“Is there a significant labyrinth within the territory?”
The next morning, while breakfast was being prepared, Dereck asked that sudden question to the head butler, Layton.
He had co from the distant southwestern plains to teach Lady Siern as a magic instructor. And following Lord lverot’s instructions to actively cooperate with any matter requiring assistance, Layton was answering even the most trivial questions.
“In the snowy fields of the north, it’s easier to find a place without a labyrinth. That’s partly why the monster tribes are so active here.”
“I’d like to visit one personally. May I borrow a horse?”
“It wouldn’t be difficult, but I’m concerned you might get injured. It’s not that I doubt your abilities, but the monsters in the north tend to be fiercer and more brutal than those in the southwest.”
Dereck was more or less aware of that.
The monsters he encountered on the way to the mansion were large and aggressive. Of course, the pinnacle of all of them was none other than Siern.
“It’s fine. Thank you for your concern. By the way, I’d like to ask another question, butler.”
“To ? What would you like to know?”
“You’ve worked in the mansion for a long ti, right? I have a few questions about Lord lverot.”
*
In the northern continent, it was common for snow to fall even in the afternoon.
Dereck had already adapted quite well to the environnt during his journey to the mansion, but the cold was sothing that subtly eroded ntal fortitude.
Sitting in an armchair by the fireplace in the main hall, Dereck was silently organizing his thoughts.
The plan was already outlined.
If the teaching target was a mber of the demon tribe, thods applicable to humans would hardly work. It was obvious.
If the killing impulse that surged in her was instinctive, it couldn’t be corrected with education or persuasion. The problem of instinct could only be solved by overriding it with another instinct.
And Dereck was a human who knew better than anyone the instincts of the demon tribe.
‘The plan itself won’t change much from the original. As decided from the beginning, we’ll use the “abused wife strategy”…’
He had spent the entire night reviewing the work records of the servants in the tower, inquiring about Siern’s circumstances, and learning her routines and preferences.
Moreover, he had tried to obtain as much information as possible about lverot, the master of the mansion.
However, as expected, the servants weren’t going to sell out their lord’s secrets, so progress was slow.
Even so, he finally ca to a conclusion. In the end, it was best to go ahead with the original plan.
There was no need to drag it out. Once the plan was set, it was best to resolve everything quickly and begin preparations to obtain the title.
Nevertheless, there was a problem.
— Lord Dereck! If you keep controlling Lady Siern with violence…! I… I…! Even if I have to put the na of Duplain on the line…! I won’t just stand by and watch!
The image of Lady Aiselin stamring like a rusty machine ca to mind, and Dereck rubbed his temples in deep regret. It was sothing that made him sigh.
Aiselin’s acting skills were at a hopeless level, which made it more difficult than expected for them to synchronize.
Her noble bearing, which emanated naturally, was excellent for gaining people’s favor, but she seed to have no talent for deceiving others.
‘Definitely… the plan needs to be reviewed…’
Dereck rested his chin on his hand and leaned back in the chair, pondering. Finally, he made a big decision and stood up from his seat.
He walked purposefully down the hallway.
Not much ti had passed since his arrival at the northern Rochester mansion.
But Dereck had no intention of staying long.
Whatever had to be done, the key was speed.
*
“Lady Siern. You look lovely today. I was quite surprised by the intense snowstorm last night.”
Aiselin greeted Siern with a radiant smile.
After breakfast, there was a refreshing feeling upon entering the hallway. Apparently, the servants had ventilated the area early in the morning.
Siern was walking down the hallway escorted by the servants.
Just by walking, she exuded visible tension, as if she was always on guard.
“…”
“Oh, that’s a dress from Atelier Calroin. The layered fabric at the waist is beautiful. Truly charming. The servants have a good eye for clothes. It’s a dress that suits Lady Siern perfectly.”
“…”
“I heard they infuse the fabric with fragrance and even apply preservation magic. Indeed, Lady Siern has a scent that could only be found in a blooming garden. Not only her outward beauty, but also her fragrance and deanor are worthy of admiration in a lady.”
