Dark Fantasy Normalized

For the last time, Risyr bowed deeply toward Idor.

It was sudden, but Idor found himself unexpectedly impressed by Risyr's display of manners. Unlike the noble children of famous families who received direct education from renowned etiquette teachers and mingled extensively with other nobles, Risyr had none of those opportunities.

Yet, the natural grace that flowed from Risyr’s demeanor was well-polished, even by the discerning eyes of a family head from a prestigious house. It was in stark contrast to his daughter Roera, who had transformed from a tomboy into a wild horse despite having been taught by one of the Empire’s top etiquette instructors. Of course, this did not mean that Idor's favor shifted from his legitimate daughter to the bastard son.

To nobles, bloodline held significant value. It was one of the most important factors that granted their existence a sense of exceptionalism acknowledged by the world.

Idor held the typical values of a noble, and the higher his standing, the more rigid those values became.

"Risyr."

Even so, Idor now looked carefully at the bastard in front of him.

"Please, take a seat."

"I have nothing more to say to you, family head."

"Then listen. Risyr, the results you showed today were impressive. While it's unfortunate that you've chosen the path of magic, what can I do? I understand your choice. You must have resented me for not teaching you the Vendell sword style."

"That’s not the case."

"It’s fine. At this moment, I won’t fault you for whatever you say."

"That’s not what I meant. Magic isn’t a substitute for the Vendell swordsmanship for me, nor was it a way to make you reflect on not passing the style down to me."

"Then what?"

"Magic was simply the first path that opened up to me. So I walked it."

"..."

Idor struggled to keep his composure at Risyr’s response. There wasn’t even a hint of longing for the Vendell name or their swordsmanship in his answer.

"I commend your effort. You achieved the best possible outcome within the circumstances you were given. To be honest, I didn’t think you would win the duel today."

Idor tapped his chest lightly.

"You. Your success exceeded my expectations, surpassed my calculations."

"..."

"You’ve proven your worth, and from now on, I will treat you accordingly. Think carefully, Risyr. Leaving the family isn’t the right solution. That’s nothing more than a temporary escape. Consider who stands before you."

In his middle age, the family head of the renowned Vendell swordsmanship clan still maintained a powerful, well-trained body. His sharp gaze seemed like it could remain steady even if a blade were pressed to his eye.

And the aura of a person who had reached the peak of mastery was overwhelming.

For a brief moment, Risyr was stunned by that aura. He had half a mind to raise both middle fingers as a parting gesture, but he restrained himself. After all, the man sitting before him was capable of cutting a boulder cleanly in half with a twig.

"If you leave the family, how long do you think it will take before someone of my caliber recognizes you? A month? Two months? Six months? A year? Risyr, the world waiting for you won’t be as kind as you expect. They will look down on you, dismiss you, and mock you for not proudly owning your identity."

"Are you speaking of how you treated me, family head?"

"I won’t deny it."

"To you, I was no different from a stranger of unknown origin."

"I won’t deny that either. But now things are different. Now, I will embrace you under the Vendell name. Do you know why? Because you’ve proven your value. Don’t throw away the opportunity you’ve earned, Risyr."

"..."

Risyr nodded.

"I’ll consider your words."

It was a clean smile. Flawless, without a trace of conflict.

Idor realized in that moment that the approval and recognition Risyr had once so desperately sought from him no longer held any value.

And that would never change.

"..."

Whatever Idor had intended to say next, it caught in his throat.

Risyr left the office without a second thought, leaving Idor behind.

---

After leaving the family head’s office, I immediately began preparing to leave Vendell. It felt a bit rushed, but as the saying goes: leave when they’re clapping. The people in the mansion had applauded for me, so it only seemed right to take my leave.

"...Is this all?"

As I packed my last item and slung the backpack over my shoulder, I let out a sigh.

Had I really packed everything, or was I just imagining it? The feather-light weight didn’t feel like the result of packing but of emptying out.

The culmination of my 18 years of life, boiled down to this.

It was oddly refreshing. This lightness only confirmed that I had received nothing from this place.

Perhaps the people of Vendell had discriminated against and ignored me all this time to make this moment easier, to ensure that I would have no regrets when leaving.

Of course, if Idor had said something like that to me, I wouldn’t have been able to resist giving him a solid punch.

"..."

I took one last look around the room before leaving. A memory surfaced.

The first day I came to this room.

The day a young Roera had unknowingly pushed all of young Risyr’s buttons.

The day Roera had hurt young Risyr, leaving a wound that would never heal. The day young Risyr had hurt Roera in return, in a way that would never be forgotten.

I was curious.

*—Brother, this...*

What had that letter Roera handed me on that day said? The letter that young Risyr had torn to pieces?

Maybe it was because I was thinking of that day as I left the annex.

"..."

There, leaning casually against the entrance, was Roera.

"Hey, Roera!"

I greeted her cheerfully, remembering how she had been the first to clap during the duel. If it hadn’t been for Lady Vendell herself, no one would have dared applaud a bastard’s victory over a Vendell apprentice knight.

Before I left Vendell, I wanted to thank her deeply for giving me such a good memory.

"This is a surprise! I was just thinking about you."

"...Damn it, what are you saying? That’s disgusting."

Roera turned her head in disgust. It looked like she was going to ignore me completely, but then—

"What happened?"

She glanced at me sideways, spitting the words out.

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t play dumb. I know you used magic during your fight with Humpton."

