“About you, Lady Katia, I’ve heard a great deal from Dereck. I’ve heard that you’re already a very well-known figure in the east of the continent, so it’s truly an honor to be able to meet you like this in person.”
“…”
The main residence of the Duplain family, now fully restored.
With a cup of tea set before her, Aiselin wore an exquisitely elegant smile; simply by sitting there, she gave the impression that splendid flowers were blooming all around her.
At rest, she resembled a snow-white hyacinth; when she smiled, a radiant lily; when she frowned, a narcissus; even when she was angry, she evoked a red rose.
It was inevitable that anyone would be captivated by her—worthy of being called the queen of the social circle of the southwest.
However, the rough image she had shown at the academy construction site overlapped in Katia’s mind, making her break into an uncomfortable sweat, while Aiselin, for her part, nervously moved her little finger.
There are relationships that begin by showing one’s worst side.
Dereck thought it might not be a big deal, but for Aiselin and Katia, it did not seem so simple.
“I’m not someone particularly qualified to call myself Dereck’s teacher. I’ve already passed the stage where I could teach him magic.”
“Even so, Dereck always says there’s so much to learn from you, Lady Katia. He’s not someone who offers empty praise or insists on defending someone without reason.”
“Thank you for saying that. And this is the young Freya, whom I am currently instructing in magic.”
“Who doesn’t know the young Countess Freya, so famous in the eastern social circle? It’s an immense honor to meet you!”
Aiselin, the most celebrated lady of the southwest of the continent, and Freya, who reigned as a true queen in the east, were gathered in the same place.
If this scene were to reach the ears of the Ebelstein social circle, it would undoubtedly cause a great stir.
Because of physical distance and personal circumstances, they were two people who almost never had the chance to meet.
Freya observed Aiselin with genuine surprise.
‘…After seeing her family fall from grace, roll through the merciless social world, and even lose her family, and yet she doesn’t have even a single wrinkle in her heart.’
Seeing Aiselin greet them with such a radiant smile made it feel as though even the surroundings were being purified.
It gave the impression that, if she had a tail, she would be wagging it enthusiastically.
She, who was said to be the queen of the southwestern social circle, did not resemble at all the cold, distant figure Freya had imagined.
That preconceived notion crumbled easily.
Katia, who had also been taken aback by Aiselin’s first impression, now seemed somewhat more relaxed.
Although the initial image of seeing her working with a pickaxe on her shoulder had been striking, seated properly at the tea table in the main residence, she was still an elegant and beautiful lady.
Since her days as a mercenary in Ebelstein, Katia had heard countless stories about the grandeur and prestige of the Duplain family.
‘Hmm…’
Katia closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the scene.
Aiselin, in a beautiful dress, linking arms with Dereck as they laughed together.
She thought that perhaps she could support him well, finally allowing him to live focused on the magic he loved so much after all the hardships he had endured—but immediately that image overlapped with another Aiselin rolling up her sleeves and heading toward the mine with a pickaxe on her shoulder.
Just thinking about it made her feel a bit dizzy again.
‘I’ve seen countless noble ladies after spending half my life in the social circle, but Aiselin is truly hard to decipher.’
Katia was a person of broad perspective.
She could even play along with the arrogant Trisha with a warm smile.
But when it came to choosing the person who would sit beside Dereck, she became more demanding than any aristocratic lady.
At first glance, Aiselin seemed perfect and immaculate, but Katia couldn’t help worrying that, by sticking her hands into all kinds of matters, it would end up being Dereck who bore the fatigue.
‘Still, she’s not from just any family, but from House Duplain. Perhaps I shouldn’t worry so much.’
Just as Katia was beginning to relax and sketch another smile—
Thump! Thump!
“…”
From the corridor came a strange sound, like something heavy being struck repeatedly. Aiselin gave a small start.
She seemed to have anticipated something.
“Lady Diella! Please! I beg you, forgive me! I’m truly sorry! Please… allow me to atone for my guilt!”
“Very well. If that’s what you desire, repentance, I’ll help you. You choose—would you prefer to receive a beating until you lose all feeling in your arms and legs, or leave this mansion in silence, thus paying for your corruption?”
“I’m truly sorry! Please, forgive me just this once! I’ll never touch the account books again! I’ll return all the money I embezzled! Just… just grant me a little leeway…!”
“Don’t grab my ankle. You’ll dirty my dress.”
Thud! Thud!
