Dark Fantasy Normalized

25 – The Lucky Charm (2)

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▶Another Tale◀

This is another story.

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[A great event has come to the family]

[The wedding, which had been postponed time and again, was finally accomplished]

[Cheers and applause]

[Amidst everyone’s blessings, the couple appeared]

[The rumors were true]

[The young lady, whose condition had worsened day by day, regained her health]

[Her wrinkled and shadowed skin was as fresh as if it had been reborn]

[The groom, who seemed to have lost all happiness to despair, was also smiling brightly today]

[However-]

[Was it just a feeling?]

[The groom’s bright smile seemed somewhat haggard]

[It was a stark contrast, as if the shadow that had been cast over the bride had transferred to him]

[“Dares. What are you thinking?”]

[“…”]

[It feels like a distant past]

[Before she fell ill]

[I remember the smiles she used to have]

[Surely, it was such a bright smile]

[Surely, it must have been such a bright smile-]

[Why is it?]

[“Dares?”]

[Why does her smile feel so alien now]

[“…No.”]

[It must be just a feeling]

[The groom shook off the unpleasant thoughts]

[It is the hard-won daily life and happiness]

[Now, just enjoy it]

[-Even if it is a fake happiness that is rotten and hollow inside]

▶Destiny 41: Worm-eaten Happiness

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*

“Da, Damin!?”

Todina screamed.

The maid Damin, who had been with her since childhood, had suddenly transformed into someone else.

…Into an unspeakably horrifying being.

An elderly man with white hair and wrinkles, dressed in a maid’s uniform.

The mental shock was immense, not to mention the physical shock (cornea).

Todina struggled to hold onto her sanity, which seemed ready to fly away at any moment.

But the old man was just as bewildered.

Gusra, the dark sorcerer.

He had spent years on this plan, and months executing it.

All to ensure perfection.

And indeed, the result was perfect.

“How could this happen!!!”

Until Lishir handed Todina what he called a lucky coin.

Gusra barely regained his composure and swiftly exited the carriage.

Being surrounded in this confined space was dangerous!

“Ah.”

As Gusra disappeared, Todina collapsed, complaining of dizziness.

“Take care of Todina.”

A chilling voice. Yet it was filled with intense emotion.

Dares pulled out a staff adorned with a red gem at its tip and followed Gusra.

“Eltni!”

“Yes, Topin!”

Topin also entrusted Todina to his assistant Eltni and followed the others.

“Let’s go too.”

Then Lishir’s party.

The victims, whose souls had suffered immense damage, pursued the corrupter.

A spear of fire burned through the air, rushing towards Gusra.

*

“Ugh-“

Goosra, whose magic had become unstable due to the sudden dispelling of his spell, struggled to draw out his mana.

The black curtain that spread around his body neutralized the spear of fire.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The spear of fire flared up, touched the curtain, and extinguished repeatedly.

The once cool surrounding air heated up to the point where it shimmered.

The series of events finally came to an end at that moment.

“Why…!”

Dares opened his mouth for the first time after expending half of his strength.

“Why did you approach Todina… Why did it have to be Todina!”

“…”

Dark red blood flowed from Goosra’s nose and mouth.

The damage accumulated as he endured Dares’ attack in his unstable state due to the dispelling of his magic.

The continuous surge of mana tore through the old dark wizard’s insides.

“Dares, excuse me for a moment.”

Tophin healed Dares from the side.

There was no one beside Goosra.

Nevertheless, Goosra managed to produce a smile filled with aged composure.

“It didn’t have to be Todina. She just happened to be the one who fell into my grasp as I reached out for an opportunity. If you want to blame someone, blame your lover’s weakness and foolishness.”

“You scoundrel!!!”

Dares’ mana, which had barely calmed down, surged again, and his body was engulfed in flames.

“Dares!”

Tophin shouted in fright.

The unrestrained flames burned fiercely as if they would incinerate everything.

Dares’ skin dried rapidly.

“Damn…!”

Goosra, while outwardly appearing overwhelmed, inwardly mocked Dares.

‘Even if he is called Durayegra, he is still just a novice.’

To lose composure so easily.

The old dark wizard’s black eyes gleamed like a snake with its prey before it.

Durayeg Dares.

In the future, he will be a talent that surpasses even me.

But now?

Too immature. To face me, that is.

Gusra already perceived Dares not as an enemy, but as prey.

Therefore, the one he truly guarded against was someone else.

“…”

Gusra’s gaze traveled past the distant Lysir party and reached the carriage.

‘That lucky coin…’

That was what Gusra was most wary of at the moment.

‘b*stard… Since those things got close to the carriage, my power has started to become unstable.’

‘And the moment that lucky coin touched Todina’s body – the power that was engulfing Todina was repelled.’

‘It’s that. I have to destroy it!’

‘Before that foolish b*stard realizes the value and power contained in the coin!’

As a result, Gusra felt both leisure and impatience simultaneously.

The best scenario he envisioned now was the young wizard before him losing control of his emotions and driving himself to self-destruction.

A talented wizard.

A seasoned healer.

And that damned coin.

Time was on their side.

