The Rodelen region, where the Ravenclaw barony was located, had a warm climate year-round and abundant sunlight; it was said to be famous as a wine-producing area.
For Siern, who had always wandered through snow-covered fields, gazing upon cold and desolate landscapes, that place seemed like a true earthly paradise.
It was a lush land.
If she sat quietly on the rooftop of the annex and gazed at the vast prairie spreading out before her eyes, she felt as though all her worries melted away.
The days when she had been trapped on the spire of the Rochester territory, hugging her knees and crying inconsolably, already felt like things of the past.
Now, the Ravenclaw barony was her new home.
Even so, from time to time, she could not help but think of Melverot, who continued to guard the Rochester territory in the north.
She often felt that she should go see him at least once.
If he remained shut away alone in that land battered by extreme cold, even his heart would eventually freeze over.
“Yes… I have to go at least once.”
Although her life here satisfied her, she also wanted to go and ease her father’s loneliness.
That such a desire arose was inevitable.
***
‘I feel like I’m going to get dizzy.’
Katia watched the Duplain sisters with a sense of bewilderment.
Even for someone as seasoned as her, who had been through all kinds of situations, those sisters were difficult to define in words.
Aiselin, the elder sister, seemed like a perfect young woman in every sense, yet in practical and work-related matters she showed blazing eyes and an almost obsessive attitude.
“I think Dereck isn’t aware of how valuable he is as a person. That’s why I was thinking—wouldn’t it be better if, in addition to the affairs of the Duplain territory, he also left the practical work here in the Ravenclaw barony to me? He looks at me with concern, saying he doesn’t want me to overwork myself or that it would be a burden… but I can’t convince him. Don’t you think that if you told him, Lady Katia, Dereck might change his mind?”
“…”
“What do you think, Lady Katia? It seems Dereck wants to focus on his magical training, and once the construction of the academy is finished, he’ll also have to devote himself to teaching. Spending time managing those things would be a waste, wouldn’t it? You also care about Dereck, so… couldn’t you try to persuade him more directly?”
“Well… Aiselin is a very noble young lady, but devoting so much effort to those things…”
“No, really, I’m fine! That’s exactly why I want you to help me convince Dereck as well.”
If Aiselin’s workaholic side was already something, Diella was frightening in a different sense.
“What was Dereck like when he was a child?”
“Back when he lived in the slums, he had a very hard time. Even so, he had firm convictions and a strong desire to learn magic, so he was worth teaching.”
“I see… and when he was little, did he have any other special connection?”
“Huh?”
“With that mercenary named Pheline, he doesn’t seem to have special feelings, but Dereck knows many people, so you never know. Someone he shared memories with, or a friend he went through hard times with… were there many like that?”
“And why do you ask…?”
“It’s… just curiosity.”
“…”
She had already felt it when she met Denise—there were undoubtedly many people lurking around Dereck.
From Katia’s point of view, that could be considered something positive, but after seeing how she had just had the vassals in the palm of her hand, she didn’t know what to say.
All of the Ravenclaw Academy disciples had something peculiar about them, and the usual intuitions used to deal with young noble ladies of high society rarely worked on them.
Even Katia, with all her experience and maturity, could not help but feel unsettled; each of them was a singular character.
‘Dereck… what kind of days are you living, having to deal with people like this…?’
The young noblewomen, one by one, all had such high status that they could not be treated lightly.
Teaching magic while dealing with several of them a day was by no means an easy task.
‘I can’t afford to falter. Since I’ve come all the way to this distant southwest, I’d better start selecting someone who can remain by Dereck’s side.’
She had already shared enough memories with her disciple after so long without seeing him.
Now there were only the matters she needed to tie up properly before returning to Elvester County.
Dereck’s partner was not something that could be decided lightly, but at the very least she wanted to clearly define the group of candidates.
‘At minimum, I’ll have to go to Ebelstein society to reach a conclusion. I’ll need to meet the young ladies of the Rose Hall…’
With a gentle smile on her face, Katia thanked the Duplain sisters.
“It has been a real pleasure to meet you like this. I’ve been able to thoroughly inspect the land where the academy will be built and meet the people to whom Dereck owes favors, so it has been a very fruitful visit.”
“Ah, yes, yes… are you leaving already?”
“As Lady Aiselin said, it seems Dereck has many matters to attend to in the Ravenclaw territory. It wouldn’t be right for him to waste time taking care of this old teacher.”
Dereck seemed quite satisfied just spending time touring places together with Katia after so long, but even so, that was enough of an excuse to begin the return.
It felt a little unfair to the Duplain sisters, who had dressed so carefully to please her, but Katia decided to leave the rest for later.
