Chapter 175: Seat of Thorns (3)
70IYCHow fearsome can an environment be?8IIs6q
GeEThose who know, know it well.Gil8yU
dLyVHyA noble’s child who pretends to be upright for a hundred days needs only to roll around the poor districts for a month or two to develop a fierce character; and someone who has lived their entire life as a commoner, the moment they obtain sudden wealth and enter high society, begins to lift their nose for no reason.Jh8m
LcYXDjPeople can never escape the influence of their environment, and there is no one who remains eternally unchanged.mqxWJvb
WhbhUDSDereck also knew this deep down, yet when it came to Siern, he held a certainty that was difficult to put into words.43E
LACYThat girl, as if she embodied the white snow piled up on the wasteland, would never forget the metallic scent of blood engraved in her heart—such a conviction.gvRYiuk
xVMSMFESiern was that steadfast, and in fact, throughout all the time she learned magic, she never abandoned that bestial temperament.Hw9
RTY3By this point, even strolling through Ebelstein’s society, wouldn’t that distinctive edge grow dull?jZfX
WaCJxPThat was what he had thought.HfXQ
OeskHowever, Dereck had gravely underestimated the powerful influence of romantic affection.Xkyfi
bOIrFalling in love is a sensation etched into humanity as instinct; just as hunger comes when one does not eat and sleep comes when one does not sleep, it is a feeling that arises naturally.OuKzeb
tsrJvp6Moreover, that romantic sensitivity is contagious, so when playing the role of a young lady in Ebelstein’s society, one inevitably becomes steeped in it.IfTP9
xQdAa2Even a girl who has lived nothing but a life bathed in blood can spread rosy wings of reverie.5qt7
t3rOfNo one would call that a sin.ZgU4jOd
lNE4xpsAt the very least, the image of Siern sitting beside Dereck, nervously twisting her hands, looked less like that of an assassin and more like that of an ordinary girl, embarrassed.U5jUF
HneXWhat would Melverot think upon seeing this, he who wished for Siern to live as an ordinary noble?Wji2
aggp7It was impossible to predict.KHfG
DRTrA0jBut generally speaking, a father’s gaze toward the man who has stolen his daughter’s heart cannot be called friendly, even as a courtesy.vmV5
mxvNR8“Dereck… hey… can I take your hand just once?”8xNg
8P6q4Siern, her face completely red as if she had made a momentous declaration, made one doubt whether she truly was the beast of the north who killed with empty eyes and bathed in blood.70gzx
Y9qAxShe, destined to commit murder with indifference and walk along paths soaked in red.OH3tp
7YZKQuMelverot’s wish that she somehow become an ordinary noble was being fulfilled, but in a direction different from what he had imagined.zfI
a3MIjMN“…”nbs
ip2MIn the brief instant when Dereck closed and opened his eyes, he passed through a span of deliberation that, to his perception, was equivalent to eons.Jkuv
Rp0rWH9Judging by how she was, Siern did not even seem to clearly understand what the feeling she harbored actually was.hYEx
EEWh2QWould it be better to raise a clear, decisive wall, or to adopt a mature attitude and accept that fleeting emotion, then let it flow away?hWyS
fBfhgr“I thought something like this would happen someday.”Of1HODu
G237Dereck was the standard-bearer of ladies’ education, the most famous instructor in Ebelstein.2W8dw
nZ6JEven among his disciples, each one was capable of shaking the entire nobility.E8BDC
rXDH4zBut working surrounded by women, situations like this were bound to occur.ZfY5mXf
zmTACiAffection between master and disciple can be beautiful and noble, but over time, it sometimes tries to transform into something between a man and a woman.jA4W3m6
twSnUXiHe had thought that when that time came, he would have to handle it well, but he had never set a concrete guideline.RBhI5nW
5dwCIkAnd it is natural to imagine, “What do I do if a student falls deeply in love with me?”
—such a narcissistic and unpleasant thought that it is embarrassing just to have it.5vZ
PS5CJThere is a limit even to excessive self-awareness.eHuWX
hiH2kkXNo one could reproach him for having postponed this concern out of naïveté or lack of reflection.lupiQT
f9aaA5KEven so, now he had to respond.CbUU
yOcbKCSiern Alaina Rochester was, in a sense, an extremely fortunate person as a mage, protected and loved by two six-star mages.yuEj
R9oFY4But excessive paternal love sometimes becomes a thorn.OV0
lYsrPDereck did not feel capable of enduring the piercing gazes of two six-star mages, capable of incinerating an entire region with a flick of a finger.Gmy0PN
mDOx0PKHe swallowed and spoke in a lower, restrained tone.fitq6
ZulYD5“Lady Siern.”UUWa
Pf4wTQ“I-I’m sorry… Dereck. I said something very strange, didn’t I? Lately I have too many useless thoughts and… sometimes I speak without thinking…”98C
R2X9qSiern suddenly hugged her knees, reddening all the way to her ears, and began fanning her face, unable to bear the heat.YULNq
DmrHer voice, as always, remained cold and calm, like snow falling in silence.XE71
G1MumbsShe rarely became agitated or made a fuss.4Gv
EMYEven so, now she avoided his gaze.mfS3
xOlJYtShe did not try to run away or awkwardly change the subject.CQDh
XDvXWWith a reaction like that, Dereck could not pretend indifference and let it pass.oW6q2G
nzoIgnoring a young woman’s affection while secretly enjoying her interest was not an option for him.T4EtIXx
HVTJBXYDereck was a straightforward man.hyksc
roYBut if someone fell in love with a person like that, they had to be prepared to receive a direct question.Zod
Wxqpl“Lady Siern, do you have feelings for me?”UxZib
3pv“Hiiek…!”rxV7E1
4hkKSiern did not have the ability to take such a frontal blow.drKD2
dmsOpThe question struck her squarely in the chest; no physical damage, but her breathing was blocked.hZCSp
Bg8rXEven so, her animal instinct managed to react.xXT
aN0YWI“O-of course I like you! You’re the one who took me out of the tower where I was locked away!”8Di
rnCYB“I don’t mean that, but feelings between a man and a woman. In society, people talk a lot about that sort of thing, don’t they?”YTtDD
Etmz4“H-hi-hiiik!”eKQdqe8
d1h4In a way, Dereck was being cruel.XWlh7wn
AlcCfXMaintaining an ambiguous stance and letting everything blur away is cruel; but being this direct is cruel as well.aIm
QrUEven so, expressing one’s own will clearly and cleanly is the best thing for both parties.Svq
kKRIt was evident that he was acting this way out of consideration for Siern.ly1
kIxsIn relationships between men and women, it is said that the one who falls in love first loses.Jlu
caWYbIf it was unfair to take the blow, perhaps one should not have fallen in love.lGmH
La9U3mOEven if it was unfair to Siern, that was reality.h3a
LKyiQM“If you think that way, then I can’t take it lightly either…”kJeZn
d0wq“W-what are you saying, Dereck? You have excessive self-awareness too! If you talk like that, you put me in a bind…!”VwXHp
Q4RoNo matter how seasoned in blood she was, in these matters she was still inexperienced.7fXR4d
ZalWInterrupting him with a trembling voice and jumping to her feet was practically a confession.TjkJ
pzIoQW9Of course, she was not aware of it.TbP
74wMYHer mind, overloaded, had no space to process anything else.wvRs5J
AOnqFY“T-this… I’m very confused, so… I-I’ll go rest for a bit… No, about the self-awareness and all that… sorry, no, do I have to apologize? Or not? I don’t know… Anyway, that’s not it, no…”YvLd
g7LqJ“Lady Siern, please go and rest.”H7jPKi
MQU“You don’t have to tell me, I’ll do it! And you, train magic properly!”hIt26a
7sDLKRZWith that, Siern left almost as if fleeing, pressing her cheeks.cFH0O
iae0lDereck remained seated, lifting his gaze to watch the snow fall softly once more.Ejlbr
nmUIaoCWhatever happened from here on out depended entirely on Siern.Lu2o6
sykR***sFRJT
SbBThe next day, murderous intent had gathered in the eyes of Kalimford, who stood in the training field.AgrNKSM
qKA2He looked as though he had spent the night sunk in deep anguish.AKwVCwJ
rKWjZvJust by seeing his expression, Dereck immediately understood the situation.neR
jzR3xIn fact, after witnessing Siern’s naïve and transparent reaction, not realizing it would have been stranger.UAYA
QTgyo3She believed she was hiding her feelings, but in truth, it was useless.8Fn
Kqt9First love makes people transparent.XCx
Ng52“Let us begin today’s training.”TeN5L5
rOOFrom Kalimford, who always seemed to transcend reality, there now emanated a peculiar seriousness.WsLZ
bNWmDereck knew it by instinct.JjuP
ME3VwThe battle about to begin would be tinged with personal emotions.GfAn
MXdHw‘…’nXD
NRqIt was unfair to earn that kind of resentment.Z94fC
89MdDereck had done nothing wrong.BbZD
hEyq9HAnd Kalimford knew that too, which was why he neither scolded nor accused him of anything.7tlFJqY
IApHowever, emotions do not always walk hand in hand with reason.llIEKr
KqDIewNThe atmosphere Kalimford exuded, as if he wished to personally verify the true nature of the man who had “bewitched” his daughter, made him seem like someone without blood or tears.lafn
JN0For Dereck, the situation felt strange, as if he had asked for his daughter’s hand without realizing it.yXOX
tQjQaEEven so, he could not say it was entirely bad.MI75
bEdThe reason was somewhat complicated.sE5hTI
Bp0q80Wham!zlMmQa
88blONWhoosh!r6b46KK
uVgGraaah!1K35Yxg
teYDragging the tip of his staff across the ground, Kalimford traversed the training field with his characteristic posture.SVGM
1m6cLThere were no chants nor visible gestures, yet spells flew mercilessly.imN1M1
tPjENurIt was so fast that following them with the eyes was impossible.FUjCK
mjQIt did not feel as though the spells were flying toward him, but rather as if they were springing directly from the air.QEr5jn
B0dcEven for Dereck, whose mastery of detection magic already surpassed that of many advanced mages, it was absurdly fast.2sR
N5ZsoFor an ordinary mage, reacting would have been impossible.czzWer8
edNvinuWhoosh!PzxJy
vq6GgWham!MANoiC
xnqu8vrDereck drew his longsword with one hand and held a dagger in a reverse grip with the other as he evaded.tCyO
UeGogbBlocking everything was impossible.9hX9xF
kmqhUKalimford’s mana control was completely beyond conventional rules.YlePMPj
HVoYJust facing him made the air turn suffocating.lSsoMEO
7JLn4The pressure was even greater than on the first day of training.weipb
B5gThis time, Dereck could feel it clearly.VvkZrz
qGvtEBThere were emotions mixed into every attack.685b
7MJt‘So up until now he had been holding back—of course, from the start it was absurd to think a six-star mage would use his true power against me.’aPO
Yy3mAmid those lethal spells, Dereck felt excitement run down his spine.bMvFv
sbkXGlThere was still so much left to learn.4DVAboA
j0antVgHe could raise his magical level even further.h6Si
C1W9NThat intoxicating pleasure he felt whenever he faced a deadly crisis began to envelop him.D0d
1OxCgFacing a six-star mage, he did not feel crushed by the pressure.Zna
UDOROn the contrary, his desire to climb higher burned even more fiercely.oqcm
yjeHe was the type of person who found pleasure in absorbing magic itself.Hrc3nTh
E6fB1ZwNormally, six-star mages feel an enormous weight of responsibility for their power.ytE
MKNocWEven in training bouts, they rarely show their true strength.brX
n7NA0nuBut now, every strike from Kalimford carried a clear and heavy intent.64q
IOFGXIf he did not evade or deflect it, the damage would be real.9o0EmS
DBA7yMThere was confidence that Dereck could endure it—but there was also a subtle hostility.yQAT2a
Pp7Thinking of it that way might be inappropriate, but—YjD
bkDjz00Hadn’t Siern been an excellent difficulty regulator?b4Y
0jJBEfThat thought crossed his mind as a delicious tension ran through his arms.8e0lPxg
m23LkIt was not common for a six-star mage to take a duel this seriously.aK2vY
TKmIt was practically a real battle.9eMVQb
J1tCEvery exchange was new.UhC
jJJKdThese were not clumsy attacks like those of magical beasts, but calculated blows, anticipating each of Dereck’s movements and striking at his openings.H3lP
I3Mc‘Every time I deflect one, I gain a new understanding.’dtIlsNo
SiPOBD‘Definitely, only when facing an enemy with clear hostility… can you learn this much…’tQ4xxj
wItVzmyAn avalanche of knowledge struck his mind.3QRsS
RUuszYBMana arrows, shockwaves, earth upheavals, mana blades, golem summons, illusions, freezing.2EGzZcK
stBtkMagic from one star to four stars assaulted him in countless forms.Acrx4U
xo537qnEven the simplest spells contained a different depth.1lYm
PJVDxAmid all of that, Dereck felt his gaze reach something higher.H9Mh
Rkv‘If I extend my hand, I might reach it.’gFhYWVl
76TIn the midst of that torrent of experience, a secret zone he had never been able to touch seemed within reach.ZD2
