Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Translator: XZY
Chapter 59: Watercolor (1)
***
The reason Lady Freya of Elbester was able to avoid being swept up in the great tragedy of the Duplein mansion was because the mont blanc she had eaten at the tea party was so delicious.
One might wonder what on earth that meant, but in reality, in her arms, as she sat huddled in a corner of the mansion's kitchen, was a pretty mont blanc served on a plate.
To her, hiding under a table in a corner of the mansion's kitchen, the servants who were diligently carrying food to the ballroom as if possessed did not even pay her any mind.
While quietly watching those servants moving mechanically as if possessed by something, Lady Freya was lost in thought about what she should do.
‘...’
Explaining the circumstances was not that complicated.
She, who was usually under strict dietary management by her family's Master Katia, was so happy to be able to freely pick up and eat bread at a ball in the far southwestern region, free from her master’s interference.
So, after sampling all kinds of refreshments, she had fallen head over heels for the mont blanc that the patissier of the Duplein mansion's kitchen had presented as their masterpiece.
When the other nobles were resting in their private rooms, she had told her dedicated servant that she was going to the restroom, then went down to the kitchen and grabbed more mont blanc.
For the eldest daughter of the prestigious Elbester family to sneak into the kitchen of the Duplein mansion just to eat a few pieces of bread without being noticed was a very embarrassing act.
So, she had been in the middle of grabbing some food, using her specialty, Illusion-type magic, to avoid the servants' notice.
‘What on earth is all this?’
It was a situation where it would not be strange for most people to be consumed by fear with their legs trembling, but she, holding the mont blanc tightly, was surprisingly maintaining her composure well.
In the midst of it all, the sight of her munching on honey-glazed bread was a bizarre sight, as if she had come on a picnic to this hellscape.
Lady Freya brushed off the breadcrumbs from the corner of her mouth and recalled the message her master had left when she was leaving the mansion.
— ‘Lady Diella of the Duplein mansion has a high probability of becoming the most influential person in the empire's southwest. Therefore, please do not commit any discourtesy at the ball, and I beg you, please do not be distracted by food, and leave a good impression by observing etiquette.’
— ‘Elder Kohella is also said to be at the Duplein mansion, so if you meet her, please be sure to greet her politely... Hmm... If it’s the ball at the Duplein mansion, perhaps my former disciple might be there.’
Master Katia, who interfered with and taught Lady Freya in every little thing, was an object of fear to her.
Although she was always a benevolent and warm person when teaching Derek, who was an exemplary person in everything, she was also a person who knew how to withdraw her mercy for a subject of education who needed discipline and control.
To manage the figure of Lady Freya, who was weak to gluttony, and to raise her ambiguous magic level, she sometimes had to become a demon.
— ‘Master Katia’s former disciple? Which family is he from?’
— ‘He was a commoner from the slums. He was a child who was unbelievably full of talent and passion for magic, but I couldn't bring him all the way to the County of Elbester, so we parted ways in Ebelstein. We exchange letters sometimes... I heard he’s working as a magic teacher in the Ebelstein noble circle, so if you have a chance to come into contact with that social circle, you might see his face once.’
— ‘Master, you teach commoners too? That’s surprising.’
As Freya threw such a question while sitting on the bed, the old female mage who was sitting at her desk and playing with a quill pen gave a bitter smile.
— ‘Is there a high or low birth when it comes to handling magic? Sometimes, even among commoners, there are people who are unbelievably proficient in magic.’
— ‘Even so, they end up at 3-Star even if they dedicate their whole lives, right? I wonder what the meaning is of struggling so hard, saying they like magic so much. I think it might be a bit futile from the teaching perspective as well.’
— ‘....’
As Lady Freya spoke scathingly, Katia made a complicated expression and placed her hand on Freya’s head.
And then, after contemplating what to answer, she said briefly.
— ‘That’s right. There are no commoners who handle magic as outstandingly as nobles.’
Freya read from Katia’s expression that she was hiding something.
Although she knew something about that former disciple, it seemed she was deliberately trying not to say it.
