Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 44

Right after parting ways with the Mage Tower people.

I mulled over the last words of Master Meltas.

“Once the issue regarding the Didoa incident wraps up, I’ll let you know about the Mage Tower supporter qualification.”

It was a satisfying visit to the Mage Tower (?), full of incidents but plenty gained too.

I had established some good connections with the Mage Tower officials, and it’s practically confirmed that I’d build a good relationship with the Tower.

On the day that either of those two issues gets resolved, I’ll receive the Mage Tower’s endorsement for my identity.

I’d be treated better than even a moderate noble, let alone a bastard.

For instance, I had two choices before me right now.

Sit quietly and wait for word from the Mage Tower.

Or keep myself busy doing something until I hear from the Mage Tower.

I, Ricir. Although I’ve become a man sought after by a master and worried over by the Mage Tower, the unfortunate fact remains that I’m unemployed.

I had built a good relationship with the Mage Tower over the past days, but on the flip side, my job-hunting had taken a backseat.

Thinking of Pamon and Rona, who had found jobs and gained independence right away with their charming personalities, I found myself anxious about just waiting around for news from the Tower.

However, it’s also true that the quality of jobs varies drastically depending on the Tower’s endorsement.

“Should I try asking Master Meltas or Didoa for a recommendation?”

That thought briefly crossed my mind—

“…No.”

Upon reflection, it was definitely not a good idea.

An endorsement from two Masters belonging to the Mage Tower is, in essence, not much different from the Tower’s own endorsement.

But there’s a key difference: my actions would directly impact the reputation of my endorsees.

For the sake of maintaining a constructive relationship with them in the future, I should avoid being overly dependent.

“Let’s see…”

I checked my pockets.

“With this amount, I can probably hold out for a few more days.”

Ultimately, I concluded that I’d wait a few more days.

—

“It’s late, Mage Tower… Am I going to end up homeless at this rate?”

A week passed.

Still no word from the Mage Tower.

Of course, I hadn’t just been twiddling my thumbs during that week.

Half of my awake time was spent getting a grip on the geography and atmosphere of Bondales (not sightseeing), and the other half was used to rein in my rapidly increasing power.

I was itching to train as well.

If I had gone to the Mage Tower to get advice from Master Meltas or spar with Heinya, I might have achieved better results, but, unfortunately, I was still an outsider. Just because I had some ties with a few people from the Tower didn’t mean I could waltz in like I owned the place.

I had felt the temptation briefly.

What if I just became a Mage Tower member?

Of course, that was a pipe dream. Tower students have to take regular written exams.

There’s no way I could keep up with their level of writing when I’d never even looked at a basic magic book. If someone asked me, “What prompted you to apply to the Mage Tower?” I wouldn’t be able to say “Money and power.”

“…”

I checked my wallet again.

“It’s getting to the point where I seriously doubt the efficiency of the Mage Tower’s administrative work.”

Let’s do something!

With that thought, I left my room.

—

District 9.

A region where financially comfortable outsiders mainly reside.

The place I stayed was located in District 9 of Bondales.

I’ll admit it. I’m far from financially comfortable.

Nonetheless, the reason I stay in this area is simple.

If I went down any further, my frail soul wouldn’t survive.

Having retained memories of my previous life as a modern person and raised in an aristocratic environment, my soul was surprisingly delicate.

District 9. This is the line I’ve drawn for myself.

If the day comes when I have to move to lodgings below this level, it’s the day I’ll be selling my soul for money.

I don’t think I’m being too peculiar.

Pamon went even further, staying in District 7, where wealthy merchants or nobles from afar reside.

I hear that the female guild master, who became a receptionist, felt sorry for Pamon’s situation and offered her a room.

“Damn, I’m jealous.”

How nice would it have been if I had a cute girl to charm me into giving up the house?

…As I walked while thinking such things, I found my destination.

[Padian’s Morning]

This building stands out even in the bustling commercial area of District 5, packed with all sorts of flashy shops; it’s a café.

In this world, cafés are not merely places to sip coffee and pass time; they’re social venues where the city’s insiders gather for interaction.

As such, they’re famously strict when it comes to hiring, and surprisingly, Rona works in such a café.

