There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Belmiard (5)

Globeltein Cultural Hall.

This grand cultural hall, named after Sir Globeltein Ebelstein who founded the city, is a place where socialites discuss aesthetics, auction art pieces, and sometimes host small concerts.

As a gathering place for influential people from all walks of life, it is one of the most meticulously managed locations in this noble district. It was also here that the Rosea Salon’s aesthetic debates took place.

After the regular exhibitions ended, the young ladies who had gathered to cultivate their culture began to leave one by one. Each was a notable figure in their own domain, but even in a galaxy full of stars, some shine more brightly than others.

“At the next meeting, a magical duel is planned. There’s been a lot of talk lately about how Lady Ellente’s magical skills have become even more exceptional, and hearing such stories makes me nervous too.”

Lady Aiselin, leading a few servants and smiling charmingly, was flanked by her followers. The lower nobility from the frontier fawned over her, hoping to catch her eye even a little.

Lady Aiselin treated them with an old-fashioned smile, but inwardly, she probably didn’t consider them meaningful connections. Lady Ellente was inwardly certain of this as she watched.

Ellente, after tidying her reddish hair, handed her servants a fancy quill, a sachet, and an antique-looking opera glass.

Then, after having her maid neatly arrange her dress, she followed Lady Aiselin out into the corridor.

When the two were together, all the lower nobility in the vicinity would fall silent. They were afraid to intrude on their conversation, fearing it would be a breach of etiquette.

“Lady Aiselin, you are truly humble. You haven’t lost a single magical duel at the salon this quarter. You truly deserve to be called the flower of the Duplain family.”

“Oh my, Lady Ellente, such praise from you is making me blush.”

While Lady Ellente emotionally acknowledged Lady Aiselin, she couldn’t help but feel a strange envy and jealousy when looking at her.

The more flawless and perfect a person is, the more an inexplicable aversion arises. It’s often the case with feelings of inferiority.

Nevertheless, today’s Lady Ellente had to be more spirited than usual.

Why hide it? The news about Derrick was something Lady Aiselin was curious about too, so there was no need to keep it a secret.

“I’ve decided to take on a new magic tutor recently. Master Felmiar was against it, but I pushed for it because he has a good track record. I didn’t have the power to override the vassals’ opinions when I was at the count’s estate, but being the master of the mansion is a good thing.”

“Oh, really? Lady Ellente, you’re so proactive. You must have a lot of trust in that magic tutor.”

“To be precise, it’s closer to your trust, Lady Aiselin.”

“What?”

When Aiselin asked with an innocent face, Lady Ellente replied with a smile brimming her face.

“The mercenary named Derek you mentioned last time. He’s undertaking a new commission at the Beldern Mercenary Corps in the tavern district, so I spoke to him and brought him over.”

“Oh, Derek?! He must have been quite busy with mercenary work!”

Upon hearing the name, Lady Aiselin’s face brightened.

Even after he had left the Duplain residence, Aiselin would often talk about him when having tea privately with Diella.

Diella, her younger sister, had assured her that Derek was probably just killing time with mercenary work, so there was no need to worry if he wasn’t in sight. Indeed, Derek was a man who knew nothing but magic and money.

“Well, that’s true. He’s been out experiencing real combat whenever he can, under the guise of training, and studying magic too.”

“You’ve met him in person, so you know, but he’s a deep and trustworthy person. You’ve found yourself a fine teacher. Congratulations, Lady Ellente.”

‘…This isn’t right…’

Seeing Aiselin’s rosy expression, Ellente couldn’t help but feel a tinge of dissatisfaction.

Wasn’t it she who had brought in the wandering magic tutor, the one even Aiselin couldn’t keep at the mansion?

She had expected a bit of resentment, but instead, Lady Aiselin was sincerely congratulating Ellente.

In truth, Aiselin knew to some extent. The boy named Derek, born with large wings, was not someone who could be caged.

Lady Ellente had agreed to look after his magic, knowing full well that he was just a wanderer looking for a place to briefly stop by.

Certainly, if someone as magically gifted as Lady Ellente were to receive Derek’s teachings… Aiselin couldn’t afford to be complacent.

Lately, the opponents in magical duels were hardly a match. Aiselin herself felt her keen senses dulling.

Having a benevolent rival like Lady Ellente would be a great help in honing herself. Lady Aiselin sent her heartfelt congratulations, genuinely wishing to support Lady Ellente.

However, a memory suddenly flitted through her mind.

– ‘Diella. I’ve been thinking about asking Derek to look at my magic sometime… What do you think?’

– ‘…Aiselin, sister. There’s absolutely no need. You’ve already reached a high level of magical attainment on your own.’

– ‘Still, I thought that having a skilled person look at it might lead to greater achievements. I’m considering sending someone to the mercenary corps to inquire. Derek doesn’t seem to come to the noble district much…’

– ‘Absolutely, absolutely no need, Aiselin, sister. If it’s not necessary… There’s no need for someone who’s managing well on their own to seek Derek’s teachings.’

Diella’s pale face was earnest as she dissuaded her. Aiselin thought her cute little sister was just adorably jealous that she might steal her tutor Derek.

While Aiselin responded with a gentle smile to her endearing younger sister… Diella hadn’t stopped her for that reason.

The rough mercenary would sometimes teach the noble ladies in ways they couldn’t imagine.

He’d take them to the forest and make them cast magic until their mana was depleted, or suddenly make them run laps emphasizing the importance of physical strength… He even came up with all sorts of bizarre training methods that the flowers of noble families would struggle to endure.

From the get-go, slapping them upon meeting and dragging them to the forest for a beating was far from a typical magic tutor. Not something the sheltered noble ladies could easily withstand.

“…”

What’s the use in saying anything? Derek, the tutor, is like a bitter medicine.

He’s like magic that can fulfill any wish if desired, but not without a cost.

If only she had known beforehand, perhaps she could have braced her heart for it. But whether Lady Ellente was aware of the mercenary’s brutal teaching methods, one could not tell.

As the thought struck her, a sudden worry bloomed on Lady Aislinn’s face.

Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at Lady Ellente with concern, but the lady, wrapped tightly in jealousy and spite, curled the corners of her mouth in a sneer.

‘Indeed. Upon reflection, I understand the significance of bringing that teacher, Derrick, to her.’

Regrettably, Ellente misinterpreted Aislinn’s worried expression.

She took it as a look of resentment for having Derrick taken from her. To think she would see Lady Aislinn’s face crumble… Lady Ellente felt an inexplicable satisfaction swell within her.

“Excuse me…”

“Oh my, look at the time. I was supposed to have my first lesson today, so I must hurry back to the mansion.”

With that, Lady Ellente smoothed her hair and departed with a graceful laugh, striding away confidently.

Lady Aislinn, still etched with worry, could only watch her retreating figure.

The nearby nobles, too, watched Lady Aislinn and Lady Ellente with puzzled expressions.

No matter how precious a magic tutor might be, they found it hard to imagine that the dignified Lady Aislinn could be bested so quickly just because of a change in tutors.

‘While I knew Lady Ellente was prone to jealousy, to think she’d pin her hopes on a street-born mercenary to win even a practice duel…’

Lady Denise of the Belthus Ducal family, too, sighed deeply from a distance.

Futile.

Though they couldn’t say it outright, those present harbored such thoughts.

*

“That’s how it is. I’ll be focusing on that request for a while.”

“The Count of Belmiard… You do swim in deep waters, Derrick.”

“But there’s no need to go all the way to the Count’s estate. It’s something that can be settled within Ebelstein, which suits me just fine.”

The tavern, Veldern’s Tears, was bustling as usual today.

Derrick, sipping on a tasty cider, sat at a secluded bar table when Jayden approached him with a hearty laugh. Derrick casually shared the events of his recent assignment with Jayden, indicating his intention to refrain from taking on new requests for a while.

For Jayden, it was a regrettable matter, but considering the jobs Derrick usually handled, he couldn’t really complain. He was more concerned that Derrick might overwork himself.

“And if I’ve agreed to do it, I intend to do it right.”

“You plan to train Lady Ellente to win against Lady Aislinn? From what you say, it seems Lady Ellente does have talent, but… Lady Aislinn is a figure whose reputation extends even beyond the noble district.”

“There’s not exactly no way. I have two ideas in mind…”

Derrick said, crossing his arms and looking troubled.

“One is to master a two-star spell. That would give us the firepower to overpower her, making victory over Lady Aislinn not such an impossible dream.”

“That doesn’t sound like an easy task at a glance.”

“Yes, that’s why I’ve thought of a second method… For that, I might need the help of the boss. That’s why I came to tell you in advance. If I say I need help later, please lend me a hand just this once.”

“Help from me?”

Jayden was a veteran mercenary who made a name for himself in the ‘Dawn War,’ a great conflict fought against the massive horde of monsters in the north. Though he now lived a life of leisure, his skills were undeniable, even Derrick had to admit.

“And it would be best to err on the side of safety… I’d like it if Feline could come along too…”

“Me?”

Feline, who had been guzzling liquor beside him, looked at Derrick with half-lidded, unfocused eyes.

Judging by her daytime drinking, she didn’t seem inclined to work today.

“Derrick. I told you, you’d regret being swept up by those noble brats…”

“What’s she doing drinking so much in broad daylight?”

“She lost big at gambling. She was playing cards with some guests who came by earlier today.”

“…”

Derrick squinted his crescent-moon eyes at Feline, who, with a flushed face, brushed her cheeks and lamented.

“Who would’ve expected an ace to come up there, huh?”

It seemed she still hadn’t kicked the habit of rushing into gambling dens and throwing her money around. Derrick sighed and patted Feline’s shoulder.

“Anyway, I’ll make sure you get your fair share, so cooperate, will you?”

“Pah, rather than scrounging pennies to serve the nobles, I’d rather… rather…”

“I boldly asked for twenty Adel gold coins for this job, and they agreed readily. It’s five more coins than during the Duplain job… The nobles certainly do spend differently.”

“…Has your price really gone up that much? What… spending gold like it’s water…”

Unable to finish her sentence, Feline buried her head on the bar table, making a melting sound. It seemed she didn’t care anymore.

Jayden fetched some cold water and plunked it down in front of Feline, saying,

“Alright. Let’s hear what you’re planning to do.”

“…”

After Derrick laid out his thoughts, Jayden couldn’t help but open his mouth wide in surprise.

*

‘Certainly, the pace of the lessons is incredibly fast for someone from a rough mercenary background.’

That afternoon, upon visiting Lady Ellente’s mansion, Derrick began the lesson without preamble.

Unlike Pellmier’s classes, which always emphasized the ceremonial aspects and grandly expounded on the history of magic, Derrick’s lessons were stripped of all unnecessary theoretical parts.

Derrick had already made it clear before starting the lesson.

He could not teach about noble etiquette or the history of magic. What he taught was solely practical knowledge.

And that was exactly what Lady Ellente wanted.

She wanted to quickly acquire only the knowledge necessary to surpass Lady Aiselin, without any superfluous details.

Teachings on fundamental aspects are undoubtedly important, but what’s needed right now is practical knowledge to satisfy one’s competitive spirit.

Thus, Derek stood in the private outdoor sparring ground next to the mansion, gathering his magical power.

“First, we’ll train in sparring as we did last time. We’ll repeat the process ten times in a similar manner, sweating out the basics, and then review the essential skills needed for magic training. Once that’s done, let’s use the one-star spells one by one in order to check if the basics are all in place.”

“Are you saying we’ll spar ten times right now?”

“It’s just practice sparring. There’s no need for grand etiquette, so let’s first check how much your practical abilities have improved.”

And so, Ellente and Derek completed ten consecutive sparring sessions.

Afterward, they reviewed the method of magical power manifestation they had just discussed and spent time re-examining the basics while casting one-star spells. When they came to their senses, the sun was setting.

Miss Ellente, drenched in sweat, slumped in a corner of the sparring ground.

Derek’s magic lessons were indeed quite different from those of Felmiere. While Felmiere spent more than half the time reciting theory, Derek was constantly fighting, striking, and repeating the use of magic throughout the lesson.

By the time Derek’s lesson was halfway through, Ellente’s magical power had bottomed out, and by the end, she had to grit her teeth and scrape together every last bit of magic to cast spells.

When she finally manifested an ice spear, she was so disoriented that she nearly lost consciousness. Even then, Derek encouraged her with proper etiquette, hands clasped behind his back.

“You’re doing well, Miss Ellente!”

“*Panting*… *Panting*…”

“Let’s manifest the ice spear one more time. This time, use it along with a confusion spell.”

“But, you said the last one was the end…!”

“This will be the real last one. Just this time, and then we’ll truly finish.”

“*Groaning*… *Struggling*…! *Grunting*…!”

Ellente, sitting on the ground of the sparring area, gasped for breath and yet, somehow managed to grind her teeth and draw out her magic.

With her power drawn to its limit, she manifested the ice spear again and proudly looked at Derek, as if to say, “See, I can do it too.”

“*Panting*… *Panting*… I can… do it too…”

“Now, for the real, final time, let’s manifest a flame arrow. Rest for just 15 seconds and then… one… two…”

“You said the last one was the real, final time!”

After such bickering, as the sun began to set, Miss Ellente, forgetting all decorum and drenched in sweat, collapsed on the floor of the sparring ground.

The servants watching her from the corner swallowed their dry saliva.

The servants had a sense of duty too. It seemed too hard for them to watch their mistress rolling around, soaked in sweat.

They wanted to rush out right then, comb her hair, spray her with perfume, and bring her a new dress.

But Derek shook his head at them. After all, this was Miss Ellente’s private sparring ground in her mansion, and there was no one else to see.

Thus, Derek’s magic lesson, pushing Miss Ellente to her limits, continued for over 30 minutes before it could finally conclude.

“*Sobbing*… *Heaving*… *Gasping*…”

Whether she was gasping for breath or moaning in pain, Miss Ellente lay on the ground of the sparring area, looking up at the sky.

Somewhere along the way, the sky had turned a fiery red, and at its edge, a deep twilight darkness had settled.

Stars began to twinkle faintly, and it was hard to tell how long the magic had been at work. Lady Ellente had never before used magic continuously for such an extended period.

“You’ve worked hard. You may have your dinner now.”

“…”

“Are you alright?”

It felt somewhat awkward for him to ask, but still, Derrick offered his words of concern to Ellente.

“If it’s too hard, giving up is also an option.”

Gasping for breath, Lady Ellente lay collapsed, then, with great effort, she rose and said,

“Ahaha.”

“…”

“Just this much? After repeatedly affirming my resolve to do anything, I wondered what you were thinking. Turns out, it’s nothing more than putting my body through a bit of hardship.”

Surprisingly, she did not lose her smile.

Struggling to her feet, though panting, her will was still ablaze.

“After all the grueling efforts I’ve made to survive in the Ebelstein social circles, do I look like someone who needs concern over a mere trifle? I’ve stayed up for three days and nights, devouring etiquette books. Such questions are unnecessary.”

“…I see. My thoughts were shortsighted.”

“Today, I’m a bit worn out from attending the social gathering, but from tomorrow, I can truly commit to my training. So, it would be better to increase the intensity even more than today.”

“…”

Derrick listened to Ellente’s words, then, without changing his expression, he said,

“Tomorrow…? What do you mean?”

“…Huh?”

“I told you it’s time for dinner now.”

She didn’t immediately grasp what he meant.

Then, as the meaning of Derrick’s words dawned on her, Lady Ellente’s face began to turn pale.