Chapter 65

Chapter 65
## Chapter 65

Raymond Oswald Duplain, head of House Duplain, has passed away.

Valerian, the eldest son, lost his mind due to a necromantic weapon brought from the White Zone, north of the Duplain territory. He destroyed the mansion, sacrificed numerous servants, and finally, murdered his own father.

He attempted to become a high-level necromancer by sacrificing the various guests and high-ranking mages gathered at the mansion, but Diella struck him down in a sudden attack.

The Duchess, Miriela, fainted on the spot, and the second son, Leigh, fell into a coma due to the aftereffects of the magic.

Other high-ranking servants and direct family members were also injured to varying degrees, and more than half of the family members have yet to regain consciousness.

“Ugh… aaah…”

“W-what is happening…? Where… exactly are we…?”

As the sun rose over the semi-destroyed ruins of the Duplain mansion, the distinguished guests, who had nearly been sacrificed in the main hall, began to move and slowly stand up.

Upon opening their eyes, a gruesome scene unfolded before them. Everyone doubted what they saw, unable to accept the situation.

Even so, not a single guest or high-ranking mage who attended the ball passed away.

This was partly because they had been gathered in the main hall as sacrifices for the necromantic ritual, but also because the perpetrator was stopped before the situation spiraled out of control.

Sunlight filtered through the half-collapsed roof.

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In the midst of the chaos, the only person capable of representing House Duplain stepped forward.

“First, I must apologize to everyone. I am sorry for making you come from so far away.”

Following the disaster caused by necromantic magic, Aiselin and Diella managed to maintain their sanity and avoid a total catastrophe.

However, neither Aiselin, who bowed her head, nor Diella, who remained silent behind her, could show a heroic expression.

“We will assume full responsibility for today’s incident and offer compensation by all possible means.”

Aiselin, who now had to bear the weight of House Duplain, spoke with firm resolve.

The expressions of the guests were varied upon hearing her statement.

Some were furious for having been on the verge of death without realizing it, while others were deeply concerned about how to face this unprecedented disaster for House Duplain.

“W-what is going on…?! We were almost sacrificed for necromancy…?! Right here, in the mansion of the illustrious House Duplain?!”

“As soon as I return to the main house, I will demand that measures be taken! It’s horrible…! We almost died!”

When a powerful beast dies and becomes a carcass, vultures gather to devour its flesh. And this time, there was a good reason: they had almost lost their lives.

All responsibility lay with House Duplain.

In a situation where they had even lost the head of the family, giving such a clear motive to those numerous guests meant they had to be prepared to be devoured.

Even so, House Duplain had no other choice.

While Aiselin and Diella remained silent, the voices of the guests grew louder and angrier.

“Even so, the Duplain agent acted to prevent further damage. While there were minor injuries, such as scratches, no life was lost.”

“Miss Ellen?”

“House Belmierd will not hold you accountable. It seems House Duplain has already made enough sacrifices.”

The person who spoke before the main auditorium was Ellen Belmierd.

Her red hair, soaked by the rain, clung to the scratches on her arm.

Although she could not avoid minor injuries, she used magic to prevent serious injuries when the building collapsed.

Most of those present were representatives of their respective houses. Ellen also attended the ball representing the County of Belmierd.

As representatives, they had no direct authority to decide how to proceed in a situation like this.

But Ellen was different.

The Count of Belmierd had granted her the authority to make certain decisions on behalf of the family. Of course, major decisions required direct approval, but this time she made a bold decision.

The House of Belmierd would not hold the House of Duplain responsible.

Although other guests would not waste such a propitious opportunity, this would at least influence the course of events.

“W-why…?”

“I don’t have a particular reason. As I said… it seems House Duplain has already made enough sacrifices. They lost their lord, half of their forces, almost all of their servants, and even their mansion.”

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Ellen looked at Aiselin in silence, then sketched a slightly forced smile and whispered:

“Think of it as my inferiority complex. I will take care of convincing my father, so don’t worry.”

That said, Ellen dragged her torn dress toward the stables.

The coachman of the main house had fled or been killed by monsters. If she wanted to return, she would have to take the horse herself.

“I’m going to… borrow a horse.”

As she passed, dragging her dress, Ellen glanced at a half-destroyed column. A man was leaning against it, arms crossed, watching the scene.

Everyone was soaked. Even so, the white-haired boy looked worse. His body was drenched in rain, sweat, and blood, his hair disheveled and his face covered in mud.

It was he who stood at the front, containing Valerian until he regained his composure.

