Chapter 38

Chapter 38
## Chapter 38

I inquired about the Duplain estate, and it seems Lady Aiselin plans to come personally to the Raspah cave. The servants are already busy preparing for the trip.

The next morning, Bella, who had gone to the estate to collect provisions, brought news. It was not good news for Denise.

“…”

“What should we do, Lady Denise?”

“What can we do if Aiselin decides to act? Who could stop her?”

Denise’s expression turned complex. Although she was a girl full of confidence, she couldn’t help but think that the man would not be able to reject Aiselin if she presented herself in person.

In fact, he would probably respond very positively. Sinking into her luxurious tent, Denise finally let out a long sigh.

“It seems I must admit a slow defeat. That man, as inflexible as a folding screen, will never teach me magic, no matter what I do.”

“That’s right… winning someone’s heart is not easy.”

Denise was a person with much self-confidence and great self-esteem, but she was also the type of person who honestly admitted her flaws.

She knew perfectly well that forcing something that wasn’t meant to be would only cause more harm. Pressuring more or belittling herself would only prove counterproductive.

“Yes, I put a lot of effort into coming all the way to the Raspah cave when I could have stayed comfortably at the estate. Bella, notify the estate little by little. I will return soon.”

“Yes, yes… I will tell the butler. Shall we leave all the supplies here?”

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“Moving them would also be exhausting, so leave them all to Master Dereck, the mage.”

With a deep sigh, Denise seemed profoundly disappointed. To others, it might have looked like she was belittling him, but Bella, who had known her for so long, understood easily.

The greater the confidence a person has in their own abilities, the more discouraged they seem when they are affected.

Bella used to be irritated by Denise’s excessive confidence, but she inevitably felt a sting in her heart whenever Denise showed a rare display of vulnerability.

After all, they had been together since childhood. Knowing her so well, Bella also felt melancholy when Denise was unusually downcast.

“Let’s say goodbye one last time before leaving. Who knows if our paths will cross again in the future? Let’s consider it an investment for the future.”

Having said that, Denise let out an empty sigh, opening her eyes from exhaustion as she prepared to return to the powerless reality.

Bella, resting her chin on her hand, sank into thought before speaking with a certain skepticism. She often pointed out things that Denise had not considered.

“Aiselin is undoubtedly exceptional in many ways, but I wonder what she will be like as a student.”

“Eh?”

“Well, you know. Aiselin has mastered two-star magic at her age, and that is truly extraordinary. But honestly, how many teachers in the world could teach someone like that? Or does she even need a teacher?”

Bella tried to offer Denise a new perspective. More than just a personal maid, she was Denise’s companion.

“If I had to teach someone like her, I would feel pressured immediately. Of course, being Aiselin’s teacher is not an opportunity that just anyone can take lightly, but Dereck the mage does not seem like someone who lets himself be influenced by family background.”

“…”

“A true master of magic seeks those who need guidance, especially if they have principles.”

Dereck was a person with clear convictions.

He would do anything to master magic and usually made decisions without being influenced by social status. Bella had observed him over the last few days and was beginning to understand this about him.

Would Dereck accept Aiselin as a student just because she came from the wealthy Duplain family?

He was not one to make such simplistic judgments. In other words, there was still an opportunity for Denise.

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Denise had promised Dereck wealth and exceptional treatment to persuade him, praising the virtues of the Beltus family and the brilliant future he would have as her magic teacher.

But if she really wanted to convince Dereck… she needed a different approach.

What was important was not the magnitude of the exceptional treatment he would receive. Denise, although capable of thinking diversely, had never considered this aspect for a simple reason: she had lived her whole life as a noble.

Thus, Bella, a commoner and servant, could think of things that would never occur to Denise. Bella saw Dereck not just as a commoner, but as an honorable mage.

“Dereck must take into account more important criteria than medical treatment or family background when choosing a student.”

Most common people would long for wealth and honor. But Dereck, with his mysterious aura, was immune to such things.

“As you know, he does not skimp on his teaching. He even said he would positively consider the Duplain family’s request.”

“Then what are you trying to say, Bella?”

“Perhaps what is most important, beyond the treatment offered to the mage… is your own value, Lady Denise.”

Bella’s gaze was more serious than ever.

“Is she worth teaching?” That is the question. No matter how good the teaching is, if it means nothing to the recipient, no one will want to be their mentor.

Therefore, what Denise needed to demonstrate to Dereck was not noble treatment nor a renowned family background.

The question was whether she was worth teaching. That was the question. Denise remained sitting on the bed in silence for a moment. Seeing the situation through Bella’s eyes, she felt the pieces of her mind slowly begin to click into place.

