There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Beltus Subjugation Battle (7)

‘Maybe I should tie my hair up sometimes.’

A girl walking in the middle of a forest, where the sound of insects echoed, was casually lifting her hair at the back of her head.

Living in a similar pattern for many years, it was common to think about trying some deviations.

She liked the way her abundant hair covered her body, making her look like a somewhat sickly girl, but sometimes showing a lively side was also part of a person’s diverse charm.

The girl, who was walking out of the forest with such trivial thoughts, was a great 6-star magician whose name would not be strange to be left in history.

Lady Fine Raffaella Tigris, the baron’s daughter, was quietly leaving the Beltus estate without being noticed by anyone.

The sun had already set. For her, who could hide in the shadows, leaving the scene without being noticed by anyone was as easy as pie.

She turned around and quietly stared at the mansion on the hill.

Inside the burning grounds, numerous soldiers were rushing in with their own purposes.

What rose to the sky were spirits realized by necromancy. The chaos and confusion blooming from that cursed mansion were so satisfying that, for this girl made of pure evil, it was a more thrilling moment than any other spectacle.

‘Melverot and Drest won’t stay still.’

6-star magicians who disliked chaos might frown upon Fine’s actions.

However, Fine was a person who would use any means and methods for her purpose.

‘Even if Melverot doesn’t understand, Drest will. After all… times change.’

Walking through the forest, a damp wind blows.

The wind in this forest, where the smell of grass blooms, remained the same even as times changed, but people have always changed.

The young head of Duplain, Raig, is coming to his senses and getting up.

He will sort out all the regrets of what he lost and, with the help of Aiseline and Diela, will try to raise the family’s prestige again.

The next head of Belmird, Elente, already has her prestige reaching the sky.

She will become a symbol of power and exert strong influence over the southwestern continent, and will try to swallow up even the social circles of Ebelstein.

The next head of Beltus, Robenalt, is still going through growing pains.

It was uncertain whether he could become a proper lord, but at least his mental strength was firm. Anyway, he was a person who would surely be eliminated if things continued as they were, so the future of Beltus was also uncertain.

After all, generations change, and she just gave it a little push.

Fine smiled faintly and thought as she delved into the forest.

Times change. What can old people do?

In the meantime, take everything you can.

What old foxes can do is, at best, just that much.

A halo of light rises from the main building of the mansion.

What fills the sky── is the form of a demon summoned by the Grand Duke of Beltus, a master of summoning magic.

Indeed, as the original was 5-star, even the necromancy that was just infused was quite high-level.

*

– Crash! Crash!

Breaking through the roof of the mansion’s main building, a gigantic demon revealed itself.

The demon, with the head of a bull, had enormous horns protruding from its temples, and its muscular, rugged body was clad in massive armor.

Among the forbidden necromancy spells, the most malevolent was the magic that dealt with the demons of hell.

Among the many wizards who had fallen into the vile aura of necromancy, it was mainly those with expertise in summoning magic who handled this magic.

When it came to summoning magic, the name that came to mind was none other than Grand Duke Veltus.

If there was anyone who could summon a demon of that magnitude, it would undoubtedly be Grand Duke Veltus.

– Bang! Bang!

– Roar-

The gigantic demon, half-exposed through the mansion’s roof, let out a sound.

Its scale was so grand that it sounded more like the blare of a giant foghorn than a roar.

Everyone around the mansion had to cover their ears, their faces contorted in pain.

Taking advantage of the moment, numerous bat-like monsters began pouring out from the broken mansion ceiling. The horde of monsters, making chattering noises, was so vast that it could be called an army.

The demon has arrived.

Who is the one controlling this demon? Whoever it was, everyone could only answer in unison.

It was undoubtedly Grand Duke Veltus.

“Is the protective magic of the spire still not lifted?”

Rodeia was cutting down the monsters while leading a detachment towards the main building.

Derek had gone alone to destroy the magic tower. Leading an army would only cause the protective forces to emerge, so it was concluded that it was better for him to infiltrate alone amidst the chaos caused by the monsters.

Thus, Rodeia was pushing alone towards the main building to subdue Grand Duke Veltus himself.

However, the protective magic deployed at the top of the eastern magic spire showed no signs of dissipating.

Unless that massive war magic formation was completely neutralized, the risk of entering the main building was too great.

As Rodeia gritted her teeth and stared at the spire,

– Flash!

– Bang!

The size of the magic formation blooming from the top of the spire began to shrink little by little, and soon it completely lost its light and disappeared.

Derek had indeed infiltrated the spire alone and resolved the situation.

No matter how chaotic the monsters made the surroundings of the spire, and no matter how urgent the situation was, it was an astonishing feat.

‘Wasn’t he a former mercenary? It seems he has exceptional experience in such guerrilla operations.’

