Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 16

Pat. Pat.

I gently patted Loera’s back.

I intended to keep doing it until she calmed down.

Before long, Loera’s breath, which had been choked with emotion, regained its steadiness.

Her back, touching my arm, was rising and falling rhythmically.

Sniffle. Sniffle.

The last stage of calming down, the sniffles were also winding down—

Only the sound of our soft breaths remained between us.

Loera was slowly going to detach from me.

“…”

“…”

Not yet?

I resumed the patting.

After about 30 pats.

At this rate, Loera should be separating from me soon.

“…”

“…”

Still not yet?

I resumed the patting again.

After about 60 pats.

Wouldn’t she really detach from me this time?

“…”

“…”

Pat.

Pat.

Pat.

Pat.

Since the first pat, an eternity seemed to pass.

It felt like I would forever be singing the song of pats, while the bastard’s arms turned to dust, and the noble lady peacefully snored—well, when are you coming out?

At this point, I was genuinely worried.

Hey, is something wrong?

“Loera?”

Fortunately, not dead while standing, Loera jolted at my call, trembling.

“What.”

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“…what.”

“…! Don’t tell me your language ability has diminished due to shock!? Loera, can you speak more than two syllables to reassure me?”

“…ugh, come on!”

Loera pushed me away, annoyed.

Like shaking off a tick.

“Let me be, just get away!”

“How perplexing.”

Get away just because it’s annoying?

Was it me who was the clingy kitten basking in the warmth of the other person and receiving pats endlessly?

Confused memories. Crumbling identity. Fluffiness in disbelief.

I was shocked.

It seemed my sister’s true identity was genuine.

Such powerful mental interference.

“I’m sorry. My little sister. Did I get a bit clingy?”

I was now talking to the back of Loera’s head.

After she pushed me away, she immediately turned her body.

“Ugh, what are you saying, gross!”

Fortunately, communication wasn’t a significant issue.

I could almost see her expression just from her voice.

Irritation, discomfort, disgust—those expressions were perfectly balanced.

“What do you mean gross? I’m starting to feel hurt here.”

“Stop calling me brother so much, okay!?”

“You just said it yourself! No matter what anyone says, I’m your brother. So no matter what Loera says now, this big brother is still your brother.”

“Ugh—are you crazy, are you insane…!!!”

Clap, clap, clap!

Loera groaned and slapped her cheeks repeatedly.

Finally, she turned back to face me again.

“Forget it!”

Loera’s face was red.

I guess it’s no surprise a genius in swordsmanship has that reaction.

Her cheeks flushed so bright you’d think they were tomatoes.

Isn’t that borderlining a bruise?

“Forget what?”

“Everything! What just happened, all of it, everything!”

“Even though ‘no matter what anyone says, I’m Loera’s brother’ is something I have a knack for forgetting, won’t it be hard to forget just that? That was the moment we confirmed our loving feelings, the lovely little sister and I. I probably won’t be able to forget that. You might forget everything, but you absolutely cannot forget me.”

I recalled Loera’s words, savoring the emotion of that moment.

Loera might have felt it too, as her eyes slowly misted over.

“R-really…? You won’t forget? Well, that means I have no choice.”

—Swoosh.

An inappropriate chilling sound interrupted our warm moment.

“Then let’s just die. You die, and I die too. No matter how I think about it, that’s the way to go.”

A trembling voice. A trembling sword tip.

Tomato-red Loera made her resolution.

“W-wait, Loera…! N-no one else may do this, but you can’t do that to me!!!”

“AAAAHHHH!!! Shut up, just shut up!!!”

I had to calm Loera down once more.

This time, rather than patting her, I had to dodge the incoming sword strikes.

*

Phase two of calming Loera fortunately ended without any casualties.

Loera and I now sat on a bench in the mansion garden.

At first, she sat next to me, but suddenly tossed her shoes aside.

Then she threw her legs over my thighs and sprawled on the bench.

Looking to the left, I saw her white feet flopping around freely.

Looking to the right, I saw Loera staring at the sky vacantly with her blonde hair flowing over the seat.

“Loera, are you okay?”

“What about it.”

“Your clothes. Aren’t they going to get wrinkled? They’ll get dusty.”

“I don’t care.”

“Your hair is going to get messy too.”

“I just tied it roughly.”

“Is that the confidence of a stylish noble lady? Even when dressing carelessly, you still look good.”

“Oh come on, what are you saying.”

Loera scoffed sharply.

On the other side, her white feet were jumping joyfully.

I couldn’t help but wish Loera was as open and cheerful as those feet.

Just envying those feet while being their older brother.

“So—”

At that moment, Loera lifted her legs and straightened up.

Just when I thought she would sit properly—bam, she flopped again.

