Chapter 63

Chapter 63
## Chapter 63
### Chapter 63: Blood Drop (9)

Ellen maintained her composure as she rapidly assessed the current situation.

The fact that the Duplain mansion was completely overrun by monsters was anything but natural. With a 5-star level mage at the head of the family, this should have been resolved a long time ago.

The fact that even the servants seemed to be completely absorbed in something, and that there were still no signs of a solution, suggested that someone within the family might be involved in this disaster.

It was also possible that the entire ball had been a trap from the very beginning.

“It is unlikely that the entire Duplain family is behind this. The most powerful family in the southwest of the empire has no reason to get involved in something so suspicious. It must be a unilateral act by someone within the family…”

After carefully checking the hallway once more, Ellen observed Aiselin’s expression while trying to calm her anxious mind.

If the family had truly been the cause of this, Aiselin would have known. She wouldn’t be here with Ellen, and her trembling appearance would be nothing more than an act. Ellen’s intuition told her that was not the case.

“Lady Aiselin, it seems you do not fully understand the current situation, do you? As you can see, the servants of the mansion are under the control of a sinister force and have lost their senses. Many guests have been dragged to the main hall, and it seems difficult to guarantee their safety.”

“W-What are you saying? What is happening right now in the Duplain mansion…?”

“If you need to see it with your own eyes to believe it, then do so.”

It was enough to observe the collapsed exterior wall to understand the gravity of the situation.

Aiselin swallowed hard. She had barely regained consciousness, but she had to think fast. Ellen was in the same situation.

If things had truly reached this point, the Duplain family name could be irreparably tarnished.

The Imperial family could hold them accountable, or other noble houses could begin to make claims. In the worst-case scenario, they could lose their title and their lands.

And a noble who loses their territory usually meets a miserable end.

If they managed to maintain private troops or military force, they could survive as mercenaries, but women without support or refuge often ended up in tragic circumstances.

Ellen silently observed Lady Aiselin.

Though she was biting her lower lip and looking out the window, her figure remained noble and beautiful. But she was on the edge of a precipice.

When Ellen first entered the Rose Salon of the Ebelstein social circle, she felt jealous, and even went to the extreme of trying to hurt that perfect girl.

On many occasions, she had admired Aiselin, who did not even flinch despite Ellen’s repeated provocations.

Even so, with the fall she had longed for right in front of her, Ellen felt no satisfaction. On the contrary, Aiselin’s serious expression filled her with a strange tension. It was truly baffling.

“Lady Aiselin, please listen carefully. You may feel overwhelmed, as you have just woken up, but it seems the Duplain family is facing an unprecedented crisis.”

“…I need to go out and see it with my own eyes.”

“…”

“Lady Ellen, you should find a way to escape the mansion. Or you could hide in the basement or the library and wait for help to arrive. I know the mansion well; I can guide you.”

Even now, Aiselin worried about Ellen and tried to ensure her safety. That kind of judgment was very characteristic of her.

Ellen’s mind was racing.

Given the situation, the Duplain family was, at the very least, in decline, and in the worst case, on the verge of collapse. The mansion was half-destroyed, and neither high-ranking officials nor key figures had shown themselves.

It meant everyone was in crisis. The noble and beautiful young woman before her—the most precious flower of high society—could cease to exist this very day.

She would become a displaced noble, useless as a contact and without family backing.

Therefore, the most logical option would be to break any unproductive ties. The fall of the Duplain family would be a momentous event for the nobility of the southwest.

If Ellen manages to escape safe and sound, the best thing would be to immediately inform her main residence. If she manages to get out of the mansion and send a carrier pigeon, House Belmierd will receive the news first.

In times of crisis, obtaining key information before others was crucial.

If the Margrave of Belmierd found out, he could send troops to “resolve the disaster” or even deploy private soldiers to legally occupy the mansion and its surroundings.

And once those troops were deployed, it would be easy to maintain their presence.

At first, it is difficult to justify these claims, but once established, they tend to multiply.

‘…’

The Duplain family had once been a powerful clan that ruled over the nobility of the empire’s southwest.

But when any animal dies, no matter how majestic it may have been, it ends up the same: a carcass to be devoured by vultures and beasts.

Hundreds of nobles would pounce on that corpse to tear it apart. To be the first to sink one’s teeth in would be an immense privilege.

For the sake of the Belmierd family, Ellen had to escape and deliver the news as soon as possible.

Her instincts, sharpened after years of struggle in the frozen world of high society, told her so with total clarity.

Even so, Aiselin, who had risen from bed without losing an ounce of her elegant bearing, had something unusual in her gaze.

