Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 88

The young Sword Master realized, albeit belatedly, the reason his Master had let him go. The qualities he lacked. He recalled the Master’s sword.

The imagery contained within that sword resembled a desiccated flower.

The Sword Master didn’t understand the meaning of that sword.

But now, he felt like he could grasp it.

It was an insatiable thirst.

Being dry, it deserved to be quenched.

If quenching it didn’t work, then one could simply enjoy the thirst itself.

The fool gained enlightenment. He was no longer a fool.

▷ Fate 8: On the Edge

─────

“Whoa…”

Poon, the owner of the weapon shop ‘Blue Steel Sword,’ unintentionally gasped at the scene unfolding before her.

A weapon she had crafted was held by a great Swordsman, announcing its name.

For dwarves, it was the greatest honor and a dream.

Thus, dwarves held a keen interest in Swordsmen.

Exiled Sword Master.

The single sword he insisted upon.

It was one of the topics that drove dwarves to madness.

So, when the Exiled Sword visited her shop seeking advice on weapons, she nearly lost her mind.

The Named Sword of the Exiled Sword.

That sword was none other than the Ego Sword.

And it was said that this Ego Sword was his Master!

Poon’s small body trembled.

The information she had gathered thus far was enough to drive her over the edge with excitement.

She was barely holding herself back from rushing to the tavern where dwarves gathered to brag about what she had learned.

But then, a new piece of information was added.

“Did the Exiled Sword’s Master get a new disciple…?”

A piece of news so shocking that it rendered everything else trivial!

This Exiled Sword, revered by his Master, had taken on a new disciple.

And that was a young, seemingly inexperienced Mage!!!

Poon watched the spectacle before her with bated breath, nearly blowing steam from her nostrils.

“…”

The Exiled Sword’s hesitance to accept this news made the dwarves even more intrigued.

He had been dazed in shock, unable to recover.

“…No.”

Finally, the Exiled Sword muttered decisively.

The physical form of the Sword Master radiated an aura filled with enmity.

“Whoa…!!!”

The dwarf lady’s eyes shone brightly.

The Sword Master’s calm had shattered.

What an extraordinarily rare sight it was.

She fixated her gaze on the man who had orchestrated this entire spectacle.

‘Who on earth is he!?’

The nameless ‘genius Swordsman,’ who had earned the Exiled Sword’s recognition and sparked feelings of jealousy in him.

*

Rodan gazed into Ricir’s eyes.

He was the most intriguing person he had encountered lately.

Finding a cultist hiding in the city was as tricky as finding a needle in a sandpit.

If he had been in Ricir’s position, would he have been able to thwart Dranoff’s plans?

Probably not.

If it weren’t for him, the high priest of the White Shadow Church, Dranoff’s plans would never have been thwarted.

Thus, he acknowledged.

Rodan had no intention of denying that he was an extraordinary individual.

However.

That and this were two different stories.

‘Master…!’

An unseen presence contained within the Ego Sword.

Yes.

An unknown someone.

Rodan still didn’t even know her name.

Moreover, she had never once considered him as her disciple.

Not once had she provided him with direct teaching.

The sword imbued with unclear determination.

That indirect guidance she had left him was all the teaching she had given Rodan.

Yet, he revered her as his one and only Master.

Thanks to the power she had given him, he had broken through walls and reached the eighth tier.

He had escaped the shadow of his mother.

Now, having fulfilled his wish to escape his mother’s shadow.

Rodan’s only remaining hope was to earn her recognition.

He vowed.

He would surely solve the riddles she left him, receive her teachings, and become a worthy disciple.

The sudden departure came before any of those wishes could be realized.

The sword that would no longer be drawn from its sheath.

The voice he would never again hear.

An uncertain farewell and absence.

Due to this, Rodan’s mind was pushed to its limits.

The arrogant Sword Master willingly approached a group of cultists, lowering his head to them.

In the meantime, he finally came upon news of his Master through someone else’s lips.

The Master who had abandoned him had taken on a new disciple.

This laid bare the implication of the series of events.