If delayed, great losses would be incurred.

“Dares. Why did you stop?”

“…”

“Is it enough now? Is that enough revenge for your lover who was mocked by me?”

Gusra covered his face with his palm.

His skin wriggled, and he regained the appearance of the maid girl.

“For the past few months. I spent a truly long time with Todina. Dares. Aren’t you curious? What happened when it was just the two of us?”

Kekekekekeke.

A grotesque smile, one that a maid girl could never produce, was drawn on that face.

“…You scoundrel!!!”

Whoosh!

Flames, nearly explosive in nature, engulfed Dares.

“Dares, calm down! He’s provoking you!”

“How- how can you say that? How can I calm down now!”

“Because you must. Your state is too unstable right now! You could experience a mana surge, even a mana rampage!”

“I don’t care!!! As long as I can burn that vile scoundrel to ashes!!!”

“Damn it!”

The searing heat.

Tophin hastily distanced himself from Dares.

‘What a disaster!’

Dares, the only one who could be considered a force, was falling for the black magician’s trick and self-destructing.

Tophin’s mind went blank at the worst-case scenario unfolding before his eyes.

This was a prime example of how the fiery temperament of those who wielded the power of flames could act as poison.

“Damn it- get a grip, Dares!!!”

Intermediate healer Tophin exerted all his strength to calm Dares.

Tophin’s mana, imbued with healing power, gently enveloped Dares, but-

It was helplessly scattered by the fierce energy consuming his body.

“Step aside.”

It was then that Tophin was pushed aside by an arrogant gesture and voice.

A pure white girl approached Dares.

“It’s dangerous to get close now!”

The hem of the girl’s robe was singed by the heat emanating from the flames.

Ignoring it, the girl reached out towards Dares.

The mercy of the progenitor enveloped him.

“…!”

Dares’ pupils dilated.

Followed by his rapidly relaxing body and dissipating momentum.

Thud.

Dares sat down on the floor, supporting himself with his staff.

The fiery energy that had once consumed his master’s body had now completely stabilized.

“How…?”

Tophin was astonished.

The girl’s power was something even Tophin, a mid-level healer, found hard to comprehend.

But it didn’t matter to the girl.

Having accomplished an incredible feat with indifference, the girl turned her back and returned to where she had come from.

Fien, who had returned to Lysir’s side, snorted haughtily as she looked at him.

Then, with a sneer that gave an impression of arrogance yet elegance, she spoke.

“How about it? Even with your power, you can’t do something like this, can you?”

Krr-

Lysir made a meaningless gesture of giving a thumbs-up.

“As expected of Fien. The treasure of our party. Now, not only do you refrain from harming people, but you even go as far as to save them.”

“…Are you being sarcastic?”

“Of course not! It’s just a misunderstanding that arises when I try to describe Fien’s greatness with my poor vocabulary. Is there any word or expression you would like me to borrow?”

“Enough. Just shut up.”

“You’re amazing. I love you. Hug me.”

Fien turned her head in disgust, but her expression twitched as if she didn’t entirely dislike it.

“…”

Goos watched the two of them in a daze.

It was shocking enough that ashes had suddenly been sprinkled on a perfectly cooked meal-

But the way the ashes were sprinkled was even more spectacular.

“Tophin…”

“Dares! Are you alright!?”

“Ah… I don’t know what happened, but my mind has cleared… I must have caused you concern…”

“What kind of nonsense is this!!!”

Goos couldn’t hold back and shouted.

Again.

It’s happening again.

Everything was going well, but their intervention had messed things up once more.

“These vermin-like b*stards-“

The old dark sorcerer finally lost his composure.

From every orifice on his face, dark red blood flowed out.

It was the price of drawing out his full magical power despite being in an unstable state due to the magic disruption.

“…!”

And they would pay the price for forcing the dark sorcerer to use his full power.

Goosra abandoned his previous policy of achieving his goals while minimizing losses.

“I’ll kill them all. These vermin.”

*

Watching all this from a distance, Pien spoke.

“Shall we go now?”

“Go?”

“Then what? Do you want to get involved in that?”

Pien glanced at Goosra for a moment, then shook his head in disgust.

The dark sorcerer wielded a power as vile as his appearance.

There was no reason for Pien to risk fighting Goosra.

Lishir felt the same.

“We’ve done enough. No, more than enough. Even if we take this opportunity to seize the carriage, they won’t have anything to say, right? Isn’t that so, Rona?”

“Uh. Uh!? Oh… I think so too. Here, it’s best to leave for now.”

Rona, who had been actively asserting his masculinity until just before, spoke in a subdued tone.

“You… crime is ingrained in you… your way of thinking is different from ours…”

“That’s not what I’m saying!”

“…Just kidding- I understand what Pien is trying to say.”

They had already provided enough help.

There was no reason to continue helping them at the risk of harm.

Lishir understood this logically.

But why?

Even knowing this, he couldn’t leave them behind.

Devotion and sacrifice?

Because of an unusually heroic personality?

No. It’s different.

‘Is there anything worth enduring…?’

The intuition stemming from Lisir’s power was telling him.

