Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 52

Pamon couldn’t hide her surprise.

Rona.

She had lost the fundamental power of the Dark Magic and had become an ordinary person without any power.

To put it metaphorically, like a blank sheet of paper.

But lo and behold.

That Rona was suddenly handling mana.

And not just any mana; it was abundant and had a surprisingly mild nature that was too gentle to be associated with former Dark Magic.

‘Priest?’

Pamon instinctively recalled the religious figures of their denomination.

This divine power.

If she had closed her eyes, she might have mistaken it for a priest passing by, imbuing her with healing power.

Thinking that way made her feel utterly ridiculous.

‘It’s Dark Magic. D-a-r-k M-a-g-i-c.’

They were folks whose name openly indicated a connection to demons, and criminals weren’t even as far removed from priests as they were.

Such Dark Mages were now suddenly pretending to be priests.

‘Of course, she’s a former Dark Mage, but… now she’s just an ordinary human!’

A former Dark Mage turned priest?

“…ha.”

Pamon chuckled, halting her thoughts.

As she thought about it, it felt as if she were becoming foolish.

Most importantly, she could see Ricir’s complexion improving.

His breath, which had been strained with bouts of coughing, slowly began to stabilize.

“Phew… phew…”

He then rose to his feet with Pamon’s support.

“Thank you, Pamon. And Rona, thank you too. I owe my life to you.”

In this situation, the person most bewildered by the Dark Mage’s deviation (?) was none other than Rona.

She had been staring blankly at her hands, but upon hearing Ricir’s words of gratitude, she jolted, snapping back to reality.

“I just got praised…”

Rona’s expression twisted uncontrollably.

Showing that she was no ordinary girl but rather a slave, huh?

That expression right now? Is it even more feminine than mine?

Pamon barely swallowed those words and addressed Ricir.

“Ricir, are you okay?”

“Better than a moment ago. By the way, I was really surprised. I didn’t expect Dark Magic to be used like this. Is Dark Magic genuinely a beneficial existence? Perhaps ‘Friendly Dark Magic?’”

Pamon listened to Ricir’s words and seriously nodded.

“He must be feeling better now if he’s saying nonsense like that.”

“Aren’t you being too harsh on a patient?”

“Well, shouldn’t a patient just keep quiet and pretend to be in pain? Can’t you say something sensible? Would a Dark Mage have such powers?”

“Then what is it?”

“What else? It’s probably because of you.”

“Isn’t that too easy to say? Just because I’m pretty, does the world think I’m so easy to get along with?”

“Ugh. I wish you would just keep coughing.”

At that moment, Rona shyly murmured.

“I, I think the same. I think this is all because of you, Ricir.”

“Huh? Do you understand something?”

“Yeah… when I thought about wanting to help you, it turned out like this…”

No.

That’s not what she meant.

Ricir and Pamon itched to speak up, but they couldn’t bring themselves to voice their thoughts.

Rona’s appearance, fidgeting with her hands while looking down, was too endearing.

‘How can she be so feminine?’

It was to the point that even Jinjo couldn’t help but admire her inwardly and analyze her behavior for future reference.

Meanwhile.

Ricir, having moved his arms around, was trying to summon mana to finish checking his body.

“…!”

But just before that.

Ricir instinctively felt it.

‘This won’t do.’

The mana circuits rooted throughout his body were fine.

The problem was his body.

Ricir discovered his hands trembling like aspen leaves.

‘My body is afraid of the mana’s response.’

There were no visible wounds, but it was clear his body was in a state of serious injury or overload.

Ricir conveyed his feelings to Rona and Pamon and sought their opinions.

“Overload… overload…?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Pamon spoke up.

“Speaking of which, I feel like I’ve gone through something similar in the past.”

“Something similar?”

“It was about a year after I awakened Jinjo’s power and learned to manipulate mana. Back then, I was aiming for the 5th tier.”

“You reached the 4th tier in just a year…?”

Rona was astonished.

“Is that true? How can you be this surprised when you’re next to your master?”

“Ah.”

Rona could understand.

“Anyway. One day, while I was aiming for the 5th tier, I felt an unexpected discomfort while operating mana like usual. I realized something was wrong with my body. Later I found out it was a problem caused by my body not being able to keep up with the sudden increase in mana capacity.”

“So what did you do?”

“I waited. I held back my use of mana until my body could adapt to the mana’s growth.”

“Then, if I just stay still, will it get better?”

“Well, your situation is similar to mine, but it’s also different, right? My mana growth wasn’t as rapid as yours, and the side effects I experienced weren’t as severe as yours.”

Pamon pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and started wiping the blood off Ricir’s face.

“I think it’s best to see an expert for a proper diagnosis. By the way, could the friends you made at the Mage Tower help with this?”

“…just had a sudden thought.”

“What good idea do you have!?”

“Pamon, doesn’t it seem like you’re acting like a mom right now? Oof!”

Pamon threw the handkerchief at Ricir’s face.

“Do you want to say something disgusting? I can’t hit you since you’re a patient. Or should I hit you anyway? You can’t use mana right now, right? You can’t use that power either?”

“No… it’s just that you seem friendly… or maybe like a wife?”

“A wife? In this situation! Ugh! Ugh!!! Stop saying disgusting things!”

Pamon pretended to be disgusted yet picked up the handkerchief again, starting to wipe his face with much more care and tenderness.

“Honestly, talking about being a wife. It’s ridiculous. Seriously. Just ridiculous…”

Hmph. Snort. Hmph.

How absurd could it be for laughter and scoffing to continue endlessly? It was as if she was in a good mood and laughing softly.

“So, what do you think? Do you think your friends at the Mage Tower will be able to help?”

“They’re kind people. I guess I could at least ask them, right?”

“In that case, there’s no reason to delay. Let’s go.”

“Going? Are you coming too, Pamon?”

“Why? Can’t I go with you? You just called me a wife.”

“No, it’s not that I can’t, but aren’t I inconveniencing you? It’s the weekend, after all; shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Of course, it’s an inconvenience! Absolutely! Immensely! It’s the weekend after all! So shouldn’t I rest? Do you know how busy I was during the week!? But what can I do? You’re a selfish man who doesn’t care about my situation. You’ll undoubtedly take me to the Mage Tower without regard for my opinion.”

“Y-you caught me…?”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t understand your feelings at all. When a person is sick, they want to be with someone they admire the most, right?”

“D-did you embarrass me…?”

“Plus, you’d probably want to brag to others about knowing such a wonderful woman like me.”

“Y-you feel proud…?”

“Therefore! This time, I’ll make an exception and accompany you. Now, you can say thank you.”

“Th-thank you…?”

Because I’m worried about you.

That one line felt embarrassing to Jinjo, prompting him to use Mental Interference to guide Ricir’s actions.

“Hey.”

Just then, Rona, who was waiting for a chance to interject, timidly spoke.

“Can I go too?”

“Am I also a selfish man who doesn’t care about other people’s circumstances to you?”

“What are you talking about? I… I mean…”

Rona looked down and was only able to finish her sentence in a creaky voice.

“I’m worried about you…”

If that’s the case, what does that make me?

Not just a girl but a slave, when will I show that?

Pamon looked at Rona with a sinking gaze.

Ricir also directed his gaze toward her.

“What, what! Why, what!”

Rona hurriedly moved forward.

Ricir and Pamon followed her, heading toward the Magic District of Bondales, where the Mage Tower was located.

*

“By the way, are you really okay?”

Just before arriving at the Mage Tower, Pamon expressed her concern.

“I understand the Mage Tower is as closed off and conservative as any other group.”

“What does that mean?”

“Can you really get enough help from those meticulous about status and bloodlines?”

“Ah.”

Ricir nodded.

He quickly understood what Pamon was saying.

Although he had accomplished the feat of rooting out a dark magician hiding in the Mage Tower, the gaze of the mages watching him was not entirely friendly.

As Pamon had mentioned, most of the mages in the tower were indeed particular about details.

According to Meltas, they viewed Ricir, an outsider with no family name, solving issues for the Mage Tower with disdain.

Some openly expressed dissatisfaction, feeling their pride had been tarnished.

If he didn’t have some connections with a few Masters, he would have faced not only a lack of recognition but might have even encountered unjust treatment, according to Meltas.

“But as you know, I’m pretty good with people, right? The ones I’m going to ask for help are generally quite lenient, so you don’t have to worry.”

Before long, they approached the main gate of the Mage Tower.

Ricir walked up to the guard at the entrance and said, “May I see your identification?”

“I’ve come to visit Master Meltas and Master Didoa.”

“What’s your name?”

“Ricir.”

At that moment, the guard’s expression stiffened as he heard the name Ricir. He belonged to the faction that looked down on him within the tower.

“Were you scheduled to come today?”

If Ricir answered honestly with ‘no’ here, the guard would invoke rules and try to chase him away.

This would break the unwritten rule of showing flexibility to acquaintances of those associated with the tower.

“Yes. I was told by both Masters to feel free to stop by whenever I had time today.”

However, Didoa and Meltas had advised Ricir to use their names freely in case of situations like this.

As soon as the names of the two masters were mentioned, the guard, although reluctant, had no choice but to let him through.

Seeing that, Pamon let out a small laugh.

“Ricir. You’re quite impressive, aren’t you?”

What kind of bastard could freely enter the Mage Tower?

Pamon was genuinely impressed, having been ready to use Jinjo’s powers to help him if need be.

She followed behind Ricir with light steps.

“Rona?”

But unlike Pamon, Rona showed no intention of moving.

She hesitated, looking at the two before finally saying.

“I think it’s best that I just wait here.”

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“It’s not that… you know…”

Rona approached while glancing around and whispered in a voice only the two could hear.

-What if they find out I was a Dark Mage?

-You came all the way here?

-…I’m sorry.

-Don’t apologize. I’m not scolding you.

-Is Pamon okay?

-Do I look that naive?

-Well, considering you’re a specialist in swindling an entire family…

-Choose your words wisely—fine, it’s okay. Anyway, as long as I’m not using my power, it’ll be fine.

-Then Rona should be okay too.

-That’s right. I don’t have any remnants of Dark Magic left in me right now.

-If that’s the case, Rona?

-Honestly, I’m good. I’m just worried that something might go wrong and cause trouble for you both…

Seeing her genuinely worried made Ricir nod.

Since she was so worried, it wouldn’t be right to pull her along.

Ricir and Pamon left Rona behind and entered the Mage Tower.

*

Meltas immediately informed Didoa about Ricir’s visit in her laboratory.

Moments later, a wolf suddenly rushed in, heading straight for Ricir.

“Yip…”

She sensed the energy more closely and transformed into a human shape, even tossing aside the clothes she was wearing without forgetting the gesture.

Thus, Pamon watched coldly as Ricir was embraced by the naked woman.

“I must clarify; I didn’t do anything.”

“True. You’re really doing nothing at all. It seems you’re quite happy to see that lady?”

“Ricir. Ricir. Me. Bottom. Do that for me.”

Perrin wiggled her rear while clinging to Ricir.

Pamon looked on in horror at the absurd sight, stunned.

That?

What’s that?

Perrin glanced at Pamon dismissively, as if regarding her as an interrupter.

“What’s your deal?”

“Me? I’m—”

In this situation, would it be strange to admit ‘I’m just a friend of Ricir!?’ out of pride?

Pamon observed hesitantly before saying, “Well, um, I’m the one Ricir thinks of as a wife?”

“Ricir! Do you have such a beautiful wife!?”

“Don’t fall into the traps of language, Meltas.”

“Traps? Ricir, speak properly! If someone heard, they might think I made that up.”

“It’s not made up; wouldn’t that be worse…?”

“Ha ha. Just the kind of friend Ricir has. By the way, where is Master Didoa? Why are you here alone?”

“Currently absent.”

“I see. That’s unfortunate for Didoa. Anyway, back to the main point—”

After hearing Ricir’s story, Meltas immediately gave a solution.

“It’s Overload that you’re experiencing.”

“Overload?”

“Right. Once you reach the 5th tier, the influence of mana on your body increases exponentially. Thus, those who suddenly reach the 5th tier without preparation often experience overload like you.”

“I had no idea… Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

“Because I didn’t know!”

Meltas exclaimed desperately.

“I didn’t expect you to reach the 5th tier in just a week of not seeing you!”

“…I’m sorry.”

He looked both desperate and wronged.

Stunned, Ricir found himself apologizing.

“Ha. No, I got too excited there for a moment. As you said, I was careless. I took you too lightly.”

“Why are you speaking about a person like they’re a disaster?”

“Then what are you? If you’re not a disaster for mages, what else could you be? I warn you, don’t talk carelessly about your magic career outside. If other mages find out how long it took you to reach the 5th tier, half of them will hang themselves, and the rest will curse your existence.”

“Come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“It can be.”

“It isn’t that much.”

“It is.”

The old man, Jinjo, and the spirit shared a serious look.

“…I will be careful. But, overload? Do all who reach the 5th tier experience this?”

“Most of them do. But—”

Meltas checked Ricir’s body and shook his head.

“Cases like yours, where one feels their life is in danger, are exceedingly rare! No, it’s not just rare; it’s nearly nonexistent. It’s safe to say that even those who drink elixirs like water wouldn’t experience overload of your magnitude. Do you know how messed up your body is right now? Without the priest’s help you mentioned, you could’ve fallen into a coma or become disabled.”

“Oh? Did I say he was a priest?”

“The truth is, your body was on the verge of shattering apart, with cracks spreading all over! How many could manage to fix that? Only someone like a high priest could do it.”

“A high priest…”

That was a ranking position that could represent the clergy in a mid-sized city.

Ricir and Pamon couldn’t help but burst into laughter, picturing a former Dark Mage as the city’s clergyman.

“Honestly, I was surprised too. No matter how you look at it, I didn’t expect you to be related to any clergy members!”

“Yeah. I was quite surprised too.”

“Why are you surprised? Anyway. Have you asked how to heal your overload? First, it seems treating your damaged body is the top priority.”

“Should I keep asking my high-priest friend for help?”

“If possible, that would be the best. But, would it be okay? Healing could take quite a while. A high priest would be very busy with work. They can’t stick by you all the time and keep checking on you, right?”

“If I ask nicely enough, it might be possible.”

Meltas stroked his braided beard, lamenting.

“Using a high priest as your attending physician? Ricir, just who are you? I’m curious about your high priest’s identity too.”

I’m just a bastard. That friend is a former Dark Mage.

During the conversation, Ricir and Pamon had to stifle their laughter.

*

At the same time.

Rona was near the Mage Tower, passing the time.

It was incredibly dull.

Until someone approached her and broke the monotony.

“Miss?”

Short golden hair gleamed like ripe barley in autumn, and her tanned skin echoed shadows kissed by the sunset.

Coupled with a bright sky-blue gaze like a clear autumn sky.

Having androgynous beauty, it was not unusual for Rona to receive expressions of affection from others.

Whenever she worked at the cafe, she faced various advances numerous times a day; at those times, she would repel their attention with her characteristic disdainful look.

Rona attempted to overwhelm the current stranger with her trademark unfriendly gaze.

“…!”

However, she was overwhelmed before she could even showcase her disdainful look.

Before her stood a middle-aged woman and a young man, both dressed in pure white robes with peculiar symbols drawn on them.

Rona knew exactly what the robe signified.

*

──────────


■Bardros

Level: 60

Race: Human

Class: Priest

──────────


──────────


■Takra

Level: 45

Race: Human

Class: Paladin

──────────

*

Members of the clergy.

For a Dark Mage like Rona, they were a source of terror.

If they recognized her for who she was, they would immediately commence a purification ritual.

This purification ritual entailed exposing the target to sacred flames, combining torture with healing, for as long as possible.

Thump.

Thump!

Thump!!!

Rona’s heart began racing with fear.

The middle-aged woman appeared to notice her rapid heartbeat, wearing a meaningful smile.

“Did I scare you?”

Her uniquely dark eyes made it impossible to interpret her inner thoughts, further intensifying Rona’s anxiety.

“How strange. The emblem of our order usually reassures others, but you seem to show the exact opposite reaction. Do you have a reason to fear our order?”

“…W-what do you want with me?”

Rona managed to speak with some effort. Fortunately, she didn’t have to exert herself to hide her emotions.

The fierce trembling of her voice and the frantic flicker in her eyes were impossible to conceal.

“Your ‘essence’ has caught my interest.”

Thump!

“E-essence…”

“Yes. Your essence. You are a very intriguing being.”

Thump!

“What’s your name?”

“…Rona.”

The woman seemed to savor the name, rolling it around on her tongue.

“Rona.”

She finally uttered it after a moment.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Rona awaited what would come from her, like a convicted criminal awaiting judgment.

“Rona. Do you wish to devote yourself to our order?”

“?”

“Isn’t it sudden? I hope you understand. Your pure vessel has captivated my heart. You were born with the qualities of a saint to illuminate and guide the lost souls of this chaotic world.”

Rona was left utterly baffled.

Is she perhaps expressing a desire to burn me while elegantly conveying it in the style of the order?

Probably not.

Words without substance. They don’t deceive a tainted being. They simply burn.

Rona was convinced.

They did not know her identity.

“So, was that too sudden? Or do you have someone you serve already?”

“Serving someone…”

Rona instinctively recalled the face of a certain man.

Seeing that, the woman nodded in understanding.

“Indeed. Your essence originates from an already realized faith. A shepherd of an unnamed god.”

“…”

What kind of faith?

What is this unnamed god’s shepherd?

We’re just a slave and a master.

“It seems I was too sudden, after all. Nevertheless, I hope that no matter who you believe in or what path you choose, may you find salvation and peace at the end.”

Rona watched with a mixed expression as the woman turned and walked away.

*

“Bardros, High Priest.”

The young paladin with black hair spoke carefully, uttering the name of the high priest.

“Speak.”

“Shouldn’t we seek to guide that woman?”

“She is not one to be guided.”

“Yet she is a heretic!”

“Not everyone who does not pursue sanctification is lost. Did you see her essence?”

“…I did.”

“Could a flawed belief give rise to such a vessel?”

The paladin could not respond.

With certainty, the high priest spoke, filled with conviction.

“She must have walked a noble path, one we cannot fathom.”

The high priest’s eyes reflected reverence, picturing her journey and the god she believed in.

Eventually, they beheld the Mage Tower, the destination of their current journey.

The great sanctification said that within it, a foul parasite was lurking.