‘Then that leaves young Ellen of the Belmierd family and young Siern of the Rochester family. I can’t imagine what kind of people they’ll be.’
Just thinking about it made Katia feel her head starting to spin.
She already knew from the letters they had exchanged that all of Dereck’s disciples were peculiar.
She only hoped that the remaining two would be a bit easier to read.
After politely taking her leave of the Duplain sisters and being guided into the corridor by the servants, Katia let out a long sigh.
Craaak! Craaak!
In the melancholic atmosphere of early dusk, she took a short walk through the central garden of the old Duplain mansion.
She always had the same feeling the deeper and more authoritative a person was, the more difficult it was to deal with them.
When she was the lady of the Flameheart household, she did not remember having such a hard time.
The nobles she associated with back then were, on the contrary, people who were easy to read and handle.
The fact that their intentions were transparent and their actions predictable was, in the end, very convenient.
She had spent nearly her entire life dealing with that type of person.
It was just as, gathering that tired gaze, she headed toward the garden—
“Hey, hey! Do you know who I am? I’m Trisha of the Renouel family! You should be able to tell just by looking at me!”
“Yes, yes… of course, Miss Trisha. How could we not recognize you? The thing is, we’re preparing the servants to receive your carriage and give you attention befitting your status…”
“I said that’s not necessary! Just clear the way! If I arrive late again, it really will be nightfall! I have to hurry and fix the disaster I caused…!”
Near the main entrance of the Duplain mansion, someone was arguing.
Looking more closely, Katia recognized the young woman.
“I’m very sorry. If you had notified us in advance, this wouldn’t have happened…”
“Are you saying this is my fault?”
“N-no! That’s not it at all!”
Seeing Trisha ranting in front of a servant who was bending over backward apologizing, Katia felt her heart loosen a little.
That was, without a doubt, the typical image of an arrogant and immature young noblewoman of high society.
People as complete and capable as Aiselin or Denise were, in reality, the exception.
They said young noblewomen either had heads full of flowers or lacked manners, with no middle ground.
Seeing someone fit that saying so perfectly was almost comforting.
Trisha was the exact archetype of the arrogant young noblewoman Katia had dealt with her entire life.
“Aren’t you Miss Trisha?”
“And now who…? I’m extremely busy, so if it’s not something important—ah, Katia, good afternoon…”
The moment she recognized Katia’s face, her expression stiffened and her attitude changed immediately; even that hypocritical contrast was already familiar.
Katia felt as though all the accumulated oppression dissipated at once.
A smile naturally appeared on her face, and in a very calm voice, she addressed Trisha.
“Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“T-this is…”
On the other hand, Trisha could not help but put on a funeral face.
She had run all day to the Duplain mansion to try to improve her image, and the moment she arrived she ended up shouting at a servant and causing a scene.
At that instant, she truly wished she could bite her tongue and disappear.
***
“So I informed the young ladies of the Duplain family that Miss Trisha had gone to visit them. The rest, I suppose, they will sort out well on their own.”
“I-is that so…?”
Inside the carriage returning to the territory of Baron Ravenclaw.
Recalling Trisha’s expression, biting her lips and tugging at her hair with tears in her eyes, Dereck showed a complex expression.
Knowing Trisha’s temperament well, he worried that she might have committed some discourtesy toward Katia.
As he was thinking about how to ask her about it, Katia was the one who spoke first, with a surprisingly clear expression on her face.
“Miss Trisha… has a curious gift for making people feel at ease…”
“……Huh?”
“Well, it’s hard to explain in words… but when I look at her, I feel my mind calm down and become peaceful… I suppose it’s because she’s the kind of person I’ve seen many times in the high society of the east…”
“I-is that so…?”
Trisha, convinced that she had already earned Katia’s antipathy, could only keep twirling her hair with a completely pale face.
Dereck had seen that expression many times, but he didn’t know how to comfort her, so he merely gave her a few pats on the shoulder.
However, contrary to what she expected, Katia did not seem to feel any rejection toward Trisha.
‘Trisha is Trisha, but… my teacher is also a difficult person to understand…’
Having a great capacity for tolerance implied many things.
Katia was already accustomed to this kind of situation, to the point of being able to look fondly even at a junior disciple as arrogant as Trisha.
Dereck only watched Katia in silence, with a still ambiguous expression.
Creaak.
Tap, tap.
Back in the territory of Baron Ravenclaw, they walked toward the main residence.
After sending the servants who had been busy all day to rest and assigning Freya a guest room, Dereck and Katia crossed together the front courtyard of the barony, already sunk into twilight after sunset.
