Noble Lady Reformation Guide Chapter 180: The player (3)

When they left the Duplain palace, the sun was already slowly setting.

Dereck was exhausted to the bone after spending the entire day reviewing the academy’s construction schedule, inspecting the buildings, and conversing with the head of the family.

Was the life of nobles always like this?

As he left the residence of Duke Duplain, his expression had grown even more indifferent than before.

During the ti he had remained in the north, his magical aptitude had improved, and he had repeated his training until he brushed against the threshold of five stars.

It was a cold and harsh environnt, but for Dereck, sitting amid those snowy plains in the residence of the Duke of Rochester had been a far more fulfilling and aningful phase.

Even so, in this era, one could not renounce the authority granted by nobility in order to beco a high-ranking mage.

If all the plans he had set in motion began to bear fruit, perhaps Dereck would not remain at the rank of baron and could rise even higher.

Whether that would be beneficial for his life or not was sothing he still could not know.

That was how the world worked.

Since when magic had beco the very authority of the nobility on this continent was no longer even worth asking.

He could only let such empty thoughts slip by.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

Behind Dereck, as he headed toward the carriage waiting for him at the main entrance, Linus approached him.

Scratching the back of his head, he let out a dry laugh and gave him a few pats on the shoulder.

“Well, either way, if it’s already decided that the imperial delegation will co to inspect, it’s normal for your head to be in a ss.”

“That can be resolved by following protocol, but there are still many other things to take care of, and that’s what’s giving a headache.”

“When your status rises and you start accumulating things, problems inevitably increase as well. Doesn’t it make you understand a bit better now why I wander around like a wreck, hanging around betting tables?”

“…”

Linus let out a carefree laugh and then, crossing his arms, sat down in a corner of the garden bathed in the reddish light of the sunset.

“Compared to your days as a rcenary, your worries and the problems you have to deal with now seem to have moved to another level.”

“That’s true, but…”

Dereck brought a hand to his chin for a mont and, as if suddenly rembering sothing, asked,

“From the beginning, you actively helped obtain the title of baron. At the ti you said it was to help Lady Ellen, but even so, I still had many doubts.”

“Doubts? It was to prevent my useless younger brother from harming Ellen. Do you need any other reason?”

“Wouldn’t it have been simpler for you to help Lady Ellen directly yourself, without involving ?”

At Dereck’s question, Linus cleared his throat and answered as a bead of sweat slid down.

“I already told you. Ellen hates . Since I was a child, I abandoned the family and ran off to wander around without fulfilling any noble duties. Why would soone like ever please her? On the other hand, if she had soone presentable at her side, soone with the air of a respectable master, that demanding girl would eventually accept it.”

“…”

“And in the end I was right, wasn’t I? Every ti she sees you, Ellen can’t hide how much she likes you. She always tries to act like a mature lady and keep an elegant expression, but if you look closely, it’s obvious that she isn’t.”

The more one learned about Linus, the more questions arose.

He rested his arm over the chest of his linen robe, yellowed by wear, and stroked his poorly shaved beard with a thoughtful expression.

“The Belmierd family is far more ruthless than you imagine. To survive there, you need at least one master you can truly trust. Although I didn’t expect you to end up with so many disciples, not just Ellen.”

“…So there’s still sothing more.”

“Maybe yes, maybe no. In any case, I wanted to raise you as high as possible because I was sure that, one way or another, you would continue to be an ally of Ellen.”

Linus spat out the phlegm that had accumulated in his throat and, without wasting ti, pulled a small bottle of liquor from his waist and drank deeply.

“Ahh!”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

It could not be considered noble behavior even as a joke.

“I’m a gambler. I make my living betting money, and when the ti cos, I’ll simply disappear. I, who fell from high society to the bottom, it doesn’t matter how I end up—but you, who climbed from the bottom to the elite, need to beco soone more solid.”

“Lately I have indeed felt so pressure.”

“It’s inevitable. At least among the people I know, you’re the one with the broadest ties to six-star mages. Aside from you, at most Kohella, in the Gremport palace, could compare.”

Linus let out a dry laugh.

“With great influence cos great responsibility. Living like that is damn crazy, isn’t it? Hahaha.”

“…”

Had he co just to mock him?

