Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Translator: XZY
Chapter 76: Person (4)
***
“Are there any labyrinths of a decent size within the territory?”
The next day, as breakfast was being prepared, Derek asked Head Butler Layton. It was a sudden question.
He was a magic master who had come all the way from the distant southwestern grasslands to teach Lady Siern.
Following Melverot's instructions to cooperate actively if there was anything to cooperate on, the Head Butler had been answering all of his minor questions.
“In the snowfields of the north, it would be faster to find a place without a labyrinth. There’s a reason why the demonic beasts are so active here.”
“I’d like to go and see one in person. Could I borrow a horse?”
“That wouldn’t be too difficult, but I am concerned you might come to harm. I don’t doubt your skills, but the demonic beasts of the north are often more savage and ferocious compared to those in the southwest.”
Derek was also somewhat aware of that fact.
The demonic beasts he had encountered on the way to the mansion were large and belligerent. Of course, the peak of them all was none other than Lady Siern herself.
Derek said it was fine, then pushed the last piece of bread into his mouth and spoke.
“It’s alright. Thank you for your concern. By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask you, Head Butler.”
“Yes? You mean me.”
“Yes. You’ve been working at the mansion for a long time, haven’t you? There is something I’m a little curious about regarding Lord Melverot.”
<><><>
In the northern part of the continent, it often snowed even into the late afternoon.
Derek had already become quite accustomed to this harsh environment on his way to the mansion, but still, the cold was something that subtly wore down a person’s mental fortitude.
Sitting in an armchair placed next to the bonfire in the main lobby, Derek was quietly organizing his thoughts.
The policy had been established.
If the subject to be taught was a demonic beast, he had to assume that methods that were generally effective on humans would almost certainly not work. It was a matter of course.
If the surging impulse to slaughter was due to instinct, it could not be corrected through education and persuasion. The problem of instinct could only be solved by overwriting it with another instinct.
And, Derek was an expert on the instincts of demonic beasts, more so than anyone else.
‘The policy itself won’t change much from what I initially established. As originally planned, I will proceed with the ‘Battered Wife Strategy’....’
.
He had stayed up all night reading all the work logs of the servants in the spire, had inquired about everything regarding Lady Siern’s situation, and had figured out all of her preferences and routines.
Not only that, but he had also tried to find out as much as he could about the master of the mansion, Melverot.
However, since the servants were not about to sell out secrets about their master, his progress was bound to be somewhat slow.
Still, he had finally reached a conclusion. In the end, it was a matter of pushing forward tenaciously as he had originally planned.
There was no need to drag things out sluggishly. Now that the policy was set, it seemed best to quickly resolve the problem and begin the groundwork for obtaining a title.
However, there was one problem.
— ‘Derek-ssi!! Any more!! If you try to control Lady Siern with violence!!!! I, I will!!!! Even if I have to stake the name of Duplein!!!! I will not!! stand by!!!’
The image of Lady Aiseline, stuttering like a creaking machine, came to mind, and Derek pressed his temples with deep anguish. It was at a level that made him sigh involuntarily.
Aiseline’s acting skills were truly at a desperate level, so keeping in sync with her was not as easy as he thought.
The noble disposition she naturally exuded was good for capturing people’s hearts, but it seemed she was not very skilled at deceiving someone.
‘Certainly... it seems there is a need to revise the plan...’
Derek stroked his chin and sank into the backrest, pondering.
Before long, having made a major decision, he pushed himself up from his seat.
Soon, Derek was striding down the corridor.
It had not been long since he had arrived at this Rochest mansion in the north. However, Derek had no intention of staying here for long.
Whatever he was handling, speed was the key.
<><><>
“Lady Siern. You look well today. I was so surprised when a big snowstorm blew in late last night.”
Lady Aiseline offered a greeting to Lady Siern with a smile full of radiance.
A refreshing energy lingered as they came out into the corridor after finishing breakfast. It seemed the servants had finished airing out the place since early in the morning.
Lady Siern was striding down the corridor, attended by servants.
She was so on edge that one could feel her irritation just from the way she walked.
“...”
“Oh my, a dress from the Kaloin Atelier. The layered fabric at the waist is pretty. It’s truly lovely. The servants have an eye for clothes. It’s a dress that suits you perfectly, Lady Siern.”
“...”
“I heard they even apply preservation magic by infusing the fabric itself with fragrance, and indeed, you have a scent that one can only feel in a vibrant flower garden, Lady Siern. You are a lady with much to learn from, caring not only for your external beauty but also for your fragrance and demeanor.”
