Make Dark Fantasy Great Again-Chapter 18: The Price of the Promise (2)

His master’s words were lost on Risir. Though he grasped the context, he thought he must have misinterpreted the meaning behind them.

“You’re telling me to say anything I want from Bendel...?”

Who could take such words at face value? If he were to immediately answer, “Then I want the Bendel manor and the patriarch’s neck,” that would be the real problem.

As a not-so-ordinary young man, Risir had been spending time lately with frivolous thoughts. Maybe I should adjust my bastard rating to A+? My growth rate is getting out of hand.

It wasn’t easy for him to keep up with the pace of his mysterious dark elf master who traveled with a talking book.

“Wait a minute! Who are you?”

Someone interrupted the confused disciple and the ever-smiling master.

“Oh my, who’s this girl?”

“This is my sister Roera, who considers me her-brother-no matter-what-anyone-says.”

“Ah!!! I told you not to do that, seriously!”

“My, how close you two are.”

The bastard and young lady who had dared to escape Bendel had immediately looked for a place to hide.

The young lady insisted on leaving Hayeren as quickly as possible, as Hayeren’s guard was under Bendel’s jurisdiction. With one gesture from the patriarch, all exits from Hayeren would be blocked.

But the bastard urged them to head to the residence of someone who said they would help him. That’s how they ended up at this house, not far from Bendel.

A helper for Risir?  Roera’s interest was immediately piqued. At the same time, she understood the sudden changes that had happened to Risir recently. It made sense if all of it was due to the influence of a third party.

Roera had been in the middle of exploring the house, wanting to know more about this so-called helper. Then she heard Risir talking to someone in the living room and went to see...

“H-hey! Risir! Speaking of which, don’t tell me your helper is...”

“Ah, let me introduce you. This is my master.”

You’re kidding my ass.

The prestigious young lady expressed her surprise with dignity. She couldn’t hide her confusion and aversion to the dark elf that appeared before her eyes.

“Such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Roera.”

Pamon extended her hand to Roera.

“...”

Roera retreated, putting put her hand on the sword at her waist.

It was an unconscious action. Anyone would react like her if an unknown dark elf suddenly offered a handshake. It was why Pamon didn’t show any particular reaction.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

Instead, she apologized with a bubbly smile, withdrawing her hand.

“Haa...”

Risir let out a deep sigh beside them.

“Roera... I didn’t raise you to be like this... Master, I’m sorry. As you can see, Roera is very shy around strangers.”

“Don’t worry about it~ She’s a bit like a cat, which might be cute?”

Roera looked back and forth between the master and disciple, eyes wide and mouth gaping dumbly. The distance between them...

Eventually, Roera frowned and pulled Risir by the arm.

“Oh my. My oh my. Look at her being jealous, how cute.”

“Hah... Roera. This kind of oppression will only lead to a strong backlash. Didn’t we just experience it on the way here?”

“Stop talking nonsense...! What is, what’s with you?! Don’t tell me, your helper is that dark elf?!”

“That’s right?”

“Oh hell...”

Roera drew her sword, pointing it at Pamon.

“You! What did you do to my big bro!”

“My big bro, she says...”

“Oh my. Look at her worrying about her brother. Goodness... My disciple. You had such a wonderful family member?”

“By the way, Roera. You’re supposed to shake hands, not point swords. Where are your manners?”

“Oh, just shut up for a moment!!!”

Her behavior showed prejudice, yet it was based on common sense.

Dark elves, who resided among the shadows, were ominous beings who spread curses around them. Therefore, it was only natural to be wary of their kind...especially when one approached family.

Roera had reacted in line with common sense, but listening to the conversation between the two, her tense vigilance made her feel foolish.

The sharp vigilance of the genius knight was helplessly neutralized by the casual conversation between master and disciple.

In the end, Roera put her sword back in its scabbard.

“Explain in detail what’s going on.”

***Risir’s explanation ended.

Throughout the story, Roera kept a wary eye on Pamon, but halfway through, she started looking at Risir as if he were a madman.

At first, she thought the cursed dark elf had bewitched the insignificant illegitimate child with magic to plot some evil scheme. But as she listened to the story, it seemed to be the opposite.

“What’s cognitive disruption magic? Something so convenient exists? I’ve never heard of it. Isn’t it actually not because of your unique constitution, but just... What the? Where’d she go?”

“Looking for me?”

“Aaaah!!!”

Roera had experienced a wider world and had a perspective to match. Even by her standards, the dark elf was an extraordinary person. And Risir’s hidden talent was something special even by the standards of this extraordinary dark elf.

More than anything, Roera didn’t know whether to call her brother bold or reckless, the way he treated the dark elf.

From the dark elf’s perspective, it was natural to be interested and fond of Risir.

“This is ridiculous. What if the dark elf had bad intentions and tried to curse or cast a spell on you?”

