Dark Fantasy Normalized

47 – The Wolf of the End (2)

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[Title: Why Can’t I Get Into This Inn?]

Content: Keeps saying [Denied] when I try to enter the inn

– : Just accept it, you’re used to being rejected anyway

– : Guess the innkeeper’s a woman lol

– : Gotta find a brothel ㅠ

-[OP] : Shut the fuck up all of you

– : You got a dark elf in your party by any chance?

– : Yeah this game has massive penalties in cities if you’re dragging around hated races

– : Dark elf, demon, barbarian, undead, there’s a few more I can’t remember right now lol. You get penalized if you got them in your party

-[OP] : Shit, that’s our entire party list??

– : Excuse me, but how did you get past the city gates?

-[OP] : They suddenly attacked so I killed them too

– : Then just burn down the inn lol

– : Damn, that’s a party of horror

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[Title: How do I Increase This Party’s Favorability?]

Content: Ugh… So what if I got four demons in my party… It’s too much man

I’m not gonna let them sleep on the streets, I’ll put ’em up at an inn.

How do I pass by the inn if I gotta?

– : You’re a necromancer, be grateful the guard hasn’t been called on you.

– : Putting in upper-tier races like elves, beastfolk, celestials, dwarves will boost the party’s rep a bit.

-[OP] : Oh, putting a high elf in works, it’s letting me in now.

– : But what’s the standard for upper-tier?

– : Races acknowledged by elves.

– : ?

– : The concept of “upper-tier” is something elves created, yeah.

– : Those damn elves again?

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Gondola, startled, rushed to Rapita.

A clear teeth mark was left on her hand.

“My Lady!!!”

Gondola, having checked the wound on her hand, screamed in alarm.

A desperate shout as if a person had died.

“How dare you!!!”

His widened eyes glared at Rishir.

Uh oh. Why me?

I didn’t bite her.

*He* bit her.

Rishir adjusted her stance to emphasize the wolf in her arms.

-Meeoong…

Even then, the wolf squirmed in Rishir’s arms, clearly enjoying it.

“Gondola.”

Not that I wasn’t already troubled.

Rapita, embarrassed, scolded the overzealous bodyguard.

But Gondola couldn’t calm down at all.

“My Lady’s fair skin, has it been scarred!!!”

If that wolf wasn’t the spirit my lady so cherished, I would have sliced him in two with one stroke.

“There’s no way it’ll scar. Perrin only nipped you lightly as a joke.”

“…”

But Gondola couldn’t help but calm down at Lapita’s serious tone.

Wasn’t it rather blatantly rejecting for a joke?

Lapita’s atmosphere was too unnerving to point that fact out bluntly.

Actually, this wasn’t the first time Perrin had shown her spite(?) toward Lapita.

From way back, Perrin had shown equal animosity toward every being that approached her.

The important part here was ‘every being’.

Lapita accepted Perrin’s action of showing animosity to everyone equally as her unique trait.

Our kid is just naturally a bit prickly.

Thanks to that, no matter how prickly Perrin acted towards her, Lapita usually didn’t pay it much mind.

Even if Perrin snarled at her, even if she bit when Lapita reached out a hand, even if she treated gifts Lapita gave as trash.

Why? Because that’s just Perrin’s personality.

…What was confusing right now was because of that.

That Perrin was being held in someone else’s arms? So quietly too? With such a blissful look?

‘How did they do it?’

Lapita completely dismissed the possibility of ‘just because she likes them.’

She was of the World Tree lineage and was loved by all spirits.

And for a spirit as special and beautiful as Perrin to like some random human over her?

Nonsense.

That human was using some special trick to get Perrin to follow them.

Lapita decided to think of it that way.

“Sir Gondola.”

Then, Draphon spoke to the hulking guard knight.

His on-the-field experience spanned several decades.

Even with a sword pointed at his face, even when injured, the steadfast eyes of the top-tier adventurer who never lost his composure were now shaking with bewilderment.

