Chapter 90

Chapter 90
## Chapter 90
Talking to a drunkard was a real headache.

But it was inevitable. Living in the slums or wandering the streets near the taverns made it common to encounter people staggering under the effects of alcohol.

In fact, in the harsh reality of life, it wasn’t so strange to drown one’s sorrows with a few drinks.

That was why Dereck didn’t have any particular aversion to dealing with drunks.

“This Linus… Uf… Uf… I don’t make empty promises… I will reward you, Denin… Just one favor… Uf…”

“It’s Dereck, not Denin.”

“Oh, heavens! What a slip! Yes. Denin.”

“…”

Linus, delighted to see Dereck despite never having met him, draped his arm over Dereck’s shoulders again and raised his beer mug.

Since Linus was thin and not very heavy, Dereck wasn’t too worried about the weight, but he wished this mysterious noble would get to the point.

“Dereck.”

While Linus continued his drunken rambling and collapsed back onto the bar, Jayden, watching him with a serious expression from behind the counter, quickly approached Dereck and whispered in a low voice.

“He seems like a peculiar person.”

“Seriously? To me, he seems like a drunkard.”

“He introduced himself as Linus, right? As far as I know, there is only one person in the noble Ebelstein family who would use that name.”

Jayden, who managed various clients, usually memorized the names of members of families that commissioned important tasks.

If Jayden knew him, then he must be someone very special.

“When you say Linus, are you referring to the eldest son who abandoned the Belmierd family?”

“…What? The Belmierd family?”

For a moment, I was surprised by his unexpected prominence and couldn’t help but feel a bit bewildered.

However, remembering the history of the Belmierd family, there were certain nuances.

Linus Rugel Belmierd, the eldest son of the Belmierd family, might have once been the heir to the prestigious house of the Counts of Belmierd, famous for its grandeur.

But now he was known for having abandoned all earthly authority and giving himself over to drinking, singing, and lust.

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It was said that the only thing the perfect Marquis Belmierd lacked was luck with his children.

Fortunately, Ellen was a sensible person. If not for her, the descendants of the Belmierd family would be considered a complete disaster.

The origin of those rumors was none other than the libertine Linus, now slumped on the bar next to Dereck.

Linus, who in his youth had an intellectual and insightful appearance thanks to his education as an heir, now sported disheveled hair tied back and, without worrying about grooming his beard, had become a vagrant wandering through taverns.

His body gave off a mixture of rancid sweat and strong alcohol, and dirt accumulated under his broken fingernails.

Dereck, tilting his head slightly while observing him, finally spoke to Jayden.

“I heard that the eldest son of the Belmierd family left Ebelstein.”

But the answer did not come from Jayden.

“A man’s life is like a gust of wind, going from here to there, and from there to here. Hic…”

“You heard all that?”

“I have very sharp hearing. Just by hearing the sound of cards being dealt, I can tell if there is cheating.”

“If I was rude, I apologize.”

“Rude? Our dear Denin is curious, so if you have more questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Or was it Deril…? Ah, yes, Dereck. It was Dereck.”

Speaking loudly, he ordered another beer from the owner and then, narrowing his eyes, gave Dereck a soft pat on the shoulder.

“Hahaha. What’s in a name? Once men face each other, they become comrades for life!”

“What commission do you want to ask of me?”

“Well, it’s hard to say right now.”

“…?”

What on earth was this man trying to say?

While Dereck looked at him with incredulity, Linus, completely drunk, burped again and continued talking.

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“Even so, I have a sense of honor. If you fulfill my commission, I won’t let you go empty-handed.”

“…”

“You seem skeptical. Well, it’s understandable. Who would trust a libertine who even pays for his drinks on credit to pay a commission? Don’t worry, I’ll pay you in advance.”

Linus, smiling mischievously again, took another sip of his beer.

After exhaling deeply, he set down the mug and gave Dereck another pat on the shoulder, acting as if they were old friends.

“If you pay in advance, I have no objection. But I still need to know the details of the commission.”

“Of course I will pay in advance… but the problem isn’t money.”

“…What?”

Dereck looked at Linus, wondering what nonsense he would say next. Linus smiled and then waved his hand near his mouth like a talking puppet.

“I will give you a horse.”

“…If it’s not money, I won’t accept it. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t reject me so quickly. You are about to receive the title of Baron, right? I heard they sent a letter to Belmierd to ask for his opinion on the matter.”

Dereck tensed up upon hearing those words.

His current objective was to receive the title of Baron without complications.

“If you are trying to convince me with that… well, I don’t know.”

“Haha. I’m no fool. The decision-making power in Linus Rugel Belmierd’s family falls mainly on my sister Ellen. Our father, who has the final word, always respects Ellen’s opinion… so I have no influence. The Belmierd family will support your title.”

