Dark Fantasy Normalized

43 – Elite? Talent

Immediately after parting ways with the people from the Mage Tower.

I mulled over the last thing Lord Meltas had said.

‘The Mage Tower supporter qualification, and the reward for resolving the Didoa incident will be finalized and they’ll let me know.’

It was a satisfying Mage Tower visit(?). There were many incidents, but I gained a lot in return.

I’d made good connections with various Tower officials, and more importantly, had essentially cemented a good relationship with the Mage Tower.

The day either of those two things were resolved, I’d have the Mage Tower’s guarantee of my status.

I’d be treated better than any b*stard, and better than most common nobles.

In essence, I had two choices now.

Sit still and wait for news from the Mage Tower.

Or, do something until news from the Mage Tower arrives.

Me, Rishir. I’d become a man courted by a Master and fretted over by the Mage Tower, but alas, I was still unemployed and jobless.

I’d built a good relationship with the Mage Tower over the last few days, but that also meant my job search had been pushed aside.

Thinking about Pien and Rona, who’d used their people-charming skills to immediately find jobs and move out on the first day, made me feel impatient. Was it really okay to just wait around for the Mage Tower news, with nothing better to do?

But, it was also true that the quality of my job would vary wildly depending on whether the Mage Tower vouched for me or not.

‘Should I ask Lord Meltas or Ms. Didoa for a recommendation letter or something?’

That thought crossed my mind for a moment—

“…Nah.”

Thinking about it, it’s really not an option.

The guarantees of two people who are Masters of the Magic Tower, aren’t that different from the Magic Tower’s guarantee, in practice.

But there’s a difference, in that all my actions directly impact their reputation as guarantors.

I need to avoid over-dependence, if only to maintain a constructive relationship with the two of them in the future.

“Let’s see…”

I checked the state of my pockets.

“At this rate, I should be able to hold out for a few more days.”

Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that I should wait a few more days.

***

“So slow, the Magic Tower… at this rate, am I going to end up homeless?”

A week has passed.

Still, there’s no contact from the Magic Tower.

Of course, it’s not like I’ve been loafing around this past week either.

I used half of my waking hours figuring out the geography and atmosphere of Bondales (it wasn’t sightseeing), and the other half to get a handle on the sudden surge in my power.

My body was itching, so I trained as well.

If I’d gone to the Magic Tower and gotten advice from Lord Meltas, or sparred with Heynia, I might have seen better results, but unfortunately I’m still an outsider. Just because I’ve become a little friendly with a few people from the Magic Tower doesn’t mean I can go in and out as if it were my own home.

I even felt a brief temptation.

Just say screw it, and get affiliated with the Magic Tower?

Of course, that’s not happening. The Magic Tower apprentices have to take ‘written exams’ on a regular basis.

I, who haven’t even read a basic magic textbook, would probably end up eating books for dinner if I tried to keep up with the Magic Tower’s written exam level.

If they asked, ‘What was your motivation for applying to the Magic Tower?’

And I answered ‘Money and power’, this wasn’t something I could handle.

“…”

I checked my wallet one more time.

“It’s about time I-”

It was a perfectly valid time to question the Magic Tower’s administrative processing speed.

Alright, let’s do *something*.

That thought pushed me out of my room.

***

District 9.

An area mainly inhabited by well-off outsiders.

The lodging I’m staying at is located in Bondales District 9.

I’ll admit it. I’m far from being well-off.

Even so, the reason I’m staying in this kind of area is simple.

If I go any lower, my fragile soul just can’t handle it.

Having memories of a past life as a modern person and being raised in an aristocratic environment, my soul was more petite than you’d imagine.

District 9. This is the line I’ve drawn.

If the day comes when I have to go down to a lower district, that’ll be the day I sell my soul for money, wouldn’t it?

I don’t think I’m being *that* peculiar.

Pien is even worse than me; she’s staying in District 7, where rich merchants and foreign nobles reside.

Rumor has it, the guild master who became a counter clerk was a woman, and she took pity on Pien’s circumstances and gave her a room?

‘Damn it, I’m jealous.’

How great would it have been if I’d been a cute girl who could stimulate someone’s protective instincts and have a house torn out for me.

… Lost in those thoughts, I realized I’d already arrived at my destination.

[Padian’s Morning]

This building, which stands out even in the bustling 5th district, where all sorts of flashy shops are gathered, is a cafe.

In this world, cafes aren’t just places to have coffee and kill time; they’re social hubs where the city’s in-crowd (?) gather and mingle.

