Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 131: The Subjugation of Beltus (5)

“Hey, Robenalt. I heard there’s a man named Dereck who will take charge of the Rodelen region. Help him obtain the title of baron.”

The eldest son of the Beltus family. Robenalt was an old friend of Linus, who had left the Belmierd family.

Linus seemed like a man who wandered through gambling dens, living a carefree life, but when it came to serious matters, his sharp gaze revealed an intelligent mind capable of seeing the bigger picture.

No one knew why such a man had abandoned the Belmierd family and roamed around in rags, but at least Robenalt trusted Linus’s judgment.

Robenalt, who lacked confidence and possessed only shallow ambitions, had never been properly recognized as the heir of Beltus.

Always overshadowed by his talented younger sister, Denise, who excelled at everything she did, Robenalt constantly watched the reactions of the vassals, making it difficult to consider him a leader.

However, sometimes, when Linus brought good liquor and they drank together, he would pat Robenalt on the shoulder and say,

“Who does everything right from the start?”

“If the time comes when my younger brother Leonard starts plotting something, the only outsider who could help Ellen would be that man. So I want to give him a bit of support.”

“I can agree to that, but it’s been a while since someone’s caught your interest this much, Linus.”

“Well, the affairs of the Belmierd family are their own problem, but that man will influence the Beltus family one way or another. It won’t be a bad thing.”

Robenalt didn’t know what Linus was thinking, but it seemed he held Dereck in high regard.

With a relaxed smile, Linus placed his hand on Robenalt’s shoulder and, with the scent of alcohol on him, said,

“In my opinion, it’s about time to reform Beltus.”

“W-what are you saying, Linus? You can’t say something like that so lightly…”

“That magic instructor of common birth, Dereck, will try to rise somehow. In the process, he’ll inevitably clash with your father.”

The Duke of Beltus was someone who would trample and destroy anyone for power, using and even selling his own relatives without hesitation.

How did Linus view that man, so obsessed with power? At the very least, Robenalt had never thought about it.

Having left behind Belmierd’s influence, Linus seemed to predict the political future of the southwest even while drowning himself in alcohol and gambling.

Robenalt knew Linus’s intuition well.

The reason he could wander through casinos and live drunk without ending up on the streets was thanks to that innate sense.

An intuition that saw deeply into people—Linus had an exceptional ability to measure someone’s worth.

He was painting a grand picture. Though Robenalt couldn’t see it, Linus viewed the politics of the southwest as a vast canvas.

“If you give him a small push, he’ll help uproot Beltus one way or another. So, if the chance comes, take it, Robenalt.”

“Linus… I’m a man of Beltus, and I can’t stay quiet if you badmouth Beltus like that.”

“Ah, right. Sorry, sorry. Just think about it.”

Linus wasn’t unaware.

Robenalt, the eldest heir of Beltus, was a narrow-minded man who lived like a machine, moving according to Duke Beltus’s orders without harboring any great ambition.

Perhaps living that way his whole life might even bring him happiness.

However, sometimes opportunities arise to break the cradle.

There are moments when one faces an enormous, inexplicable wall—and times when one must destroy the values of life built up until now.

In Linus’s eyes, Dereck was more than capable of bringing about such a change.

“You and Denise live under the shadow of Beltus’s glory. Do you think that life will last forever?”

“…”

“Robenalt, you can feel deep gratitude toward the Beltus family for raising and supporting you, and you can consider loyalty a virtue—but think about it, just once.”

The heir of Beltus and the heir of Belmierd.

The two men, staring at each other over their drinks, had completely different values and ways of living.

“You are the next head of Beltus. Think about the weight of that fact.”

*

Whooosh!

Crackle!

The enormous magic tower east of the main building of the Beltus residence.

The place where the mages affiliated with Duke Beltus conducted their research and training—it was the symbol of all the magical achievements accumulated by the mages, including the Grand Duke himself.

At the top of the tower, higher than the main building, a protective emergency circle was inscribed, which could be activated in times of crisis.

