There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

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The commotion caused by Aisellin collapsing from overwork had finally settled down, and the young ladies who had come from various places to visit her were about to leave.

Everyone was relieved after confirming that it was just a temporary condition and that there would be no serious aftereffects.

Ellente and Drinis were no exception. After confirming Aisellin’s condition in the reception room, they assured the noble young ladies of the Rosea Salon that everything would be fine.

“Don’t forget that Belmiord is always favorable to the Ravenclaw Barony. If there are any issues in the future, send a letter anytime.”

“Thank you for your concern, Lady Ellente.”

Ellente looked at Aisellin with a face full of dissatisfaction, but she quickly got into the carriage as she seemed to be busier with family matters.

The size of the carriage was enormous, and the number of attendants following it was also unusual. After all, she was the person who would become the master of Belmiord.

Thus, Ellente left the Ravenclaw Barony early the next morning.

‘It’s about time for me to leave too, staying any longer would be strange.’

On the other hand, Drinis woke up around noon and leisurely strolled through the barony’s garden, deep in thought.

She couldn’t sleep well due to all sorts of distracting thoughts. More than anything, Derrick was fully aware of the possibility that Drinis might betray him.

That meant that whatever Drinis did, it was likely within Derrick’s expectations.

‘…Even if I betray him, it doesn’t matter… What do you mean by that, Derrick…’

Derrick’s seemingly bold demeanor only made Drinis’s thoughts more complicated.

As a member of the Beltus family, she could never betray her family. However, the thought of betraying Derrick openly didn’t sit well with her either.

The fact that Derrick seemed to have seen through her internal conflict only made her more unsure of what to do.

Drinis sighed deeply, running her hand over her face.

If she left the barony and returned to the Beltus family home, the Grand Duke of Beltus would immediately summon her to inquire about the situation.

And Drinis had plenty to report. This newly established rural barony had too many vulnerabilities that the Beltus family could exploit.

Even if the Belmiord family tried to protect the Ravenclaw Barony, this territory was practically a neighbor, sharing a border with the Beltus family’s land.

Ultimately, the Beltus family would have the stronger influence.

‘If only… Derrick would bow his head and yield to the Beltus family’s schemes, it would be easier on my mind… But he’s not that kind of person…’

Derrick was not someone who served his lord out of loyalty.

Therefore, a clash between the Beltus family and the Ravenclaw family seemed inevitable. The Grand Duke of Beltus was someone who would thoroughly eliminate any threats to his power.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind, Lady Drinis.”

As Drinis sighed deeply, someone spoke to her.

When Denise raised her head with a puzzled look, there stood a young and pretty noble lady holding her skirt and bowing.

Her hair, a blend of lavender and silver, exuded an inexplicable mysterious aura. Although the quality of her dress did not suggest a high status, an indescribable, captivating elegance seemed to overflow from her.

Denise, wearing the characteristic mask of a noble lady, responded with a light smile.

“Oh my, thank you for your concern.”

The girl with the mysterious aura smiled brightly.

Denise, looking at the girl, spoke politely.

“I am truly grateful for your concern, but I am still lacking in many ways and do not know the name of the beautiful lady. Please forgive my forgetfulness.”

“No, I am not someone the lady of the Beltus family needs to remember. I am just a girl from a small baron family in the rural southeastern border. My name is Fine Raphaela Tigris.”

“Yes, Lady Fine. I am sorry to trouble you with such concerns upon our first meeting.”

Low-ranking nobles often hesitated to speak to a lady of a high-ranking noble family like Denise.

Of course, there were occasionally those who, dreaming of success, tried to expand their connections, but it usually ended up being a one-sided relationship… High-ranking nobles rarely considered them as connections.

On the contrary, if one approached a high-ranking noble lady inappropriately, they were often regarded as mere opportunists blinded by ambition… The gap in status subtly existed even among nobles.

However, Fine, undeterred by such views, continued to speak with a respectful attitude.

“As a low-ranking noble like myself, it is prudent to be cautious when speaking to the lady of the Beltus family, but I wanted to say a word even at the risk of being rude.”

“Please do not belittle yourself so much. Lady Fine, you are also beautiful and noble enough.”

“Thank you, Lady Denise. However, our Tigris baron family has received great favor from the Duke of Beltus, and I wanted to express my gratitude.”

Fine smiled and took out a fist-sized box from her bosom.

It was wrapped in pretty colored paper and decorated with a luxurious ribbon and flowers, indicating that much care had been put into it.

“F-Favor?”

“The Duke of Beltus may not remember, but when my father, the head of the Tigris baron family, inherited the title, the Duke sent a congratulatory letter and a wreath.”

