Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Translator: XZY
Chapter 58: The Bloodstained Ball (5)
***
Drip, drip—
“It’s raining.”
Diella Catherine Duplein was exhausted.
After spending two days circling the vicinity of the imperial palace to complete the debutante procedures, she had barely slept and had only eaten roughly.
There had been several banquet events in between, but when one had to dress up prettily and act like a graceful lady, there were far more instances where one had to leave food behind.
Having to maintain a beautiful appearance amidst such hunger and fatigue was mentally draining.
She had somehow managed to get through the schedule in the imperial capital, so now the important events were almost over.
Still, it was not completely over yet.
Now she had to return to the family’s main mansion, attend the ball, and show off a splendid appearance as the main character of the event.
Only after sharing pleasantries with the many famous figures who attended the ball and making her face known would she be recognized as a lady of the Duplein family.
Diella, who had been quietly looking out the window inside the carriage, let out a deep sigh.
The servant pouring tea for her by her side was someone who had been with her for a long time since the annex. He was a talented individual who had come along when Diella was gifted a mansion in Ebelstein.
“The ball is indoors, so the rain won’t matter, right? I just hope my dress doesn’t get wet while moving...”
“Don’t worry too much, Lady Diella. The main house will have prepared for everything.”
Watching the raindrops that were starting to grow stronger, Diella once again held her breath and clenched her fists tightly.
This arduous process was almost at an end. She wanted to quickly arrive at the mansion, see her missed family, and tell them thank you for helping her all this time.
Since Diella was not usually very expressive with her emotions, making such a resolution was not a common occurrence.
“Aiseline Unnie, and Valerian Orabeoni and Reigh Orabeoni, they all went through a lot because of me...”
“...”
“I-if it’s not an opportunity like this, I’ll never be able to say thank you to my family, right? S-so I have to seize the opportunity this time...”
Aiseline was one thing, but everyone already knew well how desperately Valerian and Reigh tried to get closer to Diella.
The sight of able-bodied men discussing girlish tastes to win the favor of an adolescent girl was truly a spectacle.
While she was pushing them away because it was burdensome, she was still well aware of their commendable efforts... so Diella couldn't help but think about opening her heart to her family a little.
Inside the carriage moving through the rain, Diella thought.
She hoped that this debutante would become a turning point in this dreadful life.
<><><>
Bang— !
As they entered the mansion’s main hall, numerous servants were carrying food into the dim space.
“Heok...”
The servants who were moving trays and plates, or carrying things like cloth and bedsheets here and there, all turned their heads towards Derek and Denise at once.
The sight of numerous servants, from the outer hall leading to the corridor, the main staircase, next to the various antiques displayed along the wall, to the entrance of the basement stairs... all turning their heads towards Derek simultaneously as if they were one body.
That appearance was somehow hair-raising, and Denise swallowed a dry gulp of saliva.
She had just seen Head Butler Delon twisting into a grotesque form. It was unlikely that the other servants of the mansion were in a normal state.
It was the moment Derek was about to draw his sword at the end of that tension.
“Excuse us.”
The servants all bowed their heads in unison, and then, before long, they left to do their own work again.
The maids setting up the banquet in the ballroom, the butlers cleaning the marble floor, to the squires moving twine or cloth... they just moved busily to do their own work as if they didn't care about the rushing Derek and Denise.
That appearance looked like a machine with a command entered.
They didn’t even show a hint of panic at the sight of numerous corpses rushing in from outside the door. Their unfocused eyes were only looking straight in the direction they were heading.
Denise felt a fear she could not understand the reason for.
Among Necromancy-type magic, there were many magics that bewitched people, similar to Illusion-type magic. Derek knew that fact well. The servants must have fallen for such magic.
For now, if the opponent did not attack, there would be no big problem.
Thinking so, for the time being, Derek blocked the mansion’s main gate and kicked a display case that was next to it, toppling it towards the door.
Kwadangtang! Kwang— !
The blocked main gate was pounding and shaking. The corpses beyond the door began to struggle to break in.
Derek grabbed Denise’s forearm and ran up the main hall staircase.
In the process, he encountered numerous servants and maids and brushed past their shoulders. However, they, without even a hint of wonder at the urgently moving Derek, got up again and went to do their own work.