As soon as Lady Siern saw Aiseline, she immediately took a step back and broke into a cold sweat.
Beings of this type were weak on defense rather than offense. Lady Aiseline knew this very well.
In particular, Aiseline possessed a visage and grace that could disarm anyone, and a nature like a blank canvas. The noble grace felt only from her, who had grown up as a single flower since the heyday of the Duplein family, made even those who did not know much about high society culture feel a certain extraordinariness.
Watching Aiseline approach like a warm ray of sunlight, Siern took a few more steps back before shaking her head.
“D-d-don’t mind me! It’s none of your business!”
Leaving Aiseline like that, she utilized her characteristic acceleration magic and vanished with a whoosh.
Her movement was so fast that, despite the corridor being quite long, her figure could barely be seen reaching the end.
And so, Lady Siern disappeared like a thunderbolt, and only the servants who had been assisting her were left standing there with embarrassed expressions.
Aiseline watched the scene, then clasped her hands together and said, her eyes lighting up.
“Oh my, she used polite language with me. I’m so happy.”
She was, in her own way, a strong person.
Derek had left the reason that he needed to prepare for the lessons and had not shown his face for a while.
Occasionally, he would ride a horse to and from the labyrinth, shut himself in his room to make something, or make inquiries around the mansion about the background of the Rochest family.
During that time, Aiseline felt it was not right to just play around, so she made painstaking efforts in her own way to get closer to Lady Siern.
As she made such efforts, she learned that Lady Siern also had her own cute and charming parts. The more she discovered Lady Siern’s human side, the more she could accelerate her efforts to get closer.
She would greet her with the most radiant face in the world whenever they met, or if she had free time in the afternoon, she would arrange flowers beautifully and visit the spire, and occasionally, if she got her hands on a delicacy, she would go to eat it with her.
It was not easy to push away someone who directed their heart toward you with such single-minded devotion.
Siern tried to chase Aiseline away by getting angry or making threats, but a smiling face was always the most difficult to deal with.
Aiseline’s tenacity, offering a radiant smile as if nothing had happened whenever they met again no matter how harshly she was treated, was almost frightening.
Siern was still huddled in a corner of the spire, contemplating how to yell at Aiseline who would be visiting again today.
‘Doesn’t she ever get tired of it.’
Watching Lady Aiseline arrive, still carrying a load of various gifts, Siern sneered inwardly.
Even the young lady of the renowned Duplein family was this spineless and flighty. Thinking about it that way, that person named Aiseline’s smiling face also seemed endlessly frivolous.
Siern did not easily open her heart to anyone.
Those beings who took the form of a person, no matter who they were, would all spurt blood and die if you slit their carotid artery once.
Knowing that fact better than anyone, at some point, a person had begun to feel like nothing more than a talking, moving lump of meat to her.
No matter how much you commune with them, the futile part of a person was that they would suddenly die one day.
So, she did not waste energy on useless things. She was that detached from the world.
“There were some nice fruits in the kitchen! I thought you might not have tried them yet, Lady Siern, so I brought some!”
Aiseline, who approached with a beaming smile, looked like a different being in Siern’s eyes.
That upright goodwill was something no one else could imitate.
<><><>
“It’s about time to start moving in earnest.”
It was around the time a week had passed since Derek and Aiseline had arrived at the northern mansion.
It was Aiseline who had tried to commune with Lady Siern every day, brushing her hair, recommending pretty dresses, and trying to talk to her at every mealtime.
Just as a little bit of disappointment was beginning to set in for Aiseline as Siern continued to only push her away, Derek was the one who brought up the topic first.
“In your opinion, Lady Aiseline, how is Lady Siern? Do you feel the characteristic habits of a demonic beast?”
“Uhm... I’m not sure. Her emotional walls are a bit high, but I only got the feeling of a teenage girl going through puberty. As I gave my heart and approached her with sincerity, I felt like she was opening up a little.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I even got to brush Lady Siern’s hair today. Of course, the servants were holding her down tightly, and she herself was grinding her teeth and glaring at me fiercely, but....”
“...”
It felt less like getting to know a person and more like taming an animal.
If Lady Siern just stayed still, there was no maiden more graceful in the world. However, if you just got close, she felt like she was grinding her teeth and growling... Derek, who had a bad impression from the start, had a hard time even having a conversation with her.
“Since she was said to be influenced by the great demon Noir, I had expected a tremendous hardship, but I started to think that there might be a solution if I approached her well as a person. She has her cute parts too, so I want to get close to her quickly.”
“I see...”
“Yes. You said you were preparing for the lessons in the meantime, Derek-ssi. You’ve been busy going in and out of the mansion lately, did you prepare something separately?”
“As I said, I intended to use some of my knowledge on demonic beasts. I did some exploring in and out of the labyrinth and managed to acquire something.”
Derek took out a small glass bottle from his chest and placed it on the table.
The light from the crackling bonfire in the main hall reflected off the glass bottle, making it shine.
“...What is this?”
“It is a mixture of water and shredded Phlonen flowers, which occasionally grow in high-level labyrinths. I wasted some time obtaining this.”
“I see. Does it have any particular effect? Perhaps if she drinks this, it has a calming effect...? If possible, in a way that doesn’t cause Lady Siern too much trouble...”
“She will die if she eats it.”
In that moment, Aiseline was at a loss for words.
Thinking she had misheard, she smiled again and tilted her head. However, Derek spoke as if to confirm her kill.
“The Phlonen flower is a substance that slowly weakens and withers demonic beasts to death. They occasionally grow in labyrinths, but demonic beasts do not even go near them. If they smell the fragrance over a long period of time, their bodies gradually weaken, and if they smell it continuously for about a fortnight, they become nearly moribund.”
“Th-then why did you bring such a thing?”
“Why do you think I brought it? I’ve reduced the stench a lot with scented water and transmutation magic, so it won’t be that noticeable if mixed into food.”
“...Perhaps, are you thinking of making Lady Siern’s body frail with this so she cannot resist?”
Aiseline looked up at Derek with an anxious expression.
To try and control her with a substance that was practically poison to demonic beasts, it was a policy that seemed to have ethical problems that went beyond the humanitarian dimension.
However, Derek shook his head and denied Aiseline’s words.
“If I were to take such a half-hearted approach, there are many other methods besides poison.”
“Then... why this?”
“As I said, it is to take Lady Siern’s life.”
Aiseline was completely speechless.
She stared at Derek for a moment with a pale face. Derek’s firm expression did not even twitch.
“Wh-what... is that...”
“Lady Aiseline. After hearing the full story from Lord Melverot, I fell into deep contemplation. And it took some time for me to reach a conclusion. I didn’t show it on the outside, but I also had to struggle a great deal after hearing about Lady Siern’s situation.”
Derek went over to the fireplace in the main hall, threw in a few more logs, and brushed off the ends of his trousers.
The snow that had collected on the ends of his trousers melted, and soon, it turned to water and dripped down.
“I am a mercenary who has lived his entire life killing demonic beasts. Demonic beasts are no different from pests, and they kill people without reason. Could such a monster even be rehabilitated, and even if it were possible, should I be the one to do it?”
“Wh-what are you saying... Derek-ssi...?”
“I have already made my decision. A demonic beast... let alone a dangerous element who has inherited the power of Noir, who brought about a great disaster for humanity, what good would it do to keep her alive? Therefore... I intend to put an end to everything in my own way. This is also the right thing to do for the greater good.”
“Derek-ssi... then you will have failed to carry out Lord Melverot’s request, and your noble title will be off the table. Not only that, but Lord Melverot will not leave you alone if he finds out the truth.”
Derek let out a small laugh. He looked as if he was confident in his own words.
“Is my noble title more important, or is it more important to completely put an end to Noir, who drove the north into a scene of slaughter?”
“...”
The greater good.
Aiseline was a morally good person. If you pushed a flawless cause against such an Aiseline, she would usually be unable to say anything and would fall silent.
Derek knew how to handle people like Aiseline.
“Why do you think I went through all the trouble to make this poison? I told you that a demonic beast that is affected by this poison will fall ill and die of weakness. That appearance will look less like we used some kind of trick, and more like she simply took to her bed and passed away naturally.”
“Y-you’d go so far as to... do that...?”
“Do you find it despicable? But there is no problem with my actions.”
“But... Lady Siern... is not guilty.”
“She has killed people.”
“She was just drawn by the blood of Noir.”
“That does not change the fact that she killed.”
“Even so, if we also kill a person just the same...”
“What we are killing is not a person, but a demonic beast.”
The conversation did not continue from there.
Diella, Elente, and Denise. The three of them had said in one voice that Derek was always right.
Certainly, there was no flaw in what Derek was saying.
If there was even the slightest risk of the great disaster, the ‘Dawn War,’ which had produced countless casualties and sacrifices, repeating itself, then finishing off Siern right now was the correct judgment from a broader perspective.
However, Siern flickered before Aiseline’s eyes.
Occasionally, when she visited her room in the spire, she would just be sitting alone in a lonely state, hugging her knees and looking up at the snowstorm outside the window.
Loneliness was like a part of the body. The emotion of happiness was unfamiliar, so from the beginning, unhappiness was all too natural.
Her personality was arrogant and insolent, and her hands were rough, but she also felt a sense of doubt in holding a girl of such a young age fully responsible.
In the first place, it was not as if she had been born with the blood of Noir because she had wanted it.
She was just born that way.
Wasn’t it something Derek said like a habit? She had heard that there was no such thing as a bad young lady. They were just not taught enough yet.
To hear that the end of her, who had been stuck in a spire her entire life and lived in solitude, was to lie sick in bed and die of weakness without even knowing the reason... Aiseline’s pupils began to tremble greatly.
And so, Aiseline tried to say something to Derek, but not a single word came out.
Looking at the firmly standing Derek, it seemed that no matter what she said, he would be able to counter it with sound reasoning.
Sound reasoning was invincible. Because it was impossible to refute.
Aiseline also agreed with Derek’s way of thinking. The world should be lived according to what was right.
However, there were times when her heart simply could not be moved by that alone.
“They say that there is no high or low in life, but there are times when one must distinguish its gravity. The servants who were harmed by Lady Siern were all someone’s family in the end, were they not?”
“...”
“People are more precious than demonic beasts.”
Aiseline washed her dry face and then sank down onto the reception sofa.
Her expression had become quite pale, but she could not bring herself to object to Derek’s decision.
“I will be heading in.”
Derek spoke firmly and, leaving Aiseline behind, left for his own room.
Even just his back looked rigid and firm. He did not seem to have any intention of changing his mind.
Aiseline watched Derek’s retreating back with haggard eyes, biting her lip.
<><><>
The winters in the north were cold. It was a land where it was natural for snowstorms to rage once the sun set.
The southwestern part of the continent, where great cities like Ebelstein were located, was always naturally bathed in warm sunlight, and it was said that walking through a noble’s mansion there felt as if one had come to paradise on earth.
Siern, who had overheard the words of traveling merchants, would often dream of such a paradise-like grassland.
A life where one was treated as a lady there would surely be much happier than a life lived in the smell of blood, being treated as a monster wherever one went.
The reason a person like Aiseline could possess such a noble grace was surely because she had spent her life in such a happy paradise.
Therefore, Siern envied Aiseline. Rather than being swayed by a murderous impulse whose reason she herself did not know, she wanted to be swayed only by the slightly heavy sense of responsibility of a noble family’s young lady.
‘How foolish.’
Soon, Siern let out a cold laugh. Reaching out for a meaningless dream would only make her more miserable.
Surely, she would live a miserable life here and then end it. It was a life stained with murder and blood.
The lush green grass bathed in warm sunlight would be a blessing to see even in the next life.
It was a reality she accepted all too naturally, without even shedding a tear.
And so, as always, it was around the time she was sinking into the darkness.
Creeak—
Someone opened the door and entered.
The servants should have been on guard, so she could not even tell how they had snuck in.
The one who had secretly snuck into the room, wearing a dark black robe and hiding her face... was the very same Lady Aiseline she had been thinking about just a moment ago.
“Wh...”
Before Siern could let out a voice in surprise, Lady Aiseline quickly raised her index finger to her lips. She had come without anyone knowing.
“I have something to tell you.”
Without even thinking of brushing off the snowflakes that had collected on her shoulders and hair, Aiseline was staring at Siern with her clear eyes.
“Wh-what...”
“Lady Siern. You must listen to me carefully.”
Aiseline swallowed a dry gulp of saliva and spoke.
“Derek-ssi is trying to kill you. I’m not just saying this for show, he’s truly serious.”
At the same time, Siern’s pupils trembled even more intensely.
On the other hand, Aiseline’s expression was gloomy.
‘Derek-ssi... I’m sorry...!! I... whether it’s okay for Lady Siern to die so futilely like this... I still don’t know...!!’
An indescribable sense of debt and guilt was welling up in her heart. Her head was already spinning, wondering how she should ask for Derek’s forgiveness.
Although she was already sobbing her heart out inside, she still intended to do what she believed was right.
What in the world defined a person? As long as that was not clear, one must not recklessly take a life.
Aiseline was that kind of person.
<><><>
The moon seen through the snowstorm was still bright.
Derek was sitting alone in his room, quietly reading a magic book, when he suddenly looked out the window.
He could see a girl in a dark robe making her way toward the spire, pushing through the falling snow.
Soon, after confirming the ebony hair fluttering in the wind and those clear eyes, Derek sharply drew the curtains.
Then he sat down in his seat and smiled with satisfaction.
It was all in the palm of his hand.