Chapter 52 :

Value (6)

Most mages often found themselves consumed by a desire for achievement, wanting to become stronger.

Because it was a field where one could truly feel progress with each step climbed, that sense of growth was something that could intoxicate a person more than any pleasure. Once they tasted it, they would reach out as if bewitched toward an even higher realm—such were the kind called mages.

“....”

That yearning for achievement transcended age and status.

Duke Duplein, born of the most noble lineage, was no exception.

However, a person cannot keep climbing upward forever.

If one strives for a higher realm over a long span of years, eventually, one must collide with the ceiling.

No matter how much Duke Duplein struggled for over ten years, he could not reach the realm of 6-star.

6-star was an extraordinary domain that only those chosen by the heavens among countless human geniuses could reach.

He knew that well, but the fact that, as a mage, there was no more room for achievement sometimes left his heart feeling empty.

‘It really digs right into that part. Indeed, just looking at it makes you want to grab it tightly.’

The warehouse of the Duplein family.

The expression of Duke Duplein, who was standing with his hands behind his back and quietly staring at the staff Valerian had brought back from the White Labyrinth Zone, was not very good.

Sometimes, weapons imbued with mana would harbor ‘malevolence’.

Either some will or ego would dwell within the magic weapon itself, or a certain kind of energy that disturbed the human mind would manifest.

The staff Valerian had brought was like that. He had reported it with a serious expression, so he had wondered what kind of item it was, but he had never imagined it would be such an ominous object.

‘So this is Rozin’s staff, which I had only heard about in rumors. Is it the relic of Rozin, the 5-star Summoning-type mage from before the age of war…? But Rozin is famous for reestablishing the foundations of Summoning Magic, so what in the world is this sinister necromantic energy?’

Rozin’s staff looked as if dried, withered wood had been twisted together.

Around it, a necromantic energy was swirling, and to anyone, it looked more like a relic of a Necromantic-type mage rather than that of a Summoning-type mage.

Necromantic-type magic was a representative taboo, so merely handling it would invite an inquiry from the Imperial Palace.

It felt as if some kind of will dwelling within the staff was whispering to Duke Duplein.

That if he picked it up, he could reach the realm of 6-star, urging him to accept its power and go even higher.

It was not the first time he had seen an item imbued with malevolence. Duke Duplein was not a man who would fall for such cruel whispers.

After roughly releasing mana to suppress the aura dwelling in the staff, he called head maid Katarina and spoke.

“We should send a letter to the Imperial Palace. Rather than keeping it within the Duplein family and ending up at odds with the Imperial Palace, it would be better to report it and transfer the authority over this staff’s disposal to them.”

“I will send an express messenger right away. What should the contents of the letter be?”

“Tell them to dispatch the chief magic advisor.”

He intended to call to the Duplein estate the most senior among the Imperial Palace’s magic advisors, effectively the highest authority in the Empire’s magical field.

The 6-star Transformation-type mage, Kohela Deinart Elvester.

The old fox of the Imperial Palace who held the Empire’s magical history in her grasp, a long-standing member of the Lontel Academy where experts in alchemy gathered, the greatest Transformation-type mage produced by the Elvester Count Family, and the longest-standing rival of Drest Wolftail…. Her career was filled with the word ‘greatest’.

Among them, the most representative position that defined her was only one. The longest-serving magic advisor of the Imperial Palace.

She was such a great mage that even the Emperor himself would go to seek her counsel. Only someone like her would be able to judge how this staff should be handled.

*

The magic training hall, kept as clean as if it were brand new, was one of the places that had received the most care even within Delia’s estate.

Delia had a very strong will toward achievement in magic, and since Derrick, she had honed her realm alone without taking in any magic master.

Respecting Delia’s intentions as she always immersed herself in magic, the servants had resolved to prepare the environment for mastery of magic to the highest level in Ebelstein.

The result was this place. It was a facility far cleaner and better equipped than even the magic training hall next to the Noble Society plaza.

Delia, who had stepped up onto the training platform and was adjusting her clothes, met eyes with Denise, who was standing across from her and smiling demurely, and frowned.

