumsiness of an old woman.”

“No problem.”

Although Dereck was a young baron from a remote region, he still belonged to the nobility, so Kohella adopted a more respectful tone, though Dereck found it uncomfortable.

He didn’t know why, but that old mage was difficult to deal with.

She said she spoke naturally out of habit, yet she still insisted on treating him like a noble.

It was hard to tell if there was any intention behind that change.

“I brought you the medal of merit that His Majesty Guttrel personally awards you. Reaching the rank of a 4-star mage is an achievement that His Majesty values greatly. It is a great honor. If you ever approach the capital, you must present yourself and thank him.”

“Thank you.”

Dereck received several letters from her and placed them on the table.

They were surely ceremonial documents of appointments and recognitions, so he didn’t need to read them to imagine their content.

“I didn’t think the chief advisor would come in person. You must have many matters to attend to.”

“Of course. But lately, Baron Ravenclaw has been doing many things, hasn’t he? There was so much talk about him that the rumors were heard even in the capital.”

“I was thinking of requesting the approval of the imperial mages regarding the construction of the Academy in Duplain.”

“And that should be done before starting construction, don’t you think?”

Kohella smiled.

She didn’t seem angry.

She was simply observing Dereck.

“Yes. As you know, I am still unaware of the correct procedures, so I made a mistake in the order of the steps. I apologize to you.”

“There is no need to apologize. For the empire, it is a positive thing. Why would we reject an educational institution with a noble purpose? Although we must also confirm that said purpose is, indeed, noble.”

She smiled serenely, but her words had a sharp tone.

“I am the one who confirms those things. That is why I have come all the way to this remote Ravenclaw territory.”

Dereck decided to respond directly.

Surely she had already deduced almost everything.

“It is not a very noble purpose. Teaching magic is interesting and useful, but of course, I also have other motives.”

“I see. Will you give me a hint?”

“It is money, of course.”

Kohella arched an eyebrow, amused.

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They say that selling even a piece of string to a noble makes you a millionaire.

An academy filled exclusively with nobles: merchants would die of envy.

“You say that was the first, so there must be another motive.”

“It is about rehabilitating the Duplain family.”

“Hooh.”

If he installed a facility of that level in their territory, Duplain could recover.

They were the faction closest to Dereck, practically an extension of the Ravenclaw barony thanks to Aiselin.

Kohella smiled mischievously.

“Baron Ravenclaw seems to feel a great affection for the Duplains. To do so much for a family that was beginning to falter…”

There were also other reasons—such as bringing stability to his barony or creating a self-sufficient academy—but he did not mention them.

Kohella surely only wanted to hear this part.

“From the perspective of this old woman, your actions seem like maneuvers to unite allied forces and become a power in the southwest of the continent.”

“…”

Kohella’s eyes narrowed.

The intuition of someone who had lived her life as a high-ranking noble.

Dereck thought about how to respond, but Kohella let out a giggle.

“You don’t have to get so tense. Not all nobles are like Grand Duke Beltus.”

“…”

“If someone with a talent for magic, who will become a great asset to the empire, begins to expand their influence, we—the empire—consider it a very positive thing. You have no reason to fear being suppressed.”

Kohella was addicted to magical knowledge.

Although she sometimes crossed all limits, she always showed goodwill toward talented mages.

With Dereck’s growth rate, it was obvious he would reach 5 stars and even more.

That was why she had no intention of making him her enemy.

Even so, Dereck did not lower his guard.

“Among 6-star mages, there are none who are normal.”

He had heard it thousands of times.

That old woman, though elegant and serene, surely harbored madness in some corner of her soul.

Melverot observed her more than anyone.

Hidden madness is always the most dangerous.

“If Baron Ravenclaw wishes to rise in the noble ranks, this old woman can give him some advice.”

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Melverot was not interested in politics.

Drest wasn’t either.

Fina even less so.

Among the 6-star mages, Kohella was the one who knew the most about earthly power.

Her advice would be valuable.

“Baron Ravenclaw seems not to know how to use the authority he already possesses. It is good to reinforce an alliance with the academy, but, in addition, there is a parallel method you could employ, don’t you think?”

“…I’m not quite sure what you mean exactly.”

“The Baron is causing a great stir in the noble circle of Ebelstein, you know? I’ve heard there are young nobles queuing up to become your direct disciples. In that case, you should take advantage of the opportunity.”

Kohella pressed her aching back several times, leaned against the chair, and spoke with her arms crossed.

“If I were Baron Ravenclaw, I would accept at least one more direct disciple. Then, those who wanted to occupy that position would begin to appear one after another, competing with each other.”

“…Accepting more direct disciples is not something I haven’t thought about…”

“And better yet if you announce that you will choose from among the students of the academy.”

Indeed, Kohella’s words made sense. Thanks to the fact that Dereck’s direct disciples already enjoyed a considerable reputation, more and more people wanted to take that place.