As such, they’re known for being strict about hiring staff, and, surprisingly, Rona was working as an employee at such a cafe.

With her looks, her vibe, and her smooth talk, she was a former golden boy who apparently was known as a high-grade resource in customer service.

Yesterday, before evening, Rona came to my lodging to give me a heads-up.

She told me to visit the cafe where she works, if I have the time tomorrow.

So I stopped by for a bit before starting my job hunt in earnest.

It so happens, this 5th district is also an area where many adventurer guilds are located.

It was still before lunchtime, so the cafe was pretty quiet.

As I was looking around at the cafe’s interior from outside, the gold-tanned girl who was wiping tables noticed me and immediately came outside.

“Oh, you, you’re here!?”

The usually prickly Gold-Aura instantly morphed into a timid maiden the moment she faced me.

Rona greeted me with her signature, awkwardly lowered voice.

“How’s it going? Surviving okay?”

“…Is that even a question??”

It seemed Gold-Aura hadn’t quite forgotten her golden days as a Sun.

Rona shot me a reproachful look.

“After making me like *this*…”

“Like this? You make it sound like I ruined your life.”

“Didn’t you kinda…?”

“Usually, that’s called guidance. Or reformation.”

“What…”

“Think about your old life. Sowing discord, attacking people naked at night for ‘fun’, drugging them, casting mind magic-“

“Th-that’s…”

The Gold-Aura had learned about the human heart through reformation.

Rona, remembering her past follies, blushed with shame and fidgeted.

Something the brazen Gold-Sun of old would never have done.

“But look at you now. A respectable cog in the social machine, pursuing the virtues of labor. So upstanding. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Proud, my ass… I was on the verge of 4th Awakening, and now I’m a powerless wench…”

Rona cautiously looked up at me.

“So, uh, when are you gonna give it back.”

“Give what back?”

“What else! My power, obviously!”

“I *could* say, ‘If you behave’- but let’s be honest, Rona. I don’t know how to do that. Actually, you restarting from the bottom is probably faster.”

“…Training, is that allowed?”

“Why are you asking *me*?”

“You’re my master…”

“I never thought you’d obey me so easily. Frankly, when I let you be independent, I thought you’d just run away.”

“Wh-what if I ran away and couldn’t go back to normal…!”

“There’s no guarantee you’d go back to normal even if you stayed by my side – ah, whatever. Do what you want.”

“…So that’s a definite, right? Training?”

Okay.

Rona clenched her fists tight, a satisfied look on her face.

“So. What’s up?”

“Huh?”

“What’d you call me to the cafe for? Just to have a coffee and go?”

“No. The errand’s something else. Of course, if you want to have coffee before you go, I won’t stop you…”

“What’s this errand then?”

“Ah! H-here—”

Rona pulled a pouch from her pocket and showed it.

“My paycheck came out this week…”

“Oh, yeah. Congrats. Your first payday. That’s good.”

And, not stopping at showing it, she hands it straight to me.

“…So, why are you giving this to me?”

“You’re my owner. Decide my living expenses from this.”

Rona waited for my allocation (?) with an expression half-expectant, half-worried.

My mind is reeling.

I never imagined I’d become the owner of an auto-hunting bot in my life.

“What are you doing!”

It was then that a desperate voice rang out.

Before I knew it, the eyes of all the cafe customers were on us.

A man wearing glasses, presumably the owner of the voice, strode towards us and stood in front of Rona.

Like he was protecting her from me.

“Ms. Rona, are you alright? This guy didn’t do anything weird to you, did he!?”

The man asked Rona, basking in the high-pitched atmosphere he had created for himself.

“…”

In an instant, Rona’s consistently passive demeanor changed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

“Who asked for your help? In the first place, why are you even helping? Do you even know what this person did to me?”

A prickly expression and a voice lowered.

The gold-rimmed glasses guy was back to being the gold-rimmed sun.

It seemed the ex-gold-rimmed sun was offended; apparently, his pride was hurt by the situation where it looked like a man was protecting her.

“No, I- I thought this guy was making things difficult for Rona…”

“What do you know? This person is my-“

Rona stopped there, glancing at me.

“…acquaintance.”

There was no point in revealing that Rona was a slave in the current situation, so that’s what I said to brush it off.

“…That’s right, this man is my acquaintance.”

Rona agreed with me, her face brightening into a full bloom.

“An acquaintance…? But why the money-“

“Is there a problem? I wanted to give it, okay?”