Q032Extend your hand.oUhSOOp
3EIkEven if it seems impossible, if you extend it, you will touch it.hd7d0
HrNbv4With only four-star magic, he could never surpass the maturity of that mage.165y71p
HvnmZHe needed to reach a new domain.bjqk
C0a8YThunk!brVVMB3
W7PA massive ice lance slammed into the ground to Dereck’s right.XbNkNLu
UleWhoosh!OuffEp
UDVbFlash!4bbqE
nqPgnsWham!26u8m8f
Gxvb4His eyes flew wide open.oOx42
CzyThe attack had come from a direction he had not perceived at all.KmHYT3
GuJAIt was a technique that used the opponent’s mana against them.wKvpj
T7bHe had believed he had understood it completely.rsgTZ8
JB4f55But for Kalimford, that level of control was merely the basics.zq25
5J4z‘Confusion magic at least… five stars…’EQNvk
8rRTbPerception Adjustment, five-star confusion magic.WfHN
jOt39A spell that directly interferes with the opponent’s magical perception, making certain types of magic not even be recognized.F6JVBu
UWfiSzIt was an unfair spell that guaranteed victory in almost any duel, and one that only another five-star mage could counter.FJdbcp
FyjDereck had thought Kalimford mastered confusion at the four-star level.xyYd44
y98But he had already reached the five-star domain.Dcus7V
5YaU1It was a level beyond the human.Qs9YZTJ
JvYfv‘Maybe… I can do it…’q2xF
5XzRqDereck’s eyes shone.Xu1D
zjWDZiNSince the time he learned magic with Katia, confusion had been one of his specialties.y0N
SYlPerhaps he could imitate even a fraction of a five-star magic.Y3X8sr
s95og3In the midst of that brutal duel, a boundary that seemed reachable appeared before him.Z6XQ
Hn1And in that instant—UxP5ht
jCbLwWham!PKxvY
20y3Squish!fM1wr
QUZBlood burst violently from the ice lance deeply embedded.P43
nmCuEoHis vision blurred.fnDN14m
SxyEven if it was training, the wound was far too severe.gQvA
p3pOWThe amount of blood gushing out was not normal.mqncUG
9KwThe world seemed to sway.62Y3
fHe9Dereck fell to his knees and braced one hand against the ground.Bpgtz
LfcFJyD“Haah…! Ngh…”OOd
GQ0“…!”3TWIUG
fLEwxHFor the first time, Kalimford’s face filled with dismay.0fUUYd6
iVzKP7zDereck’s response had been too skillful.TiMg
a1750ImHe had raised the level again and again until crossing the line.BnhwwuM
uPbBxYvHe had assumed he would endure that as well.vBUE
3FLmsd‘Damn it…’KSCX
02ZSe77Blood soaked the ground.GtD0w
l20PPbBThough the desire to learn still burned in his eyes, his body no longer responded.7AOXcP
tbSEven so, Dereck clenched his teeth and tried to stand.bSSt
AA3kHe had to materialize what he had understood.TCdXMF
4zu8That obsession bordering on madness for magic made him ignore even the blood pouring out.wKDb9Ox
JJm6k“Cough… cough…! I can still… still…”Rfhg5Z
UYy387His will to continue fighting, even covered in blood, seemed monstrous.t3o8B6
sh6lEarA red gleam ignited in his eyes.WXYJK
xzUPQDBut his consciousness was beginning to fade.eEqe
U75“Medical team! Bring the medical team!”0Bb
e9U9GSeeing him on his knees, bleeding without stopping, the servants rushed in en masse.pvtwKNy
YjKThe maids came out sweating cold, the attendants moved frantically.8sXIM
98AQThe training field, once silent, filled with murmurs.yhCiy
ZcQKalimford was about to say something when—asgY6V
iVAr47“Dereck!”y0Iir
EKDJnA familiar shout echoed from a corner.FRXO89k
GSC0When everyone turned, the girl was already running toward the field.K81d
4Gu“Dereck! Dereck! Are you okay?! The bleeding… it’s too much!”Z0x
12LLxDEWith a pale face, Siern threw herself toward him upon seeing the nearly fatal wound.Bvd
9vNJpbIn Dereck’s eyes, the will to reach what he had seen still burned, but his body no longer obeyed.uweY
DrPFLittle by little, he collapsed to his knees, losing strength.30dxgEY
nRDT“Dereck…! Quickly…! Move him immediately!”pw5pu7
aJJJIHolding the wound in desperation, Siern urged the servants on.ATPyq
5M4The most experienced began to move with precision, bringing stretchers and applying first aid.0ouk
ZNlgjThe wound was absurdly deep.8H3H
diO4Too deep to be the result of mere training.Ed47CFv
YXHkvnoThen Siern turned her head and looked at Kalimford.VWbmf9
NHCh81In her cold eyes was reflected the same implacable ice of the northern lands.1DKxt
qFfldo“…………”HqQ
JPSDOzThe legendary hero who had saved the kingdom was drenched in cold sweat.FKZ
7A78dvNever in his life had he sweated so much.EuO
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