Chapter 60

Chapter 60
**Chapter 60**

The reason why Lady Freya, of the Freya family, was able to avoid the disaster at the Duplain mansion was because the Mont Blanc she ate during afternoon tea was delicious.

It sounds absurd, but in reality, she was sitting in a corner of the mansion’s kitchen, holding a precious Mont Blanc dessert on a plate on her lap.

The servants, as busy as if possessed while carrying food to the ballroom, didn’t even notice her hiding under a table in a corner.

While quietly watching the servants move like machines, Lady Freya didn’t know what to do.

‘…’

If you explained it, the situation wasn’t complicated.

Normally, her strict tutor, Katia, kept a close watch on her at home, but she was delighted to be able to eat cakes freely at the Southwest ball, far from her tutor’s meddling.

Thus, after trying several drinks, she fell in love with the Mont Blanc that the Duplain mansion’s pastry chef served with pride.

While the other nobles rested in their private rooms, she told her loyal maid she was going to the bathroom and then headed to the kitchen to find more Mont Blanc.

For the eldest daughter of the prestigious Elvester family, it was too great a shame to sneak into the kitchen of the Duplain mansion just to eat desserts in hiding. So she used her ability—Confusion Spell—to steal food without the servants noticing.

What is really happening?

It was a situation in which most would tremble with fear, but she looked perfectly calm, holding her Mont Blanc firmly.

Even in the midst of the chaos, she nibbled on a honey bun as if she were enjoying a picnic in that creepy place.

Freya wiped the crumbs from her mouth and remembered the message her tutor had left her before leaving the mansion:

“Lady Diella, of the Duplain family, will likely become the most influential person in the Southwest Empire. So, please, do not be rude at her ball, and I beg you, do not focus too much on the food. Behave with politeness and make a good impression.”

“Lord Kohella will also be at the Duplain mansion, so if you see him, be sure to greet him properly… Hmm… If there is a ball at the Duplain mansion, my former student might be there as well.”

Tutor Katia, who constantly interfered and gave instructions to Freya, was someone she feared.

She had always been kind and affectionate when teaching Dereck, an exemplary student in every sense, but she also knew how to be relentless when it came to disciplining and controlling her students.

To control Freya, who was prone to gluttony, and to perfect her vague magical skills, Katia sometimes had to turn into a demon.

“Former student of Tutor Katia? Which family is he from?”

“He was a commoner from the slums. Very talented and passionate about magic, but I couldn’t bring him to the Elvester estate, so we parted ways in Ebelstein. We still write letters to each other from time to time… He now works as a magic instructor for the nobility of Ebelstein. So if you attend any social event there, you might run into him.”

“You also teach commoners? That is surprising.”

When Freya, sitting on her bed, asked that, the elderly mage who was sitting at the desk with a quill sketched a bitter smile.

“Is there any difference in how magic is handled? Sometimes, even among common people, there are individuals with great knowledge of magic.”

“Even if they dedicate their whole lives to it, they will only ever become 3-star mages, right? I wonder what the point is in trying so hard at magic. From a teaching standpoint, it must also seem useless.”

“…”

When Freya spoke harshly, Katia made a complex expression and gently placed her hand on Freya’s head.

After thinking for a moment, she finally replied briefly:

“You are right. No commoner can handle magic as well as the nobles.”

Freya realized, from Katia’s expression, that she was hiding something. She clearly knew something about her former student, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

“My former student is exceptional, but he could never become a mage as skilled as the nobles.”

That expression was undoubtedly the one she used when she lied. Katia rarely lied, which made it easy to tell when she was keeping a secret.

Although Freya didn’t know who Katia Flameheart’s former student was, it was evident that that person meant something special to her.

Katia could be terrifying when angry, but she was the best teacher Freya had ever had. If Katia still felt affection for that person, then he must have had talent that exceeded Freya’s imagination.

That is why Freya remained alert, even at the Southwest ball. The mage Katia had mentioned could be present.

After asking around the entire ballroom, she found out that a former student of Katia, named Dereck, had been giving lessons to Diella, of the Duplain family.

For the Duplain family, so prestigious that they would hire a commoner as a magic tutor, he had to be exceptional at first glance.

She spent the entire day sitting in the tea room, observing anyone who looked like an ordinary person, but she didn’t find anyone who looked extraordinary.

“Judging by the magnitude of this disaster, they were probably dragged away and killed.”

