Make Dark Fantasy Great Again-Chapter 26: Lucky Charm (2)

***

▶Another Tale◀

This is a different story.

***[A joyous occasion had graced the family—the long-delayed wedding had taken place at last. The newlyweds emerged amidst applause and cheers.]

[The rumors were true. The young lady, whose condition had been worsening day by day, had regained her health. Her skin, once wrinkled and shadowed, seemed to glow with new life, as if she had been reborn. Even the groom, formerly trapped in a haze of despair, wore a bright smile today.]

[However...one could not help but wonder.]

[The groom’s radiant expression seemed somehow strained. It was a subtle contrast, as if the shadow that had hung over the bride had shifted unto him.]

[“Dares, what are you thinking about?”]

[“...”]

[It felt like a distant memory to him. He remembered her smiles before the illness struck. Surely her happiness now was the same. Surely it must have been this bright, and yet...]

[Why?]

[“Dares?”]

[Why did her smile now feel so foreign?]

[“...It’s nothing.”]

[It had to be his imagination.]

[So the groom shook off those disquieting thoughts. This was the everyday life and happiness he had fought to reclaim. It was time to simply cherish it.]

[...Even if that happiness was but a hollow shell, concealing rot and decay.]

▶Fate 41: Blighted Joy

***“Da-Damin?!”

Todina screamed in dismay. The maid Damin, who had been with her since childhood, had suddenly transformed into someone different...nightmarishly different.

She was a white-haired, wrinkled man in a maid’s uniform.

It was a shock both mentally and physically (to her retinas).

Todina desperately clung to her consciousness, feeling as if she might faint at any moment. Yet the old man was equally bewildered.

Gusra was a black mage who had devoted years to plotting against them, followed by months of meticulous execution. Everything was to achieve perfection, and sure enough, the result was flawless.

“What...in blazes is going on!!!”

At least, until Risir handed that so-called lucky coin to Todina.

Barely regaining composure, Gusra quickly escaped from the carriage.

It’s dangerous, getting surrounded in such a confined space!

“Ah.”

The second he was out, Todina collapsed into her seat, too dizzy to stand.

“Take care of Todina.”

Dares’ voice was chillingly intense. He pulled out a staff, tipped with a red gem, and followed after Gusra.

“Eltni!”

“Yes, Mr. Topin!”

Topin entrusted Todina to his assistant Eltni and followed Dares.

“Let’s go too.”

Risir’s group was the last to chase after the degenerate mage.

They were all victims of immense spiritual damage.

***A spear of fire scorched the air as it rushed towards Gusra.

“Gargh-”

Gusra struggled to summon his mana; the abrupt disruption of his disguise had thrown his magical power into disarray.

A black veil unfurled around him, intercepting the fiery spear. But it was not over.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

One by one, spears flared to life and dissolved against the veil, each strike extinguished in succession.

The cool air grew oppressively hot, rippling with shimmering mirages, until at last, the fiery assault came to an end.

“Why...!”

Dares finally spoke, his voice trembling after unleashing half of his power.

“Why, did you target Todina...? Why did it have to be her!”

“...”

Dark red blood trickled from Gusra’s nose and mouth, a testament to the toll Dares’ attack had taken. The disruption to his spell of disguise had left him unstable, and the relentless surges of mana had ravaged the old black mage’s body, tearing him apart from within.

“Dares, excuse me for a moment.”

Topin stepped in to heal Dares.

There was no one by Gusra’s side, yet he still smiled with the composure of age.

“It didn’t have to be Todina, specifically. She merely happened to be the one within reach when I seized the opportunity. If you need to blame something, why not blame your lover’s weakness and foolishness?”

“You wretch!!!”

Dares’ settling mana erupted once more, engulfing his body in flames.

“Dares!”

Topin cried out in alarm, but the unrestrained flames only burned fiercer, roaring as if intent on consuming everything in their path.

Dares’ skin began to rapidly dry.

“Blast...!”

Though Gusra outwardly appeared cowed, inwardly, he sneered.

For a Durayeg, he’s still just a brat who loses composure too easily.

The old black mage’s dark eyes gleamed like a snake sizing up its quarry.

Dares Durayeg, a talent who might surpass even me one day. But right now? The lad’s too inexperienced. To face me, that is.

To Gusra, Dares was no longer an opponent—merely prey. His true concern lay elsewhere.

“...”

Gusra’s gaze swept over Risir’s group in the distance before settling on the carriage.

That lucky coin...

It had become his greatest concern.

The bastard...My power began destabilizing the moment they neared the carriage. And when that coin touched Todina, the magic I’d embedded in her was repelled.

That must be it. I must destroy the coin! Before that foolish bastard realizes its true power and worth!

The thought left Gusra teetering between calm and mounting anxiety. His best hope now was for the young mage before him to lose control of his emotions and self-destruct.

Between a gifted mage, an experienced healer, and that accursed coin, time was no longer on his side. Every second of delay only served to tip the scales further against him.

