Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 64

That day.

Pamon stopped by her place before visiting Ricir.

In front of her, there was ‘that item’ kept in a corner of the room.

It was the handkerchief she had used to wipe the blood-soaked Ricir after the overload.

Pamon felt an intense sense of self-loathing.

To keep a handkerchief stained with someone else’s blood without washing it or throwing it away? That was something only the bugs chasing after her would do.

With a face soaked in disdain—

She brought the handkerchief close to her nose.

Her dainty nose twitched multiple times.

“…”

Pamon lowered her head in extreme discomfort.

The handkerchief stained with Ricir’s blood.

The scent emanating from it wasn’t much different from the smell of the young man’s blood she had smelled before.

No. It was even more pungent and revolting. The smell of old blood was just like that.

But why?

That scent brought a happiness to Pamon that was more than she could bear.

Simply because it was the blood of that man.

Afterward.

Smelling the handkerchief became one of her ways to relieve stress.

It was quite effective.

The problem was, it didn’t stop at merely relieving stress.

“Haah… Haah…”

As the days went by, the time spent smelling the handkerchief increased.

The effort to suppress her desires grew larger.

Correspondingly, the backlash from the suppressed desires became harsher.

The act of relieving stress led to another stress in a vicious cycle.

No.

This can’t be happening.

If that man saw me now, he would definitely look at me with disdain.

Like standing on a tightrope.

Pamon barely held onto her sanity.

“I hear you’ve been frequenting the Mage Tower lately? You must have some acquaintances there?”

It was only before the bugs that always came for her mentioned his existence.

The intent behind those words was obvious.

‘If you don’t meet with me, I will find out about your acquaintances in the Mage Tower and harm them.’

Pamon’s stress peaked.

Desire did too.

Late at night.

Pamon snuck into Ricir’s place as if escaping.

She immediately caught sight of Ricir soundly asleep.

In that moment, Pamon finally lost her reason.

She approached Ricir and tried to bite his finger.

“…”

But at that moment, something popped into her head before the pleasure from Ricir’s blood could take over.

It was the sight of Ricir speaking meaningless things.

If he saw how she was now, how would he react?

Would he treat her the same as always?

No way.

He would surely look at her with disgust.

At her, the monster who craved human blood.

“I don’t want to…”

Pamon, trembling, let go of his hand.

The rejected primordial desire began to stir within her.

The pain and craving, akin to that of a starving human, took over her body.

Pamon could no longer keep herself upright and collapsed onto the bed.

The presence of him felt through the blanket somewhat eased the rampant desires.

Pamon climbed onto the bed and laid herself over him.

Then, she took out the handkerchief and buried her face in it.

Please.

Please.

Let this pass.

With a fervent plea, Pamon wished he wouldn’t wake up.

“Pamon…?”

Her wish didn’t come true.

Pamon flinched, pulling her face away from the handkerchief.

She locked eyes with Ricir.

“Ricir…”

In that moment, Pamon forgot all her pain and yearning and felt pure despair.

It was all over now.

He would look at her with disdain after seeing her true, ugly self.

Her relationship with him would meet a disastrous end.

Even the meaningless conversations, living like an ordinary human, would be over.

‘That’s actually fine.’

Pamon thought she felt relief.

It had been a troublesome situation from the start.

A primordial being like her living a pretense of being human.

Go ahead, disgust me.

How you view me is none of my concern.

Pamon wanted to say boldly.

“I’m sorry…”

But what came out of her mouth was a trembling voice.

“I… thought for a moment that I wanted to drink your blood.”

“…”

“Disappointed, right? I’m not the sort of being you thought I was.”

Pamon squeezed her eyes shut.

Like a child admitting their wrongs while extending a hand in front of a switch.

In that way, she prepared for the impending disdain.

“No, isn’t that obvious?”

“…Huh?”

“Pamon, you’re a primordial being, right? It’s natural for a primordial to want to drink blood.”

Unexpectedly, Pamon blinked in confusion at his answer.

The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated Ricir’s face.

His expression now was not much different from Pamon’s.

A daft face, as if saying, ‘How surprising.’

It was not contempt born from resignation.

It was complete understanding.

Ricir looked at Pamon’s blood-craving form without concern.

“No…”

Pamon was at a loss for words.

His unbiased attitude would occasionally fluster her, but this time it was particularly so.

“…”

At that moment, Ricir noticed the handkerchief in Pamon’s hand.

Then, he saw her haggard complexion.

“Oh dear.”

A sigh escaped Ricir’s lips.

To him, Pamon looked like a pitiful child who hadn’t eaten for days.

“Why did you endure it until it got this bad?”

“Because you told me not to harm humans!”

“No, I said not to torment the innocent…”

Pamon was flabbergasted.

Even in such a scenario, his expression was painted with guilt.

No.

Why do you feel guilty?

Pamon burst into a laugh.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ricir spoke.

“Pamon. What effect does drinking blood have on the other party?”

Although it would sound laughable to others, as a primordial being, Pamon had little knowledge about blood-drinking.

Having once been human, she felt averse to the obsession over blood.

She would dominate another through mental interference, then scratch her fingertip.

She would let that blood touch her skin.

That was what Pamon had considered ‘blood-drinking’ until now.

“My method only causes mild fatigue…”

“Really? Then—”

Ricir leaned forward, offering his neck.

“Even if it’s mine?”

“Yaaah!”

Pamon let out a bright scream and fell off the bed.

“What, what, what are you doing, you shameless man! Get away this instant!”

Her face flushed red enough to be clearly visible in the dark.

“?”

Ricir, bewildered, covered his neck again.

“What? Isn’t this how it’s done? How do you usually do it, Pamon?”

“D-Did you realize what you just said?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

He chuckled.

“If we’re going to do it, isn’t it better to do it with me?”

It would be better to suck the blood of someone who fully understood her than to have problems trying to get it from someone else.

That was Ricir’s intention.

Pamon interpreted it as him wishing to be her sole object of craving.

“Ah, ugh…”

Pamon covered her small face with both palms.

“You shameless man… how can you say something like that so casually…”

“?”

A moment later.

Pamon lowered her palms slightly, revealing her eyes.

With raised eyebrows, she cautiously gauged Ricir’s reaction.

“Are you serious…? Are you sure you won’t regret it…?”

“…How much do you plan to drink—”

“That’s not what I mean!”

Once again.

Pamon carefully observed Ricir’s response with widened eyes.

“If we do this… don’t later say something else…?”

“Hey, you think I’ll ask for the blood I’ve already lost back?”

“That’s not what I—… no. Just don’t say anything.”

Please don’t later come to look at me with disdain.

Pamon decided to set that question aside.

Given Ricir’s reaction, it seemed unnecessary.

“…”

Pamon cautiously approached and grabbed his hand.

“A-are you really going to do it!? If you’re going to back out, this is the last chance!?”

“Oh dear. The food is going to get cold.”

“…I don’t know anymore.”

Munch.

Pamon bit Ricir’s index finger, putting it in her mouth.

“…!”

In an instant, her eyes widened.

It was like a baby who had tasted sweet food for the first time.

Tap. Tap.

Her tongue cautiously touched his finger.

Soon after, her tongue began to entwine with his finger.

And as the blood slowly began to ebb—

“Chook…”

Pamon gently began to suck on that finger.

Hahm.

Hahm.

Moist breaths mixed with sounds escaped Pamon’s mouth.

“…”

Ricir closed his eyes.

For a different reason than Pamon.

‘Damn, this is more sensual than I thought.’

While Pamon was pure in her blood-drinking, he couldn’t help but think of something sinister watching her.

This was absolutely unacceptable.

‘FBI, open up…!’

Realizing the need to shake off such thoughts, Ricir decided to actively utilize memories of his past life.

Fortunately, there was an effective method to use in such a situation.

Imagining someone who was farthest from sexual emotions wearing a bikini.

‘Who would that be?’

Coincidentally, the first thing that came to mind was an old man with a reggae hairstyle.

“Gahhh!!!”

Ricir incurred a severe shock to his soul while shaking off his worries.

“…?”

Pamon stared at Ricir’s finger blankly.

Why had it suddenly become cold?

*

Pong.

The moment Pamon pulled Ricir’s finger from her mouth, a sound echoed in the dark room.

A transparent thread that had connected them slowly sank down below.

“…”

Pamon hurriedly wiped his hand with the handkerchief.

It was a clean handkerchief, not the one stained with blood.

“Pamon. You didn’t keep that saliva-stained handkerchief too, did you!?”

Thud.

Pamon threw the handkerchief at Ricir’s face.

Then she hurriedly dashed out of the room, her head hung low.

Soon.

A small voice came from behind the door.

-…Foolish man.

Pitter-patter.

The fading footsteps were inexplicably light.

*

“Miss. It’s dangerous to wander around at this hour. Huh? Who’s in the Mage Tower that has you out at this late hour—”

As she parted ways with Ricir and headed back home, there were those blocking Pamon’s path, pretending to be coincidental.

It was Torurd and his gang.

She had been in such a good mood for once.

Pamon’s previously elated expression twisted in an instant.

“…”

The words Ricir had just spoken to her sprang to mind.

-I said not to torment the innocent people…

Pamon looked at the bugs before her.

Were they really innocent?

-Pamon, please don’t get involved with them… Those who got mixed up with them have disappeared…

Next, she recalled the words of the prostitute following her.

“Hah…!”

Pamon burst into laughter.

“What is it, Pamon? What’s so amusing? Are you that happy to meet me?”

“…Yes, I’m happy.”

So happy that they just appeared at the perfect time and place.

Pamon wished to be self-sufficient in Bondales.

She didn’t want to be a burden to that man.

Furthermore, she wanted to be someone acknowledged by him.

For instance, by accumulating a higher social status.

-I said not to torment the innocent people…

Filled with a rather cheerful spirit and motivation, Pamon realized that there were many paths to achieve that goal.

“Torurd. I have something I’m curious about.”

“Finally?”

Just as his eyes began to glimmer with lust.

From the darkness, the eyes of the primordial shone.

Her snow-white eyes now stained crimson like wine.

*

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[The target is under the influence of a spell.]

[Target: Torurd (Lv.35)

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*

The next morning.

Ricir’s honorary mage appointment ceremony was held successfully.

He became an official mage of the Gray Mage Tower, receiving congratulations from numerous mages.

And at night.

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[The target is under the influence of a spell.]

[The target is under the influence of a spell.]

[The target is under the influence of a spell.]

[The target is under the influence of a spell.]

[The target is under the influence of a spell.]

…

…

…

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The back alleys north of Bondales were experiencing sudden changes.

*

Recently, suspicious rumors had been circulating in the back alley of Bondales.

That the owner of the northern back alleys had changed—

And no one knew who that owner was.

“Since that’s the case, Ricir, be careful if you pass through that area. Try to take a long detour if possible.”

“Wow, the world is truly sinister.”

*

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▷ Fate 86: Merchants – Deactivated.

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