Dark Fantasy Normalized

50 – The Misguided One

Lisir explained in detail to the surprised Pien what had happened in the meantime.

That day, when I stood you up, the higher-ranked adventurer Salana, with the skin disease, was actually the master of an assassin’s guild.

I followed Salana to a place where there was a sorcerer, who also turned out to be a necromancer.

“So, I purified them all.”

Then, the magic tower master who happened to be there showed interest in me, so I went to tour the magic tower.

It was then that I noticed a black magician was using mental interference on the people of the magic tower.

“So, I purified them all.”

After that, I accidentally sparred with the genius mage of the magic tower and got an ancient magical book as a prize for the victory, but it turned out to be a cursed object with evil power.

“So, I purified it again. And somehow, after all that, I got back to the dorm yesterday, and I just had a feeling. So I focused all night, gathering my strength, and look at me now.”

“A necromancer…? An assassin guild master…?”

Pien blinked, completely stunned.

Where on earth should he even begin to be surprised?

At the fact he’d gone through all those things in such a short amount of time?

At the fact that he was casually talking about experiencing a series of events that most people would never even face once in their entire lives?

At the fact he’d achieved accomplishments that would easily take an average person a decade to achieve, all in the span of a short time away?

Or, at himself, for immediately accepting this utterly unrealistic story?

Pien was starting to feel a sense of dread.

-Oh, this? I just woke up one day and had reached 6th tier, you know?

-A good night’s sleep is helpful for growth.

Was that the kind of dumb conversation he was going to have with this man in the near future?

Then, Pien’s gaze turned to Rona, who was sitting next to him.

“…”

Her delinquent face was unusually bright as she listened intently to Lisir’s story.

“Rona? What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Oh. It’s nothing.”

“That’s not a ‘thinking about nothing’ face. Come on, tell me.”

“…”

Rona hesitated, her mouth twisting, then, flustered by Lisir’s attention, she finally spoke.

“No. It just suddenly made me feel proud.”

“?”

“Because I think my master is an amazing person.”

“…?”

This guy, no, this succubus, what’s with her?

Did she give up on the non-female appeal thing?

What is this, the pinnacle of femininity?

No, wait, more than that, my master?

My master?

“Lisir. What did you do to Rona?”

“You didn’t… do anything?”

“You didn’t do anything? But just a while ago, that emotionless devil was making a face like a girl who fell for her first love?”

“Wha, wha, what are you talking about!”

Rona shot up from her seat.

She belatedly reverted to her delinquent persona, speaking in a clumsy, masculine voice.

“I think you misunderstood the intention behind what I just said! Listen! I’m a slave, right? Huh? And, since I’m a slave anyway, wouldn’t it be better if my owner is a powerful person? Like, a stable in a mansion is better than a room in a shack-“

“Yeah. That’s right, as Rona says, if Rona’s owner is a cool guy, it would be a very happy thing for Rona.”

“That’s what I’m saying! Huh? No – Hey! That’s not it!”

Pien, not even listening, was toying with Rona.

Soon, Rona’s face flushed crimson, and she slammed something onto the table.

“I’ll, I’ll show you that I’m not some mere wench, but a slave!”

“?”

“?”

What in the other world was that sentence?

Leaving the two people overwhelmed by the combination of vocabulary they’d never encountered before, Rona handed the money pouch she had slammed onto the table to Rysir.

“Here! Take it!”

“Suddenly? You said it was okay back then?”

“Hehehe! Your mind will change once you see the amount inside, huh?”

“Huh? Oh. What’s this. You’re right, the pouch is suddenly much fuller? What happened?”

“Heheh. What happened, you say. Some nobleman asked me to make him tea, and he gave me a lot of tips because it was delicious. And because I talked to him, he said he was moved by my eloquence and gave me more tips!”

“…Rona? You said you work at a cafe, right?”

“Yeah!”

“By any chance, that customer who gave you a lot of tips. Was he a man?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Is this the same sly fox who was robbing men and women alike blind?

Pien sighed in frustration.

“Rona. I’ll say it clearly, you shouldn’t accept money like that.”

“Huhu. Look at you. Jealous? Jealous?”

“Rona. That statement seems a little careless. Pien could build a whole castle if she only accepted tips when she wanted to.”

“…”

Rona’s demeanor turned solemn as she took in Pienne’s face anew after Lisir’s words.

