Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 53

“Do you know? Honestly, I felt a bit relieved. That you’ve turned out like this.”

Pamon, explaining how poor my condition was, spoke beside Sir Meltas.

“Seriously, is there anyone in this world like you? Growing up day by day is one thing, but I was worried that one day you might suddenly have some major issue without any signs. I’m just glad it ended up like this.”

“Hmm. I think I get what you’re trying to say.”

As I listened, I began to understand what the two of them were getting at.

To be honest, I felt the same way to some extent.

My rate of growth was quite abnormal, even to my eyes.

Since it was beneficial for me, I thought, ‘Well, it’s all good!’, but looking back calmly, there were definitely one or two points that were concerning.

But now that something like this has happened, I feel a bit more at ease.

So I am, after all, a proper part of this vast order of nature.

Not an entirely abnormal existence—something like that.

“I guess I was just an ordinary human in the end.”

“That’s not true.”

“Nope.”

“Eh.”

Of course.

That’s what you say, but if you look at the situation itself, it’s not at all a pleasant one.

On the Mage Tower side, I did one thing and got my face stamped.

As an adventurer, I did one thing and got my face stamped.

Now that the water has risen and it’s time to start rowing, suddenly there’s a hole in the bottom of the boat and I have to scoop water out.

It’s definitely a commendable achievement to reach a level I couldn’t have imagined before, but in a way, I was still just an outsider in the city.

I still had a long way to go before I could really settle down in the city.

“Oh, speaking of which—”

Suddenly recalling something, I spoke to Sir Meltas.

“Sir Meltas, by the way, what happened with that?”

“Oh. You mean the black mage incident and the supporter issue?”

“I seem to have made it look like I was rushing things. I’m sorry.”

“Not at all. Why should you be sorry? It’s the Mage Tower side that should apologize for bringing this up in the first place.”

Huff.

Sir Meltas let out a deep sigh.

“Let’s say, to explain why things are moving slowly—do you know? Right now, in the Mage Tower, you’re a hot potato.”

“Me? Because of that black mage incident?”

“Yes. It may be hard to believe, but there are those who are unhappy that you’ve solved the Mage Tower’s problem.”

Pamon let out a scoff, as if she sensed something.

“Is it because, given that Ricir is an outsider and not a noble, acknowledging that he solved the Mage Tower’s problem could damage our Mage Tower’s reputation? It must be those high-ranking nobles, right?”

Sir Meltas forced a bitter smile.

“You’ve hit the nail on the head. Ultimately, the Mage Tower is not just a place for wizards and scholars to explore knowledge; it’s also a place where people and nobles gather, so the petty power struggles are quite evident. Ricir, some of the more powerful individuals in the Mage Tower don’t look favorably upon your contributions. Marina, myself, and Master Didoa are raising our voices about it, but the backlash is stronger than expected.”

“And what do those opposing folks want to do about it?”

Pamon spoke as if it were her own issue, feeling frustrated.

“Their wishes are clear. To maintain their dignity. In other words, they want to completely cover up the black mage incident, which they think damages their dignity.”

“If they acknowledge Ricir’s achievement in the name of the Mage Tower, it’s like officially admitting to that incident, so they’re trying to prevent it by any means necessary.”

“Exactly. I reiterate, it’s truly shameful for you, Ricir. But there’s some good news.”

“Good news?”

“Yes. I heard from Marina that the earnest Heinya seems to want to step in.”

“Heinya?”

“Yes. Being a child of the great noble family Mastien, her stepping in is something we can look forward to. There’s one more piece of good news. Your supporter qualification has been passed.”

“Oh…”

“Soon, you’ll be able to enjoy various benefits in the name of your supporter and start working on these matters. So—what you need to pay attention to right now is your physical condition.”

Clap!

Sir Meltas clapped his hands, shifting the mood back.

“To summarize, what you need right now is mainly two things.”

“Pamon and Sir Meltas? Haha! Just kidding.”

Sigh.

Sir Meltas and Pamon breathed out beside me.

“This guy. Is he really sick enough that it’s a miracle he’s fine? I wish he were a bit more sick. So sick he can’t say anything and must lie still in bed.”

“What would you want to do with me lying still in bed, unable to say anything…!?”

As I hugged myself, Pamon scrunched her face in displeasure.

“I really want to do something about it.”

“Ricir, though you look healthy, I trust you’ll be more cautious in actions beyond conversations. The two things you need: the first is nothing other than stable recovery, I must say.”

“Isn’t it just a matter of managing mana?”

“That’s true, but since you’re saying that, I feel uneasy. It sounds like you’ll try to do anything else. Just to be cautious, can I ask what you plan to do while managing your mana?”

“You said overload occurs when my weak body can’t keep up with the magical power, right? So I was planning to train my body a bit. I mean, muscle is just as good as magical power, right?”

“Are you serious about training your body in your current state? Are you in your right mind?”

“Hmm. Body training, huh? A wise choice.”

I whispered to Pamon.

“Pamon. It’s okay. We’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Shall we move on?”

Pout.

Oops. I was trying to spare Pamon’s feelings, but I ended up giving a final blow.

Pamon’s adorable lips puffed out.

“How stupid of me to worry for you. Just do as you like.”

“I don’t want to. I’m going to listen to Pamon only!”

“Then die!”

“If I actually die, you’d be the saddest, right~”

“Want to give me the chance to prove that to you?”

“Ricir, you and your wife are just perfect together. It’s lovely.”

“W- Who says she’s my wife!?”

“Didn’t you say that?”

Sir Meltas looked at Pamon with a what-is-this expression.

“Anyway, continuing from the body training discussion, Ricir, another thing needed to treat your overload is precisely that training.”

“What’s the standard for a body fitting for a 5th-tier magician? Should I aim to be harder than rock or something?”

“What do you think of magicians? I want to say, but surprisingly, that might be right this time.”

“How can a person be harder than a rock?”

“Didn’t you say that?”

Sir Meltas gave me a look of bewilderment.

“Of course, I’m not saying you should really make your muscles as hard as rocks. Do you know? Warriors do not suffer from overload.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let me give a straightforward example. You’ve experienced an abnormal rise and have encountered an extraordinary overload. But what if you were a warrior? The overload you feel would be at a mild level.”

“So for them, rising in level equates to rising physical ability, huh?”

Pamon spoke up, and Sir Meltas nodded.

“As expected from the future wife of Ricir; you’re quite sharp. You’ve hit the point right on.”

Sir Meltas showed me a clenched fist.

“Warriors operate mana through their bodies. You’ll probably say, ‘Aren’t magicians the same?'”

“Aren’t magicians the same?”

“It’s slightly different. We magicians store mana in our bodies as vessels and control it through mental power. But warriors differ.”

“Do they wield their vessels?”

“That sounds a little foolish. For them, their body isn’t a vessel but a sword, so to speak—a sword refined through mana.”

“Ah. So they don’t just store mana in their body, they integrate it into themselves.”

“Exactly.”

Suddenly, I realized why I had never heard about overload during my time in the Bendel family.

For knights who aim to elevate themselves by strengthening their bodies with mana, experiencing overload due to their bodies failing to keep up with the magical power was literally a story from another world.

“So, do all magicians above the 5th-tier possess physical abilities suitable for their magical powers?”

I gazed in awe at Sir Meltas’s clenched fist.

How much power could that fist of his, belonging to a 6th-tier master of the Mage Tower, possibly contain?

“No. Strength isn’t the only way to withstand mana. It’s about long-term coexistence and building resilience through that. That’s how we magicians accept power.”

“So my rapid growth has made it so my resilience hasn’t had the chance to properly develop.”

“Exactly. And—”

Huff.

Sir Meltas let out a deep sigh before continuing carefully.

“This may be a problem that is not limited to the present.”

“…”

I pondered Sir Meltas’s words for a while and reached my own conclusion.

“Considering my growth rate thus far, it’s highly likely that my resilience won’t keep pace with my growth rate going forward—that’s what you’re saying.”

“Correct. Even if you treat your overload right now, if your growth rate remains unchanged, it’ll be only a matter of time before your overload reoccurs.”

“So, the method I should choose is physical training, not cultivating resilience.”

To simplify Sir Meltas’s story based on my perspective:

If I only keep raising my main stat of mental power, I might end up dead.

I should raise my sub-stat of physical vitality instead.

After a moment of deliberation, I spoke.

“Isn’t being a magician actually inferior?”

“Shut up!!!”

“No, seriously. To die crushed by your own power… it’s as if I’m a fish out of water.”

“Don’t shift your own problems onto all magicians! Above all, with your insane growth rate, you would have faced issues even on the path of martial arts!”

“Without any basis, you slander our warriors.”

“Our warriors?”

Pamon looked at me with a face of disbelief.

She can’t understand me. In the end, Jinzoh was just a foolish magician.

And at that moment, with the wisdom of a warrior, I was about to enlighten these foolish magicians.

Suddenly, a wave of breath surged within me.

Coughing violently, blood appeared on the hand that had been clasped over my mouth.

Sir Meltas and Pamon glared at me with displeasure.

Their faces seemed to say, ‘Are you cowardly pulling the patient card here?’

“Ugh cough. Now what will you do, wicked magicians?”

Pamon sighed deeply.

“A wicked magician isn’t spouting nonsense but wants to hear your future plans.”

“…As I said earlier, I plan to utilize all means to stabilize and recover while also attempting to train in parallel.”

“Where do you plan to learn swordsmanship?”

“Well, do you happen to know anything about swords, Sir Meltas?”

“Are you asking me for sword instruction right now?”

“I thought Sir Meltas might have some knowledge about swordsmanship.”

“Well, I suppose I can do something similar.”

” spear techniques!?”

“You might need to develop some prejudice there.”

Sir Meltas pulled out a notebook the size of his fist, wrote something down, and then tore off the note to hand it to me.

“Is this the martial arts principles!?”

“I wrote down a place within the Bondales Sword Guild that might suit you.”

“Ah.”

After receiving the note, I briefly skimmed it.

At this point, I had a question.

“But, Sir Meltas, can one really learn proper swordsmanship in a place like this?”

In this world, swordsmanship did not merely mean “the technique of swinging a sword” but also referred to “the technique of wielding mana through a sword.”

It was something I had strived for many years as a bastard but ultimately failed to attain.

To my knowledge, real swordsmanship was a high-level skill that rivaled magic.

Understanding my question’s intent, Sir Meltas smiled bitterly.

“You can expect, but I can’t guarantee anything. If one could learn high-level swordsmanship in a guild that lets anyone in just for money, why would the nobles bow their heads and enter as vassals in another family’s ranks in the first place? Normally, it would be quite a tricky situation. After all, even the path of magic itself is endless.”

“Does that mean you find me to be unusual?”

“Yes. That’s where I place my hopes. If it’s you, surely you’ll manage to make something out of it.”

“That’s truly an irresponsible statement.”

“Who cares? You’re not even my disciple.”

“That’s even more of an irresponsible statement…! I thought of us as being something more than just teacher and disciple.”

“Well, what can I say? The relationship I wanted is that teacher-student one.”

“Well…!”

I was completely at a loss for words as I gazed at the intensified expression of the elder with the ponytail.

After a while.

As my conversation with Sir Meltas wrapped up, I was preparing to leave the laboratory.

“Sir Meltas, thank you for all your advice.”

“…By the way, are you really okay?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your body. I mean, it looks too—perhaps too unaffected for what you’ve experienced.”

“I just coughed up blood a moment ago.”

“…Well, regardless, take care of your health.”

“Yes. Thank you. Then, I should be going.”

“Wait a moment.”

Perrin spoke up.

Just a moment ago, Perrin, who had been sticking close to me, now retreated to the corner of the room as if to distance herself.

“Grandpa. Do you have a bowl or a plate?”

“Hey, Perrin, what kind of talk is that with Sir Meltas?”

“That’s fine, Ricir.”

Sir Meltas chuckled as if viewing her as a granddaughter and offered a teacup saucer to Perrin.

“What are you going to use that for?”

“Well, her. She’s sick.”

“Oh. Perrin, are you worried about me?”

“…If you’re sick, Didoa will be sad.”

While Miss Didoa was genuinely surprised, Perrin seemed to care for her far more than I had anticipated.

It seems she feels a sense of kinship from Miss Didoa’s energy.

This was how Miss Didoa ended up with a pet wolf.

To be honest, I didn’t feel entirely comfortable.

After all, I was handing over a wild wolf that I had taken in to a strict person like Didoa.

However, it couldn’t be helped; Perrin would stick close to me when she needed my energy like earlier, only to coldly withdraw as soon as she was energized.

As of now, Miss Didoa was the only one who truly opened her heart to a sober and rational Perrin.

The only good thing was—

I was astonished that a spirit didn’t dislike me.

“Ricir. Can I take care of this child? I apologize if that was an unpleasant question.”

The fact that Miss Didoa is fond of Perrin, despite her demeanor, was quite reassuring.

“This is for Didoa.”

Perrin set down a plate on the floor.

Afterward, she transformed into a wolf and began to gag in front of the plate.

“Whoa!? Perrin!?”

The clear, slippery liquid streaming from Perrin’s snout pooled on the plate.

And moments later…

A bead fell onto it with a clatter.

Returning to her human form, Perrin wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said, “Eat.”

“…!”

Was it edible?

She looked like a chef proudly presenting an exquisite feast.

Perrin gazed at me with an expression brimming with confidence and anticipation for my reaction.