Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Translator: XZY
Chapter 94: Realization (3)
***
“I didn’t expect you to turn down the request so firmly. Weren’t you the type to take on pretty much any request as long as there was a reasonable reward?”
“Not necessarily. I don’t accept requests that I feel aren’t right.”
Derek did not accept Trisha’s request and sent her back.
It was something that could have been quite upsetting, but since it was also difficult to deny that Trisha’s request was dangerous, she returned without a word of complaint.
“I suppose so. If you carelessly accept any request and can’t handle it, you’ll only end up in trouble.”
“That’s right. Discerning requests well is also one of the important qualities of a mercenary.”
When the sun began to set, Siern slipped away into a beautifully decorated private room in a corner of the baronial mansion.
Elente, seemingly quite surprised by the fact that a separate room was prepared in a corner of the baronial mansion for Siern to use whenever she wanted, was tilting her head as she followed Derek toward the main hall.
“Does Lady Siern live here?”
“I understand that there is a separate mansion purchased with funds from the Rochest family in the noble district. However, since she visits often for magic training, I have set aside a separate room.”
“…Did the Duke of Rochest also give his permission…?”
“Yes. In the first place, wasn’t the reason I received the baronial title to elevate my status so that I could assist Lady Siern well? I’ve received various things from Lord Melverot, so I must take good care to ensure Lady Siern has no particular inconveniences.”
Derek was cracking his arm as he headed toward the training grounds.
He had no time all day, what with his baronial duties, teaching, and receiving visitors, but it seemed he never neglected his magic training.
‘The more I see him, the more mysterious a man he is. It seems we’re not that far apart in age, yet it feels as if he’s lived several lives.’
Elente stroked her chin and then spoke.
“Still, to send your daughter alone to a mansion managed by a young baron. The Duke of Rochest must trust you a great deal, Derek.”
“…May I ask what you mean by that?”
“I mean it exactly as it sounds.”
In truth, Elente had felt to some extent that the way Aiseline looked at Derek was unusual.
Putting aside whether it was a romantic feeling, it wouldn’t be so strange for someone to suddenly develop subtle feelings for a handsome man like Derek.
“I heard from Lady Denise… that the wife named Felinne is a scarecrow brought in to receive the title.”
“Yes. She’s not particularly interested in the noble life and is a friend who finds joy in just working as a mercenary and saving money. She’s probably having a drink at Veldern’s Tear right about now.”
Elente, who had actually met Felinne a few times, already knew her well.
She was an ordinary mercenary who would laugh with a ‘nyahak,’ down a few drinks, and then just fall over and throw a drunken tantrum.
She was certainly a person with no desire for social advancement, so there was no one better to place in the position of a wife as a scarecrow.
“Right… separate from that, you, Derek, are also a man. I was wondering if you had any romantic notions about a fateful meeting or a partner who would evoke a desire to protect. You’re in a position where you have many women around you due to the nature of your profession.”
“…Even so, would I ever see Lady Siern as a member of the opposite sex?”
All those who have experienced standing in front of a fully enraged Siern and blocking her path share the same sentiment.
If you let your guard down, you die.
It was possible that some might mistake the pounding of their heart in that sharp-edged sense of crisis for a feeling of love. But at least Derek was not one of them.
“…I can’t quite deny that.”
“Please don’t worry too much. I am not so reckless a person as to be unable to maintain that level of public and private separation. Even if I were to meet a woman and feel a fateful connection, if there are rules to be followed, I will always follow them.”
“Right. Since you say so, Derek, it’s reassuring, but…”
He had actually gone all the way to that distant north with Aiseline, whose aura when looking at Derek was strange, but it didn’t seem like he had crossed any lines with her.
A sound man like Derek was not very common in the noble world, which was full of all sorts of hooligans and scoundrels.
He was truly just a passionate mage who had run a single-minded path of magic.
‘Still… would it not be a rather perilous thing to nonchalantly touch the hair of the most renowned ducal lady in the northern continent, or to hold her hand without any particular emotion.’
Separate from the fact that Derek was a sound young man, there was no telling what would happen to the state of mind of Siern, who was going through the turbulent period of adolescence.
As they say, one doesn’t notice their clothes getting wet in a light drizzle. The fact that they had a casual and comfortable relationship was actually the most dangerous thing.
Since it would do no good for various scandals to circulate in Ebelstein’s high society, Elente looked toward Lady Siern’s room for a moment with worried eyes.
