Dark Fantasy Normalized

52 – Magician and Clergy

“You know what? Honestly, I’m kind of relieved you turned out like this.”

Pien said next to Sir Meltas, who was explaining how unwell I was.

“Honestly, who on earth is like you? It’s too much how you grow by the day. I was so worried you’d suddenly go terribly wrong without any warning, I’m so relieved it ended like this.”

“Hm. I think I understand what you’re trying to say.”

Listening, I think I got what they were trying to say.

Honestly, I kinda resonated with it, too.

My growth rate was, even to my own eyes, way too abnormal.

It was beneficial to me, so I just went ‘Hey, good for me!’ but if I looked back on it coldly, there were more than a few things that bugged me.

But having an accident like this makes me feel relieved, in a way.

Me, this guy. Still a proper part of this grand order of nature.

Not some completely abnormal existence – y’know, that kind of thing.

“I guess I was just a normal human being after all.”

“That’s not it.”

“That’s not it at all.”

“Huh.”

Of course.

That’s just how I’m putting it, and if you look at the situation itself, it’s absolutely not a welcome one.

Made a name for myself at the magic tower.

Made a name for myself with the adventurers.

Now was the time to really get the ball rolling, but suddenly, a hole’s been punched in the bottom of the boat and I’m stuck bailing water.

It’s definitely something to celebrate, reaching a point I couldn’t have even imagined in the past, but separately, I was still just an outsider in the city.

I’ve got a long way to go before I really establish myself here.

‘Ah, come to think of it-‘

Something suddenly came to mind, so I spoke to Lord Meltas.

“Lord Meltas, come to think of it, what happened with that?”

“Ah. You mean the dark mage incident and the supporter case.”

“Looks like I’m rushing you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Why should you be sorry? It’s the magic tower’s fault for making you say that.”

Hoo.

Lord Meltas let out a deep sigh.

“If I were to make an excuse for the delay, which is not an excuse – do you know, you’re a hot potato right now at the magic tower?”

“Me? Is it because of that dark mage incident?”

“Yes. Hard to believe, but there are those who are unhappy that you solved the magic tower’s problem.”

Pien snorted beside me, like he knew something.

“Seriously, is that it? If they readily admit that Ryshir, an outsider, and not even a noble, solved the magic tower’s problem, it’ll damage our tower’s reputation? They’re definitely some high-ranking nobles, I bet.”

Lord Meltas gave a bitter laugh.

“You’ve hit the nail on the head. Ultimately, this magic tower, before being a place where mages and scholars pursue knowledge, is a place where people and nobles gather and live, so there’s this messy power struggle happening right in plain sight. Ryshir. There are quite a few powerful figures in the tower who are displeased with your achievement. Marina and I, and Master Didua, are raising our voices, but—the resistance is stronger than expected.”

“So, what do those objectors want to do?”

Pien said, frustrated as if it were his own problem.

“Their wish is clear. It’s to protect their reputations. That is, to bury the dark mage issue entirely, which they believe harmed their reputations.”

“If they praise Ryshir’s accomplishment in the name of the tower, it would officially acknowledge the matter, so they’re trying to block it at all costs.”

“Exactly. I say again, Ryshir, I’m truly sorry about this. However, there’s one piece of good news.”

“Good news?”

“Yes. From what I heard from Marina, it seems like Lady Heinya, unable to bear it any longer, is about to step in.”

“Heinya?”

“Yes. Since she, the scion of the great noble House Mastein, is stepping forward, we might have something to look forward to. And, there’s another piece of good news. The motion regarding your supporter status has been passed.”

“Oh…”

“Before long, you will be able to enjoy various benefits and carry out work under the name of a supporter. So—the problem you need to be most concerned about right now is your physical condition.”

*Clap!*

Lord Meltas clapped his hands, changing the atmosphere.

“Let’s get back to the main point and summarize. There are two main things you need right now.”

“Pien and Lord Meltas? Hahaha! Like, what even.”

*Sigh.*

From the side, Lord Meltas and Pien sighed.

“This man. It’s a miracle he’s alive, considering how sick he is, isn’t it? I wish he were a little sicker. Sick enough to just lie in bed without being able to say anything.”