Rona, riding the momentum, pressed him harder.

And then, voices started to rise from the onlookers at the cafe who were getting closer.

-Did you just see that? The usually prickly Rona-ssi is being so timid in front of a guy.

-What’s with that? I never imagined Rona-ssi would be so wrapped around a man’s finger.

All the customers were watching the current situation with a keen interest.

-Who the heck is that guy…?

-Rona-ssi had a boyfriend…?

Some of them were in a state of shock, as if they had just been ‘gold-rimmed sun’d’ themselves.

Rona’s standing in the cafe seemed higher than I’d anticipated.

-Judging by him taking her money, is he some sort of gigolo?

Wait a minute, though.

What was that? Gigolo?

“Anyway, it’s not your business, so mind your own.”

Rona shot a piercing glare at the glasses guy.

“…”

The glasses guy’s face looked like his world had collapsed. He seemed like he was going back to the cafe, but then turned around and just left.

‘Why do I feel like I’ve done something wrong?’

Watching the guys who were in despair from the misunderstanding that they’d been ‘gold-rimmed sun’d’ made me feel strangely unsettled.

But unlike me, Rona didn’t give a damn about other people.

“Sorry. For getting you caught up in something annoying.”

Rona gave me an awkward smile, glancing at my face.

Then, after pulling out just a few coins, she handed me her whole pocket.

“This is enough for me.”

“No, no, wait a minute.”

It’s true I wasn’t exactly flush, but I wasn’t about to set up an auto-hunting slave, for crying out loud.

I liked fried chicken better than chicken breast steak myself, you know.

Besides, if I took the money all happy-like, I’d look like a damn gigolo.

Word would spread in Bondales.

“It’s your first paycheck, so, you know? Yeah?”

When I handed the pocket back, Rona’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Thank you…”

“Why are you thanking me? Anyway. Before things get any louder, I’m gonna head out. If you need anything, you know where I’m staying, right? Come find me and tell me.”

“…But you said I was a slave—”

Rona chuckled and gave a small wave.

Her other hand clutching the pocket preciously.

***

“…”

Gadena.

He was staring straight ahead, looking serious.

-…!!! ~!!

-~~!!! ~!~!!

-…! …!~ ~~!!!

It was a rare sight.

The timid and fearful spirits were frolicking happily, not caring whether Gadena was close or not.

On a chair that was saturated with ‘that human’s’ energy.

It was a matter of elven pride.

No matter what, Gadena didn’t want to acknowledge what that chair signified.

But, it didn’t seem like the time for pride now.

A hulking figure, cloaked in black, spoke to Gadena.

“They’ve been sighted in Bondales, Gadena. Hurry. No matter what, we must secure ‘it’ before them.”

“…”

After much deliberation, Gadena rose from their seat, preparing to leave the lab.

“Where are you going?”

The giant asked.

“The Mage Tower.”

“The Mage Tower?”

The giant’s angular brow furrowed.

To his knowledge, no mage within the Mage Tower possessed more expertise in spirit magic than their own elves.

Gadena, understanding the giant’s reaction, added an explanation.

“Master Meltas knows someone who can help with this.”

“An elf we don’t know?”

“No. The human who made that chair.”

“…?”

The giant, startled, gazed at the ‘artifact’ imbued with that strange power.

“Did you just say a human created that artifact?”

“…It’s not like an artifact.”

“?”

***

Lysir looked up at the building before him.

[Drafon Adventurer’s Guild]

It was among the most prestigious adventurer’s guilds with a base in Bondales.

Lysir’s expression as he looked at the building was deeply meaningful.

Soon, he chuckled and shook his head.

Lysir, who prided himself on his self-awareness, thought.

“Even so, for a b*stard to try and start his career at a major company is just too shameless.”

Without any lingering attachment, he turned his gaze away from the Drafon Adventurer’s Guild.

“There’s probably a Mud Boot Guild around here—”

Lysir had researched it, and…

If Draphon was the adventurer’s guild that was, without a doubt, treated as a first-rate outfit, then Mud Boots was an adventurer’s guild teetering on the edge of being considered second-rate.

‘Maybe… just maybe, I could hold my own there?’

Just as Risir was thinking that, and about to move on, it happened.

“Hey, buddy. What’s the deal? Why come all this way just to turn around?”

“Huh?”

A woman with a down-to-earth vibe approached Risir and spoke to him.

Her name was Kella.

An adventurer belonging to the Draphon Adventurer’s Guild.

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have business with our guild, right?”

“Ah, perhaps—”

“I’m Kella. I belong to the Draphon Adventurer’s Guild.”

Kella, stating her affiliation while offering a handshake, was brimming with pride.

“Ah, I’m… Risir. Belonging to the Draphon Guild… that’s amazing.”

“Hahahaha, I won’t deny it. I’m pretty amazing. So, Risir. I’ll ask again – didn’t you have business with our guild? You went through all that trouble to get here, why are you just turning back?”

“That’s…”

“If you’ve got a request to make, I’ll tell you with confidence, don’t even hesitate to go inside. Draphon will never let you down.”

“…Actually, it’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“I was here to see if there were any requests I could take.”

“…Hah!”

Understanding Risir’s words a beat late, Kella burst out laughing.

“What, buddy? You’re an adventurer?”

“To be precise, I’d call myself an aspirant.”

“Tsk… no. That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Is that so?”

Kella gave a bitter laugh, scanning Risir up and down.

A refined appearance and a lighthearted aura.

His physique seemed somewhat trained, but the violent aura that an adventurer must possess was nowhere to be found.

“I’ve been knocking around this business for quite a while, you see? So I can size up people just by looking at them now. Buddy, I don’t think you’re the kind of person who should be involved in this industry.”

“Is that how it appears?”

“Ah! Just so you know, that’s a compliment, not an insult? This adventurer business, it’s totally screwed up unlike the romantic rumors going around. It’s like a sewer where all sorts of bottom-of-the-barrel types roll around, you know?”

Kella gave Ryshir’s arm a friendly thump.

“It’s the kind of occupation for guys who can’t do anything else. The way I see it, you don’t belong in our line of work. You look all pretty and cute. Your words and actions have a certain elegance to them. I’d bet you wouldn’t last a week in this industry before you’d be sick of it and run away crying.”

“Is that so…?”

It was advice filled with good intentions, but plenty prone to being interpreted as an attack.

Yet, seeing Ryshir pondering so earnestly, Kella reconsidered.

Ah! He’s really hopeless!

Kella couldn’t let such a cute(?) guy rot meaninglessly in a cesspool.

Just as she opened her mouth to persuade him,

“…”

Ryshir’s expression suddenly turned serious as he entered the alleyway.

“Huh? Hey, you! Hey! What’s wrong?”

Worried, Kella hurriedly followed behind him.

“…!”

How long had it been since they entered the alleyway?

A bizarre scene unfolded before their eyes.

“A wolf?”

It was a young wolf, not yet fully grown.

And surrounding the wolf were suspicious figures cloaked head-to-toe in black robes.

“…”

Sensing their presence, the suspicious figures turned their gaze towards the two of them.

A brief exchange of glances, and then—

One of the figures drew a strangely shaped sword and lunged at Ryshir.

‘Fast!’

The figure was far more skilled than she anticipated.

That movement.

He might even be a 3rd level practitioner.

“Ryshir, get back!”

Kella immediately drew her sword to protect Ryshir.

The figure was a powerful enemy that would be hard to handle even with Kella’s entire party.

Can’t fight someone with a tumor like that.

‘I have to find an opening and run, no matter what!’

That was the moment Kella resolved herself.

-Thwack!

Suddenly, a gust of wind howled, and the assailant rushing towards Rissir was slammed against the wall.

“Gack!”

Having taken the impact on his back and the back of his head, he expelled the last of the air from his lungs and passed out.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Kella, and even the other assailants, couldn’t hide their bewilderment at the sudden turn of events.

In truth, Rissir was just as bewildered.

Rissir prided himself on his objective self-awareness.

That was a mistake.

Rissir’s standards and senses were far off from what he thought.

Most people in the world didn’t possess the mana sensitivity to discern an opponent’s level at a glance.

Like a guild master of assassins hiding their true identity, a shaman under the protection of a necromancer, a master of a magic tower, a genius mage, or an elf who had lived for over a century.

Nevertheless, Rissir, whose senses were warped from a series of extraordinary experiences, thought,

‘What is this? Weren’t they charging in because they had some kind of back up?’

Rissir had immediately assessed the level of the assailant charging at him.

Early 3rd Tier.

For such a lackey to confidently charge at him, Rissir had assumed they had a hidden ace up their sleeve.

So he immediately unleashed his full power and, well, what the heck-

“Wh-what did you do…?”

A power difference like this, and they charged in without any countermeasures?

Rissir asked with a completely baffled expression.

“…”

The assailants’ expressions crumpled.