Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 127: The Subjugation of Beltus (1)

“Have you ever seen a master-level mage fight at full power?”

Sometimes, Fina was so carefree and messy that Dereck doubted whether she was really a 6-star mage.

However, because she sometimes had a chilling look in her eyes and struck at weak points with precision, Dereck never took her lightly—but Fina seemed to think she wasn’t getting enough respect and muttered for no reason.

She would get angry, telling him to respect his master who was “as high as the heavens,” yet she didn’t seem to realize that her own behavior was anything but reliable.

On the day when the first term of the Ravenclaw Training Center was about to end, most of the young ladies were returning to their territories to enjoy their break, but Fina didn’t seem to have any intention of going back to Tigris territory.

She was simply lying on the sofa in a corner of Dereck’s office, chewing on financiers and mont blancs baked by the servants, speaking proudly.

“Ironically, once you reach the position of a master, you almost never have to compete using magic. When you become someone who rules and governs, you get fewer chances to use your power. It’s a real paradox.”

“Have you seen it yourself, Master?”

“Of course. Well… in the southwest of the continent, Duplain, Belmierd, and Beltus were the true powers… I’ve heard that the Duke of Duplain could lift the entire ground of his mansion into the air if he wanted, and that the Count of Belmierd once sank three or four ships at once.”

It was said that a 5-star mage could be called a weapon of war.

Of course, since there weren’t many of them, all of them held significant social status—it was just that they rarely had the chance to display their power directly.

“There’s always a reason why those in power hold their positions. Even the Count of Belmierd is still just a full 4-star mage, not yet having reached 5 stars. It’s unimaginable how far his level could go.”

“…”

“When you encounter monsters like Melverot and Drest, you lose your sense of reality. Always remember that master-level mages are like armies on their own. Munch, munch. Slurp…”

There wasn’t a trace of seriousness in Fina’s appearance as she chewed on the bread with her lips puffed out.

The new pastry chef who had joined their household suited her tastes so perfectly that Dereck had even added a note instructing that he must not be dismissed without his permission.

After all, from the perspective of a great mage who had reached the 6-star rank, even a chief mage was seen as “someone who can only do a little.”

Dereck felt a strange unease while looking at Fina, but soon sighed and spoke.

“The Grand Duke Beltus is a 5-star summoner, and I’ve heard he commands high-level spirits, legendary creatures summoned through biological invocation magic, and historical magical artifacts through non-biological invocation.”

“Yes. If you get too confident, even I could be caught off guard by that annoying man. He seems ambitious, power-hungry, and twisted in personality, but in reality, he’s nothing more than a stubborn old fool. You should consider yourself lucky to have such an open-minded master as me.”

“It’s not realistic to expect me to face someone like that.”

“Yes. You should take this seriously.”

Fina spoke with a seductive smile, narrowing her eyes.

“If you let your guard down, you’ll die instantly.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“Oh, please. I’m not asking for the impossible. Don’t underestimate my critical eye. Didn’t I tell you? I can clearly see what kind of mage you are, Dereck.”

As she watched him devour mille-feuille, brioche, croissants, and madeleines, he looked like a rodent eating, but her eyes were as sharp as ever.

“Some people say it’s unfortunate and pitiful that you, Dereck, were born a commoner and lived as a beggar rolling in the slums. Honestly, they’re fools with no discernment. Dereck, that harsh environment was a blessing for you—an opportunity sent by the heavens.”

Fina had a general idea of what she meant.

It seemed she was forming a kind of empathy with Dereck that she didn’t show toward others.

“Do you think you would’ve reached your current level if you’d been born a noble and lived a calm, elegant life in a mansion? Not at all. The power of nobility is so sweet—it would’ve been a miracle if you hadn’t turned into a fat pig.”

“…”

“Even extraordinary talent means nothing if the environment doesn’t shape it. And you… you’re someone whose eyes only come alive on a bloody battlefield, not in the refined magical training courtyard of a mansion. Your talent bloomed in the merciless struggle for survival between life and death.”

Fina spoke without changing her expression.

“So crawl toward the crisis of death. Fortunately, this celestial master’s specialty happens to be dealing with death.”

