Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

-Pamon! Are you alright now!? The grimoire was unusually worried about its owner. Because its owner had unusually fallen into a gloomy state. It had been going on for a time that could be called short if short, long if long. The witch Pamon had lost herself. Like debris floating on the sea. "Yeah." But now. She had regained her usual lively appearance. -Just "yeah"... At such an appearance from Pamon, the grimoire Duran felt more worry than relief. He knew the reason Pamon had fallen into a gloomy state and fully understood her feelings. After 'that incident'. Pamon's intuition had conveyed one possibility to her. The possibility that she might never meet Risir again. "I'm sure I'll be able to meet Risir again." Pamon had succeeded in escaping from such a possibility. -...Do you truly think so? Duran carefully observed Pamon's complexion. Though he was a book anyway...so he couldn't observe... If the hope Pamon had taken as her support were vain- She would absolutely not be able to endure when it collapsed. "Of course. Our disciple said so, didn't he~?" -What...?! Pamon, did you remember what happened inside there!? "Mm~ It's still vague. Like wandering and advancing through a forest thick with fog. But, one thing- just one fragmentary memory comes to mind faintly. Like the touch of grass at my fingertips." Pamon couldn't remember the details of what happened in the nightmare. The clash of immense wills that composed it was not something a mortal being could fully handle. Therefore, what remained for Pamon was an indescribable sense of liberation from something terrible having fallen away- And vague, fragmentary mental images. Pamon reached out her hand toward that mental image once more. Then, she felt as if she could hear his voice. "He said we would surely meet again. And soon at that." In her silver eyes- an unwavering strong light held its place at their center. At least, they were not the eyes of a pitiful and foolish person chasing vain hopes. -...That's right! You're correct! Risir! That guy isn't someone who would leave so futilely! "Right, right~ He's our disciple after all~" -And, to say this now- wasn't it too sudden from the beginning!? That Risir is related to that phenomenon! No matter how unusual and special that guy is, there should be limits! "Mm~ Certainly. That makes sense. But- then what on earth was that?" Pamon placed her hand on her chest. The touch that had saved Pamon from the divine and ominous power. Probably, a fragment of another divine being. That fragment, which had been clearly felt right after the incident, gradually faded in presence as time passed. As if it had become a clear part of herself. Nevertheless, Pamon traced back and recalled the memories from that time. That sensation from then. The aura she had felt from that fragment. "..." Was it just her imagination after all? That she had unconsciously thought of her disciple from the aura felt in the fragment? The master had been separated from her disciple for too long to judge accurately. Moreover, her disciple's aura at that time was as feeble as a chick that had just hatched from its egg. Most of all, wasn't it too unrealistic? That her disciple, who had been nothing but cute, had become a divine being in the brief time they hadn't met. Normally, it would have been proper to conclude that all of this was a mistake. But- -Pamon. Are you perhaps thinking of what Master Labella said? As Duran said, Pamon was concerned about her master's words. "...Yeah, Master certainly said that." [About that child... let us spare our words. There are things that cannot be fully explained with words.] "Certainly-" [Most of all, I am hesitant to carelessly interfere in your master-disciple relationship.] "Certainly..." [If such a thing can even be considered a master-disciple relationship.] "Mas-" [Also, no matter how much I say it, it's never enough so I'll say it again- what on earth were you thinking? Taking in a disciple when you couldn't even guarantee your own future?] "..." [A disciple is not just some cute and dear baby animal you want to keep by your side. They are your alter ego, a child born from your heart. Didn't this master clearly teach you that? Or perhaps, was this master's teaching insufficient? Was my care lacking?] "..." [What if, by any chance, Risir had gone down the wrong path- what were you planning to do? Right. You probably didn't think about such things. You were only thinking about wanting to help that pitiful and cute child for the moment. You've always been like that. Pamon, do you remember the children you brought saying you would definitely take responsibility for them? How many of those children did you properly care for until the end? How many children ended up being cared for by this master-...] "Master...~" Pamon knelt down. The scolding of her master from her memories once again sharply rebuked the unworthy disciple. It was quite some time later that the unworthy disciple-turned-master finally regained her senses. [... Therefore, I will not interfere in matters between you master and disciple, so you must handle it entirely on your own.] [Your disciple's... growth.] The Master Labella that Pamon knew was not someone who would say such things carelessly. -Damn, how frightening. Risir. What kind of man have you become to elicit such a reaction from Master Labella...! This was why she felt confused in the current situation. In that sense, should it be called fortunate? Pamon was on the verge of ending the questions that tormented them. "Well, we'll find out soon enough~?" Stopping footsteps. A dark elf raised her head and took in the scene spread out before her. The view of the city Bondaless. She intuited it. That the reunion with her disciple had come as close as that city right before her. *** The married couple(?) fraud team was deployed. Risir personally stepped forward to correct the Outer Sword's mistake(?). The woman in whom he had seen his master overlapped was a swordsman who had once been notorious as a killer spirit- And had now become someone who had gained a new ego. Surprisingly, it was the truth without even a hint of falsehood. "I see, so it was my mistake." The Outer Sword Rodan murmured quietly. "..." Risir's eyes, facing him, rolled to the side. Clana, who was calmly acting as 'Risir's fiancée', was sitting right next to him. An awkward feeling seemed to dance on his tongue. No matter how much it was for each other's sake, was this really the right thing to do? "Phew." It was then. Rodan let out a deep sigh. Then, a relieved smile appeared on his face. "Right, it must have been a mistake after all." "Rodan? Are you alright?" "To be honest, I'm quite relieved." "Relieved, you say?" "Yes." Rodan looked down at his hands. "Though it's too late now, I've been feeling considerable doubt about my master's teachings." As his alias of scoundrel swordmaster at the time suggested, Rodan had been walking precariously between the heretical path and the righteous path. Blue Lotus had tried to completely draw him into the heretical path and make him walk the same road as herself. "Not being able to receive all of her teachings is regrettable even now, but at the same time I think it was fortunate. If I had accepted all of her teachings, I would have become a completely different person from who I am now." He raised his head and looked at Risir. A pleasant smile appeared on his face. "I wouldn't have been able to stand proudly before you like I am now." "..." Risir was quite surprised. Because Clana's diagnosis had been perfectly accurate. Settling one's will and rising to the righteous path. For the Outer Sword who had completed his mental image through this, a reunion with the killer spirit would have brought more harm than benefit. 'Could Clana have known this when she said that?' Rodan smiled as he looked at Risir. "Just because we're glad to meet doesn't mean it will necessarily be an ideal reunion. Isn't that right, master and disciple?" Not even a trace of the shadow of delusion could be seen. Risir unconsciously overlapped the image of someone else over him. The scoundrel swordmaster, the Outer Sword- It was exactly Rodan from when they first met. "..." A pleasant smile finally appeared on Risir's face as well. Having compared them directly, he felt he understood more clearly. Rodan. He now seemed admirable just as he was. It seemed like only improvement lay ahead for him- Therefore, nothing more seemed needed to be added. "You speak truly." "Yes. I thought you would understand since you're also a master and disciple." By the way- After bursting into pleasant laughter, Rodan soon composed himself and spoke seriously. "Speaking of masters- Risir. I met your magic master during my travels." "What!?" Not only Risir, but even Clana, who had been consistently indifferent, widened her eyes in reaction. "Our, our magic master you say-" "Just to be sure, do you know a dark elf skilled in nature magic?" "Master Pamon!?" "Oh, that's right. That's exactly who I met." "How- where did you meet her!?" Risir rarely showed such excitement, his eyes shining as he couldn't contain himself. Moreover, Clana and Rodan couldn't hide their surprise at seeing such a rare side of Risir. "Well-" Rodan's story began in the heated atmosphere. *** "How did it go? Was the matter resolved well?" Right after Rodan left the place. Fienne's group, who had been waiting nearby, immediately took his place. Roera, who moved faster than anyone, leaned against Risir as if hugging him from behind. "..." The gazes of the nearby women focused on her. -What. -I'm his younger sister, got a problem? Roera was confident. "Hm?" Just then. Roera leaned forward to check Risir's face. "Brother?" "Hey, Risir?" "Are you alright?" Then Fienne and Rona showed their concern. They belatedly noticed something was off with Risir. He was lost in deep thought, unaware that Fienne's group had entered. "Huh? Everyone, when