When they first arrived at the mansion and were guided, it had not been this unnatural.
The aura of the Necromancy-type magic was surely getting stronger.
“D-Derek... I think all the servants have already been devoured.”
“If we stay still, all the distinguished guests will end up in some state. For now, let’s take everyone we can. There’s a place to stop by before that.”
The outside was full of a crowd of corpses, but if those who could be of fighting strength gathered together, they might be able to break through.
It was when Derek turned his steps towards the room where the distinguished guests were gathered.
“Heok...!”
Denise was startled, covering her mouth with both hands.
It was because when Derek and Denise had come up to the corridor, it was full of servants dragging the fainted distinguished guests on the floor.
Looking at their faces, most of them were mages who possessed meaningful fighting strength.
‘Poison? Or a surprise attack? They subdued all the mages before the incident even began.’
Derek calmly grasped the situation.
No focus could be felt in the eyes of the servants dragging them.
The Duplein family’s mansion was the safest of safe zones, with no external threats.
It was hard to imagine that a big incident would happen in a place like this. Therefore, the attending distinguished guests would have mostly let their guard down and been in the mood to quietly enjoy the ball.
Not only that, but the servants of the Duplein mansion were among the most professional and reliable talents among the personnel of noble families.
Therefore, they were bound to be careless. It was because they were being assisted by the most skilled personnel in the safest place.
Whether it was handing them a glass of cold water with a drug in it, making them faint using chemicals while pretending to follow, or if not that, openly swinging a blunt weapon first to subdue them in one blow... the opportunities would have been everywhere. It was because the servants were of a status that could approach the distinguished guests without any issue.
“We are moving some luggage for a moment. Would you please make way?”
A maid who was dragging the body of the head of the Rodeleil family, Baron Olden, said to Derek. He was in a state of fainting, foaming at the mouth.
Although it was a strange sight to anyone, the maid who was asking Derek to move aside did not change her expression at all.
That appearance was also such a grotesque sight that Denise swallowed a dry gulp of saliva several times.
“R-right now, the distinguished guests...”
“Let them pass.”
Derek raised his arm to stop Denise, then stepped back and retreated to the wall.
The maid gave a polite word of thanks, then continued towards the main hall staircase, dragging the old gentleman.
If not interfered with, the servants did not bother to attack.
They were just bewitched to carry out what they were instructed.
Derek stayed still, having pushed Denise towards the wall, and quietly waited for all the servants to pass.
The procession of servants passing by was dragging out all sorts of distinguished guests. The current situation of watching it from the side was so bizarre.
‘Derek...!’
Denise covered her own mouth and trembled like a leaf.
With her other hand, she grabbed Derek’s collar tightly and pressed her body against him. Her whole body was trembling so crazily that it was hard to even breathe properly.
All sorts of distinguished guests were being dragged away in front of the two of them.
A person foaming at the mouth, a person with one arm bent in a strange direction, a person bleeding, a person with their eyes rolled back... all of them were people who would hold their chests out as high-status individuals wherever they went.
After the procession of servants had passed once and a brief gap appeared, Derek walked further inside.
As he crossed the corridor like that, most of the doors to the rooms were open. Most of them had not thought that the servants of the Duplein family would launch a surprise attack.
‘Still, there might be those who sensed the danger in advance and are hiding well. I have to find as many as I can.’
Derek pulled Denise’s arm and dragged her into the room with ‘Baron Olden’ written on it.
Then Derek pushed Denise into the wardrobe.
“D-Derek... Kyaak!”
“This is Baron Olden’s room. You just saw him being dragged out by the servants. Since it’s the room of a person who has already been subdued, the servants will not come here again. For now, please hide here until there is a change in the situation.”
It was important to figure out where a safe place was.
The safest location that could be judged at this point was, at best, a place like this.
“Derek... what about you?”
“I will search for survivors. The outside is teeming with those bewitched by Necromancy-type magic and corpses. It will be dangerous if you are treated as hostile by moving rashly, so Lady Denise, please stay here.”
“I’ll go too. I can handle at least the minimum of Detection-type magic.”
“It would be better to ensure your safety here.”
“No. Derek. Are you saying you’ll enter that pit of the dead alone? Do you think I’ll allow that?”
Denise swallowed a dry gulp of saliva once, then spoke with a serious expression.
