Chapter 62

Chapter 62
## Chapter 62

Diella, who had loved to play since she was a child, used to toss a ball by herself in the central garden of the mansion whenever she had the chance.

When Valerian, working in his private study, saw her playing through the window, he would sometimes go down to the garden to ask how she was.

The young girl, who used to chase the ball when it rolled out of the garden, would sometimes get nervous and shrink back when she encountered her older brother in a corner of the grounds.

To a child of her age, that much older brother was more intimidating or awkward than comforting, especially in a noble environment where formalities abound.

Valerian was aware of this, so he perfectly understood the distant attitude of his younger sister, who never opened up to him. To Diella, Valerian was nothing more than a difficult older brother to approach.

That was why, even when Diella locked herself in the annex and behaved violently, he did not dare to scold her. It was only recently, as her debut approached, that Diella began to exchange a few words with Valerian.

When they crossed paths in the hallway, she would lower her head and ask how he was, or during meals, she would comment on how delicious the food was. Even that was already a major step.

The turning point that motivated all these changes was the visit of Dereck, the magic instructor, to the Duplain mansion.

He changed Diella. Valerian felt grateful for that connection once again.

— Diella?

On one occasion, Valerian saw her from afar, setting up an easel and contemplating in a corner of the garden.

Deciding to speak with his younger sister, Valerian approached from behind and called her name, causing Diella to let out a hiccup. In that instant, the brush slipped from her hand and ruined the painting she was working on.

— I’m sorry, Diella.

—N-no, brother.

As he approached the easel, he saw that Diella had been painting her former magic teacher, who had once been a mercenary.

The portrait seemed slightly idealized compared to the real person, but Diella didn’t seem to notice.

— This is…

—Yes, I was painting my former teacher. I heard he would be attending my debut ball. I thought I’d give it to him as a gift…

As Valerian silently observed Diella’s expression, she lowered her gaze, hiding her embarrassment. She seemed quite nervous that her family had discovered the painting she intended to give to someone special.

Unfortunately, the clumsy brushstroke had left a dark blue smudge on the clothes of the man in the portrait. Valerian looked at it with regret, as if the watercolor, painted with such care, had been ruined because of him.

— I’m sorry, Diella. I startled you… What shall we do with this precious painting…?

— Oh, no, brother. It’s not that big a deal.

With that, Diella continued to move her brush with skill, applying several layers of color over the smudge. After several strokes and some careful retouches, the mistake had been naturally integrated into the shadows of the painting.

Valerian was impressed by the speed with which she resolved it. He had always known of Diella’s artistic talent, but seeing it in person was even more amazing than he had imagined.

— A poorly made stroke can be covered with other colors and corrected by adjusting the tones.

— But doesn’t it look different than what you originally planned? I thought the colors you wanted were brighter than these.

—It’s fine. Thinking about it, if I draw it too bright and cheerful, it doesn’t fit the image… And it seems like I painted it with too much emotion… It’s a bit… you know… as if I’m the only one feeling excited…

— ….

— And when layers are overlapped and you keep painting like that, the direction changes and a new painting emerges… That is the magic of watercolor. That’s why I like it.

Valerian didn’t know much about art. But that girl already seemed to have built her own artistic world.

— Mmm, I like it. The arm is a bit thin, but… it’s fine like this.

The young artist, with her arms crossed while observing the painting, finally smiled with satisfaction. She seemed enthusiastic at the thought of giving the portrait to Dereck.

On the canvas was the figure of a tall man with white hair, dressed as a mercenary. He was the person who had influenced Diella’s life the most.

That girl, who at another time behaved like a tyrant and forced all the servants to walk on eggshells around her, only showed her kind side when it came to the man in the painting.

Seeing her like this, one could feel that the little girl who used to chase a ball through the garden had become a young lady.

Admiring someone, falling in love, wishing to have someone close… Experiencing those feelings helps us grow without realizing it.

Valerian smiled slightly and looked at the canvas.

The red eyes of the man in the painting seemed to burn with fire.

***

Dereck’s red eyes burned like flames.

*Clang!*

Valerian swung his staff to block Dereck’s sharp sword.

The sword and staff collided, reaching a stalemate, testing each other’s strength.

Dereck knew perfectly well what that staff in Valerian’s hands was. It was one of the most valuable relics of the White Zone, a unique and rare weapon even in the entire continent.

Although its value was not initially recognized when it was discovered, Dereck had memorized all the famous artifacts.

It was a treasure hidden in the labyrinth by the five-star necromancer Rozin.

An object created to pass on her necromantic knowledge to future generations, it possessed the power to enchant those who touched it.