As soon as she saw Aiselin, Siern stepped back and began to sweat coldly.
These creatures are weaker in defense than in attack. Aiselin knew that detail well.
Especially she, with her appearance and elegance capable of lting anyone’s heart, and her pure nature like a blank canvas. The natural nobility that only soone raised as the only flower during the heyday of the Duplain family could have, made even those unfamiliar with social culture feel she was extraordinary.
Upon seeing her approach like a warm ray of sunlight, Siern took a few more steps back and shook her head.
“P-Please don’t worry about ! It’s just unnecessary interference!”
Leaving Aiselin behind, she activated her unique acceleration magic and vanished with a buzz.
She moved so fast that, despite the long hallway, she was almost invisible by the ti she reached the end. Siern disappeared like a flash of lightning, leaving only the servants standing awkwardly.
Aiselin, watching her, clasped her hands with a sparkle in her eyes and said,
“Oh, she used honorifics. How lovely.”
He was strong in his own way. Dereck, claiming he needed to prepare for the lessons, locked himself away for a while.
Sotis, Dereck would ride out to the labyrinth and return; other tis, he shut himself in his room doing who knows what, or spent ti researching the Rochester family’s background within the mansion.
During that ti, Aiselin, too restless to simply enjoy herself, did her utmost to get closer to Siern.
In doing so, she discovered that Siern also had her own charms and adorable traits. The more she uncovered her human side, the more she intensified her efforts to grow closer.
Every ti they t, she greeted her with her best smile; if she had free ti in the afternoon, she would prepare a beautiful floral arrangent and visit the tower; and if she found any treat, she didn’t hesitate to share it with her.
It wasn’t easy to reject soone so genuinely dedicated.
Siern tried to drive Aiselin away with shouts or threats, but a genuine smile was always the hardest to face.
No matter how harshly she treated her, Aiselin, with her bright smile as if nothing had happened, persisted with a tenacity that bordered on terrifying.
Siern, still hiding in a corner of the tower, pondered how to scold Aiselin, who would surely co again that day.
‘Does she never get tired?’
Seeing Aiselin appear with all sorts of gifts, Siern pursed her lips with inner contempt.
Even the fad lady of the Duplain family could be this frivolous and inconsistent. Thinking that, Aiselin’s smile seed laughably light.
Siern didn’t easily open her heart to anyone.
Those with human form, no matter who they were, would die if one cut their carotid artery. That blood splattering everywhere was proof that all were the sa.
Knowing that truth better than anyone, she had begun to view humans as re lumps of talking, moving flesh.
No matter how much empathy one felt, humans could die suddenly on any given day. That was their fleeting nature.
That’s why she didn’t waste energy on unnecessary things. And that’s why she was isolated from the world.
“There are so delicious fruits in the kitchen! I thought maybe you’d never tried them, so I brought so!”
Aiselin, who approached with a radiant smile, seed to Siern like a completely different kind of creature.
That pure goodwill was sothing no one could imitate.
*
“It’s ti to get serious.”
It had already been nearly a week since Dereck and Aiselin arrived at the northern mansion.
Every day, Aiselin tried to get closer to Siern—brushing her hair, recomnding pretty dresses, talking during als. Just as she was beginning to feel discouraged by the constant rejection, Dereck brought up the topic first.
“Lady Aiselin, what do you think of Lady Siern? Do you detect any peculiar traits of the demon race?”
“Hmm… Well, she has a huge emotional barrier, but she seed like a fairly normal teenage girl to . When I approached her sincerely, she seed to open up little by little.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Today, I even brushed her hair. Of course, the servants were holding her down, and she was glaring at , grinding her teeth…”
“…”
It sounded more like trying to ta a beast than getting close to a person.
Siern was the very image of elegance when calm. But as soon as soone approached, she would grind her teeth and growl… Dereck, who already had a poor impression of her, found it difficult even to maintain a conversation.
“I expected many difficulties, since she was influenced by the great demon Noir, but I thought maybe there’d be a solution if we treated her as a person. She has an adorable side, so I want to get closer to her soon.”
