Chapter 31

Chapter 31
## Chapter 31

The Archmage Adelbert, considered the patriarch of the aristocratic disciplinary school, evaluated factors such as scale, range, duration, spell complexity, and effect potency when categorizing magic levels.

While recognized magic levels reach up to the sixth, secular mages speak of a seventh level—a realm never before attained.

In his memoirs, Adelbert revealed that he was inspired by the Big Dipper when designing the magic system.

The Big Dipper has seven stars; why should the magic system stop at six?

Therefore, mages believe in the existence of a mythical seventh level, a realm that no one has reached yet.

On the other hand, unorthodox mages who have recently deviated from tradition claim that the seventh level is simply a tribute left by Adelbert, a devoted follower of the religion of the Bolton continent, as an homage to his god.

In essence, the seven-star rank is considered the domain of the gods, implying that humans should not aspire to it and, therefore, it should not be given disproportionate importance.

The debate over the existence of seven-star beings has always been heated, but in practice, it is difficult to speak of it seriously.

After all, the number of mages who have reached the sixth level in human history can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Throughout history, there have only been ten, and the number of living sixth-level mages currently known in the entire continent is a mere four.

Sixth-level mages, having reached such a degree, cannot be easily utilized even by the most powerful. Each is a legendary being.

Sixth-level magic can rewrite the laws of the world or redraw entire maps.

It was said that Calimford, the sixth-level battle mage who fell in the “Dawn War,” was capable of summoning meteor showers.

And Kellin, the famous chaos mage of the Delrim Mountains, could supposedly completely dominate someone’s mind just by looking them in the eye. Of course, he is also a figure of the past.

Most sixth-level mages are historical figures whose names only appear in history books.

In this era, only four sixth-level mages remain alive: Sir Melverot, victor of the North and swordsman of the royal family; Cohela, principal magic advisor to the imperial family; and the other two are less known compared to those affiliated with royalty.

Naturally, Dereck knew something about the other two.

Being a sixth-level mage meant having overwhelming influence in the world, so even someone like him, not very interested in the game’s history, had heard of them.

One of them was Pineda, the youngest daughter of a small baronial family from the grain-producing southeast region. She was a master of forbidden necromancy—corpse magic—and due to her cursed talent, her existence was kept secret.

And the other was… Sir Drest WolfTail of the southwestern continent.

—

The spiritual pillar of the Drest Academy of Magic, located north of Belmierd County, and the world’s only sixth-level explorer mage.

“Is Drest going to visit Ebelstain?”

“Yes. The schedule for the customs agreement was moved up, likely taking Sir Drest’s travels into account.”

“That is why the young and generous lord of Belmierd is heading to Ebelstain, hiding such a secret.”

Duke Duplain frowned as he calmly listened to Valerian’s report.

The ruler of Belmierd was always a fool when it came to Ellen. But that didn’t mean he didn’t think.

There was a reason for the sudden change in the schedule for the meeting with Ebelstain. If possible, he intended to meet with Drest first.

There had to be a reason why Drest, who rarely left the academy, was visiting Ebelstain.

It was he who acquired the sixth-level explorer magic “Future Sight.”

If he began to involve himself in external affairs instead of remaining at the academy, all the surrounding nobles would become tense and watch his movements closely. Whenever he participated in external affairs, it usually meant that events of great historical importance were about to occur.

In short, he was a living omen.

*«That dying old man must be plotting something again. Perhaps I will have to act on my own.»*

As Duke Duplain reflected on this, he also considered what his next step would be.

As an explorer mage, bothering him clumsily would only generate hostility.

“Father. There is also a letter from Aiselin.”

“Ah? From Aiselin?”

Duke Duplain rarely showed changes in his expression. He had always been an impassive figure, sitting at his desk, diligently performing his duties.

However, when it came to news about Aiselin—the treasure of the Duplain family—even a man as rigid as he seemed to soften a bit.

“Yes. The content includes questions about the family’s well-being… and she has requested a magic instructor.”

“A magic instructor for Aiselin? Of course, we provided several for her in her childhood, but since she grew up, she preferred to study magic on her own, claiming it was more effective…”

“That is the problem. Perhaps she has started to feel some limitations…”

“Hm…”

Duke Duplain reflected deeply, stroking his chin several times. If his beloved daughter had gone to the trouble of writing a letter, it was only natural to grant her request.

Furthermore, Aiselin rarely made requests in advance. Instead of asking favors of others, she was an exemplary young woman who first thought about what she could do for the family and the home. A request from her was extremely valuable.

As a father, he often wished his daughter would depend on him more, so when Aiselin herself asked for help, he was more than willing to provide his full support.

“But… she specifically mentioned Dereck.”

“Dereck? The mercenary who taught Diella?”

“Yes. It seems he has been working as a mercenary in Ebelstain.”

“Then it’s simple. Why not hire him directly?”

Dereck had left the Duplain family lands for two reasons. One was that he no longer had anything more to teach Diella, and the other was that he could no longer continue his magical achievements there.

His work as a mercenary in Ebelstain, exploring real battlefields, was also a means to boost his magical progress.

In that sense, there were no major obstacles. He could continue his mercenary work in Ebelstain while occasionally giving private magic lessons to Aiselin. Money was not an issue.

However, Valerian’s expression suggested there was a problem.

“This… is not so simple.”

“Is there a problem? If it were simple, Aiselin wouldn’t have sent that letter.”

“Well… he currently has a contract to tutor the young lady of the Belmierd family.”

“Hm…”

Valerian’s worried expression now made sense.

Given his itinerant nature, it was not unusual for him to teach anyone, anywhere.

