There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

The Wall (1)

“These are the things I saw at the Ravenclaw training center. Father. I think the same as Brother Robenalt. Unless there is a major change, in a few years, the Ravenclaw territory will have a significant influence on the Ebelstein social circle.”

Denise, the most intelligent lady of the Beltus family, was reporting exactly what she had confirmed to Grand Duke Beltus.

The sharp-looking Grand Duke Beltus stroked his mustache a few times, wearing a very uncomfortable expression.

He had been persuaded by his eldest son, Rodenalt, to overlook the conferment of the barony to Baron Ravenclaw, but now that the situation had come to this, the man’s actions were suspicious.

He had known about Derek Lydorf, Baron Ravenclaw, for a long time. The Beltus family had even entrusted Denise’s social education to him.

At that time, Derek was just a lowly private tutor, but somehow, he had become the owner of a large training center.

Education often became the foundation of power.

The fact that Baron Derrick’s disciples were flowing into the Ebelstein social circle meant that Derrick was gaining direct influence over Ebelstein.

All power begins with embracing people.

The rise of a new force, with several nobles as disciples, starting to stir in the territory right next to the Duke of Beltus’s domain was not a welcome development.

To win a war, it is good to seize the high ground, and to win a power struggle, it is important to seize the public opinion of the social circle.

Understanding this deeply, the Duke of Beltus had been supporting Denis, who was making a name for himself in the Ebelstein social circle, in every possible way.

“This is not very pleasant news. The fact that the prospective socialites are passing through there means that place is becoming the center of the social circle.”

“Do you think so? The scale wasn’t that impressive.”

“Scale doesn’t matter. You know, Denis. The main base of the eastern continent’s social circle was initially the port city of Roboff, but it eventually moved to the Elvester mansion after the Count of Elvester built all sorts of cultural facilities in his territory.”

The main base of the southwestern continent’s social circle is the Ebelstein noble district, but the main base of the eastern continent’s social circle is the mansion of the Count of Elvester.

That place, which had become so grand that it was hardly appropriate to call it a mansion, was famous for hosting various cultural events, theater stages, renowned minstrel tours, the largest tea parties, and numerous salon gatherings throughout the year.

Having such a place within his territory, the Count of Elvester stood at the pinnacle of noble culture, and his only daughter, Lady Freya, was regarded as the most noble figure.

If there is Aiseline in the Ebelstein social circle, there is Freya in the eastern social circle.

At the point where it was easy to name Freya as one of the queens of the social circle, it was not difficult to understand how important it was to seize the center of the social circle.

And the very teacher of Freya was Katia Flameheart, the former mistress of a fallen viscount family.

She was now famous as the most outstanding magic teacher in the eastern continent.

“Not long ago, Duplain, who was the most troublesome, stepped down from power. The throne of the Ebelstein social circle is still vacant, and it is a transitional period. I don’t want any unnecessary variables to arise at a time when the Viscount of Renouel is rising.”

The Duke of Beltus spoke with a solemn expression from his office chair.

“It seems we can’t just leave that training center alone.”

Denis’s expression began to darken a little. He seemed to know what the Duke of Beltus was going to say.

“Find any pretext, and we need to check the growth of the Ravenclaw territory.”

“…”

“At this point, it is hard to see any pretext, but if it’s you, Denis, you can grab onto something. You’ve been in contact with that baron and have maintained a close relationship.”

The Duke of Beltus intended to check the Ravenclaw barony and place Denis at the forefront of that plan.

Since Denis was the person with the deepest reach into the Ebelstein social circle from the Duke of Beltus’s family, it was a natural selection.

“Create a pretext to control that man. Meet him as often as possible, stay close, and grasp his weaknesses.”

Denis, seeing the Duke of Beltus’s smile full of trust, bowed his head and answered softly, “Understood.”

– Creak

After finishing his morning greeting and coming out into the hallway, Denis had a weary expression. Even though he had just woken up, he already felt tired.

“Miss Denis, are you feeling unwell?”

“No, Bella.”

Denise answered that she was fine by waving her arms appropriately, then stood in the hallway for a moment with a complicated expression, and finally let out a deep sigh.

“I expected it, but this is how it ends up.”

The mountains of the Beltus estate, visible from the window, were already adorned with colorful autumn leaves.

Autumn was in full swing.

*

Aiseline likes night walks in the autumn.

Sitting in the cool night air, neither cold nor hot, and looking up at the bright full moon, she feels as if she has come to another world.

Especially, unlike her home, the Duplain mansion, the Ravenclaw baron’s mansion does not have a splendid and luxurious atmosphere. The small but well-maintained garden cannot be tightly managed, so there is the occasional small pleasure of discovering wildflowers blooming beyond the flower beds.

Sitting in the calm night air and organizing the next day’s schedule, the overwhelming workload and the family’s crisis all feel like distant dream stories.

This small hobby of enjoying the dreamy sense of escape was one of the secrets that allowed Aiseline to always smile brightly in social circles.

So, Aiseline sat on a small garden bench in the Ravenclaw baron’s mansion, gently closing her eyes and listening to the sound of insects.

‘It’s dangerous…. This place… is starting to feel like home…’

Anyway, she must not forget her goal of working hard to earn money and save her home.

For the sake of Laig and Diela, who are also working hard today for the reconstruction of the Duplain family, she must stay focused.

Still, it is also important to let go of everything and rest when taking a break.

As Aiseline was quietly looking at the baron’s mansion with the weight of her heart slightly lifted, she heard footsteps.

– Step, step.

“…?”

It was quite late at night.

However, there was a person walking near the garden.

Since there were guards standing near the mansion, it wasn’t particularly dangerous, but it was still not good to be wandering around at this late hour.

Upon closer inspection, she saw that the person was dressed in the attire of a noble lady, so Aiseline focused her gaze.

As her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, she finally recognized who it was. It was Lady Fine from the Tigris baron’s family.

The clumsy girl, seemingly full of muscle pain in her thighs and shoulders, was walking towards the main building of the mansion with a hunched posture and a deathly expression.

However, her steps were so fast that she disappeared into the main hall before Aiseline could call out to her.

‘…Why is she going to the main building instead of sleeping in the dormitory at this hour…?’

The only people awake at this late hour would be the servants on duty.

Most of the lights in the main building were off, leaving only darkness.

Looking up at the windows of the baron’s mansion, there were only a few rooms with lights on.

One of them was… Derek’s office.

“…”

Aisellin looked up at the mansion with a complex and subtle expression.

“The section where most wizards get frustrated is the transition from 3-star to 4-star. In terms of ratio, the wall is much thicker than going from 4-star to 5-star. It’s the section where those who rely solely on their bloodline and take magic lightly fall off the most.”

Late at night, Fine, who had come to Derek’s office, was sitting on the guest table, rubbing her knees.

Her whole body was screaming from the mountain hike she had taken during the day.

Fine, a 6-star necromancer and master of corpse magic, had no means to resist the fatigue that came from her immature body.

Even while groaning in pain, she kept her promise and recited her knowledge of magic.

“It’s an era where the authority of nobles comes from magic. So most nobles, intoxicated by the power of their bloodline from childhood, aspire to become masters of magic, but ironically, most end their lives satisfied with being 3-star.”

“Most of the nobles I’ve met also seemed to have a limit at 3-star.”

“Yes. The realm of 4-star… is a level that only those who are chosen once again among the nobles who were chosen from birth can reach. Even in large noble families, there are rarely more than five 4-star wizards. At most, there are two or three.”

The realm that even nobles with good bloodlines cannot reach and get frustrated by is not something a mere commoner can reach.

Therefore, the realm of 4-star and above is known to be entirely the domain of nobles.

It’s not that there are no commoners who have reached the realm of 4-star.

However, they all left their names in history books. That’s how unrealistic it was for a commoner to advance beyond this realm.

“For reference, Melverot, the ruler of the north, was almost at 4-star at your age. That guy is quite a monster too.”

Derek had only passed the age of coming-of-age ceremony by a few years.

Usually, if one can handle 1-star magic at the coming-of-age ceremony, they are considered quite knowledgeable in magic, and if they can handle 2-star, they are considered a prodigy who appears only a few times in a generation.

It showed how absurd Melverot’s level was. Derek had been in social circles for a long time, but he had never seen anyone who reached 4-star around the age of the coming-of-age ceremony, let alone 3-star.

The only one who could be said to be close was Lady Siern, but she was influenced by Noir’s blood from the beginning, so she had to be excluded.

“I see. …If you’re thinking of wrapping a compression bandage, I can call a servant for you.”

“No, it’s fine. If I show my groaning self suffering from muscle pain to the lowly ones, my authority will die.”

“…”

Fine rummaged through Derek’s mercenary supplies, took out a bandage suitable for compressing the painful area, and began to wrap it skillfully.

Then she lay down on the guest sofa and muttered some incantation, and a creepy skull-shaped summoned creature appeared floating in the air.

“…If you use necromancy inside the mansion, it will be a big problem. If someone sees it, it won’t be taken lightly.”

“Don’t take me lightly. I’m always mindful of the surroundings. And, I’m doing this because it’s necessary for the lesson, so don’t worry.”

After making such a bold statement, Fine lay down on the sofa and placed the skull-shaped summoned creature on her thigh.

It seemed to be a cold-type magic, as a chilling aura emanated from the creepy skull.

Fine melted into the sofa as if she would stick to it, and with a groan, she relaxed her body.

“Ugh… My thigh almost killed me. You lack empathy. You have no idea how delicate and fragile this naive girl’s body is, like a piece of glasswork. I wonder if those strong men with robust physiques can ever understand my feelings, having to live with such a frail body for hundreds of years. Tsk.”

“What are you doing? … Are you applying a cold compress?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that? This master is trying to heal her overworked body, and all the disciple does is say no, no, and complain… Ugh… Ah… This is good…”

“…”

The sight of a girl who looks no older than her teens exhaling comfortably as if she were in a hot bath is so surreal that it’s hard to describe.

Derek, sitting at his desk, pressed his temples and spoke.

“There is a hero named Rodeia in the territory of Viscount Renuel. He has already noticed the presence of a 6-star necromancer and is determined to find and kill them.”

“Oh-. Has that nobody grown so much already? I know him well. I heard he turned Rodentz Island upside down while wielding the Holy Blood Sword, thanks to which most of the vagrants claiming to be my followers were cleaned up. I’m truly grateful.”

“I’ve met him in person, and he quickly sensed necromancy from a distance that would take a horse several minutes to run. So, it’s best to be cautious when using necromancy where nobles gather.”

“That’s quite amusing. As I always say, don’t worry. I am far more advanced than you think.”

Fine chuckled arrogantly and, entrusting her body to the cold air emanating from the summoned skeleton, glanced at Derek with half-closed eyes.

“Does this look like necromancy to you?”

“… Is it perhaps ordinary summoning magic?”

“Yes. That’s right. You are quite perceptive.”

Fine groaned and twisted her body to change her posture. It seemed that moving too vigorously caused muscle pain to flare up.

“What do you think is needed to become a 4-star mage? Unfortunately, just diligently reading the theories of the Order School created by scholars like Adelbert has its limits. You seem closer to the Wild School than the Order School anyway.”

“I’ve certainly heard that other qualities are needed.”

“Let me explain the qualities of a 4-star mage in simple terms. If you truly want to reach the rank of a 4-star mage, you need exactly four things.”

Fine flicked her slender fingers, counting them one by one.

“One, uniqueness or creativity. Two, compatibility with magical equipment. Three, understanding of the variability of reality. And four, a balanced understanding of various fields of magic.”

“…”

“You don’t understand any of it, do you? This is the theory left by that bookworm scholar Adelbert. That’s why it’s explained in such a convoluted and impressive way. This is why the problem lies with those bespectacled people who view magic only as an academic discipline.”

Fine swept her lavender and white hair up and spread it out on the sofa, then ran her fingers through the ends. Her hair, cascading down the back of the sofa, looked like a waterfall.

“Uniqueness or creativity refers to the ability to contemplate magic beyond established rules. You, with your strong Wild School tendencies, have some of it, but it’s still a bit lacking. You’ve accumulated enough practical experience, so if you leave it alone for a while, it will naturally blossom.”

“Lately, I haven’t been able to go to the battlefield much.”

“Still, you must have accumulated some experience. If you keep ruminating on it, everything will become clear. This is more about internalizing than learning. In a way, it’s the closest to talent.”

The ability to create one’s own unique magic was often more innate than learned from someone else.

Melverot reinterpreted the 2-star combat magic ‘Fireball’ in his own way and manifested the 4-star scale combat magic ‘Lava Ball.’ It was Melverot’s unique magic, not found in any magic book.

The 6-star combat magic ‘Soul Incineration,’ which Kalimford intended to use to burn Fine’s soul, was also a creative reinterpretation of the 4-star combat magic ‘Incineration.’ Although it is called 6-star magic, it was not established by Adelbert.

In this way, mages of 4-star rank or higher often created their own unique magic.

That was the difference in talent.

“The compatibility with magical equipment… seems more than sufficient. The staff you handle so effortlessly, ‘Footsteps,’ is actually a pretty high-level magical weapon, more than you think.”

“I did struggle with it quite a bit, though.”

“And third, understanding the variability of reality. This is a bit tricky, but at the 4-star level, it doesn’t require such a high level. Ugh-.”

Fine kept interrupting herself with ‘Ugh-‘ and ‘Good-‘ as she occasionally applied cold compresses.