“Lady Ellen, please find a way to escape. I will give you all the information you need. As the eldest daughter of House Duplain, I must go to the main hall and see with my own eyes what is happening.”

“…Alright. Let’s go together.”

“…Pardon?”

Ellen hadn’t thought about it too much.

Even in a situation where the collapse of the Duplain family seemed imminent, she chose the least efficient option.

Aiselin had heard that Ellen was very shrewd in moments like this.
That’s why she couldn’t help but open her eyes wide in surprise.

“Why would Lady Ellen…?”

Ellen was about to think of an answer when…

*Boom, boom!*

It was as if the ground were shaking.

The entire mansion trembled. The roar was so deafening it felt like the whole world was about to collapse.

Startled, Aiselin quickly ran to the window. The main hall, with its exterior wall already collapsed, was clearly visible.

Through the gap in the wall, a grotesque mountain of bones began to rise. Its body was so massive that it tore through the roof of the mansion’s main hall.

“W-What is that…?”

Dark and ominous magic seemed to envelop the entire world.

It was a 4-star necromancy spell: Giant Skeleton. The bones of its palms alone were large enough to cover an entire room.

Both girls stood paralyzed, stunned by the monstrously immense figure that appeared before them.

*Boom, boom!*

The giant skeleton rested its hand on the roof of the west wing to push itself upward. That alone was enough for half of the western building to collapse.

Under the rainy sky, the monster, standing fully upright, began to run toward the garden and soon swung its body as if to crush the building where Aiselin was located.

***

Valerian admitted it instantly.

In a duel where victory depended on experience and speed, he could never defeat Dereck.

Faced with a veteran mercenary who had sharpened his senses to the maximum, he had to turn the situation into a contest of pure brute force.

That’s why Valerian raised his staff and unleashed all his magic.

Pure and immense power. His intention was to crush Dereck with an impact so brutal that he could not block or deflect it.

Soon, the giant skeleton, following Valerian’s orders, looked down at the tiny Dereck, the size of an ant.

*Swoosh… Boom!*

Despite its size, its movements were fast.

The foot that slammed into the ground under the rain crushed the spot where Dereck had been an instant before. The marble floor shattered, and stone fragments scattered in all directions.

Dereck used magic to protect the unconscious guests who were about to be buried under the rubble.

It was a 2-star combat spell: Large-Scale Shield.

Its coverage was wide, but it consumed a lot of mana.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

After successfully pushing aside all the falling debris, Dereck stood up again and ran toward the central garden.

If the battle continued in the main hall, the guests would inevitably be caught and die.

Before that happened, Valerian had to be stopped. Dereck leaped over the fountain in the center of the mansion and dashed toward the annex.

It was impossible to subdue the giant skeleton with fire alone. Unless the mana source was cut or the caster was neutralized, there was no escape.

‘This fight cannot drag on. If we give him time, Valerian will kill all the guests and try to save the Duke.’

Dereck understood Valerian’s guilt and his desire to atone for the Duke’s death, but his method was wrong.

There was no guarantee he could complete a 5-star necromancy spell, and even if he succeeded, the Duplain family would be branded as butchers who broke taboos and sacrificed dozens of mages.

In the end, the future of the Duplain family would be utter darkness.

From the perspective of Valerian, blinded by madness, this was his only way to resist. But from Dereck’s perspective, it was absolutely unacceptable.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The giant skeleton, standing fully upright, advanced toward Dereck with great strides.

The distance Dereck had gained by running was covered in a single step by the giant. Just as its massive fist slammed into the ground…

*Burst!*

The garden fountain exploded, half of it destroyed by the impact of the strike.

Dirt flew everywhere, and even the trees from the manicured flower beds were sent flying through the air.

In the midst of it all, Dereck launched a fireball at the weakest point of the skeleton’s center of gravity: the big toe of the left foot.

Although the rain weakened its firepower, it was enough to destabilize the monster. The giant skeleton slumped and only managed to stay upright by grabbing onto the roof of the Duplain mansion’s east wing.

*Crash, crackle, crackle!*

But in doing so, the east wing of the building also began to collapse.

Dereck, now running toward the annex, opened his eyes wide upon seeing that.

Behind the east wing were several guest rooms. He had tried to minimize casualties, but if the giant continued to destroy structures so recklessly, deaths would be inevitable.

It was then that he saw a girl being dragged down by the collapse at the corner of the building.

“Kyaaaa!”

The girl, with her elegant hair billowing in the wind, was Aiselin. She had been in the guest waiting room, where the windows and exterior walls had already collapsed, and she was about to be swallowed by the debris.