“What would you do… to me lying in bed, unable to say anything!?”

As I wrapped my arms around myself, Pien’s face contorted in a grimace.

“I really want to do *something*, believe me.”

“Ryshir. It’s a relief that you seem healthy, but I trust that you’ll be more careful in your actions besides conversation. The first of the two things you need is, in fact, definite rest and recovery.”

“Wasn’t it just that I need to be careful about mana usage?”

“That’s true, but now that you say it, I’m feeling uneasy again. It really feels like you’d do anything else. Just out of precaution, I’ll ask beforehand, what are you planning to do while being careful about mana usage?”

“You said that the overload happened because my weak body couldn’t keep up with the magic power, right? So, I was thinking of training my body a bit. Besides, isn’t muscle as good as magic power?”

“You’re saying you’re going to train your body in your current state? Are you out of your mind?”

“Hmm. Physical training, huh. A wise choice.”

I whispered to Pien,

“Pien. It’s okay. Let’s pretend you didn’t hear that. Shall we try again?”

*Pout.*

Crap. I was trying to be considerate of Pien’s embarrassment, and I just ended up rubbing it in.

Pien’s cute little lips jutted out, sharp and protruding.

“I’m an idiot for worrying about you. Do whatever you want.”

“But I don’t want to? I’ll only listen to Pien’s words?”

“Then go die.”

“You’d be the saddest one if I actually died~”

“Will you give me a chance to prove myself?”

“Lishir. You and your wife are a great match. Nice to see.”

“W-who are you calling my wife!?”

“Wasn’t that what you said?”

Lord Meltas looked at Pien with a *What is this?* expression.

“Anyway. This is all connected to physical training, Lishir. Another thing you need to treat your overload is that very training.”

“What does a body befitting a 5th-tier mage even look like? Should my goal be to become harder than a rock for now?”

“What do you think a mage is? I want to say, but. Surprisingly, that might be right for now.”

“How can a person become harder than a rock?”

“Wasn’t that what *you* said?”

Lord Meltas looked at me with a *What is this?* expression.

“Of course, I don’t mean you should *actually* make your muscles as hard as rock. You know, the Wu-In don’t experience overload.”

“Huh?”

“To give a simple example, you experienced an exceptional overload due to an exceptional rise in your tier. But if you were Wu-In? The overload you’re feeling would have been minor at best.”

“Is that because for them, an increase in tier is the same as an increase in physical ability?”

Pien said from the side, and Lord Meltas nodded.

“As expected of Lishir’s wife, she’s very sharp. She got the point exactly.”

Lord Meltas clenched his fist.

“The Wu-In manipulate mana through their bodies. And now, you’re going to say, ‘Isn’t that the same for mages too?’”

“Isn’t that the same for mages too?”

“It’s subtly different. Us mages, we store mana in our bodies, like a vessel, and control it through willpower alone. But the warriors are different.”

“Do they wield the vessel?”

“Doesn’t that sound a bit crude? Let’s say for them, the body isn’t a vessel but a sword. A sword that’s been forged by mana, you could say.”

“Ah. So instead of just storing mana in their body, they’re actually integrating it.”

“Precisely.”

It was obvious but, I realized, I’d never heard a single story about overload while I was with the Bendel family.

For knights who sought to rise in rank by strengthening their bodies with mana, an overload, caused by the body not being able to handle the magic, was literally from another world.

“Then, do all mages above rank 5 possess physical abilities that match their magical power?”

I stared with awe at Lord Meltas’s clenched fist.

How much power must be contained within the fist of Lord Meltas, a 6th circle mage and master of the tower.

“No. Strength isn’t the only way to overcome mana. It’s long-term coexistence. Through that, cultivating tolerance. That’s the way us mages accept mana.”

“My growth rate is too fast, so I haven’t been able to build up sufficient tolerance.”

“Exactly. And-“

*Hoo.*

Lord Meltas took a deep sigh, and continued with difficulty.

“That may not be a problem limited to the present.”

“…”

I mulled over Lord Meltas’s words for a while and reached my own conclusion.

“Considering my growth rate up till now, it’s very likely that my tolerance development will continue to lag behind my growth rate – is that what you’re saying?”

“Indeed. Even if we cure your overload right now, if your growth rate doesn’t change, it’s only a matter of time before the overload recurs.”

“So the path I should choose isn’t to build tolerance, but to train my body.”

To put Lord Meltas’s explanation in my own terms, it was simple.

If I only increase my main stat, willpower, I’ll die.

Increase your sub stat, physique, a little.

After a moment of contemplation, I said.

“Aren’t mages just… inferior, actually?”

“GALLLL!!!”

“No, but isn’t it true? Dying crushed under your own power. Like a fish out of water.”

“Don’t turn your problem into a problem of all mages! Besides, with your absurd growth rate, you would’ve had problems even if you followed the martial arts path!”

“You’re slandering our warriors without any basis.”

“Our… nobody?”

Pien looked at me with disdain.

Unable to understand me. In the end, Jinjo was nothing more than a foolish mage.

It was precisely the moment I planned to enlighten the foolish mages with the wisdom of a nobody.

A sudden rush of breath.

A cough—*kuluk*—and blood stained the hand I clamped over my mouth.

Lord Meltas and Pien glared at me, disgruntled.

Their faces seemed to say, ‘How cowardly, playing the sick card here?’

“Heh heh. What are you going to do now, you wicked mages?”

Pien let out a heavy sigh.

“The wicked mage wishes to hear not nonsense, but your plans for the future.”

“…Like I said before, I’ll mobilize all means to stabilize and recover while also training if possible.”

“Where do you plan to learn swordsmanship?”

“Well, I was wondering if Lord Meltas might know something about swords.”

“Are you asking me for guidance in swordsmanship now?”

“I thought Lord Meltas would know even something about swordsmanship.”

“Well, that’s a shame. I guess I have to apologize for not living up to your expectations. But, I can do something similar.”

“Spearmanship!?”

“You know, you seem to need to get some prejudices, don’t you.”

Lord Meltas took out a palm-sized notebook, wrote something, tore out the note and handed it to me.

“The inner secrets of martial arts!?”

“I wrote down a place among the Bondales Swordsmanship Guild that would suit you.”

“Ah.”

I took the note and roughly skimmed it.

A question at this point.

“But, Lord Meltas. Can I really learn proper swordsmanship in a place like this?”

In this world, swordsmanship wasn’t ‘simply a skill to swing a sword’, but rather ‘a skill to manipulate mana with a sword’.

The very thing this b*stard child had tried to learn for over ten years but failed to obtain.

As far as I knew, proper swordsmanship was an advanced technique on par with magic.

Lord Meltas gave a bitter smile, understanding the intent behind my question.

“I can’t promise you’ll have high expectations. Honestly, if you could just pay your way into a swordsmanship guild and learn advanced techniques, why would nobles bow and scrape to become squires under another family? It’d be a truly awkward situation usually. And frankly, pursuing just the path of magic is endless.”

“Are you saying I’m not ordinary?”

“Yes. That’s where my expectations lie. You, somehow, will probably manage, won’t you?”

“That’s a remarkably irresponsible statement.”

“So what? You’re not even my disciple.”

“That’s even more irresponsible than…! I thought Master Meltas and I shared something deeper than a master-disciple relationship.”

“Tsk tsk. What do you want me to do? The master-disciple relationship was all I wanted.”

“Oh, come on…!”

The braided-haired old man, pouting like a spoiled child, left me speechless.

***

A little later.

Having finished my conversation with Master Meltas, I was getting ready to leave the study.

“Master Meltas, thank you for the advice.”

“…By the way, you. Are you really alright?”

“Yes?”

“I mean your body. Compared to what you’ve been through, you seem too… untouched, so to speak.”

“I just coughed up blood a moment ago, though.”

“…Anyway, take care of yourself.”

“Yes. Thank you. Then, I will take my leave.”

“Wait a minute.”

Perrin said.

Just moments before, Perrin had been glued to my side, but now that she’d recharged (?), she’d moved to a corner of the room as if fleeing.

“Old man. Do you have anything like a bowl or a plate?”

“Hey, Perrin. What kind of way is that to talk to Master Meltas?”

“It’s fine, Leshir.”

Master Meltas chuckled like a loving grandfather and handed a saucer to Perrin.

“What do you need it for?”

“He’s. Sick.”

“Oh. Perrin. Are you worried about me?”

“…If you’re sick, Didoa will be sad.”

Even Didoa-ssi was surprised, but Perrin followed Didoa-ssi remarkably well.

Apparently, he felt a sense of kinship in Didoa-ssi’s energy, which he liked.

That was how Didoa-ssi ended up with a pet wolf.

Frankly, I wasn’t completely comfortable with it.

It was like I’d dumped a stray wolf I’d picked up onto strict Didoa-ssi.

But there was no help for it; Perrin, like before, would cling to me when he craved my energy, but as soon as his charge was full, he would coldly distance himself as if nothing had happened.

As things stood, Didoa-ssi was the only person Perrin, in his right mind, completely opened up to.

The one saving grace was—

-A spirit that doesn’t dislike me, that’s shocking.

-Lisir. Can I take care of this child? Sorry if that was a bothersome question.

Didoa-ssi seemed to like Perrin quite a lot too.

“This is for Didoa.”

Perrin placed a plate on the floor.

Afterwards, he transformed into wolf form –

-Cough! Cough! Cough!

And started to retch into the plate.

“W-what!? Perrin!?”

A clear, slimy fluid spilled from Perrin’s muzzle and pooled on the plate.

Then, a moment later.

A bead fell onto it with a clatter (splat).

Perrin, back in human form, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said,

“Eat.”

“…!”

Was it even edible?

His face was like a chef who had prepared a lavish feast.

Perrin looked at me, his expression full of confidence and anticipation for my reaction.

***

──────────

[Title: About the trait thing that gives you at certain levels]

Content: So, even if I already have an S-class main trait,

Okay, here’s the translation, aiming to keep that raw, immersive feel:

What happens if you get the same type of trait?

– : FUCK, how’d you get S-rank?!

– : Like the comment above, you get called a lottery winner and get shit on

-[OP] : Ahhh FUCK

-[OP] : If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked

– : Ah, my bad

– : If you already have an S-rank main trait, they give you a sub trait

If the sub trait is also top tier, you get a random trait from a different category.

That’s how I suddenly got a Shaman trait added

-[OP] : FUCK, how’d you get S-rank?!

– : Straight up lottery winner showing up

──────────

──────────

[Title: Spirit Core ＜ Where to get this?]

Content: My HP’s way too low, wanna boost it a bit

– : [Link]

– : Spirit Core Acquisition Guide

-[OP] : FUCK, gotta max out affinity with some high-tier spirit and do all this bullshit

Yeah, I’ll pass

──────────

***

The Guides.

They are handed the heavy task of leading the lost lambs away from the path of sin by the Order.

The Order grants broad authority to its Guides, and they freely interpret and execute their missions with that authority.

Led by Goje Bardros, many Guides have entered Bondales.

Their mission:

To root out the cultist parasites, dark magic users hiding within the Grey Mage Tower.

It was not an easy task.

The cultists were cunning, nefarious, and secretive, even amongst the wicked dark magic users.

More importantly, little was known about them.

The magic tower, in all likelihood, hadn’t even noticed their presence yet.

And so, they faced a problem.

The magic tower, with its extremely secluded nature, was one of the most representative groups that rejected the Order.

As things stood, it was impossible for the Inquisitors to even formally enter the tower, let alone conduct a full-scale search within.

How were they to make the tower understand the existence of the parasite, and gain their cooperation?

Inquisitor Thordal, as a first step towards this, approached a person affiliated with one of the towers.

He was confident.

According to the information he had painstakingly obtained, she, as a half-demon, had a very low standing within the tower.

She would surely accept his proposal.

The half-demon mage, Didoa, having listened to the story, asked back with her characteristic emotionless face.

“A black magic user infiltrated the Gray Tower, you say?”

“Yes. Though you wouldn’t have noticed.”

Didoa tilted her head, muttering to herself.

“Again?”

“?”

Again?

Thordal didn’t understand what the half-demon in front of him was talking about.