Be that as it may, being able to receive magical instruction directly from Kalimford, the six-star mage whose name enjoyed the greatest prestige even among those of his same rank, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Although easily crossing the wall of five stars was not realistic, at least for a while it did seem possible to aspire to a notable improvement in his magical level.
That thought made Dereck feel quietly satisfied.
‘I hope I can raise my magical mastery as much as possible while this opportunity lasts…’
Six-star mages are masters of the highest level, and in the entire world there are only a handful of them.
However, not all mages of that rank share the same inclination or temperament.
That was something obvious.
The higher the magical mastery, the firmer each person’s theory and personal interpretation become.
Depending on whom one takes as a teacher, one’s vision and values regarding magic inevitably change.
In the end, once a certain level is surpassed, there is no choice but to follow the line of one’s own master.
In fact, even the young noblewomen who had learned magic from Dereck showed a freer and less rigid way of using mana than that of traditional academic mages.
Depending on who transmitted the magic, differences between schools became inevitable, and mastering all types of magic became something close to impossible.
Moreover, Dereck’s former teacher had been none other than the black mage Fina.
He had received many teachings from her, but her instruction carried a deadly danger Fina’s status itself.
Being known as the disciple of a black mage was an absolute forbidden line, something that could not be revealed under any circumstances.
Black mages, capable of defiling corpses, manipulating souls, and trampling human dignity without hesitation, had always been persecuted and suppressed in every era and region.
‘The magic I can learn from Kalimford is completely removed from that danger. At the very least, I can try to cross the wall of five stars by following an orthodox path.’
Sitting in his private room, Dereck stroked his chin with a serious expression.
He opened and closed his hand several times, testing the sensation.
His physical condition had already fully recovered, but the image of the six-star spell that Kalimford had manifested was still burned into his memory.
A domain that made any ordinary person lose the will to fight just by facing it.
In truth, even Dereck had felt an absurd pressure upon witnessing that magic.
“…”
The tips of his fingers trembled slightly.
Dereck was not someone who showed confusion easily.
His ability to remain calm in any situation had allowed him to survive for years in the merciless world of mercenaries.
Even so, when recalling that magic of overwhelming scale, a slight excitement inevitably welled up inside him.
That was the domain of six stars.
The level Dereck longed to reach.
And someone who had already arrived there was standing right before him.
‘If I’m honest, right now I don’t think it’s possible.’
A six-star combat mage can summon meteorites with complete naturalness.
An illusion mage can deceive everyone, transcending perception and consciousness.
A transformation mage can create a small world of their own.
An exploration mage can see the future.
And a black mage commands death itself.
Dereck had met all types of six-star mages, except illusion mages.
Each of them possessed power capable of devouring entire continents.
To stand on the same level as them, studying magic diligently was not enough.
To reach that domain, something different from everything before was required.
Although his magical talent was considered a blessing from the heavens, Dereck felt that he was still missing something, one final piece.
‘Perhaps, if I go with Fina, I could reach that level.’
She was probably holed up in the Tigris territory at that moment.
If Dereck humbled himself and offered himself as her disciple, Fina would never reject him.
But Dereck shook his head.
The strange madness and unsettling pleasure that shone in Fina’s eyes always stirred an ominous premonition within him.
She might be able to bring him to the six-star domain by any means, but he could not know whether that path would truly be the one he desired.
‘After all, Fina’s main field is black magic.’
Even so, she had never taught him a single spell of that kind.
She knew all too well the weight of touching a taboo, and so she had never imposed that burden on Dereck.
But what if Fina decided to seriously teach him black magic?
Perhaps he could reach it.
That domain that all who live for magic gaze upon with longing and admiration the realm of six stars.
“You seem to be thinking too much.”
More than four days had already passed since Dereck arrived in the Rochester territory.
That day, after finishing his training and catching his breath, Kalimford approached him and spoke.
Since he began receiving direct instruction from Kalimford, even Dereck’s magical sense, which he believed to be fully mature, had begun to experience new changes.
Each understanding brushed against innovation, and there were many times when Dereck felt impressed or satisfied.
However, when the day ended and silence settled in, strange thoughts coiled in his chest.
Kalimford caught that inner conflict instantly.
“Do you think that if you go with Fina, you can reach the six-star domain?”
“…”
“It seems you yourself know that it’s not a very sensible method.”
The reason Melverot had summoned the busy Dereck all the way to the Rochester territory was not that complex.
He simply wanted to show his daughter Siern’s face to his old friend Kalimford, who had returned alive.
He knew well how inefficient it was to call a busy noble over such a personal matter, and he did not like the idea very much.
But he also could not bear not showing even his daughter’s face to someone who had returned from death.