The sound of someone being trampled seemed to filter inside.
Aiselin’s face went pale; Katia’s and Freya’s expressions also hardened.
Dereck couldn’t say anything and simply remained silent.
The head of the Duplain family is Leigh, but the practical leader and spiritual pillar is Aiselin.
Leigh is upright by nature, though prone to hesitation; Aiselin knows how to embrace people, but lacks hardness.
That alone is not enough.
To lead a group, someone must become an object of fear.
People do not move on rewards alone.
“Do you think the Duplain family is an easy target? We seated you as a high vassal, and yet you manipulated the books, falsified the accounts, and stole jewels meant for official events. Do you know that the family was on the verge of collapse until just recently? With what you siphoned off, we could have raised the servants’ wages, you know?”
“Lady Diella…!”
“What? Now that the situation is improving, you want to cash in on your efforts? You could have said so. I could have rewarded you as you deserved. Of course, I would also have demanded the corresponding price. Choose—your limbs or your membership in the family. One of the two you must abandon.”
“I’m sorry… truly…!”
“I told you not to grab my dress! I’m going to an important meeting!”
Thud! Thud! Agh! Thud! Crrrk!
Crash! Bang!
After several more noises, silence gradually returned.
Although the audience chamber connected to the grand hall of the ducal residence of Duplain had good sound insulation, the newly renovated area was not quite so perfect.
Ignoring that detail, Diella dealt with the corrupt vassal again and again before brushing off her dress.
Tap, tap.
Ahem, ahem.
After a brief silence, the door to the room where they were seated opened with a creak.
The person who entered with a smile of dazzling beauty was, as expected, Diella Katherine Duplain.
“Hello. I came to greet you upon hearing of the visit. You must be Lady Katia, Dereck’s teacher. The mansion isn’t quite in perfect order yet, so I’m a bit embarrassed—please understand.”
Lifting the hem of her dress with elegance, Diella made an impeccable curtsey, displaying the dignity befitting a lady of House Duplain.
“I am Dereck’s most senior principal disciple. My name is Diella.”
She was so perfect and composed that it was hard to believe that, just moments earlier, she had been mercilessly beating a corrupt vassal.
Her abundant blonde hair, with waves at the tips, shone with a vivid luster, and her delicate, well-defined features looked more like those of a beautiful bisque doll than of a real person.
The dress filled with frills and the large ribbon pinned to her chest.
Her small, delicate body was so adorable that anyone seeing her for the first time would feel the urge to smile broadly and pull her into an embrace.
However, the family members accompanying her to assist were, for some reason, terrified.
There was no need to ask what had happened in the corridor on the way.
Her beautifully upturned eyes seemed full of charm, but upon closer inspection, one could sense a strange chill whose origin was impossible to discern.
As has been said time and again, in Ebelstein there were only two people capable of dealing with this girl.
Dereck and Aiselin.
And what was truly fortunate was that both of them were there at that moment.
***
“W-was the weather always this cold…?”
After finishing the conversation with the Duplain sisters, the young Countess Freya stepped out, trembling from head to toe.
When she had first arrived in Duplain territory, what had made her nervous was meeting Aiselin, the most famous lady in the high society of the southwest.
However, the figure that ultimately etched itself into her mind was that of her younger sister, Diella.
She was much younger, shorter, and on top of that, a disciple of Dereck.
For Freya, who had a senior–junior relationship with Dereck, she was not someone she could treat lightly.
Despite being in a clearly advantageous position, throughout her stay in the reception room Freya had kept both hands firmly clasped together on her knees.
Had she opened them, they would have been soaked with sweat.
Even while sitting still, she felt as if a lion were roaring behind her.
Although Leigh and Aiselin had relatively gentle temperaments, it was obvious why that mansion functioned with such precision.
“It seems that Master Katia wants to continue talking with those two. It would be better for us to withdraw first. She’ll also need to rest from the journey.”
“Y-yes.”
As she left the reception room, Freya wore an expression as if she had just escaped from a prison.
Dereck observed her in silence and then spoke with a somewhat awkward smile.
“Both of them are good people.”
“A-ah… y-yes…”
Freya swallowed and crossed the corridor of the Duplain mansion alongside Dereck.
Glancing at him from the side, she noticed that, for a man, he was walking at quite a slow pace.
Looking more closely, she realized that he was clearly adjusting his stride to match hers.
That alone was enough to show that he was quite accustomed to the norms of high society.
The first time Freya met Dereck was when she became involved in the tragedy of the Duchy of Duplain.
That their second meeting was also there felt ironically fitting.
With Katia not present and no one else listening, Freya knew that Baron Ravenclaw was someone she could trust.
So she spoke in a slightly more serious tone.
“The last time, when the tragedy occurred in this mansion…”
“…”
Hearing her lower her voice, Dereck’s expression hardened.
“At that time I said… that I had a hunch that, in some way, my godmother from the Elvester family, Lady Kohella, might be involved, do you remember? I also said that I would inform you if I found anything that could help.”
“Yes, you did.”
“After that, I returned to the main residence and investigated on my own. Lady Kohella usually handles state affairs at Gremport Palace, so she rarely visits the mansion, but she leaves behind many work documents. Most of them are quite old.”
The chief magical advisor of Gremport Palace, the six-star transformation mage Kohella.
A close confidant of Emperor Gatrell and a figure so influential that it would not be an exaggeration to call her one of the most famous in the current magical world.
She was, quite literally, the greatest treasure of the Elvester family.
Since he had already visited Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion once, Dereck listened to the story with a serious expression.
“You say you investigated on your own—how exactly?”
“Would you like to hear the grand epic of Freya’s espionage diary? I warn you, it won’t be short.”
“…”
“Then I won’t go into all the details, but a nighttime adventure sneaking into my godmother’s study and opening the attic deserves to be told at least once. If you like, we can do it over a cup of tea…”
“Would it be terribly disrespectful to ask for just the conclusion?”
“I knew you’d say that…”
Freya pursed her lips with a dejected air.
It seemed she had carried out all kinds of secret investigations within the Elvester family.
“As you know, Lord Ravenclaw, my godmother Kohella has a strong inclination toward associating with high-level mages—especially six-star ones. I suppose she still yearns to reach the domain of seven stars proclaimed by the great mage Adelbert.”
Only those who had reached the six-star level could even dream of the seventh.
However, throughout history, although many six-star mages appeared, none managed to surpass that limit.
It was said that the seventh level was a domain reserved by Adelbert to venerate the gods, and that humans could not go beyond it.
Even so, as the eras passed, there were always those who harbored ambitions.
Even though Kohella was an old woman covered in wrinkles, she never abandoned that yearning.
If necessary, she would gather all existing six-star mages to exchange views and, without fail, reach that distant summit.
“Lady Kohella meets with anyone who has the potential to reach six stars. And if they’ve already reached that level, then all the more so.”
She seemed to have seen some potential in Dereck, as she had left him several pieces of advice before departing.
Although he had received help, he could not feel any sympathy toward her.
There was something unsettling about that old woman.
To reach the seventh level, she would not hesitate over means or methods.
That carried many implications.
Freya glanced around several times, lowered her voice, and spoke with an even more serious expression.
“Currently, three six-star mages are known on the continent. Lord Melverot in the north, Lord Drest in the southwest, and Lady Kohella. In that order, combat, exploration, and transformation mages.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But according to Lady Kohella’s research records, there may be more six-star mages.”
At those words, Dereck feigned surprise, though in truth he was not.
He already knew of another mage of that level.
“That could be. The known mages don’t have to be all of them. One more wouldn’t be strange…”
“It’s not just one. Listen carefully, Sir Dereck. This may soon spread across the continent, but knowing it before others has immense value.”
Freya swallowed and told him what she had discovered.
“I read records in which my godmother investigated the writings of the great mage Adelbert. Adelbert said that he established the magical system by observing the Big Dipper in the sky. He took as a basis the magical currents corresponding to each star and wove them into a single great flow.”
“Seven stars?”
“Yes. Therefore, there are also seven magical systems. My godmother believes she read Adelbert’s memories through transformation magic. She’s convinced of it.”
Generally, five magical systems are known combat, illusion, transformation, summoning, and exploration.
Even adding necromancy, considered taboo, that only makes six.
If one speaks of seven systems based on the Big Dipper, one is missing.
“…”
“Do you understand what I mean?”
“Does there exist a seventh magical system unknown to everyone?”
“It’s still only a hypothesis, but my godmother seems to call it the seventh system. There are no clues, not even certainty of its existence, but she believes it must be something indispensable for reaching the seven-star level.”
Hearing that, Dereck’s expression hardened.
