Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 80

They suddenly looked around.

The councilor of the Pelos family, which has produced councilors for Bondales for generations.

Balrod, the Red Lance of the Red Mage Tower, known for being a close disciple of the Red Mage Tower master and approaching the essence of fire.

Maldad, with black hair, bearing the name of “Demon Hunter,” given only to those who are extremely skilled at opposing demons.

Shakan, the descendant of the great chieftain and warrior known as Thunder Step, the Red Step.

Each of them held a name with the power to influence groups and regions.

Such people—

“Look over there! Our Chuinni! Just answer that Chuinni!”

“…Isn’t it unnecessary to answer someone else’s question?”

“My Chuinni is the only Chuinni!!!”

“Got it.”

It felt like I had become a discarded sack of barley, standing in front of the tiny little girl.

The councilor invited prominent figures due to the demon being swayed by the little girl.

The prominent figures, troubled by being swayed by the little girl, gazed at each other, pondering their situation.

At least, there was some consolation in the fact that the little girl was not an ordinary human but a spirit.

“Chuinni! Chuinni! The black one is a good black one now! Chuinni says she’ll grant a request!”

At that moment, the little girl turned to the man she called “Chuinni.”

The honor mage of the Gray Mage Tower, Ricir.

All eyes were drawn to him.

“What’s going on…?”

Councilor Lan’s brown eyes shook relentlessly.

Perhaps no one here was as surprised as she was.

For the past few days.

She had done everything in her power as a councilor to earn the respect of the sealed demon.

Seduction, threats, requests, compromises—she had tried it all.

But the responses always returned as either silence or mockery.

Demons were such beings.

Deceivers who thoroughly despised and toyed with those they deemed inferior.

Lan had experienced the deceitful nature of that creature to the point of nausea during the past few days.

It wasn’t just a metaphorical expression—she had genuinely vomited due to the stress of being toyed with by that creature.

Yet now.

That deceiver was pretending to be a loyal black one, catering to the girl’s whims.

Even her foolish uncle wouldn’t be that kind!

At that moment, Ricir gently patted the little girl’s head and said.

“To explain would be complicated; this child is a bit special.”

“Special…?”

She was originally a demon.

That’s why the demons seem to treat her well?

Ricir pondered how to convey the shocking truth arising from that realization.

“Shall I say I know how to handle demons?”

Ricir’s intention was successful.

His statement was undoubtedly less shocking than saying “she was originally a demon.”

Furthermore, there was likely no other expression to convey Verbandes’ ability without resistance.

“Knowing how to handle demons…”

Still, they showed signs of being unable to shake off their shock.

Demons.

Without a doubt, they were the most unfathomable and troublesome beings in this world.

Though the authority of the Red Mage Tower and the descendant of the warrior knew how to deal with demons, they were not well aware of how to handle them.

Thus, their gazes all turned to the Demon Hunter.

It was as if they were asking, ‘Does such a thing really exist?’

“…”

The eyes of the demon hunter, shining through his long black bangs, trembled.

Knowing how to handle demons?

It exists.

If backed by a high level of understanding and analysis of demons, it was not impossible to infer and guide their actions.

The problem was—

In the recent actions of the little girl, there wasn’t even a hint of such skill.

“Black one! When our Chuinni asks a question, you answer! Got it!?”

If another demon hunter were to copy the little girl’s actions, demons and those around would treat them like fools.

This raised two possibilities.

1. The demon recognized the target as a being of higher status than itself.

2. The spirit girl has something special about her.

The demon hunter quickly dismissed the first possibility that sprang to mind.

Demons are extremely arrogant beings.

They hardly acknowledge the status of any being unless it is another demon.

Moreover, even among the same demons, they would not easily concede unless there was a considerable difference in status.

Such tendencies became more pronounced as a demon’s self-awareness solidified, and the demons in the crystal could converse with humans due to their clear sense of self.

A demon like that bowing its head willingly without a question?

The authoritative demon hunter could confidently state that if such a demon were present, he too would have bowed his head without question, just like a demon.

Otherwise, it would meet a pathetic death like an insect crushed under a hand.

Therefore, the demon hunter said.

“It seems that the spirit girl has some special ability.”

At that remark from the expert, the others nodded, though still feeling somewhat unsure.

Well, they didn’t understand it fully, but let’s go with that. The expert said so.

An ambiguous atmosphere lingered in the space.