“You know well that I am a harmless person, don’t you, Lady Elente?”
“Hmm… that’s true. Being able to be so comfortable without any adornments is also something only possible at the Ravencrow Barony.”
Elente chuckled and touched her unadorned hair.
It felt unnatural not to feel anything on her head, which was always full of all sorts of jewels and flower decorations.
For the young lady of an influential family, accessories were like a part of the body, so it was actually more awkward not to have them.
“Right. Today’s magic lesson was fulfilling, so I should be heading back to the Belmeade mansion. This place is farther than I thought, so it’s quite difficult to come often.”
“It would be nice if we could meet separately in Ebelstein, but as you can see, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t been able to frequent the noble district often. It’s also quite a distance away.”
“Well, that’s understandable. Come to think of it, doesn’t Lady Siern receive lessons on etiquette and manners from Lady Aiseline? Lady Siern must be busy as well. Traveling between the two places must be quite tiring…”
Aiseline’s mansion was in the Ebelstein noble district, and the Ravencrow baronial mansion was located in the inland remote region.
Receiving lessons while traveling between the two places was realistically too difficult. Therefore, there was a need to devise some method.
“Regarding that matter, a plan was arranged when the two young ladies of Duplein visited the other day.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“We’ve decided to set aside a separate room for Lady Aiseline to stay in.”
“…”
Before long, Elente’s expression hardened again.
She could not help but think, isn’t that solution a bit strange?
“It’s an unfortunate thing, but isn’t it inevitable that the Duplein family will be pushed out of the mainstream noble competition in Ebelstein a little? They will inevitably have a lot of free time, so it seems they are thinking of periodically visiting the baronial mansion to stay and teach Lady Siern.”
“Is that… really alright?”
“Actually, wouldn’t this be the most efficient? What do you think is the reason the Rochest ducal residence provided a mansion like this? It is to see to Lady Siern’s convenience.”
“No, that’s true, but… first Lady Siern, and now Lady Aiseline as well…?”
What kind of baronial mansion in the world could house the two most renowned young ladies of the high nobility.
It was a scene that would make the lower-ranking nobles, who ran around all day just to receive a single glance from the high nobility, click their tongues in disbelief.
“Well, since they are coming to teach, there won’t be a big problem.”
“Lady Aiseline is also very diligent…”
“The remuneration provided by the Rochest ducal residence is substantial. From the perspective of Lady Aiseline, who is in urgent need of cash, she wouldn’t be able to shake her head.”
“Money… yes, money is important…”
Derek was leaning against a wall near the training grounds, pressing his arm firmly. He was checking his mana state.
“So, since she’ll be teaching Lady Siern anyway, we’ve decided to accept more applications separately if there are others who would like to learn etiquette and manners from Lady Aiseline. A lesson in etiquette from a person who was none other than the queen of high society would surely be in demand.”
“Y-you did such a thing?”
“Yes. If she’s going to teach at the baronial mansion anyway, couldn’t she teach a few more students? From the lower-ranking nobles of the remote regions to some of the higher-ranking nobles… quite a few people who are about to have their debutante will come. It should make a little bit of money.”
Derek didn’t have any grand intentions in this matter, but he started it anyway to help Aiseline, whose financial situation was not very good.
“I’ve been indebted to Lady Aiseline in many ways, so I thought I would help her out a bit.”
“…”
“While we’re at it, so that she can do it more systematically, I’m thinking of giving her the classroom on one side of the baronial mansion entirely. It’s quite a large room… but it was useless anyway. Since we’re providing a place, it wouldn't be a bad idea to prepare a simple blackboard, desks, and writing utensils.”
“That’s more serious than I thought.”
“This much is not a particularly troublesome task. Most of it will be handled by the servants.”
Derek spoke while checking the condition of his staff.
“Well, if there are any nobles among the visitors who have some knowledge of magic, I can look over their magic a bit. It would be nice to expand my network at the same time, and it might help with my magic research, so isn’t it a good thing?”
“Right. What you’re saying isn’t wrong, but… Derek…”
Elente stroked her chin and was lost in thought for a moment, then spoke, breaking out in a sweat.
“This… this is a building used as the baronial mansion to manage the Ravencrow Barony, right?”
“Yes? Isn’t that obvious? Why do you ask such a question?”
