Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 61 "Come on. Eat." Feryn handed over a freshly made, warm and moist orb. Her expression was so confident that if I hadn't witnessed the manufacturing process right in front of me, I would have immediately expected a heavenly taste and swallowed it eagerly. I fell into brief anguish as I recalled the orb I had swallowed before. What could be the identity of that liquid that added shine to the orb's surface while flowing stickily downward? Even though I had no interest in industry awards, I desperately hoped it was saliva. Anything beyond that would be too hardcore. Oh right. Now wasn't the time to worry about such things. "Feryn, are you okay?" "What do you mean?" "You know, that thing. Those orbs. Is it really okay to enjoy them infinitely like that?" Making my worry seem pointless, Feryn was simply nonchalant. Her expression suggested she was generously holding back words like "what's all the fuss about" that were hitting her throat. Damn it. How irritating. If worrying truly resulted in losses, I would be facing bankruptcy right now. 'Isn't that really something like a hairball?' I had doubts about the orb's identity, but they didn't last long. There was too much I had seen and felt to simply dismiss it as mere waste. To refocus our derailed conversation, I brought up the topic of 'Spirit Cores.' Given the situation, I had one possibility in mind. Feryn, who was artificially created, abandoned by her own kind, and raised by Elves. Perhaps Feryn lacked knowledge about spirits? So she was mass-producing cores without knowing she was killing herself. "Are you an idiot? You're trying to tell me, a spirit, about Spirit Cores right now? Or is it this? You thought that since I'm a defective product who was treated like an idiot by other spirits, I wouldn't know basic common sense?" It was an unfounded worry. Not only that, but I had inadvertently touched Feryn's sore spot. True to form as a wounded baby wolf, her anger threshold was infinitely low. Feryn's rage, having thoroughly misinterpreted my words' intent, drew a steady upward curve and was now showing her teeth and displaying fury. I spoke in a calm tone to avoid provoking the wounded baby wolf. "I had no bad intentions. I was just worried about you." Feryn's body trembled slightly and her anger momentarily broke. But she quickly regained her momentum and pressed me. "Worried? Who asked you to worry? Ha. Is that it? Because I keep showing you my pathetic side, you think you're something to me? Don't get the wrong idea. I absolutely hate humans. Especially ones like you-" Feryn approached me slowly like a wolf cornering its prey. The shortened distance. That seemed to be the problem. "..." Feryn suddenly trembled all over and stopped in place. "D-damn it... don't get the wrong idea... this is... it's just because I just expelled all your energy..." Before making her exit, Feryn muttered grimly like a villain. Then she rushed at me with fierce momentum. Not like a wolf chasing prey, but like a dog greeting its owner. Feryn, nestled in my arms, rubbed her face vigorously against my chest. Thump. Thump. Thump. Her tail wagged violently and clung to me. "Sorry for getting angry..." Like an extension of a whimper. Feryn spoke with a voice full of nasal tones. "After hearing what you said... I suddenly started caring about what you think of me... thinking that maybe you also look down on me like my own kind do... I suddenly became anxious..." Right now, in this moment. The emotion I felt was pure guilt. 'What will happen to Feryn when her charging is done later?' I wondered if this thing that drew Feryn to me could truly be called 'Pure Energy.' At this point, isn't this like a hypnosis app? If I were in Feryn's position, I'd be too embarrassed to even lift my head. In any case, I patted her back with the intention of comforting Feryn. Deliberately ignoring her bottom that was wiggling, asking to be patted. "Feryn is a wonderful wolf. And you're my precious friend. That's why I was worried." "Worried...?" "Yeah. The person who told me about Spirit Cores said so. They said cores are very important to spirits, and spirits who lose their cores might go wrong." "...Isn't it strange?" "Huh?" "Me being different from other spirits... doesn't it feel bad...?" "Not at all. It's actually the opposite." "Opposite?" "I think Feryn is amazing. You can do things other spirits can't." "Things other spirits can't do..." "Feryn isn't wrong. You're special. At least that's what I think." "..." A moment later. The pressure on my chest disappeared. Feryn quickly backed away from me. "Damn it..." She was a prickly wolf young lady who had unintentionally revealed her tender feelings. Feryn glared at me while whimpering with shame. "Son of a bitch..." Though I felt wronged, I didn't protest. No matter how wronged I felt right now, it