All mages crave power. This staff whispered desires for growth into the ears of mages.

If Valerian had been the first to discover it and bring it to the mansion, he wouldn’t have been able to escape its temptation either.

*Whoosh!*

An ominous, dark red magic began to surround the staff.

Dereck clicked his tongue and jumped back. He decided that, for now, he should keep his distance.

“Did you kill Duke Duplain?”

“Yes. I killed him. If you murder a high-ranking mage and offer their soul in cult to the god of corpses, you can receive part of their power.”

“…”

“So I stabbed him in the heart with a ceremonial dagger. It all happened in an instant. While he was signing some documents with a quill during the briefing on this year’s tax plan, I approached my father and attacked him in a single blow.”

Duke Duplain was a mage who had reached the five-star level.

However, he would never have imagined that his eldest son, his most trusted one, would stab him in the heart right in the center of the Duplain mansion.

As always, he was focused on reviewing documents in his office. It was enough to approach and stab him. The whole process lasted barely a second—it was almost absurd.

Trust is a powerful weapon. If you give it to the wrong person, you can lose your life in an instant.

“It was all my fault. How foolish I was.”

Valerian closed his eyes gently. The memories of the past remained vivid before him.

The deepest part of the labyrinth, where many had been injured and bled. The day he first saw the staff he found there.

The ominous sensation that ran down his spine when he first held it.

That strange feeling of lethargy that stirred in his chest. Even after returning to the mansion, he sometimes felt a chill on the back of his neck as he fell asleep.

That sinister presentiment he had once considered insignificant eventually took complete hold of his mind.

Like a disease with an incubation period, it suddenly seized his consciousness, and the skull of a long-dead necromancer perched on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

‘Power. What is its value?’

How fleeting is death?

What is the correct way to use a person’s life?

Is it really a taboo to rule over soul-less corpses?

The thoughts Rozin left behind whispered incessantly in Valerian’s ears.

It constantly urged him to consider what he must sacrifice to become a great mage. In a distant vision, he glimpsed that forbidden world of taboos.

And when he regained consciousness, he found himself before the scene of Duke Duplain slumped over his desk. Among the parchments and documents waiting for his signature, a stain of the old lord’s blood spread across the table.

The old man, still clinging to life, trembled as he looked up at his son.

And with his lips barely moving, he seemed to say something. Valerian heard his last words clearly, but did not fully understand them.

When he finally regained full consciousness, all that remained before him was a cold, lifeless corpse.

It was his father’s body.

“T-this… what…?”

With trembling hands, he covered his face. His fingers were soaked in dark red blood.

He couldn’t even scream. The muffled sound struggling to escape his throat failed to form words. He still hadn’t processed what happened.

*Thud!*

At that moment, someone entered the office and pushed the door open.

There were not many who could enter without even knocking. When he looked up, he saw an old sorceress in splendid royal attire.

It was Kohella, the chief magic advisor to the royal family, a six-star transformation mage.

She had arrived at the request of Duke Duplain to evaluate the staff. However, upon entering with her two assistants, she encountered a gruesome murder scene.

Valerian, trembling and covered in blood, clutching the staff. And the Duke, lifeless, lying motionless.

For an instant, her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly narrowed them coldly upon understanding the situation.

She closed the door, locked it quickly, and approached with determined steps. She knelt before Valerian, who was sitting, and said:

“Do not be alarmed, Prince Valerian. I believe I understand what has happened.”

“T-this… I… I mean…”

“There is no problem. Magic objects imbued with thoughts sometimes cause these types of incidents. Now that this has happened, I can speak freely. I do not feel great hostility toward the field of magic pursued for being taboo. In fact, I believe it should be actively studied.”

Even in that situation, Kohella’s calm tone made her seem like a monster disguised as an old woman.

And her words were highly unusual. For a royal magic advisor to support the forbidden was enough to make any court official’s jaw drop.

“So don’t worry too much. Although Prince Valerian made a mistake under the effects of hypnosis, it can still be remedied.”

“W-what… did you say…?”

“I will use my transformation magic to preserve the Duke’s body. Meanwhile, you must prepare to cast the five-star necromancy spell: ‘Resurrection’.”

If he sacrificed the Duke’s body, Valerian’s rank as a necromancer would increase considerably.

Of course, he would not become as powerful as the Duke, but he could reach a level equivalent to a four-star mage. If he worked even harder and sacrificed other mages, he could even revive the Duke.

The five-star necromancy spell “Resurrection” is magic that can revive a recently deceased human being by sacrificing many corpses.

