There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

4-star (1)

“I’ll see you again after winter, Lady Aisellin.”

With the farewell of Lady Rointel, the first semester of Ravenclaw Academy came to a neat end.

Due to a major external incident, Derek was unable to take up his teaching position, but since he had done some work during the semester, it did not lead to a major problem.

The scenery of the Ravenclaw estate, once filled with fallen leaves, began to grow a bit desolate.

Although it was a place full of noble ladies spending their time in their own ways, it was still difficult to spend the harsh winter in such a remote barony.

When winter ends and the weather starts to warm up again, more nobles will visit Ravenclaw Academy.

‘Next semester, we won’t be able to handle it with this amount of staff.’

The lessons conducted during this semester had already received considerable praise, and rumors were spreading among the nobles of Ebelstein.

If it was like this from the very first semester when everything was unfamiliar… we might really need to expand the academy.

‘Well… that’s something to think about slowly over the winter… I should rest a bit too.’

Watching Lady Rointel leave for her home, Aisellin quietly gazed at the empty campus.

“…”

Derek was currently away, urgently dealing with a conflict with the Duke of Beltus.

Since Ravenclaw Academy had to continue operating, it was only natural that Aisellin stayed in the estate.

Anyway, after fulfilling her given duties, only the empty barony remained.

– Whiiing

When you see a place that was always crowded now empty, you sometimes feel an inexplicable sense of emptiness. Especially in winter, when even the fallen leaves have left and the bare branches begin to show.

“…When I come to my senses… I’ve really spread out a lot…”

As if her reason had returned a bit, Aisellin took a deep breath while looking at the scenery of the barony.

When you calmly observe the barony, you wonder if it can really be called a barony.

The central main building, located at the most strategic point, was definitely where Derek stayed. All the staff who assisted Baron Ravenclaw lived there, and the facilities for living were gathered there.

However, all the other buildings and facilities existed solely for the academy… you can’t help but tilt your head and wonder if this is really a noble’s private residence.

I heard that the Count of Elvester in the eastern part of the continent also became the cultural hub of the eastern social circle in this way…

But I never thought that the Ravenclaw barony would become like that.

‘I feel like I have a significant share in how things turned out like this…’

It wasn’t just a feeling, it was a fact.

Feeling a strange sense of responsibility, Aisellin was about to cross the garden.

“…Oh my.”

In a corner of the garden, there sat a girl with ash-gray hair cascading down.

Most of the noble ladies had returned to their homes. It was too difficult to spend this harsh winter at the baron’s residence.

However, the girl seemed to feel warmth even in this gradually chilly weather, as she wore no coat.

It was understandable. She had come from the Rochester estate, located in the middle of the northern snowfield.

“Lady Siern. You are outside.”

“…”

Siern had begun to acquire basic dignity, but the peculiar wildness underlying her demeanor showed no sign of disappearing.

Staying at Derrick’s mansion had somewhat subdued her uncontrollable nature. However, recently, she had been pouting and grumbling more often… The reason for this was not difficult to discern.

Derrick was so busy that he couldn’t pay much attention to Siern. That was essentially the whole reason.

Siern felt a strange sense of possessiveness towards Derrick, and seeing various people coming in as his disciples at the Ravenclaw training center, she had unknowingly accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction in her heart.

Aisellin was accustomed to Siern’s childlike behavior, so she sat beside her with a gentle smile.

“Mr. Derrick seems very busy.”

“Indeed. I thought I could learn a lot after leaving the Rochester estate…”

“Don’t worry too much. During the winter, this baron’s residence will be empty, so Mr. Derrick will have quite a bit of free time.”

As Aisellin patted Siern’s shoulder, Siern retracted her pout and sighed deeply.

It seemed she was not unaware that Derrick was involved in something important.

She would occasionally stare quietly at the western sky from the mansion’s roof, which was the direction of the Beltus estate where Derrick had headed with his key personnel.