In recent days, every time Denise visited him, Dereck interrupted his training to listen to her.

Although he spoke of impropriety and interruptions, he observed Denise’s reactions, listened to her various proposals, and, although he always reached a similar conclusion, systematically expressed his rejection.

He was someone trained by a six-star seeker mage. As they said, if he didn’t want to meet her, he could have avoided her completely. However, there was a reason why he kept seeing her, listening to her proposals, and politely rejecting them every time.

It wasn’t just out of respect for a noble lady from a prestigious family. Even with tired eyes, he continued to observe Denise.

“He is testing me, measuring my capacity,” Denise realized. Only then did she begin to catch a glimpse of the true intention hidden behind his ritualistic refusals.

He had been waiting for Denise to prove her sincerity, to reveal her true personality. Finally, Denise understood. She was the one being evaluated.

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The mage named Dereck was not someone who could be persuaded or manipulated. With her thoughts now in order, her perspective seemed to broaden. And then she felt sure.

“…Of course, Bella, your words are true, but they don’t mean much…”

Denise already knew. Even if she put all her cards on the table, Dereck would not be swayed.

In essence, she was someone who could not convince Dereck.

***

“Hello.”

In the depths of the cave, there was neither dawn nor dusk.

Naturally, being unable to distinguish between day and night, Dereck had no idea how much time had passed while he felt the magical flow and trained.

However, Denise occasionally informed him about the passage of time, so he could roughly calculate that another day had passed each time she visited him.

So, when Denise arrived again today, without fail, Dereck was about to greet her politely.

After spending so much time in front of Denise, there was no longer any tension. But today, Denise’s attitude was clearly different.

She brought neither maids nor guards, and she did not speak with her usual dignified eloquence.

The respectful tone she used to maintain had disappeared, and she simply arrived and greeted Dereck with indifference. Dereck’s eyebrows twitched for an instant, then, without much reaction, he tilted his head and said:

“You have returned today.”

“Yes. I thought it was time to give up.”

Denise had already stopped pretending it wasn’t necessary. Time and again, she knew that Dereck had uncovered all her facades.

What was the use of continuing to talk? She approached silently and sat in front of the rock where Dereck was, finally showing her bare and unprotected face.

“You are truly incredible. How can you remain unfazed even though I come here every day?”

“You have treated a commoner mage with too much generosity. When you return to the estate, please find someone more suitable to instruct the young lady of House Beltus.”

“Enough. You know as well as I do that I didn’t come here to learn magic. I simply thought I would be the first to find you, since you are the most popular magic teacher lately.”

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Dereck was quite sure of her frankness. In fact, she had removed the mask.

“It’s not that I had much desire to convince anyone, and it seems you will be the one giving classes to Lady Aiselin, so I suppose I will give up too.”

“Well, I said I would consider it positively, but that doesn’t mean I promised to teach Lady Aiselin.”

“Oh, listen to yourself! You left the door open. What a scoundrel!”

“…”

“…”

When Dereck looked at her with an expression that said “What are you talking about?”, Denise sighed deeply. It seemed she could finally glimpse what Dereck was really like.

No matter what tricks she used, this man would never fall for them. At that moment, Denise was sure of it.

“Lady Aiselin will come personally to the Raspah cave today.”

“…”

“Since we are here, I’ll take the opportunity to say it: you’re right. The truth is, I don’t like magic much.”

Lady Denise spoke with a sigh, her voice tinged with resignation.

“It used to be fun for me, but over time I liked it less and less. So I don’t have many ambitions to achieve great things in the world of magic. To someone as immersed in magic as you, I must seem like a failure.”

“I don’t think it’s that distant…”

“Yes, deep down. Well, it’s no wonder you don’t consider me your student.”

The more Denise observed Dereck absorbed in magic, the more her confidence diminished.

Dereck’s passion for magic was genuine. Without a doubt, someone with a strong desire for self-improvement like Aiselin would be the perfect apprentice for him.

At some point, Denise stopped seeking magical success.

“Why don’t you like magic?”

“…”

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Denise, sitting quietly on the rock in front of him, remained silent for a moment.

It was the first time Dereck had asked her something personal. He had ignored her when she talked non-stop, but now that she had opened up, he finally showed interest. He was truly unpredictable.

“Magic is supposed to be fun, right?”

“Isn’t it always like that? Before… it seemed fun…”

Denise sighed deeply as she reflected.

Indeed, there was a time in her youth when she studied magic all day. As the favorite lady of House Beltus, receiving the attention of the elders, she had immersed herself in magic from a very young age.

Closing her eyes, she felt as if the darkness engraved an image of her younger self onto her retina.