“And if I die?”

“That would be unfortunate.”

“…”

“But if you survive, you’ll become stronger.”

Fina, not caring about the crumbs on her cheeks, looked at Dereck with gleaming eyes and said,

“Probably more than you can imagine.”

*

Whoosh!

The ominous magical power emanating from Denise’s luggage began to take on a massive form.

It wasn’t hard to feel that even the pressure from that magic was far from ordinary.

When Denise approached the luggage to check what was happening, an explosion of magic burst from within, throwing her against the wall.

Boom! Bang!

Fwoosh!

“Ah, ah…!”

Denise’s small body was flung toward the bookshelf and crashed into it, causing books to fall and cover her head.

As Denise looked in confusion toward the luggage, a sinister, dark-red magic began to spread slowly from it.

What is happening right now?

Anyone else would have frozen in place, holding their breath at such a sight—but Denise swallowed hard and regained her composure.

She had always been someone capable of staying calm in a crisis.

She needed to knock on the door and call for help. This wasn’t something she could handle alone.

As she pushed aside the scattered books and stood up, a withered hand emerged from within the massive surge of magic.

“W-What… what…?”

While Denise uttered a stunned sound, a terrifying figure rose from the light.

It was an Archlich—a necromancer of death that could only be found in the deepest labyrinths of the White Zone.

Though magical creatures were known to exist, this one was the most malevolent of all. The space where an Archlich resided became an immense labyrinth—a breeding ground for magical creatures—consuming everything within it and bringing death.

A skull covered with beads and tattered cloth began to float, holding a massive staff.

The chill emanating from its magic was enough to freeze anyone who brushed against it.

Death itself had arrived; even the labyrinths of the White Zone were safer than this room.

Exhaling a frosty breath, the sinister skull floated upward and surveyed its surroundings.

This grand mansion, where noble humans resided, seemed an ideal structure for the skull to claim as its own.

There was a separate facility for handling magic, and the hill rising amid the vast forest offered significant geographical advantages.

The being who had summoned it into this world—a 6-star necromancer—had engraved a command deep into its instincts.

Build a nest.

This Beltus mansion was the perfect place for the Archlich to reside and wield death, so it would drive out every living thing and claim it as its lair.

When that instinct activated, an icy light emanated from the skull’s hollow sockets.

A 5-star necromancy spell—“Arrival of the Dead.”

Creatures that dealt with death… no one knew anything about the monster known as Fina, who could summon such beings from the deepest reaches of the White Zone labyrinth.

Only the result remained—gathering magic in this place.

Spirits began to converge, and corpses started rising from the ground.

As the traces of blood-soaked necromancy filled the room, Denise no longer hesitated.

Boom!

Denise blasted the door open with combat magic and ran.

Fear was clear in her eyes, but she hadn’t completely lost her sanity.

She was on the verge of collapse, her legs nearly giving out, but her instinct to flee was still alive.

Crash! Bang!

She stumbled at the threshold and fell flat on her face, but Denise grit her teeth and stood up.

As she rushed into the hallway, the startled servants shouted toward her.

“Lady Denise! This is… you can’t do this! If you destroy the mansion—!”

“The room…! Look at the room…!”

Denise said this while clutching her bleeding knee, scraped against the floor. Just as she was about to run again, the servants froze too, seeing the enormous catastrophe that had descended upon the room.

Denise thought she should leave them and escape alone.

When she was about to sprint down the hall, she turned around, grabbed a trembling servant by the collar—one too shocked to react—and shouted,

“What are you doing?! Run, run quickly!”

As Denise dragged the servants along, a massive number of vengeful spirits began pouring out of the room.

It was the prelude to a disaster.

*

“We must go to the Duchy of Beltus immediately. Gather as many troops as possible.”

Dereck, who had left his territory early that morning, spoke firmly before Countess Rodelia.

The reason he sought out Countess Rodelia first, rather than anyone else, was because she was the kind of person who never hesitated when it came to necromancy.

If she detected traces of it, she was the type who would charge straight through the front gate of the Duke of Beltus’s mansion without a second thought.

