Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 143: How the Sun Rises (3)

Dereck, who had returned after finishing the work on Beltus’s side, was in a truly miserable state.

A bandaged and splinted arm, an eye patch due to the bruise on his eyelid, a limping leg, and his magical power greatly weakened.

It was the sign that he had forced his body to the limit to break through the 4-star barrier.

In fact, it was an injury that would have killed anyone instantly, but Dereck, who since childhood had been resistant to pain and injuries, managed to endure it.

The simple fact that he was walking and moving like that was already strange in itself.

“Lady Denise seems to be the one taking the lead in organizing the Beltus mansion. I’ve already finished arranging my position, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“It breaks my heart to see my beloved disciple in such a wrecked state.”

“I think it would be better if you said that without smiling.”

The servants of the Ravenclaw Barony were completely shocked when the lord of the mansion returned in such a condition.

They immediately brought him into a private room so he could rest, and almost excessively gathered all sorts of medicinal herbs and nutritious food.

Dereck was sitting on the bed, removing the bandages from his arm.

There was too much blood, so they needed to be changed. He could have called a maid, but he had the habit of tending to his own wounds since his mercenary days.

“How does it feel to reach a new realm? Does it drive you crazy?”

“Honestly, it was pretty stimulating. I couldn’t help but laugh a bit, and I felt somewhat embarrassed.”

“Hmm, hmm… I see. Well, I also gained a lot, so it was really a very smooth process.”

Fina was sitting on the windowsill.

To an outside observer it might seem like a dangerous scene, but those who knew her true nature understood there was no point worrying about her.

“So, have you already gotten the hang of summoning magic?”

“Well, I think I understand the principle quite well, but I don’t think I can handle high-level summons. It seems I’m not very compatible with summoning magic.”

“There’s no need to force something that doesn’t work. As I said, you only need a solid enough foundation to apply various types of magic.”

Fina cast a sly look at Dereck with narrowed eyes.

“You’re lucky to have a great master like me. Do you know how long and how much effort it takes even the most talented to break the 4-star barrier?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“…It would be nice if you at least pretended to be annoyed when I tease you, but you’re too boring to joke with.”

Fina sighed and looked back out the window, resting her face on her hand.

The snow that had fallen during the night was piling up. Winter had fully arrived.

“About the archlich that broke into the mansion.”

“Oh, Happy?”

“…?”

“That guy. He was very injured. It feels like just yesterday when I raised him, hugging him and petting him because he was adorable, and now he’s all grown and terrifying…”

Imagining the gigantic lich invading the mansion, dripping blood and cold, anyone would question the meaning of the name.

Dereck decided not to comment.

“He disappeared with the corpse of the Grand Duke Beltus.”

“…Why? Is that a problem?”

Fina, a 6-star necromancer, aimed to perfect advanced corpse resurrection.

Dereck knew she needed the body of a high-level mage for that. But he didn’t quite understand her exact intentions.

So he tried to probe the matter, but surprisingly Fina answered bluntly.

“I plan to resurrect the deceased Kalimford. For that I need quite a lot of things.”

It wasn’t about raising just any corpse.

It was reviving a 6-star mage. It wasn’t something that could be done easily.

“I have a promise with Kalimford. Well, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“…”

Dereck tried to say something else, but stopped.

Every time they mentioned Kalimford, Fina showed a strange, almost nostalgic expression. It didn’t seem like a good idea to poke into that story.

In fact, Fina changed the subject immediately, as if not wanting to dig deeper.

“Well, now that you broke the 4-star barrier, you’ll be even busier. There’s a lot to learn.”

“That’s true, but there are also many things to handle during the winter break at the training center. First I need to visit the Duplain family, so I need to recover quickly.”

“It’s not normal for someone who was at death’s door to be thinking about going out wandering again.”

“I’m very busy.”

Dereck stroked his chin and looked at the large continental map spread over the table.

Each territory and power was briefly summarized, but the information about the southwestern region of the continent needed to be revised completely.

A 4-star mage is equivalent to a semi-master.

To rise further, one had to watch the movements of the noble families around the territory and of the central imperial family.

From that level onward, influence begins to alter the political landscape.

If he ever sought to reach 5 stars, his base of support had to be strengthened.

This was because you never knew when elements like the Grand Duke Beltus would appear, clinging to their privileges and trying to block Dereck.

Understanding that during the recent events, Dereck was determined to roll up his sleeves and build an environment where he could focus entirely on magic.

“There’s a lot to do. I need to polish the new 4-star level, prepare the center’s schedule for the next semester, and fully finalize the alliance system with other families.”

“Ho… alliance?”

“Beltus has taken a huge blow and Duplain is going through a hard time. There’s no more appropriate moment for a major political shift.”

The traditional powers of the southwest had been Duplain, Belmierd, and Beltus.

The new emerging powers were Renwell and Ravenclaw.

Dereck intended to unite those five forces and create a full alliance system.

Nobles are a race obsessed with power and territory; they never unite with each other.

However, Dereck, who had connections with the key figures of each family, had the potential to be the central point.

If the plan worked, Dereck’s position would change completely.

He would gain influence not only in the southwest, but across the entire continent.

Even Emperor Grutell and Kohella would have to take him into account.

If that happened, no foreign force would be able to interfere with him.

‘Then I could focus solely on improving my magic.’

For that, he had to monitor the situations of the allied families.

Belmierd would stand on its own.

The count planned to pass all power to Ellen, so it was not a concern.

Beltus would have to reorganize during winter with the joint effort of Denise, Robenalt, and Orel.

It was difficult to intervene in such a chaotic moment.

In the end, only Duplain remained.

*

“Are you asking for some kind of investment?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of expanding the Ravenclaw training center, but it’s unstable to expand it only with the funds received as subsidies, and the size of the territory is limited, so there are many ambiguous parts.”

Dereck is a man I cannot figure out. That was Leigh’s conclusion.

When they first met, he had come to the Duplain family as a tutor to teach Diella, but by the time Leigh came to his senses, Dereck was already a noble with a title, with a decent territory, and the owner of a large training center.

Then he became a 4-star mage, and one day he suddenly appeared in pieces. Every year, he seemed harder to predict.

In the reception hall of the Duplain mansion, where the restoration work had progressed a little, Dereck was having a serious conversation with the head of the family, Leigh.

“Since we’ve had a connection for quite some time, I’ll speak frankly: the Duplain family is in no position to support or invest in anything. In fact, we’re covering our maintenance expenses with the money Aiselin has earned thanks to her work at the training center. What more could we possibly invest?”

“It doesn’t have to be money. Territory, manpower, authority—there are many things we need.”

Leigh was sitting in the large seat of the family head, listening seriously, and beside him sat Aiselin and Diella.

Several high officials had also entered and were standing at the end of the wall listening to the conversation, but none of them could grasp Dereck’s intentions.

“Sir Dereck. Leigh is right. Actually… from the perspective of the Duplain family… we should already be grateful to the Ravenclaw barony for resolving our urgent financial crisis… we don’t have room to invest more…”

“Well, it’s not a matter of who should be grateful to whom. In the first place, the Ravenclaw barony wouldn’t have been able to operate so efficiently without Miss Aiselin’s help.”

In truth, Aiselin’s contributions to the Ravenclaw barony were impossible to measure with money alone.

Steward Delbriton and Aiselin had both risen to positions that could no longer be excluded from the administration of the territory.

“Getting to the point—after this winter and the start of the next semester, it seems there will be far more students than we can handle. Having risen to the level of a 4-star institution and gained greater prestige, it seems the training center can no longer take in all the applicants.”

“Sir Dereck, then…”

“…It would be better to expand the facilities, yes… turning the training center into something the size of a school or an academy.”

There was a particular weariness on Dereck’s face as he said that.

In fact, running the Ravenclaw training center was a business that greatly raised Dereck’s authority. Managing an institution that hosted and developed talents who would then spread through noble circles—how could that not influence the political scene?

However, he had not expected it to grow this much.

“…Then, that means…”

Aiselin shuddered.

The scale is growing.

Bigger than a center— a school, an academy. More academic buildings.

More students. More investment.

That means more work.

The financial plan would have to be redone, land scouted, the academic building redesigned, staff and maintenance plans prepared.

A monstrous workload.

But suddenly, a spark began to shine in Aiselin’s eyes.

“So many… so many tasks…! So many things to handle…!”

At that strange gleam in her eyes, not only Dereck but also Leigh swallowed hard.

Leigh understood better than anyone how unusual Aiselin had become.

After declaring herself a fallen noble and rolling up her sleeves even for the smallest matters, she had now become a work addict who suffered if she had nothing to do.

Where had the Aiselin gone— the one who used to stroll like a lily through the garden?

Only an industrial soldier dressed in a cute dress remained.