The ruler of the Great Forest and the greatest Elven bloodline, Royetta.

It was a request that Royetta’s heir and guard knight had come to them with.

For those prideful elves to ask for help from a human.

Even lending out the elves’ treasure while at it.

Draphon, unusually, was tense with worry about the commission.

Just how difficult would this mission be?

But what’s this?

“Could it be that the etiquette spirit is…the wolf in that man’s arms?”

“…”

“…”

Only then did the complex emotions surface on the two elves’ faces.

Should they be delighted by this?

Or bewildered?

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lapita decided to be delighted, for now.

According to the information they’d received, the cult ‘White Shadow’ had recognized Perin’s special nature and vulnerability, and was targeting her.

It was why Lapita, with her strong sense of self as a superior race, had swallowed her pride and requested the help of humans.

To prevent the worst-case scenario of Perin being captured by them.

But now.

Not only had they avoided the worst, but the best-case scenario was unfolding before their eyes.

Perin had returned to their arms without a single scratch.

How could they not be happy about this?

Surely, they couldn’t *not* be happy—

“…”

Before she knew it, Lapita was glaring at Rishir with a displeased expression.

Meanwhile, Draphon shared the whole story with Duepona.

This Rishir, he’s a mage brought by Kella—

These elves are the clients who came to give them the job—

By the time the story was over, the first and second in command of the Draphon Guild both let out a hollow laugh, for different reasons.

He broke a dark mage’s mental interference on the spot?

That wolf was such an extraordinary spirit?

When the final details were all wrapped up.

All eyes in the place were fixed on one person, Rishir.

And Didoa.

From another angle, she’d been fixated on Rischier from the start, and now, their eyes met, she stood there, at a total loss.

“Master Didoa?”

It was Rischier who spoke first, and she, as if waiting, waved a hand.

“Hi, Rischier. Thanks for acknowledging me. Nice to see you.”

Her expression was blank, her hand waving weakly, making you wonder if she was actually happy to see him.

“Ah, good to see you. By the way, Master Didoa—what brings you here?”

“You used to call me Didoa back then. Are you mad at me? Maybe because I came here without telling you-“

“Di, Didoa! It’s good to see you! What brings you here?”

“Thanks. It’s good to see you too. I’m glad to see you. This might sound bad, but I missed you. Just so you know, I’m not here for that kind of reason. I came to bring Gadena-ssi here to you, Rischier. She has business with you. So I hope you won’t be offended.”

Her words poured out in a flat, indifferent tone. Yet the actual content was utterly timid.

Rischier was still unsure how to classify this half-demon lady’s personality.

“You came to the Draphon Guild to bring Gadena-ssi to me?”

“Somehow, it turned out that way. Is this what they call fate? Just kidding. Sorry if you didn’t like it.”

The ones who actually looked displeased were Gondola and Lapita.

The escort knight didn’t like the half-demon acting so familiar in front of his lady.

And Lapita didn’t like the half-demon being in the same place as Perrin.

*I’m okay. I can tolerate it.*

*But Perrin?*

*What if that beautiful spirit gets tainted by the half-demon’s aura?*

Lapita was genuinely worried.

Watching her fret over Perrin, she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Master Didoa? If you wouldn’t mind, could you wait outside until the conversation is over?”

“Okay. See you later, Rischier.”

“No, you should come out with me.”

“Wait a minute. Why are you going out?”

“Huh?”

Rischier, who was naturally following Didoa out of the room, questioned Lapita who stopped him.

“Weren’t you about to have an important conversation that outsiders shouldn’t hear?”

“Was that it? I thought it was because you didn’t want me in the room.”

“Hey, Didoa. Why would you do that.”

Is that so?

Right?

The two gazes turned to Lapita.

‘What, what is this…?’

Lapita was momentarily taken aback by Lishir’s naturally defending the half-demon.

Wouldn’t that make her seem like the odd one out?

Dupona and Drapone were also considerably flustered.

They’d heard the story and knew that Lapita was the princess of the Great Forest, yet Lishir was objecting to her in order to defend a half-demon.

Even if that half-demon is a master of the magic tower, still.

Having lived as adventurers for many years, the two could be seen as having open-minded perspectives, from a general standard.

But even from their viewpoint, Lishir’s action of treating a half-demon so casually was quite extraordinary.

“Hey, human. Do you even know who this person is-“

“Please, Gondola! Just! He’s the one who saved our Perrin. Okay?”

An extreme royal guard.

Adding to that, the sight of Perrin nestled soundly in Lishir’s arms made Lapita unable to hold back her anger.

Her elegant smile twitched slightly.

“…”

Gondola, scolded by the young lady, wore a sorrowful face and shrank, not fitting his size.

Lapita wore an elegant smile as she faced Lishir.

“You said you are Lishir, right? I’m sorry. I haven’t even properly thanked you yet. I am Lapita of the Roheh family. I truly appreciate you saving our Perrin and taking care of them until now. And, as for what just happened, I can explain. Actually, our Perrin has a very sensitive constitution.”

“A constitution?”

“Yes. So, if a race other than an elf comes into contact with Perrin, it can have a negative effect on Perrin. I asked the half-demon woman to move aside because of that.”

“…”

‘Is that so?’

Lishir couldn’t agree with Lapita’s claim that Didoa’s energy was harmful enough to negatively affect a spirit.

But what could he do? She’s the spirit’s owner and therefore knows more about the spirit.

Just when Lishir was about to inevitably follow Lapita’s opinion,

-…

Perrin, who had jumped out of Lishir’s arms, growled at Lapita.

At the same instant, her form began to shift.

The blue wolf pup transformed in an instant into the figure of a woman.

Raphaela, eyes gleaming, watched the transformation.

“Beautiful…”

It wasn’t about her appearance.

Ferin, now in human form, possessed an aura of purity that would inspire awe in any elf.

That pure aura, and the pure atmosphere it brought with it –

Ferin opened her mouth.

“You’re full of shit.”

“…Huh?”

Ferin’s pure face contorted as if smeared with filth.

“Acting like I like you elves, cut the crap, will you?”

“F-Ferin…?”

“FUCK! That feels so good! I’ve always wanted to say that to you. No matter how much I barked or bit, you just never understood! I hate you elves!”

Ferin shouted with the force of someone freed from long restraint.

Then, she gestured towards the figures surrounding her.

“You! I hate you all. Humans, elves, you’re all fucking tiresome!”

Ferin.

These were the thoughts that came to her whenever she sensed the pure aura of humans and elves.

If I were a pure being like them, how would my own kind have treated me?

Could she even call them her kind in the first place?

They’d looked at her and said:

You are different from us.

And so Ferin disliked their pure aura.

She disliked the very body of hers that was drawn to that pure aura.

Therefore, Ferin disliked everything.

That was why she had allowed those humans, who possessed a ring of sinister energy, to approach her.

She had felt that if she were to accept the energy of that ring, then everything would change.

“So please. Get lost. Get the fuck out of here! You fucking pointy-eared b*stards!”

Ferin shouted at Raphaela.

“Hey. Calm down first-“

She tried to swat away the hand reaching for her.

It was Rishir’s hand.

“Heeung…!”

Perrin, who’d been screaming with venom, let out a blissful sound, trembling.

The moment she touched Rishir’s hand, she felt his energy.

It was too intoxicating to even pretend to reject.

Perrin couldn’t resist that ecstasy this time either.

“Perrin, is that right? Are you okay?”

Perrin suddenly froze.

Rishir, concerned, placed his hand on her shoulder.

In his mind, Perrin was still a pup, which made it all the easier.

Perrin unconsciously rubbed her face against his hand.

“…”

It was the first time he’d seen Perrin like this.

Rapita’s world crumbled.

***