“Dereck. Your achievements should be communicated to the royal family and you should be rewarded… but now is not the time for celebrations. We will postpone it. I will make sure you receive the compensation you deserve.”

“…”

“And as the eldest daughter of House Belmierd, I must also thank you. If you hadn’t intervened in the hall and stopped Valerian, all the guests would have died victims of necromancy.”

Hearing that, everyone present opened their eyes wide and looked at Dereck.

They knew that Aiselin and Diella had stopped Valerian, but doubts always existed.

How could two girls, barely capable of performing two-star magic, stop someone who had absorbed power equivalent to four stars?

It was impossible without external help. They suspected that someone else had intervened, but they never imagined it would be a common mage.

“Dereck? That white-haired mage saved our lives?”

“He didn’t seem that old… and he fought on equal terms against a four-star mage?”

“He must have at least three stars… otherwise, it doesn’t add up… Such a young commoner reaching three stars?”

Among the nobles present, many from the southwest already knew Dereck. He was famous in Ebelstein’s social circles for his talent as a magic instructor. The number of noble families wishing to hire him as a tutor was enormous.

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Stopping Valerian was a tremendous feat, comparable to preventing a national disaster.

Even if the closed aristocratic society did not grant him a title, he was at least guaranteed a significant financial reward, and his social position would skyrocket.

It was now uncertain how far Dereck’s value could rise; it was already soaring.

One way or another, it would cause a stir in high society.

“Yes, you are the most renowned magic instructor in the southwest. Indeed, your magic ability seems exceptional. I am Robenkheim, from the north. If you ever visit House Melverot, please contact me.”

“It is an honor to meet Sir Melverot, guardian of the north. Thank you for greeting me.”

“If you ever visit the south, be sure to go to Lord Delos’s castle. I am his wife, Adelen. If my husband finds out, he will want to reward you generously.”

“Thank you very much for your kindness, Countess Adelen. Fortunately, there seem to be no serious injuries.”

“I am Poloncourt, chancellor of the royal family. Thanks to you, I am still alive. If you ever consider working as a magic teacher…”

And so, the fastest nobles approached Dereck and began to greet him.

Compared to the beginning of the ball, when no one gave him a single look, the sudden change in attitude was almost grotesque.

However, when it came to establishing beneficial contacts, they made sure to maintain them. That was the nature of aristocratic society.

From afar, Denise watched with her arms crossed and let out a little giggle.

House Beltus had Dereck under contract, but given the current situation, they were no longer sure they could retain him once the term ended.

‘If he had mediocre talent, they would simply look at him with suspicion, but in cases like this… they are truly shameless.’

Denise had been moving in noble circles for years, but that opportunistic attitude never ceased to amaze her.

This would only increase Dereck’s value, becoming a headache for anyone who wished to keep him close.

She shook out her clothes and calmly watched Ellen’s back as she walked away. It seemed she had staged that whole scene on purpose, just to further enhance Dereck’s reputation.

When the nobles began to gather around him, Denise smiled slightly and also walked away.

She would have loved to step forward and declare, “I won’t hold House Duplain responsible either,” but she couldn’t.

Ellen was the one who really held the power in House Belmierd. Denise was nothing more than a puppet of the Beltus family.

Even though both belonged to the Rose Salon, the difference in authority within their respective families was abysmal.

Even in such an urgent situation, Ellen’s bold determination was, in a way, enviable.

‘…Did I just envy power? Me?’

Suddenly, Denise shook her head, startled by her own thought.

She couldn’t believe that she, who had always lived with such moderation, had had such an absurd idea.

‘Since Dereck arrived, I haven’t stopped overthinking things. I have to stop having these unnecessary thoughts.’

Denise quickly smoothed her platinum blonde hair, soaked by the rain, and stood up.

While many nobles rushed to shake Dereck’s hand, she felt a strange satisfaction seeing that they finally recognized him, but precisely because of that, she thought they should leave soon.

“Dereck. There is no sense in staying at House Duplain. Let’s return to the main house. Anyway, we have to report what happened, so for now…”

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“Oh, Lady Denise, I’m glad to see that you are safe as well. When I saw you in the guest room closet, I was in too much of a hurry to greet you properly.”

“…Miss Freya, are you safe too?”

Just as Denise was about to take Dereck away, Freya was holding onto him and chatting with him.

She also seemed to be preparing to leave, but clearly wanted to speak briefly with Dereck, who shared the same mentor.

“It’s incredible to meet someone in person whom I had only heard about through Master Katia. Seeing you like this is very different from what I imagined; it’s really fascinating.”