As Leigh lamented that, he also felt a strange emotion—Aiselin looked happy.

“Leigh, Aiselin’s eyes look weird…”

“It’s fine, Diella. You should be used to this by now…”

Even Diella, who in Ebelstein society was a fierce lioness who crushed the atmosphere, was here just the younger sister, sweating coldly as she watched Aiselin get excited at the prospect of excessive work.

“So… you want to build a branch in the Duplain territory too? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Of course, I’ll guarantee sufficient profits. Not only profit distribution… if everything goes well, it will be a great opportunity to revive the weakened Duplain.”

At Dereck’s proposal, Leigh stroked his chin more seriously.

The rapid growth of the Ravenclaw center was already so well-known that no one in Ebelstein ignored it.

Many said that in ten years, it wouldn’t be strange if the social center of the southwest moved from the noble district of Ebelstein to the Ravenclaw barony.

If the Duplain family managed to carve out a place there, there would be no better opportunity.

‘How strange. No matter how I look at it, this only brings benefits to Duplain. There’s not a single reason to refuse.’

Leigh examined the proposal carefully but found nothing negative.

And that was precisely why he was even more worried.

What was Dereck missing to offer so much and roll up his sleeves for the Duplain family?

Dereck had finished his explanation, and now the decision fell to Leigh.

The family head took a deep breath and looked around.

The high officials were mentally calculating profits.

Aiselin and Diella were looking at him with eyes shining with expectation.

These two had already fallen completely to Dereck’s eloquence and ambition.

During Duplain’s darkest times, they had been the only flowers still shining.

If these two defended Dereck in unison, it would be difficult for Leigh to refuse.

“We already owe quite a lot to the Ravenclaw barony, so we can’t reject him.”

Leigh answered firmly, and added.

“However, it would be good if we could have a say in the specific direction of the project. Bringing additional facilities to the Duplain territory requires more consideration.”

“I’ll leave the main matters in the hands of the Duplain family.”

“Alright.”

Aiselin and Diella lit up with joy.

They seemed delighted at the thought of working with Dereck within their territory.

‘…’

Seeing his sisters, Leigh thought seriously.

The flowers of Duplain have already fallen to this young baron.

Leigh, always dedicated to training, had little intuition for such things, but it was impossible not to notice with how obvious it was.

“Dereck, how do we proceed with the concrete plan?”

“Dereck! If we’re going to hold training within the Duplain territory… c-can I attend too, right…? It’s much more useful than those boring philosophy classes at the Rose Hall…”

Watching his sisters speak excitedly to the injured mage.

Leigh felt a chill.

‘…But doesn’t Dereck already have a partner?’

Watching his two sisters with flushed cheeks.

Leigh swallowed hard.

‘They’re walking a thorny path, my poor little sisters…’

He couldn’t decide whether to support them or stop them.

As the expansion plan progressed, Dereck’s workload naturally increased.

Naturally, most of the detailed work would be handled together with Aiselin while he remained in the Duplain mansion.

“Much of the Duplain territory is fertile and has good weather, so it’s suitable for an academic site. But compared to its former glory, the scale has decreased too much—there’s a lot to consider.”

“Miss Aiselin will know the details best. Recommend several suitable candidates.”

“Yes. And regarding staff hiring, I should also review…”

When the meeting with Leigh ended, Aiselin, with a glowing face, began talking excitedly with Dereck about the work.

“…”

The two walked quickly down the corridor, discussing plans.

Behind them, Diella with her luxurious golden hair watched them in silence.

“…”

It had been quite some time since she last saw Dereck.

Since it had been so long, she had prepared her appearance carefully, thinking all night about what topics to talk about.

She couldn’t sleep, fearing her skin would be ruined.

But when they finally met, Dereck only offered her a few formal courtesies and spent the entire day talking about territorial work with Aiselin.

It was natural. Aiselin was a key figure of the training center.

And Dereck had way too much work.

It wasn’t that Diella didn’t understand that— but still, something felt bitter.

While Dereck showed closeness toward her as a mentor, he spoke with depth and seriousness with Aiselin.

That made Diella feel a strange distance.

Aiselin Eleanor Duplain. Her older sister.

The person Diella had always admired, obeyed, and loved more than anyone.

But now, an unfamiliar feeling arose in her— a stab of jealousy.

Suddenly, Diella puffed out her cheeks.

“Boo—”

Just watching silently something inside her simmered with annoyance.

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