“Why have you stopped, Dares?”

“...”

“Is that enough? Is that enough revenge when I toyed with your lover?”

Gusra covered his face with his palm. His skin began to writhe, shifting until he once again took on the appearance of the maid girl.

“For months, I spent so much time with Todina. Tell me, Dares. Aren’t you curious? About what happened when it was just the two of us, alone?”

Gustra let out a hideous, cackling laugh as a grotesque sneer, one no maid could ever produce, twisted across the borrowed face.

“...Cur!!!”

Fwoosh!

Explosive flames engulfed Dares.

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

“How—how can you say that. How could I possibly calm down now!”

“Because you must. You are too unstable! If this continues, you’ll go beyond mana reflux and suffer mana overload!”

“I don’t care!!! So long as I can incinerate that vile creature to ashes!!!”

“Oh no!”

Feeling a surge of blistering heat, Topin hastily retreated from Dares.

What a disaster!

Dares, their only real fighting force, was falling for the black mage’s trick and self-destructing. Topin’s mind reeled at the worst-case scenario unfolding before him.

This was a prime example of how the fiery temperament of flame wielders could become their undoing.

“Damn it. Come to your senses, Dares!!!”

As an intermediate healer, Topin did everything in his power to calm Dares. His healing mana gently enveloped Dares...but it was hopelessly dispersed by the raging energy consuming the mage.

“Step aside.”

A commanding voice cut through the chaos, accompanied by a haughty gesture that pushed Topin back. A girl clad in pure white strode toward Dares.

“It’s too dangerous to approach him now!”

The hem of her robe began to scorch from the intense heat, but she paid it no mind and took aim at Dares.

The Progenitor’s Mercy enveloped him.

“...!”

Dares’ pupils dilated, his tense body and aura suddenly relaxing. He collapsed with a thud, leaning on his staff for support.

The flames that had raged uncontrollably, even burning their master, had perfectly stabilized.

“How...?”

Topin was astonished. The girl’s power was beyond the comprehension of even an intermediate healer like himself.

Yet, the girl didn’t care for his reaction. Having nonchalantly accomplished this incredible feat, she coolly turned around and returned to her original position.

When Fienne returned to Risir’s side, she sniffed haughtily, her lips curling into an elegant yet smug smirk.

“How about that? Can’t pull off something like this, even with your power, can you?”

Risir inexplicably a thumb in response, exclaiming in wonder.

“Oh Fienne, you really are the treasure of our party. You’ve gone from not harming people to actually saving them.”

“...Are you mocking me?”

“How could I! It’s just a misunderstanding. I’m merely trying to convey your greatness, though my poor vocabulary seems to fall short. Are there any particular words or expressions you’d like me to use?”

“Whatever. Just keep quiet.”

“You’re awesome. I love you. Hug me please.”

Fienne turned away in disgust, but a faint twitch in her expression hinted she didn’t entirely dislike his words.

“...”

Gusra stared at them, utterly dumbfounded. It was shocking enough that they ruined his plan just as it neared completion, but the sheer absurdity of how they had done it made the situation all the more outrageous.

“Topin...”

“Dares! Are you alright?!”

“Ah...I don’t know what happened, but my head has cleared... I’ve caused you worry...”

“What nonsense is this!!!”

Gusra couldn’t suppress a hysteric shriek.

It was happening again, just like before. All was smooth sailing, and yet once more, their meddling derailed everything.

“You filthy worms...”

The old black mage ended up losing control. Dark red blood poured from every orifice on his face—the toll of forcefully unleashing his full magical power while already unstable from the disrupted magic flow.

“...!”

They would pay the price for making the black mage draw out his full power.

Gusra abandoned his earlier strategy of achieving his goal with minimal losses.

“I’ll slaughter every last one of you worms.”

***After watching the entire scene from afar, Fienne spoke up.

“Shall we go now?”

“Go?”

“Or what, you want to jump in there?”

Fienne glanced at Gusra before shaking her head in disgust. The black mage wielded power as repulsive as his attire. She had no reason to risk fighting him, and same went for Risir.

“We’ve done enough. More than enough, actually. I’d say they couldn’t complain if we took advantage of this chaos to steal the carriage. Don’t you agree, Rona?”

“Uh, uh?! Um...I think the same. We should...probably leave for now.”

Despite actively asserting her masculinity until just moments ago, Rona adopted a rather demure attitude.

“You guys...Crime is in your bones, huh...Your thought process is just different from us normal people...”

“That’s not what we’re saying!”

“...I’m joking. I understand what you’re trying to say, Fienne.”

They had already provided sufficient help, and there was no reason to help further at their own expense. Risir understood this logically.

Yet why? Why couldn’t he abandon them despite knowing this? Devotion and sacrifice? Due to an exceptionally heroic personality?

No. It was different.

Is there really any risk to bear...?

The intuition stemming from Risir’s power was telling him: there was no reason to avoid that black mage. Just as there was no reason to avoid an ant.