She was that pure white maiden who, back when certain fiends wandered and bewitched stray adventurers, had charmed an entire noble house, making them her underlings.

“What’s with the sudden turn? Are you being sarcastic?”

“No? I’m just singing Pienne’s praises?”

Lisir looked at Pienne with clear, unwavering eyes.

“Ugh. If you’re going to do it, do it properly.”

The pure white maiden frowned, looking annoyed, but the expression didn’t seem completely unpleasant.

“Anyway, back to the topic. Rona, the reason you shouldn’t accept that money – let’s imagine. Someday, near the end of your work, that man comes to the shop and says to you, ‘Let’s have dinner together.’”

“No way.”

The delinquent girl knew how to cuss with her expressions.

“Right? You wouldn’t want to, right? But what do you do? You’ve already taken money from that man.”

“What. It’s just a tip.”

“Who gives a tip of that magnitude? That’s a personal gift disguised as a tip. Of course, just because you received it doesn’t mean you’re obligated to go out with him. But, those who try to buy a woman’s favor with money are mostly idiots. If you refuse, they’ll make trouble with all sorts of excuses. Can you handle that?”

“…”

Rona glared at her pouch, a pout on her face.

“Alright, I’ll give it back.”

“Do you think that guy will just take it back without a fuss?”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Put it down as store credit.”

“What?”

“If you say you received it as store credit, they won’t be able to say anything either. They’re all sensitive about their pride, you know?”

“…Oh.”

Rona nodded her head without realizing it.

Lisir also looked at Pienne with an admiring gaze.

“As expected…”

“As expected? What does that mean?”

Lisir subtly turned his head to look at Rona.

“…”

The delinquent girl seemed more dejected than expected, her gaze still stuck to the pouch.

Seeing this, Lisir seemed to remember something and took out his own pouch from inside his robe.

It was an SSS-rank pouch he’d received from the Great Forest Princess.

He pulled out a few gold coins from the pouch and handed them to Rona.

Rona’s eyes widened.

“Why are you giving this to me-“

“You just said it, didn’t you? If I’m going to be a slave, I’d rather have a powerful master.”

Rishir chuckled playfully, flipping a coin in the air.

“That’s the reason why it’s good to have a powerful master, right? Isn’t it?”

“No, but still- me, a slave, taking money from you-“

“Consider it a kind of investment. What was it, you said you wanted to regain your strength by training in swords or magic? Just like it’s better to have a strong master, wouldn’t it be better to have a strong slave? Use it for something. If you need more, tell me separately.”

“…”

Rishir forced the gold coins into Rona’s bewildered hand.

Rona stared at the coins for a moment, then clutched them tightly, as if they were precious.

“Okay… I won’t disappoint you…”

What the hell was this?

Pien, who had been watching the whole thing from the side, scowled.

Here I thought the succubus slave had suddenly turned into a girl with her first crush.

What master in the world treats their slave like that?

Even a young master who had a dark heart for his maid wouldn’t act like that.

The fact that he didn’t seem to realize it made it even more twisted.

“Rishir, you-”

Just as Pien was about to say something.

“Here. Take this, Pien too.”

Rishir offered gold coins to Pien as well.

Pien immediately tried to refuse.

…But, the fact that the gold coins he offered were one more than the one he gave to Rona was bugging him.

Ahem.

Pien coughed, and turned his head away from Rishir.

He spoke as if he didn’t care about it at all.

“Why me? Just so you know, I’m way better off than Rona? I might even be better than you?”

“Nah. Why would we compare things like that between you and me, Pien.”

“…What are we to each other?”

Pien, almost unconsciously, shot a hopeful glance at Risir.

“What are we? Engaged, that’s what.”

His playful smile made Pien’s face crumple, remembering their first encounter.

“A mischievous man.”

“Mischievous? Hardly more than a woman who tried to control me with mental interference, right?”

“Ugh… Ugh!!!”

I’m so mad, what do I do? There’s nothing I can do!

Pien stamped her feet, unable to keep her arms still. To Risir, it looked like a small white bird fluttering about.

“Anyway, forget it! I refuse to be indebted to you materially!”

“Is that how it feels? Then, I suppose I’ll have to buy you a separate gift.”

“Flowers? What am I supposed to do with something so cumbersome?”

“?”

Did I say flowers?

“Anyway, I’ll accept the bouquet of lilies and baby’s breath you said you’d buy. It’s not their fault if I throw them away.”

“?”

Did I say a bouquet of lilies and baby’s breath?

“What’s with that look? You’re the one who said it.”

“R-right?”

*Creak*. Risir awkwardly nodded. It was the moment the trueblood’s mental interference pierced through even the powers of normalization, reaching him.

Soon, the food they had ordered began to fill the table one by one.

The meal began amidst the noisy atmosphere.

***

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[A peculiar subject exists nearby]

[Affected by the subject]

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[Acquired new skill]

[Skill: Embrace of the True Ancestor]

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■Pien

Level: 31 ＞ 33

──────────

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[Unusual subject detected nearby]

[Subject’s influence is being exerted]

──────────

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[Inert stat is activated]

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[Acquired new trait]

[Trait: Empty Vessel, Filled with Purity]

[Acquired new class as a result]

──────────

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■Rona

Level: 1(13) ＞ 13

Class: Priest

──────────

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[Your actions are having an impact]

──────────

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[Your influence has reached a certain threshold]

[Perk is being granted as a result]

──────────

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■Lishir

Level : 34 ＞ 35

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[Your body cannot withstand the mana.]

[Your body has reached its limit.]

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***

[Title: My body has reached its limit ＜ what’s this?]

Content: When I level up from level 29 with 99.99% experience, I keep getting this message and my health drops to a sliver.

Why is this happening?

– : Like my older sister who’d argue she’s not 30 even if she died calculating her Korean age, international age, and legal age…

– : I saw somewhere that 0.9999999… is actually 1, so maybe you’re already level 30?

– : Kinda philosophical

– : It’s mathematical

– : They say math and philosophy are only a sheet of paper apart

– : So if I’m a philosophy major, can I put a science major on my resume?

– : One sheet of paper ain’t gonna cut it

– : That paper was the key sheet…

-[OP] : Dude wtf I was so happy to see so many replies, but you’re all just going off on tangents

– : Heh heh, isn’t that what you wanted when you wrote this question post?

-[OP] : WTF man

– : But I didn’t get that message when I hit 30?

– : Fr, what is it?

– : This lil’ cheat, lol. Probably got multi-accounted buff support to one-shot from level 1. This game’s a joke to you, huh?

-[OP] : Holy shit how did you know

– : Well duh lol, that message wouldn’t pop up unless you leveled up like that

-[OP] : But how did Namgung Hyung know that?

– : Oh, shit.

──────────

***

“Sniff – Sniff…! Ah. Excuse me. Why is my nose running so much.”

“Ugh. You really. Eating with ladies and you’re-“

“Why ladies? I’ve said countless times that I’m-“

It was the moment Rishir sniffled, and both Fien and Rona were about to express their discontent.

Their faces paled as they looked at Rishir.

“Ri, Rishir, you— Blood. Blood!”

“Blood?”

“You’re bleeding!!! That’s not a runny nose!”

“Huh?”

Rishir brought a finger to his philtrum.

Before they knew it, his spot at the table was soaked in blood.

“Fien. Calm down! You’re going to ruin your appetite if you’re-“

He mumbled nonsense, as if nothing was wrong, then his body tilted sideways, and he fell straight to the floor.

Fien and Rona were startled and rushed to his side.

Fien, recalling the previous lucky coin copying incident(?), coldly used her power to reinforce Rishir’s mental strength.

But unlike before, it didn’t seem like a mental issue; his complexion didn’t improve.

Cough!

His cough came out mixed with blood.

“Rishir! Rishir!!! Snap out of it!”

“I’m… awake, but… I can’t move my body.”

Fien’s face instantly turned white.

Rona, next to her, was the same.

Her breath came in shocked gasps.

‘What should I do? Should I go get a priest? W-Will he be okay? What if the priest recognizes my true identity…?’

As she panicked, Rishir coughed up more blood.

Without realizing it, Rona moved closer to him.

And, she reached out her hand towards him.

My head knew I couldn’t do anything—

It was an instinctual action.

“…Huh?”

The result.

Rona’s hand scattered a warm, sun-like glow.

It gently enveloped Lisir’s body.

“?”

“?”

Huh?

Lisir and Pien, forgetting the urgent situation, stared dumbly at the former Incubus.

***