Make Dark Fantasy Great Again-Chapter 5: Normalization

“Gogos~”

Master wailed as she anxiously rushed over to the plant zombie. It had become less ‘Gogos’ and more ‘Stopstops’.

She frantically gathered the grasses that had formed Gogos.

“Oh and I raised it with such care.”

“...Master?”

“It’s okay, Risir. Gogos will understand. From dirt it came, and to dirt it returned. Simple as that.”

“Ah, yes. Well I’m sorry, my dear senior Gogos. May you rest peacefully in plant heaven, embraced by the Plant Lord... Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about—”

As Master picking up a seed from Gogos’ remains and faced me, I continued speaking.

“Didn’t you do this, Master?”

“Of course not. Why would I deliberately harm Gogos?”

“Thought you might have done it to boost my spirits.”

Master examined Gogos’ seed for a while before responding.

“Risir? My disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“That thing just now. Would you like to try it once more?”

Master summoned another plant zombie, which boasted twice as many dancing vines as before. The vines were far thicker too, almost comparable to trees.

“...Master?”

Ah dear senior Gogos, so you were actually cute among your kind.

What appeared before me was a plant giant with multiple arms all over its body, like a tree with spreading branches. It didn’t move like Gogos, merely standing still on the spot.

Master’s original intention of assisting my sword training had faded dramatically.

Y’know miss, our class is only learning addition and subtraction. What’s all this calculus nonsense? Where’d the numbers go, and what are these squiggles? Ain’t this English?

“For your reference, Master, what I just did was simple swing of the sword. It’s embarrassing to even call it sword technique.”

“Yup, it did look that way.”

Ouch.

“Well that aside, do you think I’ll need to sword fight creatures like this zombie in the near future?”

“This little one’s called Mum-mum.”

“Oh my. Such gap moe.”

Indeed, Master had already forgotten our original purpose of improving my swordsmanship through practical experience. Her silver eyes were focused on me, not my blade.

Gah well, whatever. Let it be what it will be.

I swung the sword with all my might once again.

The plant giant didn’t move an inch.

Mum-mum. If you’re like this, what becomes of my dignity?

I miss dear senior Gogos. That one just straight up exploded for me.

“I’m sorry, Master. I couldn’t finish off Mum-mum.”

“What a terrible thing to say.”

Master went to Mum-mum to check its condition.

“Oh my. My oh my oh my.”

Upon finishing her inspection, she demurely covered her mouth in surprise.

“Duran?”

<What is it? Why the fuss? I’ll have you know, I’ve no interest in a development where this fella turns out to be a genius of the sword.>

“That’s hardly the issue right now.”

<Huh?>

“My disciple... seems to have been born with an Intrinsic Color.”

<...You’re serious?>

Master and the book wore strange looks, their eyes sparkling.

And yes the book doesn’t have a face, but as old time acquaintances I could totally tell.

“Er, Master?”

“Mm? What is it, my one and only disciple?”

Why’s she calling me like that?

“What is this ‘Intrinsic Color’?”

“An Intrinsic Color refers to mana with a unique property, which exerts influence based on that property.”

“Unique property? Is it like the moving plant I just faced?”

Master shook her head.

“No, that’s just a branch of magic. Anyone who learns the same magic can do the same thing. Though there might be slight differences due to specific factors.”

“Then what happens if someone with an Intrinsic Color learns that magic?”

“Shall we use an example?”

The title of ‘Star’ was given to archmages who had achieved historical standing.

Master mentioned the Ashen Star, the great sage of the Red Tower.

“His Intrinsic Color is ‘combustion’. What would happen if he learned the same magic as me and summoned walking plants?”

“Don’t tell me they’d become Blaze-blaze?”

“Spot on. You’d get to witness the spectacular sight of fiery plants that move.”

“Then, what would happen if that Ashen Star person cast water magic?”

Master gestured toward the ground of the training field. The dry soil gradually became wet, and soon a small puddle formed.

“Using such powerful water jutsu in a place without water? Woah...!”

Master scooped up some water from the puddle and sprinkled my hand.

“How is it?”

“Hngah.”

<Will the both of you tone it down?>

“Is it just water without any special characteristics?”

“Mhm. As you can see, it’s simply ordinary water. That’s what the spell is supposed to do. The result comes out in its original essence because I don’t have an Intrinsic Color. But what would happen if the Ashen Star used this magic?”

“Would it produce water that combusts everything it touches...? Like boiling oil, or lava?”

“Uh-huh, you got it.”

“Um... Are there also spells that can create lava?”

“I assume you’re curious about what would happen if the Ashen Star used a spell like that. Well, it would probably create lava that’s much hotter and stays that way for much longer?”

An Intrinsic Color imparts properties and sometimes enhances them. Thanks to this, mages born with Intrinsic Colors show clear advantages in certain magicks, and sometimes create unprecedented new spells.

“Thus, an Intrinsic Color is like a blessing for a mage. But unfortunately, only a very small number of mages are born with it.”

“...”

