There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Aisellin, Ellente (1)

With a grinding sound, Leonard was gnashing his teeth.

He was scratching at Derek’s hand, which was gripping his collar and lifting him up, trying to free himself, but the sturdy arm showed no sign of moving.

Leonard’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was drooling because he couldn’t breathe properly. Nevertheless, with a single-minded determination to survive, he struggled to break free from Derek’s hand.

After a long struggle, Leonard’s strength finally gave out, and he went limp.

With a choking sound, a determined look appeared in his eyes for a moment.

“…”

At the same time, Leonard’s already white hair began to turn completely white.

‘…What?’

As Derek frowned and stared at him, an unbelievable amount of magic and vengeful spirits began to pour out from around Leonard’s heart.

– Whooosh!

The sudden burst of physical force pushed Derek’s body away, and Leonard, freed from Derek’s grip, fell to the ground, sneezing.

“Cough, gasp… cough!”

As his breathing resumed and air entered his lungs, life began to return to Leonard’s eyes.

However, blood was seeping from his nose, ears, and mouth. Derek, seeing this, narrowed his eyes and took a stance.

The necromancers of Rodentz Island had specialized fields unlike ordinary necromancers.

Their specialty was sacrificial necromancy, which caused strange miracles using flesh and life as mediums.

While they often used intricately crafted wooden dolls or the corpses of mammals as mediums for their sacrifices… ultimately, the most efficient method was human sacrifice.

However, when pushed to the brink, there was no way to conveniently find someone to sacrifice. Therefore, when the necromancers of Rodentz Island were cornered… they began to offer their own flesh and bodies as sacrifices for necromancy.

—

—

Their end is usually terrible. Many of them throw everything they have to take their opponent down with them before they are captured and killed.

After all, those who study forbidden arts are mostly executed in a gruesome manner or spend their entire lives in prison. In that case, they decide that it’s better to bury their enemy in the ground, even if they lose an arm or a leg.

Perhaps Leonard was the same, as one of his legs had disappeared before he knew it. Only fresh blood was gushing out from around his thigh.

Supporting his body with his arms while lying on the ground, he vomited blood and shouted.

“Do you think… do you think I’m going to die here…?!”

“…”

“I can’t… I can’t die here. After living under Brother Linus’s shadow, unable to spread my wings, I finally got a chance, and now Sister Ellente is blocking my way? Ugh… Ugh… If you thought I would give up because of that, you’re mistaken…”

Leonard was exuding a strange aura, dripping blood onto the garden floor.

“Do you think I’m different from Sister Ellente? I also wanted power. I wanted to stand above the crowd and command everyone. That’s all. How am I different from Sister Ellente?”

“So, this is your scheme?”

“So what? Baron Ravenclaw. Life must seem easy for you. Born with innate magical talent, you can handle new magic just by glancing at it, leaving extraordinary marks ahead of your peers. You don’t understand someone like me.”

As the aura of vengeful spirits began to envelop the garden, skeletal soldiers emitting a rotten stench started to rise from the ground.

The group of vengeful spirits revolving around Leonard was so eerie that all the servants began to scream and run away. The high-ranking retainers shouted to call the soldiers, and the squires, unable to even think of drawing their swords, collapsed to the ground with their legs giving out.

Derek stood straight in front of them, gripping his fluttering cloak tightly.

Leonard, crawling on the ground, looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m different from you. I know how harsh and shitty life can be. To achieve your goals, you must use any means necessary. Push your competitors off the cliff, deceive those who try to deceive you, be ruthless, cold-hearted, and merciless. Without the blessings from the heavens, it’s better to be a despicable winner than to be pushed around and live a miserable life.”

“…”

“The reason Sister Ellente can act so noble and graceful is because she has been blessed with talent. You still don’t understand. Do you know why Brother Linus gave up his position as heir and left the family?”

Amidst the raging aura of spirits, Leonard spoke each word with a curse.

