Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 7

There was a boy a year younger than the girl in her family.

Although the girl was young and knew little, she was aware of how to address that boy.

“Big brother. Ricir big brother. I played with Ricir big brother today.”

Her mother, who had the girl sitting on her lap, looked surprised and met her gaze.

“No, Loera. That boy is not your big brother.”

“Not my big brother? Why?”

“That boy is different from us.”

“Different? Why? Ricir… big brother is also our family, right?”

“Ricir is…”

Her mother trailed off and lowered her head.

From her lips flowed a heavy monologue.

Is that our family?

A child of another woman, even—

It was a side she didn’t want to show to her beloved daughter.

“Mom? Why are you crying? Don’t cry. It’s my fault.”

At her daughter’s whimpering, her mother hurriedly raised her head and made a joke.

“Roo!”

Though her insides were still boiling, she only revealed a face she wished to show to her giggling daughter.

“Ricir is—”

A bastard.

It was a term too difficult for her young daughter to comprehend.

Both in its dictionary definition and in the meaning it conveyed.

“Ricir is… actually a boy worse than you think, Loera.”

“Ricir big brother is bad? No way~ He’s really good to me! He made this for me.”

The girl shyly pulled out a ring made of grass from her arms.

Anyone could tell it was clumsily made by a child’s hands, yet the girl slipped it on her finger and beamed with happiness.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

“…”

Her mother, with a wobbly smile, caressed her daughter’s finger adorned with the ring.

“Yes. It’s very pretty. Our Loera. I’d even want to wear it myself!”

The girl covered her hands as if she had made a great mistake.

“Uh, if mom wears it… uh… ah, that won’t do! It was given to me by Ricir big brother…?”

Finally, her mother’s lips drew a pure smile, free of worry.

The mother, who found her daughter endlessly adorable, patted her head.

And as if recalling something, she took off the necklace around her neck and put it around her daughter’s neck.

“Wow… it’s sparkling…”

Even through a child’s eyes, the necklace was more dazzling than the ring.

No, it was even more so through a child’s perspective.

“Shall we do this? It’s a necklace I cherish, so let’s trade it.”

“…Okay!”

Her mother held the grass ring she received from her daughter with a grip so tight it could crush it.

“Loera. Shall we make a promise? From now on, let’s not play with Ricir anymore.”

“Why?”

“I just… wish you wouldn’t. It’s a request from your mom, can you do that?”

“…”

The girl stared at her finger.

There, only a faint smell of grass remained.

“Okay. I understand. Since it’s mom’s request.”

—

“Lady Loera!!!”

“Honestly—where have you gone when it’s time to study manners!?”

“No. The time for studying manners is why she’s disappeared. So we, must find the lady.”

“…!”

What is a brat?

It’s synonymous with Bendel Loera.

Even those who didn’t know the precise definition of a brat would think of those three letters at the sight of eleven-year-old Loera.

The manners an aristocratic young lady must learn.

Loera despised them.

That much could be forgiven, I suppose.

Bendel was a house that revered radishes.

As long as one excelled in swordsmanship, having slightly less elegance as a young lady was not an issue.

The problem was that Loera even despised the basic manners that any typical noble should know.

“Hey Ricir~”

Today too, Loera stealthily snuck out of her etiquette class and came here.

Ricir’s room, located in the main building.

The boy sat at a desk, engrossed in his studies.

Her mother had warned her to keep her distance from Ricir, but she didn’t want to.

Ricir was Loera’s best friend.

There were piles of books stacked on his desk.

Books on etiquette that Loera had discarded.

“Yuck~”

Loera pretended to retch at the sight of the mountain of books.

The noble lady’s esteemed presence was indeed a nightmare for etiquette teachers.

“Ricir~ let’s put this off for later and go play~”

Loera swung the wooden stick she was holding.

Villains, be gone! Wham. Ouch.

The wicked etiquette books rolled across the floor.

The boy sighed and picked up the books again.

Dusting them off and carefully smoothing any crumpled pages, he laid them back on the desk.

“I’m busy right now.”

“I’m busy too, that’s why I came to see you~ So make some time.”

“Call me big brother.”

“I don’t wanna! Hehe. The adults told me. Ricir is a bastard. I don’t know what it means, but because of that, I’m stronger than Ricir, right? So that makes me the older sister. Ahem!”

“…”

Silence.

And the sound of a pencil.

The boy was giving his little sister his utmost effort to ignore her.

Tch.

Loera pouted and sat on the corner of the bed.

Rolling around and swinging her wooden stick—

The bed was too small a world to contain young lady Loera.

She quickly grew bored, got up from the bed, and lay face down.

Quietly creeping up behind her brother.

“You let your guard down!”

Loera’s stick knocked the books down once again.

Hehehe.