He was a veteran who had repeatedly infiltrated labyrinths and hunted monsters in small groups, already having ample combat experience.

‘Strong-willed, experienced, and mature, yet young. If possible… I would like to have him under me.’

However, those who saw Derek had similar thoughts. He would be a useful talent as a staff officer, but he was not the type to easily come under someone.

The only person he even pretended to respect was Melverot, who had risen to the rank of a six-star. Of course, it was impossible to compete with such an exceptional being.

‘Rather… if only I could bind him through marriage…’

But he was already a married man, and even if his marriage were annulled or he took a second wife… it seemed unlikely that he would be matched with his own fierce daughter, Trisha. In any case, it was not easy to have Derek under him.

‘…’

Setting that aside, the path was now clear, and the task was decided.

Rodeia drew her sacred blood sword and raised it high, shouting to the detachment.

“The path to the main house is clear! Capture the master of that vile necromancy, and inform Emperor Guttrel that we have resolved this disaster!”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go!”

– Tatadak, Tadak

Even on the hill where the mansion grounds were located, the main house of Duke Beltus stood at the highest point.

They would break through that den of evil, where all kinds of monsters rampaged and vengeful spirits rose, and resolve the situation.

Emperor Guttrel, who abhorred necromancy, would surely recognize their merit.

Soldiers were always thirsty for honor.

Many of the detachment members who followed Rodeia cheered. They were veterans among veterans, having already conquered Rodentz Island with her.

As they charged towards the main gate, Rodeia’s army arrived at the scene.

– Gooo

The main house of the mansion was no longer Duke Beltus’s.

As the massive door to the main hall opened, an arch-lich floating in midair was ready to greet them.

They saw cocoons spewing out swarms of vengeful spirits and monsters.

The monster that had nested in this mansion had no intention of allowing any intruders.

A monster summoned by high-level necromancy of five-star or higher.

Seeing that enormous monster, which they had never encountered even on Rodentz Island, Rodeia’s detachment’s expressions hardened instantly.

*

– Pababak, Pak!

– Kaaak!

Denise burst out of the main house and ran down the northern hill. Rodeia’s army was approaching from the south.

Although the mansion grounds were teeming with monsters, excluding the ones inside the main house, their level was not particularly impressive.

Corpselike goblins and trolls… Their appearance is grotesque and terrifying, but because their movements are sluggish, you can somehow shake them off if you sprint with all your might.

Their resilience is also mediocre, so well-trained soldiers or wizards who can handle even first-level magic can deal with them without much difficulty.

Although the immediate urgency and the grotesque appearance of the monsters were alarming… as long as one remains calm, surviving is not too difficult.

However, someone had to handle the disaster occurring at the main house, block the armies flocking to the Beltus mansion, and ensure the safety of the servants and retainers in the meantime.

The ones who took on these tasks were predetermined.

It was the Orel Mercenary Corps, who had been protecting the territory under a contract with Grand Duke Beltus for many years.

They had maintained such a special relationship that they even had a separate garrison within the Beltus mansion grounds. Now was the time for them to exert their full strength.

Right now, Denis was heading to the western garrison to resolve the anomaly at the main house with the Orel Mercenary Corps and somehow block the incoming armies.

It seemed like a daunting task, but Orel, the leader of the mercenary corps, was a person who had served as the commander of the royal guard for a long time. He must have experienced countless crises like this.

Therefore, the place Denis was heading to was the garrison of the Orel Mercenary Corps.

However, even as she hurried her steps, Denis couldn’t help but hold her breath.

‘If everything is resolved… what will happen to me…? What about the servants who followed me? My personal maid Bella? No, what about our family in the first place…?’

She pushed aside the negative thoughts. Let’s do what we can right now.

Even though she repeated this to herself several times, the rising anxiety wouldn’t leave her heart alone.

Above all, she had turned Baron Derek Lydorf Ravenclaw into an enemy.

That one fact was like a thorn in her chest, constantly tormenting her.

Now, she and Derek were enemies.

Even if the situation was resolved, Derek would treat her with hostility.

Occasionally, she recalled Derek’s cold gaze. His fierce eyes, which he showed when dealing with monsters to be killed or enemies to be subdued, were completely opposite to his usual blunt demeanor.

Now, the target of that gaze was Denis herself.

The reason wasn’t even significant. It was simply because she was a member of the Beltus family.

She had been used like a chess piece under the cruel Grand Duke Beltus for a long time, contributing to the family and living under its influence.

Now it was time to pay for her sins.

– Tap, tap.

Denis’s steps, which had been running out of the main house, began to slow down.

Soon, she leaned one shoulder against a tree in a corner of the garden… grasping her disheveled hair tightly and gasping for breath.

