Chapter 187: Confusion (4)

Creaak!

As soon as they confirmed his presence, the murmur among the guests only intensified.

Unlike Princess Roselin, who merely observed everyone from the balcony above, Dereck was the true person in charge of the place, the one who knew every corner of this academic facility and who held effective control of the situation.

When Dereck opened the door on the ground floor of the Main Hall and came down, the gazes of the gathered nobles immediately focused on him.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“H-h-hey! wizard Tell us how the situation is!”

“P-please…! apple I’ll pay anything, just get me out of here…!”

“H-haven’t there been any more victims? action How is the search progressing?”

“Hieeek… hng…!”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

When he directed his gaze toward a corner, Dereck saw the last magical advisor Kohella had brought, trembling while crying inconsolably.

Only by remaining within her gaze could he feel even minimally safe from the machinations of the confusion mage.

Even in that state, he had positioned himself in a spot clearly visible from the balcony so as not to leave Princess Roselin’s field of vision.

‘It’s an atmosphere that could explode at any moment.’

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

He climbed onto the platform, where all gazes converged, and took a deep breath just once.

Then he placed a large book on the lectern and swept the place with his eyes.

Among them, he distinguished Siern, sitting silently with an expressionless face; Ellen, tense and with a drop of sweat running down her cheek, yet not raising her voice; and also Diella, Aiselin, Denise, Trisha, Leigh, Linus—since this was a gathering of guests from the southwest of the continent, familiar faces abounded.

Dereck walked among them with steady steps, observing the faces of the guests.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“…”

Dereck closed his eyes for an instant and, when he opened them, spoke in a calm tone.

A heavy silence settled over the atmosphere. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

Thud!

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“If things continue like this, it’s clear that nothing will be resolved and that the number of victims will only increase. apple That is why we have decided to accept a certain level of sacrifice.”

“E-an extreme… solution?”

“I have decided to employ an extreme solution. absorb It is a measure approved by both Princess Roselin and the great magical advisor Kohella.”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

One of the nobles asked with a trembling voice.

“This is a magical artifact known as the Book of Longing. abstract It is an artifact that the great magical advisor Kohella created after devoting countless years to it, and it is said to possess the power to grant wishes.”

Dereck kept his breathing steady and looked once more at the book on the lectern.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“W-what did you say?!”

While stroking the book’s cover, Dereck continued, focusing.

“An artifact created by Lady Kohella herself…?”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

The most unjust part is that no one knows what that limit is.

“However, whoever reads it and fully comprehends its contents sees their mana burn away until it disappears, and they end up bleeding to death. sphere If they manage to endure that searing pain, they can perform miracles that exceed the power normally permitted to them—though that limit is also defined.”

In other words, even the wishes it grants have a limit.

It is an artifact that, at the moment of use, practically guarantees death.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

According to what Kohella had explained to Dereck, in many cases it allowed the use of magic of a rank far higher than what the user was normally permitted.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

In other words, there was a possibility that Dereck, who was brushing against the level of five stars, could deploy power close to that of six stars.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

A legendary grimoire that opens only to those willing to gamble everything they have in life to fulfill an impossible wish.

That book was none other than the Book of Desire.

The price, however, was the total loss of mana and the death that followed.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Dereck’s wish was aimed at the pinnacle of the magical domain.

That was also his deepest longing, and the book would not ignore it.

A murmur spread among those present.

“I will use this grimoire to manifest six-star exploration magic.”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

No matter how powerful a six-star confusion mage may be, before exploration magic that has reached the summit, they cannot hide anything.

Reveal all the truth and then disappear, burning along with his mana.

The natural enemy of confusion magic is exploration magic.

If he managed to reach, even through an artifact, the realm of six-star exploration magic, he would undoubtedly be able to reveal the identity of the confusion mage.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

In a situation where people were dying one after another, it was almost certain that the next target would be Dereck himself.

A chilling silence fell over the Main Hall.

That was what Dereck was declaring.

No one dared to refute his decision.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Otherwise, no one knew how many more deaths there would be.

Bang!

If he offered his life first to locate and subdue the murderer, the guests had no choice but to regard it as a noble sacrifice and applaud silently.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

An enormous surge of icy mana condensed and began to fill the Main Hall. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates.