"Oh, that? Well, it just turned out that way."

"..."

She shot me a glare, clearly unsatisfied with my vague answer. She had plenty more to say, but she was holding it back.

Roera let out a bitter chuckle, one side of her mouth curling into a familiar smirk.

"You must be happy, huh? Everything worked out for you."

"I guess. It was lucky that Humpton let his guard down. But, to be fair, it wasn’t just luck. I—"

"Don’t play dumb. You know that’s not what I meant."

"...What do you mean, then?"

"Ha..."

Roera shook her head, still smirking. She glanced at the backpack slung /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ over my shoulder and chuckled again.

"How did you pull it off? What kind of magic did you use to get *him* of all people to give you a reward for using magic?"

"A reward? This?"

"You’re moving your things into the main building, aren’t you? Am I wrong?"

That’s when I realized Roera had misunderstood the situation.

It seemed she thought I had orchestrated the duel, shown off my hidden magic, and caught Idor’s attention. Now, in her mind, I was basking in the glow of his approval. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

It wasn’t her fault. If anything, she knew me—Risyr—far too well.

In the past, I would have been dancing for joy by now, thrilled to receive Idor’s acknowledgment. And Roera would have found my joy unbearable.

"Why are you looking at me like that? What, are you upset because someone you don’t like ruined your happy moment of being praised by our 'beloved family head'?"

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

Why had Roera always found my attempts to win the family head’s approval so distasteful?

And come to think of it, there was one thing I could guess.

Maybe Roera was seeing past me. Maybe she saw something of herself in the old Risyr.

Looking back, Roera had always been the only person in this house who showed any interest in me.

Before that day happened.

No, even after that day, Roera still cared.

*—Brother... are you okay?*

*—Here...*

I remembered Roera, crying as she handed me that letter.

*—Hey, Risyr. Stop wasting your time and beg me to teach you instead. You know you’re only doing this to learn swordsmanship. Come on, take the easier path.*

*—It’s what you’re good at, right? Begging? You never know, I might be more generous than *he* is and actually teach you something useful. Even if it’s not the Vendell sword style.*

Roera had tried to teach me the sword in her usual abrasive way.

*—...*

And when everyone else had been silent, Roera had been the only one to applaud.

"If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Do you think glaring at me

will scare me? Wow, someone’s getting cocky after beating a guy like Humpton!"

Roera had been the first to find me after the duel, the first to speak to me. She even seemed excited, though there was a hint of frustration in her.

Roera had always cared about me.

And she had always treated me the same, now as she had in the past.

The only thing that had changed was me.

After that day, I had started pushing Roera away.

*—Didn’t you hear what the family head said? You can’t play with a bastard like me anymore.*

Whenever Roera extended kindness, I would shove it aside.

*—...Leave.*

*—Break time is over.*

Like a sulking child, throwing a tantrum.

"How about a duel between us? You have no idea how amazing your sister is. If you had learned swordsmanship from me, you wouldn’t have needed any tricks to beat Humpton."

Roera was the only person in Vendell who accepted my tantrums. Probably not by choice. She likely wasn’t even aware she was doing it.

Her prickly attitude was her way of protecting herself. She wasn’t showing kindness because she was afraid of having it rejected, so she acted like it wasn’t kindness at all.

Roera stepped closer, and the first thing I noticed was the small scar on her forehead.

She used to always keep her forehead uncovered, saying bangs were too stifling.

But after getting hit by the book I threw, she had grown her bangs out to cover the scar.

Instinctively, I reached out to touch the scar. Roera flinched in surprise, as if she was going to pull away, but after seeing my expression, she froze.

I spoke to her gently.

"Did it hurt a lot back then?"

"...!"

Roera’s sarcastic smile started to crumble.

"W-what are you saying all of a sudden...?"

"I don’t know. I just feel like apologizing, I guess. It’s a good day today. Maybe that’s why."

"You son of a—! What, do I look like a beggar to you!? You’re not throwing me a few coins! And what was that? ‘Did it hurt?’ You idiot! What kind of question is that?"

She was trying to be angry, but it was obvious she was on the verge of tears.

"Y-you hit a girl’s face and now you’re asking if it hurt!? Are you mocking me!?"

Her breath came in quick gasps, and her eyes started to fill with tears.

I gently wiped them away and spoke softly.

"I’m sorry."

"..."

"I’m sorry, Roera. I shouldn’t have done that back then. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, of all people."

Roera roughly swatted my hand away, but tears were already spilling down her flushed cheeks, more than I could have wiped away.

"Mi—mi—mi—"

Her voice trembled as she struggled to get the words out.

"You idiot!!!"

There was such force in her voice.

"Why are *you* apologizing!?"

Roera lowered her head, her sobs escaping now.

"You didn’t do anything wrong... I was the one..."

"..."

"I was so stupid back then... I didn’t understand what it meant... what it meant to be a bastard... I didn’t realize how much those words would hurt... Of all people, I should never have said that to you..."

*I’m sorry.*

*I’m sorry.*

*I’m sorry.*

Roera repeated the words over and over, as if releasing all the feelings she had kept bottled up inside.

I moved closer and gently patted her back.

"I’ve been wanting to say that for a long time."

Roera buried her face in my chest, her voice muffled as she spoke.

"Brother... no matter what anyone says, you’re still my brother..."

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▷ Fate 13: Unspoken Words - Deactivated.

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