Aiselin, quickly channeling her magic, clung to a decorative structure protruding from the outer wall to avoid being swept away by the flow.

But the exterior, soaked by the rain, was too slippery.

*Thud!*

Aiselin’s weak hand slipped. Her body began to fall into the night.

She immediately tried to invoke wind magic to cushion the fall, but she had no experience with such spells. Even so, she tried to release some mana to avoid a fatal injury.

*Thump! Crash!*

Dereck, who had quickly climbed the outer wall, caught her in mid-air and rolled with her through the muddy garden bed.

They rolled several times through the mud before Dereck laid her down gently on the grass.

“D-D-Dereck…! Gasp…!”

“Get up. No time for greetings.”

“W-What?!”

Just as Aiselin was about to ask Dereck—whom she hadn’t seen in a long time—if he was okay, the giant skeleton chasing him threw another punch at them.

*Auge!*

Every blow was a critical impact. If even one hit them, they would be crushed instantly.

Dereck wrapped his arms around Aiselin’s waist and propelled himself from the ground, rolling once more through the mud.

The giant’s fist impacted the spot where Dereck had just been, shattering the window behind the flower bed and reducing an entire room to rubble.

*Crash! Boom!*

“Ugh…!”

When Aiselin finally managed to stand up, she was a mess.

Her hair, usually clean and shiny like ebony, was covered in mud. Her elegant dress had torn on one side, revealing a scratched leg.

Panting and struggling to rise from the mud, the mixture of rain, sweat, and grime made every step feel like carrying lead.

“D-Dereck…! Lady Ellen was with me… we have to check if she’s okay…”

“Keep running! There’s no time for that now!”

Dereck stood up and broke a window further past the flower bed. He was signaling her to enter the building.

They planned to go around the building from the inside to escape the giant skeleton’s sight. They would keep running until the building collapsed completely.

Aiselin quickly climbed through the window frame. As she did, she realized it was the same room Diella used when staying at the main house.

It was the room Valerian had shown Dereck when he first arrived at the Duplain family home.

“Dereck, get in! Hurry! Ah!”

As she shouted and climbed over the frame, Aiselin felt a sharp pain in her hand. Fragments of broken glass had embedded themselves in her skin.

She quickly pulled out the larger pieces. Meanwhile, Dereck also entered through the window.

When Aiselin saw Dereck’s battered appearance, she caught her breath.

“D-Dereck… your wound…”

Dereck’s right shoulder was covered in large shards of glass.

It looked like an injury sustained while rolling through the garden, protecting her with his own body. Aiselin’s body, in his arms, was unharmed, but he had not been so lucky.

Blood dripped, mixing with the rain and falling to the floor.

“D-Dereck…”

*Snap!*

As Aiselin approached in a panic, Dereck wrapped an arm around her waist again and pushed her toward the corner of the room.

Aiselin fell onto the bed Diella used to sleep in, and just at that moment, the giant skeleton’s fist crashed through the window frame where she had been just seconds ago.

*Boom! Crash!*

Through the collapsed wall, the skeleton’s face appeared. It let out a grotesque laugh, as if pleased to have found its prey.

As soon as Aiselin saw it, a cold sweat ran down her entire body.

*Boom! Boom!*

Shortly after, the ceiling, which already lacked support, collapsed completely.

***

*Drip, drip.*

“Ugh… ugh…”

When Aiselin opened her eyes again, Dereck was on top of her.

The pain running through her body came from the marble fragments that had fallen on her. And yet, she suffered no fatal wounds.

It was because Dereck had protected her with his own body. Beside Aiselin’s head, Dereck’s hand, braced to support himself, was trembling.

Blood dripped from his snow-white hair onto Aiselin’s cheek, then fell to the floor.

“D-Dereck…”

“Listen carefully, Lady Aiselin. As you can see, the situation is critical.”

Pushing aside the debris covering him, Dereck stood up as best he could and looked directly at Aiselin.

When she tried to sit up, he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.

“Take a deep breath.”

“I-It’s okay… Ha… Ha…”

“There is no time for long explanations, so I’ll get straight to the point. The Duplain family is facing a life-or-death crisis. If we stay here, we will be annihilated.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“Valerian is gathering the guests in the main hall. He plans to perform a ritual to kill them all.”

“W-What… what did you just say…?”

She needed time to process it. At any other time, Dereck would have given her space to understand, but not now.

“We have to stop him before he carries it out. In the worst case… we must be prepared to kill him.”

“V-Valerian… my brother…?”

Thousands of questions must have raced through Aiselin’s mind in that instant. She wanted to know why Valerian, someone who would never do such a thing, had come to this. What had happened while she was away. Why everything had gone so wrong.