wouldn't compare to what Feryn felt. Only after a long time had passed could Feryn act as if nothing had happened. Feryn's explanation about the core duplication incident was as follows. "As you can see, I'm a mutant who has a physical body despite being a spirit. So there's no problem with extracting cores." "Oh..." "...Don't look at me with those eyes. I warned you." The corners of Feryn's growling mouth twitched slightly. "Besides, spitting out cores feels refreshing." "Refreshing?" "Whenever I meet you, my core reacts and gains substance, and each time that happens, my stomach feels bloated." "What the hell, it really is a hairball." "What?" "I mean, is it really okay to just spit them out like that?" "Mind your own business. They're my cores, I'll spit them out as I please. What's it to you?" "I'm just worried. What if something goes wrong?" "..." Thud. Feryn kicked the innocent ground. "Actually, it is a bit painful." "Then-" "But I actually like it." "What?" "This level of pain actually makes me feel alive." Feryn let out a low laugh. "...!" A chuunibyou menhera Half-Spirit wolf young lady who periodically spits out hairballs. Isn't that too many character traits? I looked at Feryn in shock. Whatever she made of my reaction, Feryn smiled satisfactorily. "Ordinary guys like you wouldn't understand. Well, it's not like I particularly want you to understand." Feryn suddenly looked up at the sky and recited. "What an amazing moon. It's as if it brightly illuminates my filth while still embracing me as I am." Lines and poses that seemed artificially practiced countless times. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I mustn't laugh. Feel that delicate mental world. Feel the vibe and coolness. "Feryn is... unexpectedly poetic. I see you in a new light." "..." Feryn looked at me with a bitter smile. That the bitter smile looked extremely satisfied would be Feryn's secret alone, so it was indeed a 100% pure bitter smile. "It's not something cool like that. It's actually the opposite." "O-opposite...?" "Ah... only pathetic loners can become the moon's true friend." "I-I see." Whether my sincerity properly reached Feryn, when the performance ended, she was in much better spirits. "Hey." Feryn casually held out a core. "Take it. It's essentially a core created because of your energy. Oh, by the way, compared to the previous one, the power contained in it will be less. The previous one was my first core." First core. I wanted to tell other spirit users about this and hear their reactions. First heart. First testicle. It would probably sound something like that. "Instead, since it was made purely from your energy, it will be much purer." "If I eat it, can I expect the same effect as before?" "..." Feryn stared at me blankly, then shook her head. "No. My energy is already flowing within you. Eating it won't have much effect." "Then I don't need it anymore, right?" "What? Elves were desperate to have this, but I guess humans are different?" "Uh... it's not particularly different, but-" "What? Then just take it." "Will you be okay, Feryn?" "I have no interest in material things." After giving me the core like that, Feryn left the place without lingering. I'll admit it. That was really cool. Especially the part about giving me those material things she had no interest in. "As expected. There's no loss in worrying about someone." Having gained unexpected profit, I returned to my lodging with light steps and fell asleep in good spirits. *** The next morning. Risir received a summons and entered the conference room located in the Magic Tower main building. Several Gray Masters, Religious Order officials including Bardros, and an investigation team represented by Blue and Green Masters were present. It was a meeting where the investigation team would announce their findings. "Therefore, in the name of the Blue Magic Tower, we officially declare the investigation concluded." "Therefore, in the name of the Green Magic Tower, we officially declare the investigation concluded." In other words, this would be a formal occasion to put finishing touches on formal procedures. The meeting ended in less than 10 minutes after it began. Risir looked around in confusion. All these distinguished people gathered just for this? Of course not. Opportunities for representatives of various Magic Towers and the Religious Order to gather in one place weren't common. Even after the meeting ended, they remained in their seats, continuing their conversations. "Is the Saint still secluding herself? That's quite troubling." (E/N: sounds like a job for Risir) "Come to think of it, I heard the Blue Magic Tower still has no tower lord-" "Oh right. I heard news that the World Tree roots have been infected with an unprecedented disease. If you need our Religious Order's help-" (E/N: sounds like a job for Risir) "Speaking of which, I heard the Gray Tower Lord still hasn't shaken off his wanderlust curse-" These were stories that reached Risir's ears casually as he sat listening blankly. 