When asked what she was looking at, she would say that she felt an indescribable, immense magical energy from that direction.

A mutant among mutants, inheriting the blood of the great demon Noir.

If she sensed such magical energy, its nature and scale must be extraordinary.

“…I’m anxious, Sister Aisellin.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Siern. Mr. Derrick is strong and wise, so he won’t suffer any great harm.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“…?”

Siern hugged her knees and pouted, then muttered indifferently.

“I just have a feeling… that he might bring someone else back from somewhere…”

“…”

No matter how you look at it, that was seeing Derrick as too much of a libertine.

Aisellin wanted to refute that, but in truth, relationships between people often didn’t go as one wished.

“…Surely not.”

Delbritton, the head butler who had been assisting her from behind Siern, shook his head.

No matter how chaotic it was, there was always a limit. Even though Lady Ellente was already involved, making things complicated, the thought of adding someone else to the mix was unimaginable.

However, Siern’s intuition was often surprisingly sharp… So both Aiselin and Delbritton could only swallow dryly.

*

“…”

The woman’s sharply honed senses were so keen that they sometimes exhibited a power close to mind-reading.

There were times when a foreboding sensation would suddenly arise in her mind, causing alarm bells to ring loudly… That was exactly the sense of crisis that Ellente of the Belmiard Count’s estate was feeling.

The Beltus Duke’s estate.

Among the various forces that had come to support Derek, Ellente, the future ruler of Belmiard, was the first to arrive on the scene, excluding Countess Rodeia.

Despite being dressed in a beautiful gown, she was skillfully driving the horse.

It was quite different from the usual image of her sitting quietly in a luxurious carriage. Given her expertise in all fields, it was not difficult for her to navigate the forest, where even the view was not properly secured, while leading the troops.

However, the first sight she encountered after breaking through the north gate of the Beltus Duke’s estate was… Denis, with a strangely flushed face, walking inside the mansion following Derek.

“You’ve come. Lady Ellente. As you can see, the mansion grounds have been mostly cleared. However, we are unable to enter the main building. An Arch Lich is blocking the main hall, and other high-ranking monsters are guarding the mansion.”

Derek conducted a swift briefing while checking the number of soldiers from the Belmiard territory.

While Ellente was bringing soldiers to the Beltus territory, he seemed to have carried out many tasks inside the mansion.

For some reason, Lady Denis, who was blushing and glancing sideways, and the legendary mercenary captain Orel, were also standing by his side in a friendly manner.

In that short time, he had subdued those who were hostile and persuaded those who could be persuaded.

Though his efficiency was impressive, it was almost too fast.

“I see. Derek. You seem to have many injuries. Shouldn’t you take care of your body first…”

“I’m fine. The situation is so urgent, how can I rest? Once we successfully subdue the main building of Beltus, there will be plenty of time to rest.”

Derek’s appearance as he said this certainly did not seem relaxed. In fact, it would have been strange if he were relaxed.

The sight of the souls spiraling upwards towards the high sky above the main building of the Beltus Duke’s estate felt like glimpsing a fragment of hell.

The roaring demons spewing out monsters, the sounds of battle coming from all directions… Talking about relaxation in such a situation was itself strange.

“I am Orel. I am in charge of security at the Beltus Duke’s estate. It is a great honor to meet the future ruler of Belmiard in person.”

“I heard that you were the most trusted commander of Emperor Guttrel. Please forgive me for not being able to show proper courtesy in such a battlefield.”

“Of course. As you can see, the situation at the Duke’s estate is chaotic, so it doesn’t seem like the time for a chat.”

Ellente swiftly dismounted from her horse and stood with the three people accompanying Derek.

Lady Denis had many scratches here and there, Robenalt had completely lost consciousness and was being carried on Orel’s back, and Derek also seemed quite exhausted.

‘Though I said I would confront Beltus, I never expected things to turn out like this. Necromancy…’

Ellente swallowed dryly and took in the sight of the main building turning into a hellscape.