Ellen would support Dereck’s title. Therefore, Linus’s opinion didn’t matter much.

Linus, knowing this perfectly well, rested his arm on the bar and spoke.

“The real problem isn’t me, but that old man Deltus.”

“Are you referring to Grand Duke Beltus?”

“Yes. That old man is so stubborn that he won’t be pleased at all if a new noble appears in the neighboring territory. I will make sure he supports you.”

Linus let out a laugh, resting his chin on his fist.

“Deril… I mean, Dereck, you might have connections with the Beltus family, but that girl is just a puppet and doesn’t have much influence over the old man.”

“…Even so, it seems unrealistic that you, Lord Linus, could influence the decisions of the Beltus family.”

“True. I can’t. But my best friend, Robenalt, is another story.”

Robenalt. Dereck tried to remember where he had heard that name. It was the name of the eldest son of the Beltus family.

Linus seemed to have a separate friendship with Robenalt.

Although it was hard to believe him immediately, Dereck thought it was better to listen until the end and adjusted his posture.

“Unlike my father, who ignores the firstborn if he doesn’t meet expectations, old man Beltus has an antiquated view of primogeniture. He values his eldest son so much that he hardly pays attention to the others.”

“…So he gives a lot of weight to the opinion of his eldest son, Robenalt.”

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“Yes, no matter what happens, the Beltus family plans to give him everything.”

Linus again simulated talking with his hand near his mouth and then took a long drink.

“I’m good at talking. I’ll make sure Robenalt supports you, so just wait, receive the title of Baron, and dance for joy.”

“You call that a payment in advance?”

“Yes. When you become a Baron without problems, you will do me a favor.”

Dereck, resting his chin thoughtfully, looked at Linus and spoke.

“From what I hear, it seems the task is so complicated that at least the rank of Baron is needed to carry it out. If you need someone with influence, don’t you know many others besides me?”

“Well… I won’t deny it. But seeing things now, it seems that you, Deris, are the most suitable… hic…”

“It’s not Deris, it’s Dereck.”

“Sorry, Deril. Hic, sigh…”

“It’s not Deril, it’s Dereck.”

“Sorry, Deren.”

“…”

Dereck looked at Linus with an expression of resignation.

Linus laughed nervously and then slumped back onto the bar.

“Oh~ I’m getting drunk~. Ugh, sigh…”

“…And what if I simply accept the title and ignore you? Why are you making me this offer?”

“Then I would have made a bad bet, wouldn’t I?”

“…”

As he said himself, Linus was no fool either.

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There was probably some certainty in the offer that seemed so unilaterally favorable to Dereck. The certainty that Dereck would fulfill Linus’s future request.

And what that request was.

“Ellen will die if she is left alone.”

“…”

“Help her not to be displaced as the heir.”

Although Dereck was unaware of the inner workings of the Belmierd family, this exiled eldest son seemed to sense that something was going to happen in the future. Dereck held his breath for an instant upon hearing those words.

Although Linus was drunk, his expression turned deathly serious when he spoke of his sister Ellen.

***

“Did something like that happen in the north? I knew Dereck had a reckless side, but I didn’t think it would go to that extreme…”

The next morning.

In a corner of the garden of Aiselin’s mansion, in the noble district of Ebelstein, three people were sitting together.

One was Aiselin, the owner of the mansion; another was her younger sister, Diella; and the third was Siern—though not her biological sister, she was a sister after all.

“Yes. But Lord Melverot gave us a good amount of money. We won’t have to worry about the servants’ salaries for a while.”

“That’s… a relief, but…”

Diella wore a strangely restrained expression. Anyone seeing her would be surprised, as she always tried to maintain a stern look.

However, she didn’t try so hard in front of Aiselin. After all, Aiselin was her beloved older sister.

“I never expected Lady Siern to come with all of you…”

“Ahaha…”

In Aiselin’s arms, laughing awkwardly, was Siern, the young woman from House Rochester.

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She looked like a princess frozen in ice, but her behavior was strangely wild, like that of a primitive animal, and now she slept peacefully in Aiselin’s arms.

Diella and Siern.

The nobles of Ebelstein would be speechless if they saw these girls.

Both had the temperament of rabid dogs that no one could control, but in front of Dereck or Aiselin, they turned into meek little lambs.

Even the arrogant Lady Trisha swallowed hard and backed away upon finding herself in front of Aiselin, who had both girls at her side.

“I should have given a few more slaps to that arrogant Trisha…”

The simple thought of Trisha made Diella grind her teeth, but she took a deep breath to calm herself and sat back down at the tea table.

Seeing Diella so agitated gave Aiselin a strange sense of comfort, as if she had finally returned home.

