There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Awareness (1)

Near the Elfontaine Hall in the noble district of Ebelstein, there are many tea houses set up for the noble ladies.

In one of those places, Trisha, who was sitting under the warm spring sunlight… was deeply troubled with a serious expression.

‘Why has the lady of the Rochester duchy come all the way to the southwest of the continent…?’

Since the Duplain family was pushed down, the authority of the Renouel viscount family had been soaring to the sky.

If the head of the Renouel viscount family were to receive the title of count at the next birthday celebration, it seemed that the day when they would stand shoulder to shoulder with the ladies of the Belmiard or Beltus families was not far off.

Trisha’s pride had already risen to the highest point, and every moment she spent in the Ebelstein noble society was like a dream.

However, the sudden appearance of the lady of the Rochester duchy in the Ebelstein noble society disrupted everything.

No matter how much the authority of the Renouel viscount family was rising, it could not be compared to the Rochester duchy led by Lord Melverot.

‘Of course, the position is not decided solely by the secular power of the main family…’

No matter how strong Lady Siern’s backing was, if she could excel in all other aspects, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible to push her out.

Even if the secular authority was with Duplain, just looking at the current situation where Lady Trisha could voice her opinion showed that.

However, it was by no means easy.

‘It’s absolutely impossible to surpass Lady Siern in magical skills. I seem to have a much better understanding of social etiquette and noble culture…’

If she couldn’t make the most of this opportunity, the chance to rise to the top of the Rosea Salon might never come again.

Knowing this well, Trisha tried to gain more influence within the salon than Siern.

However, Siern was too mysterious and unknowable.

The murderous intent that arose just by meeting her eyes was terrifying, but that didn’t mean she didn’t adhere to basic manners or etiquette.

To somehow push out that mysterious snow woman, she had to know her weaknesses or her reverse scale.

‘…Come to think of it, they said all three of the Rosea Salon members learned magic from the same teacher… Wasn’t Lady Siern the same…’

In the end, the under-the-surface battles of the noble society were information wars.

Lady Trisha had already gathered as much information as possible about the ladies of Belmiard and Beltus.

All the influential ladies in the Ebelstein noble society had been taught by that magic teacher named Derek, and that fact was strangely significant.

‘Is everyone except me tied by academic connections? That’s… troublesome…’

Of course, since Derek was a private tutor, there would hardly be any joint classes or separate connections.

Nevertheless, it didn’t seem good for Trisha herself to be isolated.

‘To break through the current situation, I need to meet that magic teacher. They said he became the head of the Ravenclaw barony and received a small territory in the border area… It’s not that far from Ebelstein.’

—

—

Trisha stood up, intending to go there herself.

She was a person who could do anything for greater power.

*

Quite some time had passed since the Ravenclaw Barony began to function properly.

During that time, many distinguished guests had visited, and as time went by, the appearance became quite neat.

In the backyard of such a Ravenclaw Barony, there is a small clearing.

Compared to the training grounds of a typical duke’s family, it was extremely shabby, but for Derek, who had been practicing personal magic in the back mountains or meadows, this space was more than satisfactory, it was luxurious.

Sitting in the center of that place, Derek was gathering his magic power, holding the large staff ‘Footprint’ in his hand.

He concentrated, extending the magic power gathered at his fingertips straight up into the sky.

The flow of magic surged up the staff and then advanced towards the clear sky. Eventually, the soaring magic stopped at a point and began to cover the area.

At that moment, Derek narrowed his brows and clenched his fist tightly.

The magic transformed into a different energy and began to take the form of clouds.

– Drip, drip, drip

And slowly… raindrops began to pour down.

[ Newly Acquired Magic ]

3-star Transformation Magic ‘Rain Cloud’

Manipulating the weather is quite a high-level magic, but if you limit the range and give up the duration, it is not impossible to manifest it at the level of 3-star magic.

As a result, it became possible to pour rain over the area for a short time, enough to get things wet. It was an efficient scale to create variables in a complex battlefield.

‘Certainly, I have become accustomed to learning 3-star magic.’

Derek, without unclenching his tightly clenched fist, quietly stood in the pouring rain.

Just a moment ago, the sun was shining brightly. Despite the sudden downpour, he showed no sign of surprise.

It was only natural. It was the rain he had summoned.

‘But… 4-star magic seems difficult to learn on my own. Come to think of it, when I first learned each level of magic, there was always a teacher who guided me…’

Derek was not only an excellent magic teacher but also an excellent student.

1-star magic was taught by a beggar in the slums, 2-star magic by a fallen noblewoman, and 3-star magic by a wandering old mage.

Even if it was acceptable up to 3-star, finding someone who could teach 4-star magic was not easy.

Above all, 4-star magic varies greatly depending on the individual’s abilities and tendencies.