“I can’t let that happen.”
“Lady Denise, your hands are trembling.”
“Eek!”
As Derek said, Denise was still trembling all over.
She had seen too many grotesque scenes of corpses twisting and contorting their bodies from just a moment ago. She was already completely exhausted just by restraining her quickening breath.
Nevertheless, Denise could not send Derek alone.
It was obvious what kind of argument Derek would present.
I cannot leave Lady Denise alone. Lady Denise is a precious person, so please preserve your esteemed self. It will be a big problem if Lady Denise gets hurt.
It was clear that the obvious rhetoric presented to the young ladies of noble houses would come out. Then Denise was ready to retort, asking if status was important in a situation like this.
However, Derek was a pragmatist.
“If Lady Denise follows me, you will only be a hindrance.”
Derek’s words were scathing, but they were the undeniable truth. In an urgent situation like this, there was no time to choose his words at length.
Denise’s breath caught in her throat. In reality, she had been unable to move properly after seeing the grotesque results of the necromancy magic.
If she followed him now, saying she was worried about Derek, she would be lucky if she didn't get taken hostage and become a liability.
“This is just a simple guess, but there seems to be a very high possibility that Young Lord Valerian is involved in this situation.”
“V-Valerian is the eldest son of this Duplein family. I heard he is a kind and upright person... you’re saying he orchestrated this tragedy?”
“I cannot explain all the detailed circumstances either, but...”
— ‘If he dabbles in necromancy magic, you will kill him.’
Derek’s master, Drest Wolftail, had said.
If the situation got twisted, Valerian might end up dabbling in Necromancy-type magic.
Could he have no connection to the Necromancy-type magic that had now swallowed this Duplein mansion? It was too perfect a fit to be a coincidence.
In some way, Valerian was likely involved in the tragedy that was happening centered on this mansion.
“Once the situation is properly grasped, we will know the truth. For now, please make survival your top priority.”
“Promise me one thing, Derek.”
Denise, even while her body was trembling, grit her teeth and looked up at Derek.
“Don’t die. No matter what happens, absolutely do not die.”
“Don’t worry. That is my area of expertise.”
Kkiik—
After firmly closing the wardrobe door, Derek checked the condition of the longsword at his waist and the dagger at his thigh.
They were always well-sharpened and neatly maintained.
After taking a deep breath, he washed his face with his dry hands once and walked out into the corridor.
The numerous busily moving servants simultaneously turned their heads and looked at Derek.
“...”
Derek did not let down his guard and stayed still for now.
Fundamentally, the servants were only moving to fulfill their duties. As long as their movements were not hindered, they did not pay attention to their surroundings.
Just as the servants he had met in the main hall had not paid any attention to Derek, the servants in this corridor would be the same.
It was the moment he thought so.
One of the high-ranking maids at the very front asked Derek.
“May I ask your name?”
Although she was a maid with a youthful appearance, her voice was grotesquely twisted.
Bloody phlegm seemed to be boiling in her throat, and fresh red blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.
Derek asked back without being flustered.
“Why do you ask?”
“We were ordered to kill all visitors except for the designated mages.”
A chilling sound flowed from the maid’s mouth as if it were nothing.
“Would it be alright to check if you are a designated mage or a target for killing?”
“....Derek.”
“Ah, it was you, Mr. Derek. You were a visitor dispatched from the Beltus family. I apologize for not recognizing you. The Duplein family ordered us to treat you with the same courtesy as a noble, I am ashamed.”
“It’s fine. So, is your business finished?”
“Yes. However, Mr. Derek, you are a target for killing.”
Before those words were even finished, a rotting arm sprouted from the maid’s left shoulder.
Paak! Pushuk— !
The moment those fingernails came flying towards Derek, Derek had already lowered his stance.
He had thought that he might be able to avoid a fight by relying on a stroke of luck, but it was a vain hope.
The moment that hope was betrayed, Derek swung his sword without a moment’s hesitation and cut off the maid’s head.
Paak! Pushuuuk— !
A fountain of blood bloomed, and a procession of fresh red blood covered Derek’s face.
The fishy smell of the blood stung his nose, but Derek shook his head as if it were nothing.
Thud— !
The body of the maid who had lost her head lay on the floor.
