Chapter 149: The Youngest Disciple (1)
yrNn“Di-Diella, m-my lady. The weather is very n-nice today. For the end of winter it’s warm and already feels t-temperate.”jbaiIYh
CgAr“If you don’t have any engagements today, how would you f-feel about having some tea at our Luden family’s mansion?”E0RY
NkqXiBE“My father, Viscount Krox, s-says he would very much like to see you at least once, Lady Diella.”6ILwi
xfYpBFlTo enter the Ravenclaw Academy and become a direct disciple of the baron, in the end one had to obtain the permission of his most senior disciple, Diella Katerine Duplain.v42mvg
d9QVDyWhen that fact became public, Diella’s position within the Rose Salon shot up so high that she practically reached the very top.1Ui
MNTJhThe prestige of the Duplain family, which had already been on the rise, grew even more; it gave the impression that they had returned to the level they had before Valerian became involved with the magic of the spirit branch.v6RPi
OKqNaturally, the moment Diella appeared at the Rose Salon and walked among the people, all the young noble ladies watched her with extreme caution.26y
vQw7“That’s enough.”w3J
Cq33YOf course, there was no way Diella would yield so easily.jn98K
5XfShe knew very well that these young ladies were approaching her because they wanted to become Dereck’s disciples. Diella did not like at all that the number of Dereck’s disciples was increasing.roWu
BJ5That is why, when they approached her in such an obvious way, she bristled and growled like a beast. It was not easy to gain favor with such a creature.LY6Jpas
sXs66sTherefore, the young ladies of the salon had to look for another strategy.dMfP
69DIf they could not win over this girl, then they had to make a good impression on someone Diella could not do anything against.Zkinka9
PuKe11As mentioned, in all of Ebelstein there were only two people capable of controlling Diella.H9i
irDOne was the baron Ravenclaw himself, but talking about him was useless, since he hardly ever appeared in the Elfontine building. However, the other person was a different case.dmuk07
fzsqIt was someone who could completely control Diella, who spoke better, was kind, and gentle.AnvgH
jOg“It’s been a while since you came to the salon, hasn’t it? L-Lady Aiselin, h-have you been well these days? I heard you’ve been very busy.”Q3vLkNQ
WRtAiselin, who had been unable to attend the salon due to matters of the Duplain family and the Ravenclaw mansion, came after a long time, and instantly a huge group of young noble ladies gathered around her as if they were fans.eqNA
HHiAiselin had always received the admiration of many, but lately it had grown almost obsessive, something that left her bewildered.IOjs
bDPkh‘I-It wasn’t to this extent…’n0Z4mo
Xuf9MwAiselin had come to the salon to listen to opinions about the academy that would be built on Duplain land, receive admission requests, and review various changes.EPad
w2TBut seeing such an exaggerated reaction, it almost seemed like Diella had climbed to levels unthinkable within the Rose Salon.2XjkGr
jNeoPerhaps even to the same level as Aiselin in her prime.2U3QhFh
XUzGloThinking that, Aiselin smiled kindly and walked through the young noble ladies of the hall.lya1w8
UtxQtL7***L91zJ
y6M3The three young ladies traditionally considered the most distinguished of the Rose Salon were Aiselin, Ellen, and Denise.FstZg
6evB53LWhen the three sat together, no other young lady could approach due to the aura they emitted.odPwz
enLD9However, lately they had barely been able to meet, whether due to family problems or various incidents.OaB
NuO7ZchThat day, sitting together again in the main seat, the three had an air quite different from before.IHxamJj
oFk6yk“It’s been a long time since we saw each other in the Elfontine building. Lady Denise, Lady Ellen.”5uItEQ
AtLAiselin, who had undergone the greatest personal changes, sat at one side of the round table and smiled.tF99IG8
s7BYJEllen and Denise, sitting across from her, looked at her.vjRcY
toFjFEllen still had her long red hair and eyes of the same color, like an embodied flame.ugC0Y6E