However, the higher the rank of the person to be revived, the more sacrifices will be required. To reverse the death of Grand Duke Duplain, an absurd number of high-level mages’ corpses would be needed.

First, he had to raise his own rank, and then gather the necessary bodies for the Grand Duke’s resurrection. And not just any corpse, but those of high-level mages.

That would require a massacre of epic proportions. It was an idea that a sane mind could not even contemplate.

Valerian looked at Kohella with trembling eyes. In the old mage’s gaze shone a twisted academic zeal and a dangerous curiosity. It was an opportunity to demonstrate a five-star spell within forbidden necromancy.

That excessive curiosity, which had crossed the boundaries of madness, showed that this mage was no longer in her right mind.

Even so, Valerian, cornered to the limit, could not refuse the whisper.

‘Prince Valerian, please, harden your heart.’

Suddenly, the smell of blood emanating from the corpse brought him back to reality.

Valerian shivered completely, feeling nauseous. After gagging, he tried to stand up, leaning on the desk with trembling hands.

The staff he held in his hand seemed to whisper something to him. He didn’t understand the exact words, but he clearly felt its intention to devour him again. That uncontrollable power would remain unleashed.

In the midst of that torrent of madness, Valerian repeated endlessly in his mind:

*I must mend my mistakes.*

Even when his consciousness faded completely, that blind goal remained engraved in his instincts and would not vanish.

In the murky current of necromantic power surrounding him, his reason dissolved. Seeing the immense necromantic energy radiating from the staff, Kohella’s eyes shone like stars.

In the midst of that chaos, Valerian murmured over and over:

“I must mend my mistakes.”

***

*Burst!*

The crimson magic that had concentrated in the grand main hall suddenly headed toward Dereck. He quickly dove under the banquet table.

*Whoosh!*

A grotesque arm made of flesh, which rolled along the floor and emerged on the other side, sprouted from the wall and grabbed Dereck’s head.

Just as it was about to crush him, Dereck severed its wrist with a swift sword blow.

*Slash!*

As the severed arm rolled across the floor, other arms began to climb the walls. It seemed as if the entire mansion had been consumed by necromantic power.

Dereck’s judgment was swift. He conjured a fireball and knocked down the outer wall of the hall.

*Bang! Crash!*

*Whoosh!*

Outside it was raining. When a part of the wall collapsed and the stained glass shattered, the torrential rain burst into the grand hall.

*Hiss!*

The banquet, prepared with care, and the luxurious attire of the guests were instantly soaked, but there was no time to worry about that.

At that very instant, Dereck stood up to face Valerian.

Valerian was already right in front of him.

*Whoosh! Bang!*

Valerian gave Dereck a hard kick. He was sent flying and crashed into the debris of the outer wall.

*Thud! Rumble!*

A cloud of dust rose, but the howling wind and rain quickly cleared the view.

Dereck caught his breath, leaning against the collapsed remains of the wall. Rainwater soaked his body. Drops from his hair fell to the ground.

He ran both hands over his face as if washing it, and then pushed his bangs back.

His face, now fully visible, looked even more defined.

‘Yes…’

Dereck was already high-level, but due to his humble origins and his position as an instructor, he had rarely shown his full potential. He hadn’t had many opportunities.

‘His level is quite high. He is not an opponent to be taken lightly.’

Facing an enemy who boasted power equivalent to four stars, he could not afford to lower his guard.

As lightning illuminated the sky, Dereck fixed his gaze on Valerian.

That man, soaked by the rain and staring at him, looked like a wolf about to pounce.

The instant Valerian frowned, Dereck vanished from sight.

*Whish!*

One had to react to sound, not sight. Valerian drew his sword and swung a blow to the left.

Dereck’s dagger, held in a reverse grip, was already heading toward that spot.

*Clang!*

In one hand he held the staff, in the other a sword. Valerian wore solid armor.

Dereck, in contrast, wore light clothing and carried only a few swords. No one comes to a ball prepared for war.

However, his attacks had something special.

Whether it was physical strength or pure magic, Dereck’s power was difficult to comprehend.

*Crack, thud!*

Instead of continuing forward, Dereck rolled along the floor, picked up a stone, and threw it at Valerian’s head.

Valerian dodged the attack quickly, tilting his head, but then a spoon and a fork from the table flew toward him. While he deflected them with magic, Dereck took the moment to close the distance.

He was a stone’s throw away.

Valerian tried to cast the two-star necromancy spell “Soul Absorption,” but Dereck’s figure vanished like smoke. It was an illusion. Valerian’s spell, without a target, only cut the air.

*Whoosh!*

Valerian turned his head to locate him, but Dereck was already behind, ripping off a tablecloth.