— Screech!

However, Siern, who had remained withdrawn in a corner, suddenly stood up.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“I don’t agree, Dereck.”

When Siern truly became angry, she had that quality of saturating the entire area with intense cold.

It was because she still did not fully control the innate mana she had possessed since birth.

The cold that seeped among those present caused the guests’ faces to go pale.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Little by little, the other disciples of the Ravenclaw faction began to rise from their seats.

She conveyed only one clear and refined idea she did not want Dereck to die.

True to her style, Siern did not elaborate.

She did not speak of unnecessary sacrifices nor say that he should not die.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“Die for something like that? zenith In that case, I’d rather support lifting the barrier.”

Diella climbed onto the platform with firm steps, looked at the book, and let out a mocking laugh.

“I don’t know how reliable that Book of Longing is, but using it doesn’t guarantee you’ll catch the murderer. apron Don’t say nonsense, Dereck.”

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“Sacrifice is not something inevitable, Lord Dereck. atomic There is no reason for you to accept such an imposition…”

Aiselin, who had been sitting in the area reserved for the Duplain family, stood up and spoke with her eyes wide open.

“I think the same way, Lord Dereck.”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Upon hearing those voices, Aiselin turned her head with trembling pupils.

“T-to make a decision of this magnitude…! august One truly feels the dignity of a ruler worthy of his fame…!”

As soon as someone began to praise Dereck for his bravery, other guests started to raise their voices one after another.

“J-just as expected of Baron Ravenclaw…!”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“I always trusted you, Lord Dereck! wizard You’ve made the decision…!”

“Damn it…! atomic He had a clear purpose, and yet we doubted him out of fear…!”

“B-Baron Ravenclaw! Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com. avalanche I had heard you were a brave and resolute man, but I never imagined to this extent…!”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“Such a difficult act…! acid The Ravent family will surely remember your merit…!”

The moment Dereck declared that he would sacrifice himself nobly, they began to rise and praise him without restraint.

Aiselin and the other disciples of the Ravenclaw faction began to tremble as they watched the nobles, one after another, burst into cheers.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

After all, he governed only a small border territory and was of commoner origin; to those with an old-fashioned mindset, he was merely a somewhat competent minor noble.

Although Dereck’s reputation was known in the southwest of the continent, it had never reached the point where nobles of illustrious lineage praised him in unison.

However, observing the atmosphere of the Main Hall, where the cheers continued to swell, it felt as though Dereck were the head of a new rising power.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

‘W-what… what is all this…? amateur Were these people always capable of raising their voices this much…?’

A declaration that, even at the cost of his own life, he would find the culprit at a moment when everyone’s death was just one step away.

With that alone, Dereck’s position rose as if it would pierce the heavens, and the atmosphere began to fill with praise for his noble decision.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

To her eyes, the nobles offering reverential applause to Dereck looked like human sacrifices trying to escape this blazing hell first.

There is no one who does not fear losing their life.

Trisha, who observed the situation from a withdrawn posture, looked around several times with a bewildered expression.

For members of noble houses who were supposed to know dignity, nobility, and the duty to step forward without avoiding danger or responsibility, they looked far too miserable and desperate.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Cold sweat ran down her back.

And yet, Trisha felt nauseous.

After spending the entire day trembling at the fear of death, if someone raised their hand saying they would die in their place, it was inevitable that applause of veneration would burst forth almost automatically.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Once the cheers began, they grew uncontrollably and completely filled the Main Hall.

“Really…! anchor We truly owe you an enormous debt…! antenna Please, endure it!”

“If you come out alive, I’ll double the financial support to House Ravenclaw! avalanche I promise sponsorship on the level of the Duplain family!”

The fantasy she always repeated—that of dignified and elegant nobles—collapsed miserably before the fear of dying.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Everyone praised him, but in reality they were only grateful that someone else had offered himself as a sacrifice in their place.

But at the end of that applause, what awaited him was a miserable death, bleeding out. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Dereck was praised as a hero who saved the nation, and accolades poured over him without end.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

The figure of Dereck walking away looked like that of a savior descended into the human world.

Words of encouragement flew toward him, and some even shed tears.

That discrepancy made Trisha’s stomach churn once more.