But Aiselin understood immediately. She accepted, before anyone else, that there was no time to answer those questions.

“…Then, what do we do now?”

Covered in mud, both exchanged a look under the rain.

“If it comes to that, Lady Aiselin… you must kill him. I will help you.”

“…”

What on earth are they talking about? Repressing that thought, Aiselin looked at Dereck with eyes full of tears.

He wiped the blood from her cheek and spoke firmly.

“Now that we have reached this point… we cannot stop the fall of the Duplain family. But you don’t want their name to disappear completely from history, do you?”

“Then…”

“The Imperial family will never forgive a house whose eldest son murdered the head of the family, resorted to forbidden necromancy, and slaughtered his guests. So… while we can still act quickly, we must be the ones to put an end to this.”

“Did he kill the head of the family? What are you talking about…?”

“I know it’s hard to accept. But that is precisely why you need to stay focused.”

The unconscious guests in the main hall had not died yet. The ritual had not begun. If they stopped Valerian now, it would have been a failed attempt.

The difference between an attempt and a completed act is everything. The primary damage lay in the lives of the guests.

The ruined mansion was nothing more than a material loss. The death of the head of the family, a heavy blow to the Duplain name.

But all of that was Valerian’s work, under the influence of necromancy. If the family intervened, stopped him, and fixed the disaster, they could avoid total ruin.

As long as the guests survived, they could settle the consequences with apologies and compensation. Of course, the family would never recover its former glory.

They had lost the head of the family, their high-ranking vassals, more than half of their soldiers, this great mansion, and the honor and trust of the Empire.

Neighboring nobles would seize the opportunity to take over their weakened lands. They would lose control of their resources, their tax revenues, and most of their servants would leave. The mansion would be split in two.

In the Ebelstein social circles, Aiselin would be treated as an outcast. Perhaps she wouldn’t even be able to enter the Rose Salon again.

Everything that was once perfect, beautiful, and noble… had now been reduced to a single thorny path.

Even so, Dereck spoke.

“However, you must not become a fallen noble.”

Dereck’s mentor, Katia Flameheart, had lived half her life as a disgraced, fallen noble.

He knew perfectly well how miserable that path could be.

“Even if you have to sacrifice everything and renounce your glory, you must hold firmly to your family name.”

If you resist, if you persevere… someday, the sun will shine again.

So, even if only in appearance, even if stained and humiliating, you must not abandon your life as a noble.

“Even if you have nothing, even if they surround you like hyenas, even if everyone mocks you… keep your head held high and carry your house’s name with pride.”

That is what it means to be a noble lady.

That pride can become poison and make people arrogant… but you must not deny its true meaning. It is the pride in the life you have lived.

There are no “bad” nobles. In this cold society, each has learned to survive in their own way.

Aiselin, who had always viewed the world from above, now had to understand it.

“Who can take responsibility for the Duplain family in this situation?”

Even a sinking ship needs a captain. And Dereck felt it in the depths of his being.

If anyone could hold that shattered ship together, it was Aiselin.

She could do it. And people never forget who helped them when they hit rock bottom.

Those who have fallen know it better than anyone: in the midst of laughter and contempt, the ones who reach out a hand are the ones who truly matter.

Under the rain, Dereck firmly squeezed Aiselin’s trembling hand.

“For the world to know it was the Duplain family who stopped Valerian’s actions, a member of the family must rise as the sword. Lady Aiselin… that person is you.”

*Whistle*

“D-Dereck…”

“If you decide to do it, I will help you.”

Dereck’s face, under the rain, had not changed. Even in the midst of that chaos, he remained as serene as ever.

Aiselin’s eyes trembled as she looked at him, but there was something she could trust.

Everyone else would flee the sinking Duplain ship to save themselves.

But that boy remained seated, firm and motionless, without moving an inch. As steady as a mountain. That’s why the girls from the three most important families clung to him so desperately.

And just as Aiselin, still trembling, was about to speak…

*Burst!*

With a deafening roar, the building’s exterior wall collapsed again. Dereck instantly unleashed his magic and rushed to block the falling debris.

*Rumble! Thud!*

From among the shattered remains emerged a giant skeleton, now covered in massive armor. Valerian was riding upon it.

“…”

Diella’s old room, half-destroyed.

Watercolors were scattered on the soaked floor, and there was Aiselin, completely exhausted.

*Whistle.*

The rain fell in torrents.

And in Valerian’s eyes, now landing in the room, burned a madness deeper than before.

He had already crossed the swamp of mistakes. There was no turning back for him.

Everything had to end here.