Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 126: Characters (7)

“The Duchy of Beltus is located in the innermost region of the southwest of the continent, bordering the Roben Mountains to the north, the County of Belmierd to the southwest, and the Delros Plain to the east. The main cities are the commercial hub of Ropellen, the city of transformation magic in the northwest, Stonecrown, and the religious city situated on the outskirts of the Lorm River, Heln.”

“The exact location of the Beltus mansion?”

“It is located in the Abiton Hills, in the center of the duchy. It is surrounded by dense forests that form a natural defensive line, and the estate is vast and heavily guarded, making it difficult to approach.”

Dereck listened to the report from the butler, Delbritton, as he walked down the hallway of the Baron of Ravenclaw’s mansion.

Following behind him, with light steps, was Pheline, humming a tune, and also Aiselin, who watched him with worried eyes.

Delbritton, head held high, maintained his dignity as the chief butler while he spoke.

“I have visited the Beltus mansion before.”

“Really?”

“When I was a young assistant, I went several times to deliver letters or meet carriages.”

Butler Delbriton had extensive experience from his days working in the Rochester Duchy. It wasn’t unusual for him to have visited several noble mansions on official business.

While cleaning his golden-rimmed glasses, Delbriton kept pace with Dereck’s quick steps.

“With the five-story main building at the center, the eastern tower houses a seven-story magical research institute, and the western spire is occupied by the military command. The southern part of the estate is entirely a garden—so large that one cannot tell whether it’s a garden or a forest.”

What is the shape of the Grand Duke’s mansion like?

Dereck had also stayed in the Duplain mansion during its golden age.

In a mansion of that scale, it wouldn’t be strange to feel as though there were an entire forest within its grounds.

“Baron.”

Suddenly, butler Delbriton called out to Dereck in an even graver voice.

Dereck looked at him with an indifferent expression.

“What is it?”

“Are you considering… a military action?”

“…”

To an outside observer, it would have sounded absurd.

The Grand Duchy of Beltus’s territory encompassed three major cities, and if one included the towns and villages, the number easily surpassed twenty.

It was not something with which the small Barony of Ravenclaw, which barely managed a few hundred inhabitants, could compete.

However, Delbriton asked Dereck with serious eyes.

To Delbriton, Dereck was a man capable of challenging even a colossal duchy if he set his mind to it.

“Of course. Though the barony’s private soldiers are modest, I plan to gather forces from here and there. Nobles tend to unite when there’s a cause.”

“…”

“The structure of the Beltus ducal mansion doesn’t seem very different from the ducal mansions of Rochester or Duplain. Although it’s larger, the structures of noble mansions share many similar parts when you observe them closely.”

Dereck entered the reception hall and spread a parchment over the table.

On the blank parchment, he drew a rectangle with a quill and quickly sketched symbols representing the structures within.

Central building. Eastern magic tower. Western military command. Southern garden.

Northern training grounds.

Though detailed information about the internal structure and defense system still needed to be gathered, the general layout wasn’t difficult to outline.

“The eastern magic tower is probably guarded by the eldest son, Robenalt. Since it’s the facility that manages all the mansion’s protective magic, the most important person will be there.”

“I met Prince Robenalt at a social gathering.”

Aiselin, who had followed into the reception hall, recalled.

“His appearance is striking and his manners elegant, which made many young noble ladies favor him, but he had a strange tendency toward self-deprecation and a somewhat sinister aura, which made him unappealing.”

“And his magical skill?”

“Excellent for his age, but honestly, he can’t compare to you, Lord Dereck.”

Although his name was famous as heir to the Beltus family, it was said that his qualities as a ruler were far inferior to Denise’s.

Even so, the Grand Duke Beltus seemed reluctant to remove him as heir.

Probably because he was far more useful as a puppet than Denise.

Dereck organized his thoughts and then turned his gaze to the western spire.

The center of the military garrison. That was where the mercenary group led by the retired General Orel was stationed.

Though the Grand Duke Beltus’s private soldiers were modest in number, he had installed Orel’s mercenary group within his territory.

The maintenance cost was astronomical, but it was said the mercenaries were worth every coin.

Pheline followed very close behind Dereck and whispered softly.

“Yes. It’s exactly the Orel Mercenary Corps, led by Orel the One-Eyed. Though capturing nobles is fun, the thought of seeing the most famous man in the mercenary world makes me smile.”

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

“Uncle Jayden would be thrilled to hear this news after so long.”

When Dereck looked at her with narrowed eyes, Pheline cleared her throat and straightened up.

With Aiselin and Delbritton right beside them, it wouldn’t be wise to show hostility toward nobles.

Pheline seemed to understand what his look meant, because she began humming again, feigning indifference.