“By that logic, couldn’t a human suddenly pull out a knife and stab you too?”

“...”

“...”

The sister and the master’s eyes met in a shared moment of empathy. Their feelings toward that mutant(?) over there transcended the boundaries of race itself.

Finally, Roera lowered her guard and bowed her head to Pamon. And then-

“S-s-s...”

“Roera! You shouldn’t say ‘Such a crazy bastard’ to Master, that’s a bit—”

“Wh-what the hell! I was trying to say sorry?!”

“Oh my, you’re apologizing to me? Why?”

“Why...Because I pointed a sword at you right when we met...”

“Ah. Come now~ It’s okay. It’s not a big deal. My disciple’s the unusual one, your reaction was normal, little sister. And more importantly! Most importantly! Roera did that to protect Risir, your one-and-only-brother-no-matter-what, right~? So I understand. Oh how devoted you are...Like a little kitten...”

“Our baby Roera...”

“Kittens, babies, this is insane! Stop looking at me with those creepy eyes!”

Roera quickly understood how the two had become close.

***Brother’s master is a Dark Elf?!

Having experienced an extraordinary event, Roera gained a confidence that she wouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore and thought she should hear everything else while she was at it.

“...You’re talking nonsense again, right?”

Yet despite that confidence, not long after she began to listen, Roera’s face turned blank with shock once again.

“I understand. I’m also still navigating through a fog of confusion, which hasn’t fully cleared. Understanding the marvelous existence that is me... It’s not an easy task. Oh, not easy at all.”

The moment Roera heard Risir’s real nonsense, she was stunned. Compared to this, what he had said before wasn’t even nonsense.

This meant...

“You’ve been learning magic for less than a week?”

Pamon excitedly began boasting about her disciple.

“As my disciple says, isn’t his talent marvelous? Dear little sister~ In this regard, you can be proud of your brother without holding back, you know?”

“Please be proud of me...”

“Yeah, no thanks...”

While she couldn’t deny his extraordinary talent, Roera didn’t want to join in the otherworldly atmosphere between master and disciple.

<Finally! A somewhat normal one has appeared.>

Suddenly, she heard a third voice.

“Who’s that now?”

“Ah, forgive the late introduction. Miss Roera? This is Duran.”

“He can be slightly mean with his words, but he’s a good-natured book at heart, so feel free to relax.”

<That’s right. So you’re Risir’s little sister? Unlike your tactless brother, you seem calm. I like that. We’ll skip the handshake, with the way my body is, you know.>

“...”

The wine-colored hardcover book on the desk spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Pamon and Risir treated it as though it were perfectly normal—an object with self-awareness, an Ego Item.

Ego Items themselves weren’t particularly rare. The Bendel manor itself had a lock that recognized its owner and opened and closed on its own.

...But an Ego Item that expressed itself so freely? Roera had never heard the likes of it. Perhaps such a thing would be hard to find even at the top floor of a mage’s tower?

“Uh, my head...”

Roera’s mind reached its limit.

The girl was born with a talent for swordsmanship. People around her always treated her as special, and she had never questioned that fact.

...Am I actually not that special?

A Dark Elf. A talking book. And a mutant who became friends with both and mastered magic in less than a week.

Roera experienced an extreme crisis of values among them, but she steadfastly listened to their stories.

Humans are creatures of adaptation, as they say.

“Ah. So now, you’ve just come back from single-handedly turning the Bendel manor upside down?”

As the story reached its climax, Roera had become the embodiment of acceptance, able to respond with ‘I see’ to anything.

“My, how composed. Are you alright? I was worried you might resent your brother for this.”

“I suppose I should say I’m fine?”

Their family had completely split apart two innocent children due to adult circumstances. Perhaps worn down by the disillusionment she had felt until now, Roera felt no particular emotion about the disaster that had befallen Bendel.

She was neither sad nor happy. It was somewhat amusing, though.

“They acted all noble as descendants of a hero while looking down on the illegitimate child. And now it turns out that hero was actually a liar who sold her pride to the worst of the worst for power and pretended to be heroic? What a riot.”

Roera let out a bitter laugh, which quickly turned into her characteristic cynicism.

In the end, she didn’t feel bad about it. It seemed like this incident would allow her to completely withdraw her sense of obligation towards the family.

It was the moment when the anxiety and unease she had felt while impulsively cooperating with Risir’s escape cleanly disappeared.

“Then...Master, what happened to that contract in the end? Since I no longer belong to the family because of this...”

“I suppose Bendel will have to prepare a new compensation.”

“And I can choose anything I want from that?”

“Of course. That’s what it means to be the most valuable treasure.”

“Master, may I ask one thing?”

“Of course, my disciple~ Ask anything you want~ Your master knows everything, you know? You could ask ten questions and I’ll answer a thousand~”

That’s not how it’s supposed to work...