That was why he made that decision.
In the end, Dereck also thought it had not been a bad thing.
After all, he had been able to learn magic from Kalimford, a legendary great mage.
“By now, she has probably already taken control of the Tigris territory. And yet, no external changes have been heard of. That’s what makes me a little uneasy.”
“Fina has plenty of time. Unlike us, who value each day of our finite lives, for a black mage like her, a day and a year do not differ much in value.”
Dereck evoked the image of Fina.
Sitting calmly in her office reviewing documents, or lounging shamelessly on the reception sofa, absentmindedly eating some financiers that the maids had baked for her.
Indeed, those who are detached from everything always seem to live with absolute calm.
“But if you think she will remain silent forever, you’re mistaken. One way or another, she will try to change your heart and subdue you.”
“For someone who lives eons, don’t a few years feel insignificant?”
“That’s right. But the time permitted for that body called Fina is not infinite. The mark of reincarnation, at most in about twenty years, causes the body’s mana to spiral out of control and be consumed, forcing her to seek a new body and reincarnate.”
He had heard that directly from Fina.
A reincarnation lasted, at most, about twenty years.
Sometimes it ended in barely ten; even in the best cases, it did not exceed twenty-five.
As a young noblewoman, shortly after celebrating her coming-of-age ceremony, she would end up encountering death in one way or another.
Sometimes she was executed after it was revealed that she was a black mage.
Other times, she burned up, consumed by the mark of reincarnation itself.
Thus, repeating death and resurrection, she had lived until now.
That was what the taboo had promised her eternal youth.
Her life was always reduced to existing as a beautiful and delicate young noblewoman.
Whether that was truly what she desired was something impossible to know.
“When Fina dies and reappears in the world after a new reincarnation, you will already be quite old.”
“By then, my magical level will also be higher. From Miss Fina’s point of view, wouldn’t it be better to wait until that time?”
Dereck’s goal was to someday reach the domain of six stars, and then go even further.
If one truly believed he could go that far, wouldn’t it be enough to leave him alone and wait?
But Kalimford shook his head.
“Put yourself in her place. For those who live finite lives, everything is ephemeral and fragile. After dying and returning to life several times, she will have seen the world change completely again and again.”
People destined to grow old together suddenly die in accidents.
Or those who seemed on the verge of death live more than a hundred years.
Human life never follows a predictable script.
After experiencing death and opening her eyes again, how many times would she have seen those who were meant to die remain alive, and those who were meant to live be dead?
That was why Fina had no intention whatsoever of leaving Dereck alone.
After completing a reincarnation and returning to the world, she could not accept under any circumstances that Dereck had disappeared in any way.
So, while she still lived in this era, her intention was to cling to Dereck with all her strength.
“If she really finds herself cornered, she might even engrave the mark of reincarnation onto you.”
“…”
“From your point of view, what do you think that would be for you? A blessing, or a curse?”
Observing the new wounds that covered his body, Dereck ran his hand over his arm.
After falling into deep thought, he raised his gaze to Kalimford and asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“That’s normal.”
“But there is something I do want to ask you right now.”
Dereck closed his eyes for a moment and then looked straight at Kalimford.
“If the day comes when I have to advance into the territory of Tigris, could you help me, Master Kalimford?”
It was not difficult to imagine.
If he refused to accept Fina’s will, after she had taken control of Tigris, he would inevitably have to confront her.
When that moment came, would Kalimford be at his back?
He was a hero who had saved nations, someone who had lived his entire life for justice and sincerely believed he could save anyone.
Precisely because of that, he rarely lied.
Gripping his staff with a thin, bony hand, Kalimford lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. That… I can’t do.”
“…”
Dereck nodded.
He did not ask why.
If people were to be divided into good and evil, Fina would be evil itself.
The Kalimford of his prime, who roamed the world punishing evil, would never have left her alone.
But now it was different.
After all, Kalimford had deceived Fina and broken her heart.
The one who cast her into the abyss of despair was Kalimford himself.
And yet, the one who resurrected him and allowed him to see Siern’s face again was Fina.
The one who helped him kill the great monster Noir was also Fina.
One way or another, if Kalimford could be there at that moment, it was thanks to Fina’s power.
In Kalimford’s eyes, that girl seemed to hold light and darkness at the same time.
She loved only magic; the heavens had allowed her to reach the domain of six stars; and, trapped in that cursed mark, her heart had ultimately shattered.
That was why Kalimford could not raise his sword against Fina.
And Dereck could not say anything to the downcast Kalimford either.
If one day he faced Fina in the midst of the Tigris territory, covered in blood, wrapped in darkness and death, what choice should he make?
He still could not find a clear answer.