As Dereck thought that, Linus leaned back against the wooden bench again and spoke in a heavier voice.

“From my point of view, the six-star confusion mage does exist.”

He delivered that conclusion with unusual weight.

Although he was usually drunk and unsteady, there were monts when his voice beca surprisingly firm. This was one of them.

“Do you have any basis for saying that?”

“It’s not tangible proof. But the fact that Kohella is accompanying Princess Roselin on this inspection is already out of the ordinary.”

“…”

“You know how busy the empire’s chief advisory mage is. She already visited the academy grounds once and even gave her approval. For her to co again in person is strange.”

He took another drink from the bottle and let out a long sigh.

Paradoxically, his eyes were clearer than before.

“That old snake only moves like this when there’s a six-star mage involved. She’s obsessed with magic.”

“That… is hard to deny.”

“I don’t know whether you’ll take this as praise or an insult, but from my point of view, Kohella and you aren’t that different in essence.”

Humans obsessed with magic.

Only those willing to offer everything to raise their level can even brush against the threshold of seven stars.

Kohella was the one who had been researching seven-star magic the longest.

It was highly likely that her inner self was distorted in one way or another.

“The fact that Kohella is personally accompanying Princess Roselin to such a ceremonial event ans there’s more to it. This story may have been treated as nonsense for years, but even so, it might be wise to act under the assumption that it exists.”

“I understand. But even if that were the case, how could we deal with a mage who transcends all perception?”

“That’s true. Hahaha. But not even a six-star mage is omnipotent. They all have weaknesses, limits—there has to be sothing.”

Linus raised his gaze toward the sun slowly setting.

Dereck also stared at the horizon beside him.

Combat, transformation, exploration, necromancy.

Dereck had personally encountered six-star mages in four different disciplines.

All of them truly existed.

Trying to act against soone whose very existence is not even certain is, in practical terms, impossible.

“In the end, it’s not that different from gambling. If you’re unsure whether sothing exists or not, it’s best to assu that it does and act accordingly. If you don’t calculate every possibility, you always end up losing the money.”

Linus, on the other hand, seed strangely relaxed.

“That’s the true charm of the ga.”

***

“Tomorrow I’m going to sleep in a bit, so let the servants know they don’t need to wake in the morning.”

When Dereck returned to the residence of Baron Ravenclaw, it was already quite late.

Compared to the imposing size of the Duplain mansion, the residence of Baron Ravenclaw was fairly modest.

Even so, there were still so buildings constructed for the operation of the training center, so compared to a typical rural baron of a peripheral region, the size of the place was still considerable.

Now that all those functions would be moved to the grounds of the Ravenclaw Academy, the surroundings of the residence would return to silence.

For Dereck, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

“My shoulder isn’t in good condition, so I want to rest a bit more. I’ll also skip breakfast, so there’s no need to prepare anything.”

After giving those instructions to Delbriton and the head maid, Dereck finished his dinner simply.

“When you say you’ll sleep in… are you planning to rest the entire morning?”

“Sothing like that. First I need the shoulder wound to recover properly so I can focus on other things. If the academy’s opening schedule is already organized, leave it on the desk in my office. Only co to inform if so matter arises that requires review.”

“Yes, yes… understood. Then… t-this early morning… will you be sleeping…?”

“…Early morning?”

“…”

When Delbriton avoided his gaze with an awkward expression, Dereck, seated in his place, watched him for a mont with narrowed eyes.

Thinking about it, this was the first day since he had taken on all the work that Aiselin had been carrying.

With so unease, Dereck asked Delbriton,

“…What exactly did you do when Miss Aiselin was handling everything?”

“…”

“Answer honestly.”

“Well… normally she slept about three hours a day and spent the entire early morning reviewing docunts. That’s why… the maids took turns standing night watch and assisting her.”

The head maid, Elpin, answered in a trembling voice, clearly terrified.

Dereck looked at her in silence. She had deep, dark circles under her eyes and dull skin, giving the impression of extre exhaustion. Did anyone who tried to keep up with Aiselin’s pace of work end up like this?

When he had first hired Elpin as head maid, she had been delighted to be able to assist Aiselin as well, who was called the treasure of Ebelstein’s high society.

