Dark Fantasy Normalized

48 – The Wolf of the Apocalypse (3)

She had always been prickly and harsh with him.

Never once had she shown him any sign of fondness.

It was alright.

It was the same with everyone else anyway.

She kept a fair distance from everyone.

In that situation, if you had to pick someone who could get closest to her, it would be him.

There are countless personalities and relationships in the world.

So, wouldn’t the forms of affection be different too?

That’s how he could believe in her.

He could believe he held the biggest place within her.

He could believe that her harsh and prickly demeanor towards him was, in its own way, an expression of affection.

He still remembers it vividly.

The moment she first allowed me near.

It was a day when she seemed particularly cheerful.

The closer I tried to get, the further she’d move away, but if I stayed still, I could be beside her forever.

She’d turn her body away carelessly, but her ears were clearly pointed towards me.

She’d seem to leave abruptly as if nothing had happened, but would look back when I called her name.

That was undoubtedly the maximum level of connection I could share with her.

The furthest distance she’d allow to anyone other than herself.

Besides that, I learned many things about her.

The things she disliked.

The things she liked.

The things that suited her.

Solitude and contemplation.

I loved the way she looked when lost in those two.

Because I thought that was her true self.

…I believed it would definitely be that way.

“Perrin…”

It was a face I was seeing for the first time. A face I never thought I’d see.

She, the cold spirit who enjoyed solitude and contemplation, was allowing human contact with no hesitation.

Not only that, she was gently closing her eyes and nuzzling her face into his hand.

Even in her wolf form, she hadn’t acted more wolf-like than that.

“No…”

Laphita desperately denied it.

That sloppy spirit isn’t her.

Something is definitely wrong.

There’s no way the spirit Perrin would like a human more than me.

“Snap out of it, Perrin…!”

It was a desperate voice.

But it didn’t reach Perrin.

“Heeung…”

To the spirit Perrin, the pure energy felt like warm sunlight.

Just touching was enough to feel a deep sense of stability and happiness.

Perrin had always rejected such pure energy.

Like a plant yearning for sunlight, her body desperately craved it, yet she forcibly endured it with self-loathing and inferiority towards her own kind.

And so, the spirit Perrin gradually withered and dried up.

In the midst of that, she suddenly encountered Lishir’s unique energy.

Even in a normal state, it was an energy that would bring immense happiness.

But encountering it in a state of deficiency, an overwhelming happiness, one that subdued even reason and emotion, crashed over her.

Perrin’s mental barrier, which had been so strong it would drive her to ruin, crumbled helplessly.

‘Wh-Why am I like this…!’

Perrin tried to break free, to reclaim herself—

But contrary to her firm will, her body only softened, relaxing.

And thanks to that, Perrin was, for the first time since her self was established, luxuriating in pure happiness.

Perhaps intoxicated by that happiness, she even started thinking things she wouldn’t normally have.

‘No… if I do this, he’ll hate me…’

It was a memory, a pain from childhood that Perrin had locked away within her mental barrier.

As a child, Perrin had yearned for the embrace of her own kind, who rejected her.

She had persistently tried to be accepted.

But what came back was an even stronger rejection.

Just as she was about to give up, exhausted from being rejected, one realization was left like a wound in Perrin’s heart.

The things I like, hate me.

The closer I get, the further they go.

‘So… I should stay away now…’

‘…But, no. I like this happiness.’

‘…No, actually it’s unpleasant. Because-‘

‘Because…’

Her mind kept getting more cluttered.

Just when even purely enjoying that happiness seemed impossible—

“…!”

Perrin’s body shuddered.

*Swish.*

Rishir’s opposite hand was gently stroking Perrin’s head.

The way Perrin rubbed his face into her hand was so lupine, it was an action done without thinking.

“…”

Perrin stopped thinking and focused on the touch.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

The rhythmic strokes seemed to sweep away the thoughts that had filled his head.

And just like that, the complicated mess inside his mind had been tidied up.

The bitter self-loathing. The resentment and inferiority towards his own kind.

The elves who had made him this way.

Now, none of it mattered anymore.

“Heeung…”

A feeling of happiness he’d never experienced before.

Right now, he just wanted to revel in that happiness.

Perrin snuggled closer to Rishir, wriggling until he found the perfect position.

And just like that, a woman with blue wolf ears and a tail was held defenseless in Rishir’s arms.

“…”

Rishir’s touch stopped.

That weight. That texture.

Through the sensation transmitted by their bodies pressed together, it was only now that he belatedly recognized Perrin not as a wolf, but as a woman.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Then, something forcefully tapped against Rishir’s body.

It was Perrin’s tail.

“Heeung… keep doing that nice thing…”

Perrin nuzzled his face against Rishir’s chest, making a soft nasal sound.

Ahem.

It was a scene so provocative that someone coughed awkwardly and turned away, while others watched with reddening faces—

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

A thick tail repeatedly thumping against Lishir’s body stole his attention.

“…”

Wolf? Human? Wolf? Human?

Wolf.

Finally, Lishir shrugged and started petting Perrin’s head again.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Perrin’s tail thumped Lishir harder than before.

As if wrapping around him.

“Feels good…”

A tongue that was spitting out sharp curses just moments ago let out a sloppy sound.

“Really? That’s good.”

“Scratch… my neck, too…”

“Like this?”

“Heeuung…”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

“This time… here…”

Perrin lifted his rear slightly.

“Pat my butt like you did before… do that…”

“Uhh… that’s a little…”

“Enough!!!”

Laphita, unable to bear it any longer, shouted.

“Y-you…! What on earth did you do to Perrin!!! Our valiant Perrin… our calm and noble Perrin… making him into a pathetic flirtatious hag fawning over a human…!?”

“But… I didn’t really do anything though…”

“Nonsense! You think I’ll believe that!!! Perrin, Perrin couldn’t possibly prefer a human over me!!! There’s no way he’d like your touch! I won’t forgive you. I won’t forgive you!!! How dare you taint Perrin with your filthy aura!!!”

Suddenly, Lishir’s mouth started to itch.

Listening to it, she wouldn’t stop spewing nonsense.

He felt like he was getting the short end of the stick by just taking it.

Moreover, in this absurd situation, there was something he absolutely had to say.

If he missed this chance, he might not have another one.

Rishir steeled his resolve and stroked Perrin’s head even more firmly.

“Heeung…”

“You say that, but Perrin’s body is quite honest. Heh. Heh.”

“…!”

The acting was terrible, but the destructive power contained within that timeless line was immense.

“Kyaaak!!! Gondola!!!”

Lapita shrieked, calling out the name of her escort knight.

“Yes, Miss.”

“Get that filthy human away from Perrin right now! Immediately!!!”

“Understood. Hey, human. Release her immediately.”

Rishir immediately raised both his arms.

“Heeung… Heeung…”

It was counterproductive.

Perrin whimpered and swung her tail even more forcefully.

“No… No… I don’t want to get off yet…”

“You…! How dare you use such paltry tricks before the young lady, to trifle with her spirit!!!”

“As I’ve said repeatedly. I haven’t done anything.”

“Shut your mouth!”

*Swoosh-*

Gondola’s sword left its scabbard.

Following that, the swords of Difona and Draphon left their scabbards.

Lapita widened her eyes and glared at Draphon.

She thought that he, a figure of authority in human society, would surely take her side.

“Draphon, you must have seen what that man is doing to my spirit. Are you still defending that human!?”

“Lady Royeh, if you cause a violent incident within Bondales, it could lead to political issues. Especially now, given that you entered the castle without undergoing the formal entry procedure, you must be even more cautious.”

“Good heavens. Do you think I don’t know that!?! If you have eyes, look at this!!! How your human is treating my spirit!”

“Miss.”

Then Gadena opened her mouth.

“That’s right! Gadena! You were here, right! These humans! They just don’t understand! You do something about it!”

“…”

He opened his mouth, his heart heavy.

“My lady. He might be right.”

“What?”

“His mana… his aura has a unique quality. A mystical property that purifies unclean forces.”

“What, what are you trying to say?”

“He truly wouldn’t have done anything to the spirit.”

“So, you’re saying this? That Perrin is acting this way because she just *likes* that human?”

“…Moreover, he’s a man vouched for by Master Meltas. If he were foolish enough to cause needless conflict, he wouldn’t have received his endorsement.”

“Who is Master Meltas! I don’t care about some human!?”

“He’s not just *some* human; he’s a man of broad understanding.”

“…Hahahahaha!!!”

Laphita covered her face with both hands, bursting into laughter.

“Oh my god, Gadena. What happened to you! You were a wiser person back at the Green Tower! Being mixed in with them in the human city, have you come to think of them as kindred spirits!?”

“…”

Gadena looked at Laphita with a complicated expression.

He couldn’t simply dismiss her as foolish.

As a high elf of the World Tree’s lineage, Laphita was destined to be loved by all spirits. The pride she possessed was not arrogance, but rightfully hers.

But. This place isn’t within the Great Forest, but outside of it. It wouldn’t be strange to find beings beyond the understanding of Elven common sense.

Gadena pondered.

How could he persuade this spoiled young lady, born and raised as the youngest in a noble family, granted every indulgence?

No. How should he *guide* her?

Gadena felt a flicker of disillusionment towards his own group, and dared to use that word.

“This is the outside world, my lady. You must possess a broader perspective and more tolerance.”

“…”

Laphita stared at Gadena for a moment, then wore a meaningful smile.

“To broaden my perspective, you say? I understand.”

She then turned to face Drafon.

“Just now, didn’t you say that if an elf caused a violent incident against a human in Bondales, it could lead to political issues?”

“…”

“Then, it would be okay for a spirit to use force against another spirit, right?”

“What the-“

Lapita pulled a necklace from her robes. It was an emerald necklace, brimming with the vast power of the wind.

“Sylph.”

-Whooosh-

As she murmured the name, a condensed current of wind swirled into a vortex, filling the small space. The emerald became the eye of the vortex.

“My lady! You mustn’t!”

Gadena shouted, but it was already too late.

Outside the building, an unusual commotion was erupting. The clouds that had patterned the sky were suddenly vanishing, revealing an unsettlingly clear expanse.

The great wind spirit had heeded the call of a High Elf and manifested in that place.

-Lapita. Why have you summoned me?

“Bring me the wolf spirit that human is holding.”

Lapita spoke, her eyes blazing as she glared at Lishir. The eye within the emerald followed her gaze.

The answer came back immediately.

-I refuse.

“What! Right now-…”

…

Huh?

The venom that had been etched across Lapita’s face began to fade. Her expression went slack as she stared down at her necklace.

“W-what did you just say-“

-That young spirit is willingly with the human. It is not for me to interfere. And besides-

The eye in the emerald focused on Lishir.

-I have no desire to do anything that would earn his disfavor.

“What the-“

The great wind spirit was refusing my request because it was wary of a mere human?

So, it liked that human more than me!?

“Sylph!”

-Is that one your enemy?

“Yes! My enemy!!!”

-Then, it seems I misjudged you.

“…What?”

The light embedded in the emerald faded.

The vortex that filled the room ceased.

“…”

Silence flowed through the room.

The high elf repeatedly mulled over the words of the great wind spirit.

Lapita’s face flushed, changing every moment.

“…Ah-“

And then, she, unable to fully process what had just happened, lost consciousness.

It was the moment the young high elf’s supreme pride was thoroughly denied.

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▷Fate91 : Wolf of the Apocalypse – Deactivated.

Perks associated with it will be granted.

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▷Fate65 : Blind Vortex – Deactivated.

Perks associated with it will be granted.

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