Chapter 38 Translator: XZY Chapter 38: Denise (4) ***
"I made inquiries at the Duplein mansion, and it seems Lady Aiseline plans to come to the Raspa Cave herself. They say the servants are already busy with preparations for her departure."
The next morning, Bella, who had returned from fetching supplies at the mansion, brought the news. For Denise, it was not good news.
"..."
"What should we do, Lady Denise?"
"Does it matter what we do? If Lady Aiseline is moving in person, who could stop her?"
Lady Denise's expression had become complicated. Although she was a girl full of confidence, she certainly didn't think that boy would be able to refuse if Lady Aiseline came in person. In fact, there was a high possibility that he was thinking quite positively about it.
Denise, who had been deep in thought inside the luxurious tent, eventually let out a deep sigh.
"I suppose I have to admit that I've failed. That stubborn man won't try to teach me magic no matter what I do."
"Is that so... Winning a person's heart is not such an easy task."
Denise was a person with strong confidence in her own abilities and strong pride, but she was also the type to cleanly admit her own shortcomings.
This was because she knew well that if she recklessly tried to make the impossible possible, only greater repercussions would await. If she pushed any further and only bought his antipathy, it would only be counterproductive.
"Yes, I've suffered in vain by coming all the way to this distant Raspa Cave when I could have just been lying around at the mansion. Bella, start letting the mansion know. Tell them I'll be returning soon."
"Yes, yes... I will pass it on to the head butler. Shall we leave all the supplies here?"
"Moving them would be a lot of work, so just give them all to that magic master named Derek."
Denise, who let out a sigh, looked quite dejected. At first glance, it seemed like she had brushed it all off, but Bella, who had been with her for a long time, could tell.
The stronger a person's confidence in their own abilities, the more dejected they become when they are broken once.
There were many times when Bella found Denise's sky-high confidence to be an eyesore, but still, when she was uncharacteristically dejected, her heart would go out to her.
In any case, they had been together since childhood. Because she knew Denise well, when she showed a side that was unlike her, she herself would feel gloomy.
"Let's at least say goodbye before we leave. We don't know how our paths might cross again in the future. I'll just consider it an investment for the future."
It was when Denise let out a hollow breath and was about to return to her listless state with her tired eyes open again.
Bella, who had been deep in thought for a moment with her chin in her hand, spoke as if in doubt. She was a person who sometimes pointed out things that Denise had not thought of.
"It's true that Lady Aiseline is an outstanding person in every way, but I wonder what she would be like as a disciple."
"Hmm?"
"Actually, it's true, isn't it? Lady Aiseline is a young lady with such outstanding skills that she learned 2-Star magic at that age, but how many masters in the world could actually teach such a person? No, in the first place, does she even need a master?"
Bella wanted to provide Denise with a new perspective. As her exclusive servant, she was a person who was like her companion, before being someone who simply helped with her daily needs.
"If I were that person's master, I think I would feel a sudden sense of pressure. Of course, being able to become Lady Aiseline's master is not an opportunity that comes to just anyone, but at least that mage named Derek doesn't seem like the type to be swayed by such a family background."
"..."
"A master who teaches magic would naturally want to go to a person who needs teaching. If he is a person with convictions, it would be even more so."
Derek was a person with clear convictions.
He did anything for the mastery of magic, and he had a tendency not to be bound by social background when he stuck to his judgment. She had already figured that out by observing him for the past few days.
Would he take Aiseline as a disciple because she was the young lady of the well-to-do Duplein family?
He was not a person who would make such a one-dimensional judgment. If so, it meant that Denise still had a chance.
In order to persuade Derek, Denise had guaranteed great wealth, promised exceptional treatment, and even preached about the greatness of the Beltus family. She had also tried to convince him of the bright future that awaited him if he became the magic master of the Beltus family.
However, if she had really wanted to persuade that mage named Derek... she should have known how to approach it from a different angle.
How exceptional a treatment Derek would receive was not really an important point.
Although Denise was outstanding in her ability to think in various ways, there was only one reason why she had not been able to think from that perspective. It was because she had lived her entire life as a noble.
