Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 28

“First, let’s hop in the carriage and chat. Haven’t you already wasted enough of your precious time?”

“Oh, then I should accept your kindness—”

“Wait a second, Sir Dares? Could I have a word with just me and Ricir?”

“There’s no reason not to. Feel free to chat.”

“Fien?”

“Enough talk, just follow me.”

Fien grabbed Ricir’s sleeve and led him under a tree, away from the carriage.

“What’s up, Fien?”

“I just wanted to check. Are you really okay with just hitching a ride in their carriage?”

“…Just hitching a ride is good enough, right?”

“Sigh. I knew it would be like this.”

“Hey, you fool.”

“Yes, miss?”

“Care to explain what you just did?”

“What I did? Helping subdue the black magician?”

Swish!

Fien pointed her finger at Ricir like she was scolding him.

“Not that? What you did wasn’t helping subdue the black magician.”

“Then should we say I ‘helped’?”

“Ugh! Just listen! What you did wasn’t just ‘helping’ to subdue the black magician, you actually ‘led’ it! No, wait, what’s the word? You basically did it all by yourself.”

“…”

As Ricir scratched his head awkwardly—Swish!

Fien pointed her finger at him again.

“And that reaction! I know what it is. Want me to say it?”

“Go on.”

“Well, it’s no big deal, but—”

Fien mimicked Ricir’s tone in a ridiculous way.

“Am I now under Fien’s mind control? Engaged in mental domination?”

“Hmph. You’re such a fool. I could read your mind even without that.”

“You’ve come to live right inside my heart.”

“Don’t say creepy things like that. I have no intention of living in such a hideous place.”

Even though her words suggested disgust, there was a hint of excitement in Fien’s tone.

“Looks like there’s no helping it. Since you’re such a foolish person, I’ll explain what you did.”

“First.” Fien raised her slim white finger.

“You found the black magician hiding among them.”

“Second.” She raised her middle finger next.

“And you protected them from that black magician. Furthermore, you captured the black magician and handed over their identity.”

Poke! Poke!

Fien jabbed Ricir’s arm with her finger.

“Do you know what the key point is here?”

“That you saved their lives…?”

“Nope? Anyone with power could’ve done that. Right? Even if your master had been here, he would’ve done it too. But finding that hidden black magician? Breaking their magic and curses?”

Poke!

“You heard what that healer said, didn’t you? They tried every method possible for months and couldn’t achieve anything. What does that imply?”

Poke!

“It was something only you could do. In other words, you’ve incurred an unmeasurable debt with them.”

“…”

The truth was, Ricir knew it too.

How special his power was.


How special of a help it had been to them.

Yet he couldn’t show it—

Because it was a power obtained without hard work.

You could say it was a gift, but at least to Ricir, that’s how it felt.

Having been a bastard who worked his whole life to attain what he had inherited.

No matter how hard he worked or sacrificed, he was rarely recognized.

Yet regarding this power, even the slightest effort was met with immense recognition.

Ricir likened that feeling to this.

Like when you do simple addition and subtraction, and everyone around you gasps in awe.

Or when you treat someone to a cup of coffee, and they burst into tears of gratitude.

Boasting about it made him feel like a pathetic human being.

Well, it worked out.

Ricir decided to ask Fien for advice about the anguish he was experiencing. After all, wasn’t she someone who had enjoyed her “born specialness” longer than he had?

“What? You’re worrying about that? Well, if it’s you, it’s a unique concern.”

Fien chuckled.

And her following answer was so straightforward that it was almost absurd.

“Don’t think too hard about it, just enjoy it.”

“Enjoy it?”

“If we, the special beings, can’t accept our own specialness, then who else will?”

“…”

“Even the dumb aristocrats flaunt their specialness.”

As Fien spoke, she took on a regal demeanor.

A being that looks down upon others from above.

“I guarantee you, we are several times more special than those aristocrats. No, their proclaimed specialness is an illusion, while our inherent specialness is the true deal. So, enjoy it proudly. We, as special beings, need to get used to receiving special treatment from others.”

Ricir wondered if he had picked the wrong person to ask for advice.

Wasn’t this going beyond just enjoying the specialness he was born with?

However, that very aspect turned out to be helpful.

It eliminated any room for complicated thoughts.

Meanwhile, Rona, who had been listening nearby, nodded.

“I think I understand what you’re talking about.”

“?”

Fien blinked at her.

‘How do you know that?’

She looked genuinely surprised.

“…”

Feeling hurt, Rona shrank away into a corner.

Ricir organized his thoughts.

After a brief pause for Fien to wait, she spoke again.

“Alright then, you understood what I meant, right?”

“I did, but—hm…”

“Of course. What would you expect from an ordinary person like you?”

“You just said I was special.”

“That’s from a universal standard. Well, don’t worry too much, okay? You have me by your side.”

What does she plan to do?

Ricir couldn’t hold back any longer and said, “It’s already decided, right? You’re the ordinary, weak, pathetic one who can’t do anything without me? Trying to claim your rights? That’s a pretty important task. Just think about the value of the ‘sacred artifact’ you gave up for them—”

“Fien, just so you know, that wasn’t a real sacred artifact; I whipped it up temporarily.”

“Oh, I expected that. It doesn’t surprise me anymore.”

“…You actually expected that? Didn’t you just talk about the value of a sacred artifact?”

“What we gave doesn’t matter. What matters is what they received from us.”

“…!”

Ricir experienced a great realization.

‘My way of thinking has changed!’

*

Several days after their journey began.

Having traveled far off the original destination, Dares’ carriage insisted on bringing them right up to the entrance of Bondales.

“Ricir, I look forward to the day we meet again.”

“Ricir, please stay well.”

“…Cough. Take care.”

After parting from Dares and his group, they proceeded with the entrance procedures into Bondales.

At the checkpoint by the main gate, they found themselves part of a long queue that made people feel a constriction in their chests.

An endless wait.

At the end was Bondales, drenched in the colors of the sunset.

There was no time to relish that sight.

“Bath…”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

Fien, with slumped shoulders, and Rona, who was melting away in sweat, were gazing at me with desperate eyes.

Right. First, let’s recover from our fatigue.

We immediately set out to find accommodations.

“How about that one?”

Could it be that after a long time, I was excited about finally sleeping in a proper bed?

Fien pointed to an inn, exuding enthusiasm.

By pure luck, it seemed to be the most luxurious inn around.

“With the money it takes to stay in such a fancy inn for a night, we could stay at other high-end inns for two days. And with the money for two days at a high-end inn, we could stay at a regular inn—”

“Ah, shut up.”

Fien cut me off, exasperated.

Just when I thought she’d be upset—

“Ricir, how about this? I thought of a way to save on lodging expenses.”

“…Are you suggesting saving money?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? With the money for a day there, we could stay two days at a lower-tier inn.”

“That’s true.”

“Then how about we just rent one room and share? That way we’d reduce the lodging cost by half.”

Confidently suggesting her brilliant idea, Fien subtly avoided my gaze.