There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

3-Star (1)

Archmage Adelbert, considered the patriarch of the aristocratic school of discipline, took into account factors such as scale, range, duration, intricacy of the spell, and the strength of the effect when distinguishing the grades of magic.

While the known magical grades extended up to six levels, among the mages of the secular world, there was talk of a seventh level, a grade that had yet to be reached.

In Adelbert’s memoirs, he revealed that he was inspired by the Big Dipper when devising the grades of magic. The Big Dipper has seven stars, so why should the current system of magic end at six?

Thus, the mages believed in the mythical existence of a seventh grade, a realm that no one had yet reached.

On the other hand, the recently diverged non-mainstream mages said that the seventh grade was nothing more than a state left by Adelbert, a devout follower of the continental Bolton religion, as a tribute to his god.

In essence, the seven-star rank is a divine realm, suggesting that it is not for humans to covet, leaving behind a message that there’s no need to ascribe too much meaning to it.

The debate over the existence of seven-star beings has always been fierce, but in reality, it’s difficult for it to hold any practical significance.

After all, the number of magicians who have reached the six-star rank in human history can be counted on one’s fingers.

Even scouring the entire history, there are barely ten, and the number of surviving six-star magicians known throughout this continent is merely four.

Magicians of the six-star rank, who have reached such a level, often cannot be easily wielded even by the powerful. Each one of them is a legendary being.

A single six-star magic can rewrite the laws of the world or redraw the map entirely.

The six-star battle mage Calimford, who died in the ‘Dawn War,’ was said to be able to summon meteor showers,

And Kellin, the famous six-star chaos mage of the Delrim Mountains, was said to be able to completely dominate a person’s mind just by making eye contact. Of course, she too is a figure of the past.

Most six-star magicians are such historical beings, their names only found within the pages of history books.

In this era, there are only four living six-star magicians. Sir Melverot, the victor of the North and the sword of the royal family; Cohela, the chief magic advisor of the imperial royal family; and the remaining two are not well-known compared to those of the royal side.

Of course, Derek was somewhat aware of the identities of the other two.

Being a six-star magician means having a strong influence in the world, so even he, who had little interest in game settings, could not help but hear their names.

One is Pineda, the youngest daughter of a minor baron family at the southeastern edge of the continent, in the grain-producing region. She is a master of the forbidden necromancy, the corpse magic, and due to her cursed talent, her very existence is kept secret externally.

And the other is… Sir Drestr Wolfstail of the southwestern continent.

The spiritual pillar of the Drestr Magic Academy, located in the northern part of the Belmierd County, and the only six-star exploration mage in the world.

“Drestr is visiting Ebelstain?”

“Yes. The schedule for the customs agreement was accelerated, probably in consideration of Sir Drestr’s movements.”

“So, that’s why the young and generous lord of Belmierd is heading to Ebelstain, hiding such a secret.”

Duke Duplain frowned as he listened quietly to Valerian’s report.

The lord of Belmierd has always been foolish when it comes to matters involving Elente. However, that doesn’t mean he is entirely thoughtless.

There was a reason behind the sudden change in the meeting schedule to head to Ebelstain. If possible, he intended to meet Drestr in advance.

There must be a reason for Drestr, who rarely leaves the academy building, to visit Ebelstain. He is the one who has acquired the six-star exploration magic ‘Future Sight.’

If he starts to engage in external activities, not just staying inside the academy building, all the nobles in the vicinity would be tense, watching his movements closely. When he actively participates in external activities, it is only when historically significant events are about to happen. In short, he was a living harbinger.

‘That dying old man must be up to something again. I might have to take action myself.’

While Duke Duplain thought this, he pondered more on what approach to take.

As a master of exploration magic, any clumsy tailing would only provoke hostility.

“Father. And there was a letter from Aiselin.”

“Oh, you mean Aiselin?”

It was rare for Duke Duplain to show a change of expression. He was always a stern figure, sitting at his desk, attending to his duties.

However, when it came to news about Lady Aiselin, the treasure of the Duplain family, even the stern statue-like figure seemed to soften a bit.

“Yes. It contains inquiries about the family’s well-being… And a request has been sent seeking a magic tutor.”

“A magic tutor for Aislin? Of course, during her childhood, we provided her with several, but since she’s grown, she’s preferred to learn magic on her own, claiming it’s more efficient…”

“That’s just it. Perhaps she’s beginning to feel some barriers…”

“Hmm…”

Duke Duplain fell into deep thought, stroking his chin several times. If his beloved daughter had gone to the lengths of writing a letter herself, it was only right to grant her request.

Especially since Aislin rarely made such requests first. Rather than asking for something to be done for her, she was a commendable girl who first considered what she could do for the family and the house. Such a request from her was precious indeed.

As a father, he had often wished she would lean on him more, so when Aislin herself sent a plea for help, he was more than willing to offer his full support.

“But… it’s… Derrick she specifically mentions.”

“Derrick? The mercenary who taught Diella?”

“Yes. It seems he’s currently spending his time as a mercenary in Ebelstain.”

“Then it’s simple. Just hire the man, isn’t that it?”

Derrick had left the Duplain family estate for two reasons. One was that there was nothing left to teach Diella, and the other was that he could no longer pursue his own magical achievements at the estate.

His work as a mercenary in Ebelstain, roaming the real battlefields, was also a means to further his magical accomplishments.

In that case, there was no significant difficulty.

He could simply continue his desired mercenary work in Ebelstain and occasionally take on requests to oversee Aislin’s magic. Money was no object.

However, Valerian’s expression seemed quite troubled.

“It’s… not that simple.”

“Is there a problem? If it were simple, Aislin wouldn’t have sent a letter like this.”

“Well… he’s currently under contract to teach the young lady of the Belmierd family.”

“Hmm…”

Valerian’s troubled expression made sense now.

Given his wandering status, it wasn’t strange for him to be teaching anyone anywhere.

There had always been a shortage of talent.

In the current social circles, finding an excellent magic tutor was as difficult as plucking stars from the sky, and the only reason someone like Derrick hadn’t made a name for himself was purely due to his lowly origins.

However, if his abilities were recognized enough to offset even his background, the story would be different.

If it came down to a recruitment competition, there would be aspects Aislin couldn’t handle alone.

She seemed determined to bring Derrick back. It was the first time the always gentle-natured girl had wanted something so strongly.

“Shall I send the head butler Delron to negotiate aggressively? Sending the head butler directly might create a gap in the estate’s affairs, but for such external matters, it’s better to be certain, right?”

“No, that’s alright.”

“Yes?”

Duke Duplain surveyed the weather outside. The winter was nearing its end, and it seemed that soon the warm sunshine would grace the land.

“Since I have to visit Ebelstain for the Drest matter anyway, it would be convenient to handle everything in one go.”

“……You’re going yourself?”

Valerian’s eyes widened in disbelief. How could a duke of a nation personally set out just to recruit a magic teacher?

Yet, with the intent to meet Sir Drest Wolftail in person, and to settle the planned tariff agreement in one fell swoop, it seemed he had planned to call upon Derrick while he was at it.

“…”

However, even if it was killing two birds with one stone, each step taken by the duke was worth its weight in gold.

No matter how costly the magic teacher might be, there was no one who could refuse a direct summons from the duke of a nation to Ebelstain.

*

Lady Ellente’s duel ended in defeat, but still, she paid Derrick all the promised gold.

It was the principle not to receive full payment for a failed commission, but Ellente insisted so vehemently that Derrick reluctantly accepted the full amount.

His conscience was somewhat troubled, yet the sum was substantial enough to bring a sense of comfort to his heart.

“Derrick. I think I’ll take a break for a while.”

There seemed to be something Ellente had realized through her duel with Aiselin, as weariness was evident on her face.

She planned to take a break from her studies for a while, sitting in the mansion to sort out her thoughts.

Derrick observed Ellente’s expression and eventually had to nod in agreement.

For a teenage girl, a proper period of wandering was an essential part of life. It was necessary to get lost and find oneself at least once.

Therefore, Derrick softly offered words of encouragement to Ellente.

“You’re still working with the Beldern Mercenaries, right?”

“Yes.”

“Will you come to teach magic again?”

Though she looked weary, Ellente spoke as if she needed to confirm something.

Derrick watched her quietly and then replied in a low voice.

“I’m not sure what more I could teach Miss Ellente. Haven’t you already reached a sufficient level of mastery in first-grade magic?”

“…That’s true.”

Ellente gazed at Derrick and then slowly continued.

“But still, Derrick. When I look at you, I don’t think you’re just a first-grade magician like me.”

“I’m just a mercenary who knows a bit of first-grade magic.”

“If you keep improving, you could become more than that. You seem to have enough talent.”

“Thank you for the compliment. However, there’s a limit to the heights of magic a commoner can reach.”

Elente’s intuition was precise, yet Derrick denied it emphatically.

Thus, Elente gazed quietly into Derrick’s eyes. His gaze, seemingly gentle yet resolute, was met by Derrick for a long while. It was a look devoid of roughness.

Eventually, Elente let out a hollow laugh and said with a carefree voice, “Then, that’s settled.”

– Thud

The creaking of the wooden door signaled its closure. It was the sound of Derrick returning home.

Derrick still occupied the dwelling once used by his mentor, Katia.

Not for any special reason, but simply because moving elsewhere was too bothersome. He had no desire to spend money needlessly, and the location was conveniently situated near the tavern district.

Late at night, Derrick returned to his abode and pulled out a small wooden chest from beneath his bed.

Inside the sturdy chest lay a considerable amount of gold coins, along with various treasures and jewels. They were the earnings from various commissions he had taken on.

“I’ve saved up quite a bit. Perhaps it’s time to think about purchasing some magical equipment.”

Derrick harbored dreams of owning his own wand or staff, but such high-grade magical items were so expensive that even nobles had to think twice before purchasing them.

He yearned for a staff capable of casting advanced magic, but even those were beyond his reach unless he surpassed the threshold of a three-star rating.

In truth, such items were inaccessible to commoners, and even if purchased, they wouldn’t be easy to use freely. Perhaps a wand, easier to carry and conceal, would be a better choice.

Above all, mastering three-star magic came first.

Three-star magic was a different league compared to two-star magic.

While two-star magic was about personal firepower, three-star magic began to introduce spells of a scale that could be tactically utilized even in battles between groups.

In combat magic, there were spells like seismic shifts or walls of flame that could unleash large-scale attacks over wide areas, and in the realm of confusion, there were spells that could completely disorient a person’s five senses. Especially in the realm of detection, mastering three-star magic allowed one to instantly see through all magical tricks in the vicinity.

“Taking on commissions from nobles is certainly lucrative, but it consumes too much time and has little relevance to actual combat, which doesn’t help my magical progress. This is definitely a problem.”

Hunting magical beasts and exploring labyrinths felt meaningful to Derrick’s magical advancement.

However, supervising the magic of noble ladies might pay well, but it rarely contributed to his magical prowess. Sometimes, teaching brought insights, but the limits were clear.

Having earned enough money, perhaps it was time to focus on his own magical achievements.

With that thought, Derrick carefully counted the money in the chest. It was enough to live on without worry for the foreseeable future.

“Yes… For now, I should focus on my achievements and avoid taking on any teaching commissions.”

He believed there was value in teaching others, but more importantly, he wanted to become a more exceptional mage.

His desire to break through the blocked realm of three-star magic was more urgent than anything else.

“I’ve rested long enough; time to take on a significant commission. I wonder if Pheline’s schedule is open.”

With that, Derrick decided to take a break from being a magic instructor.

It was a week before the visit of Belmiard, the Count of Change, and Duplain, the Grand Duke, to Ebelstain.

Regrettably for Derrick, rulers had a way of not leaving capable individuals alone.