Chapter 186

Chapter 186
### Chapter 186: Delirium (4)

– Bang!

The moment Derek crossed the threshold of the first floor in the great hall, all eyes of the nobility present were fixed on him unanimously. Unlike Princess Roselyn, who merely observed the panorama from the height of the balcony, Derek represented tangible authority, someone who dominated every corner of this institution.

Upon confirming his arrival, the murmur among the select guests inevitably grew in intensity.

“Hey! I demand an explanation of what has happened!”
“Have more victims been reported? What about the search efforts?”
“Please…! I will pay any sum necessary, just get me out of this place…!”
“Hiiiiii… Hnggg…!!”

Toward a corner of the enclosure, Kohlera, the last remaining magic advisor, sobbed uncontrollably while fear made him tremble. Even so, his position was perfectly visible from the balcony where Princess Roselyn was located. Only under the direct protection of the princess could one be safe from the intrigues of the witch who sought to sow chaos.

“The atmosphere is a ticking time bomb.”

Derek advanced with a firm step through the crowd, analyzing the expressions of the nobles. He identified Sirine, who remained imperturbable; Elente, who, although sweating from anxiety, remained silent; and also Diela, Aiselin, Denis, Trisha, Raeg, and Ryner; prominent figures from the elite spheres of the southwest of the continent.

Derek headed toward the main platform, feeling the weight of all eyes upon him, and took a deep breath.

– Bang!

He placed a voluminous tome on the pedestal with deliberation, inspecting his surroundings. A sepulchral silence took over the room, loading the air with a palpable tension. Derek closed his eyes for a brief second before speaking with serenity.

“A decision has been made to apply a radical measure. This action has the backing of Princess Roselyn and the chief magic advisor, Kohlera.”

“A… radical measure?”

“Continuing to wait will only cause the death toll to rise without giving us a way out. Therefore… it has been decided that certain sacrifices are necessary.”

An aristocrat questioned in a broken voice. Derek maintained his composure while fixing his gaze on the book.

“What you see here is a mystical object called the ‘Book of Vengeance’. It is the masterpiece of Chief Advisor Kohlera, developed over decades, and it is claimed to have the power to materialize wishes.”

“W-what?!”
“A personal treasure of the Chief Advisor himself?!”

Derek grazed the cover of the tome before delving with gravity into his explanation. However, he warned that assimilating its knowledge entails the total extinction of magical energy and a fatal hemorrhage. It is said that resisting that atrocious torment allows for the performance of prodigies that escape human understanding… but even such power has restrictions. There is a limited quota for granted requests. Most disturbing is that there is no way to know those limits beforehand; employing it is, in essence, a death sentence.

According to what Kohlera said, the book can grant magical faculties that far exceed the current level of the user. This would imply that Derek, who is near the 5-star level, could temporarily execute 6-star rank spells. The final cost is the absolute emptying of his magical essence, which leads irremediably to death.

A legendary volume destined only for those who possess longings so deep that they justify surrendering their existence.

“I will use this object to execute a 6-star level magic detection spell.”

The rumor of voices spread rapidly. Faced with Derek’s ambition to reach the pinnacle of magic, the book would hardly reject that sentiment. If the power obtained managed to reach the magnitude of a 6-star detection, the true face of the witch causing the confusion would come to light. Tracking magic is the natural antidote to confusion. Not even a 6-star level confusion expert could hide from the most powerful detection spell that exists.

After exposing the reality, Derek would vanish along with his magic. That was his resolution. A silence charged with electricity filled the room. No one dared to question Derek’s iron will. With deaths occurring one after another, Derek would surely be next on the list. If he surrendered himself to locate and stop the murders, the nobles had no choice but to praise such an act of surrender. The other option was simply waiting for their own turn to die.

– Pain!

However, Sirine, who had remained seated in a corner sunk in her reflections, stood up suddenly.

– Swish!

A massive, frigid wave of magical energy expanded throughout the room. The faces of the nobles lost their color upon feeling the cutting cold. When Sirine was truly irritated, she released that aura involuntarily, for she had not yet fully mastered her immense innate power.

“I do not agree, Derek.”

As was her habit, she did not mince words or give explanations. There were no emotional words about the uselessness of the sacrifice or about preserving life. She simply did not like the idea of Derek dying; it was a direct and personal stance.

Immediately, other members of Ravenclaw began to manifest.

“I have no idea what to believe about that book of vengeance… but there is no certainty whatsoever that it will work to capture the culprit. Stop talking nonsense, Derek.”

Diela went up to the platform, observed the book with disdain, and sentenced: “Surrender life for this? I prefer to concentrate efforts on breaking the seal of the barrier.”

“I think the same, Derek.”