uDWZuAlthough her appearance hadn’t changed much, her attitude did seem softer than before.kFluH
WYtPerhaps because they now shared the same master, her caution had diminished quite a bit.L5f
ms3KsEven so, there was a strange nuance in the air—more than social rivals, they had become romantic rivals.aBkAsi
NviU0Of course, none of them was reckless enough to show it openly.Bss5
vxVtkXp“Have you been well, Lady Aiselin? I heard many things have happened.”Te1dNa
ZwZ2“Yes, enough time has passed, so everything is partly resolved. So rather…”2omvL
ZhvAiselin paused carefully and looked at Denise.flhvgNM
qCuNdvHer ash-gray hair looked even paler, and her slightly sunken eyes gave her a tired appearance.zOa
kV5x9XShe looked exhausted—not desperate, but very fatigued.YF3RcAk
104ZA2When Denise used to attend the salon, she was the perfect embodiment of a noble young lady.cxYOvb
DSJBut lately that mask had been breaking, and she showed more of her true self, which to Aiselin was even better.XgWk
5h4eqkQShe knew very well why—with so many internal and external problems, it was natural for the façade to crumble.rLUk
TZP6X7The internal situation of the Beltus family was, without exaggeration, complete chaos.fuolux
MxeSeeing that tired face, which reminded her so much of her own in the past, Aiselin sighed inwardly.tWv13Ou
rOO0“Don’t worry too much about me. Sometimes, if one runs enough, the family starts walking again—you know that well, don’t you, Aiselin?”xpD23F
qdJDenise spoke lightly, but her exhaustion was evident.Rcmznf
v2fThe three main young ladies of the Rose Salon had finally reunited.m96Zdk
JoxTEven though their status and positions were now different, their aura was as powerful as always.tTlSLaV
OIMdWhile they were talking, something happened.Ak7emJ
JDP4— Creak, tap.C689AZ
B0V8TcIn the most important seat of the salon, the one belonging to the true powers of the place, someone approached without any hesitation, pulled out a chair, and sat down without permission.lLD
Ens57“May I sit?”2znZz
N12FyShe asked, but without waiting for an answer.1laF
MONu4Her crossed arms and the tilt of her head showed a strange mix of arrogance and elegance.mAKnSfJ
1AbIf it had been any other young lady, that would have been considered madness worthy of expulsion from the salon.SsOVxPV
AZIIBut when they saw who it was, no one could object.OZs732
iQhIt was Diella.8BhSInu
ItzAnd behind her came someone even more fearsome.kZqJb
TcOOM3“I’ll sit here too.”RlJym
LBS3At the huge round table, with almost no empty seats, the last chair was taken by Siern, the daughter of the Rochester family and the beloved child of the 6-star mage Melverot.aFDzoN
jHDJHer small body took the seat and leaned back.FUb2eqg
qz4yNot a single young lady in the salon showed a displeased expression.ocqpe8
uq8au3yIf one talked about who was at the top of the Rose Salon, many would think of three people; but since the Ravenclaw family entered the aristocracy, the structure had changed.KCgnK
IXenNow there were five at the top.ept
sy3OEeyAnd four of them shared the same master.pZk
N95yIn short, the aristocratic society of Ebelstein was already completely under the influence of the Ravenclaw family.4Ub7
5QTiMoreover, each of those young ladies was someone nobody else could control.xlWZf
oPxaSqAt this moment, there was no one in the entire Elfontine building with enough authority to rule over them.DGwe
yXBDiella placed the official document from the baron Ravenclaw on the table and said.5sdb
1yR“Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw, in charge of supervising the Ravenclaw Academy, has granted me direct authority to handle the disciples.”Kc0E6p
ulqUC2Denise, Ellen, and Siern glanced at her, each with a gaze heavier than the other, as if they carried an entire continent on their shoulders.kC9Pl
9OcxOiZIt was enough to become enemies with one of them to endanger an entire family.LeRy
jcwEven so, Diella puffed out her chest and spoke with complete confidence. In these kinds of matters, Diella never hesitated.es6f8
