Journey (4)
There is nothing more to teach.
Those who heard Derrick's declaration could not help but tilt their heads in confusion at first.
Delia, Derrick's disciple, was now in the position of gradually mastering 1-star magic, but Derrick had almost mastered 2-star magic and was slowly peeking into the realm of 3-star.
The gap between their magical levels was as wide as heaven and earth, yet Derrick declared that teaching Delia anything more was meaningless.
"From this point on, I cannot judge whether my involvement will have a good influence on Young Lady Delia's mastery of magic or not."
The place was the duke's office.
Even at midday, the duke's office was shrouded in a strangely dim atmosphere that seemed to oppress anyone who entered.
The Duke of Duplein was sitting there with his chair turned, quietly listening to Derrick's story.
"Your Grace probably noticed it when you saw how Young Lady Delia uses magic, but she uses mana in a slightly different way from noble and discipline-oriented magic."
"It must be Wild School theory."
"You already knew?"
"Since the last spar, I had noticed her specialness to some extent. Not to the point of certainty, but still."
Raymond Oswald Duplein, the lord of this territory, was already a mage who had reached the realm of 5-star.
Since he was a person who had mastered most magical theories, he had also seen through the fact that Delia's magical achievements were not something ordinary.
"So?"
"Originally, Wild School magic assumes self-study. Up to a certain level, it can be efficient if a good teacher guides you, but once you go beyond a certain point, you have to worry about negative effects."
"And what exactly are those negative effects?"
"It is a case where restrictions arise on the mage's own free use of mana."
Derrick continued his explanation, standing firmly with his hands behind his back.
"Young Lady Delia's use of magic is like painting a picture. Even among free-spirited Wild School mages, her use of mana has such a strong personal color that it is unrivaled."
"It's like she's doing art."
"Yes, that is an appropriate analogy. The stronger an artist's personal color is, the less someone can casually give advice. Because it might end up cutting away that color and those strengths."
Derrick added.
"Perhaps she might become a mage of a much higher realm than we first imagined."
The Duke of Duplein listened quietly to Derrick's explanation, then slowly closed his eyes once.
The duke's appearance of being lost in thought always looked about the same. It didn't take long for him to reach a conclusion.
"I see. Then does that mean you no longer have a reason to stay in the ducal residence?"
"What meaning is there in a magic master who does not teach magic?"
"Delia is emotionally relying on you quite a lot."
"..."
Derrick lowered his gaze quietly and did not give any particular reply. The duke looked at that reaction and soon came to understand.
It meant that relying on Derrick more than necessary would not be good for Delia either. A Wild School mage had to learn how to stand alone.
"...Yes. You were a man with lofty ambitions from the start. In an environment like this ducal residence, there would be limits to how much you can train your magic. With your personality, you wouldn't be able to endure a situation where your own magical achievements are constrained."
"...Yes. Only in a combat-oriented environment does my mastery of magic truly pick up speed. The ducal residence is too... peaceful for me."
"So you were never meant to live comfortably."
"I consider it a kind of blessing."
The Duke of Duplein kept his chair turned, propped his chin on his hand, and looked out the window as he spoke.
"Still, my youngest daughter, who was like a sore finger, has benefited greatly. I can't dare say I was a good father, but at least I'm glad I could remain a father who cares for his daughter. It must be thanks to your efforts."
"You flatter me."
"How is it that children grow up so quickly? If I get distracted by territory affairs for a bit, they've grown another span before I know it. Sometimes it's frightening.
Valerian, Raig, and Aiselin are all finding their own places in this Noble Society, each doing their part.
Was Delia's wandering, the only one left, the big thorn stuck in his chest?
Now that even his youngest daughter was finding her own path, it felt as if he was finally entering some new phase as a parent.
The feeling of a mother bird looking at the empty nest left after all the chicks have flown away lies somewhere between lightness and loneliness.
The Duke of Duplein quietly sank into sentiment as he watched his children each go find their own paths.
"When will you leave?"
"When Young Lady Aiselin visits the mansion next time and returns, I plan to ride the carriage together to Ebelstein."
"I see. Return the library key now."
"Yes. I will put back the Magic Book I am currently reading and have it delivered separately through the head butler."
"There's no need to do that. Just return the key now."
It took a moment to understand the meaning implied in those words.
Derrick flinched, then glanced sideways at the 3-star Magic Book hanging at his waist.
No matter how much he was a duke of a nation, giving such a precious Magic Book to a commoner so casually was something that required caution. In monetary value, even one old book like this could often be worth as much as a decent house.
Even so, the Duke of Duplein, as if he had no intention of taking the Magic Book back, simply kept his head turned and propped his chin on his hand.
Derrick placed the library key on his desk.
"If there's nothing else, you may go."
The dim duke's office.
As always, the duke sat quietly amid great responsibility and a bit of loneliness. He looked like a solid statue.
Derrick bowed his head to express his thanks, then quietly left the duke's office.
In the corridor outside, Valerian and Delia were waiting.
Valerian had a slightly worried look, while Delia looked calmer than expected.
"Did you report to Father?"
"Yes. I decided to leave for Ebelstein next time on Young Lady Aiselin's carriage."
"...So that's how it is."
Valerian looked at Derrick with a regretful expression.
The reason he had come to find Derrick early in the morning was to ask if he could look after Delia a bit more. However, Derrick's opinion was firm.
That he could not tell whether teaching her any further would have a good influence on Delia. And that Derrick himself was also wasting time he should be using to master his own magic.
Since there was nothing beneficial for either side, the only conclusion was that they could not continue the magic lessons meaninglessly.
In the end, Valerian accepted Derrick's words and could only pat his shoulder twice in quiet encouragement.
"Alright. You've worked hard. The Duplein Family is deeply indebted to you."
"No. Rather, in the process of teaching Young Lady Delia, I feel like my own magical theory has been reestablished."
"...Take this."
Valerian took out a metal medal about the size of his thumbnail from his chest. On the front, the seal of the Duplein family was engraved large, and on the back, Valerian's seal was engraved in intaglio.
"If you show this at the noble district shops in Ebelstein, it will prove that you are under the protection of the Duplein Ducal House. They will show you some decent goods that are exclusively supplied to our family."
"...Thank you."
Derrick decided to accept the favor and put the medal with the Duplein seal into his chest.
Then he quietly bowed to Valerian and looked toward Delia.
Delia was looking at Derrick with a firmer expression than expected.
"You come suddenly, and now you say you're leaving suddenly too."
"That's just how the life of a wandering mercenary is."
"I know you won't listen, but I'll still say it."
Delia bit her lips and hesitated for a moment, then, as if she had decided she had to say it, she jerked her head up and said,
"...Can't you not go?"
As if those words had stabbed into his chest like a dagger, Valerian gently closed his eyes.
Derrick looked down at Delia quietly, then said with a gentler expression,
"I'll keep spending my time working as a mercenary around the tavern street in Ebelstein, like I always have. And I'll study a lot of magic too."
"...Yeah, I guess so."
"After you build up your refinement here, you'll receive a mansion for social training and come to the noble district of Ebelstein too, right? Just like Young Lady Aiselin did."
Derrick smiled faintly. It wasn't easy to see a smile from that blunt man.
"We'll see each other again soon. If my realm is a bit higher by then, maybe I'll have something more I can teach you."
At Derrick's calmly sinking words, Delia could only nod.
Derrick's words were always like that. He always said only the right things, so there was never any way to argue back.
*
That night, Delia had a nightmare.
It was a dream of the days when she had been shut away in the annex, accomplishing nothing.
As she sat quietly in the silent room, wasting her days, something like a demon's whisper came to her ears.
"Delia, you're a useless child. An incompetent child. A piece of trash that can't do anything and has nothing to boast of except Bloodline."
As those whispers filled her ears, the walls of the room began to close in. As if the whole world was about to crush Delia to death, everything converged into a single point, and in that, struggling without even being able to breathe, she suddenly snapped her eyes open.
She sat up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, and saw a dark room with moonlight seeping in through fluttering curtains.
In front of her, a maid was standing there with a flustered expression.
"Young Lady Delia. Are you alright? I heard you groaning and came in quickly..."
"..."
Delia steadied her panting breath, then let out another big sigh.
Thinking that Derrick would soon leave, a great, indescribable sense of emptiness was washing over her. At some point, she realized that she had come to rely on Derrick in many ways.
To be honest, she wished Derrick wouldn't leave.
But she had no justification to hold him back.