***
After that, the days in the Rochester mansion passed almost entirely in training.
Whenever he had the chance, Dereck followed Kalimford and rebuilt from scratch theories on all kinds of magical systems.
Thanks to that, he gained inspiration again and again regarding the use of five-star magic, and repeatedly readjusted four-star spells he already mastered.
Whaam! Whaam! Boom!
Whraaaah! Whaam!
Throughout the Rochester territory, the sounds of Dereck’s large-scale magic training constantly echoed.
Since it was inconvenient to destroy the dueling field every time, he sometimes went outside the mansion.
Fortunately, the north was covered in vast, uninhabited snowy plains, and from time to time demonic beasts appeared that served as real opponents.
There was no better place to train magic seriously.
On days when he trained directly with Kalimford, he ended up in shambles, but even while bleeding all over, Dereck walked around with a broad smile.
Denise used to say he was simply a lunatic obsessed with magic.
Siern, who watched those training sessions while staying in the mansion, could not help but nod several times, thinking she was right.
‘Dereck is serious when he teaches magic, but even more so when he learns. I suppose that’s why he can teach so consistently.’
Sometimes, Siern went to watch him train, rested her chin on her hand, and observed in silence.
In her white eyes, a clear light shone.
Finding a master one could trust was truly precious.
For Siern, having Dereck as her master was almost a miracle.
And Dereck, for his part, also felt that emotion when learning from someone.
He was a distant man and, at times, difficult to understand, but in certain aspects they shared a strange affinity.
Without realizing it, Dereck’s presence had begun to feel as natural as a part of her own body; to the point that, when he was not there, she felt uneasy.
After watching him for a long time, Siern suddenly felt another wave of heat rise to her forehead and cheeks.
‘Again… I’m not starting to feel unwell, am I…?’
While walking along the walls of the Rochester mansion, she decided she needed to be careful not to catch another cold and quickly jumped toward the main building.
It had been a long time since she returned to her home, so she thought she should talk more with Melverot before returning to the Ravenclaw territory.
“I feel like my temperature is rising again, so I’m going to rest a bit in the main house. Maybe I got too excited walking around the mansion after so long.”
“Don’t make everyone worry again over something as annoying as a cold. If you repeat it, you’ll only reduce my working time.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
Although Melverot spoke coldly, Siern knew her father well.
As soon as she entered the great hall barefoot, he frowned and stopped talking with the legal magistrate, as if he already had worry piled up.
“Even a slight increase in temperature can greatly affect the body. Don’t take it lightly; if you feel anything strange, rest immediately. And, if possible, wear shoes.”
“Yes… but the heat has already passed now. It’s strange. Outside I felt stifled… could it be that being exposed too much to the cold affects you that much?”
“Is your mana state not fine right now? I heard you protect yourself properly using transformation magic.”
“Y-yes, but… mmm… I don’t know. Lately my body feels fine one moment and bad the next.”
“We’ll have to call a doctor.”
“I-it’s not that serious. Right now I’m fine… I think the heat just rose for a moment while I was outside.”
Melverot tossed the documents he was holding to the legal magistrate and, with his hand on his chin, asked with a grave expression.
“What were you doing outside?”
“Not much… just walking around the mansion and looking at the snowy plain… and watching Dereck train magic.”
“That man training?”
“Yes. I found it surprising that even in this cold he’s training to reach a higher level… and I also felt that he’s not as distant as he seems… like I saw an unexpected side of him…”
Siern recalled the image of Dereck she saw every day escorting her kindly to Rochester with satisfaction, taking care of her when she fell ill, managing the territory, and training magic always with a serious face.
As she thought about it, the heat rose again, and she began to fan her face with her hand.
“Ah… eh? I think I really don’t feel very well.”
“All of a sudden…?”
W-when I think about Dereck, my temperature suddenly rises again… i-it’s strange… very strange…”
Siern hugged herself, made a few small nervous hops, and shook her head vigorously before bowing to Melverot.
W-well… if I stay like this, the servants will panic again, so I’ll go rest immediately. Father, please take your time as well.”
Pressing her burning cheeks, she crossed the great hall and disappeared into the corridor, probably heading to her room.
After the door closed—
Whoosh.
A gust of winter wind rushed in through the entrance.
But the chill felt by Melverot and the attendants did not come from the northern wind.
The night before, after Siern’s cold, they had spent the night in a state of near-emergency alert.
Over a simple cold, Kalimford and Melverot had spent the night with expressions as if the world were about to end.
And yet, a hunch told them that something was about to happen that would make all of that seem trivial.
“Your Grace… t-this is…”
“……………… It’s an emergency.”
At last, the legal magistrate’s face turned completely pale.
