Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 5: Duplain (2)

Those who saw Dereck for the first time in the mercenary world always wore a puzzled expression.

Too young, yes, but despite his youthful appearance, he was well-equipped and seemed far too kind.

Young or kind.

In this world, either of those traits would usually get you stabbed in the back and left for dead. Yet Dereck’s face showed both.

How a young and kind-looking boy could survive in the mercenary world was a mystery to anyone.

But there was a clear truth—Dereck had lived as a mercenary since childhood, and yet there was no weariness in his eyes. That meaning could only be understood by joining Dereck on the battlefield.

—Thump! Thud!

—Kiekk!

A goblin struck by a first-tier magic arrow spat black blood and collapsed in the middle of the forest.

On the narrow path through the forest toward Ebelstain, on the edge of Duke Duplain’s territory.

With a longsword in his right hand, Dereck slashed through and split the snout of the grotesque creature, spraying blood onto his face.

In the midst of it all, a bleeding, one-armed goblin lunged at him. Dereck dodged the axe with a step back and, grabbing the goblin’s face, released his full strength.

—Fzzzzzt!

—Kiekk!

As the goblin screamed in surprise, Dereck quickly drew the dagger from the sheath on his thigh and stabbed it into its neck.

Red blood splashed, filling his vision, and the metallic smell flooded the air, but not a flicker of emotion crossed Dereck’s face.

Not because he was cold like a machine. Rather, he maintained the same kind and earnest look he had in the tavern. Only the blood on his body heightened the dissonance. This boy didn’t hesitate to take a life. For him, it was as routine and natural as eating or sleeping.

“Is anyone hurt?”

With his sword now clean, he asked kindly, his body covered in goblin blood. Goblin limbs lay scattered around him. Melvin, who had been guarding the carriage, gulped unconsciously.

It wasn’t unusual for a hardened mercenary to hack monsters to pieces without a second thought.

But seeing a boy his age casually soaked in blood, asking such a question with a weary expression, was unsettling. In an era where magic was the exclusive domain of the nobility, this boy was a street-raised mage.

It was a scene anyone could instinctively sense—unlike the flowers protected in greenhouses.

*

“Traveling with Dereck definitely makes things easier. Spotting enemies with search magic, and taking them down from afar—it’s not hard.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but you know the boss handled eighty percent of those monsters.”

“Tsk… You’ve got no sense of humor. You should learn to enjoy being praised.”

Jayden clicked his tongue and patted Dereck on the shoulder.

“….”

Melvin, who had been rude back in the tavern, seemed quieter on the return trip. As Jayden had guessed, the task given by the mysterious trio from the duchy turned out to be extremely simple.

By sunset, there were no monsters in sight, and they were able to board the carriage back to Ebelstain.

“I must admit your work is commendable.”

Melvin still wore a grim expression, but finally gave a high compliment. Jayden, smiling with satisfaction, sat back in the carriage and cleaned the blood from his sword.

“Your praise is too generous. Now that your concern is resolved, please pay the remaining balance.”

“Understood.”

The advance was one gold coin, and the final payment was two more.

Considering most extermination requests paid only a few silver coins, it was a payout sure to bring a smile.

Grinning broadly, Jayden tossed the gold coin into his leather pouch.

“Nice work, Dereck. When we get back to the tavern, I’ll give you your share.”

Dereck, leaning back in his seat, nodded indifferently and gazed out at the sunset. Though not particularly tired, the fatigue from using magic still lingered.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the carriage wall, trying to rest.

“You seem to handle a good variety of first-tier magic.”

But the inspector, still wearing her hood, spoke to Dereck. It was the first time she had initiated conversation all day. Her voice was clear, with a hint of youth, but Dereck answered without much interest, keeping his reclined posture.

“I’ve learned a bit of everything. Being versatile helps when you’re a mercenary trying to survive.”

“You said you’re sixteen? Not much older than me. That’s impressive.”

Dereck glanced sideways and noticed that Melvin, the old man, and Delia the maid had swallowed dryly.

They seemed wary of the trainee inspector. Their hesitant attitude showed discomfort with Dereck’s casual approach to the conversation. Dereck was also surprised inside. The girl had revealed she was his age.

