Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 66

Pure and passionate scholars drawing the future on a canvas.

That was the long-lost image of the Gray Mage Tower as remembered by its master.

“…”

But.

The image of the Gray Mage Tower that the master took in today was quite different.

There were no longer pure and passionate scholars.

The Gray Mage Tower had transformed into a den of rulers and traitors.

The master of the Gray Mage Tower looked at her puppet with cold eyes.

“Was this the best you could do?”

The puppet replied with a tone of resignation.

“Yes. This was my best. I’m sorry for not meeting your expectations, my master.”

“Right. You have worked hard all this time.”

That was all there was to the praise for the puppet’s long service.

The master of the Gray Mage Tower reached out to the puppet.

“…”

The light in the puppet’s eyes vanished.

The puppet, who had managed the Gray Mage Tower in her absence for such a long time, returned to being mere inanimate matter.

Then, the master of the Gray Mage Tower took in the tower’s appearance with eyes soaked in sorrow.

That time was not long.

The master turned her back on the tower without a shred of regret.

The Gray Mage Tower had lost its pride and its master.

Now all that remained were rulers and traitors.

[Region – Ruined Gray Mage Tower]

*

The master of the Gray Mage Tower, ‘Wandering Star’, is a legendary being.

If you seek testimony of this existence, you must seek out individuals with at least five years of experience in the tower.

Indeed.

This master hadn’t shown her face in the tower for a whole five years.

Even when she briefly visited five years ago, it was only to disguise her identity and meet with a few affiliates.

Some would say.

– A merchant specializing in land and buildings would pay more attention to toxic properties than this.

Some would ask.

– Why elect such a person as the master of the tower?

Some would answer.

– Even accounting for all of that, no greater mage has yet to appear.

The role of the master is symbolic before being that of the tower’s owner.

The achievements made by these individuals sometimes surpass the accomplishments of the tower as a whole.

The history of the Gray Mage Tower is not long.

Compared to other towers grounded in magic and history of great nobles, the word gray seems to have faded even more.

Nevertheless, they are treated as a proper tower.

Because it is the place where the Wandering Star lays her roots. Because it is where the achievements of her existence reside.

The mages of the Gray Mage Tower speak with reverence.

Thus some come to admire the existence of the master with harebrained ideas.

…And then they ask.

– So, who runs the tower?

-…

Surprisingly, the Gray Mage Tower has not faced any issues regarding this matter.

The master’s absence was immediately filled by the existence of someone.

The master of the Gray Mage Tower was not an irresponsible person.

Before abandoning the tower, she had sensibly (?) scouted someone to take responsibility in her place.

Wherever the master’s seal was needed, she was always present.

With dark circles that had become part of her being and a tired, cynical smile.

Dhamia.

She tied her dust-laden gray hair haphazardly and indulged in lavish fantasies.

Today, I must bathe before I faint.

However.

Upon hearing that name mentioned right before her, she quickly resigned herself.

‘Ricir…’

It was a name that felt like a nightmare to Dhamia.

The mages of the tower praised his talents in unison.

They welcomed his affiliation with the tower with open arms.

Dhamia could not do so.

The command she had received from the master was ‘the survival and revival of the tower’.

What was most needed for that wasn’t securing talent, but securing finances.

In the past year, Dhamia had been working aggressively behind the scenes to secure finances.

That was all shattered by Ricir’s honorary mage appointment.

*

There exists a merchant family called Merichi.

Having amassed immense wealth from commerce in the south, they were rising as a new power but were struggling with a lack of authenticity and honor.

Well, they have a bit of money now.

They wanted to mingle with the high and mighty to gild their name, but those high and mighty wouldn’t recognize them, calling them upstarts.

When it was time to collect money, they would flatteringly say, ‘Ah, it’s definitely Dolea!’ but would turn right around and sneer, ‘Well, that’s Dolea for you.’