“I see…”
“Sir Dereck, you said you were preparing for the lessons. You’ve been quite busy around the mansion lately. What have you been preparing?”
“As I ntioned, I was trying to apply so knowledge about the demon race. I explored the labyrinth and brought sothing with .”
Dereck took a small glass vial from his chest and placed it on the table.
The flickering firelight from the main hall reflected off the glass.
“…What is this?”
“It’s a mixture of water and the Flonen flower, which usually grows in high-level labyrinths. It took
so ti to obtain it.”
“I see. Does it have any special effects? Maybe a calming effect if consud…? Ideally sothing that wouldn’t harm Lady Siern…”
“If consud, it kills.”
At that mont, Aiselin was speechless.
Thinking she’d misheard, she tilted her head with a smile, but Dereck spoke again, as if confirming what he said.
“The Flonen flower is a substance that weakens and slowly kills those of the demon race. It sotis grows in labyrinths, but demons never approach it. If its scent is inhaled for a long ti, the body starts to weaken bit by bit, and after about fifteen days of constant exposure, the victim enters a state close to death.”
“W-Why did you bring sothing like that?”
“Why do you think? I mixed it with aromatic water and used transformation magic to reduce its sll. If it’s blended into food, it won’t be very noticeable.”
“…Are you planning to weaken Lady Siern until she can’t resist?”
Aiselin looked up with a worried expression. Trying to control her with a substance that was essentially poison for her kind seed more than inhumane… it was ethically atrocious.
However, Dereck shook his head.
“If I truly wanted to take a halfway asure, there are plenty of thods other than poison.”
“Then… why this?”
“As I said, it’s to take Lady Siern’s life.”
Aiselin was utterly speechless. She looked at Dereck with a pale face. His expression remained firm and unchanging.
“W-What… what do you an…”
“Lady Aiselin. After hearing all the details from Lord lverot, I fell into deep agony. It took
ti to reach a conclusion. Even though I didn’t show it outwardly, I struggled a lot after learning Lady Siern’s situation.”
Dereck approached the fireplace in the hall, added a few logs, and brushed the snow off his pants.
The lted snow slowly dripped down like water.
“I’ve spent my life exterminating demons. To , they’re no different from pests. They kill humans for no reason. Can such creatures be rehabilitated? And even if they could… should I be the one to do it?”
“What… what are you saying… Dereck?”
“I’ve already made my decision. What good would it do to keep alive soone who inherited Noir’s power, who caused such disaster to humanity? That’s why… I plan to end it my way. It’s also for the greater good.”
“But if you do that, you won’t be able to fulfill Lord lverot’s request! You’ll lose your noble title. And if lverot finds out the truth… he won’t leave you alone!”
Dereck let out a slight laugh. He seed confident in his words.
“What’s more important? My title or completely eradicating Noir, the one responsible for the northern massacre?”
“…”
The greater good.
Aiselin was a person of impeccable morals. When soone like her was faced with a flawless cause for the greater good, she usually couldn’t object and simply fell silent.
Dereck knew well how to handle people like Aiselin.
“Why do you think I went to such trouble to prepare this poison? I told you, the demon affected by it will weaken little by little until they die. It will just look like she got sick and died naturally, not that we used any tricks.”
“You’re saying… you’d go that far…?”
“Do you despise ? But there’s nothing wrong with my actions.”
“But… Lady Siern… she’s innocent.”
“She killed soone.”
“She was simply dragged along by Noir’s blood.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that she killed.”
“But if we kill soone in return…”
“We’re not killing people, we’re killing monsters.”
There was no more conversation. Both Diella and Ellen and Denise agreed—Dereck was always right.
In fact, there was no flaw in his words.
If there was even the slightest chance that the great disaster called “the Dawn War” would return, it was sensible to eliminate Siern imdiately.
However, Siern’s image remained fixed in Aiselin’s mind. Sotis, when she visited the tower, she found her sitting alone, hugging her knees, staring at the snowstorm through the window.
Loneliness seed a part of her body. Happiness was a foreign feeling, and unhappiness, her natural state.