After the lecture on Intrinsic Colors, I looked down at my hand.

“So basically, you’re saying my bastard rank has upgraded from B- to S+?”

Master smiled with amusement.

“My, how composed you are.”

<He certainly is one of a kind, the way he can utter nonsense in this situation.>

“Is that so? Then how should I have reacted?”

“I think Duran would’ve started rolling on the ground shrieking?”

<But I’m a book.>

“What about you, Master?”

“Me? Mm. Can’t say really.”

Master imagined how it’d be like for a brief thought, enjoying the moment.

“If it were the kind of Intrinsic Color I wanted, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep for days from the excitement?”

“The kind of Intrinsic Color you wanted...?”

Come to think of it, what is my Intrinsic Color?

Really, I’m such a cool-headed bastard. Instead of jumping straight for joy, I’m worrying first, considering the possibility of a useless trait.

As if reading my question, Master showed me the seed of Gogos she had just collected.

“Risir. How does this seed look to you?”

“Isn’t it Gogos’ core or something? That walking plant’s. But it looks surprisingly ordinary?”

“Now, will you come here and have a look at this as well?”

Through the gaps in the body of the viny giant, I could see a seed located at its center. In terms of shape and size alone, it was identical to Gogos’.

But its condition... Roots were intertwined on the surface of the seed, pulsating like blood vessels.

Is it the difference between being alive and dead?

“It’s not because Mum-mum is alive.”

“What?”

Master explained as if reading my thoughts.

“Gogos’ seed should be the same way. Because even if Gogos’ body is destroyed, the traces of my magic contained in its core should remain. But not only was it physically destroyed, even the core was—Actually. Should I even call it destroyed?”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Master closed her eyes, tapping her lips with a fingertip. The gesture felt like a mysterious spell, knocking at the door of the mind, summoning memories from deep within.

A moment later, she cried out in realization while waving her finger adorably.

“Right~ Restored. Let’s say it was restored.”

“Restored?”

“Mhm. This core wasn’t destroyed. It was restored to its normal state before it contained magic.”

“To its normal state... Normalization...”

“Normalization? Oh, that’s good. The perfect expression, isn’t it?”

Master clapped and nodded in approval at my subconscious mutter.

Not good, that word. I don’t know why, but it doesn’t sound good.

“No, Master. Let’s just keep calling it restoration.”

“No. I think your expression is more accurate, Risir. As you said, Gogos’ seed was normalized under the influence of your Intrinsic Color. Had your power been sufficient, wouldn’t Mum-mum have become the same?”

“Uh... Then is my Intrinsic Color restoration?”

“It’s too early to say definitively. It could be elimination, or conditional destruction. That’s why the more general term ‘normalization’ fits more.”

“Could this be why I wasn’t affected by your cognitive disruption magic?”

Clap clap clap clap.

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“Yes, yes, you reminded me. You were affected by my spell, but it was quickly normalized.”

“Master, please... Restoration...”

“My oh my. Duran, it seems my disciple Risir really is an Intrinsic Color holder.”

<How absurd. So the Bendel idiots have been neglecting an Intrinsic Color holder all this time? Just because he’s an illegitimate child? Sure they might not have recognized it, being a family of swordsmen, but still...>

“Does that make me the first to recognize my disciple’s true worth?”

<Well I did think you’d finally lost your marbles when you brought in some noble’s illegitimate child as the price of a contract.>

“I suppose you could say the contract’s been normalized. Like my disciple’s Intrinsic Color.”

“...”

For a while, the dark elf and the book were completely engrossed in this subject.

***In the Bendel patriarch’s office in the central manor.

At the window overlooking Hayeren, someone other than the patriarch was standing.

“Hayeren. It truly is a beautiful place.”

She was the matriarch of the Diltan family. Her territory was adjacent to the Bendel’s.

Her reception was carried out very quietly. She was expected to leave immediately once their conversation concluded, skipping any hospitality.

The Diltans had been in various conflicts with the Bendels for many years due to geographical issues.

But it seemed that would end today.

“You are truly fine with this arrangement?”

Bendel sounded doubtful.

“As you probably already know, that boy is—”

“How could I not know about my daughter’s affairs?”

“...”

“Lord Bendel, I am sure you also are aware of her situation, as it concerns your family too.”

The Diltan matriarch took her eyes off the window, sighing deeply.

“I too am not keen on matching my daughter with a half-Bendel.”

Bendel didn’t consider that an insult. Neither did Diltan. To those of such orthodox and noble bloodlines, that’s all a bastard amounted to.

“I just hope this becomes the knot that ties our two families together.”

“Very well.”

This was the moment Risir’s marriage arrangement was being discussed. Yet among those involved, he alone was unaware of what was going on.

“...”

Diltan barely hid her devastation as she gazed at her daughter, who sat across from Bendel. She was a fragile, harmless-looking girl, like a dandelion before its head turned completely white.

“This isn’t a dream, is it? That Lord Risir will be my husband...”

The girl lit up as she listened to the two family heads, her smile bright as a sunflower.