Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 224

- Screech, thud.

Katia closed the window with a bewildered expression.

She then grabbed the handle of the door Kochella had opened and peered down the corridor to ensure no one was present.

Fortunately, the hallway was empty.

"Lady Katia. You seem quite troubled."

Katia swallowed hard at Kochella's low voice addressing her.

Having served as a tutor for House Elvester for many years, Katia considered Kochella—the godmother of House Elvester—a superior occupying an impossibly high position.

That such a figure was now using honorifics with Katia implicitly signaled how drastically their relationship had changed.

Katia Flameheart was no longer a member of House Elvester. With the Border Count's death and the family's collapse, all authority Kochella once wielded as godmother had vanished.

Her excessively polite tone alone conveyed this reality as Kochella rested her chin on her hand with a satisfied smile.

"Lady Katia is more cautious than bold. Quite different from your disciple Lord Ravenclaw—refreshing indeed."

Kill Empress Rozelyn and Damian together, then seize control of the empire.

Having overheard such talk, Katia and Derek now stood at a crossroads with no choice but to pick a side.

The greatest transformation mage in history, Kochella, was plotting to overthrow the empire.

Knowing this, they could either expose her or join her—no middle ground existed.

Pretending ignorance or begging exclusion weren't options.

This explained why even the usually unflappable Katia was sweating bullets internally.

"To reach the 7-Star Realm... you must seize control of the empire?"

Derek also recognized the gravity of this conversation but maintained his composure as he responded.

"Indeed."

"What connection exists between the two?"

"With Lord Ravenclaw—who has touched the threshold of the 7th Circle—present here, I shall speak candidly."

Time Magic.

Though not yet mastered, it was the magical domain Derek awakened to in extreme circumstances.

Witnessing this firsthand, Kochella judged the time had finally come—the moment to reach for the 7-Star Realm was now.

"The seven magical disciplines proclaimed by Grand Mage Adelbert have all manifested. Combat, Confusion, Transformation, Summoning, Detection, Necromancy... and Time."

"..."

"When masters of all seven disciplines gather before the branches of truth in Adelbert's crypt, observing the world through their unified perspective... only then can one reach the 7-Star Realm. My lifelong search for 6-Star mages across the continent stemmed from this conclusion after studying Adelbert's memories."

This much was expected.

Kochella was notoriously obsessive in hunting 6-Star mages—her motive obvious: reaching the 7-Star Realm.

Even Adelbert himself had deemed this"divine territory"beyond mortal reach.

"Gremfort Palace was built under the guidance of Lord Roadplain—Adelbert's foremost disciple—as the empire's heart. That war hero they call a hyena prowling corpse fields."

Kochella had resided in Gremfort Palace longer than anyone.

None alive knew its secrets better than she.

"He declared magic the empire's foundation, entombing Adelbert's remains in the palace's deepest catacombs. The key to that crypt was left as a symbol of imperial legitimacy—an object safeguarding Gremfort Palace."

"A... key?"

"A sizable staff. Called'The Light of the Empire.'"

Derek's pupils froze momentarily.

Emperor Gertrel's staff—nearly lost during Ravenclaw Academy's tragedy.

"That's... publicly known as your creation."

"I made it. To be precise, a replica projected through my transformation magic from Lord Roadplain's original'key.'"

"A counterfeit?"

"Yes. Its true name wasn't'The Light of the Empire'either. My version is... merely a degraded copy."

That the supreme magical artifact a 6-Star transformation mage spent months creating was just an"inferior version"proved shocking.

Emperor Gertrel's Light of the Empire represented the pinnacle all mages revered—yet stood as but a pale shadow of the original.

If even this was degraded, Derek couldn't fathom the true"key's"power.

"In transformation magic, I reached heights none could approach... yet couldn't remotely replicate it. The greatest shock of my life. The original remains in the imperial vault."

If even 6-Star Kochella couldn't imitate it, only one possibility remained.

"I'm certain... that staff was created by a mage who reached the 7-Star Realm."

"..."

"The realm all deem impossible... Now you understand why I've relentlessly pursued it?"

Context suggested the so-called"key"wasn't Roadplain's work.

If it unlocks Adelbert's tomb, its creator was likely...

"Grand Mage Adelbert's staff. And he... at least in transformation magic, undoubtedly reached the 7-Star Realm."

"Is that true? Adelbert himself proclaimed the 7-Star Realm divine and beyond mortal reach."

"I'm absolutely certain. That legendary grand mage surely ascended beyond the 7-Star Realm."

Perhaps he became a god. Or shines among the stars as a man.

Whatever the truth, humanity's path to the 7-Star Realm exists.

This revelation... ignited Kochella's lifelong obsession.

An aging body now burned with passion, endlessly striving toward heights none have reached.

Life's journey follows dreams and ambitions.

Kochella—her gaze fixed on the Big Dipper—was fated to chase magic until death.

Silence briefly filled the room.

Uncharacteristically, Derek swallowed dryly. Kochella's scale dwarfed even Empress Rozelyn or Chairman Damon's ambitions.

She aimed to become Grand Mage Adelbert.

"Some claim magic mere trickery—Adelbert a fiction."