If word got out that a student with good academic performance could become Dereck’s fifth direct disciple, it would undoubtedly help increase the number of applicants.

“It is good advice. I think I can put it into practice.”

“There’s more. Baron Ravenclaw said he wants to boost the Duplain family even further, didn’t he? Then, isn’t there a more efficient and simpler method? You have excellent disciples, and I don’t understand why you don’t use them.”

The old fox of the empire, Kohella, had a political instinct sharp as a razor.

She even smiled with an irritating calmness.

“Disciples may seem equal, but there is always an order. My own disciples also have different skill levels, but the hierarchy is very clearly defined.”

Kohella had many more disciples than Dereck. And having many disciples meant possessing an enormous level of influence.

However, properly controlling a large number of people was difficult, which is why the founders of magic academies usually established rules and hierarchies among them.

“If you plan to accept more disciples, it is also the duty of the master to establish order and hierarchy among them. Otherwise, relationships become chaotic. And these ranks are generally based on the same criterion.”

“…”

While Dereck reflected, Kohella gave him the answer directly.

“Who started receiving instruction first? That is usually the clearest point to establish the hierarchy. Don’t you think?”

Undoubtedly, someone who had spent their entire life among the high nobility would think differently.

For Kohella, the network of relationships between master and disciples around Dereck was a massive political plot.

Regardless of secular titles, Dereck could create a new axis of power within his group of disciples. And in that realm, he could exercise absolute control.

If the master considers the first disciple who learned by his side as the most prominent, the others will naturally follow her.

Of course, secular titles cannot be ignored.

But anyone who wants to learn from Dereck could not ignore the hierarchy he established.

The result?

It was enough to think about who was the first disciple to receive instruction from Dereck.

When Dereck finished organizing his thoughts and looked silently at Kohella, she smiled from ear to ear.

He wanted to ask her why she gave him that kind of advice, but she did not answer.

“In fact, the nobility is surely already reacting. That place is full of people extremely sensitive to these things. I heard that today is the meeting of the Rose Hall, so the atmosphere must be very different.”

Hidden under the shadows of her cloak, Kohella smiled as if she could already clearly foresee how the power structure in Ebelstein would change.

There was still much to discuss, but one thing was clear: the head of that old woman was full of vipers.

***

– Murmur, murmur.

The meeting at Rose Hall.

It was a routine event, but due to the recent changes in the situation around Ebelstein, the atmosphere was unusually tense.

Rumors circulated about many families, but the main topic was information about the new emerging force of Ravenclaw and its disciples.

The four direct disciples of Baron Ravenclaw, the most renowned instructor in Ebelstein.

Just by receiving his teachings, one’s magical level increased considerably. Therefore, among all the young nobles who frequented the Rose Hall, the four with the greatest magical knowledge were precisely Dereck’s disciples.

Diella, Ellen, Denise, Siern.

And the possible fifth disciple, about whom rumors circulated among the nobility, though only at the level of whispers.

*Click.*

In the midst of the tense atmosphere, the door of the drink lounge opened and a young woman entered.

– I-it’s Lady Diella.

—Should we talk to her? She’s very scary…

– Even so… if we don’t do it now, we’ll never have another chance…

Short in stature, almost like a doll, with her golden hair like silk threads.

If you didn’t provoke her, she was a young lady as beautiful as a porcelain doll.

But everyone knew that inside her lived a beast.

Diella walked proudly amidst the furtive glances of the other nobles, as always. Her attitude had not changed.

If you left her alone, she was an adorable little lady; if you provoked her, she bit without distinguishing between friend and foe.

However, no one dared to say a single unpleasant word to her.

*Lately, everyone looks at me with faces that put me in a bad mood. What a nuisance!*

Diella walked with irritated steps.

It had been some time since the ducal house of Duplain had begun its decline. Its prestige was no longer that of its golden age.

And yet…

Diella was getting closer and closer to becoming a central figure of the Rose Hall.

Not even she herself was aware of that change.

The reason?

It was enough to think of Dereck’s disciples, who formed the axis of Ebelstein’s social circle.

Diella Katherine Duplain.

She was the first to receive direct instructions from Dereck.

If the hierarchy was established by that order…

She was number one among his disciples.

Along with Aiselin, Baron Ravenclaw’s most competent right hand, Diella stood at the head of the group.

The two Duplain sisters were the right and left arms of the man who was becoming the core of Ebelstein’s social power.

“You’re in the way.”

Diella spoke in an irritated tone, and a young noble nearby flinched in startle and immediately moved away.

Diella sat down, rested her chin on her hand, and watched with indifference.

The other nobles watched her gestures as if they were vassals looking at their king.

It seemed as if a huge crown rested upon that small head.

Even when the house of the Duplains trembled, Diella was a beast that devoured everything around her with her mere presence.

What would happen if she were granted actual authority and power?

The answer was obvious.

A tyrant would rule.

And within Ebelstein, there were only two people capable of controlling her.

The resurgence of the Duplain family had already begun.