“The Grand Duke Beltus should be in his office at the top of the central building. When the operation begins, to bring him down, we’ll need to disable the protective magic of the eastern tower and subdue the Orel Mercenary Corps in the western garrison.”

“Considering the size of that mansion, we’ll need a lot of external help.”

“Don’t worry, Delbriton. We plan to get help from Count Belmierd and the Beldern Mercenary Corps for the western tower, and resolve the protective magic of the eastern tower with Viscount Renwell—or rather, Count Renwell now.”

To subdue the duke’s mansion in one strike, it was necessary to form an allied force.

And Dereck had already mapped out the entire picture. From the moment Beltus showed hostility toward him, his counterattack plan had already begun.

In the savage world where enemies lurked everywhere, one never knew when a predator would appear to bite your neck.

That’s why—you bite first before being bitten.

Leap and cut off the enemy’s breath before being attacked, and strike the back of the neck before they strike yours.

That was the law of survival for those who had clawed their way up from the bottom.

“We’re almost ready.”

*

A messenger pigeon flew toward the window frame of Count Belmierd’s estate.

A red-haired girl extended her slender hand and took the letter from the bird perched there.

Though she was full of worldly ambition, she had completely fallen in love with a man. She was Ellen—the most prestigious young noblewoman and the treasured daughter of Belmierd.

*

Tavern Alley of Ebelstein.

In an old tavern frequented by drunkards, Tears of Beldern.

The one-armed mercenary, with a kind face and a loud laugh, looked like a friendly bartender.

But even having lost an arm, he was a legendary mercenary who had survived the War of Dawn.

And when he received a request for help from a mercenary he cherished as a son, he bared his yellowed teeth and smiled.

*

Under the protection of Emperor Guttrel, Countess Rodelia had finally received the rank and title of border countess.

The old woman who wielded the sacred sword and lived to behead necromancers.

She, too, sat in a corner of her white mansion, reading the letter Dereck had sent.

The clue related to necromancy—upon seeing it, she frowned, and her expression turned grim.

Trisha, who was watching her mother, was so frightened by that expression that the cup in her hand trembled.

*

On the roof of Ravenclaw Mansion.

Sitting there, quietly watching the waning moon sink into the western sky, Fina smiled faintly.

Humming a melody while hugging her knees, she released a sinister aura at the end, lifting the corners of her lips as if she found it amusing.

If they managed to capture Beltus, Dereck would reach a level of progress incomparable to what he was now—both as a mage and as a noble.

To Fina, Dereck’s existence was an “insurance.” If the advanced necromancy she was researching didn’t yield proper results, she planned to use Dereck to embark on the path toward the peace she had long desired.

Before that plan began, she couldn’t help but look forward to seeing the arrogant Beltus fall.

Watching the downfall of the defeated was always entertaining.

*

The Duplain Duke’s mansion, where the repairs were nearly complete.

Leigh, who was beginning to move seriously as acting head, and Diella, who was gathering Duplain’s remaining forces.

While worrying about Aiselin, who had gone out to earn money, both of them also hardened their expressions upon seeing the letter sent from Ravenclaw Mansion.

In response to Dereck’s declaration to attack Beltus, Aiselin also seemed to tacitly agree. Though Aiselin had always been gentle and soft, she did not seem opposed to Dereck’s will.

To attack Beltus.

Aiselin would understand better than anyone what that meant.

Moreover, Dereck’s letters detailing his plans were being secretly circulated throughout the continent.

The contents of the letters, sent only to those Dereck truly trusted, suggested there might be a connection between the Beltus family and necromancy.

Some knew it was merely a pretext to attack Beltus, while others genuinely believed what Dereck claimed.

However, the conclusion among all those who received the letters was unanimous.

They believed there had to be a reason why the ever-cautious Dereck had made such a belligerent decision.

*

“…There will be great upheaval in the power structure of the continent’s southwest.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Master?”

And in the social capital of the eastern continent—Count Elvester’s mansion.

Katia Flameheart, who was teaching magic to Countess Freya, read with a serious expression the contents of the letter sent by her beloved disciple, Dereck.

Seizing a pretext, punishing those who opposed him, and striking them down without mercy.

It was the conduct of a lord protecting his territory and his power, and there wasn’t a shred of doubt in his actions.

Dereck, Katia’s disciple, had finally become a noble.

“…”

In Katia’s memory, Dereck had been a beggar from the slums, stuffing himself with hard rye bread in a tavern alley corner.

Seeing him now, leading his territory and army to punish his enemies, she realized that from the very beginning, he had always been different.

Katia softly closed her eyes, then opened them again, gazing silently at the sky toward Ebelstein, in the far southwest of the continent.

The next time she saw Dereck, he would surely have grown so much that she might not even recognize him.

