Chapter 176: Seat of Thorns (4)
Dereck was certain he was dreaming the moment his vision returned.
The place was Duke Duplain’s study.
There he was, the great Duke Duplain, a figure who had left this world long ago, moving his quill smoothly as he focused on his work.
The beard of just the right length, the keen gaze, and the imposing bearing.
He was the very image of the man who symbolized the golden age of the Duplain family.
That was the first day Dereck saw him.
Duke Duplain was the first 5-star mage Dereck ever met.
Back then, when he had just escaped the slums and begun to immerse himself in the noble world, the pressure emanating from that 5-star mage had been so intense that he had not even dared to speak to him.
With a single exchange of glances, that man had measured Dereck’s level.