“Brother Linus, from the beginning…”

“Not interested, you talk too much.”

Derek interrupted Leonard, who was spewing resentment and anger, amidst the raging wind.

Seeing Derek’s expression, Leonard’s pupils dilated for a moment. Then, gritting his teeth, he tried to shout something filled with hatred.

– Thud, Thud!

Two magical arrows flew into Leonard’s shoulder.

Although it was a first-level spell and its power might be weak, Derek’s magic was different in its destructive force. In that brief moment, Leonard realized that his shoulder nerves were paralyzed.

– Crack

“Argh!”

Derek then smashed the skeletal soldiers one by one and ran straight into the center of the garden. His figure, striding through the raging wind, looked like the Grim Reaper.

When he reached Leonard, he kicked his head, causing fresh blood to splatter again.

—

—

And when he grabbed and lifted his head, Leonard, whose eyes had completely turned over, was bleeding.

However, his determination was at a terrifying level.

Leonard, who quickly regained the light of reason, gathered his magical power.

The reason why the necromancers of Rodentz Island are troublesome is that when they are cornered, they all use high-level necromancy.

Even a criminal who barely entered the ranks of the 1-star level can use necromancy of 3-star level or higher if he is determined to burn his whole body and life. The sight of using his body as a bullet was truly insane.

3-star necromancy ‘Advanced Soul Absorption’

He reached out to Derek, and in an instant, tried to take his life.

– Slash!

Leonard’s right hand disappeared.

It was not because it was sacrificed for necromancy. Derek’s sword, which had already done its job, was returning to its sheath.

Blood splattered.

Leonard couldn’t even scream.

– Pshoo!

Necromancy that directly touches the soul causes fatal wounds the moment it is allowed even once. The veteran mercenary, who knew this well, would never allow his body to be touched.

However, humans have two hands.

The moment Leonard tried to grab Derek’s thigh with his intact opposite hand, Derek kicked his forearm away. His response, which never allowed necromancy, was so skillful that it seemed he had experienced necromancy several times.

“Ugh, ugh!”

As Leonard, who was rolling on the floor, reached out his palm towards Derek to cast a new necromancy.

– Thud! Thud!

– Slash!

The moment Derek tried to take a defensive stance, a third party appeared between them and swung a sword.

It was a scene as if time was flowing slowly.

In that fleeting moment, Derek clearly saw the sword cutting through the necromancy that Leonard had manifested along with its magical power.

The sacred text engraved in red letters on the pure white silver sword caught his eye.

It was the ‘Holy Blood Sword’ of Rodeia, the hero who had cut down hundreds of necromancers on Rodentz Island.

– Flash!

– Roar!

Soon, the spirits that Leonard had summoned turned into light and disappeared.

The mysterious power that nullified the necromancy in the area with a single slash was indeed worthy of being called the power of a hero.

The light that burst forth was so dazzling that Derek closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, the only thing he saw was Leonard, whose eyes were wide open.

—

—

There is a figure standing straight in front of him.

“You’re not late. Are you the one who sent the letter to the Renouel Viscount?”

The one who intervened and ended the fight between them was the hero of the Renouel Viscount, Lady Rodeia.

The scars covering her face were proof that she was a veteran who had roamed the battlefield.

Though she was a middle-aged woman with fine wrinkles, the pure white hair braided behind her was indeed befitting of a holy knight.

Even though she had aged compared to her prime, her vigor had not diminished at all.

Wearing silver armor that even men found heavy and cumbersome, she jumped off a large white horse and looked down at Leonard with fierce eyes.

She was a slaughterer who had killed necromancers all her life.

And in front of her was a necromancer crawling on the ground with his legs cut off.

Soon, Leonard’s eyes began to distort with fear.

*

– Clank, clank.

“Huff, huff… Ugh…”

Every time the middle-aged hero moved, the sound of clanking came from her silver armor.

