Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 9

- Thud, thud

In the dead of night when all but the night-shift servants had fallen asleep.

Derek crossed the garden path leading to the guest house, organizing his thoughts.

Ultimately, to teach 1st Grade Magic, he needed to first manifest the fundamental magic power.

Trying to handle star-ranked magic without even knowing how to draw out magic power was no different than trying to fire a gun without bullets.

The foundation of all magic lies in recognizing and manifesting magic power.

There was no way the mages who had taught Diela until now wouldn't know this. There must have been a reason why every single one of them failed.

In truth, training this fundamental magical aptitude had no established theory, and opinions varied by school of thought, making it universally difficult. Every mage's way of handling magic power and their instincts were different.

Faced with such challenges, it was no wonder magic tutors were considered premium talent.

It also made sense why noble families across the continent competed fiercely to bring even one decent magic tutor into their household. Teaching magic was that profound.

'If the Discipline School method didn't work, we'll have to try another approach.'

Derek continued walking.

She must have already learned all the theoretical aspects of magic power ages ago. The issue was likely the lack of a catalyst for manifestation.

The Discipline School divided the process of utilizing magic power into four stages: Recognition, Extraction, Manipulation, and Manifestation. Only by smoothly completing these four stages could one finally gain control over the magic power in their body.

However, Derek hadn't learned magic that way.

What taught Derek magic wasn't textbooks, ink, and quills. It was the blade swinging before his eyes, the arrows flying toward him, the axe handle swung by a goblin.

When had young Derek first manifested magic power?

It was when he encountered a wild boar while climbing the back mountain to scavenge even dry grass to eat.

The terror of death looming right before him, the immediate reality that he had to struggle to survive—that was what manifested the magic power in young Derek. That moment was when he first used magic.

That was how mages of the Wild School lived.

They always manifested magic power through extreme survival instincts.

"..."

Recalling the spacious, empty canvases of Diela's paintings, Derek gave a slight nod and walked on.

- Bang!

When Derek kicked open the door to the mansion's guest house, the handmaids waiting in the hall jumped in shock.

Late at night. A robed boy kicking open the guest house's main gate under the moonlight. It was harder not to be startled by such a sight.

When he revealed his face as Derek, the handmaids grew even more flustered.

"Wh-what brings you here...?"

"Good work."

Derek strode past the handmaids and walked briskly through the hall.

His firm, resolute steps left the handmaids unable to stop him. He was Diela's assigned tutor, personally authorized by the Duke.

Before heading straight to Diela's room, he stopped by the kitchen.

The clean cold water the handmaids had set aside for the next day's cooking immediately caught his eye. He grabbed the entire oak water barrel and climbed the central hall stairs. Ignoring the handmaids'uneasy glances, he walked straight to Diela's room and kicked the door open.

- Bang!

In the center of a lace-covered bed, Diela lay buried like a princess, fast asleep.

Her pretty pajamas and her hair, tied to one side, glistened. Just looking at her sleeping form, one would think there was no more proper lady than her.

- Splash!

Without hesitation, Derek dumped the entire barrel of water on her.

The handmaids who had anxiously followed gasped in shock, and the estate knights who had drowsily come upstairs froze in place.

"Kyaaah!"

Struck by a bolt from the blue—or rather, a bolt of water—Diela jolted awake.

Her eyes met Derek's.

He tossed the empty barrel aside and stared down at Diela with those chilling crimson eyes, as always.

"Wh-what the—! Y-you... you...!"

"Are you sleepy now?"

"What?"

"I asked if you're sleepy now."

If she stayed like this, it was off to the convent.

Diela must have sensed it too. If she remained passive, she wouldn't even be able to stay in this mansion, let alone make her social debut.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined being doused with cold water in her sleep. Diela glared at Derek with utter disbelief. From Derek's perspective, it was a merciful act compared to dumping sewage on her.

Derek grabbed Diela's arm and yanked her up. She tried to resist his forceful grip, but the difference in strength was insurmountable.

"Kyaaah! Wh-what are you doing! Everyone! Why are you just standing there! Stop him! Stop this commoner!"

"..."

The servants outside the door could only watch with worried eyes.

A sense of unease bubbled up—was this really okay?—but Derek had the justification on his side.

Diela struggled to break free from Derek's grip, but it was futile. Derek dragged her down the mansion stairs, step by step.

By the time they reached the hall with Diela looking like a drowned rat, Head Butler Dellon was watching with concern. He must have rushed over after hearing the commotion.

But Dellon had no grounds to stop Derek. Derek simply bowed slightly in greeting and dragged Diela straight out of the guest house.

"You... do you really think you'll get away with this?!"

Derek marched out behind the guest house and kept walking toward the estate's outskirts.

Dragging the flustered Lady Diela along, he walked and walked and walked. This forced march continued for what felt like an eternity.

Dead of night.

The moonlight flooding the sky illuminated the world.

Only after reaching the middle of a field far from the mansion did Derek finally swing his arm and toss Diela onto the grass.

- Flop!

"Kyaaah!"

Her wet pajamas clung to the grass.

Her once-golden hair, like fine silk, was now tangled with blades of grass, making it hard to believe she was a noble lady.

Diela's fingertips trembled violently, but she eventually managed a strained laugh.

"Ha... haha... Do you really think this will change anything?"

"..."

"Teach me magic? Me? Do you think you're the first to say that? Do you think I haven't tried? Sorry to burst your bubble, but wake up. Take your noble tutoring act somewhere else!"

Though her body shook, Diela said everything she had to say.

Even drenched and thrown onto the grass, her defiant tone never wavered.

"You filthy commoner...!"

Derek, who had been silently watching Diela scream, slowly approached her.

Then, crouching down to meet her eyes, he spoke.

"No one's listening, and we're far from the mansion, so let me be clear."

"What...?"

"I have no intention of teaching Lady Diela magic or anything like that."

"──What?"

A sinister smile crept across Derek's lips.

Even in the darkness of midnight, the moonlight shone brightly. Illuminated by that light, Derek's crimson pupils and chilling grin were unmistakable.

"I just enjoy beating up nobles."

"Wh... what...?"

In Duplein Mansion, he had been a man who maintained at least some decorum.

But with no one watching, his true nature surfaced as if it had never been hidden.

"Like I said, I'm a lowborn commoner. Why should I like nobles who look down on everyone just because they were born with blue blood?"

"What... what are you saying...?"

"The whole tutor thing is just an excuse. Especially for haughty, arrogant nobles like you—I just enjoy beating them up and hearing them scream. Where else would I get such a perfect excuse to beat someone openly and legally? And they even pay me for it."

Seeing that grin, which sent shivers down her spine, Diela instinctively held her breath.

Had she been mistaken to think Derek was acting for her sake?

Before Diela could respond, Derek kicked her shoulder with his boot.

"Kyaaah!"

- Crash!

- Swoosh!

When Diela, sprawled on the ground, looked up again, Derek had drawn his longsword.

The moonlight reflected off the razor-sharp blade, filling her vision. Diela's fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

"Y-you... you're insane...?"

"I can't help but love hearing arrogant nobles scream in pain. The more they strut around relying on their lofty status, the better."

"D-do you... think you'll survive this...?"

"No witnesses, so what does it matter? And you're already on your way to the convent—who'd believe you? Do you think anyone in this mansion is on your side?"

As Derek stepped closer, flicking his blade, Diela scrambled backward, pushing against the grass.

But trying to run while flat on the ground was futile—he'd catch her in no time.

"Don't worry. Seasoned mercenaries know how to inflict pain without lasting damage. The human body has surprisingly quick-healing parts. Like fingernails."

"...Ghk... Huh..."

"And even if there's some lasting damage, so what?"

The man walking toward her under the moonlight was clearly a madman. Diela felt her entire body begin to tremble violently.

She'd known from the start—slapping her the moment they met—that he wasn't normal. In hindsight, this seemed almost inevitable.

"If something happens, I'll just apologize with my life."

"Kya... kyaaah...!"

Diela grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it at Derek's eyes.

- Swish!

"Ugh."

Derek quickly blocked the dirt with his elbow, shielding his face. Seizing the moment, Diela scrambled up and bolted toward the nearby forest.

The open field leading back to the mansion would get her caught immediately. In that split second, Diela concluded she had to hide in the forest.

Hide in the darkness, lose him in the underbrush.

But her escape was short-lived.

A strange, floating sensation, as if the wind had gathered around her.

- Whoosh!

She ran toward the forest, but the unsettling presence made her glance back—and she couldn't believe her eyes.

A massive fireball, larger than a person.

Derek, having gathered magic power in his free hand, seemed to envelop the area.

'Wh-what the hell is that...!'

2nd Grade Magic, Fireball.

A combat spell even nobles only used after gaining some proficiency. And he hadn't even chanted.

Valerian, the most magically gifted of the siblings, had to lock himself in his room for months just to begin learning 2nd Grade Magic.