It was Delia’s estate, Delia’s magic training ground, and all around were Delia’s servants.

In effect, everything in this place was arranged for Delia’s sake. From the opponent’s perspective, it could not help but be an uncomfortable environment.

However, Denise showed no sign of caring and was calmly gathering her mana.

‘She has no fear of defeat at all. Could it be that… the letter she sent back then really contained nothing but sincerity?’

Delia was confused.

Denise had said she would deliberately lose the match, so it did not matter what condition was set for the bet.

If her goal really was to hand over Derrick, then from Delia’s perspective it was something she would welcome with open arms. It meant Denise’s words about their interests aligning were not empty.

However, Delia did not let her guard down.

The servants, the Young Ladies of Rosea Salon, and the many rumors circulating around the Noble Society—all said that Denise was exactly as she appeared: kind, elegant, and mature.

Even so, Delia never completely discarded the thought that all of it might be a facade, a trap laid out to crush the arrogant Delia’s pride.

To outsiders, it might seem excessive how wary she was, but Delia was not the type to trust people easily.

It had taken her over ten years to open her heart even to the members of the Duplein family. For an outsider to gain her complete trust was nearly impossible.

“I hope this will be a good match. To be able to cross spells with Young Lady Delia, who is said to have free-flowing use of mana and a lofty realm of magic, is a great honor for me.”

“Yes, me too.”

Answering carelessly while gathering mana, Delia shook her head.

Either way, it would be settled once they clashed. When it came to magic duels, Delia had confidence.

No matter what, she just had to not lose.

–Whoosh!

Ding!

When a servant rang a bell decorated with pretty roses, tension spread over the platform.

It was the sound announcing that the magic duel between the two Young Ladies had begun. It was a simple practice match, but a duel with the pride of two families and a great reward at stake.

Delia wanted Derrick.

She wanted to receive guidance once more from that master who had awakened her to the path of magic when she was young and wandering.

She was a genius Wild School mage born in the Duplein family, which was like the heart of the Discipline School.

Despite that paradoxical background, she had honed her magic in her own way. Derrick would surely have reached a far higher realm than in her childhood, so she would be able to learn even more. Just imagining it made her heart race.

Moreover, Derrick was also a person born with outstanding ability as an aide.

He was not bound by status, always tried to see the essence of situations, and did not hesitate to speak frankly.

If she could keep someone like Derrick by her side in this Ebelstein High Society, which was like walking on thin ice, there could be no better weapon.

“I won’t let this drag on.”

That was why Delia gathered her mana with full sincerity, intending to end the duel quickly.

The mana she had first manifested was specialized in ice magic infused with cold energy.

Later, the Wild School spells she had researched while staying in the annex were mostly plant-related, and under Derrick’s influence, she had also begun to gradually open her eyes to Illusion-type magic.

Even though she was much younger than the other Young Ladies, when it came to magic itself, she had become so proficient that there were hardly any who could match her.

–Whoosh!

Gigantic ice spears rose up around Delia.

They were larger, more twisted, and more sharply honed than when she had first manifested them.

Then, huge thorny vines sprang up from the ground and lunged to entangle the opponent, and all kinds of miscellaneous Illusion Magic that made it difficult to detect the flow of mana began to cover the training ground.

‘She’s using multiple incantations so naturally. At that age.’

Denise admired Delia’s appearance as she unleashed all kinds of magic in such a short moment.

She had heard that this young mage had honed herself purely through self-study since Derrick left.

To wield multiple incantations at that level at such a young age was no common feat.

Denise quickly stepped back, spun around once, and adjusted her stance. Her skirt flared like petals, and her mana was released in an instant.

It was impossible to block all of Delia’s barrage of magic.

To be honest, she had no intention of blocking it from the start.

–Crash! Bang! Thump! Boom!

Countless spells collided, and Denise’s defensive magic manifested, making it seem as if the match might end there.

However, when the dust cloud that had bloomed once cleared, Denise’s body was perfectly fine.

Still clutching her dress hem and wearing an elegant smile, she had not been hit by a single spell.

