Dark Fantasy Normalized

“G-Get out of the way!”

Gadum, who had stormed into the annex with pomp and swagger, now made a frantic retreat—charging through the very guards he had brought.

“...”

Dogal and the other guards watched, speechless, as their commander rammed through his own men. Their gazes chased after his enormous retreating figure with something like grief.

“...What do we do, Captain?”

Moments later, one of the guards turned to Dogal, looking utterly lost.

“Shit, hell if I know...”

Dogal, who had tried hard to refine his language since becoming captain, finally let the words fly.

He had once been a wandering mercenary.

And today, he realized, his time playing city guard captain had come to an end.

He turned his gaze toward the boy—no, the strange young mage standing before him.

A reckless thought crossed his mind.

If I just grab this kid and hand him over to Gadum...

After all, the captain’s post was far too sweet a position to give up so easily.

More than that, he believed it was entirely doable.

The kid was alone. Standing there defenseless.

Dogal didn’t think this young honorary mage could stand against all the guards here. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Nor did he believe the force behind him was powerful enough to turn the tide.

As he slowly brought a hand toward the sword at his hip with a calculating look—

“...!”

Dogal jerked back in horror before he could stop himself.

“Hkk...!”

“W-What!?”

The same went for the rest of the guards.

Lisir.

Every single opening on his face had suddenly begun gushing blood.

Had he cried out in pain, they might not have been as frightened.

But Lisir was calm.

“Hah.”

No—he wasn’t merely calm.

Smiling faintly as blood spilled from every orifice, his expression—paired with the memory of Gadum fleeing in terror—made for an eerie, ominous spectacle.

Sh-Shit, he’s not a black magician, is he?

Dogal still had his hand on his sword, but the air about him had shifted.

Before, it had been “Should I just strike?”

Now it was more like “What the hell is this, what is even happening?”

“Pardon me a moment.”

Lisir politely excused himself, pulled a handkerchief from his coat, and began wiping the blood from his face.

Then he closed his eyes, drawing a steady breath. With that breath came intention, and that intention stirred faint energy throughout his body.

“What the fuck is this. He’s a mage—”

One of the guards muttered, perfectly voicing Dogal’s own inner turmoil.

If Lisir had known Dogal was entertaining treacherous thoughts, he wouldn’t have begun Blue Breath so carelessly.

In Dogal’s eyes, Lisir was wide open. A perfect opening.

And yet—Dogal couldn’t move.

A mage who suddenly bleeds from every hole in his face and then starts channeling martial breathing techniques?

Dogal wasn’t brave (or stupid) enough to charge headlong into that.

Especially when something strange had begun unfolding right before their eyes.

***

──────────

[You have reached a specific level.]

[A special trait has been granted.]

...

...

...

[You already possess the highest specialization for this field.]

[A specialized supplementary trait has been granted.]

...

...

...

[Trait has been enhanced.]

──────────

[Trait: Breathing Iron (S-)] → [Trait: Dancing Iron (S)]

──────────

***

Lisir had a thought.

Oh, what’s this? My breathing’s smoother than usual? This feeling... maybe I’m about to reach the next stage of the Clarna style?

Dogal had a thought.

What the actual fuck is this?

He took another step back.

Lisir, now smiling in satisfaction with blood still dripping down his face, was utterly unnerving.

That was the first reason.

The second?

What’s with that transformation—

As a swordsman who’d achieved a certain level himself, Dogal could see it clearly.

Lisir’s presence—and even his physique—was subtly shifting.

In simple terms: a transformation.

Or perhaps an evolution.

Moments ago, he had been just a mage.

But now, in an instant, he had become a swordsman.

Not only that—he had risen to a higher level of swordsmanship.

The magical energy surrounding him had deepened as well.

“...”

Dogal tried to process it all.

“I’m all set now.”

“Gk—!”

It was Lisir’s casual voice that snapped Dogal out of his spiral.

“I’m all set”—after all that!?

