There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Baron (3)

The next day, a tiny girl was sitting in the tavern Veldern’s Tears.

Compared to a sturdy man, her height barely reached his chest.

In fact, while strolling through the noble district, it wasn’t hard to find short girls, but in this tavern street filled with fierce mercenaries, her figure was unusual.

Even just looking at her in a black and white monotone chiffon dress with a shawl, it was clear she was from a noble family.

There was no good reason for her to be in such a rough place, yet the girl sat at the bar table with a sullen expression.

‘Even though it looks like she has no escort, there are two at the table over there.’

Jayden, serving apple juice, glanced around the tavern.

The two men sitting near the entrance table, sipping beer, seemed to be retainers from the Duplain family.

—

—

In short, the person sitting at the bar table, sighing deeply for no reason, is none other than Diela Catherine Duplain, the youngest of the Duplain family.

Recently, there have been more and more nobles frequenting the Tears of Veldern.

It is a good thing that nobles, who are known for their lavish spending, often visit. Usually, where the upper class frequents, commoners with a strange longing also tend to visit, which greatly helps sales.

Even so, there are too many.

The young ladies of the three great noble families of Ebelstein have all visited at least once. Even the tea house set up right next to the noble district, Elfontaine Hall, does not see this many distinguished guests.

“Are you looking for Derek? Derek is currently out on business at the Kelvenrock Employment Agency.”

“Employment Agency? Is that different from the Mercenary Guild?”

“Yes. It is a place that takes on simple labor requests rather than dangerous subjugation requests.”

“Why would Derek go to such a place? He can earn quite well just by taking on mercenary work.”

“He didn’t go to take on work, but to hire people.”

Diela tilted her head in confusion.

Such a rough environment of the tavern could be somewhat unfamiliar or frightening for a young lady like Diela, who grew up delicately. However, Diela did not show any sign of concern.

It seemed she was inherently brave.

“The founding date of the Ravenclaw Barony has been set, so he went to find maintenance staff for the mansion.”

“…Has the approval been granted?”

“Yes. With the support of several nobles and a lot of behind-the-scenes work, everything seems to have worked out well. Derek will probably become the head of the Ravenclaw Barony before this spring.”

Even so, it was a hollow noble title with only two family members.

But Derek had to go through a lot of hardship to obtain even that hollow title. It would be a valuable reward nonetheless.

“To properly control the newly named Ravenclaw Barony in Rodelen, we must start moving busily from now. Once the mansion’s maintenance is roughly finished, we will need to hire some staff, and we will also have to negotiate taxes with the local gentry.”

“Hmm… I see… Derek will be very busy. But, I didn’t come to find Derek.”

“Is that so? Are you thinking of placing a request with the Veldern Mercenary Guild? If so, I can give you a discount.”

“No, I’m looking for a female mercenary named Peline.”

At those words, Jayden’s fingertips trembled slightly.

And countless scenarios flashed through Jayden’s mind.

He knew well that Derek’s network had dramatically expanded over the past few years, but he didn’t expect the repercussions to come so quickly.

Jayden let out a hollow laugh and said,

“Ah, yes… You mean Baroness Peline.”

“…What, what?”

“…?”

“No, it’s nothing… Yes. That person. I just want to see her face once…”

—

—

The reason for addressing Pellin that way was to give Diela time to prepare her mind.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was true that Pellin had become Derek’s wife in name and reality.

By reminding her of that well-known fact, Diela would surely accept the current situation.

“What, what kind of person is she?”

“Hehe, what can I say? She is one of the prides of our Veldern Mercenary Corps. If it weren’t for the exceptional talent named Derek, Pellin would have been the ace of our Veldern Mercenary Corps.”

“Is, is she that good?”

“Yes. Even though she is young and has outstanding looks, she is truly a promising figure. Although there is the obstacle of being from the slums, that wouldn’t particularly bother Derek. He would have felt a lot of kinship instead.”