A liar and lazy, with a “good enough” mentality, there surely was a time when she actively participated in everything. It was a distant past, from when she was still very young, but she was once pure.

However, the moment when her passion faded and was lost came unexpectedly.

“It wasn’t exactly that magic was fun, but rather the reactions of my family, who praised every achievement I reached.”

The girl would hide in a corner of her room, devouring various magic books and constantly perfecting her power whenever she had time.

Was the process fun? The truth is, no. It was rather exhausting and grueling. But every time she presented her achievements to her family, they would clap and rejoice.

As a true mage of the Beltus family, everyone overflowed with joy. And when they smiled, Lady Denise did too.

‘Well done.’ ‘Good job.’ ‘You did great.’ ‘Impressive.’ ‘Exceptional.’

Amidst so much praise, the naive girl deceived herself into believing that magic was fun.

Realizing this, Denise could only open her eyes.

Seeing Dereck, who remained impassive, she wondered if his excessive enthusiasm came from his pure love for magic, envious of his total devotion to it.

Finally she understood why she had shown such inappropriate passion. The bitter aftertaste still remained on her tongue.

“Just doing magic exercises every day, one day, in the middle of a pile of books, the question suddenly came to my mind: ‘Why am I doing this?’”

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“…”

“That was all. There was no great trigger or a sad story behind it. Like most people, one day… I changed.”

Both Denise and Dereck knew it.

Changes in life values do not always occur through dramatic and significant events.

In a silent room, on a table piled with books, a thought slipped through the darkness, accompanied by the buzzing of insects outside the window.

And then, looking around, there was only a young woman who tirelessly perfected her magic every day.

Seeing the books and magical tools scattered about, and seeing her striving so hard, even at the cost of sleep, she wondered why she had never questioned it before.

Why am I doing this?

Such a simple question.

Denise was not interested in magic. In fact, she preferred debating skills or writing.

Although she had achieved some success, her magical talent was not evident at first. Constant training was nothing more than self-imposed suffering. Even so, she strove to obtain praise.

Grand Duke Beltus always seemed pleased when Denise reached a higher level, for he felt that the Beltus name had been exalted. The elders shared that sentiment.

But one night, while the girl was absorbed in her spellbook, a sudden restlessness seized her.

It was then that she realized her focus was not on her own achievements, but on the prestige of the family surname; a wave of doubt assailed her without warning.

As if tripping over a stone while running, everything stopped. She felt as if she collapsed, like a puppet whose strings are cut.

What would she call that feeling? Too intense to call it frustration, too subtle to call it emptiness. She did not try to define that twisted emotion.

It was not a pain deep enough to lament, nor a trivial matter to ignore.

She realized her life was like a cart with square wheels. Somehow it moved toward a destination, but inevitably, one day it would crumble from exhaustion. If not now, structurally, it would happen sooner or later.

Then the girl rose abruptly from her desk and lay on the bed. As she sank slowly into the soft blanket, she finally felt that something that had oppressed her, as if it were shackles, had been released.

Thus, the young woman’s time dissolved in her luxurious bed.

Seasons passed, flowers bloomed and withered, the sun rose and set. Since she didn’t like the sunlight entering her dark room, she drew the heavy curtains, lived just enough, and let everything take its course.

On the days of mandatory attendance at Rose Hall, she saw ambitious young women like Aiselin and Ellen. From her observer’s seat, with her chin resting on her hand and an indifferent gaze, she would occasionally murmur to herself: “Everyone lived with seriousness.”

They rejoiced as if launching themselves into the conquest of success, gritted their teeth at defeat, oscillated between superiority and inferiority, rejoiced and blamed themselves: joys and sorrows, like alternating baths of hot and cold water. Thus, the hall was full of people navigating the waves of life in their own way.

The girl, with her chin propped up and looking with indifference, always had similar thoughts.

Everyone is going through difficulties.

“I’ve thought a lot, and… I guess I envy you.”

“…”

“Surely someone like you will become a great mage.”

Having said this, the girl, who had freed herself from all her burdens, rose from her seat. The achievements of the boy named Dereck were entirely his own merit. He had received no support from a wealthy family, nor from anyone, nor did he have expectations from a family chasing worldly power. He belonged to no family; he was simply Dereck.

But Denise did not elaborate with such self-indulgent words. For some people, having an exceptional family environment and unconditional support could be their most pressing need.

She was not so reckless as to say pretty words in front of a boy from the slums who had grown up in the harshest environments.

So she simply acknowledged the boy’s achievements in silence and rose from her seat.

“We shall meet again, if fate permits.”