Freya chewed and swallowed the last bite of her Mont Blanc with an indifferent look. Then, she shook the crumbs off the plate and left it on the marble floor, stretching her whole body.

“Ah.”

Even with strange monsters roaming the hallway, she stretched her stiff body with fluid movements, like a rodent waking up from a nap.

And then, magic began to awaken in her eyes.

Freya, the countess, was an expert in illusions, having learned magic from Katia.

Leaving aside her direct combat skills, she was an expert at deceiving crowds and disappearing without a trace, moving from one side to another without being detected.

Her confidence in her abilities kept her calm, even in the midst of the chaos.

In the Elvester family mansion, if she decided to hide, the only person who could find her was Katia. Among the common servants, no one could perceive Lady Freya’s stealthy movements.

“Let’s get out of this mansion now. This is going to take a while… If I run into common people, I can reveal my identity and give them a few gold coins, right…?”

Her hair, waving with magic, fell over her shoulders like a cape. She was a girl strangely devoid of any hint of crisis.

Her attitude was not limited to bravery or strength in the face of danger. It was as if she had her emotions completely under control. She was so serene that she seemed capable of humming a tune even in the middle of a battlefield.

Rising stealthily from the corner of the table, she took a look at the main hall, where food was being prepared step by step.

The servants were dragging unconscious guests and sitting them at various round tables in the main hall. A sumptuous banquet was being prepared on the tables, and the orchestra was tuning their instruments, preparing for the climax of the party.

Although the scene was strange and grotesque, Freya remained unflappable as she recited the level 1 confusion spell, Sound Barrier.

Swish!

A bluish magical energy enveloped her, beginning to erase all sounds.

Then, she used the level 2 confusion spell, Illusion, scattering copies of herself throughout the hallway.

Freya’s illusions, which advanced with a steady step, lacked vitality up close, but they were enough to distract the corpse-like monsters that were roaming outside.

«Then, I will use a spell to hide my presence and sneak through the mansion’s central garden to escape. If there are still horses in the stables, I could ride one and flee across the plains. Should I check just in case? Hmm… I’m not very good at horse riding; I’m always scolded in class.»

Just as Freya was stretching and heading towards the hallway…

Boom!

“Hmm…?”

Bang! Crash! Crash!

A loud crash, as if something had smashed into the ground, echoed at the top of the hallway.

Perceiving that something was not right, Freya sharpened her senses.

Bang! Crash! Smash!

Crack!

After a series of blows, the ceiling above her suddenly collapsed.

“Ahh!”

Freya screamed in surprise and backed away quickly. But with her short steps, she didn’t get very far.

As she conjured protective magic, pieces of marble and dust began to fall.

Boom! Crash!

Screech! Bang!

When Freya, who had fallen backward into an awkward position, looked up, she witnessed an incredible scene.

A boy with white hair, who had fallen along with the debris from the upper floor, was holding down an armored man with his knees. Both were covered in dust and scratches.

At a glance, it was evident that this was a fight to the death.

“W-What is this…?!”

Clang! Clang!

Boom!

From the hole in the ceiling, more furniture—tables and chandeliers—kept crashing down noisily.

In the midst of the chaos, the white-haired boy who was trampling the armored man quickly turned to look at Freya.

“…”

“What…? A… survivor…?”

That was the moment Freya barely managed to utter a sentence.

The man who was trapped under the boy pushed against the floor, using magic to throw him away.

Boom!

The white-haired mercenary was thrown against the wall by the impact. Everything happened in an instant.

When the wounded man stood up, Lady Freya frowned.

Rumble.

Through the dust falling from his body, a pair of red eyes shone.

“That man… he is the second son of the Duplain family…!”

Leigh’s eyes reflected madness; his body, torn and exhausted, could barely stand. He was panting like a hungry beast.

He had lost his mind.

The way he unleashed magic recklessly in every direction, willing to destroy anything that moved, reminded Freya of the enraged bull she had once seen in an arena.

But unlike a bull, Leigh used magic. And that was much worse. Freya tried to hide immediately, but the monster, with his mouth full of foam and bulging eyes, was already radiating magical energy.

“Oh, no!”

It was then that Freya, unable to keep up with the events, gritted her teeth hard.

Crack!

Before she realized it, the white-haired boy had risen from the rubble and was holding Leigh’s head firmly.

Moving like lightning, he smashed the madman’s head against the ground.

Crack!

Leigh’s head hit the floor with a dry and grotesque sound, and his body rolled again.