— ‘My former disciple was an excellent person, but he won't be able to become a mage as skilled as the nobles.’
That expression was definitely the face of someone lying.
Since Katia was a person who rarely lied, she could easily sense it when she was hiding something.
She didn't know what kind of person Katia Flameheart’s former disciple was, but it was clear that he was a person who held a special meaning to Katia.
Katia was scary when she was angry, but at least among the masters Lady Freya had met, she was the most excellent person.
If he was a person whom such a person considered a star pupil and still held concern for, he must have been born with some kind of extraordinariness that Lady Freya could not imagine.
That was why Freya had been looking around with side glances even after coming all the way to the ballroom in the southwest. It was because the mage Master Katia had mentioned might have attended the ball.
According to her inquiries in the ballroom, the person named Derek, Katia’s former disciple, had taught Diella of this Duplein family.
If the authoritarian Duplein family had hired a commoner as a magic teacher, he must be an extraordinary person at a glance.
She had searched for people who looked like commoners with side glances all day while sitting in the tea party hall, but there was no one who showed a hint of being extraordinary.
‘At this rate of disaster, there’s a high probability that he was swept up and died.’
Lady Freya, with an indifferent look in her eyes, chewed and swallowed the last piece of mont blanc.
And after tapping the plate to get the remaining breadcrumbs, she placed the plate on the marble floor and stretched to her heart’s content.
“Eukyaahaak.”
Even though monsters with grotesquely twisted bodies were roaming the corridor, she stretched her stiff body with cute gestures like a rodent that had just woken up from a nap.
And then, a trace of mana began to circulate in her eyes.
Lady Freya was a master of Illusion-type magic, who had absorbed Katia’s magical realm as it was.
Leaving aside her direct combat ability, she was a person who was skilled in deceiving a crowd with tricks and moving here and there while hiding her tracks.
The reason she could be so relaxed even in this chaos was thanks to her confidence in her skills.
Even in the Elbester family’s mansion, if she was determined to hide, the only person who could find her was Master Katia.
Among the rabble of servants, there would be no one who could catch Lady Freya’s stealthy movements.
‘For now, let’s just get out of the mansion. I’ll have to walk quite a bit... if a private house appears, I can reveal my identity and slip them a couple of gold coins, right...?’
Her hair, fluttering, drawn by mana, covered her shoulders like a bedsheet.
She was a girl who was strangely lacking a sense of crisis.
That appearance was beyond the level of simply being brave or strong in a crisis... it felt as if some part of her emotions was restrained.
It was a sight so full of composure that one would think she would be humming a tune even in the middle of a battlefield.
Coming out from the corner of the table and quietly getting up, she glanced at the main hall’s ballroom where the food was being prepared step by step.
The servants were dragging the unconscious distinguished guests and seating them at the various round tables in the main hall. A feast was being set up on the tables, and the band was tuning their instruments and preparing for the highlight of the ball.
Although that sight was bizarre and grotesque, Lady Freya drew out her mana as if she didn't care and manifested the 1-Star Illusion-type magic ‘Sound Block.’
Fwoooong—
An aura of bluish mana enveloped her and began to erase all sound. Before long, she drew out the 2-Star Illusion-type magic ‘Illusion’ and began to scatter illusions that looked similar to her here and there in the corridor.
The illusion of Lady Freya striding forward was so lifeless that it would be easily distinguished up close.
However, it was enough to just draw the attention of the corpse-monsters roaming outside.
‘Let’s hide my presence with the next magic and just leave along the mansion’s central garden. If there are horses left in the carriage, I think I can ride a horse and run out towards the meadow... just in case, should I check the stable on the way out? Hmm... I’m not confident in horse riding... I always got scolded during lessons...’
It was the moment Lady Freya stretched and stepped out into the corridor.
Kung— !
“Hmm...?”
Kung! Kung! Kung— !
A loud noise as if someone was stomping on the floor from above the corridor was heard.
It was the moment Lady Freya felt that something was unusual and listened more closely.
Kung! Kwang! Kwaang— !