Lady Rodeia approached Leonard, who was crawling on the ground, and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up. Blood started dripping to the ground.

Judging by the amount of blood loss, his life was already in danger.

Lady Rodeia looked at Leonard quietly and said,

“If left alone, you’ll die. We need to stop the bleeding quickly.”

No matter how evil one may be, she would not let their life disappear in vain── it would have been a beautiful story if that were the case.

“Don’t think you’ll die easily. Isn’t that right?”

Lady Rodeia’s attempt to keep him alive was not out of humanitarian concern.

Leonard’s face twisted with fear again, but Lady Rodeia’s expression did not change at all.

Looking towards the entrance of the Belmiard mansion, she saw her retainers, who had accompanied her, rushing in on horseback.

Derek could easily predict the situation.

Receiving Derek’s letter, she had sensed Leonard’s necromancy from afar on her way to the Belmiard mansion.

It was impressive that she detected necromancy from such a distance, but she had tightly gripped the reins and rushed at full speed, bypassing even the gatekeepers of the Belmiard mansion to reach the interior.

She arrived so quickly that she even beat the soldiers of the Belmiard family who had been informed of the situation.

A hero never arrives late in a moment of crisis.

Lady Rodeia’s timely arrival proved that fact.

Now, the retainers who had belatedly followed her were driving their horses into the garden, sweating profusely.

—

—

“The situation is over. This man is a criminal who has violated the taboo. First, stop the bleeding and treat the wounds. We will interrogate him later about the necromancy magic of Rodentz Island.”

“What? Is it already over?”

“The capable wizard has roughly finished it.”

Thus, Lady Rodeia handed over the trembling Leonard to her retainers. Lady Trisha, who barely arrived with the retainers, was horrified to see Leonard covered in blood.

After organizing the situation, Lady Rodeia dusted off her hands and walked briskly towards Derek.

Her physique was ordinary, and her appearance, marked by the passage of time, seemed aged. However, her intelligent eyes glimmered with vitality, and her clanking armor was intimidating.

Though she was a woman and quite old, she was still a warrior who soared through the battlefield.

Even Emperor Gutrel acknowledged her, placing her in the position of Margrave and bestowing upon her the title of Count, aiming to elevate her status.

Those under her protection must have felt as if they had a thousand troops at their back.

Of course, if she turned into an enemy, she would be more terrifying than a demon from hell.

When killing a necromancer, she was a ruthless figure who didn’t care about tearing out intestines or flaying skin.

Her gentle exterior was a disguise to hide her fierce nature.

As if to prove that fact, Lady Rodeia greeted Derek with a smile as warm as sunlight.

“You seem skilled at dealing with necromancers. Are you Baron Derek Lydof Ravenclaw, who made a significant contribution during the disaster at Duke Duplain’s house?”

“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Rodeia.”

“Yes. I had thought it would be nice to see your face once, but I didn’t expect to meet under such circumstances.”

Lady Rodeia chuckled as she wiped the blood off the end of her silver gauntlet.

From noble mtl dot com

“It seems my foolish daughter Trisha went to Ravenclaw’s house on her own… If her impudent nature caused any unpleasantness, I apologize as her mother.”

At those words, Trisha, who was commanding the retainers, turned pale.

Though Trisha was usually full of arrogance, she seemed to become a meek lamb in front of her mother, Lady Rodeia.

The brat who poured tea on Aiseline’s head at the Rosea Salon was now just standing there, her face turning blue.

Growing up under a hero like Lady Rodeia, it seemed she had only become quick-witted.

“Usually, when faced with necromancy, one would be terrified and run away, or be too flustered to move properly… But you seem to have calmness ingrained in you. You look experienced in real combat.”

“Thanks to my long mercenary life, I rarely get flustered in real combat.”

“Oh, is that so.”

Lady Rodeia quietly rested her chin on her hand and looked Derek up and down.

Though her satisfied smile was quite unsettling, Derek just stood there, hiding his awkward feelings.