“Haa.”

Fienne sighed at Risir’s expression.

“I know what’s on your mind. You’re vaguely thinking that you might be able to do something with your power—right? Well let me ask you first. You do realize, that thing there is different from...this thing here, yes?”

This thing here?

Rona’s expression twisted with humiliation, but having no words to refute, she just grimaced bitterly.

“Come on, Fienne. Rona wasn’t that hideous.”

“I don’t think...that’s the point...Wait though, was I hideous...?”

“Really, what am I going to do with this man? Please, can’t you show even a little seriousness?”

Despite her words, Fienne inwardly understood Risir’s reaction. Like him, she considered the black mage insignificant. As much as she hated to admit it, it was thanks to having Risir by her side.

Though she couldn’t define it precisely, she couldn’t imagine this man suffering against that kind of power.

Just look at what happened moments ago.

What was that really?

How could he nullify the magic of such a powerful black mage using a mere coin?

Fienne no longer felt fear or awe towards Risir’s power. She was simply dumbfounded.

“So. What exactly do you want to do?”

Fienne threw a question as Risir was still lost in thought.

“For starters, I get that you’re worried about me. I’m honestly a bit touched.”

“Says who I wo-worried?!”

“So, let’s do it this way.”

“Let me tell you in advance! I won’t help, so keep that in mind.”

“I don’t intend to involve you either, Fienne. I’d hate for you to get hurt because of me.”

The corners of Fienne’s tightly closed mouth twitched.

“I won’t help, but...if you beg earnestly...”

Risir didn’t hear Fienne’s mumbling as he walked towards the carriage, head lowered in thought.

***“Wahahahahaha!!!”

What erupted from Gusra’s mouth was something between deranged laughter and a tortured scream.

“Truly a Durayeg! How hot! So hot! However!”

The flames engulfing Gusra’s body suddenly subsided. His charred and melted skin regenerated in an instant, smooth and unblemished.

After once again assuming the form of the maid, Damin, Gusra continued speaking.

“You’re still so inexperienced. Woefully inexperienced! If you thought you could burn me with such flames, you’re greatly mistaken!”

Dares and Topin drew ragged breaths, vexed.

“Dares. Are you still alright?”

“Frankly speaking...I’m nearing my limit.”

“Drat.”

They had always known the black mage was powerful, but not this powerful. Who knew Gusra stood at the pinnacle of the 5th rank, teetering on the edge of the 6th.

As the battle dragged on, the grim reality of their impending defeat weighed heavily on both men.

Gusra licked his lips as he looked at Dares, clicking his tongue with regret.

“What a pity! Such a waste! To destroy such a fine vessel with my own hands...”

“What did you do...to Damin? To Todina’s maid?”

“Ah Dares. Even now, you worry for that insignificant lass? How noble of you. But rest assured—she’s serving her purpose quite faithfully as my precious doll, carrying out another mission. And just so you know, your beloved Todina will soon follow. Her body and mind will succumb to my power, leaving nothing but a shell.”

“...”

“Well, it’s about time to end this. Who knows what might happen if that terrible coin remains on my Todina any longer.”

“How dare you, with that filthy mouth—”

“Heheheh. Come, young mage. Shouldn’t you reclaim your lover?!”

Once again, the black mage drew forth his power.

The mage and healer had no choice but to squeeze out their last bit of strength.

But just as the decisive clash was about to begin—

“Dares!”

Their attention snapped to the carriage.

During their battle, Risir had retrieved the coin he had given to Todina and infused it with his own power...instantly grasping the mastery skill called Enchant on the spot.

“...!”

Gusra shuddered at the sight of the coin in Risir’s hand.

It’s unmistakable! That’s...a holy relic!

The malevolent power within Gusra recoiled violently in response to the energy emanating from the coin. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to destroy it.

“Take this! It might help!”

Risir hurled the coin.

“Like I’d let you!!!”

Gusra’s arm began to bubble and boil, stretching impossibly long as it reached out. His clawed hand snatched the coin from midair—and it exploded.

The coin’s power and Gusra’s dark magic collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

“Heurgh...heurgh...heurgh...”

Gusra’s elongated arm and half of his face were melting like sludge, yet he wore a triumphant smile.

“It appears your cursed luck has run out.”

The effort of destroying the holy relic had drained Gusra considerably. The fatigue accumulated from battling Dares until now was nothing compared to this.

But it didn’t matter. Nothing could stop him now.

Belatedly grasping the situation, despair overtook Dares and Topin.

Gusra relished their reactions, but he couldn’t afford to relax. His own limits were approaching.

“Insufferable pests.”

The black mage muttered coldly as he stepped forward.

“Uh...Hang on!”

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Once again, the bastard’s voice interrupted.

“I have one more! Please take it!”

“?”

He spoke as if he were fishing an ordinary coin from his pocket.

Gusra doubted his ears. But before long, his disbelief turned to despair.