Ignoring Duran and Roera’s almost simultaneous objections, the master and disciple continued their conversation.

“Why are you giving me that opportunity?”

“But haven’t I already received what I wanted?”

Pamon rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Risir. He at himself with a finger, and she nodded.

“I’m more than satisfied with the current result, you see. So I’m trying not to be greedy. Ah. Maybe this conversation is a bit uncomfortable for your sister?”

“Me? Why?”

“Aren’t you Bendel’s rightful heir?”

“I’m not going to inherit it.”

“My, how spirited.”

Roera adjusted her posture. She leaned back in her chair and put her long legs up on the desk, crossed.

“The family tree is messed up, and the house is in chaos. It’s perfect timing. I’m going to cut ties with Bendel completely like this guy and live my own life.”

“My disciple? Your sister is very bold, isn’t she?”

“That’s what worries me. Who knows what kind of man would take such a strong-willed young lady.”

Roera gave a mischievous smile at Risir’s words.

“What do you mean, what kind of man? Aren’t you the one who brought me out?”

“...”

Risir averted his gaze, unusually at a loss for words. His sister burst into muffled giggles at the sight.

“Oh my. Duran. Aren’t my children just adorable?”

<Who are you calling your children, you crazy dark elf?>

The dark elf, the talking book, the Bendel bastard, and the Bendel young lady—all four huddled together, deep in discussion.

What should we do? What should we take from Bendel?

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

The participants and their topic of conversation made for a scene so absurd that any guard stumbling upon it would be left staring in utter disbelief.

“By chance, is this possible too? Like him inheriting the entire family and becoming the head...”

“Erm. It might be possible, but with my disciple’s temperament, I wonder?”

“I think that might be too grand a position for me. More than anything, my biggest focus right now is achieving magical proficiency.”

“Or maybe we could use this chance to try the Bendel sword...”

Roera stopped mid-sentence and shook her head, saying, “Nevermind.”

“Yeah, I think you should continue learning magic. You’re a maniac who can create and shoot mana bullets in less than a week. Why would you stupidly swing around a piece of metal?”

“Hear, hear~ With my disciple’s talent, learning the sword instead of magic would be—Eh, hang on. What did you just say, little sister? He created a bullet of mana?”

“What? Didn’t you teach him that?”

“?”

“?”

“?”

The three people turned their gaze towards Risir. Though one of them was actually a book...Moving on.

“I didn’t do it consciously. It was a desperate situation, so I tried to push what I learned from Master to the extreme, and it just kinda somehow worked out...”

“I see~ So you somehow, kinda managed to pull off structured magic~ As expected of my disciple~”

<Pamon, you ninny. That’s not something to accept so easily.>

“Indeed, right? My disciple? Can you recreate it here and now?”

“I’ll try...! Roera, could you call me ‘big bro’ to help me recall that feeling...!”

“I don’t recall calling you that way.”

Risir stood up and composed himself. To recreate the feeling from that moment, he hid the silver bead he received from Pamon in his left hand, and even drew mana using his right.

He was quite tense.

Humans, in extreme situations, can supposedly exert power beyond their normal abilities. Perhaps that magic manifested by the same principle? Would it work as intended if he tried to recreate it now?

Risir concentrated, mana gathering above his left hand. And then—it faltered.

“...”

Risir’s expression grew uncertain as the mana flow failed to form a spherical shape.

“Goodness, my disciple~”

“What, didn’t it fail?”

“Eh? Isn’t that supposed to be a success?”

“I remember it was a round spherical shape back then?”

“Is that so? I wonder what’s going on. My disciple, don’t be disappointed, okay? Even this much is quite an achievement.”

They interpreted Risir’s expression as him failing, however...Risir’s thoughts were heading in a different direction from theirs. He was in the process of accepting an unfamiliar sensation. As if something he had previously perceived as a wall had suddenly crumbled, opening a new path...

Soon after, Risir once again recalled his battle with Gerhen.

If it hadn’t been a duel, if Roera hadn’t been there...What would have happened? What should I have done?

One thing was certain—it needed to be faster. Swift enough to penetrate Gerhen’s rigorous defense. It had to be something that couldn’t be dodged even if seen, like an arrow cutting through wind.

When the series of thoughts came to a conclusion, an arrow was floating above Risir’s hand.

-Shhwooo

An arrow imbued with swirling wind at its core.

“...Did it look like that?”

Roera pursed her lips, squinting with her head tilted in confusion.

***

▶Region : Hayeren

▷ The Returning Bastard - Deactivated

▷ The Promised Price - Deactivated

▷ The Witch of the Western Forest - Deactivated

▷ Pure White Girl - Deactivated

▷ Unspoken Words - Deactivated

All fates have been deactivated.

All active events have been switched to the inactive status.

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▷Region : ‘Hayeren’ has been deactivated

Corresponding perks will be awarded.

***