The protection circle, supervised by Grand Duke Beltus himself and constructed over nearly half a year by four to six mages of at least 4-star rank, once activated, completely isolated the main building and every facility, identified intruders, and unleashed magical bombardments—it was a decisive weapon for siege defense.

The circle had already begun to activate, expanding until it covered the entire sky.

It was the gigantic magic circle that had never been activated since the Beltus mansion was completed.

As one of the most important facilities, control over the circle was limited to Grand Duke Beltus, a few direct relatives, and two high-ranking retainers of absolute trust.

Among them, Robenalt was the highest authority in charge of this magic tower.

“Scribe…! Legal officer…! Report to the main building that the protection circle is active…!”

“Y-yes…! Young master…!”

Robenalt, clutching the necessary magic stones, hurried down the spiral staircase from the top of the tower.

As soon as the anomaly in the mansion had occurred, he had climbed up to activate the circle. Now, he only needed to endure until it fully deployed.

Though timid and fearful by nature, he knew very well what had to be done.

The protection circle, built by numerous high-ranking mages over countless years, was already beyond what any single individual could create—practically a weapon of war. Activating it even once would incur astronomical costs, but now was not the time to think about that.

‘Once it’s fully activated, I can handle the rest…’

Even a 5-star mage couldn’t break it with fire alone; destroying it would take a 6-star mage a considerable amount of time.

Of course, at that very moment, a 6-star mage—the necromancer Fina—was present in the Beltus mansion, but Robenalt didn’t know that.

However, her necromancy wasn’t focused on destructive power.

Just as Robenalt thought, once the protection circle was activated, the chaos within the mansion would stabilize.

With the circle’s support, Orel’s mercenaries would clear the monsters one by one, securing each section and holding the line.

Even so, Robenalt couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

‘I don’t know what’s happening inside the mansion, but if things have reached this point… whoever’s responsible must know the internal affairs of the Beltus mansion very well.’

The monsters were coming from within.

Judging by the situation, someone had prepared everything in advance.

If the plan was so well-crafted, they would also know about the power of the protective circle of the magic tower.

They would know that attacking the Beltus mansion in a siege was suicide.

In that case, before the circle could fully expand, they would try to capture the magic tower first. The tower was the key strategic point.

And who was supposed to protect that tower?

No one but Robenalt.

“Don’t tremble… you can do this…”

Robenalt went down to the middle floor and shouted to his servants and mages.

“Take defensive positions immediately! Eliminate the monsters gathering near the tower! We must make sure there are no variables!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Normally, the servants didn’t follow Robenalt much.

However, they weren’t foolish enough to disobey orders in an urgent situation.

They immediately began checking the surroundings from the tower and took defensive positions.

Fortunately, from above, everything could be seen clearly.

Orel’s mercenaries, who had left the barracks, began clearing monsters as they advanced toward the main building.

The main building was half-destroyed. Considering the fire giant and the demonic hand that had covered the sky just moments ago, it was very likely that Grand Duke Beltus was fighting some entity.

“I’d like to go to the main building and check right now, but I must not forget my duty…!”

The victory condition for House Beltus was to activate the protection circle and isolate the intruders by sections to defeat them one by one.

Since Robenalt held the key to the circle, he couldn’t act recklessly.

“What is that…?”

While watching everything from the tower, Robenalt felt something strange.

The Beltus mansion grounds were as large as a decent-sized village.

The enormous outer wall that followed the perimeter was larger than that of most noble territories.

Beyond the wall, in the forest, there were armies he had never seen before.

In the center stood the main building where the Grand Duke lived.

Around it were the barracks, the training grounds, the gardens, the magic tower, and the servants’ quarters, all protected by the outer walls.

And beyond that, there was only forest—yet he could see unknown riders advancing among the trees.

Robenalt and his servants opened their eyes wide in shock.

Approaching the southern gate of the mansion were the private soldiers sent by Count Belmierd. The emblem was clearly visible on their banners.

At the front was Ellen, who had received full authority over Belmierd’s forces, riding toward them.

To the northeast were members of the Beldern mercenary group, allies of Dereck.

Leading the front line was the one-armed general, Jayden.