When a high-ranking person smiled like that and their eyes sparkled, it usually meant something bad was going to happen. It was a fact he knew from experience.

“Well, there are many things I want to ask you personally, but now is not the time. Even though it was an urgent situation with the presence of necromancy, you entered the Belmiard mansion with your horse without permission, evading the gatekeeper… This would be considered a great discourtesy to Count Belmiard.”

Given the situation, it seemed unlikely that anyone would pursue that discourtesy. Nevertheless, Lady Rodeia seemed to value rules and laws quite highly.

—

—

As Rodeia sheathed the Sacred Blood Sword, she spoke.

“First, I must meet with Count Belmiard and offer my apologies. It would be better to speak with Sir Derek separately later.”

With that, Rodeia turned her head towards the main hall of the Belmiard mansion.

The mansion was in chaos, the garden was half-destroyed, a necromancer had emerged from among the staff, and finally, Lady Rodeia herself had appeared on the scene.

All of this had happened within a few minutes, leaving the servants bewildered and unable to grasp the situation.

It was time to handle this bewildering situation.

Just as Lady Rodeia was about to mount her beloved horse,

– Screeeeech

The door of the Belmiard mansion opened, and the master of the house appeared.

*

A luxurious doublet of red and gold silk, with the family crest intricately embroidered in gold thread on the chest. A cloak made from the fur of a giant gray wolf draped over his shoulders, enhancing his dignity.

As he stroked his thick brown beard and stepped into the garden, Elente followed him demurely.

Seeing this, the servants of the mansion couldn’t help but tremble at their fingertips.

Noble and elegant. Having already changed into a new dress and tidied her hair, she possessed an appearance worthy of being called the Rose of Belmiard. Her fiery hair flowing down like wings of a butterfly.

The worn-out appearance from her long seclusion was gone, and her appearance alongside the Margrave of Belmiard signified something.

Though she had been scorned as a witch, she had now regained all her authority.

“Rodeia of the Renuel family greets you, Count Belmiard. I felt the presence of necromantic magic and, without permission, rode into the mansion, committing a grave discourtesy.”

“…”

Count Belmiard looked at the completely devastated garden and then at Leonard, who was being treated by the vassals of the Renuel family.

A strangely heavy emotion lingered in his eyes. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and slowly raised his voice.

“Rodeia, you are soon to rise to the same rank as I. There will be no need for you to show me the courtesy of a vassal.”

“Even so, compared to the dignity of Count Belmiard, I am but insignificant. Authority comes from discipline, and as one who leads a humble viscountcy, how could I not kneel before Count Belmiard?”

“You are still so rigid, Rodeia.”

“I appreciate you saying that I value principles, Count Belmiard.”

Rodeia’s smile was infinitely gentle. However, the Margrave of Belmiard knew well.

One should not be deceived by that appearance and think of her as merely a kind person. On the battlefield, Rodeia had slain more people than Belmiard in his prime.

“I am grateful that you rode all this way to assist with Belmiard’s affairs, but as you can see, I am a father who has lost a child today.”

The Margrave of Belmiard’s expression was somber.

He was not in a situation to have a pleasant conversation with Rodeia. Knowing this well, Rodeia decided to refrain from making any trivial jokes.

“I would like to speak with Leonard. As the master of the mansion, it is my duty to first settle this situation…”

—

—

The Duke of Belmiard hastily rose and quietly observed the servants who had their heads bowed, eventually casting a shadow over his expression.

“Try to understand the feelings of a father who has lost his child, just a little.”

“…”

“I will leave all judgment regarding the situation to my daughter, Ellente. Once Leonard’s emergency treatment is complete, bring him to my office.”

Having said that, the Duke of Belmiard, with his head bowed in the shadows, strode back into the main hall.

His shoulders were weighed down by many burdens. The duties of a lord and the duties of a father pressed equally on his shoulders, causing his back to gradually bend.

Rodeia did not express any different opinion as she watched him.