There was no reason to avoid that dark sorcerer.

Just like there was no reason to avoid an ant.

“Sigh.”

Pien sighed at the sight of Lisir.

“I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re thinking that with the power you have, you can somehow manage it – that kind of vague thought, right? Let me ask you, do you at least know that it’s different from this?”

This?

Rona’s expression twisted with humiliation.

But she had no words to refute, so she grimaced bitterly.

“Pien. No matter what, Rona wasn’t that hideous.”

“I don’t think I said that… No, more than that, was I hideous…?”

“Really, what should I do with this man? Please, can’t you show a little bit of seriousness?”

Pien said that, but she understood Lisir’s reaction inwardly.

Like Lisir, the existence of the dark sorcerer didn’t seem significant.

She hated to admit it, but it was thanks to having Lisir by her side.

She couldn’t exactly define it, but –

When it came to ‘that kind of power,’ she couldn’t imagine this man being humiliated.

Just look at what happened just now.

‘What was that?’

To neutralize the magic of a dark sorcerer with such power with just a ‘coin.’

Now, Pien neither feared nor revered Lisir’s power.

She was just dumbfounded.

“So. What do you want to do?”

Pien asked Lisir, who was still lost in thought.

“First of all, I know that Pien is worried about me. Honestly, I’m a bit touched.”

“I-I wasn’t worried at all!?”

“So let’s do it this way.”

“Just so you know in advance! I’m not going to help you, so keep that in mind.”

“I don’t intend to involve Pien either. I don’t want Pien to get hurt because of me.”

Pien’s tightly closed lips twitched.

“I’m not going to help… but if you desperately beg…”

Mumbling.

Lishir, with his head bowed, did not hear Pien’s mumbling and headed towards the carriage.

*

“Ahahahahahaha!!!”

A bizarre sound, halfway between a scream and laughter, burst from Gusra’s mouth.

“As expected of Durayeg! It’s hot! It’s hot! But!”

The flames that had been burning the old man’s body subsided.

The old man’s melted skin regenerated anew.

Smooth and soft skin. Gusra, who had regained the appearance of the maid girl, Damin, spoke.

“Still immature. Immature indeed! If you thought you could burn this old man with such fire, you were gravely mistaken!”

Grit-

Dares and Tophin panted heavily.

“Dares. Are you still alright?”

“To be honest- I’m close to my limit.”

“Damn-“

They knew the dark wizard’s level was extraordinary.

But to think he was at the late stage of the 5th rank, looking towards the 6th rank.

As the battle continued, the defeat became more apparent, and the two could clearly recognize that fact.

Tsk.

Gusra clicked his tongue as he looked at Dares.

“What a pity! Truly a pity! To have to break such a fine vessel with my own hands!”

“What did you do with Damin… Todina’s maid?”

“Dares. Even in this situation, are you worried about such a trivial girl? Admirable. Don’t worry about her. She has become my precious doll, faithfully carrying out other tasks. And let me tell you in advance, your fiancée Todina will undergo the same procedure. Her body and mind will be consumed by my power, leaving only an empty shell.”

“…”

“It’s about time. Let’s end this. If that dreadful thing stays with my Todina any longer, who knows what might happen.”

“How dare you with that filthy mouth-“

“Keul keul keul. Come, young wizard. You must reclaim your lover!”

Once again, the dark sorcerer summoned his power.

And reluctantly, the wizard and the healer squeezed out their last bit of strength.

It was at that moment, just as the final battle was about to begin.

“Dares!”

Their gazes focused on the carriage.

While they were engaged in battle.

Lishir received the coin he had given to Todina from the carriage and infused it with his own power.

…Instantly mastering the professional act known as enchantment.

“…!”

Goosra shuddered at the sight of the coin in Lishir’s hand.

‘It’s certain! That is- a holy relic!!!’

The evil power within Goosra showed extreme aversion to the energy contained in the coin.

Destroy it!

“Take this! It might help!”

The coin left Lishir’s hand.

“Where do you think you’re going!!!”

It was then.

Goosra’s arm bubbled and stretched endlessly.

His hand snatched the coin out of the air.

Then an explosion occurred in his hand.

The clash of the power contained in the coin and Goosra’s power swept through the surroundings.

It all happened in an instant.

“Huff- huff- huff-“

Goosra’s arm, which had stretched long.

Half of Goosra’s face.

They were melting like mud.

Yet Goosra wore a victorious smile.

“It seems your damned luck ends here.”

The destruction of the holy relic brought severe fatigue to Goosra.

The fatigue accumulated from the battles with Dares so far was incomparable.

But it’s okay.

Now, nothing can hinder him.

Despair appeared on the faces of Dares and Tophin as they finally understood the situation.

Gusra felt satisfaction at their reactions, but he couldn’t afford to savor it.

His own limits were approaching.

“These tiresome things.”

The dark wizard muttered eerily as he moved forward.

“Uh… wait!”

But once again, the voice of the b*stard interrupted.

“There’s one more! Please accept it!”

“?

It was as if he was taking out an ordinary coin from his pocket.

Gusra doubted his ears, and soon his expression was filled with despair.