“Well, anyway—”

The atmosphere was broken by a beastman.

Shakan. She expressed her delight, her red tail wagging.

“Thanks to you, things will get easier. Thank you, little one?”

“I’m not little!”

“Oh dear. I apologize. Then what should I call you?”

“I am—I am…! Beru, Berut—”

The little girl struggled to squeeze out the words.

“Berubandechuu!”

The cute sight drew warm smiles from the gathered people.

“…”

One person.

That is, except for the demon hunter, Maldad.

‘Berubande…s?’

No way. That can’t be true.

Of course not.

He let out a chuckle, shaking off the absurd thought that crossed his mind.

It couldn’t be just a coincidence that the name of the little spirit girl resembled the name of a powerful entity that once dominated the ancient desert region.

“Alright. Thank you, Berubandechuu.”

“It’s not Berubandechuu, it’s Berubande…chuu!”

“?”

“But why are you thanking me?”

“Well, you helped me get that black one to speak!”

“Then you don’t have to thank me! I did it for our Chuinni!”

“Uh? Oh.”

The attention that had been focused on Verbandes turned back to Ricir.

It was a repeat of their first meeting.

They scrutinized Ricir up and down as if evaluating him.

The Gray Mage Tower, as well as being an outsider to Bondales, they knew nothing about the young honorary mage before them.

Moreover, they had a general notion that honorary mages were sort of a trophy awarded to ‘ardent supporters of the mage tower.’

Rumor had it that the situation at the Gray Mage Tower was somewhat different, but biases don’t operate that flexibly.

“Huh? An honorary mage but young?

That person is here on equal terms with me?”

Their initial negative perception of Ricir had been quite valid.

Now, that perception had somewhat improved.

Shakan nodded lightly towards Ricir.

They realized why he had been recommended to be here.

Perhaps it was because he was the owner of that peculiar spirit.

Ricir became ingrained in their minds as the owner of a peculiar spirit.

Anyway, their impression was better than before.

Ricir smiled satisfactorily as he patted Verbandes’ head.

“Now, then—Councilor Lan? You said you had something to ask the demon?”

Shakan gestured towards the black crystal.

Lan stepped forward, stating she would explain the reason for calling them before proceeding to question the demon.

“First, shall we move to another location?”

She said she had something to show them and led them into a carriage.

*

The place they arrived at after riding in the carriage was in front of a mansion in the affluent area of Bondales, specifically in District 3.

As they crossed a wide garden and reached the mansion’s door, Shakan’s face contorted.

Her red ears and tail bristled sharply.

“…”

The Demon Hunter, Maldad, also glared at the mansion through his disheveled bangs.

“Shakan. What’s wrong?”

The only one feeling lost was the master of the Red Mage Tower, Balrod, who asked Shakan.

Then, Shakan sniffed once and spat on the ground.

As if something filthy had entered her mouth.

“Councilor Lan. What is this place? Too luxurious to be a slaughterhouse, but too lousy to be a place where people live.”

A slaughterhouse.

Balrod’s expression grew serious at the significant remark.

Instead of answering, Lan moved her feet, opening the mansion’s door and guiding them inside.

“…Wow.”

That was Ricir’s impression as they arrived in the mansion’s basement.

The basement, showing signs of having been specially renovated, was vast compared to the mansion’s size.

That enormous space was packed with traces of slaughter.

Indelible bloodstains and the smell of blood.

The most striking feature was the stain centrally located.

Leaving the center empty while the bloodstain spread outwards.

They momentarily pondered how such a stain would remain.

What arose in their minds was that of a massive corpse tower.

“It was livestock.”

Though Lan added that, their expressions didn’t improve.

Those who committed such acts within a city would not stop at slaughtering livestock.

“Recently, suspicious movements have been detected all over Bondales. People have gone missing, and unreported supply wagons have been found. While tracking these movements, we arrived at this place. When we got here, it was filled with livestock blood and corpses. This black crystal was discovered in the midst of it.”

Shakan nodded in understanding.

“So, our job is to find and take down those bastards responsible for this. I get that. But one question arises. According to you, their plans have failed. They’ve even lost demons. By this point, they must have significantly weakened and likely retreated from Bondales before being tracked down. Right?”

“That’s correct.”

“But you went through considerable trouble to gather us here. This setup seems too excessive for catching a demon follower who couldn’t even manage one master and fled disgracefully, don’t you think?”

It was then that Ricir spoke up.

“Here, have this and calm down.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Doesn’t that feeling seem somewhat warranted? I assume that’s what Councilor Lan is worried about too?”

“…Exactly. It feels too conveniently linked together.”

Shakan nodded, but her expression remained skeptical.

“I get that feeling completely. However, I can’t shake off the thought that this is excessively sensitive. That black crystal. To use the bound demon as mere bait? It feels more like fishing with gold.”

At Shakan’s remark, Maldad agreed.

“The clarity of its self-awareness. And its vastness. The demon sealed in that crystal has quite a high rank, enough to cause chaos in this vast city. To think it would be used as bait—it’s hard for me to agree with that.”

Balrod, eyes closed in deep thought, asked casually.

“Have any further suspicious movements been detected since then?”

Lan shook her head and formed a complex smile.

“I sincerely hope my concerns are unfounded.”

“Then, what you intended to ask that demon was—”

“Exactly. That demon is currently the only suspect we can interrogate and is also the mastermind who knows everything.”

Shakan, Balrod, and Maldad.

Looks of concern surfaced on the faces of the three.

Now, Lan’s insistence on defining the request as ‘demon interrogation’ made sense.

If not genuinely interrogating, the demon wouldn’t divulge information about its followers.

Shakan and Balrod cautiously glanced at Maldad.

He subtly shook his head.

There have been cases where a demon follower couldn’t withstand interrogation and spilled information about demons.

But the reverse?

Never heard of it.

A demon spilling the beans under duress about its follower?

The pain humans could imagine was no threat to a demon.

They began to deliberate on how to approach Lan’s request, which turned out to be more complex than anticipated.

“Shall we just ask then?”

Ricir, who had been watching the others, casually spoke up.

“Didn’t that bastards say he’d answer my question earlier?”

“…”

Shakan sighed in exasperation, dealing with this unrealistic rookie.

“Will you actually answer?”

*

“I’ll tell you everything…”

“What the hell.”

Shakan couldn’t help but interject in the utterly absurd spectacle unfolding before her.

The demon sealed within the crystal was about to reveal everything to the follower trying to set it free and their complete plan.

The White Shadow Church.

When that name was mentioned, they couldn’t contain their bewilderment.

Those who referred to themselves as bearers of deceit were indeed the most secretive, insidious, and dangerous cult of demon worshippers on the continent.

According to the demon, they were currently building the foundations for a grand ritual, hiding in the shadows of Bondales even at this very moment.

“You all. Surely, you’re not intending to trust that demon’s words, right?”

It was undeniably a trap or a deception.

Shakan raised a perfectly reasonable question.

Then, before long, the spirit of Ricir—

Verbandes spoke to the demon.

“You’re not lying to Chuinni, are you!?”

“…Whether you believe that or not is up to you.”

The demon muttered with earnestness and significance.

It was a typical display of deceiving demons.

“You tricked Chuinni! I won’t forgive you!”

At that moment, Verbandes raised her arms with all her might.

A pose as trivial as a raccoon stretching its body.

People from Shakan to others exhaled sighs, rubbed their temples, and shut their eyes, each showing their distress.

Of course.

That little girl had fallen prey to the demon’s deception.

The demon’s attitude was evidence enough—

“Ah, no! I’m not safe at all!”

“?”

Safe? Whose safety?

They questioned their ears for a moment.

Surprisingly, it was the demon’s voice.

The demon, in sheer panic, had put down all pride as a demon and desperately shouted.

They were unable to keep up with the situation.

And in the end, couldn’t accept it.

Until the moment they were led by the demon to the place where the White Shadow Church was hidden.

*

A secret space in Bondales that no one knew.

There, a secret and sinister ritual was being carried out.

Naked humans were tied like meat with ropes.

The grotesque sight seemed to foreshadow the miserable future that awaited them.

Those in white robes surrounded their surroundings.

What kind of faces would the madmen who created such tragedies have?

Goldina, the priestess of the White Shadow Church.

She looked far from solemn with a foolish expression on her face.

Suddenly, an intruding person showed up.

“What did I tell you, Chuinni!”

Referring to the shouting demon inside the crystal held by the intruder.

“Who is your Chuinni?”

Ricir reprimanded the demon within the crystal.

“O dark burning one…?”

The cultist softly called upon the name of the entity they served.