Such an aggressive attitude from the nobles caused even the shrewd merchants to tremble.

The Merichi family sought a solution and turned their attention to the Gray Mage Tower.

They aimed to secure their foundation by making the eldest son of the family the honorary mage of the Gray Mage Tower.

Thus, for the past year, the Merichi family had embarked on a campaign of aggressive sponsorship toward the Gray Mage Tower and was in the phase of confirming promises with the tower, anticipating ‘The Boss has Lost It’.

Dhamia was in a frenzy of excitement regarding this matter.

If this could be resolved, the tower would have sufficient financial leeway, possibly allowing her to enjoy the phenomenon of vacation that was only spoken of in legends.

‘Finally, will I get to visit a place called a café… eat delicious food… buy new clothes… look into cosmetics… and sleep all day… hehehe…’

Dhamia couldn’t believe it.

Could it be that I’m truly going to indulge in this luxury?

– Not a chance.

That was the answer from the heavens.

At that moment, the wandering mage named Ricir appeared and became a star amongst the tower.

The master council unanimously proposed Ricir’s honorary mage appointment.

Dhamia rejected it.

The master council unanimously proposed Ricir’s honorary mage appointment.

Dhamia rejected it.

The master council unanimously proposed Ricir’s honorary mage appointment.

The master council unanimously proposed Ricir’s honorary mage appointment.

The master council unanimously proposed Ricir’s honorary mage appointment—

Dhamia fainted.

Thus, the honorary mage position of the Gray Mage Tower went to the wandering mage Ricir instead of the eldest son of the Merichi family.

For reference, the appointment of honorary mages was limited to biennially by convention.

The position of the Merichi family on this was clear.

– Regret.

The way the Merichi expressed their regret was just as fiery as their way of displaying sincerity.

They abruptly halted sponsorship and mobilized all their influence to show their disgruntlement toward the tower.

Longtime good relationships maintained with the tower by various guilds turned cold all of a sudden.

Dhamia fainted.

Of course, some stiff mages might say this regarding the matter.

– So, the honorary mage position is essentially something you sell, right? Isn’t that correct?

To make a not-so-excuse, most towers have bolstered their external political influence in this manner since the past.

In fact, the Gray Mage Tower had been an exception in having maintained its honor until now.

The reason the Merichi family coveted the recognition of the Gray Mage Tower rather than any other tower.

In that sense, perhaps it was a fortunate occurrence?

This incident would further elevate the honor of the Gray Mage Tower.

Oh, and there was one more joyful chance.

With Ricir’s help, the tower successfully excised the cancerous entity Gerhen.

This brought them a step closer to the value of integrity.

A minor issue was that Gerhen’s family, Dryder, was one of the tower’s main sponsors?

Thus, the tower continually sought the value of integrity with repeated strokes of fortune (?).

It faced a delighted financial crisis.

It was truly an ironic situation.

The closer it got to honor, the poorer it became, and the further away from honor, the richer it got.

Choosing between [becoming an honorable beggar vs. becoming a disgraceful rich person], Dhamia unintentionally found herself aligning with the former and had to find a countermeasure.

Regrettably, nothing came to her mind for now.

The practical head of the tower, Dhamia, began to feel resentment towards Ricir.

“Ricir. Isn’t he our tower’s honorary mage? Yet, to assign him such mundane tasks like mediation between merchants?”

At such a moment, the master Mortier, a notable admirer of Ricir in the tower, visited her office to express dissatisfaction.

“Master Mortier. Do you know how many resources were expended on the appointment and ceremony of this honorary mage?”

Dhamia, the master’s deputy, spoke with fatigue-soaked tone yet laced with authority.

“That’s…!”

What a cowardly realistic statement!

Master Mortier lowered his gaze.

“Let me ask you one question, Master Mortier. What has our Gray Mage Tower gained from this honorary mage appointment?”

“A talent with unmatched potential and value!”

“True. A talent obtained at a very high cost. I believe this is a process of confirming that talent’s worth.”

“Yet, you know very well, don’t you! About that figure known as the ‘Sword of the Red Box’!”

“A former mercenary. A person who committed serious crimes as a daily routine before washing his identity. Considering that character, the possibility of Ricir facing disrespect is high. When a young figure holds an honorary title, there tends to be plenty of ambiguous interpretations surrounding it.”

“If you know that, then why…!”

Dhamia looked at Mortier meaningfully.

“I too, have high expectations for him, just like you all.”

“…”

Contrary to the words spoken, her expression was quite dry.

In truth, Dhamia didn’t hold much expectation for Ricir.

As it stood, the ‘Leather Chains’ gang in the northern back alleys was now beyond the control of the city nobles.

They had cut off all external communication and had begun to act independently.

The current Sword was undoubtedly moving in thorough adherence to orders from above.

In such times, would any merchant willingly yield their goods just because one came asking to hand them over?

It was unfortunate for merchants, but under the current circumstances, the probability of them reclaiming their goods or rights tied to the north was exceedingly low.

If Polda were to experience the atmosphere on-site, she would soon understand.

Thus Dhamia thought.

Regarding this Ricir’s dispatch.

As long as Polda did not voice any complaints, that would suffice.

*

For merchants, information is not much different from life.

The worst-case scenario that can occur from a lack of information might involve losing a bit of money, but merchants are a race whose lifelines are intertwined with their pockets.

Conversely, monetary gain can resurrect even a dying merchant.

The tale of a dying merchant’s last spark reigniting through the word ‘upturn’ heard outside is quite famous.

Therefore, Polda made it a point to stay informed about the happenings and status of Bondales.

A habit that significantly aided her rise from rock bottom to now being an intermediary merchant.

Some might say of Polda.

She seems to know everything.

Polda was aware that the crime organizations ruling the back alleys of Bondales weren’t merely a gathering of criminals, but a combination of adventurers and mercenaries who had tasted the flavor of black money.

She knew that one such crime organization, ‘Leather Chains’, was behaving strangely of late.

Among all merchants, Polda was the first to show intentions of withdrawing all affairs linked to the northern regions of Bondales.

In this manner, Polda’s intelligence network was at a level unmatched by peers among the merchants in Bondales.

Polda was well aware of this fact, which is why she was currently experiencing dire confusion.

“I apologize for not recognizing you, Sir Ricir! I’ll resolve the issue you mentioned at once!”

“Haha, thank you. By the way, do you know me?”

“Of course! How could I not know?”

“Haha. Why would it be obvious?”

Ricir.

That I was completely unaware of such a big shot.

The man bowing his head to Ricir now was Kal.

He was a manager with clients spread across both the sunny and shady sides of Bondales, trusted by the Leather Chains.

What kind of individual would be so nervous, to the point of being flustered, before such a person?

“Here it is! Polda’s goods!”

“Oh, thank you for the quick deal.”

“L-Lord Ricir said that! What an honor! If you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to find me!”

In dealing with the current ‘Leather Chains’, who could resolve issues as smoothly as this?

Even major city nobles or tower masters or senior adventurers would find it difficult.

“Polda, is this safe?”

“Yes? Ah. Yes! That’s it! Thank you!”

A profit harvested beyond all expectations.

‘Ricir.’

Polda quickly etched that unfamiliar name into her mind deeper than anyone else in the city.

*

“What on earth is happening here?”

At an unexpected caravan, the tower was engulfed in a commotion.

Dhamia asked her secretary what was going on.

“The heads of the merchants in Bondales have urgently requested an audience…!”

The guild heads often relegated to the back due to caution of the nobles?

Suddenly?

The dark-circled eyes of Dhamia trembled.

Right now, among the merchants, the rumor of an honorary mage was rapidly circulating.

There was a figure who could neatly solve issues that even the nobles could not handle.