Derek had heard in advance that there would be a confrontation with Grand Duke Beltus, but he had never imagined that things would develop in this way.

The idea that Derek had wielded necromancy to corrupt Grand Duke Beltus seemed somewhat far-fetched. Especially from Ellente’s perspective, it was even more so.

She was the one who had seen Derek beat Leonard and hunt down necromancers with Countess Rodeia up close in the middle of the Belmiard mansion.

“The situation has become quite peculiar, Derek.”

“Nevertheless, the task at hand remains unchanged.”

Derek decided not to mention Pine’s rampage to those around him.

Imagining the uncontrollable necromancer punishing Grand Duke Beltus just to properly raise our cute disciple… It only seemed to complicate the situation further.

However, it was different with Drinis.

She was directly involved in this matter and could infer that Derek was somehow entangled in this necromancy incident.

Above all, the gift of the ornament that started this whole affair… was something Pine had personally handed to Drinis.

However, at this moment, Drinis remained silent.

She narrowed her eyes and alternated her gaze between Derek and Ellente.

‘For now, staying quiet is the best course of action.’

Above all, if Derek hadn’t overturned the family, it was obvious what would have happened.

Drinis had defied Beltus’s will at a critical moment and stood on the side of Baron Ravenclaw, just before facing severe punishment.

Considering that many high-ranking vassals and collateral family members had met terrible fates for defying Grand Duke Beltus, it was indeed a perilous moment.

Ironically, if it weren’t for Derek’s intervention against Beltus, it was hard to imagine what fate Drinis would have met by now.

She was on the verge of being mercilessly abandoned by the family she had been loyal to all her life, yet Drinis was calmer than expected.

From the beginning, she didn’t have much affection for the Beltus family.

In a relationship where one uses and is used, there is no room for familial love to blossom. Grand Duke Beltus had never treated Drinis with familial affection in her entire life.

‘Derek has… a secret.’

Drinis’s mind was racing.

That baron from the outskirts, who seemed to have nothing but a passion for magic, harbored a secret he couldn’t share with others.

It was a significant secret that neither Aiseline nor Ellente knew, and no matter how much he opened his heart, Derek would never reveal it.

She was the one closest to that secret.

If she was the one who could get closest to such a secret that neither Aiseline nor Ellente shared—

‘…’

Realizing that she felt a sense of competition with Aiseline and Ellente, Drinis acknowledged that she had gone too far. Drinis was very good at self-reflection.

However, the self-reproach that came in waves over time was something she had to deal with on her own.

“Lady Drinis… you seem to have a lot on your mind.”

Suddenly, she snapped back to reality.

Blinking her eyes and looking straight ahead, she saw Lady Ellente staring at Denise with a meaningful gaze.

Denise, unusually flustered, swallowed dryly.

“Y-Yes… I’m sorry, Lady Ellente. As you can see, the family’s situation is quite dire right now… It’s only natural to be a bit overwhelmed.”

“I understand. So, let’s focus on resolving the immediate situation. We’ll reclaim the main house of Beltus and then carefully sort out what happened.”

Feeling Lady Ellente’s peculiar hostility, Denise swallowed dryly several times.

Indeed, she could understand why Aiseline always seemed oddly intimidated whenever she saw Ellente. Ellente had a commanding presence that naturally pressured those with a guilty conscience.

What could be pricking her so much?

It was obvious. In fact, she had no choice but to admit it now.

Denise… no matter what anyone said, had developed romantic feelings for Derek.

Thinking about it that way, the hostility Ellente felt towards Denise could only be of a slightly different nature.

Denise, who always seemed indifferent and uninterested, just sitting with her chin resting on her hand. No one knew how she would react if she rolled up her sleeves.

If Denise became an enemy in that regard, she would be a formidable opponent, incomparable to Aiseline.

Ellente quietly lowered her gaze and approached her.

There was an oddly sharp aura emanating from her.

Denise swallowed dryly.