There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Diela (2)

– Trudge, trudge

At the deep hour of the night when all but the on-duty servants were asleep,

Derek crossed the garden heading towards the annex, organizing his thoughts.

To teach first-grade magic, one must first manifest the basic magical power.

Attempting to handle hasty magic without knowing how to draw out magical power is like firing a gun without bullets.

The foundation of all magic is recognizing and manifesting magical power.

The magicians who had been teaching Diela until now couldn’t have been ignorant of this. There must be a reason why they all failed.

In fact, training these basic qualities of magical power has no established theory, and opinions vary among schools, making it difficult for everyone. This is because each magician has a different way and instinct for handling magical power.

Whenever that happens, one can’t help but be perplexed, which explains why magic teachers are considered advanced personnel.

It makes sense why noble families across the continent compete to bring a decent magic teacher into their household. Teaching magic is such a profound task.

“If the Discipline School method doesn’t work, I have no choice but to approach it differently.”

Derek continued his stride.

He must have already learned all the theoretical content about magical power long ago. It’s likely that he just hasn’t had the trigger for manifestation.

The Discipline School divides the process of utilizing magical power into four stages: recognition, extraction, manipulation, and manifestation. Once these four stages are smoothly completed, one can finally handle the body’s magical power at will.

However, Derek did not learn magic in such a way.

What taught Derek magic were not reference books, ink, and quills. It was the blade that came before his eyes, the arrows flying towards him, and the axe handle swung by a goblin.

When was the first time young Derek manifested his magical power?

It was when he climbed the back mountain to graze on dry grass and encountered a wild boar.

The fear of death approaching right beneath the water, the immediate reality that he had to struggle to live, is what manifested the young Derek’s magical power. That was the very moment Derek first used magic.

That’s how the Wild School magicians lived.

They always manifested their magical power in the midst of extreme survival instincts.

“…”

Recalling Diela’s pictures filled with blank spaces, Derek nodded slightly and walked away.

*

– Bang!

As Derek kicked open the door to the mansion’s annex, the maids waiting in the hall jumped in surprise.

Late at night. A boy in a robe, kicking open the front door of the annex under the moonlight. It was harder not to be startled by his appearance.

Once he revealed his face, confirming he was indeed Derek, the maids grew even more uneasy.

“What brings you here…”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

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

His walk, exuding firmness, left the maids unable to stop him. He was Diela’s tutor, directly authorized by the Duke.

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

The clean cold water the maids had drawn up for the next day’s cooking caught his eye immediately. He hoisted the oak barrel full of water and ascended the central hall staircase. Passing the maids’ anxious gazes, he walked straight to Diela’s room and kicked the door open.

– Bang!

In the middle of the bed, adorned with lace, lay Diela, buried like a princess in her sleep.

Her pretty pajamas and her hair tied to one side, glossy and flowing. Just looking at her sleeping form, one would think there’s no lady as graceful as her.

– Swish!

Without mercy, Derek poured the water over her.

The maids who had followed in anxiety shrieked in surprise, and the knights, roused from their sleep, froze with stern expressions.

“Kyaaak!”

Like a bolt from the blue, or rather a splash from the clear sky, Diela woke up startled.

Into her sight came Derek.

He threw the empty bucket on the floor and looked down at Diela with his usual chilling, bright red eyes.

“What, what, what is this! You… you…!”

“Are you feeling sleepy now?”

“What?”

“Do you feel like sleeping now?”

If things continued this way, it would be straight to the convent.

Diela must have sensed that too. If she remained still, not only would her social debut be impossible, but she wouldn’t even be able to stay in this mansion.

Never having thought she’d be woken with a cold water shock in her sleep, Diela looked at Derek with an incredulous expression. It was a merciful act from Derek’s perspective, better than being drenched in dirty water.

Derek then grabbed Diela’s arm and pulled her. She tried to resist his forceful attitude, but the difference in strength was insurmountable.

“Kyaaak! What, what are you doing! Everyone! Why are you just watching! Stop him! Stop this commoner!”

“…”

The servants outside the door looked on with worried eyes, powerless to intervene.

A rising anxiety questioned if this was truly permissible, yet, in any case, the justification lay with Derek.

Diella tried in vain to wrench free from Derek’s grip, but it was futile. Derek continued to drag her down the mansion’s stairs with determined strides.

As he brought the drenched-mouse-like Diella down to the hall, the head butler Delron watched with a concerned gaze. It seemed he had rushed over upon hearing the news.

However, Delron had no grounds to stop Derek. With a lowered head and a curt nod, Derek simply continued, taking Diella out of the annex.

“Do you think you can get away with this?!”

Derek walked on, stepping out from behind the annex and striding across the mansion’s exterior.

Thus, he dragged the raving Lady Diella outside, walking and walking, with no end to this procession in sight. It continued for quite some time.

At an ambitious hour.

The moonlight filled the sky, illuminating the world.

Only when they reached the middle of a meadow, far from the mansion, did Derek finally swing his arm, flinging Diella onto the grass.

– Thud

“Kyaa!”

Her wet pajamas clung to her, grass blades pressing down.

Even her beautiful, silk-like golden hair was matted with all sorts of leaves, making her look nothing like a noble lady.

Diella’s fingertips trembled, but eventually, she managed a smile and said,

“Ha… Haha… Do you think anything will change by doing this?”

“…”

“Teach me magic? To me? Do you think you’re the only one who would say such a thing? Do you think I haven’t tried? Sorry, but wake up. Go play teacher to the nobles somewhere else!”

Despite trembling, Diella made sure to say all she wanted.

Even soaked and thrown onto the grass, her assertive tone never wavered.

“How dare you, a commoner…!”

Ignoring the shouting Diella, Derek finally approached her slowly.

Then, squatting down to meet her gaze, he spoke.

“We’re far from the mansion and beyond listening ears, so let me tell you now.”

“What…?”

“I have no particular desire to teach Miss Diella anything like magic.”

“──What?”

And with that, the corners of Derek’s mouth chillingly rose.

Even in the deep of night, shrouded in darkness, the moonlight shines brightly. Bathed in that light, Derek’s red pupils gleamed, accompanied by a chilling smile.

“I simply enjoy beating the nobility to a pulp.”

“What… did you say…?”

The man from the Duplain ducal house always maintained a minimum of dignity.

But once out of sight, his raw nature flowed out as if it had always been there.

“As I said, I’m a commoner from the gutter. Why should I like the nobles who look down on me arrogantly from their grand mansions, just because they were born with noble blood?”

“What… are you talking about…?”

“Being a teacher or whatever, it’s all just a pretext. Especially for beating and hearing the screams of arrogant, high-nosed nobles like you. What better reason could there be to legally beat someone so blatantly? And they even pay me for it.”

At the sight of that goosebump-inducing smile, Diella involuntarily held her breath.

Was it a mistake to think that Derek was truly acting on Diella’s behalf?

Before Diella could respond, Derek kicked her shoulder with his booted foot.

“Ah!”

– Thud!

– Swoosh

As Diella fell to the ground and looked up again, Derek was drawing his long sword.

The moonlight reflected off the sharp blade, entering her vision. Diella’s fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

“You, you, you… are you mad…?”

“I can’t help but adore the sight of arrogant nobles like you screaming in agony and pain. The more they believed in their lofty status and acted above everyone, the better.”

“If you do this… do you think your life will be spared?”

“What does it matter if there are no witnesses? And since you’re soon to be dragged off to the convent, who would believe your word? Do you think anyone in this mansion is on your side?”

As Derek approached, brushing off the tip of his sword, Diella quickly pushed herself backward through the grass with her hands.

But trying to escape while fallen was futile; she would be caught in no time.

“Don’t worry. Experienced mercenaries know how to inflict pain without leaving lasting damage. The human body has many parts that heal quickly. Like fingernails, for instance.”

“…Gasp… Hah…”

“And what if there are some lasting effects?”

The man approaching in the moonlight was clearly a madman. Diella felt her whole body begin to tremble uncontrollably.

She had known from the moment he raised his hand to her that he was not sane. In a way, it seemed this had all been foreshadowed.

“If such a thing happens, I suppose death would be my atonement.”

“Ah… Ahh…!”

Diella grabbed a handful of dirt and quickly threw it into Derek’s eyes.

– Swoosh!

“Ugh.”

Derek quickly shielded his face with his elbow, blocking the mound of dirt. Seizing the moment, Diela swiftly rose to her feet and dashed towards the nearby forest.

The meadow towards the mansion would soon be caught. Even in that brief moment, Diela concluded that she must seek refuge in the woods.

Hidden in the darkness, she must first shake off that madman in the thicket.

Just as she thought this and ran,

A sensation of buoyancy filled the area as if a gust of wind had gathered.

– Whoosh!

Desperate to escape, she ran towards the forest. But overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding, she looked back only to doubt her own eyes.

A flame larger than a person.

Derek, not holding his sword, seemed to cover the area with his influence, gathering magic in his free hand.

‘What, what, what is that…!’

A second-tier spell, Fireball.

A combat spell used by nobles who were gradually becoming adept at magic. He didn’t even chant the usual incantation.

Even Valerian, the sibling with the most magical talent, had to seclude himself for months to begin learning second-tier spells.

The sight of such magic bursting from Derek’s hand felt utterly unreal.

No, one could only wish it wasn’t reality.

The opponent was a madman who sought pleasure in beating Diela to a pulp.

Suddenly, immense pressure gathered, and a fireball launched from his hand flew towards Diela.

“Scream!”

Diela, not caring about the scratches on her body, dodged with a leap.

Right next to where Diela had stood, the giant fireball crashed, and soon a pillar of fire shot up.

– Boom!

– Fwoosh!

Intense heat surged. The spot hit by the magic was completely burnt, leaving nothing but black ashes fluttering away.

A direct hit would mean instant death, or at least near-death. The power was palpably clear.

Diela, with trembling eyes, looked towards Derek, who was dusting off his hand from which the heat had escaped.

His eyes flickered as he looked at Diela and then muttered to himself,

“Missed.”

Diela felt a chilling sensation creeping over her entire body.

*

– Crack, thud!

Diella dashed towards the forest.

Derrick, striding across the meadow, seemed to enjoy this situation like a hunting game, showing no sign of urgency. Under the glaring moonlight, his upturned lips and red pupils only served to heighten the sense of terror.

– Thump, smack!

Diella, running, collapsed as her legs gave out. She managed to get up and flee towards the forest, but she couldn’t put much distance between them.

– Rustle! Smack!

Somehow, she pushed herself through the bushes. Yet, she still had to run further.

But her legs, trembling with fear, wouldn’t obey.

‘Move…! Move move move…! Please…!’

– Whoosh!

– Bang bang bang!

A surge of magical energy struck the surrounding branches, shattering them.

A first-level attack spell, Magic Arrow. And it was a triple shot.

Even among first-level spells, the proficiency varies. A single hit would be too much for the frail Diella to withstand.

“Didn’t hit her…?”

From beyond the bushes, Derrick’s chilling voice could be heard.

Fortunately, Diella was petite. The deep darkness that settled over the entire forest was on her side.

All sorts of rodents scurried through the bushes, and the sound of leaves rustling in the wind filled the air.

In such a place, finding Diella, who lay hidden among the bushes, would not be easy.

– Slink, slink, slink.

The footsteps of a madman reached Diella’s ears.

Just beyond the bushes in front, Derrick searched, slashing branches here and there with his sword, looking for her.

Diella stuffed her hand in her mouth, holding her breath for fear of making a sound.

Derrick, humming a tune as he searched for Diella’s likely hiding spots, resembled a predator on the prowl for its prey.

– Thump.

Eventually, Derrick’s boots appeared just a few feet from where Diella lay in the bushes. The darkness around was so thick that even eyes accustomed to the dark could barely make it out.

Diella stifled the sound of her heart, which felt like it might burst at any moment, clamping her mouth shut. Even without moving, her lower lip trembled uncontrollably, and her breathing became erratic. She couldn’t tell if she was inhaling or exhaling.

After a few moments, Derrick’s footsteps seemed to sweep around the area, and then he moved deeper into the forest.

‘Gasp… Gasp…’

As the distance gradually widened, Diella found herself with the luxury to organize her thoughts.

‘I must flee to the mansion… But if I just run across the open meadow, I’ll be struck by magic…! Then, what should I do? Right now, I can hide like this…! But, eventually, I’ll be discovered…!’

In the darkness, she clutched her head and crouched down, somehow managing to calm her pounding heart.

‘Calm down, calm down, calm down. There must be a way. There has to be a way…!’

Eventually, a large rock came into view.

It was almost as big as Diella’s head. She crawled over to it with difficulty and, upon touching it, found it quite heavy but still liftable.

What a relief it was that night had fallen.

The thick darkness that enveloped the entire forest would perfectly conceal Diella’s already petite frame, making it easier to hide. It meant an environment conducive to ambush.

Against a robust man, the frail Diella stood no chance.

Especially if the opponent was truly a two-star magician, resistance might not even be an option.

In the end, the answer to her dilemma was a surprise attack under the cover of darkness.

If she could somehow ambush him, she might create an opening, and with some luck, even knock him unconscious.

Hidden in the darkness, she waited for the opportunity to strike when he let his guard down.

That was her only chance of victory.

Despite trembling, Diella dragged the rock over and placed it next to the bushes.

She gripped the ends of the rock with both hands, ready to lift it at any moment.

Thus, she honed her senses in the darkness of the bushes.

But the more she tensed up, the more fear crept into her heart.

– Drip, drip, drip.

Tears fell onto the rock.

She bit down hard to suppress the sobs, lacking even the strength to wipe away the large, falling teardrops.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. You can’t make a sound.’

She pushed back the rising emotions with reason. The thought that she might die here brought a flood of memories.

Memories of a time when she used to laugh and chatter, running around the mansion grounds, or going out with a canvas and easel to paint landscapes… A time of carefree innocence and happiness.

What followed were memories of failure and frustration. Being left behind by her siblings, pitiful glances from her family, encouragement from them, inadequate achievements, effort, failure, and endless failure.

Servants looking at her with pity, gossip about having nothing remarkable except her cute appearance, and the nobility’s harsh words about being fortunate to be born into the Duplain family.

And then, the cold reality that all she had left was her lineage. The only thing she could display and have its value acknowledged was this noble bloodline.

‘I can do it. I can do it. I can do it…!’

Shaking off the negative memories, Diella clenched her teeth. She would capture that madman and somehow return to the mansion. The darkness of the forest was on Diella’s side.

It was in that moment that she steeled her resolve.

– aaah!

The darkness of the forest, Diela’s only ally, fades away.

1st Class Transformation Magic ‘Light Manifestation’

A massive source of light blooms beyond the thicket, beginning to reveal everything around it.

The reason a mage is considered the most reliable ally among mercenaries is due to such flexibility, capable of adapting to any battlefield situation. In particular, fluid battlefield control was Derek’s specialty.

For Diela, however, it was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

The darkness that had settled in the forest was now completely gone.

‘Gasp…!’

The strategy of hiding in the darkness was no longer viable.

Deciding it was better to find cover, Diela was about to rise from her spot when,

The white-haired madman, who had been floating a sphere of light in the distance, suddenly whipped his head towards Diela.

“Found you.”

The boy was grinning ear to ear.