She had been young, full of energy, and seed like soone reliable.

However, in just a few months, Elpin had beco so pale that she looked as though she had been resurrected through necromantic magic.

Apparently, she had felt great pride and honor in serving a lady admired by all, but now perhaps all that remained was regret, exhaustion, and an unhealthy obsession.

“Miss Aiselin will not be touching any work for a while.”

“Is… is that… possible?”

That soone would even ask whether it was “possible” already said a great deal.

Even so, at least within the residence of Baron Ravenclaw, the figure with the greatest authority was Dereck.

No matter how much Aiselin was a lady of the House of Duplain, while she acted as an internal part of the academy, she had to respect his judgnt.

When Dereck nodded firmly, little by little vitality returned to the faces of Delbriton and Elpin.

Not only them.

The maids standing by the wall collecting the tableware, and the attendants cleaning the floor in the hallway, also shuddered.

Although no one said anything, a strange atmosphere was forming among them.

It was as if people who had lived crushed by an irresistible force had finally found a new savior.

Who was Aiselin, really?

A noble lady, known as the treasure of Ebelstein’s high society, admired and revered by all.

Yet, for so ti now, within the residence of Baron Ravenclaw, she had beco a terrifying existence, impossible to resist.

And the most terrifying thing about that monster was a single fact.

She had no ill intent.

She simply worked with all her strength and took charge of managing the residence.

“…What kind of hell did you all live through while I was in the north?”

“Then… with all due respect, does that an that, aside from the escort personnel, we won’t have to stand guard in the early morning anymore?”

“As long as the security of the residence isn’t neglected, you need to sleep.”

“Does that also an there won’t be schedule reviews, etings, or surprise inspections at unreasonable hours…?”

“Well, we’ll check the bare minimum necessary. But doing it too early or too late isn’t ideal, right?”

“And nothing like suddenly getting a good idea and heading out to the academy site at dawn… or grabbing a shovel and starting to dig up the garden… or ordering ladders gathered because the exterior wall needs redecorating… or deciding at daybreak to tear up all the grass and replant it nicely…?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

As Dereck answered while breaking out in a cold sweat, the head maid, Elpin, suddenly bowed deeply.

“I will be loyal to you… for my entire life… Baron.”

Seeing her bow while holding back tears, Dereck was montarily at a loss.

However, in the silence of the butler Delbriton and the other servants, he sensed a strange, shared empathy.

In the end, Dereck had no choice but to remain silent.

There was only one thought in his mind.

These people needed to be paid a lot more.

***

Aiselin Eleanor Duplain had died in a horrible and miserable way.

At least, that was how she herself felt.

“……”

In the luxurious bedroom adorned with delicate lace, the only things Aiselin had done all day since returning to the ducal palace of Duplain were to stroll around the grounds a little in the morning, converse with her family in the afternoon, drink tea, read a few philosophy books, and play an instrunt for a brief mont.

It was, without a doubt, the ideal and relaxed life of a noble lady.

But now.

Aiselin had been irreparably corrupted.

In the midst of such an empty daily routine, devoid of any substance, she felt as though her soul were slipping out through her mouth.

‘Today I was supposed to finalize the budget for the second sester… Did Delbriton review it properly?’

‘To match the schedule of the imperial inspection, all the maids’ uniforms need to be washed… Elpin… please tell you didn’t forget…’

‘Ah…! Wait…! The deadline to pay for the residence’s tableware was today! D-did they pay it correctly…?’

‘If Emperor Gattrel is coming in person, we also need to gather the academy’s disciples… Have the letters been sent in advance…? Lady Ellen has already received one, but I also need to confirm with Lady Trisha and Lady Denise…’

As she lay there, she felt as though the lines of the account books she herself had written were being traced across the ceiling.

For Aiselin, stopping work was an even more atrocious pain than abandoning an extrely powerful hallucinogenic drug.

Even so, Dereck’s decision had been the right one.

Suddenly, Aiselin waved her hand and noticed that the tips of her nails were badly damaged.

The truth was that, if she had not been stopped like this, she would never have rested until her body reached its absolute limit.

“……”

She was the kind of person who absolutely needed soone to put the brakes on her at crucial monts.

And no one could deny that Dereck was the right person for that.