The Master had completely let him go and sought a new disciple to take his place.

“That can’t be.”

How could he accept that?

How could he acknowledge it?

Rodan’s strong will manifested in a warped direction.

He dismissed the man before him as a deceiver, holding not a speck of doubt about it.

“Ricir. I must have misjudged you. Is this all you are worth?”

Rodan’s twisted smile held clear disdain.

“You assured me you could help and even took a price for it. But contrary to your expectations, your little friends have proven useless, and now you must concern yourself with the aftermath. This solution you’ve come up with right now is to lie that you hear my Master’s voice. Isn’t it?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Ricir raised the sword he held before Rodan.

– Swish

The sword that had been trapped in its sheath was drawn without resistance.

“…!”

Rodan’s pupils trembled for just a moment.

“Master.”

He addressed the sword.

“Master.”

Not a sound from her could be heard.

Not only that.

Even without her voice, the presence he had once clearly felt was no longer there.

Even the power that had helped him break through the eighth tier.

A previously unseen ripple surged within the Sword Master’s core.

His perfectly controlled breathing was disrupted by anger.

“You…”

Gasp!

The dwarf lady, who had been watching with bright eyes, unconsciously held her breath.

She couldn’t move her eyes.

It felt like being surrounded by a pack of wolves stark naked in the middle of the snowfield.

An ominous aura thick as a body dominated the area.

“…”

Rodan’s ensuing statement.

“What have you done to my Master…?”

His hand hovered around the sword at his waist.

*

Klana.

She watched the entire situation unfold with satisfaction within her inner world.

It was a good flow.

Rodan’s arrogant and stubborn disposition.

And his obsession with her.

She felt assured.

Now, no voice would reach Rodan.

This fool would never persuade him.

The best possible scenario played out in Klana’s mind.

Ricir meeting his end at Rodan’s hands.

The escape from this dreadful situation and space was near.

Klana’s lips curled into an eager smile.

“I will ask you one last time. What have you done to my Master?”

“…I’ve told you countless times, I haven’t done anything to your Master.”

Had Ricir shown even a hint of unease or hesitation, Rodan would have immediately subdued him.

However.

Ricir remained utterly composed, showing not a single crack in his demeanor.

‘If I show weakness, I’ll die.’

Ricir had already figured out how to deal with Rodan.

He struggled to maintain his calm with all his might.

“…”

And so, doubt crept into Rodan’s stance.

– This fool!!! You continue to disappoint me till the very end!

Klana yelled in frustration, but naturally, her voice didn’t reach Rodan.

“I merely spoke the truth as it stands. Your Master invited me to become his disciple.”

“…”

Ricir was no liar.

He spoke the truth, unyielding, and in his presence, Rodan found himself enchanted.

“Why…”

Thus, Ricir succeeded in drawing out a gap in Rodan, who was much stronger than him.

A gap in his heart.

Through this, Ricir glimpsed into Rodan’s interior.

He realized that the emotion driving him was not anger, but fear.

To persuade someone consumed by anger is a horrendous challenge.

On the other hand, persuading someone ruled by fear?

Surprisingly simple.

At least, Ricir believed so.

Thus, he could act without hesitation.

“In fact, all of this was for your sake.”

“…What?”

Ricir’s thoughts raced at high speed.

What is the best possible situation I can create right now?

And what do I need to create that best situation?

Ricir’s attention naturally turned to her.

The root of all this chaos.

The Murderous Fiend that occupied his inner world—

No, the Ego Sword that had now belonged to him.

“…”

At that moment.

Ricir felt a power that came with the Ego Sword.

A single possibility flickered through his mind.

He immediately unleashed the power of the Ego Sword.

“That’s—”

Rodan’s eyes filled with horror.

The gentle image emanating from the Blue Lotus that Ricir held surfaced.

A desiccated flower.

“Master…?”

Rodan inadvertently murmured her name as he looked at Ricir.

For it was unmistakably the sword of his Master.

– What…!

Klana’s mouth was silenced.

She had no recollection of allowing her sword to be wielded by him.

Yet, how was he able to draw forth her sword?

“Master— Master!!! Are you there!?”

Rodan’s figure escalated Klana’s frustration.

– Yes! I am here!!! Your Master is trapped right here!!! So hurry, stain that sword with blood!!! You foolish little—

“Yes. I am listening to your words here. I’ve borrowed this body to leave you my final teachings.”

“What do you mean… final teachings…?”

Rodan stared blankly at Ricir’s sword.

No, he was looking at his Master’s sword.

His eyes widened.

The imagery contained within the sword was changing moment by moment.

The dried flower bloomed into a fresh, fully blossomed bloom.

*

[You have acquired a unique skill]

▶ Unique Skill: Unblooming Flower (C-rank)

*

[The unique skill reacts to your traits!]

[The unique skill has been enhanced]

▶ Unique Skill: Bloomed Flower (C+ rank)

*

“She said, you are… far from blood. You can never become a sword that yearns for blood.”

A flexible interpretation following the pang of conscience.

For the first time, a trace of deception appeared on Ricir’s face.

However, at this moment, Rodan couldn’t decipher his deceit.

He was preoccupied with the warm words his Master had first ever spoken to him.

He was lost in the first teachings his Master had given him.

– This brazen-faced fool, what nonsense is he spouting!!!

– I have never said such a thing!!!

– Rodan!!! You are nothing like that extraordinary being!!!

– You are merely an average person who is neither a hero nor a villain!!!

– But take just one more step! You can become the complete being you are supposed to be!

– Rodan!!!

– Kill him!!!

– Then I shall impart all my wisdom to you!!!

Klana screamed.

Rodan mulled over his Master’s words.

“You will never become a sword that yearns for blood…”

The Exiled Sword Master.

He took on an action he had hesitated to take until the very end.

He drew a different sword, one not symbolizing the Exiled Sword’s unique Ego Sword.

Thus, Rodan closed his eyes, clenched his sword, and calmly sank into himself.

The shadow of his mother.

The shadow of his Master.

He spent time confronting himself, free from all of it.

In truth.

He was a person far removed from what Ricir had interpreted.

His heart was not entirely evil, yet it wasn’t wholly good either.

The arrogant fool.

The demeanor he possessed now could indeed be considered his innate essence.

Yet, he deeply yearned for his Master’s teachings above all else.

Such warm guidance from his Master was more than enough to change his perspective.

‘I am…’

The image Rodan faced within himself was murky and tainted.

– You will never become a sword that yearns for blood.

It was an image that betrayed his Master’s faith.

Rodan was ashamed of that.

That was why he denied it.

That was not his true self.

If he desired, he could change at any moment.

He had no reason to doubt it.

For surely, there must be a foundation behind his Master’s belief.

“…”

As Rodan reopened his eyes, the sword he held came into view.

A sword portraying a fully blossomed flower, completed without a hint of imperfection.

The fool gained enlightenment.

He was no longer a fool.

“Master…”

With serene eyes, Rodan beheld the Blue Lotus.

At that moment.

The imagery within the Blue Lotus began to fade.

– Rodan!!! You foolish little!!!

Rodan saw that as a farewell suited for her.

Thus, Rodan also returned a faint smile to his Master.

Ricir synchronized with him, dropping his sword.

“Thank you for everything, Master.”

Rodan bid farewell to his Master.

– No!!! Please, I beg you, get me out of here!!! Rodan!!! My disciple!!!

Master and disciple.

A clean farewell without a trace of lingering attachment.

*

■ Rodan

Level: 68 > 70

New Unique Skill: Filled Flower (C-rank)

*

■ Ricir

Level: 52(44) > 52

*

──────────

▷ Fate 8: On the Edge – Deactivated.

Accordingly, benefits will be rewarded.

──────────

*

– ‘Master.’

A voice that jolted Klana from her despair.

– “Please take care of things from now on?”

Just as he wanted to deeply dive into the sword, a precious (?) connection showed up.

Ricir smiled radiantly.

– Ah, ah…

A Murderous Fiend. Feeling fear for the first time.