EQBO6A“Of course, I cannot interfere in family matters or daily life. But when it comes to the hierarchy among disciples, I am at the top, and you must respect me accordingly.”GaY
MfnBIt was rare to see Diella show courtesy.xpO
q3JXBQlEven with Denise, the first time they met, Diella had charged at her without thinking.sqCgS
oWABut now she spoke with manners for a clear reason—if she showed a minimum of formality, she expected the same from the others.3geyPuO
RxocP07They were not facing weak nobles from the countryside, but heiresses of the fundamental families of the southwestern continent.0iIm1y
ZlVsASeeing her, all the young ladies watching felt a cold sweat run down their necks.sVu5w
tLZIdP5With such monsters present, maintaining that bearing was something only Diella could do.ln9
kT66Depending on who heard it, that could be interpreted as a declaration of war.gZpXt
2HaFgBut the round table remained silent.W3P
F9MDereck had officially acknowledged Diella’s authority.TkK
9Fmi9And everyone there knew exactly what that meant.wUusVM
uVvzJU“If there are no objections, I’ll leave it like this.”6E2HX
m78bJQJDiella placed the documents on the table and stepped down firmly. The crowd parted automatically.NAlJ
JLbWtPrIf the hierarchy were measured by family prestige, first place would belong to Ellen of Belmierd or Siern of Rochester.rpUd3cZ
0zvtb82But among Dereck’s disciples, the undisputed number one was Diella.7gXXbT
CUs3In this place, that fact became completely clear.JSuXp
maoqnxFourth, Siern.M0PVr
U4gr7Third, Denise.om6iKB
quaZaXSecond, Ellen.jXnGqe1
79qsvEWFirst, Diella.0WECGEX
IMxjySeeing each of them, the young nobles around had no choice but to swallow hard.B0nYV
g0xTo enter as the new youngest disciple among those four—they had to think very seriously about it.fVgUw
Q1c8q***dMku
pZd0IA“A letter arrived from the Hergis family saying that they will return part of the mining rights of Mount Rodel that they had taken. In exchange, they are asking for the right to priority admission to the Ravenclaw Academy that is under construction.”MIpj
JV1R“The Riventeil family is the same. They say they apologize for having forcibly taken part of the tax rights of the Lebels plain, and they themselves requested to set a meeting to renegotiate. However, they are also asking for the right to priority admission to the Academy and also the right to negotiate directly with Baron Ravenclaw.”dzBOY
9s9xThe high vassals, the chief butler, and other servants were gathered, reporting the situation to the current head of House Duplain, Leigh.bUN
WvliLeigh was already busy reviewing the status of civil works within the territory, and following the changes among nobles from neighboring territories and central nobles.EPTYKC
2HWj2PEOn top of that, he had to review the administration of the mansion, so it was enough to make his head explode.u0x
Y6cY20r“Lady Miriela also sent a letter. She says she will soon finish her stay in her parental home and return to House Duplain—it seems she has recovered her health quite a bit.”J11DN
TeYe“We are also receiving many responses from collateral relatives with whom we had no communication. It seems that now that the recovery of House Duplain seems possible, everyone is turning their gaze back here.”Nu2yTz
OFRE“Even among the relatives in central politics, several have shown intent to support. If negotiations go well, we might come out of the liquidity shortage soon.”fQCyxc
y0ijQh“…”n5sEgT9
n9ICHowever, recently the situation had begun to improve in a surprising way.sGkO
P2u7aWhen House Duplain seemed about to collapse and die, its atmosphere began to revive; and the relatives who had abandoned it to save themselves began writing again, somewhat ashamed.G1TQO
YlobAlso, many more news items began to come from the noble society of Ebelstein.wxr2W
S136l3“The Rodel family sent a gift. I-it’s… they were… 600 Adelton gold coins…”v11
Fjw“…”EiUjK6
J5S3iN“The Belmierd family also sent a high vassal to greet us. We received a ton of territorial specialties as gifts. Even the territory’s jurist came in person, so the servants were quite surprised.”cwmHqf0
0xhIa“……”LOU