At that moment, the other servants who were working near the corridor glared at Derek with chilling eyes.
Before a grotesque sound could flow from their mouths, a mana arrow controlled by Derek struck their necks.
Peok! Peok! Peok— !
The moment he was about to advance down the corridor while firing mana randomly, the body of the maid Derek had cut down moved and grabbed his ankle.
Derek took out the dagger from his thigh in a reverse grip and cut off the maid’s arm in an instant.
And as the servants in butler uniforms rushed in, he drew out his mana again.
Hwaaaaaaak— !
A 2-Star magic, ‘Fireball,’ was emitted from Derek’s hand. Its direction was right at his feet.
Both sides of the corridor were too narrow to be used as an escape route. To create a new escape route, Derek’s fireball was slammed into the floor.
Kwaaaaaaaang— !
An explosion roared once, and a vibration ran through the mansion.
Right below this guest corridor was the floor where the personal rooms used by the members of the Duplein family were gathered.
He intended to jump down to the floor below and head to Valerian’s personal room.
If Valerian was really the one leading this situation, subduing him could bring the situation itself to a close.
Hwiiik—!
Pasasak— !
A cloud of dust filled the corridor once, and the exposed floor began to come into view.
Derek prepared to break his fall to head to the corridor below. It seemed better to put some distance between the servants and the room where Denise was hiding.
Paak— !
He threw his body to the floor below with his cloak fluttering, and rolled on the floor once.
He got up, brushed off the dust that covered his whole body, and looked around; it was not the corridor below.
To think that the corridor below would appear if he broke through the floor of the corridor might have been too simple a way of thinking.
It was the grandly large personal room of some individual. To use a personal room of this size, it would have to be a person belonging to the direct line of the Grand Duke Duplein.
The room was full of armor and training tools on all sides, and a desk for studies and a sofa for guests were also provided in the room.
On one side of the room, along with a huge map that spanned the continent, books full of military terms were also piled up.
It was the room of an extraordinary person at a glance. When Derek got up, there was one person sitting gallantly at a personal table in the center of the room.
To be sitting quietly in his personal room amidst this chaos was already unusual.
“...What are you doing here?”
The person sitting alone among the numerous pieces of equipment was a familiar face.
A short-cut hair and a gallant build, sharply raised eyebrows, and a noble attire with all sorts of insignia embedded in it.
However, no consciousness could be seen in his blankly staring eyes. There was not even a hint of surprise at seeing Derek who had come down through the ceiling.
He had already sensed that something was not normal here. Derek gripped his sword tightly and gathered mana in his other hand.
Cheolkeok—
The sound of iron clashing came from the lightweight armor he was wearing simply over his noble attire.
As he got up, he was truly an able-bodied man.
“...Derek.”
It was Valerian’s younger brother, Reigh.
The second son of the Duplein family, and one of the pillars of the family who, while pretending not to, doted on Diella and Aiseline.
That brawny, muscular man was quietly looking down at Derek with a cold gaze.
Before long, he opened his mouth and said something. Those words did not take the form of a proper language.
“Death... is coming.... Death.... sweet, faint, and just glorious... the embrace of death is coming...”
Pisyuk—
Dark red blood flowed from his mouth.
An aura of a reddish necromantic energy was flowing in his eyes.
Derek had an intuition.
Reigh was not in a state where a conversation was possible right now.
“Derek, yes.... Derek, ageuk... ageugeuk... keuk, keuheuk...”
“...”
“Keukeuk, kigegek ageugeuk... still not dead.”
After twisting his body and making a grotesque sound, he spoke to Derek in a chillingly normal tone for a moment. At some point, his eyes were also staring clearly at Derek.
That sense of incongruity was enough to give one the chills just by looking at it.
Like that, the massive Reigh raised his body amidst the aura of dark red mana.
Kwaang— !
At the same time, a mana arrow flew and struck where Derek was.
A cloud of dust rose once, but Derek had quickly rolled to one side and avoided it.
Derek’s reaction speed was not something that could be caught up with by a simple magic manifestation.
Derek, who was checking Reigh’s condition visible through the rising dust, swept his hair back once and let out a deep sigh.
“Huu....”
No matter how he looked at it, Reigh was already not in his right mind.
— It was time to make a decision.