Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 141: 4-star (6)

Dereck slept deeply for the first time in a long while and dreamed.

He imagined achieving, one by one, all the magical feats he had longed for over the years, and someday reigning at the very top.

What would he think once he had mastered all magic and there was no higher realm left to aspire to?

Even those who devoted their entire lives to magical research never reached the final realm.

Perhaps even thinking about it was an act of arrogance, but even so, Dereck wanted to consider it at least once.

If the goal of an entire lifetime finally came into his hands, what would come next?

Even in his drowsy mind, Dereck asked himself those questions.

*

“We’ve done everything we can for now, but his life is still in danger.”

The Beltus mansion was almost completely destroyed, with not a single place left intact; even so, a secluded guest room was in acceptable condition to protect the patient.

The person lying on the dust-covered bed was Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.

He was the one who had contributed the most to the subjugation of the Beltus mansion, and a genius who had reached the 4-star level at an incredibly young age.

But his life was about to be extinguished in vain.

“Report his condition in more detail.”

Countess Rodelia, sitting solemnly on a chair in the corner of the room with her arms crossed, spoke.

She still wore her large silver armor from the recent battle, and her long white hair clearly showed the passage of time.

The doctor, under the direct orders of Count Renwell, bowed his head and reported in a firm voice.

“Judging by the magical traces and the state of his body, it seems he first exhausted all of his energy and then drew out more magic power to manifest 4-star magic. It was literally a suicidal act.”

“Why would he do something like that?”

“As you presumed. To face the Grand Duke Beltus with insufficient abilities, he had to push himself even at the cost of his own body.”

Although she had not witnessed the battle directly, the fight between Dereck and the Grand Duke Beltus must have been brutal.

Dereck tried to manifest even stronger magic even when he felt his entire body burning and blood pouring nonstop.

‘The nobility of attempting to subjugate a necromancer even at the cost of his life is truly admirable.’

Since Countess Rodelia harbored a deep hatred for necromancy, she greatly valued that Dereck had tried to capture the necromancer with such seriousness.

Therefore, it was absolutely unacceptable for him to die here.

“We must inform His Majesty Gruttel that a new 4-star mage has been born in the southwest. Put all your efforts into ensuring that Sir Dereck does not lose his life.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Clank.

As her armor sounded, Rodelia stood and opened the door.

Before leaving, she looked once more at Dereck’s condition; the bleeding still had not stopped, and his state remained extremely critical.

‘Now is the time to organize everything.’

When Rodelia closed the door and stepped out, the hallway was crowded with people.

The outer wall of the corridor had collapsed, so it seemed people were packed all the way into the garden.

There were members of various families and mercenary groups.

At the front, those who seemed to be standing with worried expressions caught her attention.

“How is Dereck?”

“It is a situation in which his life cannot be guaranteed.”

The highest-ranking person among those present, Ellen of the Belmierd family, stepped forward with a concerned voice.

Hearing the truth as it was, Ellen bit her lower lip.

Although she had not stopped Dereck when he decided to act, she never imagined he would be in such danger.

The same was true for the others.

“No matter what they say, he is a hero who made great effort to resolve this situation. We must acknowledge his achievements, but before that, we must clarify what needs to be clarified.”

The Beltus mansion was devastated, and the Archlich had escaped with the Grand Duke’s body.

Happy, the creature most beloved by Fina, had simply obeyed its mistress’s orders, but to those unaware of this, it seemed like a loyal subordinate fleeing with the most important person.

In short, it appeared that the Grand Duke Beltus had summoned the Archlich, and it gave the impression that it had escaped carrying the unconscious Grand Duke.

Grand Duke Beltus handled high-level necromantic magic and was a master of summoning magic. Considering his efforts to prevent a subjugation force from being dispatched, it was not strange to think that he himself had summoned the Archlich.

“Is Grand Duke Beltus alive?”

“That is unknown. To my eyes he seemed completely unconscious, but seeing how desperately the Archlich tried to take him, there is a possibility that he is hiding somewhere recovering.”

Making the mistake of letting the Archlich escape was serious.