“Oh my, that’s right. I had forgotten about it.”

“It is only natural. The Beltus family must have retainers in charge of such ceremonial duties. With so many celebrations and condolences to handle, it would be impossible to remember every congratulatory message sent to a baron family in the borderlands.”

Fine smiled and spoke politely as she approached Denise.

“However, for a small baron family like ours, such letters are not taken lightly. If the Duke of Beltus had not sent the congratulatory letter, it would have been difficult for my father to be recognized as the official leader in the complicated internal affairs of the Tigris territory at that time.”

“I see. The Baron of Tigris must have had a hard time.”

“No, as I mentioned, we received much help from the authority of the Duke of Beltus. As his daughter, I could not help but express my gratitude.”

In reality, the Beltus family had never sent such a congratulatory letter to the Tigris baron family.

However, as Fine mentioned, in a family of such scale, numerous ceremonial duties were performed daily, so it was easy to believe that such an event had occurred.

No one could remember the names of all the border nobles to whom they had sent congratulatory letters.

Living as a noble for many years, one becomes well aware of such loopholes in the bureaucratic society.

Pine was a person who had lived as a noble longer than any other noble.

“This is a token of my respect. It’s a ring adorned with the most beautiful jewels from the Tigris Barony, and a tie decoration.”

“Is it alright for me to accept such items?”

“Rather, it would be a great honor for me if you accepted them. I hope His Highness the Grand Duke of Beltus will also appreciate our sincerity. I hope you show this gift to the Grand Duke.”

As Pine politely handed over the box and smiled brightly, Denis responded with the characteristic ceremonial smile of nobles.

After all, living as a member of the Beltus family, such things were to be expected.

*

When all the noble ladies who had come to check on Aiselin’s condition had returned home, and a bit of peace had returned to the Ravenclaw Training Center.

Derek, who had been preparing to respond to the Beltus family’s checks while handling the backlog of schedules, thought he could afford to relax a bit.

“The Baroness of Ravenclaw… has arrived…”

However, with that one report from Delbriton, the Ravenclaw Training Center was turned upside down once again.

Who is the Baroness of Ravenclaw?

There were all sorts of rumors about her among the noble ladies of the training center.

In fact, quite a bit was known about Derek Lydorf, the Baron of Ravenclaw himself.

He was a person who directly held the teaching staff, and often appeared in various practical fields.

He was quite handsome, handled work efficiently, and generally maintained a cold demeanor without showing much emotion, but he knew how to be kind and gentle when necessary, and knew how to assert his authority when needed, making him a competent individual.

Because of this, some of the noble ladies at the training center harbored a subtle affection for Derek, as his reputation was good and his name well-known.

Who then, was the woman who had captured the heart of such a Baron of Ravenclaw?

Even in front of these noble ladies, who were said to be the flowers of noble families, she conducted magic classes strictly and professionally, like an impregnable fortress. Who was the person who had enchanted such a man?

Various speculations were already rampant among the noble ladies in the dormitory.

It was known that she was a commoner and a frail girl. Just how beautifully did she adorn herself, how vast was her knowledge, and how noble was she…

Sometimes, when the noble ladies gathered in their pretty frilled pajamas and sat around the dormitory beds, chatting through the night, the topic of the imaginary Baroness was a regular subject.

“I heard that she smells like freesia flowers, and her gentle and soft voice wraps around your ears when she speaks. When you meet her eyes, it feels like basking in the warm sunlight, and having a conversation with her makes you feel good all day.”

Lady Rointel, with her charming freckles, was talking with a dreamy expression, hugging a pillow.

“I’ve heard the servants talk about her. They say she is elegant yet bold, and knows when to be quiet and when to step forward. I’ve never met her, but… I admire her…”

“Do you know the romance novel ＜The Arrogant Lord Robain＞ written by an anonymous author?”

“Oh, I know! I saw a sample book displayed at Largo Bookstore when I went to Ebelstein recently.”

“Oh my, Lady Sidmer knows it too! They say she resembles the heroine Tracy in that book! A lively yet sophisticated person.”

“Really? I thought she was just a character in a book… If she’s really such a fairy-like person, she might indeed suit the Baron of Ravenclaw…”

Lady Sidmer, who was always timid due to her slow pace in learning magic, was also a girl of that age, her eyes shining as she imagined the romantic love story of a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

Regardless of the era or region, girls of this age couldn’t resist the poignant love stories of such handsome men and beautiful women.

“Well, surely… if she’s a woman who can capture the heart of Baron Ravenclaw… she must be that wonderful…”

“We should also strive hard and debut in the social world as splendid ladies.”

