There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Watercolor (1)

The reason why Lady Freya of the Count of Freya was able to avoid being swept up in the great disaster at the Duplain mansion was because the Mont Blanc she ate at the tea party was so delicious.

It sounds absurd, but in reality, she was sitting in a corner of the mansion’s kitchen, holding a pretty Mont Blanc on a plate in her arms.

The servants, who were busily carrying food to the ballroom as if possessed by something, didn’t even notice her hiding under a table in the corner of the mansion’s kitchen.

As she quietly watched the servants moving mechanically as if possessed, Lady Freya of the Count of Freya was lost in thought about what to do.

‘…’

If she explained the situation, it wasn’t that complicated.

Usually, she was strictly managed by her teacher Katia at her family’s home, but she was so happy to be able to freely eat bread at the ball in the distant southwestern region, free from her teacher’s interference.

So, after trying all kinds of refreshments, she fell in love with the Mont Blanc that the patissier of the Duplain mansion’s kitchen had proudly presented.

While other nobles were resting in their private rooms, she made an excuse to her dedicated servant that she was going to the bathroom and went down to the kitchen to get more Mont Blanc.

It was too embarrassing for the eldest daughter of the prestigious Elvester family to sneak into the kitchen of the Duplain mansion just to eat a few pieces of bread without being noticed. So, she used her specialty, confusion magic, to secretly take some food without the servants noticing.

‘What on earth is going on?’

It was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for most people to be trembling with fear, but she was surprisingly calm, holding the Mont Blanc tightly.

Even in the midst of this, she was munching on honey-coated bread, looking as if she was on a picnic in this hellish place.

Lady Freya brushed the crumbs from her mouth and recalled the message her teacher had left when she left the mansion.

– ‘Lady Diela of the Duplain mansion is likely to become the most influential person in the southwestern part of the empire. So, please do not be rude at the ball, and please, I beg you, do not be so focused on the food. Keep your manners and leave a good impression.’

– ‘Lord Kohella is also at the Duplain mansion, so if you meet him, be sure to greet him politely… Hmm… If it’s a ball at the Duplain mansion, my former student might be there too.’

Teacher Katia, who constantly interfered and taught Lady Freya, was a figure of fear for her.

She was always a kind and warm person when teaching Derek, who was a model student in every way, but she knew how to be merciless when it came to disciplining and controlling her students.

To manage the figure of Lady Freya, who was weak to gluttony, and to improve her ambiguous magic skills, she had to be a devil at times.

– ‘Teacher Katia’s former student? Which family is he from?’

– ‘He was a commoner from the slums. He was incredibly talented and passionate about magic, but I couldn’t bring him to the Count of Elvester, so we parted ways in Ebelstein. We occasionally exchange letters… He’s working as a magic teacher in the Ebelstein noble society, so if you have any social engagements there, you might see him.’

– ‘Does the teacher teach commoners too? That’s surprising.’

When Freya, sitting on the bed, asked such a question, the old witch sitting at the desk with a quill pen smiled wryly.

– ‘Is there any distinction in handling magic? Sometimes, even among commoners, there are those who are incredibly knowledgeable about magic.’

—

—

– “Even if you dedicate your entire life, you’ll only end up as a 3-star mage, right? I wonder what the point is of struggling so hard for magic. It must feel quite futile from a teaching standpoint as well.”

– “….”

As Lady Freya spoke sharply, Katia made a complicated expression and gently placed her hand on Freya’s head.

After pondering what to say, she finally responded briefly.

– “That’s right. There are no commoners who can handle magic as proficiently as the nobles.”

Freya read from Katia’s expression that she was hiding something.

Even though she knew something about the former student, she seemed unwilling to speak about it.

– “My former student was an excellent person, but they could never become as skilled a mage as the nobles.”

That expression was definitely the face she made when she lied.

Katia was a person who rarely lied, so it was easy to notice when she was hiding something.

Although Freya didn’t know who Katia Flameheart’s former student was, it was clear that this person held a special meaning for Katia.

Katia could be scary when angry, but she was the best teacher Freya had ever met. If Katia still worried about this person, they must have possessed an extraordinary talent beyond Freya’s imagination.

That’s why Freya was glancing around even at this ballroom in the southwest. The mage Katia mentioned might have attended the ball.

After making inquiries at the ballroom, she learned that Katia’s former student, named Derek, had taught Diella of the Duplain family.

For the highly authoritative Duplain family to have taken in a commoner as a magic teacher, this person must have been extraordinary at first glance.

She spent the entire day sitting in the tea room, glancing around at people who looked like commoners, but she didn’t find anyone who seemed particularly extraordinary.

“Given this level of disaster, it’s likely they were swept away and died.”

Lady Freya chewed and swallowed the last piece of Mont Blanc with indifferent eyes.

Then she brushed the crumbs off the plate and placed it on the marble floor, stretching her body to the fullest.

“Ugh.”

