Chapter 9

Chapter 9
## Chapter 9
Move with difficulty, move with difficulty.

In the middle of the night, when everyone except the servants on duty was asleep, Dereck crossed the garden toward the pavilion, organizing his thoughts.

To teach a first-level spell, you must first materialize basic magical power.

Attempting to use magic precipitously without knowing how to release that power is like firing a gun without bullets. The foundation of all magic is recognizing and materializing mana.

None of the mages who taught Diella until now could have ignored that. There must be a reason why they all failed. In reality, training this fundamental aspect of magical power has no fixed theory; each academy has different viewpoints, which makes the process difficult. Each mage develops their own instinctive method for molding mana.

When that happens, anyone would get confused, which is why magic instructors are considered advanced personnel.

It is logical that noble houses across the continent compete to attract competent tutors to their estates. Teaching magic is an immense responsibility.

“If the Regulated Academy’s method doesn’t work, I’ll have no choice but to try a different approach.”

Dereck kept walking. Diella had surely already studied all the theory regarding magical power a long time ago. Most likely, she still lacked the trigger to manifest it.

The Regulated Academy divides the use of mana into four stages: recognition, extraction, manipulation, and manifestation. Once these four stages develop smoothly, you can control your magical energy at will.

But Dereck did not learn magic that way. What taught him were not reference books, ink, or pens, but the sword that appeared before his eyes, the arrow flying toward him, the axe swung by a goblin.

When did the young Dereck first demonstrate his supernatural power? It was when he went up to the back of the mountain to gather dried herbs and encountered a wild boar.

The fear of death lurking over him, the raw reality of fighting for his life—that was what materialized his magical power for the first time. That was his first spell.

That is the life of a mage from the Wild School: they always manifest their power in the crucible of extreme survival instinct.

“…”

Recalling Diella’s paintings with empty margins, Dereck nodded and continued.

***

Bang!

When Dereck kicked open the pavilion door, the servants waiting in the lobby jumped.

A pitch-black night. A young hooded man burst through the front door in the moonlight; it was impossible not to be alarmed. Upon recognizing him as Dereck, the servants became even more uneasy.

“What brings you here…?”

“Thank you for your service.”

Dereck passed the servants and strode down the hallway. His determined pace prevented them from intervening. He was Diella’s tutor, authorized directly by the Duke.

Before entering Diella’s room, he stopped by the kitchen. He saw the cold, clean water the cooks had prepared for the next day. He took an oak bucket full of water and went up the stairs from the central lobby. Ignoring the uneasy glances, he headed straight for Diella’s door and kicked it open.

Bang!

In the middle of the lace-adorned bed lay Diella, buried like a sleeping princess.

Her elegant pajamas and her hair combed to one side shone softly. Anyone who saw her sleeping would think there was no lady more elegant.

Splash!

Mercilessly, Dereck threw the water over her. The servants who had followed him screamed, and the guards, awakened from their sleep, stood frozen in fear.

“Kyaaak!”

Like a lightning bolt, or rather like an icy splash at dawn, Diella woke up startled. Dereck was in front of her.

He dropped the empty bucket to the floor with a crash and stared at her with his cold red eyes, as always.

“Are you sleepy now?”

“What?”

“Do you want to go back to sleep?”

If this continued, she would be sent directly to the monastery. Diella must have felt it too. If she remained silent, not only would her social debut be impossible, but they wouldn’t even allow her to stay in the mansion.

Instead of waking up and finding herself in dirty water, Diella looked at him with incredulity. From Dereck’s point of view, this was a relief, better than being soaked in dirty water.

Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She tried to resist his dominant grip, but his strength was overwhelming.

“Kyaaak! What are you doing? Everyone! Why are you just watching? Stop him! Stop this commoner!”

“…”

The servants outside the door watched with concern, helpless to assist.

Their growing anxiety made them question if this was truly permitted, but in any case, the reason lay with Dereck.

Diella struggled in vain to free herself from his grip, but it was useless. With determined steps, he dragged her down the mansion stairs.

The butler Delron saw them leave, with concern in his eyes, having approached hurriedly upon hearing the news.

However, he had no reason to stop Dereck. With a brief nod, Dereck continued, taking Diella from the pavilion.

“Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

Dereck kept walking, left the pavilion, and crossed the gardens. He dragged the protesting Lady Diella, walking and walking, as if the procession would never end.

Finally, under the dim moonlight, they reached the central meadow, far from the mansion. Dereck extended his arm and threw Diella onto the grass.

Thud!

“Kyaa!”

Her wet pajamas clung to her body, and blades of grass poked out from underneath.

Even her golden hair, once silky, was tangled with leaves, making her look unladylike.

Her fingertips trembled, but at last, she managed to sketch a bitter smile.

