Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 225

"Derek."

Night was falling.

In the grandiose Gremfort Palace, the passage of time was easily noticeable. Every room offered unobstructed views outside, and the changing of palace guards at set intervals was a common sight.

As dusk deepened, Derek was straightening his attire to return to his quarters when Katia, sitting across from him with arms crossed, called his name in a low, uneasy voice.

"I get the sense you've just made a monumental decision about your future path."

The situation was extraordinary - Kochella herself had personally come to Derek's chambers.

She'd boldly proposed an alliance to crush the leaders of the Imperial and Noble factions together, then rule the empire while pursuing magical research.

Her vision seemed reckless yet not entirely unrealistic. If Derek and Kochella joined forces, meaningful progress toward 7th-Class magic might actually be achievable.

"..."

Kochella was certain.

She and Derek were kindred spirits - fellow travelers seeking truth in the vast sea of stars. She believed they could tear down outdated systems and establish a new order dedicated solely to magic.

Yet Derek shook his head.

-'My apologies, Elder Kochella.'

Kochella showed no surprise at the refusal, as if she'd anticipated it. Her only curiosity now was Derek's reason - something she needed to understand.

-'As you said, Elder Kochella, my journey from the slums to this position was fueled by... an endless thirst for magical knowledge.'

Though magic began as mere survival, its mysteries gradually captivated him. It became his life's purpose. That drive to reach higher realms propelled his rapid ascent - the very reason Kochella valued him.

-'While I don't know your life's story, Elder Kochella, I imagine yours wasn't so different.'

As the matriarch of House Elvester, Kochella's youth remained obscure since most contemporaries had passed. Yet her current self revealed she too had endured this harsh world through magical pursuit alone.

Their kinship was undeniable.

But Derek continued:

-'Nevertheless, we differ in one crucial, perhaps unbridgeable way.'

-'And that is?'

-'I'm slightly more... greedy.'

Kochella looked genuinely puzzled - rare for her usually serpentine composure.

-'You seem willing to sacrifice anything for magic - lifelong subordinates, your bloodline, even legitimate imperial authority. Extreme yet almost sublime.'

-'I won't deny that.'

-'I can't go that far. Compared to you... there are more things I can't discard.'

Seeing Derek's unwavering gaze, Kochella sighed internally.

She'd believed Derek shared her all-or-nothing commitment - that crucial factor determining a mage's pinnacle. Yet he categorically rejected this.

-'What can't you discard? Wealth, honor, lineage, justification... whatever it is, it doesn't suit Baron Ravenclaw.'

-'Nothing so grand.'

-'Then what?'

-'People.'

Derek said it casually.

He recalled those who'd guided a starving slum mage, the students he'd mentored, drinking companions from the Velderun Mercenaries, Ravenclaw Academy's hopeful entrants...

Oddly, even his supposedly mechanical life left memories of people, not just magic. Moments like sighing over Pellin's mishaps, enduring Delbritton's complaints about Aiselin, or losing his temper with Sepia Dormitory's ladies.

People were like burrs clinging to trousers during a walk. Though Derek could've brushed them off as distractions, he'd kept them without much thought.

Before he knew it, Ravenclaw Academy filled his arms - Aiselin with her documents, his disciples managing dorms, faculty, servants, Evelstain's noble connections...

Like ivy quietly engulfing a wall, people had become part of his life. The exact moment eluded him - such changes come gradually, like dew soaking clothes.

This was the final gap between him and Kochella.

While Kochella would sacrifice all for magic, Derek had lines he wouldn't cross. This difference would inevitably lead to conflict.

-'Our goals align, but methods differ. You believe supreme achievements require total sacrifice. I disagree.'

Derek folded his arms.

-'Those destined to achieve will do so without such extremes.'

-'A shame, Baron Ravenclaw.'

Kochella pulled up her robe's hood with a bitter smile.

-'The 6th-Class mages will split - some with me, some with you. Time will prove who's right. My offer stands should you reconsider.'

With that, she vanished into darkness as if never present.

Derek sensed it clearly - a major upheaval centered on Gremfort Palace was coming, with Kochella at its core.

One fact was certain: Baron Derek Raidof Ravenclaw had rejected the Magic faction's leader. Reconciliation seemed impossible.

- Clack, clack.

Despite the late hour, Derek and Katia hurried down corridors.

Kochella revealing her intentions so openly was alarming. Someone so cunning wouldn't act without certainty.

"One thing's clear - Kochella has identified the 6th-Class summoner and made contact. She wouldn't move so radically otherwise."

Katia nodded.

They needed to warn potential allies, though Kochella likely anticipated this.

She intended to kill Rozelyn and Damon, seize Gremfort Palace, possibly the throne itself. This shocking news probably wouldn't surprise them.

-'If I'm found dead, Kochella did it.'

Chairman Damon had said as much during his academy visit. Both he and Empress Rozelyn must have suspected Kochella's extremism.

-'Imperial, Noble, or Magic faction - which will you support?'

Nobles had asked Derek this after his title ceremony. While he'd avoided direct answer, one thing was clear:

Kochella was a fanatic who'd discard even the empire - and her followers - for magic.

"Chairman Damon seemed aware of Kochella's intentions. Let's first inform Empress Rozelyn."

Katia nodded but remained uneasy.

"Derek. I still feel apprehensive."

"Likewise."

"Kochella must have anticipated we'd warn the others... Her boldness suggests preparations are already..."

- Clatter! Thud!

- Bang! Bang!

Soldiers with torches came rushing through the Palace of Truth toward the Prosperity Palace's western wing.

Derek stopped them.

"What's happening at this hour?"

"B-Baron Ravenclaw! It's... it's Chairman Damon... He's... disappeared from his office..."