In terms of the diversity of magic, 4-star magic is more varied than 5-star or 6-star magic.

Even if two people use the same 4-star fire magic, one might burn brightly and flamboyantly, while the other might produce a calm, blue flame.

Even if two people use the same 4-star summoning magic, a person who grew up in a warm environment might summon a beautiful spirit, while a person who struggled in a harsh environment might summon a blood-stained hunting dog.

—

—

There aren’t many teachers in the world who can fully convey such a diverse range of 4-star magic. This is because the learning process varies greatly for each wizard.

Therefore, Derek couldn’t help but be lost in thought.

‘It would be nice if Sir Melverot could teach me, but… he’s not the kind of person who kindly teaches others.’

He had already gone out of his way to secure a barony, a mansion, and even funding.

Asking for more would be shameless.

As Derek focused on his thoughts, the rain began to pour even harder.

– Swooosh!

“Ahhh!”

Just as the rain was about to engulf the world even more fiercely, a girl screamed.

“Hmm?”

“Ugh..! I didn’t expect this…”

When Derek quickly gathered his magic and turned around, there stood Lady Ellente, drenched in the rain, looking rather embarrassed.

*

“I’m sorry. When I’m focused on magic training, I don’t pay much attention to my surroundings.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s much more my fault for sneaking in to watch.”

Even in the most comfortable situations, Lady Ellente always wore clothes adorned with frills and rose-shaped decorations.

The blouse provided by the mansion’s lowest maid was too plain for a lady of the Belmiord family. But there was no choice. The clothes she originally wore were soaked.

As if it didn’t bother her at all, she was drying her reddish hair while wearing the plain clothes.

The maid, who was gently wiping the water off Ellente with a soft cloth, was trembling with nervousness.

It seemed she never imagined that a lowly maid of the baron’s house would ever touch the hair of a lady from the Belmiord count’s family.

Only veteran maids who had worked for over ten years could handle the hair of such a distinguished person.

The young freckled maid, who had only been working for about a month, swallowed dryly and gripped her hands tightly.

“By the way, 3-star transformation magic… Derek… you never cease to amaze me.”

“There are still some immature parts, but I think I’ve become quite familiar with 3-star magic.”

“…”

Ellente, seemingly at a loss for words, stared at Derek for a moment before finally sitting down on a wooden chair in a corner of the clearing.

While still drying her slightly damp hair, she pressed her temples firmly.

“I recently mastered 2-star magic. I succeeded just last week.”

“Really? That’s truly something to celebrate.”

“I rushed over to brag to you, Derek, but the first thing I saw was you casually using 3-star transformation magic… It makes me feel a bit embarrassed to say anything now.”

—

—

Although he said so, the fact that Ellente could wield 2-star magic at her age was truly a remarkable achievement.

Officially, she was right after Lady Aiselin, who had manifested 2-star magic a long time ago.

Of course, considering Lady Drenis, who had already reached the realm of 2-star magic in secret, she was the third.

“At least among the commoners I’ve seen, there was no one whose magical achievements were faster and more proficient than yours.”

Although it was an honor to hear that, Derek did not bother to give a formal response.

He just briefly said thank you. That reaction was also very Derek-like, so Ellente chuckled.

After drying her hair to some extent, the maid brought out the tea.

Compared to the hospitality of the Count of Belmiard, it was a cheap teacup with cheap tea leaves, but Ellente accepted it with a happy expression.

“Come to think of it, this barony has also started to become well-organized. They even serve tea when guests arrive…”

“The Duke of Rochester sent a pretty decent person as the head butler. Since he took the lead in managing, there wasn’t much for me to handle.”

“There’s nothing more fortunate than having good talent. The more I learn about the duties of the head of the Belmiard family, the more I come to that conclusion.”

Ellente tied her hair up again.

When she split her reddish hair to both sides and tied it up, the authority that was always felt disappeared, and a bit of the lively feeling of a girl her age seemed to emerge.

“Since you became a baron, you will come to realize it sufficiently.”

“I am just the lowest of the low.”

“Whether you will remain the lowest or not is something we don’t know. By the way, how did Grand Duke Beltus grant you the title? He wouldn’t have been pleased to see a new noble in the border area…”

Ellente spoke as if she found it curious.

Derek, looking at Ellente, rested his chin and fell into a brief thought. He felt he should tell her about a person he met at the tavern before receiving the title.

“In fact… there was one more person who helped.”

“Really? It wouldn’t have been easy, who helped you?”

“…It was Young Master Linus of the Belmiard family.”

At those words, Ellente’s expression hardened.

She put down the teacup that was heading to her lips and fumbled with her lips with a disgusted expression.

“…That scoundrel of a brother came to see you?”

“…Yes.”