There has always been a shortage of talent. In the current social context, finding a good magic teacher was as difficult as plucking stars from the sky, and the only reason someone like Dereck was not famous was simply due to his humble origins.

However, if his ability had been recognized enough to compensate for his background, the story would be different. Regarding the competition for recruitment, there were aspects that Aiselin could not handle on her own.

She seemed determined to bring Dereck back. It was the first time that such a sweet young woman had desired something with such intensity.

Should he send Butler Delron to negotiate firmly? Sending the butler in person might create gaps in the estate’s affairs, but for external matters like this, it is better to be sure, right?

“No, it’s fine.”

“Eh?”

Duke Duplain observed the weather outside. Winter was almost over, and it seemed the warm sun would soon shine upon the land.

“Since I need to visit Ebelstain for the matter regarding Drest, it will be easier to resolve everything at once.”

“…Will you go yourself?”

Valerian opened his eyes in disbelief. How could a Duke travel personally just to recruit a magic instructor?

However, with the intention of personally meeting Sir Drest WolfTail and resolving the customs agreement in a single trip, it seemed he had planned to visit Dereck during his stay there.

“…”

Although he was killing two birds with one stone, every step the Duke took was worth its weight in gold.

No matter how expensive the magic instructor was, no one could refuse a direct invitation from the Duke of a nation to Ebelstain.

***

Lady Ellen’s duel ended in defeat, but she still paid Dereck all the promised gold.

His principle was not to accept full payment for a failed commission, but Ellen insisted so firmly that Dereck ended up accepting the full amount.

His conscience was somewhat uneasy, but the sum was large enough to provide him some comfort.

“Dereck. I think I’ll take a break.”

Apparently, Ellen had understood something during her duel with Aiselin, and fatigue was reflected in her face. She planned to take a break from her studies and stay at the manor to clear her mind.

Dereck observed Ellen’s expression and finally nodded his head in agreement.

For a teenager, an adequate period of introspection was an important part of life. Losing and finding oneself at least once was essential.

For this reason, Dereck gently encouraged Ellen with a few words.

“You’re still working with the Beldern Mercenaries, right?”

“Yes.”

“Will you come to teach me magic again?”

Although she looked tired, Ellen spoke as if she needed confirmation of something.

Dereck looked at her calmly and then responded in a low voice.

“I’m not sure what else I could teach you, Lady Ellen. Have you not already reached a competent level in first-tier magic?”

“…That is true.”

Ellen looked at Dereck and then continued slowly.

“But still, Dereck. When I look at you, I feel like you’re not just a first-tier mage like me.”

“I’m just a mercenary who knows a bit of first-tier magic.”

“If you keep developing, you could become much more. You seem to have enough talent.”

“Thank you for your kind words. However, there are limits to the level of power magic can reach for common folk.”

Ellen’s intuition was sharp, but Dereck flatly denied it.

Then Ellen looked calmly into Dereck’s eyes. Her gaze, soft yet firm, was held by Dereck for a long moment. It was a gaze without harshness.

Finally, Ellen gave a dry chuckle and said brightly, “Then, alright.”

*Creak.*

The creaking of the wooden door announced its closing. It was the sound of Dereck returning home.

Dereck still occupied the residence that his mentor, Katia, had previously used.

Not for any particular reason, but simply because moving elsewhere was too much trouble. He didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, and the location was strategic: near the tavern district.

Late at night, Dereck returned home and pulled a small wooden chest from under his bed.

Inside the sturdy chest was a large amount of gold coins, along with various treasures and gems. They were the result of several commissions he had completed.

“I’ve saved up quite a bit. Perhaps it’s time to think about buying some magic equipment.”

Dereck dreamed of having his own staff or wand, but high-quality magic artifacts were so expensive that even nobles thought twice before buying them.

He longed for a staff capable of casting advanced magic, but even that was out of reach unless he surpassed the threshold of the three-star rank.

In reality, such items were inaccessible to common people, and even if purchased, it wouldn’t be easy to use them freely. Perhaps a magic wand, easier to carry and hide, would be a better option.

The most important thing was to master three-star magic as the top priority. Three-star magic was on a completely different level compared to two-star magic.

While two-star magic focused on personal attack power, three-star magic introduced spells on a scale that allowed for tactical use even in group battles.

In combat magic, there were spells such as seismic shifts or walls of fire capable of large-scale area attacks, and in the realm of confusion, there were spells that could disorient someone’s senses.

Especially in the field of detection, mastering three-star magic allowed one to directly perceive all the magical tricks surrounding them.

“Accepting commissions from nobles is certainly profitable, but it consumes too much time and has no relation to actual combat, which doesn’t help my magic progress. That is indeed a problem.”

Hunting magic beasts and exploring labyrinths were significant for Dereck’s magical progress.

Supervising a noble lady’s magic might bear some fruit, but it rarely contributed to his own mastery. Sometimes teaching provided insights, but the limits were clear.

After earning enough money, perhaps it was time to focus on his magical achievements.

With that in mind, Dereck carefully counted the money in the chest. It was enough to live without worries for a while.

“Yes… For now, I must focus on my achievements and avoid accepting any teaching commissions.”

He believed that teaching others had its value, but more importantly, he wanted to become an extraordinary mage.

His desire to overcome the three-star magic barrier was more urgent than anything else.

“I’ve rested enough; it’s time to take on significant commissions. I wonder if Pheline is available.”

Because of this, Dereck decided to take a break from his work as a magic instructor.

There was one week left before the visit of Belmierd, the Prince of Change, and Duplain, the Grand Duke, to Ebelstain.

Unfortunately for Dereck, rulers had a habit of never leaving capable people alone.