Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 253

"Trying to stop me?"

Mounted on his horse, Derek was utterly exhausted.

After spending the night eliminating the special forces, he was covered in wounds and nearly out of magic power.

Yet his overwhelming presence remained unchanged.

Behind Derek lay the aftermath of last night's battle in Raven Valley, where the reckless special forces had met gruesome ends scattered across the ground.

Marilyn already knew.

He'd grown far stronger since their encounter during the pursuit at Ravenclaw Academy.

Having learned magic control from Melberot and Kalimford, awakened to 5th-Grade magic by killing Phee, and continuously honing himself within the academy, he'd become a far more seasoned mage.

Meanwhile, she couldn't even muster proper strength due to the aftereffects of Kochella's magic, and her summoner Damon wasn't in good condition either. Unable to properly utilize her signature Confusion Magic and with severe limitations on other spells... facing this heaven-blessed monster was sheer recklessness.

Nevertheless, Marilyn lifted her chin defiantly.

"Not to stop you."

She even dropped her usual arrogant demeanor, speaking with her gaze lowered.

The tables had completely turned from their bloody confrontation at Ravenclaw Academy. She no longer possessed the power to deceive the world or the magic bestowed by her master.

"I only wish to convey the truth."

"The truth?"

"The figure sitting on Gremfort Palace's throne may appear to be Chairman Damon, but that's not the reality. The true force seeking to swallow Gremfort Palace whole is Head Magic Advisor Kochella."

Swallowing dryly, Marilyn steadied her battered body and looked up at Derek.

"Though it seems Kochella has completely lost the power struggle with Chairman Damon... that's merely deception. She's orchestrating everything behind the scenes, and Damon's ascension to Gremfort Palace's throne is just part of her plan."

Derek narrowed his eyes at this.

He knew well how scheming Kochella could be—a woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

"Chairman Damon is also aware of this fact. Though you may not easily believe me."

It was the kind of claim he should dismiss outright as trickery.

Yet Derek remained silent, brows furrowed. Just moments ago in Raven Valley, he'd confirmed the attackers were Kochella's subordinates.

Kochella was still active in the shadows. That much was undeniable truth.

"Kochella deliberately withdrew from Gremfort Palace?"

"Yes."

"Why would she do that?"

"As I mentioned—to abandon her position as Head Magic Advisor and work covertly toward her final objective."

"And that final objective being?"

Derek looked down at Marilyn with suspicion.

Taking a steadying breath, she answered with conviction:

"To gather all 6th-Grade mages at Gremfort Palace."

"──."

Derek's eyes widened.

Bringing together all the world's scattered 6th-Grade mages in one place. He could guess why—he'd already heard it from Kochella herself.

When trying to recruit the promising Derek, Kochella had nearly revealed her entire hand.

-'To reach the 7th-Grade realm, we must gather 6th-Grade mages before Adelbert's remains in the columbarium. Only there, beneath the engraved Branches of Truth, can we observe the world through the eyes of mages who've mastered all disciplines.'

-'If fools who understand nothing of magic's nobility sit at the pinnacle, they'll be blinded by worldly power—sealing Gremfort Palace's underground tight to restrain me while dividing the 6th-Grade mages.'

Simply handing Gremfort Palace to Damon had already changed much.

6th-Grade Summoner Damon sought the throne, freeing 6th-Grade Confusion Mage Marilyn from the dungeons.

6th-Grade Combat Mage Melberot headed to Gremfort Palace, while Derek—practically at 6th-Grade himself—was also en route.

Only Drest of Divination and Phee of Necromancy remained.

Yet Drest was a sage-like figure who occasionally glimpsed the future, while Phee remained trapped in the cycle of reincarnation. How did she plan to summon those two?

Though this question lingered, he couldn't completely dismiss Marilyn's words.

If it was Kochella, she'd find a way.

For magic's sake, she'd discard anything—her life, bonds, even the empire's fate. To reach the 7th-Grade realm, she'd commit any madness.

"...Can't ignore this."

Derek quietly composed himself.

The dawn's chill air helped clear his mind.

"But why should I believe you? What do you gain by sharing these secrets?"

"To beg for a life."

"Now you want to live? You seemed so bold assassinating the Emperor and throwing the nation into chaos."

"Not my life."

Marilyn kept her head bowed, biting her lower lip.

"Please... spare Chairman Damon."

The unexpected plea left even the unflappable Derek momentarily speechless.

Though merely a summoned being, Marilyn seemed determined to prevent her master's death at any cost.

When 6th-Grade Confusion Mage Marilyn first opened her eyes, it was in a cold basement.

She was fully aware of her identity.

Saint Marilyn—chief disciple of the Six-Winged Angel Rohelm from Rocheste Orthodoxy, of the Ribbontail sect.

Though essentially a mythological figure created to embody doctrine, her form materialized by a 6th-Grade summoner was undeniably real.

The magic flowing through her body was genuine, as were her senses, the indigo robe she wore, and the Rocheste scripture at her waist bearing the church's emblem.