Delia frowned.

Rather than defending against Delia’s magic, Denise had chosen to evade it all.

Evading all those spells was reckless. It was like saying she would walk through a torrential downpour without getting a single drop of water on her clothes.

Yet, she stood there with her posture composed, and even the tip of her dress was perfectly fine.

It was as if she had foreseen exactly where every spell would pass. This only meant that Delia was unilaterally wasting mana.

‘Her mana sense is insanely good, isn’t it? Did she practice mana detection all day?’

Delia had heard that when it came to Search-type magic, Denise had no peer among Young Ladies of her age.

Moreover, the mana sense she had trained to the extreme together with Derrick over the past few months made it so she did not even flinch amid the chaotic spells.

Looking at her relaxed body, it almost felt as if the duel had not even begun yet.

Delia swallowed dry saliva.

Once again, she keenly realized that this Young Lady Denise was also Derrick’s disciple.

She was now facing a mage whom Derrick had personally taught.

Since Derrick had begun to make a name for himself in Ebelstein High Society, rumors about his disciples were also abundant.

They said that if he taught someone seriously, they would hone an extreme mana sense that could not be touched even by ordinary 1-star magic.

In reality, because Derrick drove people to their limits and pushed their mana relentlessly, if one did not keep their mind straight, their whole body would be drained of strength. He was a ruthless man who did not go easy even if the opponent was a noble Young Lady.

As for Young Lady Denise, who had endured Derrick’s training for months, it seemed she was already reading the flow of mana the moment Delia used any spell.

Her expression, still just smiling faintly, looked full of composure.

‘With ordinary methods, I can’t even touch her.’

Delia had to think for a moment.

Soon, Denise’s counterattack would come. After evading once, she would need to use more advanced Illusion-type magic to block Denise’s evasive maneuvers.

The exchange of spells repeated several times.

Each time, Denise avoided all of Delia’s magic with gentle movements, each gesture as elegant and beautiful as a dancer’s.

“Huff… huff…”

On the other hand, Delia, who was in a position where she could only waste mana unilaterally, gradually began to run out of breath.

Even decent Illusion-type magic was all nullified, ice spears were smashed immediately by Mana Arrow or avoided after their trajectories were all predicted.

The thorny vines rising from the ground and the blooming Fire Wall all failed to even brush Denise, only wasting mana in vain.

Meanwhile, Denise was not even using large-scale magic, but was establishing the exchange with just a few simple spells.

It was like a skilled person wielding a dagger easily controlling a warrior with a Greatsword.

Delia clenched her teeth and glared at Denise. However, Denise still only showed a graceful smile.

Delia ground her teeth.

Certainly, Denise was someone who had pushed her mana sense to the extreme under Derrick’s teaching, but she was not the only Young Lady who had received his instruction.

–Whoosh!

When Delia stretched out her foot and stomped hard on the platform, cold energy began to spread from there and cover the area.

Without even using a simple incantation, she began to freeze the entire platform.

At the aftermath of the suddenly exploding mana, Denise also had no choice but to step back and watch the situation.

–Swoosh!

Handling mana in a free and unrestrained way without being bound by rules was almost the exclusive domain of Wild School mages.

One had to sacrifice some firepower or performance, but in return, it produced results that the opponent could not even anticipate.

When one came to their senses, the platform was covered in ice.

She had changed the environment itself to restrict Denise’s evasive maneuvers.

When Denise looked around with a more serious gaze, Delia stomped her foot once more.

–Thump!

–Crackle!

Countless ice pillars rose up centered on that small foot and then advanced toward Denise to engulf her.

Denise quickly manifested mana and formed a barrier. She succeeded in blocking Delia’s magic, but the impact remained, and she nearly fell backward.

“Looks like you can’t dodge this one?”*

Delia’s blond hair, covered in cold-infused mana, was floating in the air.

At some point, she had even dropped the polite honorifics. Delia was completely heated up and only thinking about knocking Denise down.

“You say you’ll lose on purpose, but then you’re working so hard to dodge spells—it’s ridiculous. Is that how you’ve been playing the role of a Young Lady in Ebelstein High Society with such petty tricks?”