She had an arrogant personality and rough hands, but it seed unfair to completely bla such a young girl.
After all, she didn’t choose to be born with Noir’s blood. She was just born that way.
Wasn’t it Dereck himself who used to say there were no bad girls in the world?
They just needed enough teaching.
Thinking that her last days, spent alone in the tower, would end with her bedridden without even knowing why made Aiselin’s pupils tremble fiercely.
She tried to say sothing to Dereck, but not a single word ca out of her mouth. Seeing how firm he was, she understood that anything she said would be refuted with a solid argunt.
And solid argunts are invincible. They can’t be countered.
Aiselin also agreed with Dereck’s way of thinking. The world should be lived by principles.
But sotis, that wasn’t enough to move the heart.
“Even though life has no distinctions in value, there are tis when we must distinguish its weight. The servants who suffered at Lady Siern’s hands were also soone’s family, weren’t they?”
“…”
“People are worth more than monsters.”
Aiselin wiped her face and collapsed onto the reception room sofa. Her face was pale, but she couldn’t gather the strength to argue Dereck’s decision.
“I’ll be going.”
Dereck spoke firmly and left for his room, leaving Aiselin behind.
Even just seeing his back, he seed rigid and unshakable. He didn’t give the impression of intending to change his mind.
Aiselin watched him go with tired eyes, biting her lip.
*
Winter in the north is cruel. When the sun sets, blizzards naturally break out.
In the southwest of the continent, where large cities like Ebelstein were located, the warm sun shone naturally, and walking among the noble houses made it feel as if one were in paradise.
Siern, upon hearing the rchants’ conversations, used to dream of those paradisiacal adows.
Instead of living a life treated like a monster and surrounded by the sll of blood, surely those who were treated as young ladies lived much happier lives.
The reason soone like Aiselin could have such noble elegance must be because she had grown up in a place like that—a happy paradise.
That’s why Siern envied Aiselin. She wanted to stop being dragged by inexplicable murderous impulses and be moved only by the light weight of a noble lady’s responsibilities.
‘How stupid.’
In the end, Siern mocked herself. Reaching for an empty dream would only make her more miserable.
Surely, she would end her life pathetically right there. A life stained by blood and murder.
If in the afterlife she could see a green adow bathed in sunlight, that would be enough.
It was a reality she accepted so naturally that she didn’t even cry.
As always, it was when she was sinking into darkness.
Creak.
Soone opened the door and entered.
The servants should have been standing guard, but she didn’t know how that person had managed to get in.
The figure that appeared in the room, cloaked in black and hiding their face, was none other than Aiselin, the very person she had just been thinking about.
“What…?”
Before Siern could express her surprise, Aiselin quickly raised her index finger to her lips. She had arrived in secret, without anyone knowing.
“I have sothing to tell you.”
Without even brushing the snowflakes off her shoulders and head, Aiselin looked at her with those clear eyes.
“W-What…?”
“Lady Siern. Listen to
carefully.”
Aiselin swallowed hard and spoke.
“Dereck wants to kill you. It’s not an empty threat—he’s completely serious.”
At that mont, Siern’s eyes trembled even more violently.
On the other hand, Aiselin’s face was somber.
“Dereck… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!! I still can’t accept that Lady Siern has to die in such an absurd way…”
An indescribable feeling of guilt and debt stirred in her chest. She felt dizzy, not knowing how to apologize to Dereck.
Even though she was already crying inside, she still tried to do what she believed was right.
What is it, after all, that defines a person? As long as that isn’t clear, a life should not be taken lightly.
That’s the kind of person Aiselin was.
*
The moon, visible through the blizzard, still shone brightly.
Dereck was alone in his room, reading a magic book, when he suddenly looked out the window.
He saw a girl in a thick cloak moving through the snow, heading toward the tower.
Upon confirming that her ebony-black hair fluttered in the wind and that her eyes remained just as clear, Dereck quickly closed the curtains.
Then he sat down with a satisfied smile.
After all, everything was in the palm of his hand.
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