With her appearance, atmosphere, and conversational skills that captivated people, she was treated as a fairly upscale employee.

Yesterday, Rona had come to my lodgings before dinner and hinted at something.

She asked me to drop by the café where she worked if I had the time tomorrow.

So, I decided to stop by briefly before officially starting my job hunt.

Also, District 5 hosts several Adventurer Guilds.

Since it was still before lunchtime, the café was quite empty.

As I stood outside, scanning the interior, a blonde girl cleaning the tables spotted me and rushed out.

“Oh, you made it!?”

The once prickly girl turned into a timid girl upon facing me.

Rona greeted me in her usual soft voice, laced with a hint of awkwardness.

“How’s it going? Is it bearable?”

“…Is that even a question??”

It seemed Rona still hadn’t forgotten the glory of her former life.

She shot me a reproachful look.

“Look at what you’ve turned me into…”

“‘Turned you into’? Anyone hearing this would think I ruined your life.”

“Didn’t you kinda…?”

“Usually, that’s called rehabilitation. Reforming.”

“What…?”

“Remember your past life? Spreading discord among others, sneak attacks in the dead of night, trying to do nice things with mind-altering drugs, using mental magic—”

“That, that’s…”

Rona had realized the essence of human emotions through her rehabilitation.

Blushing with embarrassment as she recalled her disgraceful past, she fidgeted.

If it had been the old shameless Rona, she wouldn’t have imagined such a scene at all.

“Look at you now. Here you are, diligently pursuing the virtue of labor as an integral part of society. How commendable! Be proud of yourself.”

“Proud? Give me a break… I was on the brink of reaching a rank and ended up as a powerless girl…”

Rona cautiously glanced up at me.

“So, when are you giving it back?”

“Back? What?”

“What else? My powers, of course!”

“I could say, ‘if you behave yourself—’ but let’s be real, Rona. I don’t know how to do that. Honestly, it might be faster for you to start back from square one.”

“…Is it okay for me to train?”

“Are you really asking me that?”

“You’re my master…”

“I didn’t think you’d ever follow my orders so willingly. Honestly, when I let you go independent, I thought you’d just run off.”

“What if I run away and never come back!?”

“There’s no guarantee that sticking with me will let you return to your original state anyway—whatever, do as you like.”

“…You definitely gave the okay for me to train, right?”

Alright then.

Rona’s satisfied face lit up as she grabbed onto her pouch tightly.

“So, what’s going on?”

“Huh?”

“Why did you summon me to the café? For coffee or something?”

“Not exactly. I have something else in mind. Of course, if you want to have coffee, I can’t stop you…”

“What do you mean by something else?”

“Ah! Here, look—”

Rona pulled a pouch from her bosom.

“My paycheck for the week has come in…”

“Oh, right. Congrats on your first payday! That’s great.”

And she didn’t just show it; she handed it directly to me.

“…So, why are you giving that to me?”

“You’re my master! You decide my living expenses from here.”

Rona waited with a mix of excitement and worry for my ‘distribution.’

I was left dazed.

Never did I imagine I’d be the owner of automatic hunting in my life.

“What the hell are you doing?”

It was then that a frantic voice rang out.

Before I knew it, the attention of the café patrons was on us.

The presumed owner of that voice, a bespectacled man, approached us and stood in front of Rona as if to guard her from me.

“Rona, are you alright? Did this guy do something strange to you!?”

The man, seemingly intoxicated by his own bravado, voiced such concerns loudly.

“….”

In an instant, Rona, who had always been passive, changed her demeanor.

“What are you talking about?”

“Excuse me?”

“Who asked for your help? Why are you even helping me? Do you know what this person has done to me?”

With her prickly expression and drawn-out voice, the former Rona was back.

It looked like the diva couldn’t handle the situation where a man was ‘protecting’ her.

“No, wait—I just thought this guy was putting Rona in a tough spot…”

“Who said so? He’s my—”

Rona stopped and glanced at me.

“He’s my acquaintance.”

Given the current situation, revealing that Rona was a slave wouldn’t be beneficial for either of us, so she played it off.

“…Right, this guy is my acquaintance.”

Rona responded, her face brightening at my words.

“He’s your acquaintance…? But why is he—”

“Is that a problem? I’m giving it to her because I want to!”

Rona took the offense, and the surrounding café onlookers began to murmur with curiosity.

“Did you just see that? Rona, who’s usually so prickly, turns all shy in front of a guy.”

“What in the world? I never would have imagined Rona would be living with a guy.”

All the guests were watching the situation with great interest.

“That guy’s no good for her…?”

“Rona was seen with a man…?!”

Some looked genuinely shocked as if they were experiencing a revelation.

Rona’s status in the café seemed to be higher than I had anticipated.

“Anyway, this doesn’t concern you, so mind your own business.”

Rona shot a glare at the bespectacled guy.

“…”

The bespectacled guy, looking as if his world had crumbled, turned to walk away.

‘Why do I feel like I’ve done something terrible?’

As I watched the men in despair as they sunk into the heartbreak of failing in their ‘Rona’ ambition, I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

But unlike me, Rona didn’t seem to care about the impressions of others.

“Sorry for dragging you into this annoying situation.”

Rona chuckled awkwardly while stealing glances at me.

Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a few coins, handing me her entire pouch.

“I’ve got enough with this.”

“No, wait, hold on a second.”

It was true that I was short on cash, but even so, I wasn’t at the point of using a slave for automatic hunting.

I preferred fried chicken over a chicken breast steak any day.

Furthermore, if I were to happily accept cash here, I’d really look like an unscrupulous husband.

Word would spread in Bondales.

“For now, it’s your first paycheck, right? Yeah?”

When I tried to return her pouch, Rona looked at me wide-eyed in surprise.

“Thank you…”

“Why are you thanking me? Anyway, before things get more chaotic, I should take my leave. If you need anything, you know where I’m staying, right? Just come find me.”

“…But I’m your slave—”

Rona smiled and waved goodbye playfully, clutching her pouch with the other hand.

—

“…”

Gadena.

She was staring straight ahead with a serious expression.

—…!!! ~!!

—~~!!! ~!~!!

—…! …!~ ~~!!!

It was a rare sight.

Anxious and timid spirits frolicked around, completely unfazed by Gadena’s presence.

On that chair, steeped in the energy of ‘that man.’

This was a matter of Elven pride.

No matter what happened, Gadena did not want to acknowledge what that chair represented.

But it seemed there was no time for pride now.

A towering figure cloaked in black robes addressed Gadena.

“Movements of them have been detected in Bondales. Gadena, hurry. No matter what, we must secure ‘that’ before they do.”

“…”

After some contemplation, Gadena finally stood up, preparing to leave the laboratory.

“Where are you going?”

The giant asked.

“To the Mage Tower.”

“To the Mage Tower?”

The giant furrowed his brows at this.

As far as he knew, no mage at the Mage Tower dared to be more knowledgeable about spirit arts than their elves.

Gadena felt the need to explain, understanding the giant’s reaction.

“Master Meltas knows someone who can help with this.”

“An elf we know nothing about?”

“No. The human who made that chair.”

“…?”

The giant was taken aback, looking at the mysterious artifact with disbelief.

“Did you say a human made that artifact?”

“…It’s not exactly an artifact.”

“?”

—

Ricir looked up at the building before him.

[The Draphon Adventurer Guild]

It was one of the most renowned adventurer guilds stationed in Bondales.

The expression on Ricir’s face as he gazed at the building was quite significant.

Before long, he let out a chuckle and shook his head.

“No way, a bastard aiming for a career in a big company? That’s just immoral.”

With no lingering feelings, he turned his gaze away from the Draphon Adventurer Guild.

“There’s probably a guild called ‘Mud Boots’ around here—”

According to his investigation, while Draphon was firmly regarded as a top-tier guild, Mud Boots was barely scraping by as a second-tier guild.

‘That should be within reach, right?’

Just as Ricir was about to change his route, a voice called out.

“Hey there! What’s up? Why just come by and leave?”

“Huh?”

A laid-back-looking woman approached Ricir with a smile.

Her name was Kella.

She was an adventurer affiliated with the Draphon Adventurer Guild.

“Don’t you have business with our guild?”

“Ah, maybe—”

“Kella, I am. Part of the Draphon Adventurer Guild.”

She proudly introduced herself, offering a handshake, filled with pride.

“Oh, I’m—Ricir. Being part of the Draphon Guild is impressive.”

“Haha, I won’t deny that. I have been kinda amazing. So, Ricir, let me ask again—did you have business with our guild? You must’ve come all this way for something, right? Why just turn around and leave?”

“Well, that’s—”

“Should you have a request, I can assure you. You won’t be disappointed; we Draphon never disappoint.”

“…Actually, it’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“I was just trying to see if I could find an assignment.”

“…Ha!”

Kella let out a delayed laugh as she grasped Ricir’s intent.

“What? You’re an adventurer?”

“Technically, I’ll say I’m an aspiring one.”

“Hmm… I’m not so sure that’s the best idea.”

“Really?”

Kella gave him a wry smile, looking Ricir up and down.

With a neat appearance and light ambience, he seemed somewhat trained, but he lacked the intimidating vibe essential for an adventurer.

“I’ve been in this industry for quite a while, you know? So I can tell just by looking. You don’t seem cut out for this line of work.”

“Is that so?”

“Ah! Just so you know, that’s not an insult; it’s a compliment! This adventurer’s world is nothing like the romantic stories you hear. It’s more like a filthy underground for those at the bottom of society.”

Kella playfully tapped Ricir’s arm.

“It’s a job for those who have nowhere else to go. From my perspective, you don’t fit in our industry. You look cute enough; you come off as dignified with the way you talk. I’m betting you won’t last a week before throwing in the towel and running away!”

“Is that so…?”

Despite her good intentions, it was a piece of advice that could easily be taken as aggressive.

Nonetheless, as Ricir pondered sincerely, Kella thought again.

Ah! I can’t let this cute boy rot away in a slum for no reason!

Just as she was about to speak again—

“…!”

Suddenly, Ricir’s serious expression led him into an alley.

“Hey! Ricir! What’s wrong!?”

Worried, Kella hurried to follow him.

—

“…!”

It wasn’t long after entering the alley that something alarming unfolded before them.

“A wolf?”

It was a young wolf that hadn’t fully grown.

Around it were thugs in black robes, surrounding it.

“…”

The thugs, sensing a presence, turned their gazes towards the two of them.

A brief exchange of glances—

One of the thugs drew out a uniquely shaped sword and charged at Ricir.

‘Fast!’

The thug exceeded Kella’s expectations with incredible skill.

That kind of movement.

He might even be a beginner solidly at level 3.

“Ricir, step back!”

Kella drew her weapon immediately to protect Ricir.

Even if she had her party members with her, fighting would be a challenge against such a formidable opponent.

She couldn’t face someone with an affixed bounty.

‘We have to create a chance to escape somehow!’

Just as Kella steeled herself for the moment—

-PACK!

Suddenly, a gust of wind swirled, and the thug hurtling toward Ricir slammed straight into the wall.

“Guh!”

After taking the blow to his back and head, he expelled all the air within his lungs, losing consciousness.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Everyone, including Kella, was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

In fact, Ricir was equally bewildered.

Ricir prided himself on being highly self-aware.

That assumption quickly turned out to be false.

His standards and sense of perception were greatly skewed compared to the real world.

Most people cannot gauge the strength of others just from looking.

Unlike hidden figures from the Assassin Guild, those nurtured under the protection of necromancers, Masters of the Mage Tower, genius magicians, or elves that have lived for over a century, like himself.

Yet, through multiple unique experiences, Ricir’s perceptions had become convoluted.

‘Was he not confident enough to charge at me without a backup?’

He had assessed the level of the thug who charged at him.

Was he at the early stages of level 3?

The sense of assurance with which such a thug rushed him led Ricir to think that there was a secret technique hidden away.

So he immediately unleashed his full strength, but—

“What… what was that…?”

Was that idiot just charging in without any plan when there’s such a different mana level?

Ricir stared in confusion at the thug’s baffled expression.

“…”

The expressions of the thugs around him twisted in disbelief.