Kx9“The high vassals of House Beltus sent a plaque of gratitude. It seems they are sending greetings to the forces that helped them during the last incident.”Rwq
g7LYCZf“News from the Renuel family…”ftzG
5WP“Financial support for the construction of the Academy from the house of Viscount Callist…”McuVRI7
aPdZ“The invitation to the banquet organized by the house of Viscount Sidmer…”8oR
o1onA3“The eldest son of the Clemtaine family will hold his coming-of-age ceremony, and they are asking that we attend…”0JxN
cNqU“Letters arrived from the Feldrix family of the north and the Rochester family…”D7c1WL
wv7QxpF“H-handling all this at once won’t be easy… How should we set the priority…?”l3WBFE
M2n“…..”9hH
alCpBMLeigh listened to the report and ran both hands over his dry face. Then he muttered to himself.XZUxK
JGWJNo, what is this? I’m scared too.OGpdv2S
Ni7VNo matter how sudden the changes, that was already too much.2k28h
Hvy6Just a few months ago, when the name of Duplain was crawling on the ground, Leigh, as head of the house, had to personally go around begging to obtain a few gold coins.MRAU
anplQOtNo matter how desperate the high nobles were for magical education for their children, he never imagined they would change their attitude so drastically.CLR
evMmmEaAmid such an enormous upheaval, how was he supposed to keep his sanity?Wrlly3
vVbevFor the young head Leigh, it was inevitable that cold sweat ran down his back.mE2nZOb
Nh1Just as he was trying to organize the vassals’ information—IHj
ykuBrCreak.ER0I1
WYX12“Ah, excuse me. It seems you were in the middle of a meeting.”P3UgRO
hdtj7Suddenly, Dereck opened the door of the office, observed the situation, and bowed in apology.3tQ
bPQu“I’ll come back later.”dtx
5xQ9“No, no, no. W-what happened? Come in, please. Sit here. You all, bring the reception sofa. Butler! Prepare a comfortable seat for Baron Ravenclaw.”vAB
A7EQQz“Y-yes, yes sir.”pCGixmf
jAmHStartled, Leigh stopped Dereck and gave quick orders to the vassals.xnQmp8
57SIThey also, attentive to Dereck, lined up immediately against the wall, indicating that they would suspend the house head’s meeting until he finished.KENDyY
lUwcj3‘…’Owy8
kauzDereck had only come to lightly ask how the civil works of the territory were progressing.INsV
biBPIt wasn’t something urgent enough to stop the main house meeting; but seeing all the vassals sweating cold while getting out of the way made him quite uncomfortable.74S6ygR
RO49There was no thornier cushion than that.kHOy3kt
uGbEven so, Leigh, sweating buckets, ordered the maids to bring good herbal tea.hSB
bYRWcJ“O-of course. If Baron Ravenclaw needs something, I must listen first.”k2h
1Kpj“It seemed the meeting matters were very important. I should handle them fir—”GArI
jxEaw“No, no. Those things usually already come with preliminary conclusions from the vassals, they don’t take that long. Isn’t that right, butler?”jpSHFtf
W2MH“Y-yes. I will prepare everything organized by order of importance.”BuvMj9
UvAZAThe vassals also responded with tension, moving quickly.TNrlNoV
TcJXREK“Well then… What does our baron wish to know? Say anything you want, without pressure.”DSqw
Nkf6Although Leigh spoke that way, Dereck was so uncomfortable he even had sweat running down his temple.0jWEcSV
fqE“I wanted to check something regarding the construction schedule…”v4jC4
Yv54K“The schedule! That is very important! Yes! Butler! Clerk! Bring the related documents immediately!”ySsZZW
1Nac“No, no. It’s enough to give me the progress verbally. I can verify later with the barony staff…”k1Ry7g
HaMvFdJ“What are you saying? If you’re going to verify something, it must be done properly! Butler! Quickly!”KFl1TD
Yrc“Y-yes, understood.”9plcyP
in3JTLeigh was the head of House Duplain and officially the successor to the ducal title.hnNnYc
d75Although his power had diminished greatly, his formal authority was still governed by noble law.XFYMZ
t3XBecause of that, Dereck wasn’t sure whether any of this was actually normal.bhqs
FkLiIt was a sensation that almost made him dizzy.vFtr
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