“…No, it feels like the purpose is being distorted…. No… it must be a needless worry.”
Elente shook her head.
It seemed that the direction the Ravencrow baronial mansion was pursuing was being subtly twisted, but… it was not something to be judged as right or wrong at this moment.
“Well, no matter how good the public’s evaluation is, the number of people who would come all the way to a remote baronial mansion like this to learn something will be limited. There’s no need to put too much pressure on ourselves.”
Derek, who made that assertion, seemed much more at ease.
<><><>
The following week.
A total of seventeen noble young ladies arrived at the Ravencrow Barony in a single day.
“....”
Murmur, murmur—
Chatter, chatter—
Clatter! Crash—!
“We’re out of Glenford mountain black tea! Is there anything else we can use for guest tea!”
“The young lady of the Sidmer Viscounty is entering through the main gate!”
“There’s no more space to park carriages inside the mansion! It’s a great discourtesy, but… tell them to tie the carriages outside the wall!”
“We have a big problem! We’ve run out of the cookies we prepared for the guests! Sh-should we procure some now?!”
“Clear the outer bedroom on the second floor! That side is a bit shabby, but we have to use it as a waiting room for the honored guests!”
The servants and squires, who had to deal with the flock of all sorts of honored guests, were running around frantically, their eyes spinning.
The carriage that brought each noble young lady, the coachman driving the carriage, and the personnel to assist the young lady, each numbered from as few as three to as many as a dozen.
It was an excessively large number for the simple barony in a remote region to handle.
Each and every one of them was a person who had to be treated as an honored guest. However, it was impossible to treat all of them with the proper etiquette.
Clatter! Crash—!
“Kyaaaak!”
“Be careful! The more you rush, the more you need to be calm!”
“I-I’m sorry! Head Butler!”
“Miss Rodman, go and help out in the kitchen. Clayce, you guide the newly arrived honored guests to the garden!”
As for Derek, who was watching the servants moving busily… he was sweating profusely.
He was a man who wouldn’t change his expression even on a battlefield where all sorts of magical beasts were charging, but this was the first time he had faced such a situation.
“Oh, Derek. The color has completely drained from your face. To think I’d live to see you make such an expression, Derek. Ahaha.”
Lady Denise of the Beltus family slipped out from the crowd and greeted him cheerfully.
She was a lazy person who rarely ever left her own mansion, but for some reason, she had visited the Ravencrow baronial mansion early in the morning today.
“No, should I call you Lord Derek? If you’re a person responsible for a training center of this scale, your influence will be hard to ignore from now on.”
“……A training center, you say?”
“Oh? Come to think of it, you said you were too busy to come to the Ebelstein noble district often. The rumor has already spread all over the Elfontaine Hall area. The rumor that you’re opening a separate training center in the barony. And that the etiquette education will be done by none other than that Lady Aiseline herself?”
Lady Denise, conscious of the surrounding eyes, lowered her voice a little more.
Since she was publicly a well-bred and elegant lady, she was trying to maintain a demure appearance.
— ‘Look over there… even Lady Denise came in person.’
— ‘She’s someone who’s hard to even sit near in the Rosea Salon… to think I’d see her in a place like this…’
However, the gazes had already gathered as much as they could.
“There are quite a few eyes on us…. Shall we go inside to talk…? …No. You must be quite busy right now. You have a lot to take care of regarding the training center, right?”
“A-a training center, you say… I had no intention of opening such a thing.”
“Hmm… so it was a false rumor after all. I know well that you’re not the kind of person to start something like that, Derek… so I did think it was a bit strange.”
Denise smiled elegantly with a dignified posture.
From a distance, it would look like they were exchanging pleasantries with etiquette, but up close, an unguarded conversation was taking place. Of course, no one could hear the exact content of their conversation.
“But you know. Whether that rumor is false or not might not be up to your will… Derek.”
“…”
“I took a quick look on my way here, and the young ladies of the Rodtek Barony and the Bletton Viscounty were here too. They’re people from that far-off southeastern part of the continent, yet they made the journey all the way here… are you going to send them all back now that things have come to this?”
“…No, I don’t think it’s right for them to flock to a remote barony like this…”
“Oh dear, Derek. You lack too much self-awareness.”
Denise chuckled, covering her mouth with a small peacock feather fan so that her undignified smile would not be seen by others.
