Belmiard (4)
"I'll get straight to the point, I can do anything if it means I can defeat young lady Aiselin."
The place was a large mansion located in the center of the Noble Society district.
The nobles staying in Ebelstein's Noble Society district often each had their own mansion, and this was like a kind of practice before becoming the mistress of a large noble residence.
Within this mansion, they held a status almost identical to that of a true mistress.
For noble young ladies, it was important not only to have a beautiful appearance and refinement, but also to know how to manage a mansion well and lead the servants.
The mansion that the Belmiard family had prepared in the Noble Society district for young lady Ellente was so luxurious that one could hardly imagine anything more extravagant.
Beltus, Belmiard, Duplein.
Among the nobles of Ebelstein, these three houses were said to be on a completely different level. There was always a reason for such a reputation.
In a great city where hundreds of thousands of people lived, the fact that one could possess such a vast garden was already far from ordinary.
In one corner of Ellente's mansion, there was a tea table prepared for guests.
Derrick had seen many such well-prepared tea tables placed all around the mansion while staying at the Duplein Ducal House. It seemed that nobles enjoyed drinking tea in well-maintained gardens.
"Young lady Aiselin hasn't reached the realm of 2-star yet either. At the very least, I want to reach 2-star faster than her ... if that doesn't work, then at least in magic sparring, I want to gain the upper hand."
"You mean young lady Aiselin?"
"Yes. Since you worked as an instructor at the Duplein Ducal House, you should know well, but she is truly a perfect lady. No matter how hard you try, you can't find a single flaw."
If one were to look hard, perhaps the only thing would be that the youngest, Delia, had been quite the troublemaker.
Such collective responsibility couldn't be ignored in noble society, but there were many rumors that Delia had almost completely turned over a new leaf, and as for family background, Ellente wasn't really in a position to boast either.
Her older brother was a debauched troublemaker obsessed with women and alcohol, and her younger sibling was a monk, so if one were to bring up family matters, it would actually be young lady Ellente who would have to keep her mouth shut.
What more was there to say, she was the pillar supporting the Count Belmiard family.
From the environment itself, she was different from Aiselin, who could focus solely on cultivating her own abilities.
Even so, Ellente herself seemed determined to defeat Aiselin no matter what.
"Your competitive spirit is impressive. That must be why you were able to reach such a high realm."
"You're good at flattering. I know well that my personality isn't exactly great."
To tell the truth, young lady Aiselin hadn't done anything wrong.
She was simply living diligently according to her own duties, and the people clinging around her had arbitrarily developed an inferiority complex and were grinding their teeth, trying to defeat her no matter what.
"Maybe now you can call it fair and square competitive spirit, but before that, you wouldn't know how ugly the things I did were."
"... It seems young lady Ellente also had her own period of wandering."
"That's what jealousy is like. If, as you say, you could use it healthily as fuel for your own growth, who would say anything? But the human heart doesn't work that way."
Young lady Ellente's eyes looked quite complicated, as if she were reminiscing about the past years.
While adapting diligently to Ebelstein's High Society, she must have gone through many incidents.
She didn't list them out one by one in a crude way, but at least the experiences she had in High Society didn't seem very pleasant.
"Rather than wanting myself to do better, I end up trying to find the other person's flaws. Why hide it? I tried to slander young lady Aiselin and tried to find her faults. So what do you think that well-bred lady did?"
"......"
"She tried to understand my heart and embrace it. Yes. I was completely defeated."
Miriela said that Ebelstein's High Society was like walking on thin ice.
If you showed even a little weakness, there were always people who would seize on it to slander you, and smear others to solidify their own faction. As long as humans gathered, such ugly crowds were bound to exist.
Perhaps young lady Ellente was ..... one of those people. She even admitted it herself.
"What I'm about to tell you is my greatest shame."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, I have something I want to ask of you, so I should show my hand a bit."
Young lady Ellente took a sip of tea, then set down the teacup with a pretty floral pattern.
And with a dark expression, she quietly continued.
"What ways are there to slander people? When gossiping about a noble young lady, a single flower, there are set methods."
"What are they?"
"Criticizing her for loose behavior, spreading stories about an unsavory family history, picking on trivial things to say she lacks refinement, and driving the narrative that her vanity or desire to show off is excessive."
"........"
"I'm someone who's risen to quite a firm position even in Ebelstein's High Society. There are quite a few empty-headed people who string together all sorts of flowery words to catch my eye. It's no different for lower-rank nobles. And when you receive that kind of following, there are times when you fall into the illusion that you can control the whole world as you please."
Young lady Ellente's expression had grown quite dark.
Derrick could infer enough by this point. She had truly been a villain.
He seemed to understand why she had said she was revealing her shame.
She was exactly the kind of noble that came to mind when one thought of people who trampled others and pulled down those more noble than themselves for pleasure.
However, the young lady Ellente reflected in Derrick's eyes now didn't seem quite like that.
She looked like someone who could consider commoners, show respect to those who worked hard, and always do her best. Her current self seemed to be the destination she had reached after a long, long period of wandering.