“Y-yes! But if we could just see the Baroness Ravenclaw in person… it would be such a great motivation… I heard she’s visiting the baron’s estate this time, do you think we could talk to her even once…?”

“Indeed… I’m suddenly curious. Between Lady Aislin and the Baroness, who is more noble and ladylike…?”

“Well… it’s not good to rank them like that, but… at least I haven’t seen anyone as admirable as Lady Aislin yet…”

And so, the night deepened for the girls.

Gathered in the dormitory room, sharing love stories in secret by the light of a single candle, their little escapade was trivial.

The girls, ignorant of the ways of the world, felt a sense of transgression and delight just from that.

Imagining the elegant lady, Baroness Ravenclaw… dreaming of the day they would become noble and splendid ladies.

“Ugh.”

“If you’re going to burp, at least hide it.”

“Ugh… the hangover… I feel like dying from riding the carriage since early morning… This place is so far from Ebelstein…”

Pellin, who had arrived early in the morning, was covered in blood.

Delbritton, who had gone out early to greet her, couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat as he saw Pellin getting off the carriage.

The coachman who brought Pellin also had a tense expression, as if he felt his life was in danger upon seeing the blood-soaked girl.

“Listen to me, Derek. Just last night, I was having a drink at ‘Tears of Veldern’… and some strange guys, whose identity and affiliation I didn’t know, tried to attack me.”

“Yeah. I can tell what happened by the bloodstains on your body.”

“I was just defending myself. If they try to grab me by using magic out of nowhere in the tavern street, they should have been prepared to get beaten up. Ugh… ugh…”

Her sleek mercenary outfit revealed her abdomen and shoulders. Looking at her arms and legs, there were small scratches but no major wounds.

If Pellin had only suffered minor injuries, there was no need to ask what happened to her opponents. However, it was necessary to confirm if they were still alive.

“What happened to them?”

“If they’re lucky, they survived. I feel bad for Uncle Jayden. Cleaning up the tavern must be a huge task…”

After saying that, Pellin took a big bite of the refreshments Delbritton had brought out and said,

“They tried to do something to me first, so I didn’t need to spare their lives. Right?”

“…”

“Well, but it seemed unusual. If they were just lust-crazed guys, they wouldn’t have moved so systematically while hiding their identities, and they were too neat to be other mercenaries. It felt suspicious, so instead of going back to my place, I immediately called the coachman and came here. Hmm… this is delicious. Is this expensive?”

“…I don’t know. It’s something I got from a local.”

“They say the fruits in this region are delicious, and the grapes are indeed exquisite. But… suddenly eating something juicy… my stomach… ugh… ugh…”

“That’s why I told you to drink moderately.”

During the conversation, the servants standing nearby were restless, as the person kept trying to vomit several times.

If an accident were to happen, it would be their job to clean the tablecloth and the floor.

“If you’re not feeling well, stop eating, you idiot.”

“That’s not an option. Do you think I’d pass up a chance to fill my stomach for free? Even if I end up throwing it all up later, I’ll put it in my mouth first… Ugh…”

Officially, she held the title of Baroness Ravenclaw, but this girl despised the nobility so much that she rarely visited the baron’s estate.

Continuing to live as a commoner mercenary was her own principle. Therefore, she couldn’t help but accept that some things were inevitably shabby.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have beaten them all up, but kept one alive to ask who sent them.”

“Did you spare them all?”

“That depends on their endurance. If you go easy on them, they think they won’t die and make strange gambles. You have to face them with the mindset of killing them for sure, then they’ll be scared. Right?”

That was something Derek had always said since his active mercenary days.

So, Derek couldn’t really refute it and just propped his chin up with a nonchalant look.

Anyway, Derek thought it was necessary to inform Felinne of the situation, so he explained how the continental situation was unfolding.

He also accurately told her which faction might have instigated those who tried to attack her.

“The Beltus family, huh. Even someone like me, who has no interest in the nobles’ nonsense, has heard of that name. Derek, you’re playing in quite a big pond.”

“Unfortunately, I am now the noble lord you despise so much.”

“Well, I can see what you’re thinking. You think I don’t know you’re clinging to the noble title to learn some magic?”

Derek was different from the arrogant nobles who were obsessed with formalities.

Therefore, Felinne didn’t really care that Derek held a noble title. After all, she had known him well since their mercenary days.

“Still… It’s a bit unfair to think that I got involved in this mess just because I lent my name as the baroness.”

“That’s… I have no excuse. I’m sorry.”