He was certain she would be the first to act, as she had a certain degree of trust in him.

“Yes. I received your letter. I was certain necromancy was involved in the Duchy of Beltus.”

Countess Rodelia looked at Dereck with a favorable expression. She had seen firsthand how capable he was at dealing with necromancy when they captured Leonard.

Even so, Countess Rodelia was also a ruler who commanded and managed a territory.

There was a reason her daughter, Trisha, feared her so much.

She might have seemed driven purely by hatred for necromancy, but she was also someone who never overlooked crucial details when necessary.

“However, moving troops requires caution. Above all, taking military action against the Duchy of Beltus solely based on your word is far too reckless.”

Dereck had already expected that.

She would not move her armies on his word alone.

Therefore, he had to create an urgent situation—one so dire that if they didn’t act immediately, something terrible would happen—and at the same time, something serious enough to bring down Grand Duke Beltus.

“There is a high possibility that a high-ranking demon—at least five stars—has appeared in the Grand Duke of Beltus’s mansion. One that uses necromancy.”

“…Is that true?”

The luxurious reception hall of Rodelia County.

Even when training, she always wore her armor meticulously, and her imposing presence was all the greater considering her small stature.

The sacred sword she always carried at her waist was quite large—one couldn’t help but wonder how such an old woman could even wield it.

“An entity like that cannot be summoned easily without a high-level necromancy spell. Could it be that Grand Duke Beltus truly…?”

“If we delay, the situation will escalate. We must act quickly.”

“…Can you take responsibility for that claim?”

“I swear it on the honor of the Ravenclaw Barony.”

These were not the words of some wanderer, but those of a noble with clearly established status, spoken under oath.

It was something that couldn’t be dismissed easily—but also not something to be trusted blindly.

The determination of a leader was needed, but this wasn’t a matter for rash action.

Countess Rodelia frowned, showing the cautious attitude of someone who, even in extreme situations, verified what needed to be verified.

“Even if that’s true, how do you know? Grand Duke Beltus is a cunning man. He wouldn’t easily reveal his weaknesses to a border baron.”

“Yes. But I also have some knowledge when it comes to dealing with necromancers—just as when we captured Leonard. And… I didn’t discover this top-secret information on my own.”

That meant Dereck had a reliable informant.

She couldn’t help but ask who it was.

At those words, Dereck spoke with a serious expression.

“Grand Duke Beltus used his status and authority to strictly control everyone in his domain, but not all of them follow him. Among the people of Grand Duke Beltus, there was someone who warned me of the existence of necromancy and revealed everything.”

“You understand Grand Duke Beltus’s authority better than anyone, don’t you?”

“Yes. Despite that, there was an insider who disclosed all the facts.”

To bring down Grand Duke Beltus.

If he allowed the man who had trampled and humiliated him to continue acting as he pleased, Dereck would live forever in disgrace within noble society.

Therefore, he could not leave him unpunished.

However, he also didn’t want his disciple—the one with whom he had shared a long-standing connection—to be swept away by her family’s downfall.

So Dereck devised a new strategy.

“Lady Denise. She came to the Ravenclaw Barony and confessed the darkness within Beltus to me.”

Everyone knew that Denise had studied under Dereck for a long time.

Countess Rodelia also knew well that Denise trusted Dereck deeply and had important connections within the social circles.

Thus, it wasn’t an unbelievable claim.

“If they were researching necromancy so dangerous that it bordered on recklessness, it’s highly likely a major accident has already occurred. She foresaw that possibility. She was skilled in exploratory magic and thoroughly understood the internal affairs of Beltus.”

When it was all over, if someone was to become the true power behind Beltus, it was best that it be someone favorable to Dereck.

That was why, if only one person was to be saved from the ruined Beltus family—that person had already been decided.

“…”

Rodelia’s expression grew even graver.

If moving the troops turned out to be in vain, Dereck could take responsibility.

But if they didn’t move, and a disaster occurred—who would bear the blame?

Risk and reward. When both are placed on the scales, the conclusion comes faster than one might think.

In the end, Countess Rodelia’s decision was already made.

Her resolve and drive were on an extraordinary level.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet