Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 62: The Talk of the Tower (5)

0% Is this good bros?

Having unintentionally committed the taboo known as salt baiting, Risir was quite flustered.

Dammit, I didn’t mean for this to happen.

Didn’t the creator herself repeatedly emphasize it was a degraded version of the original? That’s why Risir had vaguely thought, “It’s probably good, but not that good.”

He never imagined it would be something to make big shots like these master mages and even a high priest go wild-eyed.

But what could he do? What’s done is done. All he could do was emphasize his genuine ignorance and plead for leniency.

Risir discreetly pocketed the elemental core while the predators were distracted with each other.

He watched the chaos unfolding before his eyes.

I wondered how far it would go, and it’s going all the way to the end, huh.

What began as an emotional free-for-all of “Aaagh! Move aside! That’s mine!” gradually evolved into a rational debate of “Please step aside. That belongs to myself.”

“Now, allow me to explain why our group should have the elemental core.”

“Oh? Fascinating. Perhaps our side should present its case as well?”

“By all means. Do tell.”

Such a refined scene of mud-slinging it was.

Just in case, Risir chimed in with a word.

“Everyone. If I may be so bold to confirm, I am still the owner of this item, yes?”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

At this painfully obvious statement that cut straight to the heart of the matter, everyone—except the elves—looked as if they had been struck by lightning.

Oh no! I’ve fallen into elf behavior! (The act of claiming absolute authority on all things elemental.)

In their judgment, the elemental core Risir revealed was at least that of a high elemental (corporeal). It was a treasure among treasures, the kind one would pay a king’s ransom for, if only there were anyone willing to sell it!

If they could just study that core, their tower’s knowledge would leap forward by entire strides!

No wonder their eyes nearly popped out at the audacity of the elves trying to elf such a priceless item.

But in hindsight, the situation was more than a little humiliating. Everyone except the elves could barely lift their heads out of shame.

“...I apologize, Risir. We have made an embarrassment out of ourselves.”

Starting with the High Priest, one by one, the others followed suit, acknowledging their shame and offering their apologies.

Last of all, Rassiel spoke. He turned to Risir and gave a small, apologetic nod.

“...I overstepped.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

An elf apologizing?! And to a human of lower status, at that?!

Some were so shocked they pinched their own thighs. Some priests even nearly cried out, “So you were another apostle of the Parasite all along!”

But thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

If anyone here truly grasped the value of Risir’s elemental core, it would be the mages of the Green Tower, who lived side by side with elementals.

Even for elves, who practically monopolized elemental resources, a high elemental core was rare enough to make them stop and go, “Huh? Where the heck did this come from?”

As a result, Risir’s small, precious hairball had achieved the impossible: making elves regard a human with respect.

Every pair of eyes in the room was locked onto Risir, like puppies waiting for a treat.

His mouth itched to blurt out the truth.

Feryn-sama’s core is mass-produced...!

If he said it, he could enjoy a few perks such as:

1. The sheer relief of getting it off his chest.

2. The pleasure of bragging that these things were just lying around at his place.

But benefits always came with consequences.

Revealing the existence of a golden goose in such an official setting? It wouldn’t be long before certain people started eyeing the baby wolf with dangerous intent.

“Eheheh. Hi there, little baby wolf. Wanna do something nice with uncle?” (Cough up hairballs)

Now those would be some real dangerous lunatics.

Risir saw the need for a smart change in approach.

“As expected, Master Rassiel, you caught on right away. That’s right. In truth, the friend who gave me this isn’t an elemental.”

Surprisingly, Risir didn’t have to twist the truth at all to mislead them. Feryn was both an elemental and not at the same time. The perfect contradiction for the perfect deception.

With that, the lies slipped effortlessly into place, smooth as oiled gears.

“She said she had no interest in material things, gave this to me, and vanished without a trace. Somehow, I find myself missing her more today.”

To complete the act, Risir added a faint, wistful smile, hinting at a story left untold.

“...!”

All of a sudden, they found themselves caught in a dispute over someone else’s deeply personal possession.

They lowered their heads in solemn reflection. Not one of them could bring themselves to look at Risir with covetous eyes anymore.

Thus, the bastard seized control of the conversation in a gathering of representatives from the Church and the mage towers.

So this is why Fienne went around planting flags in every noble house!

Sensing he might be on the verge of awakening something dangerous, Risir steadied himself and pressed on.

If Feryn were here, she would have said, “Do whatever the fuck you want.”

So Risir did just that.

“If my friend were here, she would have said, ‘It’s yours now, so do as you wish. I just hope you won’t regret anything.’ That’s why I hope this item will serve a meaningful purpose.”

A meaning purpose such as elevating the standing of the group he belonged to.

With that, Risir shot a pointed look at the Gray masters. It was the alpha bastard’s way of saying, “I’ve set the table. All you have to do is feast.”

“...!”

The Gray masters were moved and immediately took action.

“High Priest Bardros. You must have heard what Risir just said.”

“...Yes, I certainly did.”

“?”

Why are they suddenly conferring with the Church?

“We have clearly understood your intention, Risir.”

I’m pretty sure you weren’t supposed to.

In the first place, what did you all understand? This has to be a miscommunication.

Risir’s true thoughts screamed in silent protest.

“It certainly seems so.”

But he masked his turmoil behind a meaningful smile.

The emotions in their focused gazes were anything but ordinary—shock, admiration, reverence, awe. Faced with such intensity, he couldn’t muster the courage to begin with, “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Meanwhile, the conversation progressed.

“We, the Gray Tower, will positively consider fully cooperating with the Church regarding the ongoing development of the plague cure.”

“Likewise, the Church will positively consider fully cooperating with the Gray Tower regarding the ongoing plague relief project.”