Though it was cause for celebration to see a disciple sprint down the path of success, watching a child leave the cradle and spread his wings brought a peculiar feeling of loneliness.

*

Tap, tap.

At last, after completely finishing the analysis of the internal structure of the Beltus family mansion, Dereck organized the letters in his office.

As he gathered the documents and tapped them lightly to align them, it seemed there was no longer a trace of hesitation in him.

Delbriton, assisting at his side, swallowed hard.

Even he, who had gone through countless trials and tribulations, had to fight the lump forming in his throat at that moment.

The origins of the letters in his hands.

The territory of Count Belmierd, the territory of Duke Duplain, the territory of Duke Rochester, the Beldern Mercenary Corps, the estate of Count Renouel, the estate of Count Elvester, the estate of Baron Tigris, and the noble district of Ebelstein.

For a rural border baron to become the central point of such a gathering—it was on such an unreal scale that one might think Emperor Guttrel himself had summoned them by imperial decree.

The reason such formidable figures could send their responses so quickly was because the man’s way of life had been genuine.

Earning the trust of all these people was no easy feat.

Each of them was a hero who ruled their own mountain.

Even so, the white-haired mercenary turned rural baron, whom he served as his lord, showed no concern about standing at the center of such a storm.

The only thing weighing on his mind was the presence of a certain young woman who remained in the Duke Beltus’s territory, loyally serving as a piece on the board until the very end.

Even so, he had no choice but to respect her decision. That, too, was her life.

Therefore, Dereck simply pushed back his chair and stood up, murmuring,

“Let’s go.”

With his head slightly lowered and eyes lifted, Dereck’s expression was solemn.

He was already prepared to become a high-ranking noble.

*

Bang!

The Beltus mansion.

Denise was shoved into the guest room located in the center of the main building.

The servants treated her with polite manners, but in truth, it was almost imprisonment.

The room, clean and elegant, had all its windows covered with drapes, and not a single ray of light entered.

The room, which at first glance seemed grand and luxurious, had a separate slot beneath the door through which meals could be slid.

Denise swallowed hard when she noticed the existence of that slot. Despite all its refinement, the room was no different from a prison.

“W-what is this?”

“It is by order of His Grace, the Grand Duke.”

Denise had deliberately concealed secrets about the weaknesses of the Ravenclaw Barony.

That meant she had chosen loyalty to Dereck over loyalty to the Beltus family.

Denise had lived her entire life for Beltus, and though she could sometimes be lazy, she would never betray them.

The Duke of Beltus knew that nature of Denise very well—that was why he had used her as a pawn without hesitation.

But now, Denise was about to bare her fangs at the Duke of Beltus.

The Duke sensed it with animal instinct before anyone else.

Denise, with her sharp mind and quickness, could pull any trick at any moment.

A blade is an excellent weapon when sharp, but if not handled properly, it can end up wounding its wielder.

The Duke of Beltus was not the kind of man to leave a blade that could stab him unrestrained. Denise knew that better than anyone.

“The Duke will come down personally shortly. Until then, you are to wait in this room. His Grace has ordered that all your belongings be reexamined, so you must also change your clothes.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. All the luggage you brought from the Baron’s residence must be sent to the reception hall. I will return in the afternoon, so please organize your belongings.”

With that dry tone, the butler conveyed the Duke’s orders, bowed deeply, and left the room.

Bang.

“…”

She was alone in the room.

Only emptiness and silence remained.

Taking a few steps back, Denise collapsed onto the table with a disheartened expression. The frilled edge of her dress fell over the furniture.

What had happened to those who had rebelled against Beltus?

The vassals? The servants? The distant relatives?

She didn’t know.

They simply vanished one day. That was all.

Suddenly, she recalled the Duke’s face looking down on her with cold eyes, devoid of his usual warm smile.

That merciless gaze made her feel like a discarded piece.

“……”

At some point, Denise realized her chest was trembling.

Then she thought, finally admitting her true feelings.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

She was afraid.

Even in that filthy political arena full of mind games and schemes, she had always been a naïve girl who lay around reading romance novels.

Only now, in this situation, did she truly learn what fear was.

But unlike most girls her age, she didn’t cry or beg for forgiveness.

She simply pressed her brow tightly, swallowed her emotions, and bit her lower lip.

Decisions bring responsibility.

Even if it had been a momentary impulse, she had still chosen to side with Dereck.

If she had made that choice, the responsibility should naturally follow.

But since it was a decision made by Denise not as Lady Beltus she didn’t want to regret it.

That’s why she had to suppress and swallow the fear rising in her chest.

That was Denise’s way of showing respect to Dereck.

“Ugh… Hoo… Huff…”

At that moment, as Denise held her breath—

“Huff…”

“Huh…?”

The personal luggage that had come in along with Denise.

From the gap, a strange magic began to emanate.

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