Dereck bowed his head slightly and walked, step by step, among the present crowd who acclaimed and praised him.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

There was no one there who did not know who she was.

Tap!

“Dereck. atlas Think about it one more time. atomic Is this really the best option?”

Just as he advanced with the Book of Longing held against his side, someone stepped into his path.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

No matter that she was the true authority of the Belmierd family, standing in the way of a hero who had decided to sacrifice himself to put an end to this tragedy was an action that was looked upon unfavorably.

Ellen, of the Belmierd family, breathed heavily as she gathered the courage to block his way.

However, Ellen completely ignored that pressure and spoke frankly.

A tense atmosphere began to spread among those present.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself, Dereck. admire Think about it again… The situation has become extreme, and the pressure on you is too great. arcade You’re just letting your emotions cloud your judgment.”

Ellen, visibly trembling at the neck, continued.

Some murmured that someone should stop her, but few nobles of the southwest of the continent would dare raise their voices against the future head of the Belmierd family.

What was she saying?

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“…”

When Dereck looked at her with expressionless eyes, Ellen bit her lower lip and clenched her fists tightly.

“There’s no need to shoulder such responsibility using such a dangerous method. anxiety A ruler is one who assumes responsibility, but you are only the person in charge of this place. alpha Sacrificing yourself to this extent for such limited authority is an excessive decision.”

Just as she thought of using force to stop him, even resorting to magic.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

A disheveled-looking man emerged from among the crowd.

He had a poorly shaved beard, an unkempt appearance, and a strong smell of alcohol emanated from his body.

Thud!

He grabbed Ellen by the nape of the neck and, brushing his bangs back, spoke.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“Let’s respect his decision, Ellen.”

“Why are you trying to interfere with Dereck’s noble choice? canvas The more you do, the more miserable the sacrifice will be. voyage If someone decides to become a hero, they should do it properly.”

“B-brother Linus? artist Now that I think about it, you said you were in Duplain territory…”

Murmurs of approval began to be heard among those present.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“You, who abandoned the family to wander around, what do you know! auction Do you really think Dereck is someone who can just die like this?”

Ellen, with an incredulous expression, sharply turned her body and grabbed Linus by the collar.

“Hey, hey. atom Don’t look at your own brother with such ferocity.”

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“So you decided to make a big bet.” Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.

He sketched an absurd smile for a moment, then calmly closed his eyes and spoke to him almost in a whisper.

Linus steadied himself as best he could, let out a loud burp, and looked toward Dereck.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Linus was unsettlingly perceptive.

“…”

After catching something in Dereck’s movements, he let out a dry laugh and forcefully pulled Ellen’s arm to clear the way.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“Is it a winnable bet? amber Is the payoff worth it?”

“Probably.”

“I appreciate the intention, but I’ve already done all the calculations.”

“What a pity, gambling is my specialty. voyage What do you say? acid Want me to check your bet?”

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

“Probably…? absorb I suppose in gambling there’s never an absolute.”

Dereck bowed his head once more and, without saying anything, began to walk with firm steps toward the exit of the Main Hall.

Ellen watched Dereck and Linus with trembling eyes.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

The silhouette advancing beneath the starry sky was that of someone going alone to face a six-star confusion mage.

The night was dark.

As if he were going to take care of everything on his own.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

After walking for quite a while after leaving the Main Hall, Dereck stopped alone in a huge clearing to the north of the academy.

***

That magical training field, surrounded by forest, was submerged in darkness at night.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

Dereck had deliberately separated himself from the crowd.

Only the chirping of insects could be heard among the nearby vegetation.

Standing alone, he took out a sheet of paper from inside his clothes.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

He hesitated for a moment over whether to open it or not, but finally put it back against his chest.

Then he took out the Book of Longing he had fastened at his waist and threw it open to one side of the clearing.

‘…’

It was the letter that Princess Roselin had personally handed him just before he came down from the second-floor balcony of the Main Hall.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

It’s coming to kill me, in person.

It’s coming.

In an instant, mana began to swirl around his body, and a light seeped through the darkness of the ground.

Dereck knew it by instinct.

Translation of Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 187: Confusion (4) by Indra Translations.

It was unmistakable killing intent.

Behind Dereck, who stood alone in the darkness, an indescribable cold rose.