If they had perfectly subjugated it, Dereck’s efforts in defeating the Grand Duke would not have been in vain.

Feeling deep shame, Rodelia hardened her expression.

Then she gave orders to the troops gathered, instructing them to organize the situation and thoroughly investigate the battlefield.

She intended to uncover every detail about the Grand Duke Beltus’s crimes and the reasons he had turned to necromancy, to report it to Emperor Gruttel.

While reviewing the area and receiving reports, she saw a young woman resting near the main hall with Rodenalt lying down.

She was the eldest daughter of the Beltus family and a central figure in this disaster. It was Denise.

Her dress, covered in dust, was tattered, and her tired eyes showed deep exhaustion.

Even so, seeing Countess Rodelia approaching, she quickly straightened up, bowed her head, and spoke.

“Your Excellency, Countess, regarding this matter…”

“I have already heard from Sir Dereck. You were the one who understood the darkness of Grand Duke Beltus best and who first warned Sir Dereck that the family was taking the wrong path, allowing him to act in time. Lady Denise, you maintained your sanity in a terrible environment. I sincerely acknowledge that.”

Denise had prepared her heart to receive criticism, since she did not expect the daughter of the duke responsible for this entire disaster to be treated favorably.

But Dereck had already taken care of that matter.

Hearing the countess’s words, Denise’s eyes widened in surprise for an instant, but being as clever as she was, she immediately understood the situation.

She bowed her head and replied.

“Oh no… I only did what I had to do.”

“When I report to His Majesty, I will make sure to mention you. In the midst of this madness, you were the only one who kept her judgment. I will ensure that the consequences of evil deeds do not fall upon you.”

“I am grateful for your consideration. But… is Baron Ravenclaw still not improving…?”

“I just checked his condition in the room where we are keeping him, and it seems his life cannot be guaranteed.”

Upon hearing that, Denise swallowed.

He was the man who tore the darkness out of Beltus and still protected her to the very end.

If something happened to him, she felt her heart would break.

“Some people are saying that he must be involved in what happened.”

While they cleaned the battlefield, the remnants of the Beltus family and their senior servants murmured bitterly.

Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw is involved in this.

The situation is too perfect.

Too convenient for it to have happened just as the Beltus family unsheathed their swords against him.

The cruel baron was shouting that he was the one responsible for weaving necromantic magic and that they should not be deceived.

Upon hearing such words, Rodelia first hesitated, but when she looked at Dereck, agonizing in the room, she had to gradually discard those suspicions.

No matter what tricks someone might use, no one would risk their own life in such a manner.

Dereck had nearly died, and in his condition it would not be strange if he died at any moment.

The best doctors available were treating him, and even so, those supporting him remained deeply worried.

What Countess Rodelia was overlooking was that Dereck was not a sane person either.

He was a lunatic capable of risking his life for magical advancement.

And that was why he had come this far.

But it was difficult to notice that just by his appearance.

On the outside, he only seemed like someone devoted to training magic—a man who governed a remote region and taught young people as his profession.

‘If he truly were the mastermind behind all this, at the very least he would not be on the brink of death.’

Others might not know it, but Countess Rodelia, who had seen Dereck block the Grand Duke Beltus with all his strength, could not doubt him.

His miserable appearance, bleeding profusely and trembling from head to toe, was right before her eyes.

“First, we must review the situation of the recovered Beltus mansion and organize what must be reported. We must listen to the accounts of the people inside Beltus, but we still have not fully determined whom we can trust and whom we cannot.”

Countess Rodelia shook her head slightly and spoke to Denise, whose face was full of concern.

“At the very least, Lady Denise, whom Baron Ravenclaw has vouched for, is someone we can trust. Could you organize and tell us the situation within the Beltus duchy?”

It was a position from which she could present suggestions directly to Countess Rodelia, who at that moment held real control of the mansion.

And that was the last gift that Baron Ravenclaw had left Denise before losing consciousness.

Upon hearing those words, Denise swallowed nervously.

Originally, she had been a sailor on a sinking ship. Naturally, she thought she would end up sinking with that ship.