“What did he look like? He hasn’t returned to the main house for quite a while. I heard he was always wandering around the gambling dens of big cities, always engrossed in drinking and debauchery…”

Ellente spoke with a look of genuine disgust, as if she truly loathed that drunkard named Linus.

“Was he still wandering around with an unkempt beard, drinking all the time?”

“…Yes.”

“Oh… Why did he return to Ebelstein? If that reckless brother of mine caused any offense, I apologize.”

—

—

“No, it’s not that. Rather, you helped me persuade Grand Duke Beltus. I made it a condition that if I become a baron, you must help Miss Ellente.”

“…Me?”

Ellente blinked her brilliant red eyes a few times, then tilted her head while tidying her hair again.

“…That reckless scoundrel wouldn’t be worried about me…”

“Isn’t there a big change happening in the Belmiord family? I didn’t think Young Master Linus would do such an eccentric thing for no reason.”

“I generally can’t grasp the actions of that pathetic drunkard… Hmm… Anyway, it’s quite a thankful thing that you helped me get the baron title, Derek…”

No matter how much, it didn’t seem like a big change would happen that would sink the Duplain family in an instant.

However, at least it could be speculated that something might happen to Ellente.

As Derek showed a strangely worried look, Ellente eventually spoke with a smile.

“Well, you don’t have to worry too much. I have a rough idea.”

“Do you?”

“He must have been trying to secure some support for me, worrying that Leonard would return to the family. Anyway, if Leonard takes power, it will be troublesome in many ways.”

Ellente, seemingly having a sense of how things were going, stopped stroking her chin and spoke with her eyes wide open.

“Leonard… He was the youngest son of the Belmiord family, right?”

“Oh, Derek. You’ve been mingling with the nobility and even remember the genealogy of our Belmiord family. Yes, that’s right. Now he’s devoted to religion and is on a pilgrimage, not showing his face at the main house.”

The sons of the Belmiord family never stay at the main house.

The reason Ellente could solidify her position as the heir of the Belmiord family was also because of that.

“In fact, the heir to the head of the Belmiord family was not me, but my brother Linus. Leonard left for a pilgrimage because even if he stayed in the family, he would be pushed aside by my brother Linus and wouldn’t have a proper way to access the family power.”

“Did that Leonard have a desire for family power?”

“Well… I don’t know now. It’s been quite a while. Anyway, Leonard gave up on the succession of power early on and wandered the continent, living his own life.”

“But, Young Master Linus gave up the succession of power.”

“That’s right. Sharp, Derek.”

There was no need for further explanation.

For some reason, Linus gave up the position of head of the great noble family Belmiord.

He chose to waste his life wandering around gambling dens. Only Linus himself knew the reason.

As a result, there was no one left to take the heir position except Ellente. The youngest son, Leonard, was wandering the world, away from the main house.

However, no one could know what Leonard would think if he returned to the main house and found out that Ellente had taken the position of heir.

It wasn’t unheard of for a daughter to inherit the position of head, but generally, it was an unspoken rule that a son would inherit it.

“…What kind of person is that Leonard? Seeing that he devoted himself to religion and went on a pilgrimage, he seems to be a decent person…”

“Well… I don’t think he’s that good of a person. His devotion to religion was all a political decision. As you said, religious people give the impression of being morally good.”

—

—

I have never met a person named Leonard. However, Derek could infer from Ellente’s expression that he was not such a good person.

“If that kid tries to push me out of the Belmiard family, I can’t just stand by and let it happen. I’ve worked hard to keep my position as the heir.”

“…”

“If he ignored the family’s situation and wandered around the continent, and now he thinks he can crawl back into the family because he sees a chance for succession… Do I have to bow my head and hand over the right of succession to such a younger brother? And do you think our father would acknowledge that?”

Ellente’s red eyes seemed to burn fiercely.

Power struggles within families are common, but the Belmiard family seemed to have deeper conflicts than expected.

From noble mtl dot com

In fact, it is rather strange for family members to be harmonious like in Duplain.

In Duplain, it might have been possible because there was a strong heir to the family head named Valerian.

If there were conflicts due to power struggles like in Belmiard, it was common for even blood relatives to fight with red faces. This was more normal.

“I have no intention of giving up the right of succession to the Belmiard family to anyone. And there’s no one who can make me do that.”

Ellente lifted her chin and gave Derek a captivating smile.

“I’m strong.”

That confidence seemed to be the secret to the girl being able to keep her rightful position as the heir to the Belmiard family.

Derek was looking at such Ellente with a strangely worried look.

Indeed, the rightful heir to the Belmiard family is Ellente.

She is authoritative, capable, and recognized as a lady of grace even in the Rozea Salon.

She is already receiving education as the head of the family and has honed her skills in magic and academics at the salon.

There is no reason to give up the position of the head of the family to Leonard, who returned late. No matter what anyone says, Ellente will become the countess and lead Belmiard.

Therefore, if Leonard wants to take over the position of the head of the family, there is something he must do.

He must undermine Ellente’s authority and tarnish her honor.

No one knows what he will do to achieve that. As Derek’s thoughts reached that point, he tried to open his mouth.

But Ellente stood up, letting the hem of her plain blouse hang down, and placed her finger on Derek’s lips.

“Don’t worry too much, Derek. You may be more of an expert in magical fields, but I can handle these intrigues and power struggles myself.”

“…”

“You haven’t been a baron for long, so you must be busy and overwhelmed. Don’t worry too much about such personal requests from Brother Linus.”

Ellente smiled brightly and put her hands on her hips in a lively manner.

“Wearing these plain clothes makes me feel fresh, like a village woman. If I were a girl working in a mill or a chicken farm wearing such clothes, would you be able to speak comfortably to me?”

“Well, if it were Miss Ellente, I think you would have run out of the mill and started a business.”

“Ahaha. Your way of complimenting is truly peculiar. That’s why it’s fun to talk with you, Derek.”

Ellente shook her arms and let her completely dry hair down.

—

—

Her long hair fluttered in the warm wind of the Rodellen region.

“The spring breeze is warm and feels good. Anyway, since we’re here, you should see my magic, Derek.”

“I don’t have any big plans for the afternoon, so it’s perfect. You said you learned 2-star magic, right? Can I take a look?”

“Of course. Don’t be too surprised by my rapid progress.”

Ellen’s carefree smile was like a blooming flower.

*

It was around the time Trisha arrived at the Ravenclaw Barony.

Despite arriving unannounced with a carriage, the butler greeted her naturally without a hint of surprise.

‘…The servants are used to welcoming unexpected guests. For a small barony in such a remote area, they are well-trained.’

As soon as Trisha got off the carriage, the maids swiftly lifted the hem of her dress. It was not their first time doing this.

In fact, Trisha had no way of knowing that the servants of this mansion were constantly attending to various noble ladies.

This was her first visit to the Ravenclaw Barony.

“Thank you for coming to such a humble place. May I ask why you have come here?”

“I wanted to meet the Baron of Ravenclaw in person. I heard he is excellent at teaching magic, so I became interested.”

“It’s a great honor. However, the Baron is currently attending to another noble lady’s magic.”

Trisha frowned at this.

The Viscount of Renwell was currently the most rapidly rising power in Ebelstein.

For the daughter of such a powerful family to come in person and not be attended to immediately… this was a great discourtesy.

Trisha did not hide her discomfort and spoke bluntly.

“Who could be so important that they don’t show up when I come in person?”

“…It is Lady Elente of the Belmiard family. This morning, Lady Aiseline and Lady Diela also had tea here.”

“…”

Hearing that name, Trisha closed her mouth.

She could overlook others, but not Elente. After that thought, she quickly backed down.

She would show her teeth to the weak, but quickly lower her tail to the strong.

People might call this cowardly, but Trisha considered it a clever and smart move.

“Fine. I can wait for a while. There must be a reception room, right?”

“It’s a rather shabby place, so I hope you understand.”

“Hmph. I don’t expect much from a remote, shabby mansion like this. Just bring me some tea.”

“Understood. However, there is another guest, so it would be good if you could have a conversation.”

—

—

“What? A guest?”

What on earth could bring so many guests to this secluded barony?

Still, hearing that there was at least someone to talk to, Trisha shook her head and entered the reception room.

“………”

“………”

There, the lady of the Rochester family, Siern Aleina Rochester, was quietly sitting and waiting for Derek.

“…Nice to see you again, Lady Trisha.”

It wasn’t just anyone, but the lady of the Rochester family, the ruler of the North, sitting quietly and waiting for Derek.

How could a remote and insignificant barony make the lady of the largest duchy in the North wait quietly? It was an unrealistic scene beyond rudeness, but the lady herself seemed unbothered.

Although the scene was incomprehensible at first glance, that wasn’t the important thing.

“…”

She still remembered the distant murderous intent etched in Siern’s eyes the first day they met.

The clear murderous intent, like that of a wild animal, was so chilling that it was a relief she didn’t wet herself.

Being alone with her was like sitting quietly in a cage with a beast that could pounce at any moment.

“Oh, yes… Nice to see you, Lady Siern. You look as beautiful as ever. It was an honor to see you. Sorry for the interruption, I’ll be going now.”

Trisha quickly backed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her and stepping into the hallway.

The whole process was so smooth, it was as if time in the world was rewinding.

“…”

However, in this tiny mansion, there was only one waiting room for distinguished guests.

The butler, Delbritton, immediately recited this despairing fact.

Things in the world never go as planned.