Therefore, her line of thought did not reach the parts that Bella, a commoner and a servant, could think of. Bella was treating that person named Derek as a proper mage first, before being a commoner.
"For that mage named Derek, there is surely a more important standard than treatment or family background. Among the criteria for selecting a disciple, there is something more important than what kind of treatment he receives."
Most commoners would smile and wag their tails if they were guaranteed wealth and honor.
However, that mage with a mysterious atmosphere named Derek could not be won over by such things.
"As you well know, he is not a person who is that stingy about teaching people. He even answered that he would review the Duplein family's request as positively as possible."
"So what are you trying to say, Bella?"
"To take that mage as a master, isn't the value of you yourself, Lady Denise, more important than what kind of treatment you give him?"
Bella's eyes had become even more serious.
"Is she a person worth teaching... that's what it is."
No matter how excellent the teaching is, if it has no meaning to the person receiving it, no one would want to become a master.
Therefore, what Denise had to prove to Derek was not excellent treatment or family background.
It was, how meaningful is it to teach me?
Denise sat on the bed for a moment, dazed. When she looked at the situation from Bella's perspective, she felt that the parts that had been weighing on her mind were gradually being sorted out.
For the past few days, every time Denise visited, Derek had stopped his training and listened to her.
Even while talking about discourtesy and interruption, he had observed Denise's reaction, listened to the various conditions she presented until the end, and even if it led to a similar conclusion every day, he had consistently expressed his refusal.
He was a person who was being taught by a 6-Star Detection Mage. As she had said, if he had been determined not to meet Denise, he could have avoided meeting her at all.
Even so, there was a reason why he had continued to meet Denise, listen to her proposals, and repeatedly and politely refuse.
It was not simply a matter of showing courtesy to a noble young lady from a prestigious family. He had been continuously observing Denise, even with his tired eyes.
"He was testing me, measuring my vessel."
Only then did Denise seem to have read, at least a little, the true meaning hidden in the man's formal refusal.
He had been waiting for Denise to show her sincerity and reveal her true self.
Only then did Denise realize. The person being evaluated was herself.
In the first place, that mage named Derek was not a person who could be won over or not.
After organizing her thoughts like that, it felt as if her eyes were being opened to a new perspective. And only then did she become certain.
"...Bella, you're right, but it's not that meaningful..."
Denise already knew well. Even if she revealed all her cards, Derek would not be persuaded.
She was a person who was constitutionally unable to persuade Derek.
<><><>
"Hello."
In the deep cave, one cannot see the sun rise and set.
Naturally, day and night were also indistinguishable, so Derek did not know exactly how long he had been training, feeling only the flow of mana.
Still, Denise would come by from time to time and tell him how much time had passed, so he could guess that a day had passed each time she came.
And so, today as well, when Denise came without fail, it was the moment when Derek was about to greet her politely.
It had been quite a while since he had faced Denise, so there was nothing to be nervous about. However, today, Denise's demeanor was clearly different.
She had not brought any servants or guards, and she did not even treat Derek warmly with her usual graceful tone.
The elegant, formal language she used to maintain her dignity was gone, and she had just come by with an indifferent air and said hello to Derek.
Derek's brow twitched for a moment, and then he bowed his head without any particular reaction and said.
"You've come again today."
"Yeah. I'm going to give up now."
Denise was no longer putting on an unnecessary pretense. Through the numerous times she had come, she had learned that any pointless pretense she put on for Derek would be seen through.
What more could be said, she came over and quietly sat down on the opposite side of the rock where Derek was sitting, and only now was she finally revealing her bare face.
"You're really something else. How can you not even bat an eye when I come to visit every day like this?"
"You have treated a mere commoner mage with too much favor. If you return to the mansion, please find a person befitting the young lady of the Beltus family and put in a request."
"Forget it. As you know, I didn't come here to learn magic. I just thought that since you're a popular magic master these days, I should try to recruit you in advance."
Derek was completely convinced by her unreserved attitude. In fact, she had given up on wearing a clumsy mask.
"It's not like me to be so motivated to win over one person, and it looks like you're going to teach Lady Aiseline, so I thought I should quit too."
"Well. I said I would review it positively, but that doesn't mean I have confirmed that I will definitely teach Lady Aiseline."
"Oh my, look at you leaving room for possibilities. You are a bad boy."
"..."
When Derek looked at her with an expression as if asking what kind of strange thing she was saying, Denise, who was staring into his eyes, let out a big sigh. She felt like she was finally getting a glimpse of what kind of person Derek was.
No matter what tricks Denise used, this man would never fall for them. At this moment, Denise was certain.
"Lady Aiseline is coming to the Raspa Cave in person today."
"..."
"Well, since it's come to this, let me just say it. You were right. I don't really like magic."
Lady Denise spoke with a sigh, her body slumped.
It was a tone as if she didn't care about anything anymore.
"I used to like it in the past, but I started to dislike it after doing it for a while. So I don't have that much of a desire for magical achievement. To you, who are so buried in magic, I must look like an amateur who only scratches the surface."
"I didn't think that far..."
"You thought so inwardly. Well, so it wouldn't be strange for you not to take me as a disciple."
The more she saw Derek, who was so immersed in magic, the more her confidence gradually disappeared.
In every way, Derek's desire for magic was the real deal. A person with a strong desire for achievement like Aiseline would surely be a perfect fit as his disciple.
This was because Denise had, at some point, stopped being greedy for achievements in magic.
"Why did you come to dislike magic?"
"..."
Lady Denise, who was sitting on the opposite rock, was silent for a moment.
It was the first time Derek had asked such a personal question. He hadn't even given her a glance when she was making such a fuss, and this man, who only showed interest after she had let down her guard, was truly unpredictable.
"Magic is fun, isn't it?"
"Not necessarily? In the past... I think it might have been a little fun..."
Denise let out a deep sigh and thought.
Certainly, there was a time when she, in her younger days, had studied magic all day long.
As the beloved young lady of the Beltus family, she had received a lot of attention from the family elders, and there was a time when she had manifested mana from a young age and had been buried in it all day long.
When she closed her eyes, it felt as if the her of that time was engraved in the darkness of her retinas.
Although she was a person who lived with a mindset of just doing things moderately while lying around listlessly, there was surely a time when she was active in everything every day. It was a distant past because she was too young, but she was definitely pure back then.
However, the moment when passion cools and disappears comes suddenly.
"Actually, to be precise, it wasn't that magic was fun, but I just liked the reaction of the family members who applauded every time I achieved something."
The girl was cooped up in her room, poring over various magic books, and whenever she had a chance, she would wield her mana here and there and constantly master it.
If asked whether that process was fun, it wasn't really. It was rather tiring and difficult.
However, from time to time, when she stood before the family members and revealed her achievements, they would applaud and rejoice.
They all smiled broadly, saying that she was a proper mage worthy of being a young lady of the Beltus family. When they smiled, Lady Denise also smiled.
'Good job,' 'Well done,' 'You did well,' 'You're doing well,' 'You're good.'
In the midst of such praises, the naive girl was deluding herself that magic was fun.
Thinking that far, Lady Denise had no choice but to open her eyes wide.
The reason why she had shown an uncharacteristic motivation while watching Derek, who was not being won over, was it because she felt a kind of envy watching him, who was buried in magic purely because he liked it?
She felt as if she had finally realized the reason why she had shown such an uncharacteristic motivation. A bitter taste lingered on the tip of her tongue.
"I was just grinding my bones every day, training in magic, and then one day, suddenly, from among the pile of books, a thought popped up. The thought, 'Why am I doing this?'"
"..."
"That's all there is to it. It's not like there was some huge, dramatic trigger or a sad backstory that would make you cry. It's just... like most people, I just suddenly became like that one day."
Denise, of course, and Derek also knew.
A change in one's life-defining values does not only happen through dramatic and vast events.
A room full of silence. On a desk full of books, a single thought just pushes its way through the darkness where the sound of insects crosses the window.
And then, when you look around, there is only a young girl sitting alone, who had been training in magic all day long, even at the cost of herself.
Looking at the scattered magic books and magic tools, and seeing herself trying hard, even saving sleeping time, one wonders why one had never asked that question.
Why am I doing this? It was such a natural question.
Denise had no interest in magic. If she had to choose, she preferred to discuss writing techniques or to write.
Now, she had achieved a certain level, but from the beginning, she had not shown that much aptitude for magic. The repeated training was nothing more than whipping herself.
Nevertheless, she tried hard just because she liked being praised.
The Grand Duke of Beltus was always pleased, saying that the name of the Beltus family was being elevated every time Lady Denise reached a higher level. The elders of the family were the same.
However, the girl had suddenly felt a sense of incongruity one night while poring over a magic book.
The moment she realized that their emphasis was on the family's name, not on the girl Denise's achievement, an unannounced sense of skepticism came flooding in like a tide.
As if she had been running for a long time and then tripped on a stone, everything comes to a halt.
She even feels as if she has collapsed like a doll with its strings cut.
What should one call that feeling? To call it despair was too grand, and to call it a sense of futility was too light. She did not try to define that feeling that was drifting somewhere in between.
It was not a great grief that would make her cry, nor was it a trivial matter that she could ignore and move on from.
She had just realized. The girl's life was a carriage with square wheels.
She was somehow moving towards her destination, but a moment would come when she would get tired and fall out. Even if it was not now, it would structurally come someday.
Therefore, the girl suddenly got up from her desk and laid her body on the bed.
As she gradually seeped into the soft blankets, she felt as if something that had been weighing down her body like a shackle had finally let her go.
And so, the time of the girl who was sinking into the soft bed passed.
The seasons passed, flowers bloomed and withered, and the sun rose and set. She didn't like the sun shining into the dark room, so she drew the thick curtains and lived her life as it flowed, handling things moderately.
And so, when the day came to obligatorily attend the Rosea Salon, she would see the vibrant appearances of the motivated young ladies like Aiseline and Elente.
In a corner of the observer's seats, with her chin in her hand, and with indifferent eyes, she would sometimes monologue. Everyone is living so diligently.
The salon was full of people who were overjoyed with their achievements, gnashed their teeth in defeat, and went back and forth between superiority and inferiority, intoxication and self-blame, joy and sorrow like a hot and cold bath. And so, they were navigating the waves of life in their own way.
The girl, with her chin in her hand and with indifferent eyes, would look at them and, as always, harbor similar thoughts.
Everyone is having a hard time.
"Come to think of it, I think I was envious of you."
"..."
"Surely, people like you become great mages."
And so, the girl who had let it all out stood up from her seat.
What more could be said, this boy named Derek's achievement was entirely his own.
He did not have a splendid family as a backer, he did not receive a single grain of support from anyone, and he did not receive the expectations of a family who wanted to grasp secular power. He was not someone from some family, but just Derek himself.
However, Denise did not go on and on with such well-fed talk. For some, such an outstanding family background and full support would be the most desperate thing.
She was not thoughtless enough to make such deceptive remarks in front of a slum boy who must have grown up in a harsher environment than anyone.
Therefore, she just quietly acknowledged the boy's achievement and stood up from her seat.
"Then let's meet again if our paths cross."
And so, she waved her hand roughly, and Denise strode towards the cave exit. It was the same appearance as always, looking unmotivated in everything.
Derek, who was quietly watching Denise's tired gait, suddenly spoke.
"Let's be clear about one thing, even if we leave the rest. Magic is a more profound and interesting field of study than you think, Lady Denise."
"..."
"It's not like I learned magic from the beginning because I liked it. I just grabbed any mage I could see in a corner of the slums to find a way to make a living, and I gritted my teeth and received teachings. Like everyone else, I just got into it as I learned it."
Derek did not make eye contact with Denise as he spoke.
Denise could easily imagine the life of that boy mage. Whatever it was, the path he had walked would have been closer to a path of thorns than a path of flowers.
"Please don't hate magic too much."
"You are also very consistent."
Denise, who let out a hollow laugh, said.
<><><>
When Denise came out to the entrance of the cave, a lot of servants from the Duplein family had arrived.
They were guarding a luxurious carriage. It was obvious who the person riding in that carriage was.
As Lady Denise tidied her appearance and passed by the carriage, Lady Aiseline looked down from inside with widened eyes.
When she quickly got out of the carriage to show her courtesy, Lady Denise waved her hand to stop her.
As always, with a tired appearance and showing only the minimum of courtesy, she passed Aiseline's carriage and came out to the plain.
There would be no one in the world who could refuse the sincerity of that Lady Aiseline, who had come all the way to the cave in person with the utmost courtesy. In the end, the only person who could persuade that blunt magic master was Aiseline.
Sitting in the carriage returning to the mansion, she slumped down and looked up at the wide-open sky.
"The sun is too bright. Ugh..."
"This matter didn't turn out as we thought in the end. I'll report to the Grand Duke that we tried but it didn't work."
"Well, what can you do if it doesn't work. Father won't be so stingy about something like this. Just because you're pretty and smart doesn't mean everything goes well. Right?"
"..."
Denise quite liked the sight of Bella enduring her contorted expression every time she praised herself with a thick skin. It was because she felt a strange affection for her.
And so, after laughing to herself, she rested her chin on the window sill and looked up at the sky again.
"Let's go back to the main house and say we failed."
A strange feeling of both relief and complexity washed over her.
The next day, news that was so tremendous that it turned the Rosea Salon upside down was heard.
Although Lady Aiseline of the Duplein family had personally brought her servants and gone all the way to the outskirts of Ebelstein, that magic master named Derek had politely declined to teach her.
Lady Aiseline was a person whom those who called themselves magic masters would want to take as a disciple, even if they had to cling to her skirt.
The noble young ladies could not help but chatter from early in the morning, wondering if a person who could refuse her could exist in the world. To think he was a person who had refused even Lady Aiseline, there was a limit to how valuable a talent could be.
Lady Aiseline's vessel was too great for him to teach. How could a mere stream contain a whale that should be playing in the great sea?
And so, his message, in which he had shown all due courtesy and even saved the other party's face while politely refusing, circulated among the salons for a while.
'Wow... he was a person who was even more crazy about magic than I had imagined...'
Lady Denise, who had heard the news early in the morning, was blinking her eyes.
She knew that he was an unpredictable and utterly incomprehensible person. However, to think he had kicked away not just anyone, but Lady Aiseline... Lady Denise had to doubt her own ears even after hearing it clearly.
'To refuse even after she offered to wait until his training was over... just how buried in magic achievement is he?'
It was while she was crossing the corridor of the Beltus mansion to have breakfast.
She had planned to return to Ebelstein immediately after an early meal, but she ran into the Grand Duke of Beltus, who was coming out of his office with numerous servants.
The two were far from having a close family bond.
Still, Denise acted as warmly as possible with a smile.
"Father. Good morning. The weather today is..."
"Oh, Denise. My lovely daughter."
The Grand Duke of Beltus, with a satisfied smile on his face, strode over to Denise and patted her on the shoulder.
He usually showed courtesy as a family member, but he was not this affectionate. Denise hid her surging confusion and asked back.
"Ah, Father?"
"A letter arrived early this morning. It seems that magic master from the Raspa Cave sent a letter to the Beltus family asking about various conditions. It must mean that he has refused the Duplein's offer and is listening to our proposal."
"Yes.. yes? That... Derek?"
"Yes. As expected, you are the most competent when it comes to matters of the social circle, Denise. The way you handle things is on a different level from the vassals who only scratch the surface. As expected, our beloved daughter is the most reliable. Hahaha!"
The Grand Duke of Beltus was in such a good mood that he was even raising his voice as he laughed.
It seemed he was truly happy with the news that he had recruited that Derek before the Duplein and Belmeade families.
"As expected, Denise, you are the best! I wonder what the secret is... to how you persuaded that man who was like an iron wall!"
'He chose me? Leaving Aiseline?'
Denise herself could not help but be dumbfounded. The person who was most curious about what had happened was Denise herself.
She had inwardly admitted that Derek was not a person of a level that she could recruit.
However, Derek had turned down all other proposals and had chosen her.
'....But why???'
He was a person who never moved according to the world's expectations.
Denise herself could not figure out what on earth had just happened.
She could only roll her eyes in confusion.
She had to start admitting it.
In the first place, the act of trying to fathom that person named Derek was a futile one.
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