Jayden spoke about Pellin with the heart of a father.

Since Pellin hated nobles so much, he thought it would be better to make sure she didn’t feel intimidated in front of Diela.

On the other hand, Diela was staring at Jayden with a pale face.

“Yes, pretty… how much?”

“Well, she wouldn’t be on par with the noble ladies who have honed their beauty all their lives.”

“Is, is that so? I see…”

“Yes. But can you judge a person solely by their external beauty? Her composure and strong character in the face of any ordeal alone make it hard to easily assess the value of the girl named Pellin. Coupled with the kinship of being from the bottom, Derek must have had great affection for Pellin.”

Thinking that he might be overdoing it, Jayden continued to praise Pellin. Pellin, please don’t feel intimidated anywhere….

As Jayden spoke with such a sparkling expression, Diela couldn’t help but feel even more intimidated.

Even if other qualities were set aside, the kinship from being from the same slums was something that noble ladies could never imitate.

Why would anyone try to imitate such a vulgar origin? Such a natural question might arise, but Diela shook her head and composed her voice.

“Yes, Derek is the magic teacher I respect the most. But he has no eye for women, and he’s so absorbed in magic that I was just worried he might have fallen for some strange trick…”

“Then don’t worry. In my opinion, Pellin is the perfect wise and virtuous wife for Derek.”

If the parties involved heard this, they would have been disgusted, but Jayden spoke with a hearty laugh as if it was nothing.

“That, that’s…! You shouldn’t judge so hastily!”

“Is that so?”

“Pe, people are creatures with potential. Judging connections as the best or not is premature…”

Seeing Diela spouting nonsense, those with quick wits were all nodding their heads.

Whether it would develop into love was unknown, but at least the feeling of not wanting to give her to someone else was coiling within.

The situation might have already ended there, but this girl, who didn’t fully understand the ways of the world yet, couldn’t even judge what emotion her anxiety stemmed from.

She was just anxiously waiting for the return of the girl named Pellin, stomping her feet for no reason.

As she sipped her apple juice and about ten minutes passed, the door of the tavern creaked open.

“Uncle Jayden~! The request is all done. Please settle the payment quickly. And also resolve the carryover from last month~.”

—

—

“Oh, Peline.”

Peline entered the tavern with a lively voice. Then, she turned her head swiftly and met eyes with Diela.

“…”

She is the lioness of the Duplain family. Her gaze alone already hinted at something unusual.

‘Uh…?’

Peline instinctively knew the moment she saw her.

The noble elegance that she despised so much was emanating from this tiny girl’s body.

“…Who… are you…?”

“Diela Catherine Duplain of the Duplain family. Derek’s first disciple…”

“Oh… yes…”

Even though Peline usually raised her tone cheerfully with a simple answer, she lowered her tone as if she was in a bad mood in front of Diela.

Seeing that, Diela wasn’t in a good mood either, and from the start, they couldn’t help but rate each other’s first impression as the worst.

“I heard you were going to marry Derek… I came to see what kind of woman you are.”

“…”

Come to think of it, there was such a contract.

Recently, she had been focusing only on subjugating monsters, and just imagining the contents of that contract made Peline shudder from her fingertips.

“Oh, yes… that’s right…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

That was all the answer.

Diela thought.

Derek is a man who knows nothing but magic, coming from the bottom of the slums, but his serious passion for magic is second to none.

The fact that the person who got such a man as a partner was treating marriage with such a nonchalant attitude already made her feel bad.

She thought Peline would be happier, showing a face full of the unique happiness and romance of newlyweds, and if she did, she would feel strangely bad about it, but if not, she would still feel bad… She didn’t know what to think, and such thoughts were swirling in her head.

In fact, Diela herself didn’t know what she was thinking, but anyway, she didn’t particularly like Peline. It was more of an emotional realm than a rational one.

On the other hand, Peline felt the same.