Kwagagagagak— !
An explosion roared once, and suddenly the ceiling right above collapsed.
“Heukyaaaak!”
Lady Freya was startled and screamed, quickly stepping back. However, she could not go far with that small stride.
The moment she quickly drew out her mana to protect her body, lumps of marble mixed with dust poured down.
Kugugung! Kwang! Kwagagak— !
Huduk—
When Lady Freya, who had fallen back disgracefully, quickly raised her head, an unbelievable sight was unfolding.
A boy who had fallen from the upper floor along with the building debris was crushing a grotesquely-looking man in armor with his knee.
Both men were covered in dust, and their bodies were full of scratches here and there.
It was a situation where they were engaged in a life-and-death struggle at a glance.
‘Wh-what...!’
Kagang! Kang— !
Hududuk—
From the hole in the ceiling, various pieces of furniture like a desk or a candlestick fell with a crashing sound.
In the center of that chaos, the white-haired boy who was trampling the man in armor turned his head towards Lady Freya.
“...”
“Wh-wh-what... a-a survivor...?”
It was the moment Lady Freya managed to speak first.
The large man who was pinned down pushed off the floor with his hands and feet, then drew out his mana and sent the boy flying far away.
Kwaang— !
The white-haired mercenary was caught in the aftermath of the mana and flew all the way to the wall and crashed into it.
It happened in an instant.
The moment the large man who had sent the white-haired boy flying got up, Lady Freya frowned deeply.
Hududuk—
A red gleam bloomed from between the dust falling from his whole body.
‘That person... is the second son of the Duplein family...!’
The man, whose eyes were filled with madness, was covered in wounds all over his body.
The sight of him panting heavily, exhausted to the point where it was difficult to even hold himself up, looked like a starved beast.
He had already lost his reason.
The sight of him firing magic in all directions with the intent to destroy whatever he saw was not so different from the angry bull she had seen at a bullfighting ring long ago.
A bull would just charge honestly to ram with its huge body, but that monster used magic.
That difference was enormous.
The moment Lady Freya tried to quickly hide, the monster, who was drooling bloody saliva and glaring, began to draw out his mana.
‘Oh no!’
It was the moment Lady Freya, who had not adapted to the sudden situation, grit her teeth tightly.
Kwaak—
The white-haired boy, who had gotten up from the collapsed debris at some point, had grabbed the head of the irrational Reigh tightly.
He rushed forward and slammed Reigh’s head into the floor.
Kagak— !
Reigh, who had been slammed by his hair, made a grotesque sound and rolled on the floor once.
Before the monster could get up again, the boy kicked his abdomen with his leather-booted foot.
Kwajik! Pusyuk— !
Fresh blood spurted from the corner of Reigh’s mouth.
The series of actions was smooth and natural, as if he had subdued a monster in this way not just once or twice.
“W-woah...”
“You’ll die if you stay there. Put as much distance as you can...”
“Behind! Behind! Behind!”
The moment the boy sent a warning to Lady Freya, Reigh, who had already gotten up, had picked up a wooden chair rolling on the floor and was swinging it.
The boy quickly lowered his stance, chanted a spell, and shattered the wooden chair held in his hand.
That appearance was the spitting image of a master of dueling.
It might be a different story if it were a contest of firepower versus firepower, but in a one-on-one duel involving skill, Reigh could never beat Derek.
Although he was bewitched by a strange Necromancy-type magic, and his physical strength was stronger than usual, and the level of his magic was also a bit higher... Reigh’s level still could not even reach Derek’s toes.
However, a brawl of this kind was bound to cause damage to the winning side as well.
Occasionally, whenever he allowed Reigh’s blow, scratches appeared on Derek’s body. In cases where a spell hit directly or a fist grazed his cheek, it was to the point where blood would flow freely, but Derek did not care.
He was a person who was resistant to pain.
In Lady Freya’s eyes, Derek and Reigh both looked like the same kind of monster.
‘Wh-what is that person...!’
Reigh was a person who inherited the blood of the Duplein family, no matter what anyone said.