This time, she laid her head over my thigh.

Loera looked up at me from below.

“What now? What do you want to do from here?”

Loera kicked the backpack sitting under the chair with her foot.

It had been placed beside her, but she carelessly threw it aside as if it were in her way.

“Are you really going to move it? To the main building?”

Ah, speaking of which, Loera thinks I’m in the process of moving my belongings to the main building.

Before correcting Loera’s misunderstanding, I said,

“I’m just curious, but is there any problem if I go to the main building? Is it a teenage thing, like separating territories? You don’t even want to share a building with your brother?”

“What are you saying?”

Bam!

Loera lifted her head and slammed it back down on my thigh.

Like a budding knight, her whole body was a weapon.

“I’m just a bit annoyed, okay.”

“Because I’m improving my fortunes?”

“You told me to stop calling you brother.”

“…Are you talking about improving the fortunes of a male sibling now?”

“Sigh. Forget it. Not you. That guy.”

That guy.

Loera called the head of the family in such a tone in front of me.

It felt less about respecting the head of the family and more like speaking her true feelings, being in front of me.

Though I didn’t know the reason, it felt like she despised the head of the family intensely.

Stronger than the rebellion of a teenage daughter.

“That guy. Sending you to the annex as punishment and now sending you to the main building as a reward. What’s that all about? What—what—”

As she spoke, Loera noticed my gaze and clicked her tongue.

Bam!

Then she slammed her head against my thigh again.

“You think that I’ll just accept that? Don’t you have any pride?”

“So what about my female sibling—”

“Don’t push it. I warned you.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“…”

Loera avoided my gaze.

Tap. Tap. Followed by her foot tapping the unlucky bench for a bit.

“Am I annoying you?”

She spoke in a surprisingly timid voice.

“Since forever, it’s always been ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that,’ ‘why are you doing that,’ finding fault and meddling in everything while not offering any real alternatives.”

“…”

“This time, it’s the same. So what? What’s wrong with having no pride? Should I not go to the main building and keep living in the annex? Whatever. It’s not my problem.”

Thump. Thump.

Her feet tapping the bench grew more intense.

I quietly waited for what Loera would say next.

“…What did you talk about with that guy?”

“First, he said that if this arranged marriage goes well, I would be treated decently.”

“…Oh. Right.”

Loera shot up as if remembering a forgotten summer homework assignment.

“So, what did he say? You didn’t, by any chance, accept it happily, did you?”

“Is there some problem if I accept the arranged marriage?”

Loera frowned as she slapped my knee.

“Y-you idiot! Of course, there’s a problem! You’re going to let that guy choose your marriage partner for you?”

“Arranged marriages are pretty common among nobles, aren’t they?”

“That’s true, but—ah! You’re not a nobleman, right!?”

“What’s wrong with your face reflecting the thought that I have a good idea?”

“…Well, what’s wrong with that? Am I lying?”

“What? You’re not wrong, but I’m quite skeptical about the institution of arranged marriage myself.”

For modern folks, being of noble birth was a story from a separate world, something you’d see in dramas or movies.

If I were to get an arranged marriage, it wouldn’t feel real. But what if my siblings or children had an arranged marriage?

That would be very awkward.

“Really!?”

For some reason, Loera suddenly became animated.

“Wait, what’s this? Are you going to show up and say, oh~ arranged marriage is so nice, I can’t wait to meet my bride~ I have to get her pregnant and show the head of the family my grandchild~ I can already see it coming.”

“What kind of person do you think I am in your head?”

“Then—”

With gestures and murmurs. Loera seemed to think deeply for a while before saying to me, her face filled with excitement.

“Hey. Do you think you can do whatever I tell you to do?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Anything. If it’s something that might make you lose interest in the Dintal girl, just try to do anything.”

“The Dintal girl? Are you not on good terms with Pamon?”

“…Pamon?”

Loera suddenly made a face of irritation, scoffing.

“Wow, it looks like you guys have confirmed each other’s feelings? If a baby bird suddenly appears from the sky and sticks to you, what can you do? Guys can only be smitten, right?”

“It’s not like that at all. For now, let’s just hear what she has to say. What’s so bad about Pamon? You’re not just jealous about losing me, are you?”

“W-what are you saying!!!? Are you seriously talking nonsense!? Do you think that girl is normal!? She acts like her head’s in the clouds, doesn’t that bother you?”

I found myself inwardly admiring the torrent of explanations pouring out as if they were an excuse from Loera.

How did she know? At least, Pamon isn’t normal.

“Just stop it! I’m the fool for worrying about you!”

Loera turned around sharply, leaving me behind.

So we meet again today, huh? The back of Loera’s head.

“Fine. Let’s say Pamon has lost interest in me. When that happens, what will you do?”

“…Actually, I talked to that guy about this. I said I’d marry Dintal in your place.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask? Just because there’s this guy named Kalon who’s—”

Loera began speaking in a mechanical tone before glancing back at me.

“…Just.”

“Just?”

“Just! I did it because I didn’t want to see that guy do what he wanted with you, and I didn’t want to see you live under his thumb. Why? Are you feeling left out? Like I stole your chance?”

“…So, you mean to say you were going to sacrifice yourself for me?”

“Geez, what are you talking about. It’s annoying.”

“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’? I’m touched!”

“…”

“Really, the only one who cares for me is Loera.”

“…”

Loera reclined backward on the position she turned to sit.

With her head resting back on my thigh, she said, tapping softly.

“Then you better make an effort, okay? From now on, listen carefully to what your older sister says.”

“Is there any choice in that?”

“You! Didn’t I just say!? That you’ll listen to your sister!?”

“By the way, Loera, are you okay? With your personality getting married.”

“Do you think I’m the same as you? I’m the rightful heir of Bendel, okay? Right? I’m a noble lady who’s the best—when I marry Dintal, those people won’t even dare breathe in my presence. It’d be totally different from you, who can’t breathe for fear of me.”

That haughty tone of hers was just the way Loera was, yet still—

I felt a strange sense of artifice there.

I barely managed to hold back the urge to pet her head unconsciously.

“So, you understand? From now on, just do as I say.”

That. Hu. Man. Said. Roberta hit my thigh with her back in rhythm.

Honestly, I was touched.

Despite what she said and did, it felt like Loera was truly trying her best to improve my situation.

Tap.

I unconsciously moved my foot and touched the backpack on the floor.

Initially, I hadn’t intended to tell Loera anything.

I didn’t want to drag her into trouble, didn’t want to make her worry, and besides, I didn’t think Loera would care about me.

But now—

I made up my mind and opened my mouth.

“Loera. I really appreciate your feelings, but you don’t have to.”

“Yeah. Shut it.”

“What I mean is, I won’t have an arranged marriage, so you don’t have to worry about living an unpleasurable life either.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

I shared with Loera what I had experienced so far and what I intended to do next.

So I basically shared my plan to run away.

“…!”

As soon as I finished speaking, Loera stood up abruptly.

“What are you doing here?”

“I tripped over someone familiar on the way.”

“… Oh, forget that!”

Tap.

Loera picked up the backpack and dusted it off.

Then she swung it over her shoulder.

“What’s this? Are you seriously going to say, don’t go, brother!?”

Loera poked my side with her elbow, a mischievous grin on her face, unlike her usual cynical smile.

“Let’s go.”

“Excuse me, where do you mean?”

Bam. Bam!

Loera continued to poke my side quickly without answering.

She urged me to move forward.

With a face filled with excitement.

*

Damn. That’s right.

Idor. That guy couldn’t be as cool as I expected.

“Ricir!”

Led by Loera’s insistence, I tried to leave Bendel Mansion.

Just as I reached the front door, a man blocked my way.

“I have a message from the head of the family. If you, Ricir, intend to go out, the instructions are to refrain from doing so.”

Since he was inside the front door and not outside, he was not a trainee keeping watch.

He wore a smile that suited him well, and he was Gerhen, a knight of Bendel.

Gerhen was no novice knight; he was a full-fledged knight.

What this meant was—

“…What if I really have to go out and insist on it?”

“In that case, I’ll have no choice but to use force.”

Meaning he possessed a level of strength that I could never handle at my current level.

In fact, even as a trainee knight, it wouldn’t differ much.

The reason I could win against Hamtun, a trainee knight, was entirely due to Hamtun’s negligence on his part.

Thanks to that, I managed to exploit Hamtun’s opening with magic.

But now, everyone in Bendel knew I could use magic.

Hamtun had said.

If we were to duel again, he wouldn’t lose.

That wasn’t just bravado.

A trainee knight giving it his all while keeping my magic in check. I had almost zero confidence in winning against those sorts of opponents.

And what of the formal knight standing before me.

Gerhen could likely subdue three trainee knights like Hamtun all at once.

And now, Gerhen had declared his intent to use force to stop me.

In this case, what would be the best option for the bastard?

“Gerhen. Step aside.”

Damn it. I really didn’t want to choose [1. Hiding behind my sister].

Loera, seemingly uninterested in my intentions, came forward and faced Gerhen.

“Miss…?”

As the title switched from ‘bastard’ to ‘miss,’ Gerhen visibly startled.

“I’m going outside.”

“Ricir—”

“I’m taking her with me.”

“…”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m going outside. Step aside.”

Hoo.

Gerhen sighed.

“I don’t know what wind has blown to make you shield Ricir, but it’s not allowed.”

“Oh? Really?”

“As per the head of the family’s orders. Please, I hope you won’t take offense.”

“Oh, so that means you can definitely insult me if you wanted, huh?”

Smirk.

Loera lifted one corner of her mouth, wearing her typical mocking grin.

It was full of vindication.

“…”

Gerhen’s eyes twitched.

Even while serving Bendel, Gerhen was a nobleman.

Unless one was the head of the family, no one could treat his retainers carelessly.

“Miss. I am making it clear. I’m not the trainee knight Rowen that you defeated.”

“Do you mean for me to recognize my position?”

“I remember well how fierce the duel was between you and Rowen.”

In nobleman’s eloquence, this could be translated to:

Hey. You barely won against a mere trainee knight.

Do you really think you can handle me?

“Not a chance.”

Loera scoffed, drawing her sword.

“Very well. In that case, Sir Gerhen, I will seek your guidance.”

Gerhen, resilient, also drew his sword.

A duel of knights that wasn’t really a duel began.

*

“…!”

The first exchange.

A deep expression of surprise appeared on Gerhen’s face as he clashed swords with Loera.

It was only a year ago.

A year ago, Loera fought evenly against the trainee knight Rowen and won by a slender margin.

And now, one year later.

Loera stood there, not yielding to a knight who had been formal for a year.

Both pushed their swords apart.

As they widened their distance, they engaged again.

Swords clashed multiple times, creating a cacophony of metals.

After the exchanges were momentarily put to rest.

Loera and Gerhen, having created distance, looked at each other, both astonished.

“I think I’m starting to understand why Lord is so fond of you.”

“Thanks, but does that mean you’re willing to step aside?”

“The fact that despite not paying attention to the Bendel style, you’ve achieved this level of skill, this growth rate. It simply terrifies me about the day you formally take over Bendel.”

“Then you’re really going to step aside?”

“…”

Gerhen straightened his posture again.

This time, it wasn’t the same stance as before. The energy circulating around his sword began to ripple.

“Seriously, is this happening?”

Loera’s expression tightened.

Gerhen unleashed the Bendel style.

“Miss Loera. I trust you will understand my position.”

“What in the world is going on!? The very person you all despised is willing to leave the family on their own!”

Gerhen was stunned.

He thought that after going this far, Loera would back down.

But instead, Loera charged at Gerhen with all her might.

Since it had come to this, there was no turning back.

‘Loera can’t be hurt…!’

I wouldn’t be able to avoid at least minimal damage, but it couldn’t escalate into anything serious.

Gerhen began to gather his full strength.

He aimed to incapacitate Loera with a single stroke.

If I didn’t leave an opening, she could potentially get hurt.

“…!”

Just then, Gerhen’s gaze fell upon me—Ricir—behind Loera.

‘That bastard—!’

The knight’s formidable might recognized the gathering energy as I tried to secretly summon mana.

Gerhen was not alarmed.

He had watched the duel between me and Hamtun.

He knew the powers I was concealing and understood just how trivial they were in his view.

A knight’s mana was his sword and armor.

The mana surrounding Gerhen’s body was a barrier so thick that it could not be touched by a bastard’s meager skills.

Thus, Gerhen quickly turned his attention away from me.

‘That marble’s hidden in his left hand.’

He remained vigilant, conscious of an annoyance flitting nearby.

What a reasonable judgment.

…It was such a reasonable judgment that it ultimately turned out to be an incorrect one.

“Uh?”

“!?”

“!?”

The three of us felt something strange almost simultaneously.

The state of me, gathering mana, was abnormal.

What’s going on? Just how much mana is being collected?

“No way—what the hell is this!? I don’t understand!”

I outstretched my right hand instead of the left, which held the marble.

A mass of mana, chaotically collected yet infinitely precise and delicate, took shape and shot toward Gerhen.

An ambush no one anticipated, myself included.

But how would it appear from the perspective of others?

Could a human’s mana suddenly increase, let alone drastically?

That was something only possible when the head of the family consumed that rare elixir which scarcely touches even the head of Bendel.

“Unquestionable…!!!”

Indeed, a knight of Bendel.

Gerhen was able to respond with a beat of delay to the ambush targeting him.

He tried to swing his sword towards the mana sphere to deflect it.

However, the trajectory changed midway.

“…!”

Everything clicked into place, and ultimately, the bastard’s spell landed on the knight.

Gerhen’s eyes lifted slightly after taking a blow to his jaw from the mana sphere.

Before his eyes could return to normal, Loera’s fist followed alongside.

“What the hell did you do this!?”

Loera provided the words Gerhen himself would have said, now unconscious.

And just like that, the bastard and the lady exited the mansion.