The sight of Derek wielding such magic felt utterly unreal.

No—she prayed it wasn't real.

Her opponent was just a madman who wanted to beat her for pleasure.

A tremendous pressure built up in an instant, and the fireball launched from his hand flew straight at Diela.

"Kyaaaah!"

Ignoring the scratches on her body, Diela threw herself aside to dodge.

The fireball slammed into the spot where she'd stood, and a pillar of flames erupted.

- Kwaaaang!

- Roar!

A wave of scorching heat washed over her. The spot where the magic had hit was completely incinerated, leaving only blackened ashes.

A direct hit would mean instant death—or at least critical injury. The power was undeniable.

Diela, trembling, looked at Derek, who was shaking off the heat from his hand.

His gleaming eyes met hers, and he muttered to himself.

"Missed."

Diela felt goosebumps erupt all over her body.

- Tap, thud!

Diela ran straight for the forest.

Derek, strolling across the field as if enjoying a hunt, showed no urgency. Under the moonlight, his curled lips and crimson eyes only amplified the terror.

- Rustle, crack!

Diela's legs gave out, and she fell. She managed to get up and flee into the forest but couldn't put much distance between them.

- Crunch, snap!

She forced her way into the underbrush. But she needed to run further.

Her legs, trembling with fear, refused to obey.

'Move...! Move, move, move...! Please...!'

- Whoosh!

- Bam!

A surge of magic power struck the nearby branches, shattering them.

1st Grade Attack Magic, Magic Arrow. Three in succession.

Even among 1st Grade spells, mastery varied. A single hit would be unbearable for Diela's fragile body.

"Did I miss...?"

Derek's eerie voice carried from beyond the bushes.

Fortunately, Diela was small. The deep darkness of the forest was her ally.

Small animals rustled through the underbrush, and leaves rustled in the wind.

Finding Diela hiding in such a place wouldn't be easy.

- Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The madman's footsteps reached Diela's ears.

Just beyond the bushes, he slashed at branches with his sword, searching for her.

Diela stuffed her hand into her mouth, terrified her breathing would give her away.

Humming as he checked every possible hiding spot, Derek resembled a predator stalking prey.

- Thud.

His boots appeared just a few feet from where Diela lay in the underbrush. Even with night vision, the surrounding darkness was thick enough to barely see.

Diela suppressed her pounding heart, clamping a hand over her mouth. Her lower lip trembled violently, and her breathing grew erratic. She couldn't tell if she was exhaling or inhaling.

After Derek's footsteps circled the area a few times, he moved deeper into the forest.

'Hah... hah...'

As the distance grew, Diela finally had room to think.

'I... I need to get back to the mansion... B-but if I run across the open field, I'll get hit by magic...! Wh-what do I do? I can hide like this for now... but he'll find me eventually...!'

Crouched in the dark, clutching her head, the girl tried to calm her racing heart.

'Calm down, calm down, calm down. There must be a way. There must be...!'

She forced reason over emotion. The thought that she might die here brought a flood of memories.

Times when she'd laughed and played around the mansion, carrying canvases and easels to paint landscapes... those innocent, carefree days. Every day had been worry-free and happy.

Then came the memories of failure and frustration. Falling behind her siblings. The pitying looks from her family. Their encouragement. Her lackluster achievements. Effort, failure, more failure. Endless failure.

The servants who looked at her with sympathy. The gossip that she had nothing going for her besides her cute looks. The whispers among nobles that she was lucky to have been born into the Duplein family.

And the cold truth—that all she had left was her bloodline. The only thing she could flaunt, the only thing that proved her worth, was this noble blood.

'I can do this. I can do this. I can do this...!'

Shaking off the bitter memories, Diela clenched her teeth. She'd catch that madman and get back to the mansion. The forest's darkness was on her side.

Just as she steeled herself—

- Whoosh!

Diela's only ally, the forest's darkness, began to fade.

1st-Class Transformation Magic:'Light Manifestation.'

A massive light source bloomed beyond the bushes, illuminating everything.

The reason mages were considered the most reliable allies among mercenaries was their adaptability to any battlefield. Flexible battlefield coordination was Derek's specialty.

For Diela, it was just a bolt from the blue.

The forest's darkness was gone.

'Gasp...!'

Hiding in the dark was no longer an option.

Deciding to find cover instead, Diela started to rise—

When the white-haired madman, floating the orb of light in the distance, suddenly turned his head toward her.

"Found you."

The boy's grin stretched ear to ear.