“Ha… ha… Do you think this changes anything?”

“…”

“Teaching me magic? Me? Do you think you’re the only one who has said that? Do you think I haven’t tried before? I’m sorry, but wake up! Go instruct some other noble!”

Although she trembled, Diella spat out her defiance. Soaked and sprawled on the grass, her tone did not waver for a moment.

“How dare you, commoner…!”

Ignoring her cries, Dereck approached, pointing the tip of his sword toward her. The moonlight shone intensely on the blade as it entered her field of vision. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably.

“We are far from the mansion and no one can hear us, so let me tell you this now.”

“What…?”

“I have absolutely no special desire to teach Lady Diella anything, such as magic.”

“What??”

At the same time, a cold smile formed at the corner of Dereck’s lips. Even at night, shrouded in darkness, the moonlight shone brightly. Bathed in that light, Dereck’s red eyes glinted while his smile became more chilling.

“I just enjoy giving nobles a beating.”

“What are you saying…?”

He always maintained an appearance of dignity before the nobles of Duplain. But once out of sight, his true nature manifested freely, as if it had always been there.

“As I already said, I am a commoner from the sewers. Why on earth should I appreciate the nobles who look down on me from their mansions just because they were born with noble blood?”

“What are you talking about…?”

“That bit about being a tutor or whatever is just an excuse. Besides, what better motive is there than to hit and hear the screams of an arrogant, haughty noble like you to give you a beating without shame? And on top of that, I get paid for it.”

Seeing that terrifying smile, Diella involuntarily held her breath. Had she been wrong to think that Dereck was acting on her behalf?

Before Diella could respond, Dereck kicked her shoulder with his boot.

“Ah!”

-Thud!

When Diella fell to the ground and looked up again, Dereck unsheathed his longsword. The moonlight reflected off the sharp blade, filling her vision. Her fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

“You… you… you… are you crazy…?”

“I greatly enjoy hearing haughty nobles like you scream in pain. The more you believe in your high status and the more you strut over everyone, the better.”

“If you do this… do you think you’ll save your life?”

“What does it matter if there are no witnesses? And since you’ll soon be sent to the monastery, who will believe you? Do you even think anyone in this house is on your side?”

As Dereck advanced with his sword raised, Diella moved back, crawling through the grass, but from the ground there was no escape: she would be caught in a matter of seconds.

“Don’t fear. Experienced mercenaries know how to inflict pain without causing permanent damage. The human body has many parts that heal quickly. Like fingernails, for example.”

“…Agh… Ha…”

“What if there are lasting effects?”

The man approaching under the moonlight was clearly insane. Diella felt her entire body begin to tremble uncontrollably. She had sensed it from the moment he raised his hand toward her: he was not in his right mind. In a way, all of it seemed like an act of fate.

“If something like that happens, I suppose death will be my redemption.”

“Ah… Ahhh…!”

Diella grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into Dereck’s eyes.

Swish!

“Ugh.”

Dereck quickly covered his face with his elbow, blocking the way. Seizing the opportunity, Diella jumped to her feet and ran toward the nearby forest.

If she ran across the meadow, they would catch her immediately. Even in that fleeting instant, she thought the forest was her best option. Hidden in the darkness, she would first have to face the madman among the bushes.

While she ran and thought about this, a surge of pressure swept through the area like a gust of wind that was gaining strength.

Swish!

Desperate to escape, she fled into the forest. But then, driven by a terrible premonition, she looked back, only to question her eyes. A flame larger than a human being.

Dereck, who was no longer holding his sword, seemed to control the area with his presence alone, gathering magic in his free hand.

‘What, what is that…?!’

Second-level spell: Fireball. A combat spell used by nobles who had gradually acquired mastery of magic. He hadn’t even uttered the usual incantation.

Even Valerian, her older brother gifted with magical powers, had secluded himself for months to begin learning second-level spells. Seeing such magic burst from Dereck’s hand seemed totally unreal to her.

No, she could only hope it wasn’t real. Her opponent was a madman who enjoyed tearing her apart with blows. Suddenly, an enormous pressure arose and the fireball he launched headed toward her.

“Ugh!”

Diella, regardless of the scratches on her body, dodged the attack by jumping. The enormous fireball crashed right next to where she had been, and a column of flames rose toward the sky.

Bang!

A wave of scorching heat exploded. The point hit by the spell was reduced to black ashes flying through the air. A direct impact would have meant instant death, or something very close to it. The power was undeniable.

With trembling eyes, Diella looked toward Dereck, who was casually shaking the dust off his hand, now cold.

His eyelids flickered as he looked at her, and then he muttered to himself.

“Missed.”

A chill ran through Diella’s entire body.

***

Crack! Bang!

