Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 255

-'I'll die for Derek in this life.'

It was when Count Elvester's manor had become a swamp of death.

The necromancer who'd caused one of the continent's greatest upheavals, overturning the power balance in the eastern regions, now sat on the count's throne in critical condition.

Gasping for breath while wiping away blood, she looked ready to breathe her last at any moment.

It couldn't be helped. She'd just engaged in a bloody battle with Melberot, the continent's foremost combat mage.

The death-ridden Count Elvester manor.

In her final moments before her beloved disciple came for her, she focused entirely on regulating her magic to recover even slightly.

Then came the visit from Drest Wolftail, the so-called"Ghost of the Southwest."

She'd never held favorable impressions of Drest, who'd been needling her at every opportunity.

Yet Phee offered the old grand mage a bitter smile.

-'A master of detection magic at its peak, I see. You came when I'm at my weakest and most pathetic. But as I said, I've no intention of dying here.'

-'...'

-'You old fool. You might think this the perfect chance to kill me, but even in this state, tearing you apart would be child's play. As I said, I've resolved to die for Derek in this life. So until then, I won't entertain thoughts of death.'

She glared at Drest with those razor-sharp words.

Yet the old grand mage stood impassively, his expression unchanging. His demeanor showed no intention of attacking.

-'You mean to leave me be.'

-'..'

-'What future did you see?'

Though a sage, Drest didn't perceive all possible branching futures.

Yet he could observe certain futures he deemed important and steer events toward them if desired.

And he'd chosen to leave Phee alone.

-'Right. You taught Derek once too, didn't you? Also captivated by that treasure of talent bestowed by the stars? Sorry, but he's my disciple now. Whatever masters he served in the past... now, he's mine.'

-'Yes, that would be your stance.'

-'Exactly. But unfortunately, my beloved disciple's good fortune brought unexpected obstacles like Melberot, complicating matters. So I'll need to accelerate my plans.'

Phee leaned back on the throne and closed her eyes.

This life had been long. Many meetings and partings, yet the last image etched in her memory was that white-haired disciple alone.

Wiping the blood from her lips, she smiled bitterly.

Training facilities prepared for Derek in Tigris Barony, magical artifacts to help his necromancy blossom—these visions flickered in her mind. Sadly, they'd likely never see use.

Yet her final wish remained unchanged—to die by Derek's blade, making him the empire's hero.

Skipping the intermediate steps was regrettable, but achieving her ultimate desire would suffice.

Clutching her bleeding arm, she spoke to Drest.

-'My beloved disciple will become the empire's hero.'

-'...'

-'And he'll grant me eternal peace when I return, breaking this cycle of reincarnation. Until then, I'll persevere, protecting what I've built. Still... I can't rest easy leaving such a naive disciple behind.'

Her bleary gaze rose to the manor's shattered ceiling—all that remained of ruined Count Elvester's residence.

-'That old fox at Gremfort Palace, that slippery transformation mage... nothing but troublesome headaches. If Derek faces crisis, it'll be because of those vipers in the political arena.'

Phee finally understood why Drest had come.

This inscrutable old man who wandered history's shadows—pathetic and powerless. She could never like such an empty husk, yet at life's end, he was the only one she could entrust.

-'My foolish disciple will manage without me.'

-'Yet life's trials are always unreasonable. What if my precious disciple faces mortal peril? What if he must raise his blade against impossible odds? Imagining that... I can't close my eyes in peace. So... so...'

This cold-blooded, death-bringing witch had rarely worried for or protected anyone.

Yet with emotions swirling across her face, she quietly removed a ring from her finger.

-'I'll leave a fragment of my soul here. Take it if needed.'

Magic enveloped the ring before it merged with the throne and vanished.

Sealed by magic, invisible yet undeniably present.

A 6-Star necromancer whose power once threatened to swallow the continent whole.

A ring imbued with the soul fragment of Baroness Phee Rafaela Tigris herself. Immense power came at a price.

Phee's soul, steeped in necromancy, inherently corroded those who touched it.

As the Duplein Ducal family lost their heir Valerian to its corruption, others wouldn't fare better.

A 6-Star necromancer's essence wasn't easily mastered—even by fellow 6-Stars.

Thus, few could be entrusted with it.

It must only be used when absolutely necessary, requiring someone free from lust for power.

Yet they must also possess strength to resist the necromantic corruption.

Moreover, they must wield this power solely for Derek's sake.

Individuals meeting all conditions were... exceedingly rare.

So Phee gazed at Drest with fading vision.

Observer. Wanderer. Ghost.

This old grand mage, bearing only such hollow titles, hadn't changed expression once.

Paradoxically, his empty, impassive demeanor seemed most trustworthy.

Phee closed her eyes, blood staining her lips.

The rising sun seemed a symbol of hope.

Empress Rozelyn crossing the drawbridge step by step embodied the empire's hope—a rising beacon.

Alive, awakened to all truths, finally ready to set things right.

The twisted bureaucrat Damon who'd coveted the throne would fall, and she'd reign supreme after restoring order.

"Open the gates! Gremfort Palace's true master has arrived!"

At Rozelyn's commanding cry from horseback, soldiers along the walls sprang into action.

- Clatter clatter clatter!

The drawbridge mechanism groaned into motion as Gremfort Palace prepared to welcome its rightful ruler.

Troops assembled inside stood ready to receive their emperor.

Dawn approached.

A savior would dispel this chaotic darkness and herald a new day.

With this swelling emotion, Rozelyn dismounted.

As she took her first step toward the palace entrance—

─Night fell.

"───?"

Moments ago, the sun had risen, light filling the empire's heart.

Not hours or minutes—seconds ago. The lingering dawn humidity on her skin proved it real.

Yet after one step, night reclaimed the world.

The sun had retreated behind eastern mountains as if never risen, leaving salt-like stars scattered across the sky.

"W-what...?"

Anyone would be stunned.

Time seemed reversed. Yet besides day becoming night, nothing else had changed.

Then she recalled a legendary tale.

The legendary grand mage Adelbert was said to have power reaching the heavens themselves.

'Celestial Alignment'

That ultimate realm bordering day and night, the edge of time... she'd heard of it before.

- Whoosh

"A starry night, Your Majesty Rozelyn."

"...!"

"The Big Dipper shines tonight. And no matter how time rewinds, the North Star remains constant... observing our world from its fixed position."

Beyond the drawbridge where Rozelyn stood—

At Gremfort Palace's grand entrance, an old mage in tattered robes materialized.

"Ko... Kochella..."

Through the robe's frayed gaps appeared the old mage who'd climbed the continent's peak through sheer magical obsession.

Magic was her life, her life magic itself.

A being of pure intellectual hunger and ambition, stopping at nothing to reach the legendary 7th Star.

"You...!"

- Crash!

- Crack!

Before Rozelyn's furious shout ended, Kochella smiled grotesquely and turned.

The drawbridge supporting Rozelyn's feet began collapsing.

Rozelyn was immune to direct magical effects. Thus, subduing her required external, physical means.

Gremfort Palace's glorious drawbridge—destroyed in one strike. Only emptiness and gravity remained.

Bottomless darkness awaited below, where the deep moat would swallow her whole.

"Aah, aaaahhh!"

- Splash!

- Plunge!

Thus, the empress who'd overcome all crises was effortlessly subdued.

After the long fall into water... she slowly sank deeper.

'Ugh... uuugh...!'

Exhausted from riding all night and covered in wounds, the impact sent searing pain through her body.

Her voluminous red dress only hindered movement in the water, its spread fabric resembling blooming petals.

'Ugh... c-can't... breathe...!'

All sounds seemed distant, muffled.

Through numbing senses, she reached toward the surface.

'De... Der...ik...'

Death felt close, clinging to her back.

In this hopeless darkness.

As strength left Rozelyn's arms in the silent depths—

Yet briefly.

Rozelyn's eyes fluttered open as life returned.

"W-what's...! This... it was dawn just moments ago...!"

"Something's... something's happening...!"

"Stay focused! However confusing...! Empress Rozelyn fell into the moat...! We must save her...!"

"Assemble men...! We must rescue Her Majesty...!"

The situation defied comprehension, yet duty-bound royal guards rushed toward the walls.

But loyalty alone couldn't overcome everything.

"That won't do."

At Gremfort Palace's open gates, Kochella smiled grotesquely.

The palace's situation was unraveling.

All expectations centered on Damon were overturned as events entered a new phase.

'...... The heavens reversed?'

In the ministerial conference room, Melberot frowned while pinning Damon down.

An unprecedented anomaly was occurring.

"Gah...! Let go...! I must... survive...! By any means...!"

Seizing Melberot's distraction, Damon shouldered through the door and fled.

Bloody and battered, he staggered down the starlit corridor.

A rat in a trap—Damon couldn't escape Melberot in this state.

Frowning, Melberot pursued steadily.

His drawn sword still gleamed under starlight.

"...!"

"...."

Derek too observed the reversed sky.

Though Marilyn had explained much, unanswered questions remained about Gremfort Palace's situation.

Yet he couldn't linger.

Events at the palace demanded immediate action.

"Get on the horse,"Derek told Marilyn firmly."We'll talk more heading to Gremfort Palace."

"..."

"If you're right, Kochella's making her move."

Matriarch of House Elvester. 6-Star transformation mage and Gremfort Palace's longtime Head Magic Advisor.

A troublesome foe who'd always concealed her tracks. If she'd finally revealed herself, she must be playing her final card.

And when the enemy shows their hand, paradoxically, it's the chance to crush them completely.

Long overdue.

Finally, time to kill Kochella.