Food spilled, plates shattered. The wall collapsed and the wind and rain howled.

When Dereck threw the cloth, it opened in the wind, preventing Valerian from seeing.

As Valerian cut through it, a magic arrow struck his armor from a blind spot.

*Burst!*

“Ugh…!”

He lost his balance and stumbled back. Dereck did not miss the opportunity. He lowered his guard and slid under the waving cloth, gathering mana.

Was it an illusion or reality?

When Valerian tried to confirm it, he found his feet stuck to the ground.

It was the two-star combat spell “Shadow Binding.” Dereck had already mastered several two-star spells simultaneously.

*Flash!*

Realizing he was bound, Valerian knew it wasn’t an illusion. He raised his gauntleted arm to block the attack.

When Dereck’s sword struck the armor, it vanished again like smoke.

‘Even the binding was a distraction…?’

Valerian opened his eyes in surprise, still on guard. Dereck was already behind him.

*Whoosh!*

Dereck was a master of duels. The psychological warfare he practiced as a wanderer was more effective than that of any noble trained in formal combat.

When Valerian turned to locate him, Dereck already had him by the back of the neck. A brutal electric discharge coursed through his body from Dereck’s hand.

*Crackle!*

A blow like that could knock anyone unconscious instantly. Valerian’s vision flickered as if the entire world had stopped.

*Clang!*

Just before collapsing, he regained consciousness through sheer willpower and attacked Dereck with his claw.

But Dereck had already retreated.

*Slash!*

*Whish!*

The distance opened again.

Valerian was panting, and Dereck, covered in cuts, looked at him again. Both were soaked by the rain that continued to fall through the shattered wall.

“Huff… Huff…”

After absorbing all the necromantic power, Valerian could handle high-level magic.

He thought he could easily crush Dereck, who was barely halfway through the second star, perhaps touching the third.

But it was a miscalculation. In purely magical duels, the strongest power usually wins.

But Dereck’s strength was not limited to magic. Before being a man with magical talent, he was a mercenary.

Years of combat had taught him to use magic not as an ornament, but as a fighting tool. Combined with the unpredictable style of the Wild Academy, his movements were impossible to predict.

And he hadn’t even used three-star magic yet.

‘…’

He was facing a superior mage with potential yet to be developed. Valerian could not believe it.

This was the era of the nobility. Those with magical talent belonged to high society, a symbol of dignity and formality.

It was unthinkable that someone from the lower strata could rise through sheer willpower and talent.

That was the norm. But the world is vast and time is long.

As the years go by, people like him are sometimes born.

*Whish!*

Under the torrential rain, Dereck’s red eyes glowed ominously. Valerian sensed it instinctively.

If he lowered his guard, he would die in a single blow.

Valerian closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

***

In addition to the rain, the outer wall of the Duplain mansion had collapsed.

Diella, who had been staring silently out the carriage window, opened her eyes wide. The coachman and the servant accompanying her were equally stunned.

The mansion, which should have been teeming with the sounds of a grand ball, was eerily silent, with only corpse-like monsters roaming near the garden.

The coachman shouted something and tried to turn the horses. They whinnied and reared, spinning around, while the maid began to tremble and sweat profusely.

In the midst of the chaos, Diella’s gaze remained fixed on the half-destroyed Duplain mansion.

It was as if all the sounds in the world had disappeared, leaving only a void that echoed in her ears.

Finally, Diella reacted and shouted at the coachman to head directly to the mansion.

The coachman, hearing the order, was terrified.

***

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

A sound like something knocking echoed.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Aiselin woke up in a room deep within the guest quarters. It was the safest place in the midst of the chaos.

Aiselin had been knocked unconscious following a sudden attack by the head maid. Despite the confusion, she managed to sit up with difficulty.

She immediately realized that something was terribly wrong in the mansion. The ball should be in full swing, but there was no sign of anyone.

“W-what…? Why am I… here…? My body seems… to be fine…”

*Burst!*

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Before Aiselin could gather her thoughts, the door began to shake due to the loud banging.

Startled, Aiselin swallowed hard and looked for a place to hide in the room. But the small waiting room offered little space.

When she tried to get up to do something, a surge of magic erupted and the doorknob broke as the door burst open.

*Boom, bang!*

“Eek!”

Aiselin immediately gathered her magic, ready to face whoever had entered without permission.

However, the person who entered was a familiar girl.

“Ah… M-Miss Ellen?”

A girl with flowing red hair.

Ellen, of House Belmierd, scanned the room, entered quickly, and closed the door again.

“I finally found a survivor.”

Even in the midst of such chaos, her serenity was extraordinary.