There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Journey to the North (3)

– ‘When you teach Siern, you’ll have many questions.’

Before leaving for the North, Derek had visited Melverot to deliver his final confirmation.

Melverot, who had been working with his legs crossed arrogantly, was pleased with Derek’s intention to head North, but as Siern’s father, he had something to convey.

– ‘Many mages have tried to teach Siern and gave up. Each had different reasons, and many met unfortunate ends.’

– ‘…’

– ‘I just want Siern to adapt well to the noble society. To properly learn the magic that fits the star-level magic system, and to become a lady of the Rochester family without shame. I don’t care about anything else. Just keep any questions that arise during that process to yourself. That’s all.’

Though it seemed like he was stating the obvious, Melverot’s expression was meaningful.

It felt like he was hiding something, but Derek was not in a position to question it.

And Derek wasn’t particularly interested in the detailed stories. It was just a matter of coaxing Siern well and teaching her what needed to be taught.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel a strange intuition.

—

*

A cold wind blew. The carriage, completely wrecked by the beast’s corpse, seemed no longer functional.

Passing by the terrified servants who were cowering, Derek stepped forward and spoke.

“Miss Sieren. I am Derek from Ebelstein.”

Derek decided to take the first strategy. First, he would try to communicate through conversation.

He knew that many teachers had come and tried the same strategy, but it had been meaningless. Therefore, he had no great expectations.

She didn’t seem to care about the corpses of the beasts or the smell of blood. Just from that, it was clear she wasn’t someone who could be reasoned with, but he decided it was worth a try.

Then, an unexpected reaction came from the girl clutching the beasts’ corpses.

“I heard from Serena.”

Her disheveled hair was falling over her forehead. Her white eyes, revealed on either side of that hair, were staring straight at Derek.

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Her clear and pure voice had an intellectual aura. Her tone was calm and composed, making her seem like a gentle and elegant person at first glance. If it weren’t for the blood-soaked appearance.

“I heard you would teach me magic.”

“…Yes. Though of humble status, I make a living teaching magic.”

“Interesting.”

Surprisingly, the conversation was working.

Just as Derek thought that his first method might work, Sieren’s bluish hair began to float, and magic started to flow through her body.

Blue magic began to surge from her white eyes, and she smiled at Derek with the corners of her mouth curling up. It was a look filled with a certain kind of ecstasy.

“Then you must be stronger than me?”

“…What?”

As soon as Derek asked back, Sieren disappeared.

Her movements, blending into the cold wind, were hard to follow with the eyes.

When Aislin and the servants, who had been watching the situation, blinked, Sieren had already flown to Derek’s face and landed, her skirt fluttering in the gust.

Under the frilly skirt, her white bare feet were revealed. As soon as she pressed them into the snowy ground, a huge earthen wall rose from the ground, covering Derek.

No incantation, no gathering of magic. The speed of her movements was not possible with the strength of this small girl.

‘Transformation magic… 3-star level… not quite, almost a full 2-star?’

Derek couldn’t help but be amazed.

There are rare talents who reach the 3-star level before their coming-of-age ceremony. With full support from a prestigious noble family, one or two might appear in a generation across the continent.

But for a talent that many teachers had given up on in this barren land to reach this level was practically impossible.

– Crash! Crash!

—

Derek, who had taken a big step back to avoid the rising earthen wall, lowered his stance. There was a seriousness in his eyes.

– Whoosh!

The earthen walls that followed tried to crush Derek’s body, but the magic arrows that manifested in an instant shattered them all before they could take proper form.

Not only the servants who saw this, but even Lady Siern momentarily widened her eyes. Derek’s reaction speed was already far beyond the ordinary range.

‘From the start… this isn’t a level of magic utilization that can be classified as hasty magic. It can’t be considered wild magic either… What is he?’

There is one unchanging truth in magical achievement.

