Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 71

“Did you wake up?”

“?”

I thought so too, but maybe I’m still in a dream?

This was the first impression Ricir had as he woke up.

It wasn’t just a feeling; an unreal spectacle unfolded before his eyes.

Swish!

The curtains were thrown open with vigor.

Morning sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the figure of a maid who had drawn back the curtains.

The silver hair shimmered with a soft pink tint, glinting brighter as it caught the sunlight.

And that smile.

“Good morning!”

It was a cheerful smile that seemed to want to infuse the surroundings with overflowing vitality.

“Oh, good morning!”

Indeed, Ricir was infected by that energy and reflexively responded.

With great enthusiasm!

“But who are you!?”

He had pushed aside his first question.

A cheerful maid to start the morning.

Even Ricir, who had traversed various fantastical elements after leaving his family, had yet to conquer this realm.

“Hmm?”

The maid tilted her head, still wearing a playful smile.

“What kind of joke is this? Since it’s a joke from you, it must be a funny one—sorry! I’m just not understanding it. Could you please explain it if it’s alright with you?”

A friendly smile full of goodwill.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, as if to say, “I’m totally intrigued!”

Ricir thought.

If all women responded to failed jokes like that, ‘hurt men’ would soon become an endangered species!

Disarmed by the maid’s positive energy, Ricir barely managed to collect his thoughts and said.

“I meant that you’ve changed so much I didn’t recognize you for a moment, Tia.”

Even as he said it, he felt unsure.

Dark Elf Slave Tia.

When he last saw her yesterday, she appeared hollow and unstable, like a personality worn down by years of servitude.

“Is that strange?”

If there was the slightest hint of artifice in her current appearance, Ricir would have felt that way too.

Strange.

That she might be overdoing it to repay the debt she owed him (rescuing her sister, the promise of escape).

But her current demeanor was neither artificial nor unstable.

It appeared infinitely natural, and therefore, she looked healthy.

Could this truly be her true self?

He didn’t know.

But one thing was certain; she looked much better than before.

It seemed nothing he could say or do would tarnish her vibrant smile.

“It does seem like a sudden change… but the important thing is, you look better than before. You seem healthier.”

“Really? What a relief… Actually, I was worried. I thought you might think my changed appearance was odd. But to hear you say that I look good really makes me happy!”

Tia giggled and grabbed Ricir’s hand.

“Let’s go! I’ve prepared breakfast!”

“…But, Tia. Where did you get that maid outfit?”

“Looks good, right!? I was also surprised when I saw myself in the mirror!”

“That’s not what I was asking…”

Whatever, it was fine.

Good things were good.

Ricir concluded that Tia’s transformation was just that.

Afterward, she attended to him with utmost care until the moment he stepped out.

“Have a great day, Master!”

She never lost her vibrant smile, even until the end.

*

The City of Dark Elves, Kehlin.

The Sahila family that governs it has two major military factions under its command.

The Red Sand Guards, operating openly for the city.

The Dalgrim Knights, functioning covertly for the family.

Keren, the captain of the Dalgrim Knights.

He never questioned the object of his service.

Sahila, a family that deserves admiration for raising the empire of Dark Elves in the remote periphery of the continent, was a family he revered. Katria, the family’s noble daughter, embodied the pride and nobility of Sahila.

Yet, he was worried.

What would Miss Katria look like at the end of this journey?

One day, Drian, the youngest son of the Sahila family, disappeared without a trace from Kehlin.

He had anticipated that the journey to find him would not be smooth.

Beyond the southern part of the continent lay the world of humans.

A place filled with malice and hostility towards Dark Elves.

But he never expected the level of human malice Katria would endure.

‘Drian…’

After repeatedly facing human malice and managing to keep her composure, Katria completely changed upon discovering that Drian had been sold into slavery.

Keren couldn’t forget the image of Katria abusing Leisha, swearing to return what Drian suffered.

Who in Kehlin could look at that and still think of the former Katria?

What was even more horrific was that it was merely the beginning, not the end.

In her quest to find her brother, Katria approached a human mage who had lascivious intentions toward her.

How much more malice would she be exposed to and fall into in the process?

If only she could immediately use her power and protect Drian and Katria.

That would be guaranteed if she could secure their safety.

Unfortunately, the human city was far too vast.

Raising a ruckus carelessly could lead to the worst-case scenario of having to leave the city before even recovering Drian.

This nightmarish situation was, paradoxically, the best possible scenario for them at that moment.

Ultimately, Keren had to accept all of this with a heavy heart.

His own helplessness.

And, the changes in the lady.