They were words deliberately meant to provoke the opponent. Saying such nonsense to a Young Lady of the Beltus family made all the nearby servants swallow their breaths.

Denise rubbed her chin for a moment and fell into thought. Since it was indeed Denise who had changed her words as easily as flipping her palm, she did not particularly feel wronged.

“Hoo… hoo… grrr…”

White breath poured from Delia’s mouth. Though summer was just around the corner, only midwinter cold lingered in the training ground.

If she kept her mouth shut, Delia might look like a very cute girl, but she was always like this, grinding her teeth and glaring at her opponent.

When people saw Delia growling like that, most nobles would lose their nerve.

However, someone like Denise did not particularly lose her nerve even to Delia’s momentum.

–Thump!

–Crackle!

Each time Delia stomped on the ground again, rows of rising ice pillars came crashing toward Denise.

Denise quickly manifested Flame Arrow to melt the surrounding ice, and used defensive magic to block the spells. However, unlike when she was evading efficiently, her mana consumption had increased greatly.

Each time they exchanged spells like that, Delia gradually closed the distance.

At close range, spells slammed in directly made prediction and Search-type magic meaningless. She intended to approach right up to Denise and finish the duel.

“I knew from the start that you were only this much. That’s why I accepted the duel, knowing it all.”

Delia, approaching with cold energy swirling around her, was truly like a queen who ruled winter.

The power of each ice pillar flying toward Denise was becoming more destructive with every moment.

Delia’s mana, consumed by anger, seemed ready to pierce the sky.

“Honestly, I don’t care how petty, despicable, or dirty the insides of someone calling herself a Young Lady of the Beltus family might be. I didn’t come to Ebelstein to play networking games and seek comfort anyway.”

Delia’s flashing eyes were like a beast that had spotted its prey in a midwinter snowfield.

The raging cold made those facing her feel fear.

“So, whether you play house at Rosea Salon and talk about power or not, I don’t care at all…. Just hand over Derrick.”

Just leave Derrick behind and go. Then whatever happens afterward is none of her concern.

Having conveyed that to Denise, she released her mana.

Denise quietly looked at Delia.

Her neat silver-gray hair was fluttering in the aftermath of the mana surging from Delia’s body.

She could easily guess why this girl Delia was so desperate to take Derrick away.

Surely, she was longing for the days when she had received Derrick’s teaching. In truth, Derrick was the type of man who would casually intrude into someone else’s life, change its direction to the right one as he pleased, and then leave without even taking credit.

A strange, incomprehensible man.

When he saw Denise sitting down in boredom with magic, he tried to get her back on her feet even if he had to push her from behind.

The inner circumstances of a high noble family were like an unavoidable natural disaster.

But that man, who made a nonchalant face as if none of that was a problem, was truly someone who knew how to toy with people’s hearts.

If you underestimate a drizzle, you end up soaked to the bone…

She realized that she had come to take for granted the gesture of that man who had grabbed her wrist and dragged her along. A self-mocking smile escaped her, but her pride was not particularly hurt.

Whenever the image of that deep-thinking white-haired boy, sitting in the dim art storage and bringing up the contents of the draft novels that even Denise herself was embarrassed about, came to mind, she could not help but think.

That without this man, things would feel quite empty.

“Ahaha.”

That was why Denise raised the corner of her mouth and laughed in front of Delia.

It was not the polite and elegant smile typical of noble Young Ladies that she had shown until now.

“Ahaha. Hahaha… ahahahaha.”

That smile, which could be taken as frank or as meaningful, looked as if she were mocking Delia.

Her flashing gaze, just as sharp as Delia’s cold eyes, was so different from her usual angelically kind impression that it pressed down on the opponent.

Even Delia, who had been radiating murderous intent, stopped in her tracks for a moment.

The little lioness was baring her teeth at Denise, threatening her to leave Derrick behind.

Looking at such an opponent, Denise spoke without wiping the smile from her face.

“So what?”

At that moment, the thread supporting Delia’s reason snapped with a twang.