He was a veteran mercenary who had participated in the Dawn War and was the central figure of the Beldern mercenary corps.

Furthermore, Countess Rodelia’s unit was already running through the gardens of the Beltus mansion.

They glanced at the magic tower that was beginning to emit a faint power, but continued advancing toward the main building.

“This can’t be… Belmierd has drawn swords against Beltus…? And Renuel too…? Who… who could have mobilized all these forces…!”

Robenalt thought, trembling.

Grand Duke Beltus never hesitated to antagonize and crush other powers, but Belmierd was different.

To move Belmierd—a house that sat like an old lion observing the situation—would take more than ordinary trust.

‘We must complete the protection circle before it spreads any further…! Captain Orel is a veteran commander, but he won’t be able to stop them alone…!’

“How much longer until the protection circle is complete?”

“It’s already more than seventy percent done! Once the magic purification process of the tower is finished, we can immediately isolate each section!”

“We must finish before Countess Rodelia’s forces reach the main building!”

“U-understood! Even if they reach the main building… once the protection circle is deployed, we’ll have many ways to confront them!”

The tower servants boasted confidently.

Since it was a protection circle equivalent to a five-star-level spell, they weren’t wrong.

Once activated, the Grand Duke’s mansion would have a real chance to counterattack.

The protection circle would isolate each section and create an environment where they could bombard freely.

Countess Rodelia’s forces, charging recklessly toward the main building, would be surrounded and unable to act.

‘…’

However, a sense of unease crawled inside Robenalt.

Countess Rodelia was a veteran among veterans, someone who had commanded countless battlefields—not only on Rodentz Island.

For someone like her to charge directly into the main building without inside information about the mansion…

Anyone could see that the power of the magic circle emanating from the tower was unusual.

In an environment full of variables, the image of Countess Rodelia charging into the deepest part of enemy territory was strange.

An inevitable question arose.

Would a battle-hardened veteran really act so recklessly?

It was a scene filled with too much inconsistency.

As if she were absolutely certain that the path to the main building would inevitably open.

The reason she hadn’t even diverted her forces to the tower to neutralize the protection circle first…

Only one possibility came to Robenalt’s mind.

“A detachment…! She sent a detachment…!”

“W-what?!”

“Listen carefully, everyone…! Killing the monsters around the tower is important, but… maintaining strict vigilance is even more crucial…!”

“Y-yes…! But there are too many monsters, and the situation is chaotic with creatures that already entered the tower…!”

“That’s exactly what the enemy wants! I don’t know what trick they used, but their goal is to throw the mansion into chaos. Taking advantage of that void, they plan to seize the key facilities first! So for now, forget the commotion caused by the monsters…”

Robenalt’s words were cut off.

Boom! Crash!

The inner wall connecting to the corridor.

A huge explosion erupted from that wall—it was magic of at least three-star level.

Crash! Crackle!

Thud, thud, thud, thud

The magic tower, centered around the spiral staircase, extended to the top floor.

There were already intruders who had managed to slip in, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the monsters.

When Robenalt activated the tower’s protection and came down to the middle floor, they had already quickly infiltrated inside.

Whoosh!

Smoke entered through the shattered wall, and the few servants and mages in the room took up battle positions.

Dust rose from the collapsed wall. Robenalt also gripped the edge of his cloak tightly and swallowed hard.

He was someone whom Countess Rodelia trusted enough to turn her back on. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

Thump, thump.

‘Damn it…! Damn it…!’

Robenalt’s heart began to pound uncontrollably.

In a situation where his life was at stake, combined with the enemy’s attack, his hands began to tremble.

No matter who came out of that dust, he couldn’t back down.

The ones guarding the tower’s command room with Robenalt—the four servants—were mages who had already mastered second-level magic. They weren’t people who would fall easily.

In that extremely tense atmosphere, the mages who had gathered magical power stared fixedly at the collapsed inner wall.

In that tension, where every second felt like an eternity, when the dust finally settled—no one was there.

“…What?”

Bang!

By the time they realized that breaking the inner wall had been a diversion, it was already too late.

A man burst through the main door of the command room.