To be honest, Dereck had assumed she was at least of age, given her extremely mature demeanor.

“How did you learn magic?”

“By picking it up on the streets while trying to survive.”

“You haven’t even had your coming-of-age ceremony, have you? It’s amazing that you can handle multiple first-tier spells.”

The question was odd. Dereck felt uneasy but acted indifferent.

‘He hasn’t had his coming-of-age ceremony…’

Commoners rarely held such elaborate ceremonies.

“I can manage about three or four first-tier spells.”

“Three is three, and five is five… but saying ‘about three or four’ is a little strange.”

While still reclined, Dereck saw the inspector smile faintly under her hood.

“You know more than that, don’t you?”

“….”

“There’s no need to hide it. I’m genuinely curious. It’s incredible that someone your age can handle magic to that degree.”

Dereck’s mentor, Katia, used to say that exceptional talent could attract the hostility of nobles.

The inspector was clearly connected to one of the top magical families—the ducal house of Duplain. Dereck felt it was best not to reveal his full capabilities.

“My vagueness is because I didn’t follow the common magic academy route—the Regulated Academy.”

“Oh?”

“I’m from the Wild Academy. While the Regulated Academy strictly categorizes magic systems and standards, the Wild Academy is somewhat separate from that.”

Dereck sat up and began to speak seriously.

When the topic of magical factions came up, the hooded girl’s eyes sparkled with fascination.

“The Wild faction, you say?”

“It’s been a long time since the aristocratic Regulated faction became mainstream, but research into unconventional magical factions continues.”

Dereck’s magic mentor, Katia, had also been a mage of the Regulated faction, but Dereck himself had broken free of that discipline.

When he had to choose a faction after learning magic from the old man, Dereck had chosen the Wild faction.

“The Wild faction focuses on the practical use of mana and magic needed for immediate survival, not on rules and regulations. The kind of magic used on unpredictable roads full of adventure is their specialty—they’re experts at improvising mana usage based on the situation.”

“I’ve heard of mages who use magic from that perspective, but it’s the first time I’ve met one.”

“Well, it’s not like I use high-level magic… I’m just talking theory. Like I said, I’m just a one-star mage from a commoner background.”

Dereck tried to downplay himself, but the inspector, still wrapped in her cloak, was full of curiosity.

She seemed deeply interested in magic. That instinct surprised him.

“Of course, the aristocratic Regulated faction’s magic is the most researched and developed. There’s a reason why the unconventional ones remain as such.”

“But there must be a reason why you, Dereck, chose the path of the Wild faction, right? May I ask what it is?”

Why was she so interested in something like this? The interview-like atmosphere was awkward, but since the other party had paid a large sum of money, it was hard to be rude.

Considering the job had been too easy for the amount received, he thought it might be better to see this as part of the service.

With that in mind, Dereck gathered mana in his hand.

“Since you seem to know a bit about magic, let me explain it simply—it’s because magic is useful for survival.”

As Dereck gathered mana in his hand, a small flame began to burn in his palm.

The flame, materialized with mana, burned in the air without any fuel. For those unfamiliar with magic, it would have been an extraordinary sight, but anyone with a bit of magical knowledge would recognize it as a rather low-level use of mana.

Neither Melvin nor the maid Delia showed any surprise at the flame. If they worked in the Duplain ducal house, they must have seen prodigies like this many times.

However, the girl known as the inspector looked at Dereck’s fire with wide eyes.

“Oh?”

Even though she had likely seen magic like this countless times in her noble house, the girl watched Dereck’s flame as if it were something strange.

“…It seems the mana release process is quite simple, isn’t it?”

‘Can this girl see mana?’

Dereck was inwardly surprised by her comment. She could sense the flow of mana. In other words, she herself was at least a one-star mage.

“Yes. In the Regulated Faction, the process of using mana is divided into four stages—recognition, extraction, manipulation, and manifestation. But the Wild Faction doesn’t draw such clear distinctions. The process is unified and relies more on feeling.”

“…Do you always use magic like this?”

“Yes. It has its advantages, but of course, also its drawbacks. If I explained every detail, the story would be too long…”

Dereck didn’t want to elaborate further here. After all, this was just a brief encounter. He tried to keep it concise, eager to return to his rest.