He was curious what young lady Ellente had been like during her stormy youth, but he didn't commit the discourtesy of showing such curiosity at this point.
"Young lady Aiselin pretended not to know, even though she knew that I was the source of all those slanders and rumors."
"That happened?"
"Yes. At first, I thought she was just too afraid of me and pretending not to know. But that wasn't it. Because she was already mentally strong, she wasn't shaken by petty fault-finding or forced slander. Even in the midst of such harassment, she never lost that gentle character of hers."
Young lady Ellente's gaze grew distant.
"And then, at some point, there came a time when I started to feel utterly pathetic."
She might have thought she simply disliked young lady Aiselin, but deep down, she acknowledged the girl.
Even so, the desire to somehow break her pride and defeat her never disappeared.
For a girl's short life, that complex ambivalence was extremely hard to understand.
Acknowledging someone and not being jealous were clearly separate issues.
If she defeated Aiselin, would these complicated feelings be sorted out to some extent? With such thoughts, she still couldn't let go of the desire to at least crush her in magic sparring.
"Young lady Aiselin often praises you. Even after leaving the Duplein family, she would mention your name from time to time."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. She even said she was disappointed that you didn't stop by the mansion at least once for a cup of tea."
On that point, Derrick couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
After leaving the Duplein mansion, Derrick had devoted himself entirely to magic training and carrying out requests.
Having connections with someone like young lady Aiselin might be an incredible thing that would make merchants or aspiring politicians go crazy.
However, the boy had set his mind solely on mastering magic, so for two whole seasons changing, he hadn't even come near Aiselin's mansion.
People in a world that valued connections would probably grab the back of their necks at such foolish behavior, but paradoxically, that very attitude was what maintained Derrick's reputation.
"Since you stayed with the Duplein family for several months, you should know well."
"Indeed, I did see young lady Aiselin use magic a few times at gatherings at the ducal mansion or small sparring sessions."
"Yes. You know quite well the level of young lady Aiselin's magic skills, and you've also experienced sparring with me. And though we only exchanged a few moves, it was more than enough to feel it. You're someone quite seasoned when it comes to magic duels."
"You flatter me."
"... Until at least one of us, me or young lady Aiselin, learns 2-star magic, the outcome will be decided by proficiency and application of 1-star magic. I think you could tell me what I should focus on training to defeat young lady Aiselin."
Only now did Derrick understand why young lady Ellente had dragged him all the way to her mansion.
It wasn't common to treat a mere commoner with expensive tea and courtesy. Ellente had something she wanted to hear from Derrick in her own way.
Derrick fell into thought for a moment.
While staying at the Duplein family, he had occasionally seen Aiselin come to stay at the main house and show her magic achievements.
He had seen her wield mana before the Duke Duplein, and practice sparring with retainers many times. He was sufficiently familiar with her level of magic.
"Certainly, young lady Aiselin's magic skill is truly at an incredible level."
In the Duplein family, the eldest son Valerian had been recognized as the highest level after learning 2-star magic early, but even so, young lady Aiselin didn't seem that far behind.
She simply hadn't reached the realm of 2-star yet, but her use of mana was already mature to the point of being fully seasoned.
If her younger sister Delia handled mana as freely as splashing paint, then she used mana in a way that was like the very textbook of Discipline School magic in Noble Society.
And Discipline School magic was the mainstream school of the magic world. The reason the hierarchy of skill was so clearly visible was because that school's magic was extremely efficient.
The theories of Discipline School magic, already thoroughly researched, allowed one to use the most efficient magic their abilities could produce, as long as they learned them properly. There was a reason the standard was the standard.
Wild School magic, which involved a certain degree of improvisation, was inherently not very efficient. However, it often focused on irregular and free use of magic. In other words, Delia was the complete opposite style of her older sister.
Whether it was Delia or Aiselin, Derrick could easily guess that in the future, each would become a master in their own field of magic. The blood of Duplein was certainly extraordinary.
Considering all that, Derrick couldn't give a very hopeful answer.
But so what if that was the truth.
For questions like this, there was always a standard answer.
Young lady Ellente's magic was already at an excellent level, so it would be fine to just say some suitably flattering words.
Aiselin's magic level was certainly amazing, but if young lady Ellente also polished her skills diligently, she would be able to win someday. That kind of cookie-cutter answer was usually the correct one when dealing with nobles.
Derrick was just about to handle it in exactly that way.
"....."
The endlessly serious eyes of young lady Ellente were looking straight at the boy.
Only then did Derrick realize. There was a reason she had gone out of her way to recite such shameful things to a mere commoner like him.
Since she was already receiving plenty of admiring gazes, she knew well that saying such things to noble young ladies would only result in perfunctory answers.
That was why she needed to reveal in advance how serious she was. She hadn't grabbed Derrick's collar just to hear some obvious praise anyone could say.
With things having come this far, he couldn't preach something obvious like "just work hard and you'll manage". Derrick quietly met her eyes, and then, lowering his voice, had no choice but to say it.
"You will absolutely never win."
Derrick said it decisively.
At those words, young lady Ellente's pupils shook once, 크게.
Derrick was certain.
Before long, young lady Aiselin would reach the realm of 2-star.
*
In life, there are things you simply can't do.
Accepting that simple fact is harder than one might think. Because people have something called competitiveness.
What can't be done, can't be done. Sometimes, someone has to tell you that fact decisively.
If someone sufficiently credible says so, most people end up accepting their limits.
Since Derrick also knew her sincerity well, he decided to take on that gloomy role.
Young lady Ellente's current magic level was truly excellent, and her learning ability was outstanding compared to other mages, that was undeniable.
Still, compared to the level of young lady Aiselin's magic that Derrick knew, it was still far from enough.
"........"
When you say something this decisively, the reaction is usually one of two.
First, they get their pride hurt, grind their teeth, and get angry, saying who are you to talk like that.
It was a spiteful reaction, but when you heard such words, that was how most people responded. It was understandable. Wasn't it a statement that scratched at one's pride?
So, if Ellente got angry like that, Derrick planned to quietly listen and then leave the mansion, never to return. Since she had treated him to good tea, he could consider taking on this role as the price.
However, young lady Ellente didn't do that.
Then it was likely the second reaction. Despair.
If Derrick, who seemed to know both sides' magic levels and also seemed to have an eye for duels, was that certain ..... then she had no hope.
Accepting it that way and being greatly discouraged.
In that case, Derrick planned to quietly comfort her.
However, young lady Ellente didn't even despair.
With not even a flicker of change in her expression, she simply said to Derrick.
"Even so, I want to win."
Only then did Derrick realize that that firm expression of young lady Ellente hadn't been made overnight.
You could tell at a glance. This wasn't the first time she had received advice that it was "impossible".
"......."
"I intend to do everything I can. If it's you, who even taught that Delia Catherine Duplein to become a refined mage, surely you can think of some method."
She certainly felt mentally mature.
She had already noticed even Derrick's subtle consideration hidden in his firm tone.
When Derrick didn't answer right away, young lady Ellente finally leaned her head forward and spoke. It seemed to be her habit to look straight into the other person's eyes to an almost burdensome degree.
"If you think of anything, teach me whatever it is."
"... It's not that there's nothing to try, but before that, there are about two things that weigh on my mind."
"What are they?"
Teaching Ellente magic sparring wasn't particularly difficult.
Putting aside whether she could really defeat young lady Aiselin, he was confident he could raise her level of magic sparring by another step.
Of course, making Ellente defeat Aiselin was an extremely difficult problem in itself .. but it wasn't as if nothing came to mind at all.
However, young lady Ellente clearly didn't know Derrick's teaching methods.
"Do you know what kind of way I taught young lady Delia?"
"Such detailed things don't spread as rumors. Didn't you calmly teach her focusing on mana usage?"
"... That's not wrong, but."
As soon as Derrick met young lady Delia, he rolled up his sleeves, dragged her straight into the forest, fired magic, and threatened to kill her.
When you summarized it, it sounded like something a complete madman would do.
That kind of extreme measure had only been possible because there was the Duke Duplein's tacit permission, and because Delia herself was no ordinary person.
He wouldn't do something like that to young lady Ellente.
However, she needed to know that Derrick's methods were far more violent and radical than one might think. When he got serious, he didn't go easy just because someone was a noble young lady.
Could young lady Ellente understand that? He needed to check that first ...
"I'm ready to do anything. If only I can break that young lady Aiselin's pride ..."
"Really ... can you do anything?"
"... The way you say it makes me uneasy, but you know well that my resolve is serious."
It seemed she was already confident about that part.
Then he had to bring up the second point.
"As I said, I am a mercenary, young lady Ellente."
"......"
What did it mean to learn magic from a mercenary? That was what he had to ask.
".. Certainly, this isn't a mansion with only family members, and this is Ebelstein's Noble Society district. For someone of my status to learn magic from a mere mercenary could become a big stain. Rumors spread fast here."
"......."
"But that's something I'll bear. Didn't I say it just now? I'm ready to do anything to defeat young lady Aiselin. Pelmier will probably oppose it strongly, but I don't care. After all, I'm the owner of this mansion."
Young lady Ellente's eyes were already burning fiercely. The girl, raising her voice, spoke with confidence.
"Don't measure my seriousness over something so trivial! I... I truly want to defeat her and become the best. If I can't even stand out in Ebelstein's High Society in the western part of the Empire, how can I play in bigger waters? I harbor the ambition to become someone whose name is known throughout the entire Empire. So don't worry about such things."
Ellente laughed majestically.
If she could find a new direction for her stagnating magic training, she could endure something like that easily. Indeed, her scholarly zeal was burning hot.
And so ... Derrick had no choice but to carefully pour cold water on it.
".... That's not what I meant."
"... What?"
".... I meant that you need to pay an appropriate amount of money."
There is no mercenary in the world who works without compensation.
Hearing Derrick's words, young lady Ellente realized she had completely misunderstood and had to gasp and blush.
She had already finished a long speech. The embarrassment was entirely hers to bear.
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