“Miss Freya, I am glad you were not seriously injured. Master Katia has written about you often. I am impressed by your serenity in this situation.”

“Well… now that the tension is gone, I’m just hungry. Uf…”

Freya fixed her disheveled blue hair and adjusted her dress that had slipped off her shoulders.

She was older than the ladies of the Rose Salon, as she had made her social debut a long time ago.

Although rumors said she was the most influential figure in eastern noble circles, in person she did not give off such an imposing authority.

Even so, Dereck greeted her affectionately, like an old friend from distant lands. Even when he was nervous, Dereck rarely showed much expression. Seeing him so animated for once made Denise uncomfortable.

‘He never looked so radiant when he was with me…’

To be fair, it would have been weirder if he had, considering how she constantly treated him like a nuisance.

Denise knew it, but even so, seeing that unfamiliar and slightly excited expression on Dereck’s face produced a strange tingling in her chest.

“I would love to keep chatting, but this isn’t the best time. Let’s continue another day. If you ever visit the eastern continent, don’t hesitate to stop by House Elvester.”

“Well… my father doesn’t exactly welcome commoners to the mansion with open arms… but he wouldn’t reject the man who saved his daughter’s life… Besides, Master Katia is also there, so there shouldn’t be a problem…”

“Mmm… if it’s really an inconvenience, I won’t insist.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Denise, watching the pleasant exchange, sighed deeply and stepped in.

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“Then, Lady Freya, perhaps you could visit House Beltus. Wouldn’t that be much better?”

“Oh, really? I don’t know the social atmosphere of Ebelstein well, but I thought it would be nice to connect with people from the Rose Salon or the Drest Academy.”

“The Rose Salon will be somewhat messy for a while… but a visit to the mansion for social purposes shouldn’t be a problem.”

“That’s a relief. There are some matters I wanted to discuss separately.”

“Discuss?”

Freya, resting her chin on one hand, looked around cautiously and lowered her voice.

“You saw Prince Valerian using forbidden arts, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“But… he seemed too skilled with the specific rituals, and his control over necromancy was too natural… it was suspicious.”

“What…?”

“This isn’t something that should be talked about within House Duplain, where they just lost a family member… but I can’t help but think that Prince Valerian didn’t act alone. Someone else must have been involved…”

They were the center of House Duplain. Speaking ill of the deceased in front of their family was a lack of respect. That’s why Freya seemed to hold back.

“Mmm… I’ll tell you more later.”

Freya shook out her dress, straightened up resting her hands on her hips and said:

“Anyway, we are all exhausted, so let’s not talk about complicated things. The Duplain mansion is now in the hands of those two, so we can go home and rest. The relatives will take care of the rest.”

With that, Freya waved enthusiastically.

“Until next time, Dereck. Mmm… should I call you senior or oppa?”

“…”

“It’s a joke.”

Stretching her stiff body, Freya departed for her home on the eastern continent.

Given the incident, she had to return immediately to report everything.

Dereck and Denise checked each other for any injuries.

Neither was hurt, so they simply asked how the other was and prepared to return to Ebelstein.

“It seems difficult to return by carriage. I will go by horse; please, sit behind me.”

“Uf… Dereck, my clothes are soaked in mud. It’s horrible.”

“There’s nothing to be done. Please, bear with it a little longer.”

Denise wrapped her arms around Dereck’s waist and briefly turned her head to catch a glimpse of the half-destroyed Duplain mansion.

The grandeur of House Duplain, which once dominated the world, was crumbling. They say no flower blooms forever, but watching something fall apart leaves a void.

Seeing Diella and Aiselin hurrying through the main hall, she reflected in silence. Although the family had fallen into disgrace, they still had to live under the Duplain name.

Such is the life of noblewomen: having lived under the prestige of the family, they must also carry its shame.

It would be great if they had the chance to revive the family, but such opportunities are scarce.

In the end, they were also noblewomen. However thorny the path, they had to walk it with a smile.

Many trials awaited them, and although Denise did not feel a loyalty strong enough to offer active support… she still wished that the sunlight filtering through the rubble would continue to shine on them.

“Even if it collapses, the rubble will remain.”

And if the rubble remains, maybe the flowers will bloom again. It might be a fleeting hope, but even a fleeting hope is better than none.

With that thought, they set off for Ebelstein, leaving behind the two sisters of House Duplain.

For now, it would be difficult to see them again, as they would be busy with reconstruction.

Denise silently sent them all her support.

***

“Good morning, Lady Denise.”

However, she saw Diella again just three days later.

When Denise entered the drawing room that morning, she found Diella quietly drinking tea and felt a clear unease.

