Ellente (5)
As Ellente walked across the corridor and headed out, everyone she ran into offered her words of comfort and encouragement.
It was Aiselin who had drawn all eyes by manifesting 2-star magic, but Ellente, in her own way, had also shown her outstanding magic skill without holding anything back.
The nobles who thought that even her struggle had its own value offered her kind smiles and said that it had been truly impressive.
They were only stopping by Ellente, briefly before going to speak to Aiselin.
Ellente was not unaware of that fact either, but she still treated them gracefully with a gentle smile filling her face.
"My magic achievement is still very lacking. Next time, I'll definitely work harder so I can beat Young Lady Aiselin."
"Even at your current level, there aren't many in this Ebelstein High Society who could keep up with Young Lady Ellente. If Sir Belmiard had seen it, he would have been very pleased."
"Thank you. Hearing you say that really gives me strength!"
Accepting with sincerity the comfort of nobles whose names she couldn't even remember, Ellente turned and went down the corridor.
The servants following behind her wore worried expressions, but surprisingly, Ellente herself looked rather relieved.
To the nobles crossing the corridor, the sight of her walking away along it looked dignified.
For someone who had lost the duel she had prepared for so desperately, that smile looked truly firm.
After roughly finishing the small talk, Ellente, was nearing the area of the corridor reserved for honored guests, where there were no people.
Before turning into the corridor, Derrick, who had been sitting on a wooden chair placed along the wall, stood up from his seat and greeted her.
When Ellente, saw Derrick like that, she spoke with a face full of bright color.
"Did you see the duel?"
"Yes."
"Surprised, right? I'm the kind of person who knows how to admit defeat when it's defeat."
"....."
Ellente puffed out her chest and spoke with a satisfied face.
"It was far, so you probably couldn't see it well, right? You should have seen Young Lady Aiselin's expression."
"What was it like?"
"What do you mean what it was like... heh heh... her eyes went wide, you know. 'You're giving up here?' She kept looking at me like she was asking that over and over. To think that Young Lady Aiselin who's always so composed, would make such a dumbfounded face. It was truly a sight to see. It's way more satisfying than grinding your teeth and saying you're going to win or something like that!"
Ellente rattled on excitedly in a voice full of glee.
Derrick glanced sideways at the expressions of the servants lined up behind her.
Those servants, who worried about their master day and night, met Derrick's eyes with awkward expressions.
When he turned his gaze back to Ellente's face, she was still wearing a beaming smile and standing with her chest proudly out.
"And on top of that, in the middle of it, I even actually pushed Young Lady Aiselin into a corner, didn't I? Everything you thought would happen lined up perfectly, Derrick. As expected, you really are an expert in this sort of thing, huh?"
"You flatter me."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I even got to feel this sense of superiority over Aiselin... today really is the best day ever!"
Laughing loudly, Ellente, brushed off Derrick's collar with a few taps and continued speaking in a tone that couldn't hide her sense of satisfaction.
"Alright, Derrick. I can't deny your ability. I'll pay you even more than the gold coins we promised."
"..."
"So, how was the sparring? The ending wasn't that great, but... still, my magic skill wasn't too bad, right? You know it well now too, Derrick, but I learn extremely fast. Still, since you were the one playing the role of my magic master, your judgment should be the most accurate, right? Well, if you're going to nitpick and talk about more parts to improve, let's first go back to the mansion and..."
"There was nothing to criticize. You were excellent."
At those words, Ellente's pupils trembled for a moment.
She raised her head and looked at Derrick's face. As always, it was expressionless, but somehow it carried a warm feeling.
He was a person stingy with praise. Even when dealing with nobles, he was not someone who easily spoke empty compliments.
Receiving such straightforward praise, Ellente felt her words get stuck in her throat for some reason.
The reason Derrick, who didn't even easily offer polite compliments, was taking Ellente's side like this was obvious. He was being considerate of her.
Which meant that this boy had already seen through Ellente, who was pretending to be strong.
"Good work."
Ellente was about to reply, but then stopped, lowered her head deeply, and plopped down onto a seat by the corridor wall.
Without even caring that the hem of her dress was getting messed up, Ellente rubbed her face several times.