Effort, a mentor, a good environment… various factors work together, but if you were to pick the most important factor in magical achievement, it would ultimately be bloodline.

First, bloodline. Second, bloodline. Even if you were to pick a third… it would still be bloodline.

And this girl is someone who has inherited the blood of a 6-star mage. It could be said that her high level of achievement is only natural.

However, the way she utilized magic was vastly different from Melverot. It was hard to believe that she was the daughter of a 6-star mage who had walked the path of the aristocratic discipline school in a textbook manner. She was so free-spirited that it made one doubt if she was really his biological daughter.

“Did you dodge?”

Lady Siern, once again wearing a cold expression, flicked her fingers and looked at Derek.

There was a murderous intent in her attack. She was a girl who didn’t know how to hold back.

If classified by the star system of magic, the magic used by Lady Siern was almost 3-star.

2-star transformation magic, ‘Earthen Wall’. 3-star transformation magic, ‘Acceleration’.

However, her magic felt as if it wasn’t confined to such a star system.

“Lady Siern.”

Derek’s tone lowered even further.

Rising quietly, Derek pulled his loose leather gloves tight and glared with fierce eyes.

“You must not attack people recklessly.”

He spoke the correct principle first. That was Derek’s way.

Diela, Ellente, and Drinis all said the same thing in unison. Derek always spoke the truth. Correct principles are irrefutable.

However, Siern let out a derisive laugh as she looked at Derek.

“You speak like someone from the southwest. They say the wide-open plains and mild climate are like paradise.”

Another gust of cold wind scattered the girl’s hair.

Despite the weather being cold enough to make most adult men shiver, the girl was walking barefoot and barehanded on the snowy field. Her appearance was unusual.

“Do you think that just because I don’t attack recklessly, others will leave me alone?”

“That is what it means to be civilized.”

“Such words don’t apply here in the north. You must kill before you are killed, and eat before you are eaten. That applies to both the wild animals roaming this snowy field and humans alike.”

The girl’s values were extreme.

—

—

Growing up in the bleak northern regions, one might develop such a mindset, but Sieren was a noble lady. She likely grew up in a more sheltered environment than most.

Nevertheless, the girl with eyes as cold as ice spoke to Derek.

“If you want to teach me, you must prove your worth.”

“And what is that worth?”

“Not being killed by me.”

The girl stood amidst a field of corpses. She was someone who felt no remorse in taking lives.

Rabbits, wolves, deer, bears… not only the beasts roaming the snowy plains, but even humans at times.

The girl’s eyes, standing among the corpses, were as calm as ever. She saw skinning a rabbit and skinning a human as the same thing.

Some might call it purity, while others might call it madness.

──Derek was clearly the latter.

– Bang!

The figure of Lady Sieren disappeared once more after stomping her foot.

Sieren’s movements, weaving through the bare trees, had to be tracked by senses other than sight.

Just as Derek was about to focus on the sound of Lady Sieren’s movements.

– Whoosh!

A surge of magic manifested a new spell. Lady Sieren cast the first-level spell ‘Sound Block’, obstructing Derek’s hearing.

‘Her combat sense is quite impressive.’

Derek remained composed, and Sieren’s pressure intensified.

First-level combat spells flew at him. Shockwaves, ice spears, and fire arrows were cast in rapid succession.

Yet, she did not deactivate the third-level spell ‘Acceleration’ that she had cast on herself.

– Boom, Bang!

Derek felt a strange sense of kinship as he watched her. Her solitary stance in the cold wilderness mirrored parts of his own past.

However, there were two significant differences.

She was born with noble blood, a blessing from the heavens, unlike Derek.

And her combat style was excessively raw.

To Derek, who had been through countless battles, her movements still seemed immature.

– Crack!

– Crunch! Crack! Crackle!

Sieren’s eyes widened significantly.

When she came to her senses, all the combat spells she had cast were shattered by magical arrows.