He felt something stir in his chest, a strange euphoria he had never experienced before.
The path of magic was vast and deep, and exploring it to its limit was, for Dereck, equivalent to his own life.
It was like seeing a new objective emerge before his eyes on a prairie he already knew well.
When Dereck’s expression changed so clearly, Freya too ended up feeling the tension.
Whenever it came to matters related to magic, Dereck invariably became serious.
A discussion about a new magical system no one had discovered until now was more than enough to excite him.
“And then?”
“While investigating that process, it seems Lady Kohella brushed against a certain truth. I don’t know exactly what she saw, but she became convinced that there were still more six-star mages. And moreover, she believes that finding them is one of the key elements to reaching the seven-star level.”
That six-star mages still existed was a fact.
However, what Freya was saying went one step beyond what Dereck had assumed.
“Lady Kohella, as a six-star transformation mage, has already designed countless magical artifacts and magical weapons, and has used them to search for mages in many different fields. Basically, she’s met with every high-level mage she could find.”
Even though Dereck was only a four-star mage, Kohella had taken the trouble to visit him in person.
The reason seemed clear.
She had suspected that Dereck might have the potential of a six-star mage—or even that he was one hiding his identity.
If there was even the slightest possibility, she investigated it to the very end.
That was Kohella’s style.
Freya took out a small note from her chest.
It seemed she had been taking notes on her own.
“Not even Lord Drest, the six-star exploration mage, could escape Lady Kohella’s eyes.”
“That matches what’s said. I’ve heard that six-star transformation mages create tools and magical weapons on an absurd scale. Detecting powerful mages must be trivial for them. Of course, even so, she wouldn’t have been able to catch Master Drest.”
Six-star transformation magic twists and breaks even laws and causality, materializing tools and weapons that should not exist.
Almost no one has seen that level of magic manifest directly, but it is rumored that upon reaching that domain, one can create something entirely new, of an unknown dimension.
Kohella not only possessed that kind of magic, but also overwhelming political power.
All elite magical advisors of Gremport Palace obeyed her orders.
“If someone like that, who has spent her entire life honing her eyes and ears, cannot find them, then there are only two possibilities.”
“…”
“Either they have transcended life and death, or they have transcended perception.”
On the note that Freya handed to him, two words were written.
— Necromantic system
— Illusion system
Transcend life and death, or transcend perception.
In order to traverse the continent without being detected even by Kohella’s eyes, one of those two conditions had to be met.
One was already known.
The existence of a necromantic mage who had transcended even death and infiltrated noble society through an endless cycle of reincarnations.
No matter how powerful Kohella was, she could not pursue the dead.
But the other possibility had never been considered.
Illusion magic that deceives perception and manipulates human senses.
If that magic were to reach its ultimate expression and attain the supreme level of six stars, what would happen then?
The magical laboratory of Gremport.
That old mage, secluded there while tracking six-star mages across the world—what exactly was she perceiving?
“There is someone who exists, yet does not exist. Someone who is always by our side, yet cannot be perceived. They are already… among us.”
“…”
“That was the final research record left by Lady Kohella.”
After hearing that, Dereck could do nothing but stand still in the corridor for a moment.
Suddenly, with a slight jolt, he turned around.
There was nothing behind him.
Only the long corridor of the Duplain mansion stretching out in silence.
A six-star illusion mage.
An existence that might not even be real, and that, even if it were, could not be perceived.
Even if one had already encountered it before, it would not even be permitted to remember it.
Could something like that truly be called existent?
Dereck narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded.
“I see.”
He did not know why, but it seemed a fact that Kohella was trying to gather all the six-star mages that existed on the surface.
For that reason alone, Dereck merely nodded in silence.
The sun was gradually setting.
In the distance, beyond the window, the far edge of the grounds where the Ravenclaw Academy was being built could be seen.
Whatever the case, now was the time to focus on what needed to be done.
It was then, as Dereck stood absorbed, gazing out the window—
“…”
At the main entrance of the Duplain mansion, a large carriage was going through the procedures to enter the grounds, silhouetted against the deep glow of the sunset.
Thinking that perhaps another distinguished guest had arrived, he frowned and focused his gaze.
A girl had stepped down from the carriage and was insistently explaining something to the gate guard.
“…..”
It was Trisha, with an expression on the verge of breaking into tears.
With a desperate face, she was trying to enter Duplain territory.
Dereck’s head was already starting to ache.