The door, ripped off its hinges by the man’s weight, crushed one of the servants standing in front of it.

“Argh!”

Bang! Crash!

The servant, pinned beneath the torn-off door, tried to struggle, but a first-level combat spell, Fire Arrow, pierced through him.

The servant foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness from the severe burns and pain. One of the four had already fallen at the start of the battle.

“Y-you’re…!”

At the instant Robenalt clenched his teeth and gathered his magic—

The white-haired man in mercenary attire who had burst in, Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw, was already forming another spell in his hand. He had been chanting it even before bursting through the door, so there was no way to catch up to him in speed.

Whoosh!

First-level transformation magic, Creation of Light.

Dereck’s movements, specialized in orchestrating the battlefield and overwhelming enemies, were an insurmountable wall to scholars accustomed to noble culture.

“Argh!”

In an instant, everyone had to shut their eyes at the sudden flash.

Taking advantage of that brief moment when the enemy’s vision was obstructed, Dereck leapt onto the desk near the door and lunged, tackling one of the servants.

He plunged a knife into the servant’s thigh and, before he could even scream in pain, grabbed him by the neck and hurled him backward.

His movements flowed like water.

Thus, Robenalt lost his second servant.

“Attack…! Attack!”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

And just as another servant, who had barely regained his sight, was about to shout while gathering magic, Dereck’s boot flew up and struck him in the throat.

Taking down a servant, then kicking backward, one of the two remaining lost his breath for an instant—but with almost superhuman mental strength, he kept his composure and cast a first-level combat spell, Magic Arrow, aiming at Dereck.

Thud!

The magic arrow grazed Dereck’s shoulder, but the impact hit fully.

The pain was intense, but Dereck gritted his teeth and endured it, as if already accustomed to it.

His expression, frowning for just an instant, was that of a berserker unfazed by pain.

Living as a mercenary surrounded by labyrinths and monsters meant taking direct hits from magic or swords more than once.

The difference between those who endure pain and those who don’t is clearly seen in real combat.

“Huff…!”

“Stop! Damn you!”

When Dereck grabbed the servant who still had some sanity left by the neck, the last servant drew his sword and charged at him.

But when Dereck used the other servant’s body as a shield, the attacker’s sword stopped short.

“Ugh…!”

A moment of hesitation.

Dereck, a veteran of real combat, didn’t waste that opening.

He threw the unconscious servant and kicked the hilt of the sword, sending it flying from the retainer’s hands.

As the now-disarmed servant stared at him in terror, Dereck had already closed the distance and drove his fist into his solar plexus.

“Ugh, huff…”

The last servant rolled across the floor, and Dereck pounced on him, pinning him down.

Soon, his breathing steadied—he was unconscious.

How many seconds had passed until this point?

In that instant of confusion and held breath, all the servants in the command room had fallen. Only Robenalt and Dereck remained.

Sitting atop the last unconscious servant, Dereck confirmed he was completely out of combat and immediately lifted his gaze.

The last guardian of the command room, Prince Robenalt, was now reflected in his eyes.

‘Huff…!’

Immediately, fear filled Robenalt’s heart.

Even so, he clenched his teeth and grabbed the magic wand lying on the desk.

“Baron Ravenclaw…”

“….”

Dereck, who didn’t even respond, looked possessed by a specter.

The Dereck who walked the battlefield was completely different in aura and presence from the one who sat quietly in a noble mansion.

Fina had once said that Dereck’s true abilities only emerged in blood-soaked places.

And now he proved it—his eyes were icy, infinitely cold. Compared to his gentle demeanor with Aiselin, the difference was enough to freeze anyone’s blood.

— Robenalt. If you ever meet Baron Ravenclaw, it would be wise to be very careful.

The words of his old friend Linus, spoken between laughs, echoed in his mind.

‘Huff… Huff…’

When Robenalt was young, he had once encountered a wild wolf in the forest while returning by carriage.

In front of that beast, radiating a seasoned presence even amid its killing intent, it was impossible to tell who was the hunter and who the prey.

An immense fear engulfed him.

The feeling he had now was exactly the same.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet