Chapter 142: How the Sun Rises (2)
3OM1A long darkness had fallen over the Duplain family.AUcdpy
lzP6It was a succession of nights that seemed to have no end.PQn
zyxLeigh, the next heir of the crumbling family, was sitting in the dark family office, letting out a deep sigh from time to time.UZBjm4W
R1tThe night was long.gCFNHwY
TDkWhen would sunlight reach this corner so dark?Frk47
5wC7It was an uncertain time.o5Fspk
uCAq***4Xa
FK7“A new 4-star mage has emerged.”OfTG
uLEUM“Is it the eldest son of the Grodel family in the south? From what I heard, his progress was rather slow.”sVmqd
7i5“No, he is from the Ravenclaw barony, in the southwest of the continent.”k2vMj
0tV9bThe royal magic adviser, Kohella, who had been flipping through the books left behind by the great mage Adelbert, set the book aside for a moment and frowned.avO
gTZThe personal research chamber of the chief magic adviser of the Imperial Palace of Gremfort, known as the heart of the continent.mQxF
E0Ze8When one of her most loyal subordinates, Roen, reported that, the wrinkled corners of Kohella’s lips drooped.As26R
E8AQn“It’s a surname unfamiliar to me.”mVQl
dPx“He is someone who recently received a title from Lord Melverot himself. He is a lord who governed the region of Rodellen in the southwest of the continent, and I understand he celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony not too long ago.”n5V
JFp“…Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw?”MHB
lz4djh“Yes, you remember correctly.”HLCNE
3MmLKohella, well-versed in the noble affairs of the continent, remembered the name of the one who recently received a title.aN8U4Xy
J4q3mn6She did not remember every person with weak power, but she remembered Dereck’s name because he was under the protection of Lord Melverot, a 6-star combat mage.F4TgJGH
G9L1EkThe ruler of the north, who rarely stepped in to protect anyone, had actively granted him a title, so his name stuck with her.3p7L
jz9J6From what she knew, Dereck was the magic instructor of Melverot’s most beloved daughter, Siern, so she had not paid much attention to him.WcC4muz
Si8yDIt was common for renowned nobles to secure useful magic instructors by offering all kinds of incentives.Zcxz
8NVOLqHowever, it was a bit surprising that even Melverot, known as a lone wolf, would go so far to support the magic instructor in charge of his daughter’s education.fHeHBx
jIu7LRv“Hmm…”D3iJb
jbkSBKohella thought for a moment, resting her chin on her hand. She felt she had heard his name in one more context.wz5
1dYWith her excellent memory, she quickly found the source of that déjà vu.VzqtM
ooMlRHe was the one who protected the nobles when the Duplain family became entangled with necromancy. His contributions had carried significant weight toward him being granted a title.5ve0kZ
NTG936jFurthermore, his name resurfaced because he was apparently involved in the great incident at the Beltus mansion.ojE6FNs
DAx‘Too many coincidences to call it mere chance.’XB30n
YuvTWrOnly a few years had passed since his coming of age, and he had already risen to a 4-star mage. The significance of that fact was enormous.2HBvZN
JcbAvAs far as Kohella knew, only two people on the continent had reached magical advancement so quickly—Melverot and Drest.sgC
ZfMIt was an extraordinary achievement, any way one looked at it.GOL5d
8IwO‘If the imperial family awards him a merit medal and announces it, it will cause a major uproar. It would be good to meet him before that happens.’MsEZ6y
ARhBA 4-star mage was practically equivalent to a quasi-lord.BA8RP
B8XvhWhen a mage reached that level, the imperial family personally verified their numbers and sent them a merit medal to acknowledge their magical accomplishments.ZiTDU
mkPs5FOf course, the merit medal carried multiple meanings.pasgaKx
6BiIt implied that, from that point on, they would be placed under strict imperial supervision and should not act recklessly.SkBI
UxxYOi“Even though the political situation in the southwest is chaotic, the appearance of another quasi-lord mage is significant. I will have to visit the Ebelstein area soon and review what happened in the Beltus mansion.”5DY
aDICBAKohella let out a small laugh.2saM0S
ggyunThat woman was obsessed with magic.QnUR7
z8IHer desire was so intense that she had twisted even taboos and moral codes in her pursuit of knowledge, to a point ordinary people could not even conceive.RTcBw
yO9cFeeling she had found a kindred spirit for the first time in a long while, she smiled even more sinisterly.DBniR
nT4FKtx***Z6C
GylIn the noble district of Ebelstein, centered around the Rose Hall, news of major political shifts spread.GzuGM6
PwodThere were two main pieces of news.hkeqOse
XSfJThe first was the fall of the Beltus family, and the second was the rise of two emerging families.mJMT
tcaTJMSThe three traditionally influential families of the southwest were Duplain, Beltus, and Belmierd.YUOhe
FSKHowever, while Duplain and Beltus staggered due to necromancy, the Renouel family, led by the heroine of Rodentz Island, was on the rise.l06hy4
zpegAnd the next name mentioned was the Ravenclaw Barony.92Zbc
qvAIbytThe baronial family of the remote region of Rodellen, which produced a 4-star mage—a quasi-lord-level mage—was not originally influential enough to alter the political landscape, but the fact that its leader, Baron Dereck, was a commoner from the slums was shocking.C4R
IUa“Did you hear? It seems the title of the Ravenclaw Barony will be elevated even further.”69fyzo
PNZLV5J“They say His Majesty Gruttel mentioned his name personally—truly surprising.”6NbSOiK
wQbIn the academic debate hall of Elfontaine Hall, where a meeting of the Rose Hall was being held, two noble young ladies whispered to each other.k8Rd
9yZYRUThe youngest of the Duplain family, Diella Katherine Duplain, was sitting in a corner with a sulky expression, resting her chin on her hand, listening silently to their gossip.sV0B
fa4gThe fame of the magic instructor Dereck had long been well established.RI1V
lwpPAThe Ravenclaw training center he founded was flourishing, and the young nobles who learned magic from him were showing evident progress.cqlcms
mVgcSince Dereck had risen from the bottom solely through magical achievement, the theories he taught were also easy to understand and efficient.8yVT8
sDUTherefore, his rise to the rank of 4-star mage and becoming a figure important enough to attract royal attention inevitably led to an even higher evaluation.72G
x4xEPY“I heard the Ravenclaw training center is in recess, but once spring arrives and the weather improves, they’ll surely accept new students.”dKIQIDx
Smu0H“I already talked to my mother. Although there’s much to learn in the Rose Hall gatherings, I think I should also attend the center’s classes if I want to improve my magical fundamentals.”prUoNhN
UzToLTNo matter what was said, the social center of the southwest was the noble district of Ebelstein, and its most prestigious academic circle was the Rose Hall.H1SllNY
O3DwEven so, among the young noblewomen of the hall, several were already interested in enrolling in Dereck’s training center.Gm2BY
Q0ZcdTrends appeared in an instant, and if you fell behind, you were left behind.ilb5Rf2
YLf7ZjnSince the opening of the training center, Derek had accepted many students, but only four could be considered his direct disciples.UVoGt
xyRAnd at this point, those four were seen as Dereck’s greatest accomplishments.KhtOn2
ySf1XYDiella of Duplain.Pr4CCw
XgXbolEllen of Belmierd.WDaXV
7MKDenise of Beltus.tCXX
VLLSiern of Rochester.T7hq9
D0k2Each was so exceptional that it was easy to predict that Dereck, with his deep teacher-disciple relationship with them, would hold considerable influence over the southwestern nobility in the future.Dqog
RFme2wIn short, it was a sign that authority was beginning to form behind Dereck’s actions.h4Okb
jqdAnd the ones most sensitive to this were the young ladies of the Ebelstein noble district.I7H8
2WVkkv“U-um… Lady Diella.”cSN
b32ZPerhaps because of that influence, some absurd changes were indeed happening around Diella.TOh
Gw1“I-I’m very sorry about the other day… Lady Diella…”cBAdN
5B7“…”jcLdAC
94uYsWhen Diella looked at her with a growling expression, one of the young noble ladies who had previously fought with her approached and bowed her head awkwardly.7TBf
Mr3CLdzFor a moment, Diella could only furrow her brow in confusion.5MUV
QyjWBrMIn truth, she had clashed with so many young noblewomen that she couldn’t remember all of them. She even struggled to recall why she had become enemies with this particular one.qv5cq
pwKHSupreme and self-centered. There was no better phrase to describe Diella.8KA4
HfgQIn the noble district of Ebelstein, the only people capable of controlling this young lioness were Aiselin and Dereck.B9mlEr
bHTlaBoth were busy, so there was no one to restrain this rampaging tyrant.LHj7
0rtYRmFrom trivial power struggles, to fights over seats in the hall, to childish pranks—Diella had never lost to the insistent stares of young noblewomen who dared challenge her. As a result, she had accumulated numerous enemies.SiSUJda
wq63YBut one day, when she least expected it, the most arrogant and dominant girl of the group was bowing her head before her.xQ0G
zgeg“I-I think… I misunderstood Lady Diella back then…”3jotOoZ
Jf4uXK“…What are you plotting?”2kh
iCUZPhq“I-I’m not plotting anything. It’s just… I wanted to gather the courage to clear up the misunderstanding and… maintain a good relationship from now on…”x28azz
z8QtJust by looking at her, Diella radiated the impression of a growl.9sB
xmTOFierce, uncontrollable, with an aura that said she might bare her fangs at any moment.eFrY
ekskShe was a rabid dog who wouldn’t hesitate to throw tea at someone or slap them if something displeased her.I9Rcp
rqdIppAnd yet, trembling, the young lady with her head bowed didn’t move from her spot.YqtixF9
XpISeeing that, Diella slowly began to understand. There had to be a reason why the noble young ladies of Ebelstein—the most obsessed with social hierarchy—were bowing their heads like this.hhaZ
0oR3nmx‘She must want to establish a connection with Dereck.’eNhA5
CWy4eXqDereck was someone who devoted himself to teaching magic in detail to each student of the training center, but he treated his four direct disciples with special care.Yie
fDNXExHe taught them more than magic; he imparted wisdom, values, direction—they seemed to receive from him more than anyone else could.I1I
o0JjEnduring a bit of humiliation, if it allowed them to become his direct disciples, seemed worth it.cwvW8
XJ6XDLk“…”oQy84
izmHyBut it was obvious that the beast called Diella would not respond well to such transparent attempts.f9eiXWX
FiZmsDiella smiled faintly, but a cross-shaped vein bulged on her forehead.A86
Zrkie2FShe placed her hands on the shoulders of the young lady who kept her head lowered and whispered in her ear:rfBHTnp
rbKHz2A“Do you want to die?”3zNzEO
1mj“…”BwBI4
aQwIYP“Did you think I was going to laugh and say sure just because you did something so obvious? Do you think I’m going to introduce you to Dereck?”FWW
NS2The truly pitiful part was that Diella was not the generous type of person who would introduce Dereck to other girls.QBn9q
Mys6yTo be honest, she herself was frustrated that she couldn’t see him as much as she wanted because of her duties, and such provocations only irritated her more.pRo
cswEmT“You knocked on the wrong door and by a lot. But seeing your humble attitude, I’ll say it kindly. Could you get lost, please?”GggPAc7
dekWith an empty laugh, she walked out of the hall.1DsR5Yn
cKawDiella scoffed while she crossed the corridor of Elfontaine Hall.bkuMu
iIJIn any case, it seemed that more and more people wanted to get close to Dereck.utjGd6
bVfe6ouThe safest way would be to connect with his four direct disciples, but at least Diella had no intention whatsoever of acting as a gatekeeper.8uj0KA9
ypLShe wasn’t the least bit interested in helping anyone.r4Cu
7jAlQhC***rJbx
v0CiThey say no flower lasts ten days, and indeed, no one knew what turns life could take.5qW37X
dbZIn recent years, the political situation in the southwest had been extremely turbulent.UngR
T9DSeoEven the Duplain family, which once aspired to dominate the world, wavered, and now even Beltus found itself with an uncertain future.C584
OZgOf course, time had passed since the great misfortune of the Duplain family, so their power had shrunk a lot compared to before, and they seemed to be entering a stage of decline, although they had managed to stabilize a bit.EmZ
ktIjybbThey say even a wealthy family endures at least three generations.Xl77
ucBeMd1They sold part of their assets, asked for help from their collateral branches, and with that, they seemed to endure better than expected.oVrjI
5O9LfrsEven so, the size of the mansion and the number of servants were reduced to less than half, and their territory had been devoured by peripheral nobles. Their former greatness was only a memory.TvfD
ZykhLeigh, who inherited the position of head of the family, did his best, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the trend of slow decline.qRw6U
mR0Thus, Duplain would slowly sink until disappearing from historical records.LYmx9
STn1jpThat was what most nobles predicted.sDkfykt
9LgJQ7Until Aiselin rolled up her sleeves.G6DV
hH4dSiO“Hello, brother. I earned some money.”q3pSFq
CeUb“…”2X5eWzs
MoiGuLAfter inheriting the position of head of the family and formally starting to lead the senior servants, Leigh stared silently at Aiselin, who was dropping several leather pouches filled with gold coins onto the desk.YIAjyP
x62n“This is my share of the operational profits from the Ravenclaw Training Center, and this is part of my personal tutoring fees. They paid me in high-purity Altram gold coins, but I’ll have to exchange them to use them in Ebelstein.”CVc
rKiYC“…”b1Bi
zaK2Cq“With this we can cover all the food expenses for the servants next month, and we can also fully pay the restoration costs of the mansion that we covered with bonds. We already repaid the money our relatives lent us last month so it would be good to replenish the soldiers’ equipment and reclaim the artworks we left as collateral.”BMA
q2LAiselin had always worked hard at the Ravenclaw Training Center.uBO1h4
lU6When she began to bring small amounts of money to help the family, Leigh was on the verge of tears.QCo
F3ELeigh, who had been withering in apathy, came back to himself upon seeing Aiselin working so hard to revive the Duplain family, saving every last silver coin.0iD
hkid“It’s not much, but I want to do more for Duplain. I think someday, brother Leigh will come out of this state and work hard for the family again.”ywTrkh
F2VcUPAiselin, smiling and fulfilling her duty, looked like the strongest person in the Duplain lineage.K2uf
cFtYWatching Aiselin, who spent even small sums for the family, Leigh gradually began to fulfill his duties as head of the family.RGHR
cedHe managed the servants, sought help, and little by little tried to restore Duplain’s prestige.x1eHLVY
nFzdZwKHe was always grateful to his lovely sister, who helped him stand up, and he tried to reciprocate her efforts.c2I
q5IBut.SRkxFup
ehdhXThud.gkArQ
EMl4At some point, the amount of money she brought began to become a little strange.qHO
CIQkyxH“This month we also received part of the payment for the magical items sold at the Training Center. Fortunately, Sir Dereck shared a part of the profits with us.”Pmw
i8LP“…How much is all this…?”bfHOpIl
Ev2“Well… I haven’t counted it all yet, but it should cover the mansion’s operational expenses for this month.”KzI5