'Wasn't it you, Young Lady Delia, who held the initiative in this whole situation from the start?'
Then suddenly, the words he had once said flashed through her mind.
That's right. In the end, the initiative in all of this was no different from being in Delia's hands.
Derrick was leaving because Delia had completely reformed, and there was no longer any reason for him to intervene.
Then all she had to do was create a reason for Derrick to stay. Contrary to how she had been lately, she could beat up the servants, act like a hooligan, and make a complete mess, and it was obvious that she could keep him here.
Since there was no one else who had changed Delia, the duke and Valerian would also want to keep him at the mansion again. Then she could stay together with Derrick.
Delia looked quietly at the maid who had a worried expression.
She could slap that face and scold her for daring to enter the room where a Young Lady of the Duplein family was sleeping without any permission, even though she was just a lowly maid. She could make a big mess like that, cause all kinds of trouble, and turn the mansion upside down, and then Derrick would eventually stay again for Delia's sake.
Delia's eyes flashed.
".....No. It's fine. Can you just bring me a glass of water?"
"Yes! I'll go to the kitchen right away. Please wait a moment."
But Delia did not do that.
She quietly sat at the tea table in the center of the room, brushed her face as she received the faint moonlight.
Who would she be causing such trouble for?
Even if she made such a mess, it would only amount to denying everything Derrick had done so far.
Even if he were to leave her side, Delia could not bring herself to do something as meaningless as turning everything he had built into nothing. She never wanted to fade away the meanings he had left behind by her own hands.
What a hard-won daily life this was. The servants of the mansion all smiled kindly at her, and her family also spent each day with relaxed expressions. How happy these days were.
To throw this away was something Derrick would not want either, so Delia could only wipe her face and sniffle.
More than anything, what stabbed at her chest was Derrick's own ambition.
His ambition, which he had revealed while looking up at the sky together in the garden, was to not be satisfied with the status of a commoner and to become a mage of a higher realm.
Being tied down in a ducal residence like this would only hinder his journey.
That was why Delia could not hold Derrick back. He was a man with wings.
The girl held back her tears and then put on a firm expression.
Four days later, it was time for Young Lady Aiselin, who had come to visit the mansion, to return to Ebelstein.
At the main gate of the Duplein ducal residence, a splendid, huge carriage and many servants had come out to see the young lady off.
Young Lady Aiselin greeted the servants with a somewhat complicated expression, and when Derrick approached, she nodded her chin.
"Would it be fine to let you off at the entrance of Ebelstein? Or near the commercial district?"
"The commercial district would be more convenient. Thank you for your consideration."
"Of course. That's the least I can do."
It was an early morning with the air full of moisture.
As always with late spring dawns, there was a bit of fog, but the fresh feeling unique to that early hour still remained.
The boundary between day and night.
At that subtle time, the world sometimes feels empty.
Between the gardens where the sun had not yet risen, only the chirping of birds echoed hollowly.
Derrick thanked Young Lady Aiselin and looked around before getting on the carriage.
Valerian and Raig, who had come out early in the morning, quietly bowed, and Derrick also bowed his head in greeting.
Then Delia, who had been bowing among her older brothers, stepped forward.
Delia still had a firm expression. Though she was a girl who cried easily, at the moment of farewell she was surprisingly resolute.
He had thought she would cry and make a fuss, telling him not to go, but it was more unexpected than he thought.
As if she had predicted Derrick's thoughts, Delia smiled in an old-fashioned way and said,
"What? Did you think I'd cling to you and tell you not to go? I'm not a child anymore."
"Is that so? I see you in a new light."
Derrick let out a dry laugh, then looked quietly at the sky where dawn was beginning to break, and said to Delia,
"Still, it was an honor to be able to teach you, Young Lady Delia. I can't go around proudly saying I'm your master, but I hope you'll at least remember the magic you learned with me."
"Sorry, but I'm going to go around proudly saying you're my master."
"...."
"Sorry about that. Even if you want to live quietly, it won't go your way. Just think about it, being known as the master of Delia Catherine Duplein. How much do you think people will whisper? Hehehe."
The girl laughed playfully, then brushed her thick golden hair a few times and said gruffly,
"Don't get hurt doing mercenary work for no reason."
"I'll be fine. I hope you take good care of yourself first, Young Lady Delia."
"I don't have anything to worry about."