Empress Rozelyn's words. She denies Adelbert's existence, dismissing magic as just another skill devoid of nobility or uniqueness.

"Others value only survival. That inquiry and reflection are full-bellied nonsense—struggling through life's yoke being humanity's sole purpose."

Chairman Damon's philosophy.

Struggling to survive until becoming Noble Council Chairman. He believes perseverance within one's station inevitably leads upward—considering magic and power mere tools.

Gremfort Palace's three factions.

The Imperial faction's Rozelyn and Noble faction's Damon... stood diametrically opposed to the Magic faction's Kochella.

"To truly reach the 7-Star Realm, these regressive fools must be purged."

"Do Empress Rozelyn and Chairman Damon hinder you?"

"Immensely. Petty power plays and worldly squabbles matter little. But those frivolous apes daring to debate magic's value? Unbearable!"

- Bang!

Kochella slammed the table rising.

Malice, madness, killing intent.

Katia behind Derek paled visibly. To her eyes, Kochella resembled either a lunatic consumed by magic... or magic's thirst for knowledge personified.

"Reaching the 7-Star Realm requires gathering 6-Star mages before Adelbert's remains to observe the world through all disciplines united. But the process demands... much preparation."

"..."

"With those fools in power—blind to magic's sanctity—they'll bar Gremfort's catacombs and divide 6-Star mages for political games."

If Kochella discovered the 7-Star Realm's path, would rival factions celebrate?

No.

They'd brand her a heretic defying Adelbert's will, expelling her immediately.

The 6-Star mages meant to unite would be torn apart by politics, forever denying that glorious realm.

This explained Kochella's imperial ambitions.

"Lord Ravenclaw is among the most gifted mages. You'll surely reach Time Magic's pinnacle as a 6-Star. Then... history's first convergence of 6-Star masters across all disciplines becomes possible."

"...Is that feasible?"

"Absolutely! You can recruit Combat, Detection, and Necromancy 6-Stars yourself!"

Melberot, Drest, Phee.

Their close ties to Derek allowed frank discussions and favors.

Melberot always supported Derek, Drest was his teacher, and Phee—though currently reincarnating—would return soon.

"Confusion, Summoning, and Transformation are my domain."

Kochella smiled ecstatically.

She was the Transformation mage, Marilyn the Confusion mage.

The Summoning mage's identity remained unknown, though Kochella seemed to have suspicions.

With Derek mastering Time Magic... all pieces for the 7-Star Realm would align.

This was Kochella's vision.

"My silence about your Necromancy connections and indifference to House Elvester's fall makes sense now, yes? I've... always wanted Lord Ravenclaw to reach the empire's summit."

"..."

"There, we'll purge all who doubt magic's sanctity before ascending the 7-Star steps. Who better than you—a man bewitched by magic his entire life—to understand this old mage's burning zeal?"

Kochella's gleaming madness filled the room. Katia gulped and stepped back cautiously.

"We're kindred spirits."

That weighted statement sent chills down their spines.

Ryner, Melberot—all had remarked how Derek resembled Kochella.

Those enchanted by magic's purity, making research life's sole purpose.

Public perception of Gremfort's three factions was roughly similar.

The bureaucratic Noble faction under Chairman Damon appeared most radical and active, while the Magic faction led by Kochella seemed politically disinterested, absorbed in research.

But after meeting Empress Rozelyn, Chairman Damon, and Advisor Kochella, these assessments required revision.

For magic's sake, Kochella would kill them all—Rozelyn, Damon, Imperial and Noble factions alike... mere sacrifices to research's grand undertaking.

With her mask off, Kochella was deadly serious.

No middle path existed.

Refuse or join. Faced with these extremes, Derek finally spoke softly.

"──."

Katia's eyes widened as she alternated stares between Derek and Kochella.

Those enchanted by magic, dedicating their lives to it.

The two kindred spirits exchanged knowing smiles.

-'Gremfort Palace is currently divided three ways. These are chaotic times.'

- Clatter, clatter.

Lady Freya of Count clenched her teeth riding toward House Elvester.

Under the moonlit plains, her expression darkened as she galloped eastward.

-'Eventually, you must choose a side. That decision will drastically alter your life's course.'

Recalling Katia's worried farewell... Freya raced through the night.

-'So remember—maintain your resolve amidst this turmoil.'

The starry night.

Only hoofbeats echoed across the silent plains.

- Tap, patter!

In Gremfort Palace's southwest"Honor Hall,"Chairman Damon set aside his work upon hearing the fireplace crackle.

As if sensing something, he began writing a will on parchment.

A veteran of noble politics, he perhaps intuited death's approach.

"My, writing your will?"

- Crackle, snap!

Amid the fire's noise, a woman materialized before him.

No door opened, no footsteps sounded. Yet she sat naturally as if always present.

She lifted her head, pushing back her robe's hood.

Her silhouette emerged from shadows, covered in magic-suppressing artifacts—clearly meant to restrain her formidable power.

Moonlight soon revealed her features.

Confusion Mage Marilyn.

Empire's most wanted regicide, sitting casually in Damon's office.

Finally, Damon chuckled wryly.