Despite being the youngest daughter of a rapidly declining family, Diella radiated an undeniable presence.

Dressed in a beautiful gown and holding a teacup with elegant poise, Diella seemed even more refined than before.

“Miss Diella? What brings you to my house so early this morning…?”

Denise had become an early riser thanks to Dereck, but it was still baffling to receive visitors at those hours.

She had barely finished getting ready and come downstairs when she found the little lioness sitting in an almost ornamental silence, her eyes as sharp as ever.

‘Yes, I encouraged her… but I didn’t expect her to come suddenly.’

“You seem to be wondering how I managed to contact Ebelstein, considering you are carrying out the restoration of your mansion,” Diella observed.

What an unnecessary cutting remark!

Denise cleared her throat several times, composed herself, and adopted the formal pose of a noble before sitting across from Diella.

“You must have gone through a lot; I would like to begin by expressing my deepest condolences.”

“Thank you. Now, if you allow me, I will get straight to the point.”

Denise and Diella had never been particularly close.

Initially, Denise defended Diella’s cause, but when both found themselves competing for Dereck’s attention, the situation became tense.

Denise held no real resentment, but she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable around Diella.

*Creak.*

As soon as Denise sat down, Diella stood up.

Her bearing was strange; her thick hair bristled like a hedgehog’s spines.

Though short in stature, Diella could be quite intimidating when she got serious, an image reinforced by her reputation for having mistreated servants in the past.

Denise swallowed nervously.

Since the first day at the Rose Salon, Diella seemed like a wild stallion charging at her mercilessly. Now, in her desperation, she would risk visiting Denise’s mansion. Why?

Denise watched in silence, tension mounting by the moment.

*Thump!*

“…”

Unexpectedly, Diella slammed her hand on the table, sweating profusely—an image totally uncharacteristic of her.

With the cautious gaze of a cat and blushing with shame, she sweated for a long moment before finally lowering her gaze and speaking.

“C-Could you…?”

“Could I…?”

“Could you… lend me some money…?”

“…”

Silence.

“…”

“…”

Stunned by the totally unforeseen request, Denise froze.

The silence that followed felt like an infinite abyss.

***

“What—?”

Dereck repeated, unable to believe his ears.

He was in his humble home, a modest house inherited from Master Katia, located in a corner of Ebelstein’s commercial district.

It isn’t exactly a place a noblewoman would visit, but someone knocked on the door early this morning. He opened it and there was Aiselin.

Accompanied by a young maid with a greenish face, she timidly asked if she could come in for a moment.

Out of duty—with a baffling courtesy—Dereck let her in and offered her a glass of cold water.

Despite the strangeness of the situation, this was no place for a lady dressed in a gala gown. Dereck’s embarrassment grew; he had nothing more to say. He stood while Aiselin seemed even more uncomfortable.

And finally, with a flushed face and trembling, she confessed she had come to ask him for money.

And it wasn’t just anyone. It was Aiselin Eleanor Duplain who said it.

“…”

“…”

Even after saying it, Aiselin lowered her head further, completely blushing. Her trembling hands, resting on her lap, looked pitiful.

“Is it… that bad? So bad that you had to come and ask me?”

Dereck had some savings, but he never imagined a noble would come to him, a commoner, asking for help.

“No, it’s just… between the mansion restoration costs, emergency provisions, and the urgent need to hire a coachman for the guests’ return… I need a little money right now… It’s not much, but… I’m a little… stuck…”

“…”

“I borrowed some from the Korn family and also used what was left in my house… but I forgot that the payment date for the labor coincided with that…! Given the circumstances…”

“…”

“Until I can sell the antiques, artwork, and magic tools from the mansion, I need to cover some living expenses, but the funds I received from the Roent Trading Company are not enough… No… I shouldn’t be saying all this… so…”

“…”

“…”

*Growl.*

Breaking the silence, the roar of a stomach was heard.

Dereck flinched. At first, he thought it was his own stomach… but then he remembered he had eaten mashed potatoes and bread for breakfast that morning.

Then he looked at Aiselin… and saw that her face was completely red, as if it were going to explode. She had lowered her head deeply, trembling, as if she wanted to disappear at that very moment.

“…Have you not eaten?”

“I’m sorry. Please, don’t ask…”

“…”

“…Today was the deadline to pay for the staff’s meals… I couldn’t allow the servants to go hungry starting tomorrow… So, in a hurry… I managed to cover it with my own money…”

“…”

Dereck rubbed his face with both hands.

He felt like he was losing his mind.

In any case, it seemed the first thing they needed was food.