There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

The Most Noble and Impoverished (1)

Raymond Oswald Duplain, the head of the Duplain family, has died.

Valerian, the eldest son, went berserk due to a necromantic weapon brought from the White Zone north of the Duplain territory, destroying the mansion and sacrificing many servants, ultimately killing his own father.

He tried to become a higher-level necromancer by sacrificing the various guests and high-ranking wizards gathered at the mansion, but was killed by Diela’s sudden attack.

The Duchess, Miriela, fainted on the spot, and the second son, Raig, is in a coma due to the aftermath of the magic.

Other high-ranking retainers and direct family members were also injured to varying degrees, and more than half of the family members have not regained consciousness.

—

—

“Ugh, groan…”

“W-what is happening… Where is this… exactly…”

When the sun rose over the ruins of the half-destroyed Duplain mansion, the distinguished guests who had almost become sacrifices in the main hall were slowly getting up one by one.

When they opened their eyes, a horrific scene unfolded before them. They all doubted their eyes and couldn’t accept the current situation.

Even in the midst of this, not a single guest or high-ranking magician who attended the ball died.

This was partly because they had been gathered in the main hall to be used as sacrifices for necromantic magic, but also because the instigator was appropriately subdued before the situation reached its extreme.

The sunlight of dawn seeped through the half-broken ceiling.

In the midst of the chaotic atmosphere, the only person who could represent the Duplain family stepped forward.

“First, I must apologize to everyone. I am sorry for making you come such a long way.”

In the midst of the chaos caused by necromantic magic, Aisellin and Diela managed to keep their sanity and prevent a catastrophe.

However, Aisellin, who bowed her head, and Diela, who stood quietly behind her, could not put on a heroic expression.

“We will take responsibility for today’s incident at the family level and compensate you by any means necessary.”

Aisellin, who now had to take responsibility for the Duplain family, said with a determined expression.

The expressions of the guests who heard the explanation of the situation were varied.

Some were outraged at the fact that they had almost lost their lives while unconscious, and others were deeply troubled about how to handle this unprecedented disaster for the Duplain family.

“W-what is happening…! We almost became sacrifices for necromantic magic…? Not anywhere else, but right in the middle of the most noble Duplain mansion?”

“When I return to the main house, I must make an issue of this! It’s chilling…! We almost died!”

When a giant beast dies and becomes a corpse, eagles gather to tear at its flesh.

Moreover, there was a good reason. It was a situation where they almost lost their lives.

All the responsibility lay with the Duplain family. In a situation where they had even lost the head of the family, giving such a good reason to these numerous guests meant they had to be prepared to have their flesh torn off.

Nevertheless, the Duplain family had no choice.

As Aisellin and Diela stood quietly listening to the gradually raising voices of the guests.

“Still, the Duplain family took active measures to prevent any harm. Although there were minor injuries like scratches, no one lost their lives.”

“Lady Ellente?”

“The Belmiard family will not hold you responsible. It seems the Duplain family has already made enough sacrifices.”

It was Lady Ellente who spoke up in front of the main hall.

Her red hair, soaked with rainwater, hung down, hiding the scratches on her arm. She had used magic to prevent major damage when the building collapsed, but it seemed she couldn’t avoid minor injuries.

Most of the guests gathered here were representatives. Ellente also attended the ball as a representative of the Belmiard marquisate.

Since they were representatives, they did not have direct authority to decide how to pursue this situation.

However, Ellente was different.

—

—

Ellente was granted the authority by the Count of Belmiod to make certain decisions on behalf of the Belmiod family.

Of course, major decisions required the direct approval of the Count of Belmiod, but this time, she made a bold decision.

The Belmiod family would not hold the Duplain family responsible for anything.

Even though other guests would not leave the Duplain mansion, a huge prey, alone, at least it would affect the overall situation.