The pure lady, whom the City of Dark Elves, Kehlin, remembered and loved, was no longer there.

Now, she was a pitiful and hideous monster, governed by malice and the poison it bred—

“Keren! Look! This is the outfit human maids wear, what do you think? Doesn’t it fit me perfectly?”

“?”

Who is this?

Keren nearly blurted out without realizing it.

Katria, back from the Mage Tower, looked completely different from what he had expected.

Her clear eyes showed not a trace of malice or poison.

And there was not a single stain on her cheerful atmosphere.

No matter how one looked at her now, she did not seem to be under the sway of malice.

On the contrary.

“Remember? Ricir?”

“Ricir…?”

“Oh! Get a hold of yourself! I don’t even need to play the slave here!”

Whatever was so amusing made Katria burst into a fit of giggles.

Keren, along with Leisha, who had been kneeling nearby, stared blankly at her.

“Anyway! That’s not the important part! Do you want to know what I experienced when I followed him? Keren, you won’t believe it when I tell you!”

Surprisingly, the story that followed instilled enough credibility to explain her transformation.

“You found your brother? That’s quick!”

“Yeah! Ricir prioritized that over anything else!”

‘He?’

Keren found the sporadic expressions somewhat unsettling, but for now, he focused on her story.

A tale of a human with a Dark Elf as a master.

Katria’s atmosphere, which had been all cheerful, gradually grew more serious as the story progressed.

“I suddenly thought about this. I want to be a wonderful person who brightens the worlds of others, just like them…”

The girl, who had been falling into the clutches of villains, met a sage and was ultimately inspired by him; it was a very simple yet astonishing tale.

“So, Keren. Will you support me in what I’m about to do?”

Katria spoke resolutely, though it was precarious.

“I need to correct my terrible mistake.”

Katria received her belongings from Keren.

She then put on a large bracelet adorned with a topaz.

It was the most precious treasure held by Sahila’s second daughter, who established the empire of Dark Elves.

The Hand of Verbandes.

This artifact, which sealed a powerful demon by contract, granted the user’s wishes in the form of ‘curses.’

“Miss, you’re not going to use that, are you…?!”

The Hand of Verbandes was a grand treasure filled with the history and power of the Sahila family.

The power contained within it was enough to move a family and a city.

As a vassal of the Sahila family, Keren felt the responsibility to persuade her to reconsider the use of Verbandes.

“The Hand of Verbandes should only be used for Sahila!”

“Right. This is for Sahila.”

“What does that mean—”

“If I can’t save him, there will be no more Katria of Sahila.”

“…!”

Keren felt a chill run down his spine at that moment.

Whatever he had imagined, her once cheerful eyes temporarily lost all light.

In the end, Keren could not fulfill his responsibility.

– Speak your wish!!!

From the topaz embedded in the bracelet, a scream resonated.

It was the voice of the sealed demon, Verbandes.

Katria brought a strand of golden hair close to the topaz and spoke.

“Can you detoxify the ‘poison’ that’s consuming the owner of this hair?”

– Speak of another wish!

“Why?”

– The one is not poisoned by the kind of poison I can detoxify!

“…”

Katria squeezed her eyes shut.

She couldn’t believe it. That even the Hand of Verbandes couldn’t detoxify.

But it was okay.

There was another way.

If she could only find whatever it was that had purified the Turbid Truth in the Mage Tower, it would just be a matter of time before she could cleanse Ricir from its clutches.

Yeah.

Just a matter of time.

So, she needed to delay Ricir’s complete contamination with Turbid Truth for as long as possible.

“Share your power with that man.”

This request would make that possible.

– It seems you’re quite desperate! Such a foolish wish! I inform you according to the contract! If I share my power, he will be under my control! That’s surely not the result you desire!?

Verbandes was a demon with formidable power.

To save a human who would be under his influence would require considerable risk and effort.

However, it wasn’t impossible.

To use Verbandes’s power to postpone the manifestation of Turbid Truth, find the method of detoxification, and then remove Verbandes’s power afterwards.

That was the plan Katria had devised.

“No. That is the result I wish for. How long will it take until he is under your influence?”

– A week should be sufficient!

“Good. That’s enough. Verbandes, I command you to fulfill your duty according to the contract.”

– Hahaha!!! Understood! Heir of Sahila! The contract has been fulfilled!

With those words, the light of the topaz dimmed.

“…Alright. Keren, let’s go.”

There was no time to waste.

Verbandes’s power would actively move even at this very moment to control the powerless human mage.

Though the remaining time had stretched from two days to a week, it was still tight.

She needed to find whatever it was that had purified the poison as quickly as possible.

*

Every day brought the classes of Sir Meltas.

Today’s lesson was practical—the sparring session.

To be honest, I was quite looking forward to it.

Wouldn’t I be able to hold my own even against a master now?

“Ugh! Hah! Hah!”

No way.

Even with Sir Meltas giving me quite a bit of leeway, I couldn’t even touch a single hair of his braided beard.

“The barrier!!! Hah! Why is it so, Hah! No sturdy?! Hah!!! In between my teeth—Hah!!!”

“Ricir. If you’re tired, just catch your breath. Are you trying to choke yourself with nonsense?”

I never imagined this.

I could not break even a single barrier with a mere hand gesture.

After a full-on exhibition of my energy, my magic ran out splendidly.

This happened in less than five minutes after the sparring began.

A time to reaffirm the prowess of Sir Meltas, who was counted among the best masters in the Mage Tower.

“Good job, Ricir. That’s enough for today.”

“I understand—Hah!!! Sir Meltas—thank you… Oh?”

─────

[You resisted!]

[Level up!]

────

“…”

Feeling a sudden unease, I stood up and spoke to Sir Meltas.

“Sir Meltas. My magic has recovered.”

“?”

“I don’t know why, but it’s back, so shall we resume the sparring?”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

*

The Dark Elf had a comfortable place to rest wherever she went.

No, it wasn’t some romantic notion about using the ground as a bed and the sky as a blanket.

This remarkably practical method starts by seeking the mansion of a powerful lord who accumulated wealth through unscrupulous means in the city.

This was a critical task, as it both removed the guilt of conscience and eliminated the possibility of being scolded by a certain cute and precious someone.

Next, she would engage in comprehensive negotiations (Mental Interference) with the mansion’s owner.

Once all those tasks are complete, oh how wonderful it is.

The Dark Elf, who was turned away at the city gate, is reborn as the precious guest of a corrupt noble.

The temporary transfer of ownership of a mansion located in the city’s downtown can be deemed a symbol of their friendship.

This was how Dark Elf Pamon stayed in an uninvited human city.

“Ah~ The bed. So fluffy. This is what a human life is like~”

<Didn’t you once say that you'd rather camp in the woods than rest in the human realm?>


“Quit being grumpy~ You know how far the woods are from here, Duran~”

<That’s alarming. A book suffering from memory loss. I forgot, but who was the one that marched into the city, clenching their teeth, saying they must arrive before sundown? >


“Oh my, Duran! Look at this wine color~”


<For real, just look at it.>

In truth, Pamon hadn’t always enjoyed using this method.

– Pamon. Instead of acting like this, why not go to the city and get a room at least.


– I’d rather listen to the sounds of the crickets while spending the night here than rest in a human space.

Originally, Pamon had returned all disdain shown to her by humans onto them and everything they touched.

Everything changed after she got a pupil.

– But I want to create plenty of topics for conversation for when I reunite with Ricir later~


She wanted to share more of the world with her disciple.

With that thought in mind, Pamon actively began to embrace human cultural artifacts.

Indeed.

All of this was to become a teacher worthy of her disciple!

“How can wine be this rich? What did they do to the grapes? What did they do to the ground? Must have pruned a lot and pulled out nutrients, how dreadful. Such a terrible thing should be disposed of.”

<If you put that in your mouth, the act of 'pleasantly consuming it' takes place.>

“Would you like a drink, Duran?”


<I’m a book.>

And so, just when Pamon was perfectly fulfilling the image of a teacher that her disciple expected (a slightly cursed master), it happened.

“Oh?”

Sitting on the bed, savoring the wine, Pamon rummaged through her belongings.

Then, she returned, unfolding a piece of parchment onto the bed.

<What’s going on, Pamon?>

“Well, well? I’ve received a contact from the Sahila family? And it’s from the lady herself.”


<The lady refers to... the second daughter Katria? How interesting. I remember that your relationship with her was quite poor.>

“What do you mean, Duran? How much I adore Lady Katria~”


<Surprisingly, relationships between people are mutual. Even if you like them, if the other side dislikes you, it’s all in vain.>

“Oh no, I just got reprimanded on interpersonal relations by a book!”

As Pamon spoke, her eyes followed the words being updated in real-time on the parchment.

“Aha~ I wondered what prompted our lady to contact me.”

<What does it say?>

“Out of the blue, she’s asking for the detoxification method for Turbid Truth?”


<Why is she asking you for that?>

“Isn’t it possible that it’s a medicine created by our master?”