Aiselin stood up from the Duplein rest area, with her gaze fixed.

“Sacrifice should not be the only path. You do not have to see yourself dragged into this.”

Despite these voices, the rest of the room began to see him as a martyr…

“It is amazing, Baron Ravenclaw…! What admirable bravery…!”
“Such a heroic act…! Your name will be remembered forever…!”

Upon hearing the praises, Aiselin showed bewilderment. As soon as a few began to glorify Derek’s surrender, the rest joined in quickly. Although Derek was not especially famous in the southwest, the recognition among the elite aristocracy for such a gesture was unparalleled. A low-ranking noble from the border areas was usually seen only as someone useful, but these cheers now treated him as the leader of a house of great prestige. Before the shadow of death, his willingness to die for justice catapulted him to a legendary status.

“What… what is happening? Why are they making so much noise…?”

While observing the scene, Trisha felt increasingly disoriented. The nobles who were cheering for Derek reminded her of desperate prey trying to escape a fire. It was an image too pathetic for the supposed dignity of their class. The fear of dying dominated them. If someone offered to take their place on the scaffold, they would applaud out of pure survival instinct. Trisha felt a pang of nausea. A cold sweat ran down her back seeing how her ideals about the nobility were crumbling in front of the reality of death.

“We are in your debt…! Do not falter!”
“Hold on, and the funds for House Ravenclaw will double!”
“You will receive support equal to that of the Duplein residence!”

The shouts of encouragement became deafening. Derek was treated as a redeemer, but behind those praises hid the satisfaction of knowing that it would be his blood, and not theirs, that would be spilled. Trisha’s nausea increased at such hypocrisy.

Derek, with slightly slumped shoulders, began to walk heavily to leave the place, making his way through the crowd. In his path, he received words of encouragement and looks charged with emotion, as if he were an incarnate divinity.

– Thud!

Someone stood in his way.

“Derek. Think it over well. Do you really believe there is no other way out?”

Everyone identified Lady Elente of Belmierd, who, visibly agitated, planted herself before him with courage. The tension increased. It was almost offensive to try to stop a hero determined to sacrifice himself, even for someone with Elente’s position in Belmierd. But she spoke with total seriousness.

“Your death is not necessary. Use your reason! You are under too much pressure due to the extremity of the situation! Stop saying crazy things.”

Although there were rumors, few dared to directly challenge the successor of the Belmierds.

With a trembling voice, Elente added: “Responsibility falls on the leaders, you are just an operational command. This exceeds your duties.”

Before Derek’s empty gaze, Elente bit her lip hard and clenched her fists. Just when it seemed she was going to use a magic restriction device…

– Bang!

A subject with a sloppy appearance emerged from the crowd. Grabbing Elente by the collar of her clothing and trying to fix his own disheveled hair, the man, who sported a several-day-old beard, gave off a strong smell of liquor.

“Let him take his own path, Elente.”

“R-Ryner? So you were really in Duplein…”

Why hinder Derek’s noble determination? It would only serve to make his sacrifice more bitter. Heroes have the right to a farewell worthy of them. Murmurs of approval ran through the room. Elente looked with absolute disbelief before tugging at Ryner’s clothing.

“Did you leave our family and now you come to lecture me? Is that it? Does Derek seem like someone who should simply die?”

“Calm down. That look of yours is capable of striking anyone down.”

Ryner let out a sigh smelling of alcohol before fixing his sight on Derek.

“You are going to roll the dice, right?”

“…”

The sharp perception of Ryner noticed something hidden; he sketched a smile of complicity before moving Elente out of the way.

“Chance is my thing. Are you looking for an expert opinion?”

“It’s fine, but the accounts are already calculated.”

Are there options for success? Is it a smart bet?

“Mungkin.”

“Perhaps… Well, in betting there is never total certainty.”

Elena trembled while she passed her gaze from one to the other. Derek made a small inclination of his head before marching with a heavy step toward the exit, in solitude. His silhouette, moving away under the cloak of stars, seemed like that of someone who was heading to a final duel against the 6-star level confusion mage.

After moving away from the bustle, Derek arrived at the northern training area. That secluded place, surrounded by the thicket of the forest, was plunged into gloom and only the chirping of crickets could be heard. Derek had sought isolation on purpose. Being alone, he took out the missive the princess had given him. He remembered what Roselyn had mentioned to him previously.

‘…’

After a moment of doubt, he put the letter away again. In its place, he took the Book of Hate and simply discarded it. While a current of magical energy began to manifest, a glow tore through the darkness of the clearing. Derek perceived it clearly. The enemy was approaching. He had come to finish him off personally. A chilling cold surrounded Derek’s lonely figure in the middle of the night. It was evident that the objective was his death.