K7oe“…It’s more than enough. We don’t need that much.”KlBIDY6
b4mxl“Oh, really? Then shall we expand the stables? It seems we need to hire more gardeners too…”QdV1WBw
72HXUIn Duplain’s golden age, Leigh had strong muscles, but after so many troubles, his appearance had become thin and exhausted.Z1X3kvj
mlkiDYWhile he silently watched Aiselin, she seemed to have brighter skin and a more radiant presence than even when the family was at its peak. It was as if she were in full bloom.gWgC
ODfsHe knew Aiselin was capable, but he never imagined she was this capable.1DEx
x1Jf6nTo exaggerate a little she was the one carrying the Duplain family.p0P
EN7ocw“The… Ravenclaw barony seems to be having an unexpected boom.”PTR
3djHxoy“Yes. Thanks to that, I’m also in a position where I can pursue my own ambitions. You can’t imagine how happy I am to help the Duplain family.”XscA
3mrFpIt was no longer simply “helping” she was practically sustaining it.Lo9i
ZBQlLeigh rubbed his face briefly, not knowing what to say. Although he was a duke, it was embarrassing to rely on the progress of a barony to survive.D9fzB
nXChbJCreak.I1sL7
AkvKlq“Oh, sister Aiselin. It’s been a while since you returned to the main mansion.”hLziX
ODPzcfg“Diella! You’re just as beautiful and adorable as ever! It breaks my heart not being able to see your face more often!”Kp0
Y8UPq“Y-yeah…”WOvDSEM
r1jJDiella, who was returning from her social activities in the noble district of Ebelstein, appeared in the patriarch’s office.MP8lmqF
GVThShe always looked haughty and ill-tempered in the Rose Hall, but in front of Aiselin she lowered her head like a meek lamb.iW43Xcw
qJZdKFor anyone who had seen the “beast” Diella used to be, this was shocking.FzVk19w
Cg1Aiselin approached Diella with a bright smile and hugged her, burying her between her chest and her blonde hair.7Qh
rwmCibDiella lowered her gaze shyly, her cheeks tense.X3M3r47
7OIItH“I heard the news. There was a big clash between the Ravenclaw barony and Beltus.”l2pnDvF
epMG14“Yes. Sir Dereck led the resolution, but he was gravely injured and is recovering.”azoSLB
b6y“H-gravely injured…?”Ll1xf
4I7“I was very worried too, but when he returned to the barony and we checked his condition, it seems the worst has passed. He’ll recover in winter and return to work at the training center in spring.”sAZZ6N
eHVDiella immediately tensed with anxiety.ndZ
BK0Dereck was the type of man who risked his life if it meant achieving magical advancement.woRc0
Rv8Diella knew that better than anyone, and she couldn’t help but stomp her foot on the ground, tense.17iwiQ
YqkPU7“I understand your concern. But there’s no need to feel overwhelmed. He told me he’d come to the Duplain mansion once he recovers.”2U1w
FqBv05“D-Dereck… is coming?”KNKB
3rxa“Yes. He mentioned he wanted to speak with brother Leigh about something related to magical achievements…”kR4lViI
fIntLeigh also raised an eyebrow, confused.7Bw
urfHe didn’t have a close relationship with Dereck.KuMEc5q
FTbqdHowever, since Aiselin worked at the Ravenclaw Center and since the Duplain family owed so much to the barony’s boom, they couldn’t treat him lightly.Ue3mqV
jrvBl4DLeigh rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.acOR
dREhsZ5And Leigh was not the only one lost in thought.qVGcJ
6O8‘Dereck… Dereck is going to come…?’vHmVQ
RsOkvmWDiella grabbed her head without realizing it, moving it side to side anxiously.mXa
VyLThe thought of seeing him again after so long made her extremely nervous.zLIc2dg
4x8rwThey had met several times before and had talked, but Dereck always had a way of making others tense.Sviw
vuclAHis status and position had completely changed since Diella first met him.FMv9Y7Z
bB9bAround him were dazzling disciples like Ellen, Denise, and Siern. Each one extraordinary.hq9Gep
1ajTTo be able to stand on equal footing with them she felt she too needed to show something.uCV
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