Before she knew it, the girl's shoulders were starting to tremble little by little.
"I actually wanted to win."
"..."
"But the moment I pushed Aiselin into a corner, somehow I realized it. Even if I beat Aiselin here, I'd never stop feeling jealous of her. I'd just keep being like this... I'm just that kind of person."
In Ellente's eyes, even Aiselin, who was on the verge of collapsing from being cornered, looked like a noble single blossom.
Even if she relied on luck and won a bit in practice sparring, her jealousy toward her wouldn't disappear. And that ugly part of herself wasn't going to change either. The girl named Aiselin was, by her very existence, a huge wall.
"Maybe I'm superior to Young Lady Aiselin in at least one thing: my inferiority complex."
Ellente let out a small, bitter laugh, lowered her head, and then fell silent. If she said any more, it felt like her voice would just start trembling.
As Ellente sat there, rubbing her face and shaking, Derrick quietly lowered his gaze, and then sat down beside her.
After thinking about what to say, he finally spoke plainly, without making a fuss.
"I'm no different."
"....."
Trying to explain everything in detail and persuade her that she wasn't wrong would only make things long-winded.
Knowing that well, Derrick just stared into empty space and stayed by her side.
Because of that, Ellente gained some room to think.
Looking at the expensive Magic Books filling the bookshelves of noble houses, or the dazzling luxury goods filling noble mansions, what must this mage from the dark, poor districts have thought?
Even without thinking about it for long, it wasn't hard to guess. It was just a difference of whether you showed it or not, and whether you accepted it or not. Growing up was probably something like that.
Ellente looked at Derrick with her moisture-filled eyes opened wide, but Derrick, as if it was nothing new, said to her:
"So what if it's a bit ugly?"
"..."
"That's just how everyone lives."
Right or wrong, good or bad—what would really change by making such value judgments?
It was just like that. Just something natural.
Derrick said so and simply sat quietly by Ellente's side.
Comforting someone wasn't actually such a grand thing.
In the end, what was needed wasn't some clear-cut answer.
At the end of the sparsely populated corridor.
The servants, worried that someone might pass by, gathered together like a wall and shielded their master.
Even if she sat there sobbing for a long time, no one passing at a distance could see that sight.
*
'Wow—she really pushed her almost into a corner.'
From the spectator seats, Denise of the Beltus family, who had been lounging while quietly sipping the tea the servants poured, was inwardly surprised.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Aiselin who was practically the main character of this sparring match, but at least Denise's gaze was directed somewhere a little different.
With a nonchalant face, she had been watching the sparring, but in her heart, she had been firmly convinced that Ellente, wouldn't even be able to put up a fight against Aiselin.
Denise was one of the three of the Rosea Salon. That was why she was fairly close to the two of them.
She was also the person who knew their magical capabilities most accurately. Ellente's magical achievement was indeed impressive, but no matter what, she was absolutely not someone who could trade blows evenly with Aiselin.
Her gaze was fixed on a white-haired boy who was leaving the sparring arena following after Ellente.
It was obvious that the magic master Ellente had brought with her had influenced things in some way. Other than that, there was no factor that could have made Ellente grow enough in such a short time to exchange blows with Aiselin.
Twisting the ends of her silver-gray hair, she fell into thought for a moment.
She should hurry and get up to go over to Aiselin and exchange some pleasantries, but Aiselin was surrounded by people, so being a bit late wouldn't really matter.
'That mercenary's price is going to go way up. Ugh... I really hate troublesome things...'
To keep her listless feelings from showing on her face, Denise deliberately put on an elegant smile.
But inside, she wanted nothing more than to let out a deep sigh and sprawl out on her seat right away. Because what was going to happen next seemed obvious.
In this Ebelstein High Society, how rare was the existence of a capable magic instructor?
Of course, his lowly background would block his path, but considering his ability, he looked like someone who would break through even such prejudice before long. If that happened, Denise's father, Duke Beltus, would not leave him alone.
Unlike Duke Duplein, who strongly valued inner substance, or Margrave Belmiard, who had a bold personality, Duke Beltus was an enterprising person who would seize whatever he needed in any field.
If there was a magic instructor who started to make a name for himself in this Ebelstein High Society, Duke Beltus would try to get him into his hands no matter what.
And usually, the person who suffered while being dragged around by Duke Beltus's ambitions was often Denise. Because she was out here on the front lines of this Ebelstein High Society bearing the name of the Beltus Ducal House.
And unfortunately, she found this kind of situation extremely exhausting.
'Hmm... if the three houses start competing just to snatch that kid, my head is only going to hurt even more...'
Denise was a petty and lazy person.
Born into the enormous family of the Beltus Ducal House, she acted like a rose in the inner chambers, but when she returned to her own mansion, she would lie around all day doing nothing.
Her calculation was that if she sometimes read some third-rate romance novels, or went out for walks and idled her time away, she would naturally pass the age for marriage, and then live clinging to the family without any particular achievements.
Still, being treated as completely useless would be a problem, so from time to time she played the noble game, practiced her elegant smile in the mirror, gave it shape, and exchanged some meaningful-sounding words while pretending to be someone important, making the people around her mistake her for some kind of mysterious person on their own.
In that sense, you could say she was quite thorough in her self-management. She was the kind of person who would endure a bit of hardship right now if it meant she could avoid more troublesome things in the future.
However, at this point in time, having noticed Derrick's potential earlier than others, there was nothing she could do right away.
In any case, right now he was someone working on Ellente's side.
'Please, let this not develop into something troublesome...'
She let out a deep sigh and stood up from her seat.
The crowd that had gathered to offer congratulations and pleasantries to Aiselin had mostly dispersed as well.
As a member of the same Rosea Salon, it was proper for Denise to add at least a word or two. Even though she lived with a constant inner monologue of "annoying, annoying," she still knew that she had to do the bare minimum as a young lady.
So, she came down toward the platform, put on a fully noble smile, and spoke.
"It seems you've achieved another accomplishment, Young Lady Aiselin. Watching the sparring, every single moment was a continuous thrill."
"Oh my, to receive such praise from Young Lady Denise, I hardly know where to put myself."
"I should learn even your humble character. I hope I can soon be able to use 2-star magic as well."
After exchanging such formal pleasantries a few times, she was just thinking that she should go back to the mansion and read the book she hadn't finished yesterday— a third-rate romance novel titled
"—You do know, don't you, Young Lady Denise? That in truth, this sparring match wasn't my victory."
Denise, who had been thinking about nothing but going back to the mansion to lie down and read, had to snap to attention as that piercing question flew at her in an instant.
She looked around, and most of the people were already gone. As the area grew sparse, Aiselin immediately threw out a direct question.
Just as Denise knew Aiselin and Ellente well, Aiselin also knew Denise well.
She understood not only Denise's keen eye, but also, to some extent, her unmotivated inner self. That was why, from time to time, she would skip the formal pleasantries and get straight to the point.
She looked gentle and kind, but she was not someone to be taken lightly. Denise knew that, but she had never expected her to strike straight at the core so suddenly.
"Judging by your lack of an answer, it seems you agree."
"Young Lady Ellente, seems to have worked very hard. But the fact that Young Lady Aiselin is far superior in magical ability hasn't changed. At least, that's what I think."
"Well... I was quite surprised while facing her. To think her mastery of magic would rise to this level in such a short time..."
Aiselin widened her eyes in disbelief for a moment, then spoke in a somewhat clearer voice.
"It's because you learned magic from Mr. Derrick, right...?"
"....."
Seeing something like certainty settle in her eyes, Denise had to draw in a deep breath from the bottom of her heart.
It really did feel like things were already starting to get complicated.
"Daisy."
After politely greeting Denise, Aiselin turned her steps toward the corridor to head home and called the name of her personal maid.
When the maid following behind her bowed politely in response, she continued speaking in her usual gentle voice.
"I should prepare to send a letter to the main house."
"Yes. I will have the quill and ink prepared."
Denise watched Aiselin leave with a complicated expression.
The magic sparring match between the Duplein family and the Belmiard family, which had drawn everyone's attention, ended well.
However, Denise felt that all of this was merely the beginning of something.
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