Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 49

She was always prickly and fierce.

She had never once shown any signs of being fond of anyone.

But that was fine.

Because it was the same for everyone else, too.

She kept her distance from everyone equally.

If asked who could get closest to her in such a situation, it would undoubtedly be herself.

There are countless personalities and relationships in the world.

So, isn’t the form of affection diverse as well?

That was how much she could be trusted.

She could believe that the person occupying the largest space within her was herself.

She could believe that her prickly and fierce demeanor towards her was an expression of affection in its own way.

I still vividly remember.

The moment she first allowed me to be by her side.

It was a day when she seemed particularly cheerful.

The more I tried to get closer, the more she pulled away, but if I remained still, I could stay by her side as long as I wanted.

It seemed like she had turned away casually, yet her ears were undeniably turned towards me.

Just when I thought she was leaving as if nothing had happened, calling her name made her look back at me.

This was undoubtedly the maximum connection I could share with her.

It must have been the farthest distance she would allow anyone else.

I learned many things about her besides that.

The things she disliked.

The things she liked.

The things that suited her.

Solitude and contemplation.

I liked her when she immersed herself in those two.

Because I believed that was her true self.

…I was sure of it.

“Perrin…”

It was a face I had never seen before. A face I didn’t think I’d be seeing again.

The cold spirit, who enjoyed solitude and contemplation, was allowing human contact so casually.

Not only that, she was gently nuzzling her face into the hands of the person.

Even when in the form of a wolf, she wouldn’t have acted as wolf-like as that.

“No…”

Rapita denied it desperately.

Such a clumsy spirit wasn’t her.

Something was definitely wrong.

There was no way Perrin, a spirit, could prefer humans over her kind.

“Get a grip, Perrin…!”

It was a heart-wrenching voice.

But it didn’t reach Perrin.

“Heeung…”

For the spirit Perrin, pure energy felt like warm sunlight.

Just being touched brought a deep sense of security and happiness.

Perrin had refused that pure energy until now.

Though she desperately longed for it like a plant craves sunlight, she forcibly held it back due to her self-loathing and feelings of inferiority towards her kind.

Thus, the spirit known as Perrin gradually withered and dried up.

In that state, she suddenly encountered Ricir’s special energy.

Even in a normal state, it was energy that would bring incredible happiness.

Experiencing such energy in a depleted state overwhelmed her, bringing both her reason and emotions to their knees.

The mental barriers that Perrin had forced herself to maintain, leading to her own destruction, crumbled helplessly.

‘Why am I doing this…?!’

Perrin tried to pull away from it and regain herself, but—

Contrary to her strong will, her body only continued to loosen.

Thanks to that, Perrin was savoring pure happiness for the first time since her sense of self was established.

Perhaps intoxicated by that happiness, she thought thoughts she would never have entertained otherwise.

‘No… if I do this, she’ll hate me…’

That was a memory and pain from her childhood that Perrin had locked away behind her mental barriers.

The young Perrin had longed for the embrace of her kind that rejected her.

She persistently tried to be accepted.

But what returned was an even stronger rejection.

When she was exhausted from being rejected and about to give up, one realization remained in Perrin’s heart like a wound.

The things I like hate me.

The closer I get, the further away they go.

‘So… I must distance myself now…’

‘…But, no. This happiness is too good to let go.’

‘…No, I actually feel upset. Because—’

‘Because…’

Her mind continued to become chaotic.

Just when savoring that happiness seemed impossible—

“…!”

Perrin’s body flinched and trembled.

Swish.

Ricir’s opposite hand gently stroked Perrin’s head.

Seeing Perrin rub her face against his hand looked so wolf-like that it was an action taken without a specific thought.

“…”

Perrin stopped thinking and focused on that touch.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

That rhythmic touch seemed to sweep away the thoughts that filled her mind.

Gradually, her once cluttered mind became neatly organized.

Intense self-loathing. Resentment and feelings of inferiority towards her kind.

The elves who made her this way.

Now, everything felt irrelevant.

“Heeung…”

For the first time, she was experiencing happiness.

She simply wanted to relish that happiness.

After pressing herself against Ricir, Perrin squirmed to find the perfect position.

Thus, a woman with blue wolf ears and tail clung to Ricir unguardedly.

“…”

Ricir’s touch stopped.

That weight. That sensation.

Through the parts of their bodies that were pressed together, he belatedly recognized Perrin as a woman rather than a wolf.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

At that moment, something distinctly knocked against Ricir’s body.

It was Perrin’s tail.

“Heeung… keep doing that nice thing…”

Perrin nuzzled into Ricir’s chest, letting out a soft sound.

Ahem.

Some turned their heads with a cough, while others blushed and stared, caught off guard by the provocative scene—

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Perrin’s fluffy tail repeatedly thumped against Ricir’s body, stealing his focus.

“…”

Wolf? Human? Wolf? Human?

Wolf.

Eventually, Ricir shrugged his shoulders and began to stroke Perrin’s head again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Perrin’s tail thumped against Ricir’s body harder than before.

As if wrapping around.

“I feel good…”

Even moments before, her sharp tongue had spit out insults, but now it made weak sounds.

“Really? That’s good.”

“Scratch my back too…”

“Like this?”

“Heeung…”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Now here…”

Perrin slightly lifted her rear.

“Do that smack I asked for before… do that…”

“Uh… that’s a bit…”

“Stop!!!”

Unable to hold back, Rapita shouted.

“You…! What on earth did you do to Perrin!!! Turning our dignified Perrin… into a pathetic girl who’s all over some human…!”

“No… I really didn’t do anything…”

“Nonsense! Do you think I’d believe that!!! There’s no way Perrin would prefer some human to me! She wouldn’t like your touch! I can’t forgive this! I won’t forgive this!!! How dare you tarnish Perrin with your filthy energy!!!”

Ricir suddenly started to feel an itch in his mouth.

Listening quietly, he found it hard to stay silent.

In such an absurd situation, he remembered there was something he needed to say.

If he missed this opportunity, he might never find another chance to say it.

Ricir steeled his resolve and began to pat Perrin’s head more strongly.

“Heeung…”

“Although you say that, Perrin’s body is honest. Keke.”

“…!”

His acting skills were terrible, but the power contained in that time-transcending line was immense.

“AAAHHH!!! Gondola!!!”

Rapita screamed, calling for the name of her knight.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Get that filthy human away from Perrin! Right now!!!”

“Understood. Hey human. Release her immediately.”

Ricir immediately raised his arms in surrender.

“Heeung… Heeung…”

It had the opposite effect.

Perrin let out moans and swung her tail even harder.

“I don’t want to… I don’t want to fall yet…”

“Brat…! How dare you, in front of my lady, use such petty tricks to toy with her spirit!!!”

“As I’ve said multiple times, I did nothing.”

“Shut up!”

Swoosh—

Gondola’s sword came unsheathed.

Following that, the swords of Dupuna and Draphon were drawn.

Rapita stared wide-eyed at Draphon.

Thinking that as a power broker in human society, he would surely side with her.

“Draphon, you must have seen what that guy is doing to my spirit. Are you still defending this human!?”

“Lady Loyeha, if you cause a violent incident within Bondales, it could lead to political issues. Given that you entered the castle without undergoing proper procedures, you must be even more cautious.”

“My goodness. Do you think I don’t realize that right now!?! If your eyes are open, look at this!!! The way your human is treating my spirit!”

“My lady.”

At that moment, Gadena spoke up.

“That’s right! Gadena! You’re here too! These humans! They just don’t make sense! Can’t you do something about this!”

“…”

He opened his mouth with a troubled state of mind.

“My lady. His mana… his energy possesses a special nature. A mysterious quality that purifies unclean powers.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He truly hasn’t done anything to the spirit.”

“So, you’re saying Perrin is acting this way just because she likes that human?”

“Moreover, he is someone vouched for by Master Meltas. If he were foolish enough to do something pointless that incites conflict, he wouldn’t have been able to receive that guarantee.”

“Who is Master Meltas! I don’t care about some human!?”

“Merely dismissing him as a human overlooks the wisdom he possesses.”

“…Hahaha!!!”

Rapita covered her face with her hands and burst into laughter.

“My goodness, Gadena. What happened? You should have been the wisest among those in the Green Mage Tower! Have you started to hold these humans in such high regard just because you got mixed up with them in their city!?”

“…”

Gadena looked at Rapita with a complicated expression.

She couldn’t simply regard her as foolish.

Rapita was fated to receive love from all spirits as a descendant of the World Tree’s high elf tribe. The pride she held was not arrogance but rightful.

But. This was outside the Great Forest. It wouldn’t be strange for there to be beings that she couldn’t comprehend with elven common sense.

Gadena contemplated.

How should she persuade this spoiled young lady, who had been raised as the youngest to have every indulgence of her noble family permitted?

No. How should she guide her?

With a slight sense of disillusionment towards the group she belonged to, Gadena dared to use that expression.

“This is the outside world, my lady. You must have a broader perspective and tolerance.”

“…”

Rapita glared at Gadena for a while before wearing a meaningful smile.

“Broaden my perspective a little more? I understand.”

Then she looked at Draphon and spoke.

“You just said, right? That if an elf committed violence against a human in Bondales, it could lead to political issues.”

“…”

“Then, using force against a spirit, is that okay?”

“What does that even—”

Rapita retrieved a necklace from her bosom. It was an emerald necklace packed with the mighty energy of winds.

“Silph.”

-Whiiiiiiiiing

As she murmured softly, the condensed currents of the wind swirled, filling the narrow space around them.

The emerald became the eye of the whirlwind.

“My lady! Don’t!”

Gadena shouted, but it was already too late.

A commotion unexpectedly broke out outside the building.

The clouds that had adorned the sky abruptly disappeared, revealing an unnaturally clear sky.

The great spirit of wind manifested at the call of the high elf.

-Rapita. Why have you summoned me?

“Bring me the wolf spirit that human is holding.”

With piercing eyes, Rapita glared at Ricir.

The eyes embedded in the emerald followed her gaze.

The answer came back immediately.

-I refuse.

“Yeah! Right now—”

…

Huh?

The venomous expression on Rapita’s face faded.

She looked down at her necklace with a dazed expression.

“W-what did you just say—”

-That young spirit is willingly with the human. It is not my concern. And more importantly—

The eyes of the emerald focused on Ricir.

-I wouldn’t want to do something to be hated by him.

“What do you mean—”

The great wind spirit is refusing my request just to heed a mere human’s feelings?

So, he prefers that human over me!?

“Silph!”

-Is that guy your enemy?

“Yeah! He’s my enemy!!!”

-Then have I misjudged you.

“…What?”

The light within the emerald vanished.

The whirlwind that had filled the room came to a halt.

“…”

Silence enveloped the room.

The high elf repeatedly contemplated the words of the great wind spirit.

Rapita’s face flushed in an instant.

“…Ah—”

Eventually, she fainted, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened to her.

That was the moment her exalted pride as a young high elf was thoroughly denied.