Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 27

"Since this is a formal magic duel, there are more restrictions than you'd think. Most importantly, with so many nobles observing, we must maintain at least some decorum."

Derek always maintained a serious expression.

Calmness was contagious. Elente felt ashamed of her earlier emotional outburst. No matter how cornered she felt physically or mentally, a noble lady should always maintain composure and dignity in any situation.

Yet Derek didn't seem bothered at all.

"Still... I hate to admit it, but Lady Aiselin is a cut above me."

"Not in every aspect. You just need to identify the areas where you surpass her."

Derek's confident tone showed no hesitation or anxiety. It was as if he'd anticipated even Elente's confrontational attitude. To Elente, this commoner boy seemed more like a seasoned veteran.

"All the magic training we've done up to this point wasn't meaningless. It was groundwork specifically to defeat Lady Aiselin. Now we only have the crucial final steps left."

"Wait... you have something special prepared?"

"...Didn't I say I needed to confirm your determination first?"

When Derek's gaze intensified, Elente gulped nervously.

Completely unfazed by her reaction, Derek declared:

"From now on, it'll be real hell. You'll need to keep up."

If this was"real hell,"then what had they been doing until now?

Elente began seeing the boy before her as a lion wielding a scythe.

But after making such a fuss, she couldn't back out now.

Riding across the vast plains of Count Belmierd's territory, one could easily spot tenant farmers working the fields from early morning. Wheat fields stretched endlessly across the great plain, ready for harvest.

After traversing the Boleron Plains—the western continent's largest granary region—a massive fortress appeared on the horizon. As the territory overseeing the southwestern coastal borderlands, its military fortress was impeccably maintained.

- Clip-clop, clip-clop

Pellmier rode his horse for quite some distance.

Since that mercenary brat would be handling magic instruction for now, his services weren't needed.

This was just a temporary deviation anyway. With things having developed this way, he decided to visit the Belmierd territory to handle pending matters and update the Count on recent events.

Unlike the farmlands, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense near the fortress.

Watchtowers lined the southern coastal ridge, and as the mountainous terrain became prominent, flagpoles lined the roads while soldiers patrolled with bored expressions, gripping their polearms.

When he rode toward the fortress's central spire, the soldiers forming ranks hesitated before stopping him.

- Neigh! Neigh!

- Thud

Approaching the spire at the fortress's heart, he spotted a man observing soldiers training for an upcoming inspection ceremony.

He looked surprisingly young for his position. The fine wrinkles suggested he wasn't exactly youthful, but compared to other territorial nobles, his eyes still sparkled with vitality. His broad shoulders and robust physique proved he remained active.

This was Tristan Anelt Belmierd, Count of the territory.

Even capital nobles would bow respectfully before this Frontier Count, whose reputation dominated the empire's western regions.

"Ah, Pellmier! Back from Evelstain already!"

"I hope you've been well, Your Excellency. I thought you'd be at the Count's manor, not out here at the fortress."

"Do I look like someone who just lounges around playing with quills? Even I need to stretch my legs sometimes."

Count Belmierd had a bold personality and cared for his subordinates, but his military background gave him natural charisma. He was the type who cherished his own while ruthlessly crushing enemies.

"It's been too long since I've seen my Elente's face. When she lived here, laughter never left this place. Is she doing well in Evelstain?"

"Yes, of course. Recently she's been focusing intensely on magic training, taking on many challenges."

Pellmier hesitated before deciding to withhold mentioning the mercenary Derek for now. He kept his explanation vague.

He couldn't predict how the Count would react to his daughter learning magic from a mere mercenary. Pellmier considered Elente's employment of Derek merely a temporary rebellion fueled by her rivalry with Lady Aiselin. Being sidelined by a commoner was embarrassing for him.

"That's good to hear. I actually need to visit Evelstain soon regarding tariff issues on the southwestern trade route. I was going to send advance notice through senior retainers, but since you're here, that won't be necessary."

"I-Is that so?"

However, contrary to Pellmier's intentions, Count Belmierd revealed he planned to visit Evelstain soon.

While southwestern nobles occasionally visited Evelstain, such sudden trips were rare.

"No need to inform her. Surprising my precious Elente with a gift might be nice for once. Though I should consult you about what to bring."

"Still, giving advance notice... Lady Elente would be overjoyed."

"I want to see how she's adapting to life at the townhouse. A father's worry, you know."

Count Belmierd had visited the Noble District several times.

While appearing like a paradise of aristocratic splendor, beneath the surface lay endless political maneuvering. Sending his daughter into such an environment inevitably caused concern.