Diella fled into the forest.

Dereck, walking slowly through the meadow, seemed to treat her as if it were a hunt, showing no haste. Under the moonlight, his curved lips and glowing red eyes only intensified the terror.

Bang! Boom!

Diella stumbled as her legs gave way. She stood up with difficulty and fled toward the depths of the forest, but she couldn’t get very far from them.

Crack! Hit!

Somehow, she managed to push through the undergrowth. Even so, she had to keep moving forward.

But her legs, weakened by fear, did not obey.

‘Move…! Move, move, move…! Please…!’

Swish!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Waves of magical energy shattered the surrounding branches. Level one attack spell: Magic Arrow. And it was a triple shot. Even among level one mages, mastery varied. A single hit would be too much for the fragile Diella.

“Didn’t I hit you…?”

From behind the bushes, Dereck’s cold voice echoed. Luckily, Diella was small. The darkness covering the forest was on her side.

Rodents scurried through the weeds, and the rustle of leaves blown by the wind filled the air.

Under such conditions, finding Diella hidden among the bushes would not be easy.

Step, step, step.

The madman’s footsteps reached Diella’s ears.

Just behind the bushes in front of her, Dereck searched, cutting branches with his sword.

Diella put her hand to her mouth, holding her breath so as not to make any noise.

Humming to himself, Dereck scanned her possible hiding places like a predator stalking its prey.

Snap.

Finally, Dereck’s boot appeared a few meters from where Diella lay in the undergrowth. The surrounding darkness was so thick that even eyes accustomed to the night could barely see.

Diella tightly gripped her heart, which felt like it was going to burst at any moment, while covering her mouth. Although she remained motionless, her lower lip trembled uncontrollably and her breathing became irregular. She didn’t know if she was inhaling or exhaling.

After a while, Dereck’s steps traversed the area and then went even deeper into the forest.

Gasp… Gasp…

As the distance slowly increased, Diella finally had the luxury of ordering her thoughts.

‘I have to run back to the mansion…! But if I cross the meadow, his magic will catch me…! And then what? I can hide for now, but sooner or later he’ll catch me…!’

Clutching her head in the darkness, she crouched down, trying to calm the racing beats of her heart.

‘Calm down, calm down, calm down. There has to be a solution. There has to be a solution…!’

Finally, she spotted a large rock. Almost the size of her head. She crawled toward it and, upon touching it, found it heavy but manageable.

It was a good thing night had fallen. The darkness enveloping the forest would perfectly hide her small body, making it easier for her to remain hidden. It was the perfect scenario for an ambush.

Against a strong man, the weak Diella stood no chance. Especially if he really was a two-star mage, resisting was useless. In the end, the solution was a surprise attack from the shadows.

If she managed to catch him off guard, she could create an opportunity, even knock him unconscious.

Hidden in the darkness, she waited for the right moment to attack when he lowered his guard.

This was her only chance for victory. Although she trembled, Diella dragged the rock to the edge of the bushes.

She held it with both hands, ready to lift it at any moment. To do this, she sharpened her senses in the darkness.

But the more she concentrated, the more fear took hold of her heart.

Drip, drip, drip.

Tears fell onto the rock. She bit her lip hard to suppress the sobs, too weak even to dry the large drops.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. No noise.’

She suppressed her growing emotions with reason. The thought that she could die there brought a torrent of memories. Moments when she laughed and chatted, ran through the courtyard, or went out with her canvas and easel to paint the landscape… Moments of innocent joy.

Then came the memories of failure and frustration. The abandonment by her brothers, the compassionate looks from her family, her own mistakes, the constant effort, failure and more failure. The pitiful looks from the servants, the gossip saying she had nothing more to offer than her beauty, and the harsh comments from nobles saying she was lucky to have been born a Duplain.

And finally, the harsh reality that her noble lineage was the only thing she had left to show.

‘I can do it! I can do it! I can do it…!’

Pushing away the bad memories, Diella gritted her teeth. She would ambush the madman and, somehow, return to the mansion. The darkness of the forest was on her side.

At that precise moment, her determination hardened.

Spark!

The darkness of the forest, her only ally, vanished.

“Manifestation of Light”—Transformation Spell, Class 1.

An enormous luminous glow burst from behind the bushes, illuminating everything around. The reason mages are considered the most reliable allies among mercenaries is their adaptability: capable of dominating any battlefield. In particular, Dereck excelled at battlefield control.

But for Diella, it was a devastating surprise. The darkness she relied on had completely disappeared.

Gasp…!

Her plan to hide in the shadows was ruined. Determined to flee, Diella began to stand up when…

The white-haired madman, with a glowing sphere floating beside him, suddenly turned his head toward her.

“Found you.”

The boy smiled widely.