Rodeia, who had also aged considerably, knew well.

The duties of a parent and the duties of a lord often conflicted with each other.

“As you heard, I have been entrusted with full authority to handle the situation.”

Ellente, holding her skirt, gracefully descended the marble stairs connected to the main hall of the mansion and smiled brightly.

Only then did Lady Rodeia and Derek relax and stand up.

“It is an honor to meet the hero of Rodentz Island, Sir Rodeia, in person.”

“I heard that you have faced many slanders. I would like to offer my condolences as you must have been greatly distressed.”

“Well, I’ll just say that I’m fine for now.”

Ellente smiled slyly and glanced at the servants gathered in the garden.

The servants and retainers gathered in the area all turned pale and bowed their heads deeply.

Most of the servants did not openly criticize Ellente, but some high-ranking retainers publicly blamed her for her misconduct.

Is it time to pay for the hastily made judgments? Watching the retainers swallow dryly and bow their heads, Ellente ran her hand through her neatly arranged hair.

“It wouldn’t be polite to keep Sir Rodeia standing in such a mess after your long journey. Why don’t you rest in the reception room for now and hear the detailed explanation later?”

“It is a great honor for me to be treated so well. I brought some retainers with me, so it would be nice if you could provide them with a place to rest as well.”

“Of course. It would be best to relieve the fatigue from your journey first.”

With that, Ellente, exuding elegance, skillfully guided Lady Rodeia into the mansion.

The servants, sweating profusely, quickly took the retainers’ luggage, and the idle attendants began to tidy up the chaotic garden.

Watching the scene, Derek thought. Finally, the situation had come to an end.

The incident involving the necromancy magic that Ellente was entangled in was also resolved, and now everything was back to normal.

What was the original goal? It had been so long that he almost forgot.

Caught up in unnecessary matters, he had wasted time, and the opening date of the Ravenclaw Magic Academy was fast approaching.

Wasn’t he planning to ask Ellente, one of his most famous students, to come to the academy and make an appearance?

Having gone through so much trouble, she would surely grant such a trivial request. Thus, Derek felt much more at ease.

—

—

The training center being built by Baron Ravenclaw should be almost complete by now.

While Aiselin was struggling, Derek was also having a hard time in his own way. Now that Ellente had regained her authority, it was time to get to the main point.

However, Ellente was currently very busy managing the mansion and guiding Lady Rodeia.

Derek thought it would be best to ask for a favor at an appropriate time. Just as he was about to turn around after adjusting his cloak, he heard a voice.

“Derek.”

“…?”

Ellente, who he thought had gone to guide Lady Rodeia, had entrusted the task to the head butler and returned.

Ellente, with her reddish eyes wide open, stared intently at Derek for a moment.

Then, she suddenly smiled meaningfully, turned her head and fell into thought, then quickly glanced at Derek again… repeating actions whose meaning was unclear.

As Derek quietly watched her, she seemed to feel awkward and blushed lightly.

“Th-that, Derek.”

“Is something wrong?”

“…”

Realizing that there were many eyes watching, Ellente took a deep breath and spoke again.

“It’s nothing.”

“…”

“I just wanted to say it’s nothing. Let’s talk later.”

“…..????”

With that, Ellente quickly fanned her face and ran back towards the main hall.

Her appearance, as she fanned her face like that, was so unfamiliar that the dignified figure Derek had seen at the Rosea Salon felt like a different person.

Derek was also bewildered by this side of her.

– ‘Mr. Derek… you’re late. The opening day is almost here.’

As for Aiselin, she had already finished most of the construction work and had organized the documents that only needed Derek’s approval.

The study, which had practically become her private office, was filled with all kinds of documents.

She had really managed this large-scale project all by herself.

Considering the scale of the work done by the duke’s daughter, Delbritton, who had been watching the whole situation, was left speechless.

Aiselin Eleanor Duplain.

She truly had a talent for business.