All set for what!? A fight!?

Dogal scrambled to interpret the meaning behind those words.

Wait, was that a warning...? Like saying he could take all of us with just a sword—?

Even as he thought it, Dogal couldn’t believe it.

What kind of being warns others like that?

And the transformation... that live-action, real-time transformation defied every logical explanation.

Finally, as a swordsman himself, Dogal made a decision.

He clenched his fists and declared, voice heavy with resolve:

“I’ve only ever followed Gadum’s orders!”

“...?”

Just a moment ago, Dogal had looked at Gadum like a lunatic.

Now he wore the exact same expression.

But unlike Gadum, Dogal didn’t run away.

He didn’t think fleeing from this incomprehensible being would let him escape.

“Would you... permit us to withdraw?”

Lisir had no idea why Gadum had come here with the guard in the first place.

Not knowing why they came, he didn’t know why they were now retreating either.

Do I even have the authority to grant that? ...Actually, what is even going on here?

His face plainly showed the confusion.

Shit...

That expression made Dogal want to collapse with despair.

You think I’d be satisfied with just that?

That’s how Lisir’s confused look appeared to Dogal in his current state.

“I swear—I will not disappoint you!”

Lisir shrugged.

Dogal’s face immediately brightened. He gathered his men and left the scene.

Lisir, now alone, fell into thought to assess the situation.

“...Could it be Berbandes did something?”

Then a second thought followed.

“...Or did I do something...?”

It was the moment the incomprehensible being began to realize his own influence.

***

The city nobles were gathered together by the windows of the hall.

From there, they observed the strange scene unfolding in the annex garden.

Lisir.

That he had stood alone against Gadum and his entire guard and made them retreat.

Moments later, Lisir returned to the hall where everyone had gathered.

“You’ve returned.”

Lisir felt a strange sense of dissonance in how Ran and the other city nobles welcomed him.

Something’s... different. It feels like they’ve gotten closer somehow.

The subtle distance that had existed between Ran and the other nobles just before he’d left the hall—was completely gone.

More than that.

There was a palpable sense of unity among them now—something close to solidarity.

“Lisir. What happened with Gadum?”

“He issued us an expulsion order. Told us to get out of the estate immediately.”

Ooooh!

The city nobles exchanged looks and broke into cheers.

Ran looked at Lisir with shining eyes.

“As expected—you did it. I believed in you.”

“No, wait...”

Did what? Believed what?

Lisir suddenly felt alienated.

Like someone who wasn’t invited to their own surprise birthday party.

Things were clearly happening around him, and because of him, and yet—he was the only one who didn’t know what those things were.

“Lisir. You’ve fulfilled your duty. No—‘fulfilled’ isn’t enough. You’ve done more than enough. So now, please, leave the rest to us.”

Ran clasped his hands in hers with conviction.

“Lisir. My name is Morne. Please remember it.”

“I am Bellas.”

“I’m—”

The sequence ended only after each of the nobles had introduced themselves to Lisir with a bow.

“Lisir. Once everything is settled, we will be in touch.”

After that, they all left for Ran’s estate.

“...”

My stuff’s still in there, though.

Lisir, swept up in confusion he couldn’t quite define, returned to Ran’s estate just slightly after the rest.

***

[A Destiny has been activated]

[An Event has been activated]

[An Event has been activated]

[An Event has been activated]

[An Event has been activated]

...

...

...

***

──────────

[Title: Guys, is this text buggedㅠㅠ]

Content: I cleared Gadum’s Destiny Quest but now a bunch of Destiny and Event Quests are activatingㅠㅠ

The ‘비 (Bi)’ is missingㅠㅠㅠ

Is this a translation bugㅠㅠㅠ

The devs just did this to fuck with our feelings apparentlyㅠㅠ

They're showing a cutscene of the underworld bosses having a meeting

Now that Gadum’s gone they’re immediately turning on each other and it’s fucking unbearable

Can’t I just go there and wipe them all out?

──────────

***

“They said they’d contact me once everything’s settled. Guess I’ll just wait at the Tower.”

Back at Ran’s estate, Lisir immediately began preparing to return to the Tower.

Not that there was much to prepare.

Just collect his belongings from the room and say goodbye to the others.

“Got everything?”

With his things packed and lined up on the bed, Lisir headed toward Valrod’s room to say goodbye.

“He’s not in?”

“No. He’s currently attending a meeting in Lady Ran’s office.”

“Ah...”

“Also, Sir Valrod left a message in case you came by.”

“What did he say?”

“I will relay it as he stated: ‘I express my respect for your efforts. From here on, we will handle the rest. You may rest and wait for the results in peace.’”

“...”

What is this.

This gentle, respectful... exclusion.

The fact that he didn’t even know what decisive action he had taken to earn this reverence only made Lisir’s confusion worse.

When he experienced the same thing again at Shakan and Maldad’s rooms, he eventually returned to his own.

The timing’s weird, and I don’t even have a place to stay tonight. Guess I’ll crash here one more night and say a proper goodbye tomorrow. One more day won’t hurt.

Eventually, Lisir picked up the blue lotus he had packed and stepped out into the garden.

Actually, this works out. I was hoping to find time to process that sensation from earlier anyway.

Huuu.

Lisir steadied his breath.

Just as he settled into the stance that had terrified the former guard captain—and prepared to begin sword training in earnest—

“Hm?”

His gaze shifted to the top of the garden wall.

A white pigeon was perched there, watching him.

Lisir felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

“Coo... coo-coo...?”

Lisir attempted conversation with the pigeon!

—What are you doing?

A familiar voice came from the pigeon’s beak.

“Coo, coo-roo-rook...? Coo!?”

—Please, I’m begging you. Use human language.

“Pien...! What happened? Why are you a pigeon!?”

—Ah...

The pigeon opened its beak and sighed.

The headache the voice’s owner was surely feeling came through loud and clear.

—Never mind that. Return to the Tower at once. We have things to discuss.

“To think I’d get to sit across from Pien and have a quiet chat... what a lovely surprise. But sorry, I can’t just yet. Things aren’t quite finished here.”

—What things? Swinging a sword by yourself in the garden? And what are you even doing with that sword?

“Oh, I’m learning swordsmanship.”

—?

“?”

—What the hell did you get into while I wasn’t watching—wait, hold on. What the...

“Pien?”

There was no reply.

—Coo?

The pigeon looked around in confusion, then spread its wings and flew off somewhere.

“...?”

Due to magical interference, the pigeon’s voice—*or rather, pronunciation(?)—*became garbled midway through.

Because of that, Lisir missed the ending of its sentence, something like “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of talking—wait, what? Gadum is...”

Guess I’ll have to find Pien first after all this is over. ...What’s she been up to lately anyway? Rona too, come to think of it.

Lisir’s sword training resumed a long while later.

***

“Hm?”

Knock knock knock!

A sudden knock at his door deep in the night.

Having finished training and now resting on the bed, Lisir rose and answered.

Waiting for him was a maid—not the one usually assigned to him, but another.

“Pardon the late hour, Sir Lisir. He has requested an audience.”

“He?”

“Sir Dogal.”

“...”

Dogal?

Captain of the city guard?

Why him?

Well... if ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) he were going to try anything shady, he’d have done it at Gadum’s estate.

Still puzzled, Lisir followed the maid.

They arrived at some unfamiliar building by carriage.

“Mm! Mmmph!!!”

A fat man had been bound and blindfolded inside.

...That silhouette looks kinda familiar.

Then Dogal approached Lisir and declared:

“Sir Lisir, Deputy of the City Council! We’ve captured the man attempting to secretly flee the city!”

“...”

Lisir couldn’t believe his ears.

What the hell do you mean ‘Sir’ Lisir?

***

[The target has been appointed Party Leader.]

[Target: Lisir]