She had run for too long with her frail body. To conserve her strength, she exhaled like that… and soon pressed her forehead firmly. It was because she felt like she was about to cry.

‘Even though I lived pretending to be rational and smart… now that things have come to this, I’m just one of many daughters…’

A hollow laugh escaped. While suppressing the tingling sensation at the tip of her nose, Denis mocked herself.

‘Let’s not cry. Crying won’t change anything. Being swayed by emotions in this situation will only hasten my death. I have to judge calmly.’

The Orel Mercenary Corps must have already started moving. They would be clearing out the monsters around the garrison and coming to clear out the massive main base where that demon had arrived.

If you head towards the mercenary garrison on the western side, you will surely meet them. Moving westward, you might be able to save your life.

Just as Dennis finished catching his breath and stood up again.

The sky abandoned Dennis.

A figure appeared through the forest, a man covered in the blood of monsters emerged from the bushes.

A person who should never be encountered in this situation was wandering the forest, covered in blood.

His eyes were still chillingly red. Although covered in dust, his pure white hair shone as always in the moonlight.

He was carrying someone unconscious over his shoulder.

It was obvious who he was, with the same ash-gray silver hair as Lady Dennis, a frail nobleman.

The one guarding the magic tower… Dennis’s older brother, Robenalt.

A man who was timid, without great ambition, and without any significant achievements. However, whether he had openly challenged Derek… he was beaten up, his face swollen, and hanging from Derek’s shoulder.

Was he killed? No, it didn’t seem like it.

However, there was a murderous aura in Derek’s eyes as he carried him.

As I said, the gods abandoned Dennis.

In a place where there was no one to protect her, she faced the core force of the enemy one-on-one.

Robenalt, who had been completely subdued and lost consciousness, was the proof. He was a man filled with hostility towards the Beltus family and would never treat someone like herself, who had lived as a proxy for Beltus, favorably.

What should she do? Should she resist?

Against someone who was several ranks higher in magical hierarchy, would it even be meaningful?

Should she throw sand in his eyes, scratch him with her nails, and struggle somehow?

It would be meaningless for her weak self to resist against a sturdy man.

So Dennis leaned against the tree, and eventually slid down to sit on the dirt floor.

Dust clung to her expensive dress, and bark stuck to her disheveled silver-gray hair.

“Yes… Derek, it was you after all.”

At the very last moment, Dennis managed to force a smile filled with bravado.

No matter the crisis, always smile and never stop making rational judgments.

Even if she were to die in the next moment, never lose that composure.

It was an attitude she had lived by as if it were her destiny.

Dennis’s private residence in Ebelstein.

She remembered the time in the underground art storage, where Derek had comforted her as she lamented her fleeting life.

Recalling that moment, Dennis thought. If Beltus’s blood did not flow in her veins, could she have remained on friendly terms with this man?

Just like Aisellin and Ellente… Could I have leaned on him emotionally, shared my worries, and sometimes even shared crises, while somehow managing to live happily?

Suddenly, the arrogant Lord Robain comes to mind.

Writing about that foolish nobleman who lost Tracy while being swayed by the gap in status and the will of the family, he might have included some self-deprecation.

On a moonlit night, sitting at the desk in his bedroom, wielding a quill pen… He might have hoped that someone would understand his hollow heart.

It might be meaningless now… But he never imagined that the arrogant Lord Robain would become his final work. If he had known, he might have put a little more effort into writing it… Such thoughts crossed his mind.

And so, when Drinis gently closed his eyes… It was when he let go of everything.

– Step, step.

– Thud!

Derek approached Drinis with a threatening demeanor and laid down Robenalt’s body, which he had been carrying, next to Drinis.

Robenalt, leaning against a tree stump, had completely lost consciousness and was breathing heavily.

He was a pathetic brother, but at least he was sincere in his intentions for the family.

“He tried to stop me until the end. Knowing what kind of person Grand Duke Beltus is, seeing him remain loyal… It seems that he considers it his belief to be sincere to the place he belongs.”

Derek’s voice was much softer than Drinis had imagined.

He no longer had the fierce appearance of the mercenary who hunted monsters and was covered in blood, but rather the gentle teacher who had once stayed at the mansion and taught Drinis magic.

Drinis held his breath.

“De, De, Derek…?”

“His loyalty was just misdirected… If the Beltus family is set right, Young Master Robenalt will be a great asset to the family. In the end, what remains is not someone who is loyal to a person, but someone who is loyal to the family itself.”

“You… you are…”

Drinis looked up at Derek with trembling pupils.

In the moonlight shining down, Derek’s gentle eyes looking at Drinis did not have the fierce look she had imagined.

Rather, he was exactly as she remembered him.

“You… weren’t you here to capture me…?”

Derek dusted off his collar and said with a puzzled look.

“…Me?”