The little sister was super excited, waiting for her brother’s reaction.

Bam! Her body was roughly shoved back at that moment.

Ricir, who had jumped up from his seat, pushed her.

“Oh, you wanna fight!?”

Just as Loera was brightening her eyes and preparing for revenge, Ricir said,

“Hey, just go away.”

Ricir glared at Loera.

With eyes that held no hint of playfulness.

“…”

Loera, catching onto his mood, hid the mighty wooden stick behind her back.

Then she got close to Ricir and lightly nudged him with her shoulder.

“What’s wrong? It was just a joke~ Don’t get mad~ Are you feeling down?”

“You. Isn’t it time for your etiquette class?”

“I ran away to play with Ricir~ I avoided three adults! Hehe. You should have seen me being so cool.”

Ricir’s gaze toward his bragging sister was cold.

“Hey Loera.”

“Hm? Should I tell you? Should I tell you?”

“What’s so funny?”

“Yes?”

“The etiquette teachers invited for you by the head of the family. But why are you so excited? You’ve already smeared the head of the family’s name.”

“Why are you suddenly using difficult words~ Father won’t get mad about this?”

Wham!

It was sudden.

Ricir pushed Loera with all his might—almost a punch.

“Ouch!”

Loera cradled her arm that got hit and sneaked glances at Ricir.

By now, even a brat would understand this wasn’t the time for a prank.

“What, what’s wrong… why did you hit me, boohoo…”

Even as Loera whimpered, Ricir didn’t flinch.

Why was he so angry?

There was one part he could guess.

“S-sorry, Ricir big brother… for using casual speech… I was wrong, so please don’t be mad…”

Ricir tried to glare at Loera until the end.

As threatening as he could. He wanted to instill a clear hierarchy so she wouldn’t act up again.

Who is above? Who is the better person?

But the cries of children are easily contagious.

Huh, huh.

Loera’s crying started to touch Ricir as well.

“What’s with you! Why do you have to be favored over me!?”

“Big brother…?”

“I listen better, I study better, if I learn swordsmanship, I would learn it far better! So why is it only you they favor!?”

“Big brother…”

“Get away!!!”

Ricir pushed his approaching sister away.

“Who in the world would want to be born as a bastard!?”

“I’m sorry… I won’t tease you again… I didn’t know ‘bastard’ was such a bad word…”

“What are you apologizing for!!! What do you know! Get out! Get out!!! I don’t want to see someone like you!”

Ricir started throwing whatever was near him without thinking.

“Ouch!”

By chance, the edge of a book hit Loera’s forehead.

A red line was drawn on the smooth forehead of the brat.

Drip. Drip. Blood flowed down her face.

“…!”

Ricir’s face turned pale.

“Ar-are you okay, Loera?”

“Waaah!!! I hate you, big brother!!!”

Loera rushed out of the room while crying.

—

“I found the lady!”

“We found her like this! I can’t see the lady’s face!?”

“What is going on here!!!”

The servants discovered Loera, bleeding from her forehead and crying, and the mansion was turned upside down.

—

A short while later.

Ricir was called for the first time in a long while and headed to his father’s office.

Loera, wrapped in a bandage on her forehead, was held by their mother in tears.

Before her, the head of the Bendel family imposed punishment on Ricir.

“From today, you will stay in the annex, Ricir.”

“…Yes, head of the family.”

The bastard was to reside in the annex where the servants of the Bendel mansion stayed.

One day.

Loera came to Ricir’s room with a letter.

“I’m sorry, big brother… are you okay…?”

“…”

“This…”

Ricir tore the letter that Loera cautiously handed him.

“Didn’t the head of the family tell you? You can’t play with a bastard like me anymore.”

“…”

Loera left the room in tears.

After that, the bastard and the young lady never mingled again.

—

The rowdy girl grew up to become a young lady.

With her hair casually tied back and a sharp, cynical smile that fit her perfectly.

Lady Loera Bendel.

She was glaring at Ricir, standing at a certain distance with her arms crossed.

Ricir was currently swinging his sword with sheer focus.

He was drenched in sweat.

His hands were covered in blood and pus due to calluses and blisters from his grip on the sword.

One hundred ninety-four.

One hundred ninety-five.

Every time the sword moved, a dry, cracked voice followed.

About a month prior.

Ricir had started working out in the training ground located in the annex’s backyard of the Bendel mansion.

He started at the same time as those training in the main building.

And finished later than those training in the main building.

It was an excessive physical training that perfectly suited the expression of overexertion.

Even so, Ricir wasn’t satisfied.

He extended his training time day by day, increasing its intensity simultaneously.

Thus, he had arrived at today.

If one goes to the annex’s training ground, they would find Ricir firmly rooted there.

Waking up every moment of his waking hours to train and minimizing even the time it took to rest.

– As expected, even if he’s a bastard, a Bendel is still a Bendel, huh?

Even those who had laughed at Ricir’s attempts at training eventually looked up to him.

“Ha…”

Two hundred.

Ricir finally stopped training and took a moment to catch his breath.

“Eh…?”

When Ricir belatedly discovered Loera, he walked over to her.

“Loera, what’s going on here?”

His breath carried traces of blood and sweat, and his body was drenched from head to toe.

Yet, his blue eyes didn’t lose their shine as they focused straight ahead.

Hah.

That was Loera’s reaction to Ricir.

With dry eyes, she watched his series of actions and let out a short scoff.

“I can’t bear to watch.”

“…”

At Loera’s blatantly mocking attitude, Ricir flinched for a moment but managed to maintain his composure.

“What’s wrong, Loera? Do you need something from me?”

“…”

Loera silently stared at Ricir.

A heavy silence flowed between the two for a moment.

Just as Loera seemed to sense his eyes trembling slightly, Ricir finally spoke.

“If there’s nothing you need, I’ll excuse myself. I want to focus on my rest. I still have a long way to go to complete my training schedule.”

“You’re going to train more here? Are you out of your mind?”

Ricir’s lips trembled slightly.

Loera didn’t miss that.

“What do you think saying that will satisfy me?”

“…What?”

“This ridiculous performance. How long are you going to keep it up?”

“Loera. Calm down. What are you talking about—”

Hah.

Loera let out a deep sigh.

“Are you stupid? No, that’s not right. You’re an idiot. You think you’re smart, but that’s not the case. Do you really think anyone will care for you just because you’re swinging a sword endlessly like this?”

“…!”

Ricir’s expression hardened.

As if he had been hit at the root.

“I know your reasoning for doing this. Training? Just stop it. I hear from the trainees that you’re swinging your sword in a frenzy all day. But once you come to look, there’s no trance, nothing at all. An unusual idiot swinging a sword filled with uncertainty. Thank your lucky stars that person isn’t ignoring you already. No, maybe he’s maintaining a complete indifference after thoroughly assessing your sad state?”

“Hey Loera—”

“Why don’t you turn the sword toward me? My presence makes your ears perk up. You lean all your nerves towards me. Did you think I wouldn’t notice that?”

“…”

“I’ve been so good and impressive, right? Will you please look at me, Father? The noise you’re making all day long is hurting my head.”

Loera’s point was right.

Ricir knew his training method wasn’t effective.

The main purpose of this training, or rather its only purpose, was to draw people’s attention and gain recognition.

Ricir’s desperate struggle for his father’s acknowledgment had long shifted into this misguided approach.

“Yeah, what do you know!!!”

With his insides exposed, Ricir shouted with all his strength.

“I don’t care to know.”

Loera’s once-raised voice now cooled down to a calm.

“You’re someone I don’t even want to bother with.”

“Then you don’t have to care!!! To begin with, who do you think you are!?”

“What?”

Loera laughed again.

But it was a different laugh, as if it carried a certain bitterness.

“Do you really want to earn recognition from a man who doesn’t even see you as his son?”

“…What?”

“Isn’t it laughable? You did what you wanted. You got her knocked up. You left her to die. And now you’re blaming a child for everything?”

“You—you dare speak about the head of the family like that…!”

“Your filial devotion astounds me. You go be his real daughter. I’ll just take on the role of the bastard.”

Loera shifted her gaze elsewhere, signaling she was done with the conversation.

Ricir felt the same way.

“…”

At that moment, Loera’s gaze briefly rested on Ricir’s hands.

The hands bruised from swinging the sword endlessly.

“Hey Ricir. Just stop the fruitless efforts and pray to me for help.”

“What—”

“You. Do that one hundred times a day. Do you think that human will show any interest? You’re just trying to learn swordsmanship, right? You have to make sure your skills improve.”

Thus, focus on a more certain path.”

Even though he was smaller than his older brother, adult Loera still emanated a certain pressure and elegance as she squared off against him.

Loera stepped right up to Ricir and pointed her chin towards him.

“You’re good at this, right? Pray. Like you would before that person. Who knows? Perhaps your beautiful sister, unlike that person, might even teach you?”

For some reason, Loera never inherited the Bendel swordsmanship.

She completely rejected the family’s support and walked her own path.

To Ricir, who was dominated by a victim mentality, that seemed like a luxury that only those who weren’t bastards could enjoy.

“…Leave.”

Ricir avoided the gaze of his sister, who looked down at him from a lower height.

“I have to rest now.”

“Oh, of course.”

Loera shrugged her shoulders and turned away without any hesitation.

“…Damn it.”

Ricir didn’t hear her voice, which seemed to lament her own actions.

—

From the next day, Ricir no longer showed up at the training ground.