Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 18

Ricir didn’t understand the Master’s words.

He grasped the context, but assumed that he had misinterpreted the meaning embedded within those words.

“Are you saying I can say anything I want from Bendel…?”

Who could take that meaning at face value?

If the answer were to be, “Well, I want the Bendel Mansion and the head of the clan,” that would be the real problem.

‘Shouldn’t I adjust to a bastard rating of A+ or something? Things are getting crazy…’

Lately, Ricir was spending his time with trivial thoughts, nothing more than a common youth despite not being one.

It wasn’t easy for him to keep up with his mysterious Dark Elf master’s techniques while traveling with a talking book.

“Wait! Who are you?!”

Amid the confusion of the disciple and the master who was grinning like an idiot, someone interrupted.

“Oh my, who’s this child?”

“This is my sister, Loera, who thinks, no matter what, ‘my brother is my brother.’”

“Ah!!! I told you not to say that, seriously!”

“Goodness, you two seem close.”

The bastard and the lady, having escaped Bendel, quickly searched for a place to hide.

The lady insisted on leaving Haierne as soon as possible.

The guards in Haierne were under Bendel’s jurisdiction. With just a gesture from the head of Bendel, all entry points to Haierne would be locked down.

However, the bastard insisted they head to the place of someone who would help him.

Thus, they arrived at a house not too far from Bendel.

A helper for Ricir?

Loera quickly became intrigued. Simultaneously, she understood.

The sudden changes Ricir had experienced lately. If it was all due to a third party’s influence, that made sense.

Loera was curious about that helper while touring the house.

Then, she heard Ricir talking to someone in the living room—

“Hey! Hey! Ricir! By the way, your helper isn’t—”

“Oh, let me introduce you. This is my Master.”

What in the world.

The young lady from a noble family expressed her surprise with a touch of elegance.

She couldn’t hide her confusion and aversion towards the Dark Elf who appeared before her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Loera.”

Pamon reached out her hand to the stunned Loera.

“…”

Loera instinctively reached for the sword at her waist.

It was an unconscious action.

If a Dark Elf she had never seen before suddenly extended a handshake, anyone would react like Loera did.

Thus, Pamon didn’t particularly show any offense.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I surprising?”

With a lively smile, she apologized and withdrew her hand.

“Haa…”

Beside them, Ricir sighed deeply.

“Loera… I’ve never raised you like this… Master, I apologize. As you can see, Loera is quite shy.”

“Don’t worry! She’s just a bit like a cat, maybe a little cute?”

Loera looked back and forth between her Master and Ricir, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

The distance between them… Eventually, Loera wrinkled her brow and pulled at Ricir’s arm towards her side.

“Oh my, oh my. Just look at the jealousy. Isn’t it adorable?”

“Haa… Loera. Such suppression will only bring a fierce backlash. We just had a pretty heavy backlash ourselves, didn’t we?”

“Stop the nonsense…! What are you, what are you saying!? You don’t mean the helper is that Dark Elf!?”

“Isn’t that right?”

“What the hell—”

Loera’s sword left its sheath.

She aimed it at Pamon.

“You! What have you done to my brother?!”

“You called him ‘my brother’…”

“Oh my, just look how you care for your brother. What a lovely family I’ve stumbled upon!”

“By the way, Loera. You should offer your hand for a handshake, not a sword.”

“Shut up and stay quiet!!!”

It was prejudice.

At the same time, it was common sense.

Dark Elves, who live hidden in shadows, are ominous beings that spread curses around them.

Thus, it was only natural to be cautious of Dark Elves, especially when they approached one’s family.

Loera responded as expected based on common sense.

But listening to the conversation between the two made her feel foolish for being so tense.

The sharp vigilance of a genius knight was rendered pointless by the priest’s meaningless chatter.

In the end, Loera sheathed her sword once more.

“Now, explain what exactly happened.”

Ricir concluded his explanation.

While listening to the story, Loera directed wary glances at Pamon but was soon staring at Ricir with wide, astonished eyes.

At first, she thought the cursed Dark Elf was concocting some sinister plot to enchant a bastard, but as she listened, it was the opposite.

“What’s that cognitive-blocking magic? Is there such a convenient magic? I’ve never heard of it. So it’s not your distinct trait, just—what? Where did it go?”

“Looking for me?”

“Aaaah!!!”

Having encountered a broader world and possessing the discernment to match, Loera found the Dark Elf to be an exceptional presence by her standards.

And Ricir’s hidden qualities were special even when judged by that exceptional Dark Elf.

Coupled with the way Ricir interacted with the Dark Elf…

Should she call it bold or reckless?

It was only natural for the Dark Elf to feel interest and fondness.

“Unbelievable. What if the Dark Elf approached with malicious intent and cast a curse or magic?”

“If we put it that way, can’t humans suddenly pull out a sword and stab us at any moment?”

“…”

“…”

The eyes of the sister and master met.

It was a moment where emotions felt between this mutant (?) surpassed their respective races.

In the end, Loera withdrew her guard.

She bowed her head to Pamon.

And then—

“Mi-mi-mi-”

“Loera! Even so, you shouldn’t call our Master a lunatic—”

“What do you mean! I was just trying to apologize!”

“Oh? Are you apologizing to me? Why?”

“Why do you think… You threatened me with a sword on our first meeting…”

“Oh, hey~ It’s fine! It’s nothing serious. My disciple is just unique, and your reaction is perfectly normal. Besides, besides, you’re trying to protect Ricir, who is ‘the one and only brother’ no matter what, aren’t you~? I completely get it! How heartwarming it is to see that… like a little kitten…”

“Our little Loera…”

“A kitten, a baby?! What nonsense! Get those creepy eyes away from me!?”

Loera quickly understood how her brother had gotten along with them.

Ricir’s Master is a Dark Elf!?

Having experienced such an extraordinary event, Loera thought that there was unlikely to be anything that would surprise her again.

She decided to take in every piece of conversation she could get.

“…Are you just babbling again?”

But despite that confidence, it wasn’t long before she went back to having a dazed expression.

“I get it. I’m still trying to navigate through the fog of confusion that hasn’t completely cleared. It’s not easy to grasp the existence of something so wondrous… Not easy at all.”

The moment Loera heard Ricir’s real nonsense, she fell into shock.

Compared to that, anything Ricir had said before felt like mere nonsense.

Meaning—

“You’ve only been learning magic for less than a week?”

Pamon began bragging about her disciple excitedly.

“As my disciple says, isn’t it remarkable? My disciple. And our little sister~? You can boast about your brother unapologetically regarding this part?”

“Bragging about him…”

“Not interested…”

She couldn’t deny it was an extraordinary talent, but she wasn’t in the mood to indulge in the otherworldly vibe shared by the two priests.

<Finally! Have some normal person appeared.>

Just then, the voice of a third party was heard.

“Who else is it now?”

“Oh, sorry for the delay in introductions. This is Duran.”

“It might speak a bit mischievously, but it’s a nice book at heart, so don’t worry.”

<Good. So you’re Ricir’s sister? I like how you’re calm, unlike that rude brother of yours. I’ll skip the handshake since my current state makes it hard.>

“…”

The book, neatly bound and wine-colored, was speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And Pamon and Ricir were treating it just as casually.

An object with a self-aware personality—an Ego Item.

Ego Items themselves weren’t that rare.

There was a lock in Bendel Mansion that could recognize its owner and open and close on command.

…But an Ego Item that could express its personality so freely?

Loera had never heard of anything like that.

Perhaps such a thing would be hard to find even at the top of a Mage Tower?

“Ah. My head—”

Loera’s mind hit its limit.

She had been born with a talent for swordsmanship.

People around her always treated her uniquely, and she had never questioned it.

‘…Am I really not that special?’

A Dark Elf.

A talking book.

Having become friends with both in less than a week, she experienced extreme confusion regarding her values.

Yet she remained steadfast, listening intently to their stories.

They say humans are adaptive creatures.

“Ah. So right now, you’re single-handedly planning to overthrow the Bendel Mansion?”

As the story reached its climax, Loera had become a manifestation of acceptance, able to say ‘I see’ to any story.

“Oh my. You seem composed. Are you alright? I was worried you might be upset with your sister because of this.”

“I guess it’s okay to say so—”

Bendel’s family system kept a thorough gap between the two clueless children due to adult reasons.

Perhaps having worn down from the disillusionment felt so far, Loera couldn’t feel much about the disaster at her family.

It wasn’t sad, nor was it happy.

It was somewhat ridiculous.

“Pretending to be noble scions of heroes while looking down on bastards. Only to find out that the identity of that hero was a liar who sold their pride to gain power and pretend to be a hero? Unbelievable.”

Loera chuckled in disbelief.

Soon, that chuckle turned into her characteristic sarcasm.

It felt pretty good overall.

Thanks to this event, she might be able to fully sever the affections she had previously harbored towards the family that felt almost like obligation.

The anxiety and apprehension she felt when she impulsively cooperated with Ricir’s elopement had cleanly vanished.

“Then, Master, what happened to that contract? Since I no longer belong to the family…”

“Then a new payment will need to be prepared in Bendel.”

“Which means I can choose anything I want, as I wish?”

“Of course. That’s the meaning behind what is said to be the most valuable treasure.”

“Master, can I ask you one thing?”

“Of course, my disciple~ Feel free to ask~ Master knows everything, you know? I can answer ten questions for every one you ask~”

That’s not how it works.

Ignoring the interjections from Duran and Loera that came in nearly simultaneously, the priest continued the dialogue.

“Why are you willing to give that to me?”

“Because I’ve already gained what I wanted, haven’t I?”

Pamon rested her chin and looked at Ricir.

When Ricir pointed at himself with his finger, she nodded.

“I’m perfectly satisfied with the outcome I have now. So I’m trying not to be greedy. Oh, is our conversation perhaps uncomfortable for your little sister?”

“Me? Why?”

“Because your sister is the legitimate heir of Bendel, isn’t she?”

“I’m not inheriting anything.”

“Oh my. Such boldness.”

Loera straightened her posture.

Leaning her chair back, she placed her long legs on the table.

“Family tree has tangled, and the household is in complete disarray. This is perfect; I can finally sever ties with Bendel and live my own life like this fellow.”

“My disciple? Your little sister is quite bold!”

“That’s why I’m concerned. Who on earth would take such a fierce young lady?”

To Ricir’s words, Loera gave a mischievous smile.

“Who would take her? You led me here, didn’t you?”

“…”

Ricir, for once, found himself at a loss for words and looked away.

His sister burst out laughing at the scene.

“Oh my, Duran. Our kids are just so lovely, don’t you think?”

<Who said you could call them your kids, crazy Dark Elf?>

Dark Elf, a talking book, the bastard of Bendel, the lady of Bendel.

They huddled together for a period, discussing opinions.

What should they do?

What should they take from Bendel?

Participants of the meeting.

Contents of the meeting.

It was a scene that would raise eyebrows if the guards saw it.

“Is it possible for her to take over the family itself? Like, becoming the head of the clan?”

“Well, it might be possible, but given my disciple’s temperament, really?”

“It might be too much for me to handle. Above all, what I care most about right now is the success in magic.”

“Or how about we give Bendel’s methods a shot—”

Loera started to say, “Oh, never mind—” and shook her head.

“That’s right. For you, focusing on magic training is the right thing. Why would a guy who can shoot bullets with mana swing around a metal lump?”

“Then, then~ To learn swordsmanship after my disciple’s talent in magic is—oh wait, what did you just say, little sister? You can shoot bullets with mana?”

“What? Didn’t you teach him that?”

“?”

“?”

“?”

The gazes of the three turned toward Ricir.

One of them wasn’t even human but still—

“I didn’t consciously do it—In a crisis, while trying to bring forth the things taught by my Master to the limit, things just unfolded in certain ways…”

“I see~ So you managed to use trigger magic in some way~ Just like my disciple~”

“You can’t just rationalize this like that.”

“Of course! My disciple? Can you demonstrate it right here?”

“I’ll try…! Loera, could you call me brother so I can revitalize the sensation from that time…!”

“I never said that.”

Ricir stood up and focused.

He concealed the silver orb gifted by Pamon in his left hand and raised mana with his right hand.

He was in quite a nervous state.

They say a human in a critical situation can exhibit abilities beyond their normal limits.

Perhaps that was how the magic was manifested?

Would it come through as he tried to reenact it now?

Concentrating hard, Ricir gathered mana above his left hand.

And then—he faltered.

“…”

Ricir’s expression went doubtful at the flow of mana that couldn’t take shape.

“Wow, my disciple~”

“Wait, isn’t that a failure?”

“Oh? Was that not a success?”

“I remember it being a perfect sphere back then, though?”

“Really? What on earth is happening? My disciple? Don’t be disappointed? Just managing that is a remarkable achievement.”

While they interpreted Ricir’s expression that way—

Ricir’s thoughts were aimed elsewhere.

He was in the midst of accepting a strange sensation.

As if something he’d previously perceived as a wall had crumbled, revealing a new path—

Soon, Ricir began to reminisce about the battle against Gerhen once more.

What if there had not been a duel—

What if Loera had been absent—

What should he have done?

One thing was clear: He needed to be faster.

To pierce through Gerhen’s thorough vigilance.

To avoid what seemed inevitable—

Like arrows slicing through the wind.

When a series of thoughts reached a conclusion, a single arrow had taken shape above Ricir’s hand.

—Swooosh—

An arrow filled with the swirling winds at its core.

“…Did it look like this?”

Loera squinted, straining her eyes and tilting her head.

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▶ Region: Haierne

▷ The Returned Bastard – Deactivated

▷ The Agreed Price – Deactivated

▷ The Witch of the Western Forest – Deactivated

▷ The Pure White Girl – Deactivated

▷ Unfinished Business – Deactivated

All destinies have been deactivated.

Events in an active state are all converted to a deactivated state.

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▷ Region: Haierne – is Deactivated

Consequential rewards are to be distributed.

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