“In short, just understand that the field of magic is a bit different,” he said.

Differences in schools of thought aren’t easily sliced apart with a knife.

Wrapping it up roughly like that, Dereck leaned back against the wall of the carriage again.

To the nobility, he was just a one-star mage. For those who lived among four- and five-star mages, a one-star prodigy from an unconventional school was little more than a trivial talent.

With that in mind, Dereck closed his eyes tightly, trying to shake off his exhaustion, but…

In the girl’s eyes watching him, there was a peculiar sparkle.

*

He thought he’d never see the strange trio of attendants again, but the following week, they returned to the tavern.

The request was similar. Monsters had reappeared on the borders of the Duke’s territory.

They were lavish people. Naturally, Jayden responded with a wide grin. However, since the condition was to bring a mage again, Dereck had no choice but to follow them.

So they hunted monsters, parted ways, and the next week they came back with another request… The cycle repeated.

Each time, they killed members of the Ayn tribe, and on the way back to the carriage, they’d share casual chats about the current state of the world or about magic—just small talk to avoid awkward silences.

However, they were always diligent in slaying monsters.

Goblins, trolls, kobolds… Dangerous enemies for the inexperienced, but not much of a threat if handled carefully by seasoned mercenaries.

After several trips through the Duke’s lands dealing with border monsters, they had earned a considerable amount of money.

Jayden spent his days cheerfully singing, and Dereck, after receiving his share, was satisfied. Money always spoke the loudest.

They enjoyed quality meat, well-maintained gear, and lived in relative comfort.

“After seeing your monster-hunting skills, I’m sure your experience is trustworthy. This time, the Duke’s lands are offering fifteen Aydel gold coins.”

“Fifteen gold coins? Did I hear that right?”

Aydel coins, the most commonly used currency in Ebelstain, could buy a room full of fresh-baked bread with just one gold coin.

Fifteen coins could, without exaggeration, replace the entire tavern building with a brand-new one.

“Hahaha, you’ve got a generous heart! Are the monsters tougher this time? Don’t worry! The Beldern Mercenary Group has shown how clean our work is over the past two months! Give us enough prep time and we’ll even bring you the head of a hellspawn demon! Hahaha!”

Jayden’s face was glowing—clearly pleased. It was rare to see an old man so delighted, but thinking about the reward heading his way, Dereck couldn’t help but swallow hard.

He had heard stories of noble extravagance but never imagined it would go this far.

“This request is a bit different from the usual ones. But as always, you’ll need to accompany us in the carriage.”

“Yes, the carriage is ready. We’re no longer strangers, are we? Hahaha.”

“Then, let me formally introduce myself.”

“We’re already close! Haha! Why so formal now? Please, treat me casually! Let’s keep it friendly!”

“I’m Delron, the steward of House Duplain.”

Jayden’s warm and friendly smile froze. Melvin had been a false name.

Dereck had already suspected they were using lower status identities. But what did revealing them now mean?

Before he could gather his thoughts, the maid beside the steward bowed her head as well.

“I’m Katarina, the estate manager of the duchy.”

Not a mere envoy, but the steward. Not a kitchen maid, but the estate manager.

The steward was the third-highest rank among servants, and the estate manager ranked just below in a great house.

They were the leaders of the staff, who usually never left the estate. People who earned in a few months what commoners made in decades.

And the girl who had pretended to be an inspector gently lowered her hood and spoke with an elegant smile.

“Aiselin Eleanore Duplain.”

Her eyes were soft but resolute, with a clear purity to them. That bright gaze was directed at Dereck.

The girl who looked directly at him spoke with an indescribable dignity, as always.

“….”

“My goodness.”

The girl, watching Dereck in silence, added softly,

“…Aren’t you surprised?”

He should be.

But Dereck had already suspected her true identity.

He knew but pretended not to know about her exceptional status. Dereck had only thought about completing the job and collecting his gold coins.

Now, why had they revealed their status first?

The reason was clear.

“If you don’t mind, would you accompany us to House Duplain?”

House Duplain was one of the three most prestigious noble families in the entire empire. The girl spoke with utmost courtesy and grace, but Dereck had no right to refuse.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet