Denise (2)
Laspa Great Cave at Ramhel Hill was a place that had been abandoned for quite a long time.
Long ago, it was a place where a labyrinth full of treasures had been located, but a labyrinth attached to a large city like Ebelstein was bound to be cleared quickly.
By now, it was nothing more than an empty, hollow labyrinth, but even so, traveling merchants tended to avoid passing near this place.
It wasn't particularly a transportation hub, and even though it was an empty place, there were often cases where monsters that had been wandering nearby had taken up residence inside.
There was no reason for anyone to deliberately pass through such a sparsely populated and dangerous place. That was why, as a hiding place for Derrick or Drest, there was no better place than this.
Denise, who had been quietly looking at the entrance of that enormous cave, had a relaxed expression on her face, but the senior maid Bella, who was assisting her, was full of worry.
"Young Lady Denise. I think we should avoid going too deep inside. How about we just search around the cave a little, and if it seems hard to find him, we first report to the Family Head and then come back with the private soldiers?"
She had rushed here in excitement after being the first to pinpoint Derrick's location, but it was still a rather dangerous place for a young lady of a noble family to enter with only a few guards.
If Derrick was just staying around the cave, it wouldn't be difficult to meet him, but if they had to go deep inside, retreating first was the right choice.
However, Denise had not the slightest intention of turning back here.
"Sure, there might be some monsters, and… the inside is wide and complicated, so it does feel a bit dangerous to go in carelessly. But Bella, if we go back to report from here, all the credit will disappear."
"I, is that so?"
"If we move enough private soldiers to form a unit, other families will catch the scent too. And that Derrick inside probably doesn't want to deal with a noble who brought a whole troop with them either."
"Th, then you're planning to go in?"
"If I have to say it twice, that's just nagging."
Bella glanced at the guards with troubled eyes.
The guards, who had the duty to protect Young Lady Denise, were also exchanging glances among themselves. If Young Lady Denise were to enter the cave and get seriously hurt, it would be no exaggeration to say that their lives would be over.
However, whether they could stop Young Lady Denise was a completely different matter.
She was already checking her mana condition and trudging into the cave. At this point, they had no choice but to follow.
Denise manifested a sphere of light with magic to secure her field of vision and strode forward, and the guards hurriedly followed behind her and began to keep watch around them.
The servants were just starting to worry, thinking that she might actually be planning to go all the way to the deepest part of the cave.
"Ah…!"
Fortunately, it was just before they went a little deeper.
They were able to discover a lone man sitting on a wide, flat rock.
Compared to when she had seen him from afar at the magic training ground, he looked much more haggard and weary.
His shaggy white hair was covering parts of his eyes, and his worn-out equipment was not particularly well maintained, unlike usual.
It was impossible to even guess how much hardship he had gone through over the past week.
The sight of that mage, quietly sitting on the rock like that, looked as if he had realized some kind of realm.
He was not dressed splendidly, nor was he a person with any great authority.
Nevertheless, the figure sitting still on the rock, waiting for someone, exuded an indescribable sense of intimidation.
Certainly, he was someone different.
Thinking that, Denise walked toward the young man.
"What brings you all the way to such a shabby place?"
Unexpectedly, the words he spoke were extremely polite and formal.
He looked straight at Young Lady Denise and spoke.
The servants who were escorting Denise all swallowed their dry saliva.
They had no idea what kind of person this Derrick was, so they couldn't help but be tense.
But as soon as Denise saw Derrick, she put on a confident expression.
'He looks shabby and wretched, but that's probably because he's buried in training… And seeing how he keeps etiquette and manners, he seems like a reasonable person. When I saw him at the magic training ground, he looked fine, so he probably won't deviate too much from my expectations.'
The mage before her was exactly the magic master that the Belmiard family and the Duplein Ducal House were so eager to have.
If she could just persuade this man and take him, Duke Beltus would be able to speak with more authority at the tripartite agreement table.
Count Belmiard and Duke Duplein were the kind of people who would do everything for their daughters, so they might come in with some negotiations.
From the perspective of the Beltus family, there would be endless ways to take advantage of such a position.
If she could just bring this man to the Beltus family, all the credit would belong to Denise.
Denise cleared her throat for a moment and raised a smile full across her face.
"Mr. Derrick… you are, right…?"
In that expression, the noble innocence and purity of a young lady who knew nothing of the world was clearly visible.
Young Lady Denise had adjusted her appearance inside the carriage and even fixed her hair again on the way here.
Brushing down her silver-gray hair neatly, she looked like a single piece of art.
"Yes, that's right."
"Then I came to the right place…! Um, uh… I, I was so nervous that… I, I was momentarily at a loss for words… I'm sorry…"
"Yes?"
"I, I really wanted to meet Mr. Derrick, so I came looking for you. I asked around a lot… I really, really wanted to talk with you at least once…"
At her cautious yet dignified appearance, Bella, who had been quietly supporting her from behind, ended up making crescent-shaped eyes.
Indeed, when Denise entered her noble mode, it felt like she had become a completely different person.
*
How does one charm others?
Denise had spent every day reading the writings of master romance novelists in her room and frequenting High Society while living her life maintaining the dignity of a noble young lady.
She had a firm philosophy about how to charm others.
First of all, one's appearance must be beautiful.
She had sky-piercing confidence in her own looks, so there was nothing lacking in this aspect.
However, there was no way to charm everyone in the world with just appearance alone.
If you want to make someone want to follow you and be with you, you must have dignity and charm beyond mere looks.
Even Denise herself didn't think she was a perfect person internally.
But she did have the skill to make others think so.
Denise clasped her hands together demurely and blushed.
"I don't even know how many times I've seen Mr. Derrick in my dreams. There were so many rumors going around among young ladies too. They said there's a reliable and outstanding magic master, and if you learn magic from him, you can advance several stages overnight. They also said that he's wonderful in character and truly someone to respect."
"That's an overstatement. And the people I taught had a lot of my direct help, but more importantly, they were already largely complete themselves. I can't create talent where there is none, and it's also uncomfortable for a commoner like me to be spoken to about respect and such."
"That modesty is probably one of the reasons you're so highly regarded, Mr. Derrick. Still, I really want to learn magic from you."
Denise's expression, shooting forth sparkling, pure eyes, looked as if it were completely covered in reverence.
No matter who it was, if they saw the reverent expression of such a beautiful girl, their heart would inevitably soften.
Men have a strong desire to be acknowledged.
If a noble young lady like Denise showed respect with such pure eyes, their hearts would melt.
Denise knew well how to actively use her noble background and beautiful appearance.
No matter how outstanding Derrick was at magic and teaching others, in the end he was still just a boy of that age.
How could he easily reject it when a young lady of the Beltus family was showing him such active goodwill?
Wearing a mask that practically dripped with innocence, Denise spoke kindly to Derrick.
But Derrick, contrary to Denise's expectations, did not become a complete yes-man who nodded no matter what she said.
"Why do you speak in such a theatrical manner, Young Lady Denise?"
"…."
"I have heard a lot about you from Young Lady Aiselin and Young Lady Ellente. They praised you highly, saying you are sharp and wise."
In truth, it was only natural.
Derrick knew very well that Young Lady Denise was not just a naïve and ignorant person.
Bella, who had been standing three steps behind Denise with her hands clasped, managed her expression.
If she were Denise, she would be so embarrassed she'd want to die right now.
But Denise was a mentally strong person.
What could she do?
A honey trap was something you fell for even when you knew it was one.
"Young Lady Aiselin and Young Lady Ellente overestimate me. I'm just one of the three at Rosea Salon, always trying not to be ashamed of myself."
"I see. It seems I judged someone I hadn't even met in person too much based only on others' evaluations. I apologize."
"No, Mr. Derrick. It's fine, you don't have to be like that. You just thought well of me, right?"
'… Is Young Lady Denise's pretense actually working…?'
It was impossible to read what was going on inside this Derrick fellow.
This young mage seemed kind to Denise, yet also seemed to be trying to keep his distance… It was impossible to tell what he actually wanted.
Denise herself felt the same way, but her heart wasn't shaken.
She had never thought he would be an easy opponent in the first place.
Wasn't he someone even Aiselin and Ellente couldn't secure?
'Now then… how should I handle this…'
Denise looked quietly at Derrick and once again consciously brought a blush to her face.
"Anyway, what I want to say is… whether you'd be willing to work as a magic instructor for the Beltus family. I really wanted to ask you, so I came all this way in person."
Wasn't it a young lady of the Beltus family who had personally asked around and come all this way?
No matter how capable he was, his background was that of a slum-born commoner.
The gap created by that innate difference in status would surely weigh on him as an enormous burden.
Indeed, Derrick was wearing a slightly troubled expression.
He probably hadn't expected someone to come looking for him while he was hiding in such a remote place and training.
If they just needed a mercenary, there were plenty of substitutes.
But Derrick was the only person worthy enough for three great families to ask around about.
Derrick himself seemed unaware of what had been happening in Ebelstein High Society lately because he'd been holed up in this cave, but from Denise's perspective, that was actually good news.
In any case, she had found Derrick first among the three great families.
If she dragged things out, the other families would catch the scent too.
If she couldn't persuade Derrick here today, things would only get more complicated.
And Denise, who hated nothing more than things getting complicated, was determined to take Derrick back with her today.
"I'm truly grateful that you came all this way to find a mere commoner mage like me. However, as you can see, I'm not sure if I'm in a situation where I can be teaching someone right now."
"Is it because you're focusing on magic training?"
"Yes. Right now, I've encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To be honest, I want to focus on my own training for the time being."
There was an exchange of glances among the servants.
A young lady of the Beltus family had personally come here, and he was rejecting her right in front of her?
If there were some grand reason, that would be one thing, but refusing just because he wanted to train himself was by no means an easy thing to do.
Young Lady Denise wasn't that kind of person, but in any case, if a noble young lady set her mind to it, it wasn't very difficult to toy with a commoner.
However, Derrick had already risen to a position where it was difficult to toy with him.
His background was lowly and he had no particularly outstanding connections, but regardless, he was a talent that big families were all coveting.
If she lost her temper here and shouted at him out of wounded pride, everything would go down the drain.
Of course, Denise was also someone who could smoothly brush aside that level of discourtesy.
"Thank you for speaking frankly, Mr. Derrick. But I'm also desperate."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The last time at the magic training, I could really feel how sincerely Young Lady Aiselin and Young Lady Ellente were devoting themselves to training. You've seen them up close, so you'd know even better, but both of them are working harder than anyone else to maintain the dignity of noble young ladies."
Young Lady Denise spoke with a firm expression, more resolute than anyone.
Watching that, Bella felt at a loss for words.
Denise knew exactly where people's hearts were moved.
It was sincerity.
It was funny for Denise to talk about sincerity, but at least when it came to her outward persuasiveness, no one could match her.
Clasping her hands together and appealing with moist eyes was enough to stimulate anyone's protective instincts.
Even Bella, who knew Denise well, couldn't help but swallow her dry saliva at that sight.
"Falling behind is a sad thing."
"…."
"When everyone else is calmly moving toward a higher realm, if you're left behind alone, your self-esteem gets chipped away and your heart gradually wears down. Why hide it anymore, I'm terrified of the fact that I can't keep up with the achievements of those two."
Denise strode forward and grabbed both of Derrick's hands, who looked utterly haggard.
Her slender, pure-white hands held Derrick's dirt-stained hands without hesitation, and she looked him straight in the eyes from up close and appealed with all her heart.
"That's why I went as far as asking around to find you, Mr. Derrick."
Denise asked with an anxious expression, as if she might collapse at any moment.
"Please. Please save me, who falls asleep every night in a swamp of anxiety. With just my own magic achievement alone… it's too much now."
"….."
Derrick was quietly looking at Denise.
The dark cave.
Denise gazing at Derrick with moist eyes.
She kept meeting his gaze like that for a long time.
How many men in this world could calmly shake their head after receiving such a fragile and wistful look?
Not only Bella, but even the guards protecting her couldn't help but click their tongues inwardly.
However, Derrick quietly opened his mouth.
"It seems to me that Young Lady Denise does not have a strong will toward magic achievement. On the way to the cave, you used 1-star light magic, didn't you?"
"What? You sensed that from here?"
"Yes. Your amount of mana is outstanding, but it didn't feel like you train every day to the point of being sharp. That's not a problem of talent, but a problem of will."
Denise's pupils widened for a moment and then quickly returned to normal.
"What are you saying…"
"Young Lady Denise. Forgive my rudeness, but to boldly say it, talking about sincerity toward magic with falsehoods in front of a mage who is immersed in magic is not a very good judgment."
Derrick was a man so immersed in magic that it would be fair to say he was crazy about it.
And those he had taken the time to teach, despite being that immersed, had one thing in common.
Whether it was Delia or Ellente, they were all people who were truly serious about achieving magic.
"Some people would take that as an insult."
Meeting that cold gaze, Denise had no choice but to realize it.
Even though she wore a thick mask, this boy had seen right through beneath it from the start.
"I don't know why Young Lady Denise needs me. However, no matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem to be for magic achievement."
Derrick brushed himself off and stood up.
He had barely slept and had been buried in magic, but he was still somehow managing to hold himself upright.
"If I don't even know what the client wants, how can I carry out the request? I do not accept requests that I cannot handle. That would be a great discourtesy to the client."
With that, Derrick bowed his head slightly.
It was a polite refusal.
"So please, rather than a lowly wandering mercenary like me, find a much more capable person and entrust them with the request. That would better suit Young Lady Denise's status."
His manner of speaking was so perfectly equipped with courtesy and formality that there was nothing more she could even say.
"Wha…?"
Denise felt as if she'd been hit on the head with a hammer.
All the method acting she had poured out until just now, enough to make even the heavens collapse in shock, became meaningless, and she could only stand there in silence.
Before long, she felt as if a deep scratch had been carved into her pride.
She had heard that he was a talent even Aiselin and Ellente couldn't get, so she had come prepared to some extent.
But she had never imagined he would reject her this cleanly.
If he had at least shown some hesitation, she wouldn't have felt this bad.
'No, I, a young lady of the Beltus family, came all this way asking around, and even bowed my head like this…?'
Part of the reason for that humiliation was certainly her noble sense of authority.
But there was an even bigger reason.
'Even though I'm this pretty and even held back tears…?'
Needless to say, her princess syndrome was already severe.
"Then, I'll be going to finish today's training."
"W, wait a moment, Mr. Derrick. First…"
Like that, before Denise could even call out to stop him, Derrick lightly jumped down from the rock and walked into the depths of the cave.
The servants watching that scene all had wide, round eyes.
They had heard rumors that he was a reclusive oddball, but they hadn't expected him to be such a mysterious person.
"Sh, should we go in deeper, Young Lady?"
When Derrick disappeared into the darkness, Bella hurriedly stepped forward and spoke.
If they were going to chase him, they had to move quickly.
However, Denise just stood there and smiled faintly.
"D, Young Lady Denise?"
"Hm. I thought he was someone with clear principles, but I didn't think he'd be this firm."
Bella had an uneasy expression.
"So that's how he's going to act. Even though I came all this way, holding back tears, with beautiful makeup and even expensive perfume, and he just looked at me with that indifferent face."
"Young Lady. First, please calm down and organize your thoughts rationally. Let's first inform the main house of the cave's location and then…"
"Huh? Get angry? Why would I bother getting angry? That's funny, Bella. Anyone would think I'm angry if they heard you."
She said that, but Denise was only smiling with her eyes, and a cross-shaped vein was bulging up on her forehead.
Bella swallowed her dry saliva.
Honestly, she wondered if it was really such a blow to her pride that her honey trap hadn't worked.
But if she said that out loud, she didn't know what kind of repercussions there would be, so she had to keep her mouth shut.
Young Lady Denise was usually someone who found everything bothersome and didn't easily muster motivation, but once she rolled up her sleeves, she was a frightening person.
"Just… a little… I feel stubborn now… hehehe…"
Bella pressed her temple and endured the headache as she looked at Denise.
Having spent a long time with her, Bella knew her well.
If there was a tree that wouldn't fall, she was the type to grit her teeth and swing the axe even harder.