“Wh-why…”

“I don’t have any particular thoughts. Just as I said… It seems the Duplain family has made enough sacrifices. They lost their head, half of their standing army, almost all their servants, and even their mansion.”

Ellente looked at Iselin quietly, then smiled a somewhat complicated smile and whispered.

“Just think of it as my inferiority complex. I’ll persuade my father, so don’t worry too much.”

After saying that, Lady Ellente dragged her ruined dress and headed towards the stables.

The coachman brought from the main house had either already fled or been taken by monsters. If she wanted to return to the main house, she would have to lead the horse herself.

“I’ll just… borrow a horse.”

As she dragged her dress and passed by, Ellente suddenly looked at a half-broken pillar. A man was leaning against it with his arms crossed, observing the situation.

Everyone at the scene was soaked to the skin. Even among them, the white-haired boy looked in worse shape.

His whole body was drenched with rain, sweat, and blood, and he was covered in mud, with his hair in disarray.

He was the one who had stood at the forefront and held back the rampaging Valerian until he calmed down.

“Derek. Your contribution should be reported to the royal family and you should be commended… but it doesn’t seem like the right time to talk about celebrations. Let’s postpone this. I’ll make sure you receive a proper reward.”

“…”

“And, as the eldest daughter of the Belmiod family, I should also thank you. If you hadn’t appropriately entered the main hall and stopped Valerian, all the guests gathered here would have become victims of necromancy.”

At those words, all the guests gathered at the scene widened their eyes and looked at Derek.

They had heard that Iselin and Diela had actively stopped Valerian, but there were some unsatisfactory parts.

How could two people who had barely reached the beginning of 2-star magic stop Valerian, who had absorbed power equivalent to 4-star? It was impossible with just their strength.

They had thought there must have been someone’s intervention, but they hadn’t imagined it would be a commoner magician.

“Derek? That white-haired magician saved our lives?”

“He didn’t look that old, but he fought on equal terms with someone equivalent to 4-star?”

“At least 3-star… Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense… A commoner at that young age being 3-star?”

Among the gathered nobles, many from the southwest knew of Derek’s existence.

He was already making a name for himself as a talented magic teacher in the Ebelstein social circle. The number of noble families wanting to accept Derek as a magic teacher was already more than could be counted on both hands.

Stopping Valerian was a great achievement, equivalent to preventing a national disaster.

Although the closed aristocratic society wouldn’t easily grant him a title, at least a substantial monetary reward was certain, and his social prestige would greatly increase.

It was now uncertain how high Derek’s value, which was already skyrocketing, would go.

—

—

In any way, he would influence the aristocratic society.

“Yes, you are the most renowned magic teacher in the southwest. Indeed, your magic skills seem exceptional. I am Robenkheim from the north. If you ever visit the Melverot mansion, please contact me.”

“It is an honor to meet the uncle of Sir Melverot, the guardian of the north. Thank you for greeting me.”

“If you ever come to the south, visit the castle of Lord Delos. I am his wife, Adelen. If my husband learns about this, he will want to reward you greatly.”

“Thank you very much for your kindness, Countess Adelen. Fortunately, it seems there are no serious injuries.”

“I am Poloncourt, the chancellor of the royal family. Thanks to you, I owe my life. If you plan to work as a magic teacher….”

Thus, the quick-footed nobles began to approach Derek and greet him.

Compared to the beginning of the ball, when no one even glanced at him, the rapid change in attitude was almost bizarre.

In any way, if it was a beneficial connection, they would make sure to establish a contact point. That was the way of aristocratic socializing.

Lady Drinis, who was watching from afar with her arms crossed, let out a small laugh. Now, the Beltus family had a firm grip on Derek, but with this, she couldn’t be sure if they could keep him after the contract period ended.

‘If he were a moderately talented person, they would have shot him wary glances, but at times like this, they are truly shameless.’

She had been rolling in the aristocratic circles for a day or two, but their opportunistic attitude was always fresh every time she saw it.

This would only raise Derek’s value, making it a headache for those who wanted to keep him.

Drinis dusted off her clothes and quietly watched the back of Lady Ellente as she left. It seemed she had deliberately made a fuss to praise Derek’s achievements more.

As the nobles began to gather, she smiled softly and went her way.

It would be great if Drinis could also step forward and declare, ‘I will not hold the Duplain family accountable either,’ but she couldn’t do that.

Ellente was the real power holder of the Belmiard family. And Drinis was a puppet of the Beltus family.

Even though they were both ladies of the Rosea Salon, the difference in their authority within their families was like night and day.

Even in such an urgent situation, Ellente’s authority to boldly push through her judgment was somewhat enviable.

‘…Did I just envy authority? Me, of all people?’

Suddenly, Drinis shook her head, reflecting on the thought she had just had.

She couldn’t believe that she, who always lived in moderation, had such a useless thought.

‘Since Derek came, haven’t I been thinking too much? Let’s not have unnecessary thoughts.’

Lady Drinis shook her head and quickly tidied her platinum hair, soaked from the rain, as she stood up.

While many nobles were eyeing to shake hands with Derek, she felt oddly pleased that Derek was being recognized, but since his value would rise too much, she thought of taking him home quickly.

“Derek. It seems there’s no point in staying at the Duplain mansion any longer. Let’s return to our main house. We need to report the situation anyway, so for now…”

“Oh my, Lady Drinis, you are safe too. When I saw you in the guest room closet, the situation was so urgent that I couldn’t properly greet you.”

“…Lady Freya, you are safe too?”

When Drinis was about to take Derek back, Lady Freya was holding onto Derek and talking to him.

She also seemed to be planning how to return home, but she wanted to chat with Derek, who had the same teacher.

—

—

“It’s so amazing to see someone I’ve only heard about from Master Katia in person. Seeing you like this is quite different from my imagination, it’s intriguing.”

“Lady Freya, it’s fortunate that you haven’t been seriously injured. Master Katia has told me a lot about you through letters. It’s impressive how calm you are in this situation.”

“Well… now that the tension is gone, I’m just hungry. Sigh…”

Lady Freya quickly tidied her disheveled bluish hair and pulled up her dress that had slipped off her shoulders.

She was older than the ladies of the Rosea Salon. She had already completed her debutante process a long time ago.

Although she was rumored to be the most influential figure in the eastern social circles, seeing her in person, she didn’t seem to possess such outstanding authority.

Nevertheless, Derek greeted Lady Freya with the joy of meeting an old friend from a distant land.

Even when his tension rises, Derek never changes his stoic expression. Seeing him show interest for once, Lady Denise felt quite upset.

‘He never showed such a bright face when he was with me…’

To be honest, it would be stranger if he showed a bright face when Denise treated him as if everything was a bother.

Denise herself wasn’t unaware of this, but somehow, seeing Derek’s unfamiliar, slightly excited expression made her feel a tickling sensation in her chest.

“I’d love to chat more, but as you can see, the situation isn’t good, so let’s save it for next time. If you ever visit the eastern continent, please stop by the Elvester family.”

“Well… my father doesn’t really like inviting unrelated commoners to the mansion… but he wouldn’t turn away the benefactor who saved his daughter’s life… Master Katia is also there, so it should be fine…”

“Hmm… if it’s really difficult, I won’t insist on visiting.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Denise, who had been watching the two having a pleasant conversation, sighed deeply and interrupted.

“Then Lady Freya, you can visit the Veltus family separately. Wouldn’t that be much better?”

“Oh, really? I don’t know much about the social circles of Ebelstein, but I thought it would be nice to interact with people from the Rosea Salon or the Drest Academy.”

“The Rosea Salon will be noisy for a while… but visiting the mansion for social purposes should be fine.”

“That’s a relief. There were some things I wanted to discuss separately.”

“Discuss?”

Lady Freya, resting her chin on her hand, glanced around and lowered her voice.

“You saw Prince Valerian handling the forbidden arts, right?”

From noble mtl dot com

“Yes, I did.”

“But… he seemed too well-versed in the specific methods of the ritual, and his control over necromancy was too natural… it was a bit suspicious.”

“What…?”

“This isn’t something to discuss in the middle of the Duplain family’s mansion, where they’ve just lost their family members, but I can’t help but think that Prince Valerian couldn’t have done all this alone. Someone must have been involved…”

This was the middle of the Duplain mansion.

It’s disrespectful to talk about the actions of the deceased in front of the remaining family members. That’s why Lady Freya seemed to be holding back her words.

“Hmm… I’ll tell you later.”

—

—

Lady Freya shook off her dress and, with her hands on her hips, straightened her chest and said.

“Anyway, since everyone is very tired, let’s not talk about anything too complicated. The Duplain mansion is now something those two have to handle, so we can all go back to our homes and rest. The family members will come out and take care of the details.”

With that, Lady Freya gave a cheerful greeting.

“See you next time, Derek. Hmm… should I call you senior or brother?”

“…”

“Just kidding.”

Stretching her stiff body, Lady Freya also left for her home in the eastern continent. Since a major incident had occurred, she would head straight home to report the situation.

Derek and Drinis quietly checked each other’s condition.

Since neither of them was injured, they asked about each other’s well-being and prepared to leave for Ebelstein.

“It seems difficult to return by carriage. I’ll ride the horse, so please sit on the back saddle.”

“Ugh… Derek, my clothes are covered in mud, it feels awful.”

“It can’t be helped. Please bear with it.”

Drinis wrapped her arms around Derek’s waist and briefly turned her head to look at the half-destroyed Duplain mansion.

The grandeur of the Duplain family, which once dominated the world, would be diminished.

Although it is said that flowers do not last ten days, it is inevitable to feel empty when seeing something that fades away.

Watching Diella and Aisellin busily moving in the half-destroyed main hall, she quietly thought.

Although the family had fallen miserably, the two of them still had to live under the name of Duplain.

That’s the status of a noble family’s lady. Having lived under the grandeur of the family, they must also accept the family’s disgrace.

It would be nice if there was an opportunity to revive the family, but such chances rarely come.

In the end, they are also noble ladies. No matter how thorny the path, they must walk it with a smile.

There will be many trials ahead for the two of them, and although there is no loyalty to actively support them… nevertheless, she wished that the sunlight shining through the half-destroyed buildings would continue.

“Even if it collapses, the debris remains.”

If the debris remains, flowers may bloom again among them.

It may be an irresponsible statement, but even a fleeting hope is better than none.

With that, they headed to Ebelstein, leaving the two sisters of the Duplain family behind.

For the time being, it would be difficult to see their faces as they would be busy cleaning up the mansion. Drinis sent her heartfelt support to the two of them.

*

“Hello, Lady Drinis.”

However, she saw Diella again in just three days.

Seeing Diella quietly drinking tea in the reception room, Drinis felt quite embarrassed.

—

—

Despite being the young lady of a greatly faltering family, Diela exudes an aura that intimidates people.

The elegance of Diela, who was dressed in a beautiful dress and holding a teacup, seemed to have deepened even more than before.

“L-Lady Diela? What brings you to my mansion so early in the morning…”

Although Denice had become a morning person because of Derek, it was still not easy to welcome a guest so early in the morning.

As soon as she finished getting ready and came downstairs, the little lion was sitting quietly, glaring sharply as always.

‘I did cheer for her, but… I didn’t expect her to come so suddenly.’

“You seem curious about how I could come all the way to Ebelstein when you must be busy with the mansion restoration.”

‘Unnecessarily sharp!’

Denice cleared her throat a few times and quickly put on the mask of a noble lady before sitting opposite Diela.