—

—

Intercepting before the magic could properly take effect was Derek’s specialty. No matter how sharp one’s combat senses were, it was not easy to cope with Derek’s flexible use of magic.

This time, Derek kicked off the ground and charged. The distance closed in an instant, but Siern leaped back, her disheveled hair flying.

“Trying to catch up with me with speed? That’s a foolish idea…”

It was the moment she tried to mock Derek for his foolish idea.

A sharp sensation surged up Siern’s spine.

It was a realm beyond the five senses, the domain of the sixth sense. It was an instinct engraved in the senses of Lady Siern, who had grown up wandering the north and slaying monsters.

– Thud!

– Crash!

Without gaining much distance, Lady Siern rolled on the snowy ground.

Derek’s foot was stepping on Lady Siern’s shadow. It was the 2-star combat magic ‘Shadow Bind.’

It was a magic that grabbed the opponent’s shadow with magic power and sealed their movements. Although the magic itself was slow and lacked practicality, Derek overcame such shortcomings with his innate magical sense.

“How, how did you…”

She tried to ask how he had caught up with her movements, but it was a foolish question.

Derek approached Lady Siern, who was lying on the ground due to the shadow bind.

He was a person who had directly learned search magic from the legendary search mage, Drest Wolftail.

Derek had already developed a sense that could grasp the opponent’s movements just by the flow of magic.

The 3-star transformation magic ‘Acceleration’ was a useful magic, but it had a fatal flaw that left magical traces in every movement.

That meant that when facing a high-level search mage, all movements would be detected. They were experts in tracking magical traces and effects.

In combat, the natural enemy of transformation mages was search mages.

Of course, Lady Siern, who had fought relying solely on her senses, was not aware of such theoretical knowledge.

And from the perspective of someone without such theoretical knowledge, it would seem as if Derek could foresee all her movements.

“Lady Siern. If you continue to rampage, I will…”

“Haap!”

Before Derek could finish his sentence, Lady Siern picked up a stone buried in the snow and threw it at him.

In the midst of speaking and losing concentration, the stone flew and hit Derek’s temple before he could dodge.

– Thud!

It wasn’t a fatal injury, but his concentration broke momentarily, nullifying the shadow bind. Lady Siern took that opportunity to cast acceleration magic again and quickly gained distance.

– Whoosh!

Her swift movements were astonishing.

“…”

—

Derek stood still.

A stream of blood trickled down his temple. A drop of blood fell with a plop onto the pristine snow, spreading its crimson stain.

Derek, who had been quietly looking down at the scene, finally pressed his brow.

“Mr. Derek! Are, are you okay?”

Aiseline, worried, started to run towards him, but she gasped and held her breath as soon as she met Derek’s eyes.

Because Derek’s appearance was unusual.

“…”

Derek is fundamentally a person who does not get swept up in emotions.

Even when Diela insulted him, even when Ellente looked down on him, Derek never showed any emotional agitation.

Even if someone he met for the first time suddenly tried to kill him, threw a stone at him, and made him bleed… Derek’s steel-like composure would not be shaken.

Nevertheless, Aiseline couldn’t help but swallow dryly as she watched Derek press his brow and wipe away the blood.

Should it be called a ghostly aura, or perhaps a murderous intent?

An indescribable sense of intimidation was clearly felt from Derek’s cold gaze.

Just because he doesn’t act foolishly in a fit of rage doesn’t mean he has no emotions. When he’s in a bad mood, he’s in a bad mood. He just considers it trivial himself.

That’s why Derek spoke in a low, calm voice without raising his voice or yelling.

“I told you I had thought of three methods, didn’t I?”

“Yes? Yes, yes… you did…”

He continued in a voice as sharp as a blade.

“It seems we have to go with the third method.”

“Mr. Derek…”

“If you have any objections, please speak up, Miss Aiseline.”

Even in that situation, asking for the opinion of his companion Aiseline, he was the epitome of composure.