However, the teacher who had once instructed her had rescued Denise from the sea, calling her his disciple, and had once again handed her the helm to navigate.

In exchange, Dereck lay inside the “cabin,” completely collapsed.

Denise could not allow his sincerity to be wasted. She widened her eyes and composed herself.

It was the moment for Denise to stand firm.

[You have reached the level of 4 stars. You are a master of magic.]

[You can now access the fusion theory of the magic system.]

“…”

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

When Dereck opened his eyes, it was already morning and the sun was rising.

His whole body throbbed with intense pain, but he was used to enduring it.

As he adjusted to the piercing brightness of the morning light and raised his torso, he saw a familiar figure sitting beside the bed, arms crossed and one leg over the other.

“…”

“…Hello, Dereck.”

“Pheline. What are you doing here?”

“What do you think? I’ve been taking care of you.”

Pheline also had scratches all over her body.

It seemed that only one day had passed since that chaotic night.

“…You don’t look like someone taking care of a patient.”

“It’s just a manner of speaking. If you saw how things are outside, you’d be shocked. Tons of people wanted to come in to see you, but for some reason, I’m the only one who managed to slip through and stay here.”

“And how did you get in with all that commotion?”

“I was going to ignore it anyway, but they said it didn’t matter because I’m the baron’s wife…”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence filled the space for a moment.

Despite everything, Pheline was officially Dereck’s partner.

There was no romantic atmosphere between them, but officially, that was their status.

Dereck held his aching forehead while Pheline brushed aside her bangs with a complicated expression.

“Well, I know how tough you are, Dereck… so I thought it was ridiculous to talk about life or death over a wound like this.”

To a stranger, it looked like his life was hanging by a thread.

In truth, Dereck’s bleeding and wounds were severe, and if he weren’t someone properly trained, it would have been normal for him to die on the spot.

Facing a 5-star mage as only a 3-star from the start implied accepting extreme risk.

But for Pheline, who had wandered through labyrinths alongside him for years, seeing Dereck seriously injured was nothing new.

Before, Pheline would despair, carry him on her back, bandage his wounds, walk anxiously without sleeping—but that pure behavior had already vanished.

Now she only looked at him with an expression that said, “This guy lying around again—what an idiot.”

They knew each other so well that they didn’t feel any special sense of crisis.

“Dereck, when I look at you I feel like you’re someone who wouldn’t surprise anyone if one day you died while training magic.”

“You know well that I don’t die that easily.”

“Hard to deny… anyway, it’s your life. Besides, thanks to you, I had fun.”

Pheline, who also had considerable wounds, smiled broadly.

“When else could I kick noble asses if not in situations like this? It seems we’ll get a nice reward in the end—when the status of someone you know rises, the benefits come along.”

“You say you hate nobles, but you don’t seem bothered when I act like one and cause a mess.”

“You’re Dereck before noble.”

“….”

Pheline laughed softly and continued speaking.

“Well, there are a ton of people worried about you, so lift that heavy butt and get out. I heard some people from the barony rode all night, terrified that you’d die.”

“Yes. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Thanks? While I was rolling around with the Beldern Mercenary Corps, you were flirting with a bunch of women, and now I’m trapped with the title of baroness—terrifying.”

Pheline let out a deep sigh, picked up her bow, her sword, and her cloak, and stretched lazily.

It was early in the morning. She must have been exhausted in her own way too.

As if she had already said everything she needed to say, she waved her arms carelessly and opened the door to leave.

Her relaxed attitude even in situations like this was truly impressive. Unlike the ladies of aristocratic families, her constant naturalness was her greatest strength.

Creak, bang.

Dereck watched the closed door for a few seconds, and then, as best he could, moved his aching body to stand up.

He was still not used to walking, and he barely felt any magical power within him—but he could clearly feel that his magical level had risen another step.

Even Dereck, always so calm, couldn’t help but show a faint smile.

4-star level.

A realm that even those born with noble blood and extraordinary talent might never achieve in an entire lifetime.

The mere fact of having set foot on that threshold thrilled him.

His breathing quickened, and he felt a rush of euphoria.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet