Pshuk! Pshuk!
Kwaak!
This is a story from when Dereck had not yet grown accustod to the sll of monster blood.
It was when he had just started interacting with the group of rcenaries and was getting familiar with the ecology of the labyrinth by following Jayden.
The intimidation caused by goblins, trolls, ogres, and other monstrous demi-humans was considerable, so many rcenaries who explored the labyrinth for the first ti would tremble or be of no help at all in combat.
However, despite his young age, Dereck slit their throats and severed limbs without hesitation, showing the deanor of a cold and ruthless rcenary.
Jayden often admired Dereck’s attitude, even thinking that maybe he lacked human emotions.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
After completing the expedition that day, Dereck, who was sitting at the camp tending the fire before returning to Ebelstein, showed no signs of exhaustion.
He was, by nature, a complete rcenary. Jayden thought this as he watched him.
“Dereck. You worked hard today.”
“No. Just make sure to give
a fair share tomorrow when we get back to the taverns in the district.”
“Of course. By the way, aren’t you tired?”
“I can handle it. There’s no other job in the comrcial district that pays this well, so I actually feel pretty good.”
This was said by a boy who had yet to undergo his coming-of-age ceremony, after having massacred dozens of monsters in a single day. A sight that would make anyone unfamiliar with him shudder.
The harsh environnt of life, like a long winter, sotis created human beings like this boy.
They had a human form, but there was a strange sense that sothing was missing in terms of humanity.
Jayden was a renowned rcenary who had fought on many battlefields and had made a na for himself even in the so-called “Dawn War.”
Having spent so much ti in brutal combat, he knew well how precious a child’s pure smile was.
That’s why seeing a boy who had already learned all the harshness of the battlefield at such a young age unsettled him.
Jayden sat across the fire. And with a warm, human laugh, he said:
“Dereck. You’re human.”
“…”
“As long as you live killing monsters like in a trance, there will co a ti when you question your own humanity. When that happens, don’t forget to reflect on it.”
Crackle, crackle.
Dereck looked at him silently. Jayden smiled kindly, but there was a firm resolve in that smile.
It was advice born of experience. That old rcenary nad Jayden had wandered the battlefield for a long ti and had co to his own conclusions.
“What’s the difference between humans and monsters?”
“…”
“I’ve heard there are quite a few monsters that mimic humans. Most are simple tricks, so their habits or characteristics are quickly noticed… but they also say distinguishing between a human and a high-level monster can be very difficult.”
Jayden quickly caught the aning behind Dereck’s question.
The boy had already gone through the worries that troubled him. He was facing an anguish that most rcenaries only experienced much later in life.
“You know the habits of monsters well, Dereck?”
“They kill humans.”
“Yes. Monsters kill humans. It’s just their instinct. No different than humans eating to live, reproducing, or seeking pleasure. That’s why monsters must be eliminated, and rcenaries like us make a living from it.”
Jayden looked up at the sky. Many stars were visible.
Comparing the number of monsters he had killed to the number of stars, it was hard to know which was greater.
Jayden’s life was steeped in blood to that extent.
“It’s no different than exterminating pests. Just think of it that way and go on with your life.”
With a calm smile and his head lowered, Jayden quietly said that was the only conclusion he had co to.
Dereck had no intention of arguing.
The natural order implied that living beings hard or killed others to survive.
It was simply that kind of problem. He didn’t think he had to find a deeper aning.
“You were recognized as a hero in the Dawn War, right?”
Dereck asked.
Although more than ten years had passed since the war ended, it was such a major event for the northern continent that it was still spoken of as if it had happened yesterday.
To defeat the great demon Noir, humanity lost the six-star mage Kalimford. The only other six-star mage present on that battlefield, lverot, was the one who finished off Noir and exterminated all the demon tribes, sealing the war with victory.
Jayden, who had been present at that horrifying scene, always showed a serious expression when recalling it. Even veteran rcenaries rembered it as hell, and the scars that war left on the north were imnse.
The colossal figure of that monster, visible even beyond the horizon, was still rembered as a symbol of terror by all northern humans.
“Even so, why are you working as a rcenary here in Ebelstein?”
“Don’t ntion it, Dereck. I refuse to return to a battlefield like that.”
Jayden, with arms crossed, silently watched the fire.
“Those who rember the madness of that battlefield consud by Noir would think the sa. Sothing like that… must never happen again.”
*
Demon tribes possess a natural sense of sll.
It’s subtly different from humans and seems to pick up the peculiar scent of blood in those soaked in demon blood.
When Dereck killed his first demon, he didn’t sense such a presence. When he had killed a hundred, he sotis detected their fear.
And by the ti he had killed a thousand, it beca evident. They perceived the trace of demon blood soaked into Dereck’s body.
Only humans who had spent their entire lives massacring demons could emit such an intense presence.
Every ti Dereck killed a mber of the demon tribe, he could clearly see their eyes trembling before the final blow.
When hunted by the human they believed to be prey, they sensed the blood on Dereck and instinctively knew it was the end.
The weaker the demon, the more evident it beca. So even wet themselves or preferred suicide.
Of course, stronger demons resisted. Sotis they injured Dereck or forced him to flee.
But younger demons, who hadn’t even spread their wings, often lost all strength just by sensing that sll on Dereck.
That’s why Derek had an intuition.
“Hic… Hic…”
Seeing the trembling figure of Lady Siern in the snowy field as he approached, he felt she wasn’t rely a frightened human.
The way she manipulated magic was also completely different from the orthodox, systematic Lord lverot. It was enough to cause a sense of unease.
Siern’s magic, impossible to define by the star-ranking system, leaned more toward an otherworldly existence than a human one.
However, intuition is not evidence. That’s why Dereck examined various records related to Lady Siern.
Step, step.
Derek walked firmly through the luxurious hallway of the Rochester mansion. A drop of cold sweat ran down Aiselin’s cheek as she hurried after him.
Reviewing the records left by the servants since Lady Siern’s childhood, he found many details that would be overlooked by others but were alarming to Dereck, an expert in demon tribes.
Killing servants without reason, running off into the snowy plains to hunt and kill beasts, learning magic at an abnormal pace… The reasons why so many high-ranking mages who tried to teach her ended up dead, injured, or quitting.
The insistence on keeping everything about Lady Siern secret.
It seed all the puzzle pieces were falling into place. Once he organized his thoughts to that point, everything beca clear.
It wasn’t just a matter of bad temper or lack of magical talent. Perhaps Siern Alaina Rochester was the most difficult person Dereck had ever had to teach.
Dereck never worked for free. If there was risk, there had to be a corresponding reward. That’s how the world worked.
“Dereck…!”
While Dereck organized his thoughts, Aiselin quickly stepped in front of him to block his path.
“Dereck. Where are you going now?”
“I’m going to Lord lverot’s office. They say it’s in the main building beyond the tower, so I must walk diligently.”
“And what are you going to say to Lord lverot?”
Dereck replied without changing expression.
“I intend to negotiate.”
“…”
Aiselin’s face tensed again. The young man before her was thinking of negotiating with a six-star mage.
Though Dereck seed to be considering the situation, Aiselin couldn’t help but voice her concern.
“Suppose your hypothesis is correct. If they really are hiding a demon tribe mber in the mansion, raising her as a noble lady and turning a blind eye to the killings… just revealing that would be fatal.”
Aiselin checked several tis that no one was in the hallway, then lowered her voice.
“If I were Lord lverot, the first thing I’d think of would be silencing you.”
“…”
“You said it yourself, right? If the power difference is too great, negotiations are aningless. Even if we try to shake them with Lady Siern’s secret… we have no proof, and I don’t think they’ll be affected by sothing like that, Dereck.”
Aiselin continued, her face full of worry.
“Many magic instructors who ca to teach Lady Siern died, were injured, or resigned, right? Do you really think all that was just Lady Siern’s doing…?”
She spoke seriously. Those who tried to manipulate Lord lverot’s secret likely t a terrible end without exception.
“…”
But Dereck shook his head.
What he intended wasn’t a threat, but a negotiation. And that was sothing entirely different.
The Rochester mansion, in the northern region where snowstorms raged.
In the tower office, a six-star mage sat alone, gazing out the window with his chin resting elegantly.
Despite his imnse power, he rarely left the barren land he ruled.
“Those at the top of the magical world all have so defect. Old Drest is obsessed with wandering and has no interest in worldly affairs, and let’s not even ntion a lunatic like Kohella.”
“And I’m not exactly normal either.”
Those were lverot’s own words. There are no normal six-star mages.
Even as he spoke so coldly, he didn’t exclude himself.
There he was, alone in these monster-infested lands, locking away a creature disguised as a human in his room, calling her daughter, and pushing expensive tutors to sohow socialize her.
There had to be a reason for such madness.
A reason not yet visible. That couldn’t be known. And even if there were soone who did know it, it could only be lverot himself.
That’s why, to resolve this situation, it was necessary to speak directly with lverot.
*
“I heard you ran into Siern on your way to the mansion. It’s fortunate no serious accident occurred, but as her father, I must apologize. Do you now understand a bit more why I was so careful when selecting soone to care for my daughter?”
“Yes, Lord lverot.”
He had heard that residents of the North considered it normal to wait more than a month to be granted an audience with the lord of the Rochester mansion. Only people of very high rank could be given such an opportunity.
However, Dereck and Aiselin were able to go straight to the office the mont they requested it through the butler. That demonstrated just how special the treatnt was toward those teaching Siern.
As soon as Dereck entered the grand office of the Rochester mansion, he saw lverot seated in an elegant fur coat, resting his chin on his hand. He was an imposing, striking man, with silver hair flowing over his shoulders.
He was still calmly reviewing the affairs of the territory.
lverot, sitting in a finely carved wooden chair, glanced sideways at Dereck. After observing his expression, he finally set aside the docunts and leaned back.
“I understand your arrival was delayed due to a certain disturbance. So, how was eting Siern? Do you think you’ll be able to teach her the manners of high society?”
“Of course. However, as you ntioned, it seems more difficult than I thought.”
“I understand. I’m not ignoring the difficulty of the task. I don’t intend to belittle your effort with a diocre reward, but it seems there’s sothing you want.”
Dereck had considered taking so valuable magical artifacts stored by the Rochester family. They wouldn’t only help with his transformation magic training but would also be useful for his work as a rcenary.
However, upon reconsidering, he felt the need to change his approach.
Taking a few magical artifacts wasn’t enough. He felt he needed to convey that idea to Lord lverot.
So, Dereck knelt on one knee and bowed his head as he spoke.
“I know it’s an unreasonable request, but may I ask that you have all the guards leave the office?”
At those words, lverot’s brow furrowed slightly.
That ant there was sothing he wanted to say that others must not hear.
“Is there a reason to go that far?”
“There’s only one thing I need to say.”
Dereck lifted his gaze and spoke directly to lverot.
“I don’t know if you’ve considered it, Lord lverot, but I’ve spent my entire life killing monsters. I can say with confidence that I understand the ecology, habits, and behavior of monsters better than any magic master.”
In truth, high-ranking magic masters, dressed in luxurious robes and reciting academic theories, often lacked practical knowledge of monsters.
However, Dereck, who had risen from the bottom with blood on his hands, was entirely different from them.
“If you wish, I can speak my mind here and now. But I find it hard to judge whether that would be the right thing to do.”
“That’s enough. Everyone, leave.”
Having heard that much, lverot gestured with his arm and ordered the guards to withdraw.
It was uncomfortable to leave an ard foreign rcenary alone with their lord in a small room.
However, the guards hesitated only briefly before stepping out into the hall. The lord they served was none other than lverot, a six-star mage.
Judging there would be no serious harm, they didn’t take long to leave. After the disturbance, the office fell silent.
Dereck, who had maintained a low posture, and Aiselin slowly stood up. Aiselin’s face clearly showed tension, but Dereck’s remained as calm as ever.
He was a person of extraordinary valor. lverot could easily understand what kind of man he was.
“Alright. Speak.”
“Is Lady Siern truly human?”
“You ca here already knowing she isn’t, didn’t you?”
lverot answered naturally, without any significant change in expression.
As Dereck silently watched him, lverot let out a short laugh and continued.
“Why? Do you think you accepted the wrong job?”
“May I ask why the other magic instructors resigned?”
“I dismissed all the diocre ones who didn’t even notice Siern’s true nature.”
“And what happened to the ones who did?”
Dereck asked directly. Aiselin, standing behind him, was sweating nervously.
“There are only two outcos. Either they begged to resign, or they tried to handle it to the end and t a terrible fate.”
“How many survived?”
“It’s better if you don’t know.”
Dereck didn’t press further. From the beginning, there had been several strange aspects. He fully understood the mont he faced Siern.
Her magical prowess was excessively high.
Even if she had inherited the best bloodline, it was unusual for soone her age, still not an adult, to already use three-star magic.
It was an achievent that made one question whether it was even possible within the human world. Even across the entire continent, you could count on one hand the number of mages who had reached such a level at her age.
What happiness it would be to have soone like her as a disciple. With that thought, many masters had approached her, but most seed to et an unfortunate end.
Siern Alaina Rochester was not a disciple just anyone could handle. That fact was already clear.
“Seems a bit late for regrets. You’ve already arrived at my mansion in the north, so you can’t leave just because you feel like it. Do you think you can cross this vast, freezing field of snow alone?”
From the start, setting foot in that mansion was already part of lverot’s plans.
Once inside, one couldn’t leave without his permission. To emphasize it, lverot’s eyes glinted once.
“As you know, the North is full of monsters, and many suffer accidents while traveling across the harsh snowy fields. And monsters don’t distinguish between commoners and nobles, between ordinary people and mages.”
“…”
“If you don’t want your na added to that list of victims, perhaps it would be better to give your all to this rather than regretting it.”
“I don’t regret it. In fact, Lord lverot has found the right talent.”
“…?”
It was an intimidating threat for anyone. When a mage who had reached six stars spoke so openly, most would succumb to fear or be swept up in the atmosphere.
However, the young man nad Dereck stood up with a satisfied smile. lverot was montarily surprised by that attitude but didn’t show it.
“Didn’t I tell you in our first conversation? It’s not an easy task, but it’s worth trying. But… the gold coins and magical tools you promised aren’t enough for .”
“Oh… so you ca to negotiate your pay?”
“It might be sothing deeper than that. Didn’t you say, Lord lverot, that you knew better than anyone what I wanted?”
lverot observed Dereck’s expression with his chin resting on his hand. There was nothing crude in his confident deanor. He was truly willing to take charge of Siern.
He didn’t even ask why lverot was protecting a monster disguised as a human.
Of course, lverot had no intention of answering, but he was surprised that Dereck didn’t even question it. He simply laid out what needed to be done with cold clarity.
“I’m a mage. Mages always dream of higher realms.”
“Yes. But even if soone from the bottom reaches out, the tis will simply reject them.”
“Exactly. That’s why I need a weapon to resist that. If you help , I’ll take all of Lord lverot’s secrets to the grave and resolve the concerns regarding Lady Siern.”
What supported his confident tone was the fact that he wasn’t a cheap worker. It’s common for a capable person to have ambition and desire. lverot didn’t consider that disposition to be a flaw.
However, what the hell was he planning to ask for that made him show up to negotiate with a smile in a life-or-death situation? Even if a re commoner made a grand demand, it would often amount to pocket change for lverot, one of the Empire’s stars.
Hearing what he wanted wasn’t that hard. So lverot asked.
“Very well. What do you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious? If Lord lverot wants
to keep quiet, you’ll have to put a muzzle on my mouth.”
At Dereck’s response, lverot’s expression hardened.
“A title.”
There are no cheap but competent talents in the world. Although he knew that well, his opponent’s request went a few steps beyond what he expected.
“The rank doesn’t matter, but I need a title.”
He had been born in the depths of the slums.
A dark place where the rooftops of dilapidated buildings blocked the sunlight. Growing up in such a place trapped one’s vision and thoughts, forcing them to crawl forever along the muddy ground.
However, his eyes were truly fixed on the highest peaks of the magical world.
“Even if it’s low-ranking, I must beco a noble.”
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