Aiseline couldn’t bring herself to argue. She just took a step back… and with a trembling voice, barely managed to speak.

“Please… go easy…”

“Understood.”

At that moment, Derek’s figure disappeared.

*

– Swoosh!

Lady Sierne couldn’t help but hold her breath.

She found herself face to face with Derek, who had suddenly closed the distance and was staring right at her.

—

—

The murderous intent in those eerily red eyes seemed familiar. It resembled that of the giant wolf I saw in a snowstorm while wandering alone in the snowy mountains during my childhood.

In the wild world, everyone ends up in one of two positions. Predator or prey.

That position is ultimately relative, so a predator cannot always be a predator, and a prey cannot always be a prey.

In this vast world without rules, it all depends on who you encounter.

If you meet a rabbit, you become a predator. If you meet a wolf, you become prey. It’s as simple as that.

So, am I a predator or prey now?

The moment I pondered that question, Derek’s hand shot out to grab my collar.

– Crack!

– Crunch!

However, with an instinctive sense, Siern grabbed Derek’s hand and bit into the calloused hand with her teeth.

As Derek’s grip loosened momentarily, she leaped again, but it was a meaningless movement.

No matter how much acceleration magic she used, Derek seemed to know exactly where her movements were headed. In this case, the difference in speed was almost meaningless.

– Snap!

Therefore, Siern decided to move in a straight line to maximize the distance.

Moving around to confuse him wouldn’t work, so she decided to widen the gap with absolute speed.

However, that was also Derek’s intention. When the distance had grown significantly, Derek shook his hand and gathered his magic.

– Whoosh!

Derek reached out his hand into the air and clenched his fist tightly.

“Earth’s energy that embraces all things without wavering…”

Siern’s intuition screamed. Something was wrong.

Aisellin felt the same.

─She saw Derek chanting a spell for the first time.

Derek rarely chants spells.

The boy, who had reached the limit of his magical senses, had become so advanced that he could cast 1-star and even 2-star magic without chanting.

– Whooosh!

The servants gathered at the scene all had expressions of disbelief.

The amount of magic gathered around the boy, who was about to undergo his coming-of-age ceremony, far exceeded that of most noble children.

– Whoosh!

– Rumble!

Derek did not prefer a combat style that crushed his opponent with pure firepower.

—

—

He was a man born with innate magical talent, but in basic duel situations, he relied more on his seasoned combat sense than on magic.

He often used magic to deceive his enemies and gain the upper hand in psychological battles.

That doesn’t mean he couldn’t engage in simple firepower battles. He just hadn’t done it.

However, if it was a situation where he had to overwhelm his opponent with sheer force, Derek would also unhesitatingly use large-scale magic.

He had already reached a fairly high level among 3-star mages.

– Boom, boom, boom.

The incoming magic must be avoided.

It was the moment when Lady Siern swallowed dryly and took her stance.

However, the magic that Derek unleashed next was not something that could be avoided.

– Boom!

The ground began to crack, and a blizzard arose.

“Ahhh!”

3-star combat magic ‘Seismic Shift’

It was a high-level combat magic that overturned the land in the area, subduing the opponent along with the ground.

However, Lady Siern’s combat sense had already reached its peak.

If the magic couldn’t be avoided, the user must be subdued. Although the distance was dangerously wide, she had to quickly close the gap and disrupt the chanting.

Just as Lady Siern was about to activate her acceleration magic and kick off the ground,

The ground was already gone.

Engulfed in a sense of floating, she saw Derek casting magic from afar.

There was no emotional turmoil in his gaze, even as a stream of blood trickled from his temple.

‘This scale of magic… he’s already finished chanting…?’

His magic chanting was always a few beats faster than anyone could imagine. At this point, she realized. They were on completely different levels.

The murderous intent in the boy’s eyes was already completely akin to that of a predator.

The prey was herself.

– Whoosh!

In the end, all that remained was the fall.