“My goodness. Derek, who has tasted the noble life, is now apologizing. The end times must be near.”

Derek admitted it. Felinne was right. She had gotten caught up in this mess just because she was associated with the baroness title.

So, Derek honestly acknowledged it, but Felinne just laughed heartily.

“In short, those perverted b*stards who tried to attack me were dogs sent by the noble family. It was good that I beat them up thoroughly.”

“It might not be that simple. Since they failed this time, they might hire more skilled people next time.”

“So what. Beltus or whatever, my actions are self-defense. In other words, I now have a legitimate reason to beat up the nobles.”

Felinne, feeling a bit better from her hangover, gulped down some cold water and exhaled refreshingly.

Seeing that, the servants, who had been anxiously waiting for her to vomit, looked relieved.

Derek wanted to applaud Delbritton’s preparedness for bringing a wooden bucket just in case.

“If anyone dares to touch me, I’ll cut off their hands.”

It was serious.

Normally, Feline might be a clumsy yet somewhat endearing girl, but when her mercenary switch was flipped, she never hesitated.

She was perhaps the most similar to Derek among the Veldern mercenaries.

“Justification, huh…”

Derek looked at Feline with a complex and subtle expression, feeling pity for her.

Anyway, it seemed necessary to protect her for the time being.

*

“Yes, the nobles’ mind games are ultimately all about justification.”

That evening, Fine, who was demonstrating some magical theories to Derek, gave a seductive smile.

The unique sound of late-night insects filled the baron’s residence.

The night, with even the moon asleep, was full of darkness, and despite lighting the candlesticks, a gloomy atmosphere pervaded the reception room.

In that dim space, Fine, who was sitting with her legs crossed, laughed and then licked her fingertips after brushing her chin a few times.

“In that sense, I like that girl. As someone from the bottom, she’s full of wildness and instinctively understands the importance of justification games. From my perspective, I want to keep her around. Good, good, very good.”

“Were you watching when I met Feline?”

“Of course. Our cute disciple is troubled because that bratty duke is picking a fight with her. How could a master like me just stand by? Rather, I should take this opportunity to give her a great lesson.”

She leaned back on the sofa, then put her bare white feet on the table and chattered away.

“This master, who has lived as a noble for hundreds of years and experienced all sorts of nonsense, will personally teach you a lesson.”

“…What are you thinking?”

“I told you. If I set my mind to teaching, there’s nothing I can’t teach. You have outstanding talent in magic, but summoning magic is a bit sluggish compared to other magic, isn’t it? Let’s achieve great success this time.”

Derek got up from his desk and sat down on the sofa opposite her.

Then, half-closed his eyes and stared at Fine with a suspicious look.

“Oh my, look at those eyes. What is that to a master like me?”

“If you have any plans, please let me know.”

“Wow. I like that look of distrust. Yes, you shouldn’t trust others easily. But, you should trust this master completely. Everything I’m doing is for your own good.”

Despite Derek’s suspicious look, Fine didn’t seem to care.

In fact, Fine was moving for Derek’s sake. The problem was that it was uncertain how the results would turn out.

“Do you know the fastest way to master summoning magic? It’s to fight with a summoner who has reached the high rank of 5 stars or above.”

“…What?”

“I don’t know about Beltus or whatever, but since we have the opportunity, let’s go beat them up. There’s no need to wait trembling like a little girl for them to come with their fists raised.”

When Derek furrowed his brows, Fine laughed even louder.

“Why? Are you scared because you don’t have a justification?”

“…”

“Don’t worry. This great teacher of yours specializes in creating such justifications. I need to create a situation where our cute disciple can legally fight with Duke Beltus.”

“The Beltus family is one of the largest noble families that have ruled the southwestern continent for quite a long time. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. But there’s a ‘justification’ that made the more splendid and powerful Duplain family stagger in an instant, isn’t there?”

At those words, Derek fell silent for a moment.

It was because he could roughly estimate what Fine was planning.

“Even the powerful ones who seemed to rule the sky and swallow the whole earth have to tremble and prove their innocence when entangled with necromancy.”

“…”

“And I, standing before you, am the source of all that necromancy.”

The continent’s only 6-star necromancer, Fine Raphaela Tigris.

She casually crossed her bare legs and made a bombshell statement with her chin resting on her hand.

“Send a letter to that rookie Rodeia. Tell them it seems the Beltus family has connections with necromancy.”

“If we falsely accuse them, it could backfire.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it true. Our cute disciple has to carry out the task, so I should at least put in that much effort.”

This girl is like a giant curse in her very existence.

It seemed she was trying to prove that fact.