Though he regularly sent gifts, supplies, and capable retainers to support her, parental worries never fully subsided.

When visiting the manor, Elente always cheerfully recounted her Evelstain experiences, appearing worry-free.

But Count Belmierd knew his daughter had matured. She might be forcing cheerfulness to prevent him from worrying.

If the Grand Duke of Duplein was solemn and dignified, Count Belmierd was bold and straightforward. He'd gladly rearrange schedules when concerned about his daughter—the only matter that turned this shrewd man foolish.

"Since we're here, let's move up the schedule. You'll accompany me to Evelstain."

"...Are you certain that's wise?"

Pellmier couldn't help but look troubled.

『Time flies like an arrow, Derek.』

So began the letter from his mentor Katia.

Derek quite liked that expression about time flying like an arrow.

Just as an arrow shot from a bow never returns, time marches inexorably forward. Before you know it, days, seasons, years have passed—the phrase perfectly encapsulated his life.

Teaching Elente gave him similar feelings. Before he realized it, over half a month had passed.

While Derek promised to make her capable of defeating Lady Aiselin, everything ultimately depended on Elente's determination. As for whether she endured his training—that remained to be seen.

- Creak, creak.

Leaning his head against the rattling carriage wall while quietly reading the letter, Derek noticed Elente collapsed in his peripheral vision.

This wasn't the luxurious carriage nobles typically used, but a shabby mercenary wagon filled with dust.

A count's daughter who should never have set foot in such a dilapidated vehicle.

Wearing simple travel clothes under a robe instead of her usual frilly dresses.

Anyone seeing her exhausted, panting form would doubt she was nobility—a fact they kept strictly hidden.

After glancing at Elente, Derek returned to the letter.

『It's been nearly two years since leaving Evelstain, and my correspondence is long overdue. After arriving at Elvester Territory, work piled up until recently. Lady Freya of Count possesses greater academic zeal than expected, so I've been wholly focused on teaching magic.』

『Now with some leisure, I realize those days wandering Tavern Street teaching you magic felt freer. Though less affluent, we could go anywhere we pleased.』

"You look like you're reading a love letter."

"Have you recovered?"

"W-what? I never lost focus."

Despite her pride, Elente couldn't get up. Understandably so.

For half a month, Derek had taken Elente through labyrinths outside Evelstain—hardly experiences suitable for a noble lady.

Even veteran adventurers needed thorough preparation before delving into labyrinths, the source of monster tribes.

Though Derek only took her slightly beyond the entrance zones, even that exposed Elente to near-death terror.

Of course, actual casualties would be irreparable, so Derek brought Jayden—a far more experienced mercenary—and Pellin as additional safeguards. He could handle the entrance zones alone, but took no chances.

Yet for Elente, those two weeks were hell itself.

'...'

The method to make Elente battle-ready was simple: give her combat experience.

What Derek instilled in her was the raw, brutal reality of the battlefield that sheltered noblewomen would never know.

Casually slaying monsters around Evelstain differed completely from slaughtering through the labyrinths spawning them.

The blood-soaked carnage where axes and blades flew.

No matter how many defensive spells she layered before leaving the mansion, witnessing that nauseating brutality firsthand would make anyone's hands tremble. Her safety being guaranteed didn't change this.

Ultimately, Derek aimed to sharpen Elente's"eyes."

More precisely, her perspective.

The vast gap she felt sparring with Derek stemmed from this difference in vision.

Having stood firm through countless desperate battles, Derek saw their decorous duel as child's play.

Those who experience vaster worlds often master smaller domains effortlessly.

Someone who can run 1000 meters naturally runs 100 meters easily. Though 100-meter techniques differ slightly, the fundamentals are already ingrained. This was the difference between Derek and Elente.

Yet what looks like basic skills aren't easily acquired.

The process isn't something delicate noble ladies can endure.

Hence Derek repeatedly asked—was she prepared?

On the first day, the blood-soaked labyrinth made Elente vomit. Her trembling hands found walls smeared with unidentifiable fluids, leaving her aghast.

The second and third days were no different. For three days, she accomplished nothing.

For a noble lady raised among antique artworks, traversing such gory scenes was hell incarnate—essentially shock therapy.

Yet Elente persisted. Or more accurately, she couldn't quit now.

By the fourth day, she gritted her teeth and attacked monsters with magic. On the fifth, she killed her first.

Her trembling hands staring at the dark blue blood left an impression. Though nobility, she finally understood how bottom-rung mercenaries slaughtered monsters.

Days six and seven passed... She gradually adapted until a minotaur's appearance on the seventh day nearly made her faint.

Pellin laughed uproariously at the tavern afterward, delighted to see nobility so humbled. Though playing the mature mercenary before Elente, she secretly relished nobles being degraded.

Yet every morning, Elente waited for Derek, threw on her robe, and left the mansion without even servants. Mingling in Tavern Street, she learned the battlefield's true nature.

Now she could manage the labyrinth's entrance zones.

Of course, fighting all day left her utterly exhausted.

"Lady Elente. Here's some water."

"Th-thank you... You're too kind..."

When Pellin—smiling sweetly in the carriage corner—offered cold water, Elente gulped it desperately.

Pellin chuckled, clearly enjoying Elente's suffering. An outsider might mistake her for a kind girl, but Derek knew better.

He returned to the letter.

『How far has your magic progressed? As your teacher, I often wonder. No matter what anyone says, you're the most talented mage I've ever seen. Many would covet such a student.』

『Perhaps you've learned higher-star magic? That might be presumptuous, but I believe you could. Lady Freya recently mastered 1st Grade Magic. Seeing her joy reminded me of your younger self.』

『Contact me when visiting the western empire. Your old teacher, Katia Flameheart.』

Teacher. Like you, I'm now guiding someone through life.

With this thought, Derek quietly pocketed the letter, lost in reflection.

Teaching and guiding others brought unexpected fulfillment—and remarkably, positively impacted his own magical growth.

Reviewing known material helped immensely, and refining his student's magic often polished his own.

Teaching someone means teaching yourself.

This unexpected insight helped him understand why mages obsess over talented students.

"Lady Elente."

Though this wasn't the time for warm reflections.

"Two days remain until the duel."

"..."

"How do you feel?"

Lying on the carriage floor staring at the swaying ceiling, Elente finally answered with difficulty.

"I've definitely... gained unbelievable experience these past days, just as you said. Endless training has made my magic more refined than ever."

"..."

"But... I still don't know if I can win."

Elente couldn't hide her anxiety.

While Derek rapidly improved her magic, whether she could defeat Aiselin remained uncertain.

No noble lady could be certain.

Yet all Elente could do now was trust Derek completely. With the duel approaching, only Derek truly understood her.

Still lying down, Elente panted heavily. Soon she'd face Lady Aiselin.

Leaning against the carriage wall, Derek closed his eyes without a trace of worry.

"Lady Aiselin. It's time for your watercolor lesson."

A maid politely knocked on Aiselin's private practice room door.

No answer came, though movement inside suggested intense concentration.

Hesitating but unwilling to make Aiselin late, the maid decided to intrude.

"Forgive me, I'm entering."

The antique wooden door creaked open.

Inside, Lady Aiselin stared blankly at the ceiling while chanting spells, surrounded by an eerie aura.

The maid—who'd served Aiselin since childhood—found herself speechless.

The room brimmed with blue magical energy contrasting starkly with her floating black hair. Her luminous eyes brimmed with power resembling ocean waves.

Discipline School spellbooks lay scattered everywhere—uncharacteristically messy for the normally tidy Aiselin. The girl focused intensely on the magic filling the room.

Her gaze seemed fixed not on the ceiling, but something far beyond.

The heavens. The sparkling magical display resembled a starry sky.

Aiselin was the model student who'd studied Discipline School tomes relentlessly.

The countless quotes and theories of Adelbert—the Discipline School founder who first established the star ranking system—lived vividly in her mind.

Having internalized these insights through endless rereading, she now manifested them through her fingertips.

Adelbert had conceived the star system while observing the Big Dipper. Aiselin remembered this from his childhood biography.

His orderly system guarded against chaos, emphasizing theoretical coherence. The framework became foundational for all magic, not just the Discipline School.

Within this system, the magical currents coalescing in Aiselin's vision gathered and expanded.

Born with excellent lineage and talent, then honed through relentless effort, her magic now formed a celestial river.

- Whoosh!

The energy swirling around her hands suddenly expanded, filling the room with an orchestra's performance—Aiselin's favorite symphony.

A massive ensemble resounding in a tiny practice room defied belief.

Yet the majestic music lasted only briefly before faltering and fading.

The girl still struggled with magic of this scale.

"Haah... haah... Failed again."

Only Aiselin's composed murmur remained in the silent room.

The stunned maid could only stare wide-eyed.

What Aiselin had just performed was the 2-Star Confusion Magic"Auditory Hallucination"—the same 2-Star spell Derek first self-taught at fourteen.

"Oh my, it's already this late? I was distracted. We mustn't be late."

Noticing the maid, Aiselin startled and quickly straightened her dress to leave.

The maid could only watch silently as the noble girl departed.