“It’s common for those who achieve extraordinary feats at an early age by being absorbed only in their own interests. They often lack awareness of their own abilities or reputation. It’s quite a common thing.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“You should know as well as anyone, Derek. It’s the times we live in. Do you know how hard it is for lower-ranking nobles to find a proper magic teacher? It’s like plucking a star from the sky.”
“…”
“And on top of that, if you add in etiquette lessons from Lady Aiseline, who reigned like the queen of high society… do you think the noble houses with a child about to have their debutante will just sit still? It would be stranger if they didn’t come running with fire in their eyes, wouldn’t it?”
Of course, there was no way Derek could have gauged the circumstances of such remote noble families.
The result of that was the sight of this hall, filled with the young ladies gathered from all sorts of families and their escort personnel.
There were even people mixed in from the complete opposite side of the continent, to the point where his mind was becoming dizzy.
Watching the servants, who were exhausted from welcoming them, he could not help but resolve to raise their salaries by at least double.
“Still… I can’t handle this many nobles. The building is too small, and above all… Lady Aiseline will get tired first.”
“Hmm… if that’s your judgment, then so be it. Anyway, I had some interesting fun for the first time in a while. But do your best.”
Lady Denise, who had spoken in a whisper, snapped her peacock feather fan shut and then quickly turned around and said in a loud voice. It was a performance as if for the people on the scene to hear.
“It was nice to see you after a long time, Lord Derek. Please give us another magic lesson in Ebelstein next time~. If I get a chance, I’ll be sure to make time~.”
Saying so, she looked at Derek and smiled brightly.
A young baron with a hastily made family and a hollow authority. To him, the most authoritative ducal young lady in the Rosea Salon was paying her respects with etiquette.
Looking at Denise’s behavior, it seemed the reason she had come all the way to the Ravencrow Barony early in the morning was to save Derek’s face.
A member of the three great families of the Rosea Salon. For a lady of that caliber to come early in the morning and wish for the success of his endeavor was a huge support, both politically and otherwise.
Of course, it was not something Derek had intended… but Denise, as if it didn't matter, gave a seductive smile and slipped out through the crowd.
Murmur, murmur—
“The reception room is this way! Please enter in an orderly fashion!”
“Please move slowly!”
Only the desperate cries of the servants who had to control the massive crowd echoed in his ears.
‘Nothing good can come from starting something I can’t handle. Above all, Lady Aiseline probably didn’t expect things to get this big either.’
Derek quickly tidied his clothes and walked swiftly into the mansion.
Aiseline, having finished her preparations, would be coming out of her room soon. Since she would have already confirmed this situation, there was a need to discuss what to do immediately.
As Derek crossed the hallway and strode forward, he saw Aiseline, who had come out of the room at the very end of the hallway, beautifully dressed in a gown.
“Lady Aiseline, did you see the situation?”
Derek walked quickly to Aiseline and asked her right away.
It seemed she had already heard about the situation from the servants. Aiseline swallowed a dry gulp of saliva and then finally answered Derek’s question.
“D-Derek-ssi… I heard too. That nearly twenty young ladies… have come to visit…”
“It’s not over yet. I can’t gauge how many more will come. Still, you won’t be able to handle this many, so even if we have to ask for their understanding separately…”
“Derek-ssi.”
Before Derek could finish his words, Aiseline grabbed both of Derek’s hands and held them tightly.
Aiseline’s soft hands wrapped around Derek’s rough ones, and then, with her eyes wide open, she spoke in a much higher voice.
“─H-how much should we charge per person for the lessons?!”
“…….”
“Ugh… uhuhu… heok… dr-drool… me too… so undignified…. I’m sorry… how embarrassing…”
Perhaps because of her image of reigning at the pinnacle of high society with a graceful appearance, it was easy to forget.
Aiseline had awakened to the meaning of vitality after becoming a fallen lady.
In short, she was already an excellent miser.
“N-no… can you handle it?”
“I have to handle it! A chance like this doesn’t come to just anyone!”
“…”
“I-I’m so nervous… if I receive payment in Ropellon gold coins from this many young ladies… how much will it be…”
‘Dear God…’
Aiseline’s eyes were already filled with gold coins.
He wondered if this was alright, but it seemed she hadn’t shown this much determination even in the magic duel where the honor of the Duplein family was at stake.
Derek washed his face with his dry hands once and had to organize his thoughts again.
Like it or not, now that he had started it, he had to take responsibility for this academic facility.