Before he could stand up, the boy kicked him hard in the abdomen.

Crunch! Splash!

Blood gushed from Leigh’s mouth. Each of the boy’s movements was fluid and precise. It wasn’t the first time he had subdued a monster like this.

“U-uwah…”

“If you stay there, you’ll die. Get as far away as you can…”

“Behind you! Behind! Behind!”

As the boy warned Freya, Leigh had already stood up and was swinging a wooden chair.

The boy quickly lowered his guard and recited a spell, blowing the chair apart with a magical explosion.

His movements were those of an experienced duelist. If it had been a duel with weapons, things might have been different; but in a real battle that required skill and magical control, Leigh could not defeat Dereck.

Although his strength and ferocity had been enhanced by necromantic magic, he still couldn’t match Dereck.

Still, not even the winner of this confrontation would come out unscathed.

Each of Leigh’s blows left visible marks on Dereck’s body. A direct spell or a blow to the cheek made him bleed, but Dereck didn’t even flinch.

He was used to pain. To Freya, both Dereck and Leigh seemed like monsters.

“Who is that man…?”

Leigh, whatever people said, was the second son of the Duplain family. Although he had always been in the shadow of his older brother, Valerian, he was known for his exceptional skills.

But now, under the influence of strange magic, he had become a beast… and yet, he was being dominated by someone who seemed to be a simple commoner.

Crash! Bang! Crash! Crash!

The magic that formed in his hands took the shape of a giant flaming spear.

Bang! Screech!

But in terms of reaction speed, Leigh could not match Dereck.

Dereck’s specialty was firing magic arrows that interrupted enemy spells before they were completed.

Although Leigh was a formidable mage, his magic lacked precision. Dereck, who had fought countless types of spells, stood like an impenetrable wall.

No matter how furious the bull was, if it charged again and again against a wall, the only thing it would achieve would be to break its own skull.

The man, beyond reason, did not know how to give up, not even when his magic failed. If the spells didn’t work, he would punch, bite, scratch… anything to kill Dereck.

Crack!

Dereck received a blow to his side, but he tensed his abdomen with a deep breath and withstood the impact.

Without staggering or losing ground, Dereck reached out and grabbed Leigh’s head firmly.

“Ra… hahaha.”

At that moment, Leigh, bloodied, tried to bite Dereck’s hand.

Crack!

Star-level spell 1: Electric Discharge.

An electric discharge erupted from Dereck’s hand and coursed through Leigh’s head.

Crack!

No matter how strong you are, receiving a spell at that distance would knock you unconscious.

Shortly after, Leigh’s movements, stopped by Dereck’s grip, began to weaken.

Sssss…

Leigh’s legs gave way and he collapsed onto the marble floor with a loud thud. A small cloud of dust rose. Dereck shook his hand and loosened his wrist.

The end came in an instant.

“My God…”

Despite the huge physical difference, Dereck had subdued the giant man with ease.

Standing next to the man lying on the floor, Dereck was simply breathing with difficulty; none of his wounds seemed fatal.

“What… what was that…?”

Freya, lying on the floor, swallowed with difficulty.

At that moment, Dereck turned sharply to look at her.

His face was covered in dried blood. His eyes, red as blood. He looked like just another monster, one that had subdued the giant without any effort.

The murderous instinct that still shone in his eyes after defeating Leigh was enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.

Freya forgot to breathe and quickly released her magic.

‘If I use illusion magic to hide, I can escape! Whatever happens, I shouldn’t face a monster like this!’

She released her magic and used the highest-level illusion spell she could handle.

Level 2 (star) illusion spell: Momentary Invisibility.

It was a spell that made her disappear completely from her opponent’s sight for an instant. The duration was brief, but enough to gain time and run toward the exit.

Just as she was about to kick the window open and run out to the central garden…

Boom!

But something incredible happened.

The guy grabbed Freya by the nape of her neck just as she was about to disappear completely.

Freya was about to trip over the hem of her dress, but she managed to avoid falling thanks to Dereck holding her.

“Whew, gasp…”

Freya swallowed dryly.

Detection magic…! Magical or life-form detection…! At least star level 2…!

This commoner had at least two stars. She realized it, but it was already too late to process it while being held by the nape of her neck.

When Freya turned her head, there he was: the monster covered in blood, staring at her with red eyes.

In the end, Freya could only do one thing.

“Please… save me…”

It was a plea from the depths of her being, casting aside all noble pride.

In moments like this, she was an intelligent girl.