Although he was pushed aside by his older brother Valerian and lived a life far from honor, he was a man known among the nobles as a person with outstanding skill.
Despite such a man being caught up in a strange magic and rampaging like a monster, he was being pushed around and rolling on the floor by a man who looked like a commoner.
Hwik! Peok— !
Peok! Peok! Peok— !
The mana that began to gush out again from the hands of the beaten Reigh began to turn into a giant flame spear.
Kwagwang! Kwagak— !
However, when it came to reaction speed to mana, he could not keep up with Derek. Intercepting by throwing a mana arrow before the opponent could do anything with magic was Derek’s specialty.
Despite being a renowned mage, Reigh could not even properly use his magic. Derek, who skillfully dealt with all aspects of magic application, was no different from a huge wall.
No matter how angry a bull was, if it kept ramming its head against a wall, it would only get a concussion.
The man, filled with madness, did not know how to give up even in front of Derek, who was a step above in magic application.
If magic didn't work, he would punch and bite at the flesh, just trying to kill Derek.
Kwaak— !
He succeeded in landing a punch on Derek’s side like that, but Derek, who had taken a breath and tensed his lower abdomen, endured the blow.
Derek, who was not pushed back or knocked away, quickly reached out his hand and grabbed Reigh’s entire head.
“Aheuk, kageugeuk.”
It was the moment the blood-covered Reigh was about to bite off Derek’s hand.
Kwajijijijik— !
1-Star magic ‘Power Manifestation’
The electricity that gushed out from Derek’s hand pierced Reigh’s head once.
Pajijijijik— !
No matter how able-bodied a man was, if he was hit directly by magic at this distance, he was bound to lose consciousness.
Before long, the movements of Reigh, who was held in Derek’s grasp, subsided.
Chuuuk—
Reigh’s legs gave out and he knelt, then fell on the marble floor with a thud.
A cloud of dust rose up. Derek shook one of his hands and loosened his wrist.
The outcome was decided in an instant.
‘My goodness...’
Although the difference in physique was enormous, Derek had subdued the large man as if it were nothing.
Derek, standing before the man who had fallen to the floor, was just panting as if tired; there was not a single wound that looked like a fatal injury.
‘Wh-what... is that...’
Lady Freya, who had been lying on the floor, swallowed a dry gulp of saliva.
At that moment, Derek turned his head and looked at Lady Freya.
A face stained with caked blood. His pupils were as clearly red as that blood.
He was just another monster who had subdued that large monster as if it were nothing.
He flicked off the dripping blood and walked towards Lady Freya.
The murderous intent similar to something that remained in his eyes from subduing Reigh made one’s spine chill just by looking at it.
Lady Freya forgot even to breathe and quickly drew out her mana.
‘I can escape if I hide my appearance with Illusion-type magic! Whatever happens, it’s better not to deal with a monster like that!’
She drew out her mana and manifested the highest level of Illusion-type magic she could use.
2-Star Illusion-type magic ‘Instant Invisibility’.
It was a magic that made one completely disappear from the opponent’s sight for a very short moment. The time was not long, but it could buy time to run towards an escape route.
It was the moment she was about to kick the window and run out into the central garden.
Kwaak—!
However, an unbelievable thing happened.
The boy had grabbed the nape of the neck of Lady Freya, who was about to completely hide her appearance and disappear.
Lady Freya almost tripped on the hem of her dress and fell, but she was able to stop just before hitting the floor, led by the boy’s hand.
“Eut, heok...”
Lady Freya swallowed a dry gulp of saliva.
‘Detection-type magic...! Mana Detection, or Life Detection...! At least 2-Star or higher...!’
This commoner was at least 2-Star or higher. She had figured that out, but there was no point in realizing it late with her nape caught.
When Lady Freya turned her head, a monster covered in blood was standing there, glaring with red eyes.
In the end, there was only one action Lady Freya could take here.
“S-save... me...”
It was a plea for her life that had coolly thrown away her pride as a noble.
In these matters, she was a truly quick-judging girl.