“You must have been through a lot, so I want to offer my deepest condolences first.”

“Thank you. Then, without further ado, I’ll get to the point.”

Denice and Diela were not on very good terms from the beginning.

At first, Denice was supportive of Diela, but after they started fighting over Derek, things became really awkward.

In fact, she still didn’t have much ill will towards Diela, but it was inevitably uncomfortable.

– Creak

As soon as Denice sat down, Diela stood up.

Her demeanor was unusual.

Her voluminous hair, as if embracing her body, looked like a hedgehog bristling its quills.

Diela, who was known to have beaten up some servants in her prime, was incredibly intimidating when she got serious, despite her small stature.

Denice swallowed dryly.

From the first day she joined the Rosea Salon, Diela had been like a wild horse, charging at Denice.

Now, with almost nothing left to lose, what could be the reason she came to this mansion?

Feeling quite tense, Denice quietly stared at Diela.

– Thud!

“…”

Suddenly, Diela placed her hand on the table as if she was about to slam it down, and began to sweat profusely, which didn’t suit her at all.

With her cat-like eyes filled with embarrassment, she sweated for a long time… Finally, she bowed her head deeply and spoke.

“C-Could…”

“Could…?”

“Could you… lend me some money….”

—

“……”

A moment of silence.

“….”

“….”

“….”

At the completely unexpected remark, Dennis was momentarily stunned.

The continuing silence felt like a vast emptiness.

*

“What?”

Derek asked back, doubting his ears.

The place was Derek’s personal residence. This shabby place, left behind by his mentor Katia, was tucked away in a corner of the Ebelstein market district.

It was definitely not a place where a noble would come, but when someone knocked on the door early in the morning, he went out to see who it was, and there stood Aiseline.

Accompanied by a young and inexperienced-looking maid, she asked if she could come in for a moment.

While hiding his confused emotions, Derek let her into the house and brought her a glass of cold water.

No matter how you looked at it, it was not a place where a noble lady would come. Feeling awkward because he had nothing to offer but a glass of cold water, Derek stood in front of Lady Aiseline, who instead began to look more embarrassed.

And then, with difficulty, blushing, she said she wanted to borrow some money.

It was not just anyone, but Aiseline Eleanor Duplain who said this.

“….”

“….”

Even after saying it out loud, Aiseline blushed deeply and lowered her head. Her hands fidgeting on her lap looked pitiful.

“Is it… really that difficult…? To the point where you had to come to me?”

Derek certainly had some money saved up, but he never thought that a noble would come to a commoner like him for help.

“No, it’s just that… the cost of restoring the mansion, the emergency relief supplies, and the urgent need to hire a coachman for the guests’ return… I just need a little cash right now… It’s not that much, but… I’m a bit… stuck…”

“…”

“I borrowed some from the Korn family and even used some cash left in my personal residence…! But I forgot that the payment deadline for the construction costs overlapped…! Given the situation…”

“…”

“Until I can sell the antiques, artworks, and magical tools in the mansion, I need to advance some living expenses, but the funds provided by the Roent Trading Company are a bit short… No… This is not something to ramble about… So…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

—

– Growl

Breaking the silence, the sound of a stomach growling echoed.

Derek shuddered. He thought it was the sound from his own stomach, but upon reflection, he had just eaten some mashed potatoes and a piece of bread for breakfast.

So he looked at Aiselin’s expression and saw that her face was flushed red as if it was about to burst. She bowed her head deeply and trembled as if she wanted to die on the spot.

“…Haven’t you eaten?”

“I’m, I’m sorry. Please, don’t ask…”

“…”

“…The deadline for paying the servants’ meal expenses was today… I couldn’t let the servants starve starting tomorrow… So, in a hurry… I somehow managed to pay with my own money…”

“…”

Derek rubbed his face with his hands.

He felt like he was losing his mind.

Whatever the case, it seemed like they needed to eat first.