And the first thing she saw upon awakening was the tear-streaked face of an elderly mage.

Damon of House Lebelheim. As patriarch of the most authoritative bureaucratic noble family, having reached 6th-Grade for the first time in his life... he wept hot tears.

Watching him sob quietly yet intensely... Marilyn initially didn't understand. While all mages purely coveted the 6th-Grade realm, she hadn't expected such emotional tears.

Was it because she was born with 6th-Grade power that she couldn't comprehend this moment of triumph? No—it was something more.

Marilyn bore uncanny resemblance to a woman Damon had loved dearly—one who once sat with him in an old Luxstaine region church.

Powered almost entirely by Damon's magic, Marilyn became his asymmetric weapon in political shadows.

The more she grew accustomed to channeling his magic, the wider her spell repertoire expanded. Accordingly, Damon's status strengthened until he became Central Noble Council Chairman.

As years passed, her once-bobbed hair grew past her waist. Mastering magic further, she eventually gained abilities to ravage memories and transcend perception.

When all was ready, Damon planned to assassinate the Emperor using Marilyn.

Why?

For the first time, Marilyn asked his reason.

-'Why assassinate the Emperor?'

She had no intention of calling it reckless or impossible. Marilyn would obey regardless.

Yet Damon smiled gently... and finally spoke of Rasa—his former lover from Luxstaine—and Emily, the daughter she carried who should have become a duchess.

-'First I killed the commander who ordered Calpine Village burned and massacred. He wept bitterly, claiming he'd just followed orders. Not untrue, but I couldn't let it stand—he'd authorized rape and particularly brutal killings.'

-'Next was Calpine's village chief hiding in coastal regions. Turned out he'd used a stand-in to avoid punishment, living lavishly with embezzled funds. I tore him limb from limb.'

-'Then came the commander's father and chief's son seeking revenge. Such is the chain. What could I do? Killed them both. Used noble influence to bury their deaths in silence—requiring vast wealth and power to prevent leaks.'

-'Yet righteous souls uncovered the truth and came to accuse me. How to respond? Those unswayed by money or threats could only be silenced by steel. Otherwise, my life and hard-won power would be forfeit. So I killed them. To survive.'

In Gremfort Palace's guest chamber, its lavish interior featured a door leading to a terrace.

Gazing at stars from that open terrace, the elderly mage Damon quietly reflected on his life.

-'That day in Calpine's old church, Rasa asked only one thing of me—to continue living by any means necessary. So what could I do? Live on with all my strength, by any means.'

-'Yet... after killing so many, burying so many... the vengeful hatred in my heart remains. Was Rasa and Emily's death really just due to some old, wretched commander's whim? A greedy chief's petty selfishness? Did my universe—my everything—really vanish like sand over such trivial things? No. No. They were my entire life. The only reason this cowardly noble trembling in barracks dared to stand up.'

Damon ground his teeth.

Even after all these years, flames still burned in this old noble's heart.

-'Riddletain's lord tried to overthrow me—allied with Calpine's chief. Killed him too. Damned connections kept spreading.'

-'Imperial bureaucrat Enstein moved to denounce me as a murderer in the council. Turned out he'd advocated executing Luxstaine civilians disloyal to the crown. Killed him.'

-'Systematically purged bureaucrats who advocated punishing all civil war collaborators regardless of severity. Many imperial faction officials opposed me. And who do you think stood at the end of this chain they worshipped like a god? Who trembled and sacrificed lives to serve? Who ultimately lies at the very end?'

Marilyn silently watched him on the balcony, offering no answer.

Night's chill air seeped into the room. The undimmed flames in Damon's heart still seemed to burn fiercely.

Marilyn never advised Damon.

Yet this time, as if compelled, her lips parted naturally:

-'The end will only be emptiness.'

-'Hahaha... Marilyn. The day you advise me has come.'

Damon's tone... had grown calmer.

-'Who... doesn't know that?'

-'Yet I must do it. Cannot not do it.'

Even if futile—it must be done. That was all.

Repeating this... as always, he simply gazed at the starry sky.

-'Revenge is inherently empty. Yet one cannot refrain from it.'

Drest Wolftail, who'd spent half his life consumed by vengeance, once taught this to his apprentice in his later years.

Derek still remembered the old mage reflecting on life. Having learned magic too young, Drest had paid many sacrifices to survive.

-'Derek. In time, you'll resent someone enough to seek revenge despite the cost. Even knowing it's futile, the urge may feel unbearable—like your heart will burst if unfulfilled.'

-'Then take revenge. Ignore those preaching about life's meaning or endless cycles of vengeance. True, heart-rending hatred makes living impossible until resolved.'

Coming from Drest—who'd lost his family and half his life to vengeance—Derek couldn't dismiss it.

-'But one thing must be clear. How far will you go? Where will you stop?'

-'...'

-'Without defining this, revenge will consume your entire life. Remember this well.'

Derek looked down at Marilyn, arms raised and lips tightly pressed together.

To him, the woman desperately blocking his path resembled a lamb facing slaughter.