Risir recalled how earlier during the psychological standoff phase, there had been a round of power struggle over the progress of the plague cure development.

With public attention fixed on the issue and the prestige of their organizations on the line, the stakes had been no laughing matter.

And yet now, they were setting aside political interests and focusing solely on solving the crisis.

So suddenly? Is it because of me?

Is my elemental core the key to the plague cure? That’s how much it’s actually worth?

Despite the bewilderment he felt, Risir had no choice but to smile with satisfaction. The high priest and Gray masters were looking at him as if he were a wise young man who had awakened their old and foolish selves.

He could almost hear their thoughts.

“I’m sure this is what you meant to say.”

“Oh yes indeed, but of course.”

So, Risir decided simply to take it all in good stride. His plan to earn favor with the Gray Tower by conceding the elemental core had unexpectedly won him points with the Church as well.

Wow, double the favorability!

With that, he simply settled for enjoying this turn of events.

Meanwhile, as Enna and Rassiel watched the Gray Tower and the Church align around Risir as their common thread, a sense of unsettlement crept in.

The Gray masters and the Church’s high priest weren’t so different from them in terms of insight and discernment.

Even if Risir possessed a high elemental core, even if he had played a key role in rooting out a black mage—was that enough to warrant such interest in a mere wandering mage?

Was there something more to him?

Having dismissed Risir after uncovering his background during their investigation, Enna and Rassiel had all but lost interest in him. But now, that interest stirred once more.

They began to see what they couldn’t before.

“...?”

The two doubted their own eyes.

Where was the man from yesterday—the one so drained of strength that assessing his true status had seemed pointless?

Standing before them now was a man who looked as though he had been reborn whole. And beyond that...

“What is this...?”

Enna, the unshakable master mage of the Blue Tower, whose heart had long been tempered by her cold powers, found herself blurting out in astonishment.

***The students of the Gray Tower had discernment. While they might eagerly spread rumors, they wouldn’t carelessly reveal internal affairs to an outsider.

But that restraint had its limits when the outsider was staying within the tower.

During her time there, Enna had overheard plenty.

Stories of a mage who wielded aspect shaping at the 4th rank. Tales of one who had mastered Blue Breath on the spot. Rumors of a prodigy who reached the 5th rank before turning twenty and had taken an interest in the Gray Tower.

And—the most outlandish of them all—a mage who had ascended from the beginning of the 4th to the 5th rank in less than a week.

The wise master mage of the Blue Tower Enna didn’t put much stock in such baseless rumors.

Students conveniently buzzing with rumors just as the investigation team arrived? Their intent was so transparent, it was almost endearing.

She saw it for what it was—the Gray Tower’s way of establishing dominance.

“Look at what OUR tower has. Got no one like this in your place, eh?”

Of course not. The fantastical figure conjured up by the students wasn’t just astonishing—it was outright ridiculous.

Reaching the 5th rank in less than a week from the 4th? What is this person, bamboo?

Anyone gullible enough to exclaim “Wow, really?” at such baseless rumors had no place as a master of a mage tower.

And yet, why had she persistently asked Meltas to arrange a meeting with the rumored mage?

You can’t show him to me, can you?

It was her way of countering their posturing. That was Enna’s stance toward the subject of these rumors.

...But now, she had no choice but to reconsider.

“What is this?”

He was a mage, and at the same time, a martial artist.

How could the vestiges of two entirely different paths exist within a single person?

This made it impossible to even measure Risir’s true rank.

Wait.

A mage with the qualities of a martial artist?

“Could it be that the mage who mastered Blue Breath...”

The answer to Enna’s sudden question didn’t come from Risir, but from the Gray masters beside him. Their gloating faces said it all.

“Got no one like this in your place, eh?”

“...”

Good heavens.

Enna was so purely surprised that she forgot to be annoyed at their childish behavior.

There was bound to be some exaggeration in the claim that he had mastered Blue Breath on the spot, but even excluding that, the story was remarkable.

A mage acquiring Blue Breath?

If Risir were ordinary, the clash between body and mind would have caused severe mana reflux every time he tried to use his energy. Just how high must his mana sensitivity be to control both sides without conflict?

Enna saw Risir in a new light. She understood why the Gray Tower had taken such keen interest in a mere wandering mage.

To think the rumors were true...Then could it be?

Enna’s eyes sparkled with realization. Since part of the rumors had proven true, then perhaps the rest weren’t false either.

Among them, the one that had intrigued her the most—a genius mage who had reached the 5th rank before turning twenty and was now staying at the Gray Tower.

Her interest had already shifted past the unusual mage standing before her and onto someone else.

Abandoning even her pride as a master of the Blue Tower, she opened her mouth to confirm the truth behind the rumors circulating within the Gray Tower.

“Was that rumor true?”

“What’s the point of hiding it now? That rumor is indeed about Risir.”

The Gray masters answered as if they had been anticipating the question, as if no matter which rumor she had referred to, the answer was always bound to be the same: Risir.

“...”

By the time Enna and Rassiel processed this revelation, their expressions were painted with shock.

They were all one and the same...?

The numerous rumors circulating in the Gray Tower were all related to a single person.

The two stared at Risir with bewilderment, while beside them, the Gray masters were still wearing that smug look.

“Got no one like this in your place, eh?”

...Isn’t that obvious?

The two masters were dumbfounded.

And some time later, the Gray Tower entered a state of emergency.

The Green Tower, Blue Tower, and the Church—all three groups had expressed their intention to participate in Risir’s honorary mage appointment ceremony.

***

[Title : When the hell does this Holy Maiden fate quest pop up?]

Post : I wanna do holy things with the Holy Maiden too