“By the way, what were you doing there after the salon meeting ended? Lady Denise and Lady Ellen were also there…”

“Oh… now that you mention it, I still haven’t told you, Diella. There is some news I thought you should know, since I visited the salon…”

“News? Aiselin, you aren’t a messenger, why would you go around spreading news…?”

Seeing Aiselin’s lighter steps moved Diella.

When the Duplain family was at the peak of its power, everyone flocked to the mansion to see Aiselin.

Now she had to run from one place to another just to deliver news… It hurt her, but Diella chose not to show it.

Then Diella took a sip of tea to calm herself.

“Dereck is getting married.”

“Pffft!”

Of course, the tea didn’t go down her throat.

Facing Aiselin, who had dropped that bombshell so naturally, Diella—now a mess—took a deep breath and spoke again.

“I must have misheard… surely I misheard…”

“Dereck is getting married. I heard he is going to start a family with Pheline, the mercenary archer from the Beldern Mercenary Corps…”

“What? Dereck? Is Dereck dating a woman? It’s hard to believe he’s seeing someone… but getting married?”

“Y-yes.”

The Dereck Diella knew was simply a man obsessed with magic.

Of course, as a man, he might wish to find a good partner and form a happy family, but she never expected him to make such a sudden decision.

In the first place, even if he was a commoner, wasn’t he deeply involved with high society?

Not only with Diella, but also with people like Aiselin, Ellen, and Denise; he was someone who associated naturally with all kinds of nobles whom the lower class rarely saw. Naturally, his standards must have been raised.

At that point, it was impossible for a mercenary from the slums to catch his attention. Thinking that gave her a strange sense of relief.

Realizing that, Diella felt out of place. Relief? Why on earth would she feel relieved? Dereck had his own life.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel a great shock, as if her chest had been burst open.

“…”

It seemed like a bad joke, but Aiselin was not the type to do those things.

Diella, with an empty cup in her trembling hands, had no choice but to observe Aiselin’s expression.

Aiselin avoided her gaze awkwardly. As if she knew that news would have a strange impact on Diella.

However, Aiselin also hesitated to tell her the whole truth.

The fact that Dereck’s marriage was just a facade to obtain a title was not something she couldn’t share with someone as precious as her sister Diella.

But Dereck had asked her sincerely. The fewer people who knew the marriage was just a fake contract, the better.

After all, it was a deception, and not something to be proud of.

Besides, everyone knew how quickly rumors spread among the nobility. This contract marriage should only be known by the parties involved.

Aiselin’s deep loyalty was undoubtedly touching, but for Diella, it was like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

‘D-Dereck didn’t marry magic, did he…?’

She tried to make that absurd comment, but there was no longer any way to undo the marriage.

As Aiselin had said, it was quite believable, but Diella still felt the need to see it with her own eyes.

*Creak.*

Diella rose from her seat.

“…I’m going out for a while. Sister Aiselin.”

“D-Diella… You don’t look well… Are you really okay?”

“The name of the mercenary, what was it? Ph-Pheline?”

“…Why do you ask? You’re not thinking of going to look for her, are you?”

When Aiselin asked with a worried expression, Diella shook her head without saying much and left.

Seeing that, Aiselin also felt a strange unease and couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

*Zzz.*

Only Siern, who was now sleeping peacefully in Aiselin’s arms after a long time, remained in good condition.

***

*Whish!*

*Thwack! Thwack!*

*Screech!*

The sharp point of the arrow pierced the goblin’s eye.

The goblin, spitting blood and writhing in pain, finally collapsed onto the grass and exhaled its last breath.

*Step, step.*

*Thump!*

A girl in light mercenary clothing and a cloak gathered her platinum blonde hair.

She stepped on the goblin’s face, pulled out the arrow, and shook the blood off the tip with her boot.

Around her, the area was littered with goblin corpses. The thin, petite girl had killed them all.

The scene was so surreal that anyone seeing it for the first time would be speechless.

“This part is almost finished. I finished a little early, so maybe I’ll stop by Tears of Beldern for a bit of mead~.”

Pheline, with a cheeky tone, stretched her shoulders, threw her bow over them, and lengthened her stride.

The work had turned out easier than expected, and the sun was still high in the sky.

After briefly losing herself in the warm landscape of the meadow, she finally shook her head and headed quickly toward the gate of Ebelstein.

She was, without a doubt, Dereck’s wife.

Although her status was enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end, at least she was well paid. Thinking of it lightly, Pheline quickened her pace.

“♪♬♪”

At that moment, she had no idea.

She would not understand what it meant to be the companion of the master of magic for whom Duplain, Beltus, and Belmierd had fought until she lived it in her own flesh.

In short, what awaited her were trials.