Even though grotesquely twisted monsters were roaming the hallway, she stretched her stiff body with dainty movements like a rodent waking up from a nap.

And then, magic began to swirl in her eyes.

Lady Freya, the Countess, was a master of illusion magic, having absorbed Katia’s magical prowess.

Even setting aside direct combat abilities, she was skilled at deceiving crowds and disappearing without a trace, moving here and there.

Her confidence in her abilities allowed her to remain calm even in this chaos.

In the Elvester family’s mansion, if she decided to hide, the only person who could find her was Katia.

Among the mediocre servants, there was no one who could catch Lady Freya’s covert actions.

“Let’s get out of the mansion for now. It’ll be a long walk… If I come across any commoners, I can reveal my identity and slip them a couple of gold coins, right…?”

Her hair, fluttering with magic, covered her shoulders like a blanket.

She was a girl who strangely lacked any sense of crisis.

—

—

Her demeanor went beyond simply being brave or strong in the face of danger… It felt as if her emotions were somehow restrained. She seemed so composed that one might think she could hum a tune even in the middle of a battlefield.

Quietly rising from the corner of the table, she glanced sideways at the ballroom in the main hall where the food was being prepared step by step.

The servants were dragging the unconscious guests and seating them at various round tables in the main hall. A sumptuous feast was being laid out on the tables, and the band was tuning their instruments, preparing for the highlight of the ball.

Though the scene was bizarre and grotesque, Lady Freya seemed indifferent as she drew upon her magic to cast the first-level confusion spell, ‘Sound Barrier.’

– Whooosh

The bluish magical energy enveloped her, beginning to erase all sounds. Soon, she drew upon the second-level confusion spell, ‘Illusion,’ scattering illusions of herself here and there in the corridor.

The illusions of Lady Freya, striding out confidently, lacked vitality when seen up close.

However, it was enough to draw the attention of the wandering corpse monsters outside.

‘Next, I’ll use a spell to hide my presence and roughly follow the central garden of the mansion to get out. If there are horses left in the carriage, I might be able to ride one and dash towards the meadow… Should I check the stables on the way out just in case? Hmm… I’m not confident in riding… I always got scolded during lessons…’

It was the moment when Lady Freya stretched and stepped into the corridor.

– Thud!

“Hmm…?”

– Thud! Thud! Thud!

A loud noise, as if something was striking the floor, was coming from the upper part of the corridor.

Sensing something unusual, Lady Freya listened more closely.

– Thud! Bang! Crash!

– Crackle!

After a series of explosions, the ceiling above suddenly collapsed.

“Ahhh!”

Lady Freya screamed in surprise and quickly stepped back. However, with her small strides, she couldn’t get far.

As she quickly drew upon her magic to protect herself, chunks of marble mixed with dust poured down.

– Rumble! Bang! Crackle!

– Thud

When Lady Freya, who had fallen backward in an ungraceful manner, quickly looked up, an unbelievable sight unfolded before her.

A boy, who had fallen along with the debris from the upper floor, was crushing a grotesque man in armor under his knee.

Both men were covered in dust, with scratches all over their bodies.

It was clear at a glance that they were engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

‘What, what is this…!’

– Clang! Clang!

– Thud

—

—

From the hole in the ceiling, various pieces of furniture like desks and candlesticks fell with a crashing sound.

At the center of the chaos, a white-haired boy, who was trampling on an armored man, swiftly turned his head towards Lady Freya.

“…”

“Wha, wha, what… a, a survivor…?”

It was the moment when Lady Freya barely managed to speak first.

The large man who had been pinned down pushed himself off the ground, drawing out his magic to fling the boy far away.

– Boom!

The white-haired mercenary was caught in the aftermath of the magic and was thrown against the wall. It all happened in an instant.

As the large man who had flung the white-haired boy away stood up, Lady Freya furrowed her brows deeply.

– Rumble

Through the dust falling from his body, red eyes glowed.

‘That man… he’s the second son of the Duplain family…!’

The man, whose eyes were filled with madness, was covered in wounds all over his body.

He was so exhausted that he could barely stand, panting heavily like a starving beast.

He had already lost his sanity.

The way he wildly cast magic in all directions, ready to destroy everything in sight, was not much different from the raging bull she had seen in the distant past at the bullfighting arena.

The bull would charge honestly with its massive body, but this monster used magic.

The difference was immense.

As Lady Freya quickly tried to hide herself, the monster, drooling blood-mixed saliva and glaring, began to draw out his magic.

‘Oh no!’

It was the moment when Lady Freya, unable to adapt to the sudden situation, clenched her teeth tightly.

– Snap.

Before she knew it, the white-haired boy, who had risen from the rubble, was gripping the head of the crazed Raig tightly.

Charging forward, he slammed Raig’s head into the ground.

– Crack!

Raig, whose head was slammed down, made a grotesque sound as he rolled on the ground once.

Before the monster could rise again, the boy kicked him in the abdomen with his leather boots.