did you-" Soon after he came to his senses, questioning gazes focused on him. "Ah." Risir smiled awkwardly and said. "Sorry everyone. I was thinking about something else for a moment- so, what were you saying?" After an exchange of glances, the chaotic atmosphere of the place settled down. Fienne, sitting across from him, brought up the topic. "That thing. Whether it was resolved well. The problem with the Outer Sword." "Ah. Yeah. It was resolved well." "Really? Then this is the end of it now?" "The end?" Fienne's finger pointed at Clana. "That woman's fiancée act." "Ah, that- it's not over yet." "What? Not yet? But you just said it was resolved well?" "That's separate from this- until Rodan leaves Bondaless, we'll probably need to maintain this situation." "What!? Why!?" As Risir explained the reason, Fienne's eyebrows gradually furrowed. Bang! Finally unable to endure it, Fienne slammed the table with both palms. "From the beginning, isn't this strange!? Why of all the many methods did it have to be acting as fiancées!? Do you know how upset I am because of that!?" "Upset? Is there a reason for you to be upset?" Clana, who had been sitting demurely but had now changed to a comfortable posture, objected. "Is there a reason to be upset!? Of course there is!" Fienne stood up from her seat and pointed at Risir. "Because I'm this person's real fi-, fi-, fi- fiancée!" And then, she spoke with an attitude that seemed shameless yet not quite shameless. Fienne's pure white cheeks became slightly flushed. Clana furrowed one eyebrow. Not only that, but Rona and Roera also each showed their confusion. "Fienne? What do you mean, fiancée?" "This is the first I've heard of it?" "First you've heard of it! Roera- other people might not know, but you shouldn't say that! Surely you won't say you don't know about the engagement that was arranged between Risir and me!?" "What~? What old story are you talking about? To begin with, wasn't that all finished already?" "E-, e-, e-, ended how!? An engagement isn't like some romance, it's not something you can end so easily!?" When she should be infinitely shameless, yet she was stammering like this. Fienne pathetically lost the initiative she had barely grasped. The others began to fiercely interrogate Fienne. "Ah, I don't know, I don't know! I'm just stating the facts as they are! By the way, Risir! Why have you been silent this whole time!?" "Me, me...?" "Any, anyone would think- I, I, I'm making up stories by myself!? Say, say something too! What kind of relationship I have with you!" At Fienne's appearance of interrogating intensely yet unable to make eye contact, Risir was flustered about how to react. Separately, the gazes of those around including Fienne focused on him. "No-" Risir couldn't properly control his body under the pressure coming from all directions. Just then. Their gazes turned toward the door. Something enormous was approaching from beyond it. A vast aura that filled the place in an instant- "...Ri,RisirRisirRisirRisirRisirRisirRisir!!!" No, noise! The being who brought waves of noise was none other than the Observer Ratsil. "Risir!" Then, Dark Elf princess Cartria followed behind her. They spoke to Risir with utterly shocked expressions. ""An engagement, is it really true!?!"" What is this now. The sharp gazes of the other women swept through the room like blades. "..." Risir was suffocated by the intensified pressure. *** "You came looking for your disciple, Risir...!?" "Ha-Haaaaa...! You are the one!!!" Pamon was quite shocked. The Gray Magic Tower she had reached following her disciple's traces. Wasn't that place welcoming her, a dark elf, with open arms? Moreover, that wasn't the end of it. Murmur murmur- As she waited in the VIP room she had been guided to, commotion could be heard from outside. After a moment the door opened- Pamon's group couldn't hide their confusion in the end. The fact that many masters including an old man with dreadlocks were lined up outside the door was one thing. "Oh, this person is exactly-" Frozen Breath Palag, who happened to be visiting the Gray Magic Tower- And even Remier, the Gray Tower Master who holds a Star Name. Far too many people had gathered in one place just to welcome a single dark elf. -No, what is all this! Don't tell me it's dark elf hunting!? Pamon's group naturally showed their confusion. To this, Tower Master Remier immediately spoke up. "Please understand- upon hearing the news that 'his' master had visited, everyone couldn't overcome their curiosity. I apologize on behalf of the magic tower." It was an uncommon occurrence. Wandering Star Remier formally received a guest. -Good heavens, what is this treatment? That guy Risir. Don't tell me he's actually become something like the next tower master of the magic tower!? They could no longer picture Risir's appearance in their minds. *** [New fate has been unlocked!] ... ... ... [New fate has been unlocked!] ... ... ... [New fate has been unlocked!] ... ... ...