With a carefree wave, Denise walked toward the exit of the cave, her steps as slow and tired as ever.

Seeing Denise’s languid gait, Dereck suddenly spoke.

“However, let me clarify one thing. Magic is a field of study deeper and more fascinating than Lady Denise imagines.”

“…”

“It’s not that I was passionate about magic from the beginning and decided to study it. I was just a slum kid, desperate to cling to any mage I saw, gritting my teeth to learn, simply to survive. Like others, I got involved when I learned.”

Dereck spoke without looking Denise in the eyes. Denise could easily imagine the life of the young mage. In any case, the path he had traveled was more like a thorny trail than a path of roses.

“Don’t hate magic too much.”

“You are always so consistent.”

Denise responded with a hollow laugh.

***

When Denise emerged from the cave entrance, the Duplain family servants had already arrived in droves.

They were guarding a luxurious carriage. It was obvious who was inside.

As Denise composed herself and passed by the carriage, Aiselin looked at her with wide eyes.

When Aiselin hurried down from the carriage to show her respects, Denise gestured with her hand, stopping her.

As always, with a tired expression and barely a hint of courtesy, she passed Aiselin’s carriage and headed toward the plain.

No one in the world could deny the sincerity of Aiselin, who had arrived at the cave with such respect. In the end, she was the only one who could persuade the rugged magic master.

Sitting in the carriage back to the mansion, Denise looked up at the vast sky.

“The sun is shining too brightly. Uf…”

“This time things didn’t go according to plan. I will inform the Duke that we tried, but it didn’t work.”

“Well, if it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be. My father won’t be too stingy about it. Being pretty and smart doesn’t solve everything, does it?”

“…”

Denise always enjoyed seeing how Bella’s expression changed when she bragged shamelessly with a serious face. She laughed to herself and then, resting her chin on the windowsill, looked back at the sky.

“Let’s go home and assume this has been a failure.”

A strange sense of relief mixed with the weight that oppressed her. The next day, shocking news shook Rose Hall.

Aiselin, of the Duplain family, had personally taken her maids to the outskirts of Ebelstain, but the magic master named Dereck had politely refused to teach her.

Those who called themselves masters of magic used to cling to the hem of her skirt and beg her to accept them as a student.

The noble ladies were already in an uproar that morning, wondering how someone could reject Aiselin—a talent so valuable that even she had been rejected.

He claimed that Aiselin was a ship too large to be taught. How could a whale destined to roam the ocean be contained in a simple stream?

Thus, his polite refusal, which honored her and preserved her dignity, was heard throughout the hall for a while.

“Wow… he is even more obsessed with magic than I imagined…”

Hearing the news that morning, Denise blinked in disbelief.

She knew he was unpredictable, an incomprehensible enigma. But to reject Aiselin, her specifically… Even after hearing it clearly, Denise couldn’t help but doubt her ears.

“He said he would wait until my training was finished, but he refused… To what extent is he immersed in his obsession with magic?”

It happened while she was walking down the hallway of the Beltus house for breakfast.

She had finished eating early and was about to return to Ebelstein when she bumped into the Duke of Beltus, who was leaving his office accompanied by several servants.

The two were far from having a warm family bond.

Even so, Denise managed to flash a warm smile and behaved with elegance.

“Father. Good morning. The weather today…”

“Oh, Denise. My dear daughter.”

The Duke of Beltus approached her with a radiant smile and patted her shoulder. Although they maintained family formality, they had never been so affectionate. Disguising her growing panic, Denise responded.

“Ah, father?”

“A letter arrived this morning. The mage from the Raspah cave has sent a letter to the Beltus family, inquiring about various conditions. It seems he rejected Duplain’s offer and is considering ours.”

“Do you mean… Aiselin’s?”

“Yes. It seems you are the most capable in matters of high society, Denise. Unlike superficial nobles, your way of handling things is different. Truly, my dear daughter is the most reliable. Ha, ha, ha!”

The Duke of Beltus laughed loudly, his voice rising reflecting his good mood. He seemed extremely pleased with the news of having secured Dereck over the Duplain and Belmierd families.

“Truly, Denise, you are the best! How did you manage to convince such a stoic man…? I wonder what your secret is!”

*He chose me? Instead of Aiselin?*

Denise herself was completely stunned. She was the one most curious to know how all that had happened.

Deep down, she admitted that Dereck was not someone with whom one could have a serious relationship. And yet, he had rejected all offers and chosen her.

*‘…But why???’*

He was someone who never conformed to the world’s expectations. Denise could not understand what was happening; her eyes darted nervously around her.

She had to admit it.

Trying to measure a man like Dereck was a futile effort from the start.