There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Duplain (2)

Those who first saw Derrick in the mercenary world all wore puzzled expressions.

Too young, yes, but despite his youthful appearance, he was well-equipped and looked too kind-hearted.

Young or kind-hearted.

In this world, either trait would usually get you backstabbed and discarded. Yet, Derrick’s face bore both.

How such a young and kind-hearted boy could survive in the mercenary world was a mystery to anyone.

But one truth was clear: Derrick had lived the life of a mercenary since his boyhood, not yet dry behind the ears.

What that meant could only be understood by joining Derrick on the battlefield.

– Wham! Thwack!

– Screeeeech!

A goblin struck by a first-class magic mana arrow spewed dark blood and fell in the middle of the forest.

On a small path through the forest leading to Ebelstain, on the outskirts of the Duplain Duke’s domain.

With a longsword in his right hand, Derrick pierced and split the vile creature’s snout, splattering blood on his face.

Amidst this, a one-armed goblin, bleeding, charged at him, but Derrick dodged the axe swing with a step back and, seizing the goblin’s face, unleashed his full power.

– Fzzzzzt!

– Screeeeech!

As the goblin screamed from the shock, he swiftly drew the dagger from his thigh sheath and plunged it into its neck.

Red blood splattered, filling his vision, and a wave of the scent of blood rose, but not a flicker of emotion crossed Derrick’s face.

It wasn’t that he was cold-blooded like a machine. Rather, he retained the appearance of the good-hearted and resolute boy seen in the tavern. It was only the blood smeared on him that made the dissonance all the more intense.

This boy had no qualms about taking the life of a living creature. It was as routine and natural to him as eating and sleeping.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

With his sword flicked clean, he asked kindly, his body speckled with the goblin’s blood. Around him lay the dismembered parts of goblins.

Melvin, who had been guarding the entrance to the carriage, unwittingly swallowed dryly.

It wasn’t strange for rough mercenaries to tear apart monsters without a second thought.

However, it was disconcerting to see a boy of an age to play innocently, covered in blood, asking such a question with a world-weary expression.

In an era where magic was the exclusive domain of the noble aristocracy, the boy was a magician raised on the streets.

It was a sight that anyone could intuitively feel was different from the sheltered flowers in a greenhouse.

*

“Traveling with Derrick sure makes things easier. It’s convenient to identify enemies with search magic, and not hard to subdue those at a distance.”

“It’s nice to be praised, but you know, the boss caught like eighty percent of those monsters.”

“Tsk… Not a single cute thing about you. Learn to be happy when you’re lifted up and praised.”

Jayden clicked his tongue and patted Derrick’s shoulder.

“…”

Melvin, who had been so rude in the tavern, was noticeably quieter on the return carriage ride.

Just as Jayden had expected, the task brought by the mysterious trio from the duke’s house was incredibly simple.

By dusk, there were no more visible monsters, and they were able to board the carriage back to Ebelstein.

“I have to admit, your workmanship is commendable.”

Melvin still wore a grim expression, but ultimately gave a high appraisal.

Jayden, with a satisfied smile, sat in the carriage seat and wiped the blood off his sword.

“Your praise is too kind. Now that the issue you were worried about is resolved, please pay the remaining fee.”

“Understood.”

The down payment was one gold coin, and the completion fee was two gold coins.

Considering that most extermination requests only exchanged silver coins, it was an income that naturally made the corners of his mouth rise.

With a beaming smile, Jayden tossed the gold coins into his leather pouch.

“Good work, Derrick. When we get back to the tavern, I’ll settle your share too.”

Derek, slouched in his seat, gave a nonchalant nod and stared blankly at the setting sun.

Though not overly tired, a sense of lethargy lingered from the use of magic.

Derek crossed his arms and leaned against the carriage wall, attempting to rest.

“You seem to handle first-level magic quite diversely.”

However, an inspector, donning a reversed robe hat, addressed Derek.

He had barely initiated conversation all day. His voice was clear, betraying a hint of youthfulness, but Derek responded without much care, maintaining his reclined posture.

“I’ve picked up a bit of everything. Being versatile helps when you’re a mercenary trying to make a living.”

“You said you’re sixteen this year? Not much older than me, that’s impressive.”

Derek glanced sideways and noticed Melvin, an old man, and Delia, a maid, swallowing their dry saliva.

They seemed wary of the apprentice inspector. Their hesitant demeanor appeared uncomfortable with Derek’s casual approach to the conversation.

Derek was inwardly surprised as well. The girl had revealed she was about his age.

Frankly, Derek had assumed she was at least an adult, given her oddly mature demeanor.

“How did you learn magic?”

“Picked it up on the streets while trying to survive.”

“You haven’t even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet, have you? It’s quite remarkable that you can handle several first-level spells.”

Her questions were peculiar. Derek felt a sense of unease but acted nonchalant.

‘Not having had a coming-of-age ceremony yet…’

Ordinary commoners rarely hold such grand coming-of-age celebrations.

“I can handle about three or four first-level spells.”

“Three is three, and five is five… but saying ‘about three or four’ is rather odd.”

As Derek remained reclined, he noticed the inspector under the robe hat smiling faintly.

“You must know more than that, right?”

“…”

“There’s no need to hide it. I’m purely curious. It’s fascinating that someone your age can handle magic to that extent.”

Derek’s mentor, Katia, often said that extraordinary talent could attract the nobility’s hostility.

The inspector was undoubtedly connected to one of the finest magical families, the Duplain ducal family. Derek felt it was best not to reveal his full capabilities.

“The vague way I put it is because I’m not a follower of the mainstream school of magic, the Rule School.”

“Oh?”

“I come from the Wild School. While the Rule School strictly categorizes magic’s systems and rules, the Wild School is somewhat detached from that.”

Derek sat up and began to speak earnestly.

When the topic of magical factions came up, the girl cloaked in a robe emitted a fascinating, radiant light from her eyes.

“Wild faction, you say…?”

“It’s been a long time since the aristocratic Rule Faction became the mainstream, but the magic research of the non-mainstream factions continues on the fringes.”

Derrick’s magic mentor, Katia, was also a magician of the Rule Faction, but Derrick himself was a character who had broken away from such discipline.

When he first had to choose a faction after learning magic from the old man, Derrick had chosen the Wild Faction.

“The Wild Faction focuses on practical mana usage and magic necessary for direct survival, rather than on rules and regulations. The magic used on the adventure-filled path, full of variables, is the mainstay, and they are adept at improvising the use of mana according to the situation.”

“I’ve heard of magicians who use magic from such a perspective, but this is the first time I’ve met one.”

“Well, it’s not like I use particularly high-level magic… I’m just talking about theory. As I said, I’m just a one-star magician of commoner origin.”

Derrick tried to downplay himself, but the inspector, already cloaked in a robe, was brimming with curiosity.

He seemed to have a keen interest in magic. That intuition struck him.

“Of course, the magic of the aristocratic Rule Faction is the most researched and well-developed. There’s a reason why the non-mainstream remains non-mainstream.”

“But there must be a reason why you, Derrick, chose the path of the Wild Faction, right? May I ask what it is?”

Why on earth would she be curious about such a thing? The interview-like atmosphere was uncomfortable, but since the other party was a client who had paid a hefty sum, it was hard to be rude.

Considering the job was too easy compared to the money received, he thought it might be better to consider this as part of the service.

With that thought, Derrick gathered mana in his hand.

“Since you seem knowledgeable about magic, let me put it simply: it’s because it’s advantageous for survival.”

As Derrick gathered mana in his hand, a small flame began to burn above his palm.

The flame, manifested using mana, burned in the air without any fuel. To those unfamiliar with magic, it would be a marvelous sight, but anyone with a bit of knowledge about magic would realize that it’s not a very high level of mana utilization.

Neither the envoy Melvin nor the maid Delia showed much surprise at the flame.

If they worked for the Duplain ducal house, they would have seen such magic several times.

However, the girl called the inspector gazed at the flame with wide eyes.

“Oh?”

Even though she must have seen such magic countless times in the noble house, the girl looked at Derrick’s flame as if it were something peculiar.

“…It seems like the process of drawing out the mana is quite simplified, isn’t it?”

‘Look at this gentleman?’

Derrick was inwardly surprised by the girl’s remark.

She could sense the movement of mana. In other words, she was at least a one-star magician herself.

“Yes. In the Rule Faction, the process of using mana is divided into four stages: recognition, extraction, manipulation, and manifestation. But the Wild Faction doesn’t make such fine distinctions. The process of using mana itself is lumped together and relies on sensation.”

“…Have you always used magic this way?”

“Yes. There are advantages, but naturally, there are also disadvantages. If I were to explain every detail, the story would become too lengthy…”

Derek didn’t want to elaborate any further here.

After all, it was just a fleeting encounter. Derek tried to keep things brief, eager to tie up the story.

“In short, just understand that the field of magic is a bit different,” he said.

The difference between schools of thought isn’t something that can be easily divided as if with a knife.

Having roughly bundled it up that way, Derek leaned back against the carriage wall once more.

To the eyes of the noble families, he was merely a one-star magician. To those who actually lived among four-star and five-star magicians, the magic of a one-star, non-mainstream school would be nothing more than a trivial skill.

With that thought, Derek closed his eyes tightly, easing the fatigue of his weary body, yet…

In the eyes of the girl looking at him, there was a strange sparkle.

*

He thought he would never see that odd trio of retainers again, but the following week, they returned to the tavern.

The request they brought was similar. Monsters were appearing again on the outskirts of the Duke’s domain.

They were generous spenders. Naturally, Jayden responded with a smile plastered from ear to ear.

However, since the condition was set to bring along a magician again, Derek had no choice but to continue accompanying them.

Thus, they hunted the monsters, parted ways, and then the next week, they appeared again with another request… This cycle repeated.

Each time, they killed the Ayn tribe, and on the way back in the carriage, they would share a discourse on the current affairs of the world or about magic. They were merely perfunctory conversations to avoid the awkward silence.

Yet, they were always diligent in their task of killing monsters.

Goblins, trolls, kobolds… For the inexperienced, they were perilous foes, but for the seasoned mercenaries, they were enemies that posed no great danger if handled with caution.

After several trips back and forth through the Duke’s domain, dealing with the monsters on the outskirts, they made quite a tidy sum of money.

Jayden spent the whole day singing with joy, and Derek, after settling his share, couldn’t help but feel good. Money was always right.

So, they indulged in expensive meat dishes for a change and had their equipment thoroughly serviced, living quite comfortably.

“Having seen your monster hunting, I believe your skills are trustworthy. This time, the Duke’s estate has offered fifteen gold coins of Aydel.”

“…Fifteen coins? Are you sure I heard that right?”

The Aydel coin, the most widely used currency in Ebelstain, could fill a room with freshly baked bread with just one gold coin.

Fifteen coins could, without exaggeration, completely replace this tavern building with a new one.

“Hahaha, you do have a big heart! Is it some formidable monster this time? Don’t worry! The Beldern Mercenary Group has proven how clean our work is over the past two months! Just give us enough preparation time, and we’ll even behead a demon from hell for you! Hahaha!”

The color on Jayden’s face was beyond refreshing; it was ecstatic.

It was rare to see an old man so enraptured, but thinking of the settlement that would fall into his own hands, Derek couldn’t help but swallow his dry saliva.

He had heard stories about the spending habits of nobles, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.

“It’s a bit different from the usual requests. But as always, you’ll have to accompany us in the carriage.”

“Yes, the carriage has already been arranged. We’re not strangers anymore, are we? Hahaha.”

“Then, let me introduce myself first.”

“We are already quite close, aren’t we! Ahaha! Why the formality now? Please, treat me casually! Casually!”

“I am Delron, the chief steward of the Duchy of Duplain.”

Jaden’s smile, which had been warm and friendly, suddenly stopped.

Melvin was a pseudonym.

Derrick had somewhat anticipated that the other party was addressing him by a lower status. However, what did it mean to reveal this at the current moment?

Before he could even organize his thoughts, the maid standing next to the chief steward also bowed her head and greeted him.

“I am Katarina, the housekeeper of the duchy.”

Not a dispatched officer but the chief steward, not a scullery maid but the housekeeper.

The chief steward was the third-highest-ranking person among the servants, and the housekeeper was the person right after the head maid of the mansion.

They were, in essence, the leaders of the servants, who usually would not step outside the duchy. These were the people who earned in a few months what an average commoner might earn over decades.

And the girl who had been posing as an inspector gently lowered the hood of her robe and said with a graceful smile,

“Aiselin Eleanore Duplain.”

Her eyes were soft yet firm, with a clear purity in them. That radiant gaze seemed to be directed at Derrick.

The girl, looking straight at Derrick, had an indescribable dignity in her voice, as always.

“…”

“Oh my.”

The girl, who had been quietly observing Derrick, added softly,

“…Aren’t you surprised?”

He had to be.

Derrick had already had his suspicions about her true identity.

He had known yet pretended not to know about their extraordinary status. Derrick was only thinking of continuing his work and collecting his gold coins.

Now, why would they reveal their status first?

The reason was obvious.

“If it’s alright with you, could you accompany us to the Duchy of Duplain?”

The Duplain noble family was one of the three most prestigious noble houses throughout the empire.

The girl spoke with utmost courtesy and politeness, but Derrick had no right to refuse.