It was hard to tell whether she had come to teach magic or to take a break away from prying eyes.

“What is that?”

“It’s the process of realizing that the laws of this world are not absolutely immutable, and that time, space, and the laws of magic can be twisted and bent.”

“The more I hear the explanation, the more confusing it gets.”

“Don’t worry. As I said, at the 4-star level, it doesn’t require such a high level. This field involves 5-star to 6-star level magic… magic concerning the laws of reality and existence, or intervening in space-time… it’s the realm used by necromancers like me when approaching the laws of life and death. It’s too high a level for a 4-star magician to handle.”

Fine continued speaking while lying down again, this time applying a compress to her forearm. At this point, the summoned creature was pitiful, being used only as a portable ice pack.

“Recognizing the immutable laws that make up the world and understanding their principles. It’s good to be well-versed in philosophy or metaphysics. These things are more of a specialty for bespectacled scholars glued to their desks than for practical magicians like me.”

“I see. Indeed, I have felt that practical experience alone is somewhat lacking.”

“There’s no benefit in being too engrossed in desk-bound wordplay. Just learn as much as you need.”

Although Fine called herself a practical magician, considering the various necromancy books she had authored, she was definitely not neglecting the research field. It was not wise to take her words at face value.

“And the last thing, which is important, is a balanced understanding of the overall field of magic.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the other fields of magic, excluding the forbidden ones I mainly deal with.”

Combat, Illusion, Transformation, Summoning, and Detection.

The great magician Adelbert, who first organized the magical system, divided magic into these five major categories.

“I’ve already assessed your magical aptitude. Your aptitude for combat and illusion magic is excellent, even from my perspective. Your detection magic is quite good, and your transformation magic is decent, but… your summoning magic is quite lacking.”

“Indeed, my achievements in summoning magic have been somewhat sluggish.”

“Yes. Well, you don’t need to become a great master of summoning magic, but you should at least bring it up to a 2-star level.”

While it’s important to excel in one or two fields of magic, it’s also important to raise the overall level.

Derek nodded and said.

“So, did you summon that creature to demonstrate?”

“Ugh-. Yes. And to calm my startled muscles because of you.”

“…”

“However, despite your blessed talent, your aptitude for summoning magic is still a bit ambiguous. So, it seems inefficient to start with biological summoning magic right away.”

Summoning magic is divided into two categories: biological and non-biological.

The biological system is the power to summon and control beasts, spirits, summoned creatures, and monsters at will, while the non-biological system is a more auxiliary magic group that can summon equipment for immediate use or alter the environment.

“For the time being, it would be better to focus on learning summoning magic. I can teach you some non-biological magic… or it wouldn’t be bad to find a biological summoning creature to contract with. Anyway, if I show you a demonstration, you’ll quickly get the hang of it since you learn fast.”

After saying that, Phine dismissed the floating skull-shaped summoned creature.

The skull, which was creepy just to look at, clattered its teeth and then disappeared into mana.

“Oh- that was good, really good. I feel like my muscle pain has eased a bit.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’ll summon it again, so you observe the flow of mana carefully. Now… huff..”

Derek was about to keenly observe Phine’s mana flow.

At that moment, Phine’s face turned pale, and he made a serious expression. Derek also shuddered and quickly asked in surprise.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“You… listen without misunderstanding…”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been sitting in a twisted position for too long, and now I have a cramp in my leg… ugh….”

“…”

“Press down hard on the third point below my thigh. Because of the muscle pain… it’s too hard to lower my arm… ugh.. huff..”

Derek quietly stared at Phine, who was lying on the sofa, stretching out his arm and trembling at the fingertips.

Seeing him trembling with his arm buried in his hair was like watching a silkworm buried in a cocoon.

It was hard to describe the sight in words, so no words came out.

Derek then strode over to the sofa and roughly pressed down on Phine’s foot.

“Ugh- yes-. Huff… yes…. very good…”

Derek stared at Phine with a lukewarm expression, his eyes half-mooned.

He remembered the images of the 6-star magicians he had seen throughout his life.

The great noble Melverot, who ruled the Rochester territory in the north, and the old wolf Drest, who roamed the world discussing the future.

They were great figures who reached high realms through their own firm philosophy and contemplation, leaving their names in the history of magic.

Recalling the dignified magicians, he suddenly looked down at Phine, who was trembling on the sofa with a cramp in his leg.

“…”

Is this what a 6-star magician is supposed to be like…

He wasn’t so out of his mind as to say such rude words out loud…

“…You. When you look at a master like the sky, you should have a more respectful gaze…”

“Ah… yes…”

It seemed that everything was revealed in her expression.