Delia did not make a big fuss. She just fiddled with the ends of her hair, then said with a firm expression,
"I'm already an adult. Look. I can take care of myself now."
Saying that, she put her hands on both sides of her waist, proudly puffed out her chest, and smiled in satisfaction.
—At that moment, Derrick widened his eyes in surprise.
It was a sudden, unexpected memory.
An old memory that had been buried deep in Derrick's subconscious for a long time, left unattended without being understood.
—"I'm already an adult. I can take care of myself."
A long time ago, Derrick had said those words too. Just like Delia now.
It was something he had said with a full, forced smile, tensing his whole body, because he didn't want to cause worry to someone who was leaving.
So that the one leaving could set out on their journey with a light heart, without worrying about the one left behind. With that feeling in his heart, the young Derrick had said those words to his worried master.
However, instead of making a relieved expression, the master had lowered his posture with an even more worried face and hugged Derrick tightly.
And then... he whispered something to Derrick.
For a long time, Derrick had not understood why those words were said, but in any case, he had lived with that farewell memory buried in a corner of his heart.
And then time passed, and he got a disciple.
And now, watching that disciple proudly puff out her chest and declare that she had become an adult in front of him as he was about to leave... everything connected like dominoes, and he understood.
The girl is still far too young. She still has a long road ahead.
Many trials of the world remain, and as she walks the path called life, she will experience much more wandering.
On those waves called life, how precarious is the sight of that tiny girl saying she has become an adult by herself.
The sight of that small disciple standing up on unsteady steps and saying she is an adult—how deeply it remains in one's chest.
Only now did Derrick finally understand the emotions that had been lingering on Katia's face that day.
And only now did he finally fully understand the gentle words that master had whispered to him.
"Young Lady Delia."
That was why Derrick lowered his posture and placed his hand on top of Delia's glossy golden hair.
Then, in a gentle tone, he quietly told her,
"There is no need to become an adult too early."
At those words, Delia's pupils widened for a moment, then she bit her lip.
It seemed she had been desperately holding her emotions back in her own way. Unable to stop the tears from welling up, she just blinked her reddened eyes.
Derrick quietly stood up and pulled his robe hood over his head.
"Derrick!"
As if she had no room to say anything longer, Delia raised her voice briefly. The words that followed were not very long either.
"See you again."
The girl would come to the High Society of Ebelstein. That was why Derrick could give a light farewell as he got on the carriage.
"Let's meet again in Ebelstein."
*
—Creeeak
The heavy carriage door opened, and Derrick trudged out from inside.
He shook out his light body and looked around, and it was already quite late.
In the narrow, winding alleys, the stench of daily life still filled the air, and piles of trash were heaped up in the corners of the streets. Old wooden boxes, food waste, and rusty blades were scattered about in a messy sight.
"Mr. Derrick. If you ever come to the noble district, please be sure to stop by our mansion. I'll treat you to the best tea.
If there's any problem, please be sure to consult me."
"Yes. Thank you."
"You're welcome at the mansion anytime."
Young Lady Aiselin leaned out and said her goodbyes herself. They had already talked a lot in the carriage on the way, but it seemed her heart still lingered now that it was time to part.
When Derrick bowed politely, the carriage slowly moved off toward the noble district.
—Clack, clack
After sending the carriage off like that, he quietly crossed the commoners' streets bathed in moonlight.
Barefoot children were running around, and here and there, crippled beggars were sitting and begging passersby. From afar, the screams of a woman being beaten and the shouts of drunk men mixed together, and from a cheap tavern, an unknown song drifted out.
It was a scene completely opposite to the noble houses, where refined fragrances drifted everywhere.
The moment he finally took a deep breath there, he felt something like an inexplicable sense of fulfillment, like when returning home after a long journey.
"Wow. Your skin's gotten a lot better. I guess noble house food really is good."
As he was walking toward the tavern street, a girl sitting cross-legged on an old wooden box in the corner of an alley spoke to him. With her chin propped up, she tossed out the words in a dry, casual tone.
Wearing an old, shabby robe, she looked exactly like a mercenary. A large bow hung on her back beside her neatly tied platinum-blonde hair.
"Oh, Felnine."
If this stinking sewer was Derrick's hometown, then that girl was like his old hometown friend.
Only then did Derrick truly feel that he had returned home.