'Emergency situation!!!!' (E/N: Risir screams internally) Risir regretted not leaving immediately after the meeting with a "Well then, I'll be going now." Representatives of massive organizations entangled in complex political relationships naturally began hosting a 'power display party' as easily as breathing. Scratch? Oh. Not scratching. You're the one scratching? Totally not scratching at all. For a while, probing remarks were exchanged casually under the pretense of asking after each other's well-being. How much time had passed since Risir, trapped in this crossfire, began trembling with fear? After confirming there was no prey weak enough to be eliminated from their power display, they finally began having constructive conversations. 'A secluded Saint, infected World Tree roots... I wonder if there might be normalization targets among what I just heard...?' (E/N: I see Risir-sama has become aware of the plot) It was then that a topic was brought up that captured the interest of Risir, who had been indirectly participating in the conversation in his own way. "Come to think of it, Master Ratsiel. There's a matter I'd like to inquire about while we have this opportunity." Master Radros, who had maintained a consistently confident attitude as a representative of the Gray Magic Tower. He cautiously brought up a topic to Green Master Ratsiel. "It's regarding the Spirit Traces that arrived recently." Spirit Traces. These degraded versions of Spirit Cores were objects containing spirit energy that, due to their nature, were consumed across various magical fields. Magical research, elixir manufacturing, and so on- They were essential materials for the Gray Magic Tower, which researched a wide range of magic. The Gray Magic Tower relied on the Green Magic Tower for most of its Spirit Trace supply. It couldn't be helped, since most Spirit Trace distribution was handled by small groups from the Great Forest. The Green Magic Tower was the group with the largest share among them. "The thing is, the quality and quantity of Spirit Traces that arrived this time have clearly decreased, causing difficulties for various parties in our tower. We'd like to hear the Green Magic Tower's exact position to devise a solution." "Let me just say there were unavoidable circumstances." It was a firm attitude that contrasted with Radros's desperation. "Ahem..." Radros showed his displeasure, but couldn't take any particular action. At least when it came to spirit-related matters, the Green Magic Tower held absolute superiority. Needlessly offending them could lead to even worse situations. Risir, who had observed this series of events, cautiously brought up a topic to Radros sitting next to him. "Master Radros. May I ask you something?" "Oh! You're asking me a question!? Don't be shy, go ahead and ask." "I heard our tower is having difficulties due to a shortage of those Spirit Traces. Would this be able to serve as a substitute?" Risir took out Feryn's Spirit Core that he had been keeping in his pocket and showed it to Master Radros. "Hmm? This is..." Radros carefully observed Feryn's Spirit Core. "...!!!" And a moment later. He gasped loudly. Everyone's attention immediately focused on the scene. "...!" Green Master Ratsiel. "Good heavens." Blue Master Enna. "Risir, that couldn't be-" High Priest Bardros. They each expressed their shock about the Spirit Core in different ways. "W-where did you get that!" The Elves from the Green Magic Tower present showed emotion for the first time in front of humans. Ratsiel leaned forward and shouted. It was such a passionate movement that she might have snatched the Spirit Core if the distance had allowed. "This? I received it as a gift from a spirit I know-" "A core as a gift!? Nonsense!" "..." Risir felt wronged but couldn't argue otherwise. These testicles? I got them as a gift. That's how his statement would have sounded to that Elf. When in reality they were just hairballs. "Surely it must be an item acquired through improper means. We strongly recommend handing over said item to our Green Magic Tower!" "I object!" Surprisingly, the speaker was not the Gray Master but the Blue Master, Enna. "You have no such authority! What gives you the right to determine that it's an improperly acquired item!?" "That's right! We must respect Mr. Risir's rights! Therefore, our Religious Order formally offers Mr. Risir-" "What are you all doing right now! Maintain your dignity!" The atmosphere gradually intensified. "I cannot agree!" "Then what do you propose we do!" "What do you mean what! Isn't it natural to hear the opinion of Risir, the owner!" Eventually the Masters and High Priests began arguing loudly with raised voices. All because of one spirit's hairball.