“Still, it was worth coming all the way here just to see you, Dereck. When I only read your letters, I didn’t notice it, but now that I see you with my own eyes, I truly feel it.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. From the day we parted on the commercial street of Ebelstein, you haven’t stopped moving forward even for a single day. This vast territory, your magical ability, the disciples who trust you, these vassals… all of it is the result of that effort.”
“You don’t need to praise me so much.”
“Is it really excessive praise? No mage of common origin would be able to achieve something like this.”
Thus, they entered the main residence, crossed the central hall, and went up the stairs to the second floor together.
Before going to sleep, they were heading to Dereck’s study to chat a bit while drinking tea.
“That’s why this trip was even more valuable. I’ll probably take a stroll through the high society of Ebelstein tomorrow and, if there’s nothing else of note, return to Elvester County.”
“So soon? You’ve traveled a long way.”
“In Elvester County, many matters have piled up. Making time like this was already quite forced, but at least it was worth it.”
Katia stopped, looked at him, and smiled gently.
“Dereck, you’ve worked very hard. Knowing that you’re fulfilling your role in life well gives me great strength.”
“…”
Dereck was not someone who expressed his emotions much, and Katia knew that, so she didn’t expect a big reaction.
Even so, after listening in silence, Dereck showed a rare smile.
“It’s all thanks to having had a good teacher.”
“…”
Katia flinched slightly, then her face filled with a warm smile.
“Even though you have nothing left to learn from me, it seems I have a rather shameless disciple.”
“That’s not true. No matter what happens, I intend to continue considering myself a disciple of Teacher Katia.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Dereck arrived in front of the door to his study with a comforting smile.
In a world covered only by relentless cold, having encountered Katia by chance in that slum district had been an immense miracle in his life.
With those thoughts in mind, he opened the door to the study.
“Before sleeping, would you like to have a cup of herbal tea? I’ll have the servants bring it—”
Whoosh!
From beyond the open door, an indescribable dark energy overflowed out of nowhere.
It was late at night; even the full moon had hidden behind the mountains.
In the study, sunk in darkness, someone was sitting atop Dereck’s large work desk.
A small body.
A neat frilled dress.
Carefully arranged pale lilac hair, and eyes of the same color.
She was a six-star mage who had taken her leave with a haughty attitude, saying that they would probably never see each other again.
“……”
Dereck frowned at the ominous energy emanating from inside the study.
Katia, who was following him, opened her eyes in surprise.
To Katia, the girl staring at them wide-eyed from the darkness was a complete stranger.
However, an inexplicable pressure gripped her throat, preventing her from speaking.
The girl was covered in blood.
The stench was so strong that it was clearly perceptible even from several steps away, as if she had just returned directly from a massacre.
“No…”
Just as Dereck was about to say something, those lifeless eyes suddenly turned toward him.
The corners of her lips rose with a mechanical creak, and the girl’s voice, wrapped in the energy of wandering spirits and souls, burst forth.
“Dereck~!”
In that seemingly cheerful voice, an inexplicable dissonance welled up.
When Dereck took a step back to assess the situation, Fina leapt nimbly down from the desk.
Drops of blood fell one after another, marking her path.
In the girl’s eyes, a sinister, deep, unfathomable darkness swirled.
“Why did you take so long? I thought my neck would snap from waiting for you. My dear disciple, Dereck.”
“Miss Fina?”
“That’s right. It’s me. Your teacher. The only one who will teach you and guide you to a higher realm. Fina Rafaella Tigris. Say my name again. I don’t need that useless title of miss—come on, teacher. Call me Teacher Fina…”
“You said you would return to the Tigris territory…”
“Yes, that’s what I said. The Tigris territory—I have nothing left to do in a place so insignificant. Now there’s something far more important.”
It wasn’t unleashed madness, but it wasn’t mere eccentricity either.
The only thing certain was that Fina was not in a normal state.
Katia felt a tremor at the tips of her fingers at that unsettling sensation impossible to describe.
“My disciple, my only disciple Dereck is here… Of course I had to come back.”
Dark blood dripped from Fina’s sleeves as she kept smiling.
After stroking Dereck’s arm several times, she suddenly changed her expression and sharply turned her head.
Her gaze stabbed into Katia.
Just by meeting her eyes, it felt as though one’s heart would shrink in terror.
Though she had the appearance of a small girl, she radiated the pressure of someone who had reached an immeasurable realm.
She was someone who had reached the extreme of necromantic magic.
Even death served her.
The blood-soaked girl, capable of devouring sanity just by facing her, was staring intently at Katia.