She didn’t like nobles from the beginning, and Diela’s gaze, which came all the way to Veldorn’s Tears and looked at her as if measuring her, made her feel very bad.

Just the fact that she was arguing with Derek about getting married made her face stiffen, and moreover, the noble girl who was his disciple appeared and looked her up and down, so a sense of rebellion was bound to arise.

There was a certain balance maintained between the two.

—

—

Though Diela’s status was incomparably higher, Felinne was in the position of being Derek’s wife.

In that unavoidable tense situation where no one could treat anyone carelessly, Jayden, caught in the middle, was watching with great interest to see how things would unfold.

‘…I would love to put this arrogant noble in her place, but I’m afraid of the repercussions if I act recklessly.’

Felinne disliked nobles, but she was not thoughtless.

So, after resting her chin and appearing to be lost in thought for a moment, she soon wore a look as if a brilliant idea had struck her and walked over to the bar table. Then, she cheerfully sat next to Diela.

“You said you were Derek’s first disciple, right? Then you’re not a stranger to me either~.”

“…”

Calling him ‘our Derek’ with full familiarity, a strange sense of repulsion welled up, but Felinne was a girl who could endure this much pain for the greater good.

“Derek always owes you a lot~. It’s so reassuring to have the young lady of the Duplain family personally looking after him~.”

After saying that, Felinne clasped her hands together and smiled demurely.

“……”

Diela wore a complex and subtle expression as she watched Felinne.

For some reason, just looking at this girl named Felinne made her feel a burning anger.

She was just speaking politely, but it felt like she was subtly scratching at Diela.

─In fact, Felinne was indeed scratching at Diela with all her might.

It seemed she felt as if Derek had been taken away from her, so she was determined to overturn Diela’s insides with all sorts of flaunting and deceit.

Surprisingly, Felinne’s attacks were hitting the mark.

“I heard you helped him receive the baron title~. Thanks to you, the Ravenclaw barony was approved. Thank you so much. Really, thank you so~ much.”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“Thanks to that, we were able to start renovating the barony’s mansion in earnest, and Derek and I could build our nest. We will never forget Miss Diela’s help and will build a beautiful and lovely family. Thank you so much~!”

It was a conversation filled with nothing but compliments, but as Diela listened to Felinne’s pouring words, she felt her insides twist and a burning sensation rise.

But what could she say in response?

Felinne had done nothing wrong. If she lost her temper here, it would just be a senseless outburst, and it could even bring great trouble to Derek.

From noble mtl dot com

Thinking that, Diela found herself unable to move.

‘Because she’s holding Derek… the lioness of the Duplain family can’t say anything…?!’

On the other hand, Felinne was engulfed in a huge sense of exhilaration she had never felt before.

She had thought it was fun to manipulate those who posed as noble young ladies while wandering the labyrinth with Derek and Elente, but it was truly enjoyable to sway them this way and that.

With that, Felinne took deep breaths, widened her eyes, and fell into ecstasy with the most pleasant expression in the world.

“My dear… Oh, excuse me… That’s what I call him when we’re alone. Our Derek will owe you a lot in the future, so please forgive him generously if he ever offends you. And if anything happens, please let me know. We are like one body and soul!”

—

—

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“I should have prepared a gift for you… As you can see, I’m just returning from an errand, so I’m not in a good sanitary state, and my hands are empty, which is very unfortunate. Would it be alright if I sent a thank-you gift to the Duplain mansion? If not, there’s nothing I can do, but how could we let go of the benefactor who has done such a great favor for my husband!”

“Ugh… That, that is… Ugh…”

“Please! Allow me to help you! Miss Diela! If you are the benefactor of my beloved husband, then you are also my benefactor! For his sake…!! I also want to help you with all my might!!”

“Ah… aaah! aaah!”

Finally reaching her limit, Diela grabbed her hair on both sides of her temples and scratched it, not caring that her hair was getting tangled.

Then she jumped off the bar table and ran out of the tavern, screaming as if she had encountered an indescribable, enormous fear.

Although it happened in an instant, seeing the attendants who seemed to be Diela’s guards jump out in surprise and follow her, it seemed unlikely that she would return.

– Crash!

– Creak, creak.

Watching the tavern door swing helplessly after Diela had kicked it open and run out, Pellin smiled with immense satisfaction.

“Maybe I was born for this day….”

“Wow, Pellin. You are really ruthless.”

“Did you see the face of that noble lady who just ran out? Uncle Jayden. She was so pale, like she had been doused in blue paint! Ahaha! Ahahahaha! Ahahahahahaha!”

Seeing Pellin laughing so hard that she was clutching her belly and seemed to be out of breath, Jayden couldn’t help but laugh heartily as well.

He knew she had a knack for knocking down the pride of nobles by any means necessary, but he didn’t expect her to be this ruthless.

“Wow, Pellin. You’ve got quite a thick skin.”

“What’s there to be thick-skinned about? I just wagged my tongue a few times.”

“For something like that, your lines were quite rich. How could you say such things?”

“Hmmm…”

After laughing for a long time, Pellin finally caught her breath and gulped down the cold water Jayden handed her.

With a loud exhale, she put down the water glass and started to regain her composure.

Eventually, Pellin began to ruminate on the words she had said in front of Diela.

“Calling her this and that, dear, husband… Now there’s nothing I can’t say… Why don’t I just go ahead and actually get married?”

“……….”

“If Derrick had been in the tavern, his expression would have been priceless.”

This time, it was Pellin’s face that turned pale.

“Ugh… Ugh…. What did I say…”

In her frenzy to outdo a noble, she had lost herself and spouted all sorts of cringe-worthy lines, but now that she had come to her senses, she realized just how embarrassing her words were.

Pellin buried her head in the bar table, her face turning as blue as Diela’s.

—

—

Even without drinking, he was feeling nauseous, pressing his temples to somehow maintain his composure.

At this rate, he was no different from Diella, who had stormed out scratching her head.

‘This guy or that guy, their pride is disgustingly strong.’

Jayden could only think as he watched Pellin.

She might have just wanted to humble the nobles a bit, pretending to be Derek’s virtuous wife… but no one knows how that will come back to her.

At least, that’s how Jayden saw it.

*

– ‘Opinion Letter’

– ‘Considering there are no significant procedural flaws in the process of granting Derek Ravencrow’s barony, the Duplain family expresses no objection to his barony.’

– ‘Considering Derek Ravencrow’s magical abilities and insights, the Belmiard family believes he has sufficiently demonstrated achievements worthy of the barony and supports his title grant.’

– ‘The Beltus family has no objections to the granting of Derek Ravencrow’s barony.’

—————————————————

Appointment Letter

In the name of the Empire,

I, Guttrel III, hereby proclaim through this letter as follows.

Derek Lydorf Ravencrow, in recognition of your loyalty and dedication to the Empire, and your outstanding achievements, I grant you the barony of the Rodellen region.

Accordingly, you will have the following rights and duties:

1. Governance over the Rodellen region, the Ravencrow estate, and surrounding territories

2. Eligibility to attend the Rotfail Council in the southwestern continent

3. Judicial and taxation rights within the estate

4. Duty to contribute to the defense of the Empire

5. Unwavering loyalty to the Imperial family and the Empire

May your wisdom and just rule bring prosperity to the territory, and may our Empire grow stronger.

This title will be passed down to you and your legitimate heirs for generations, but will be immediately revoked in the event of any act of treason against the Empire.

Swear to strive for the peace and prosperity of the Empire.

The bearer of the shining crown, protector of the continent, and navigator of the Milky Way,

Plakior Rovengard Guttrel III

—————————————————

The passage of time is cruelly fast.

Especially when focused on something, its speed tends to double.

—

—

Before he knew it, late winter had passed, and it was now the height of spring.

Under the warm sun, the green mountains and fields were showing off their lushness in their own way.

– Ssshhh!

Derek wiped the sweat off his brow, having rolled up the sleeves of his tunic, standing in front of a small mansion next to the vineyards of the Rodelen region.

He sat down on a nearby tree stump and unfolded the letter that had just arrived.

It contained Derek’s baron appointment letter, drafted at the suggestion of Sir Melverot.

The conferment of Derek’s title, which he thought would be delayed, proceeded faster than expected.

It seemed that Linus had indeed succeeded in persuading Grand Duke Beltus behind the scenes.

‘…Nothing in this world is free, so what on earth is happening in the Belmiard family that this drunkard is trying to recruit me?’

Derek, about to fall into contemplation, decided to focus on the current situation for now.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

– Creak! Crackle!

The workers Derek had hired were repairing the dilapidated mansions.

Derek had been helping out for a while, but now he had stepped away from the site and was quietly watching the mansion undergoing renovation.

For a noble mansion, it was quite modest, but compared to the dwellings in the commercial district, it was truly luxurious.

Derek slowly watched the mansion nearing completion, then folded the letter and put it back in his pocket.

‘High-ranking nobles have grand coronation or appointment ceremonies, but minor nobles like me, who oversee remote exile lands, end up like this.’

There was no proper celebration, just a single document with the emperor’s seal.

The imperial scribe must have painstakingly transcribed it, but Emperor Gotrel III probably didn’t even glance at it for a few seconds.

Such was the fate of the lowest of the low nobles.

Derek had no reason to complain, and instead, he felt quite satisfied for the first time in a while.

The warm spring breeze seeped through the vineyards.

A lone tree stump stood in the flower garden where butterflies fluttered.

Sitting on it with his arms crossed, looking up quietly, he could see the edge of the mansion’s roof slowly taking shape.

He had taken off his cloak and hung it next to the stump, and leaned his staff against it.

In the middle of the meadow, where the leaves rustled, Derek quietly watched the mansion being completed and closed his eyes.

“…”

From the time he slept under a rag in the snow in the slums, to the days he spent all day reading magic books in the residence left by his mentor Katia, to the years he spent in the Tears of Veldern.

And when he opened his eyes, he had somehow managed to secure a rather large mansion with his own abilities.

The trajectory of life does not change so drastically. It usually changes its course slowly, little by little.

—

—

Then, suddenly coming to his senses, he would find only his footprints faintly engraved on the path he had walked. Only then would he realize how far he had come.

Originally, when climbing the mountain of life, it was often difficult to check how far one had climbed.

That’s why, from time to time, one would look back and gauge their position by seeing the scenery laid out below.

In doing so, one could pause for a moment on the journey of life and reflect.

I’ve walked quite a long way.

Such a brief sentiment could be left behind.

“Hoo…”

Derek Lydorf Ravenclaw.

Thus, he became the baron of the remote region of Rodelen.

“Shall we get moving?”

Unfortunately, there was no time to be immersed in sentiment.

There were many things to deal with immediately, and the things to be concerned about had increased…

Above all, the preparations to reach a higher level were almost complete.

– Ssh, ssh.

The sound of walking along the path.

Derek, having finished his rest, gathered his cloak and staff and headed back towards the mansion.

Countless tasks and goals remained like a mountain, but in the end, the central goal in Derek’s heart was just one.

4-star level.

A level that even those born with noble bloodlines could not reach without at least a dozen years of honing.

A realm that was not even permitted to commoners without bloodlines.

A level where one begins to transcend the laws of magic, harmonizing with the star system while handling magic that reflects one’s unique temperament.

A level where, depending on the person, one might even begin to create unique magic that only they could handle.

Derek wanted to reach that level.

And the groundwork was almost finished.