– Crunch! Splat!

Blood spurted from Raig’s mouth.

The smooth and natural series of actions suggested that this was not the first time he had subdued a monster in this manner.

—

—

From noble mtl dot com

“U, uwaah…”

“If you stay there, you’ll die. Try to keep your distance…”

“Behind! Behind! Behind!”

The moment the boy warned Lady Freya, Raig, who had already risen, was swinging a wooden chair he had picked up from the floor.

The boy quickly lowered his stance and chanted a spell, shattering the wooden chair in Raig’s hand.

His movements were those of a master duelist.

If it were a contest of firepower, it might be different, but in a one-on-one duel involving skill, Raig could never defeat Derek.

Though Raig’s strength and magical prowess had been enhanced by the strange necromantic magic, he still couldn’t match Derek’s level.

However, in such a brawl, even the winning side would sustain damage.

Every time Raig’s blow landed, Derek’s body bore new scratches. When a spell hit directly or a fist grazed his cheek, blood would flow, but Derek didn’t care.

He was a man accustomed to pain.

To Lady Freya’s eyes, both Derek and Raig looked like monsters.

‘What, what is that man…!’

Raig, no matter what anyone said, was a man born of the Duplain family bloodline.

Though he had lived a life far from honor, overshadowed by his elder brother Valerian, he was known among the nobility for his exceptional skills.

Even though he was rampaging like a monster under the influence of strange magic, he was being pushed around by a man who looked like a commoner.

– Whish! Thud!

– Thud! Thud! Thud!

The magic that began to emanate from Raig’s hands again started to transform into a giant flame spear.

– Boom! Crackle!

However, in terms of reaction speed to magic, Raig couldn’t keep up with Derek. Derek’s specialty was intercepting with magic arrows before the opponent could cast a spell.

Despite being a renowned magician, Raig couldn’t properly use his magic. Derek, who skillfully countered all forms of magic, was like a giant wall.

No matter how furious a bull is, if it keeps ramming into a wall, it will only end up with a concussion.

The man, driven by madness, didn’t know how to give up even in front of Derek, who was superior in magic. If magic didn’t work, he would resort to punching and biting, trying to kill Derek.

– Crack!

Though he managed to land a punch on Derek’s side, Derek, who had taken a deep breath and tightened his lower abdomen, endured the blow.

Derek, who neither staggered nor fell, swiftly reached out and grabbed Raig’s head entirely.

“Ugh, kagh.”

At the moment when the blood-soaked Raig tried to bite Derek’s grip,

– Crackle!

—

—

1-Star Magic ‘Electric Discharge’

The electricity emitted from Derek’s hand pierced through Raig’s head.

– Crackle!

No matter how sturdy a man is, if he gets hit by magic at this distance, he can’t help but lose consciousness.

Soon, Raig’s movements, which had been held in Derek’s grip, began to subside.

– Sizzle

Raig’s legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, collapsing onto the marble floor with a thud.

A cloud of dust rose briefly. Derek shook his hand and loosened his wrist.

The conclusion was reached in an instant.

‘My God…’

Despite the enormous difference in physique, Derek subdued the giant man without any trouble.

Derek, standing in front of the man sprawled on the floor, was only breathing heavily as if exhausted, without a single wound that looked fatal.

‘What… what is that…’

Lady Freya, who was lying on the floor, swallowed dryly.

At that moment, Derek turned his head sharply to look at Lady Freya.

His face was stained with clotted blood. His eyes were as vividly red as the blood.

He was just another monster who subdued that giant monster without any trouble.

He shook off the dripping blood and walked towards Lady Freya. The murderous intent still lingering in his eyes from subduing Raig was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

Lady Freya forgot to breathe and quickly drew out her magic.

‘If I use illusion magic to hide, I can escape! No matter what, it’s best not to confront such a monster!’

She drew out her magic and cast the highest level of illusion magic she could use.

2-Star Illusion Magic ‘Momentary Invisibility’.

It was magic that made her completely disappear from the opponent’s sight for a very short moment. The time wasn’t long, but it was enough to buy time to run towards the escape route.

Just as she was about to kick the window and run out to the central garden.

– Thud!

However, an unbelievable thing happened.

The boy grabbed Lady Freya’s nape just as she was about to completely disappear.

Lady Freya almost tripped over her dress hem but managed to stop just before hitting the floor, thanks to the boy’s grip.

“Ugh, gasp…”

Lady Freya swallowed dryly.

—

—

‘Detection magic…! Magic detection, or lifeform detection…! At least 2-star level…!’

This commoner is at least 2-star level. He realized this fact, but it was too late to understand it while being grabbed by the scruff of his neck.

When Lady Freya turned her head, there stood a monster covered in blood, glaring with red eyes.

In the end, there was only one action Lady Freya could take here.

“Please… save me…”

It was a plea for life, throwing away her pride as a noble.

In such matters, she was indeed a quick-witted girl.