Dark Fantasy Normalized-Chapter 54

"Respected scholars,

An outsider—a mere nobody who can’t even claim a family name—has no place interfering in the affairs of our Mage Tower.

And to do so while blatantly disregarding our sacred rules!

As you all know, the wise mages of this Tower resolve all internal matters through proper procedures.

That is, through trials.

Master Tulane should have been tried.

Not for his honor, but for ours!

No one has the right to judge another without following the proper process within our Tower.

No one!

Respected scholars,

What this outsider has done is a direct challenge to the authority of our Mage Tower.

And now we’re being asked to officially recognize and commend his actions in the name of the Tower?

If we don’t uphold our rules, who will respect them?

It would be nothing less than spitting in our own faces!

Respected scholars,

We must not take this matter lightly.

We must protect the authority and regulations of the Mage Tower.

Allow me to speak on your behalf.

I ask for your support."

The crowd responded with applause. However, not all of it was genuine.

Some scholars clapped half-heartedly while whispering to their peers. Others smirked or exchanged sarcastic glances.

"Do you think those clapping actually agree with him?"

"I’d rather not believe idiots like that exist in the same Tower as me."

"His words sound lofty enough, but it doesn’t take much thought to see through them."

"He wants to condemn someone for breaking the rules after they dismantled dark magic and apprehended a dark mage? What are we, the Black Mage Tower?"

"Ha! Well said."

"Even the ones clapping probably know how ridiculous Gerhen looks right now."

"Still, they have to humor him. He’s always been a pain, but now that he’s desperate, he’s probably worse."

"True. He still has enough power to cause trouble… ugh, let’s just go."

From the podium, Gerhen watched those scholars with a blank expression.

'Damn it, how did it come to this?'

Once, as the leader of the noble faction within the Mage Tower, Gerhen had been one of the most powerful Masters. There had been fewer than five people in the entire Tower whose opinions he needed to consider.

But now, he found himself catering even to the whims of low-ranking noble scholars who normally wouldn’t have been worth his time.

It wasn’t simply because he’d been manipulated by a dark mage. Most of the Masters had been deceived to some degree. That wasn’t what had truly brought him down—it was merely the spark.

"Tulane—wasn’t Gerhen one of his biggest backers back when Tulane was acting as a Master?"

"That much is obvious just from the papers Tulane submitted."

"I got curious and looked them up myself. You could tell the research had been spearheaded by Master Didoa, but Gerhen’s name was all over it."

"Didoa got nothing while third parties divided up the credit? What a farce."

"If all the papers with Gerhen’s name on them suddenly feel suspicious, am I just being paranoid?"

"How could we pass judgment on that ourselves?"

"Sounds like we need a trial."

"Ha-ha-ha!"

The incident had drawn attention to Gerhen’s past actions, and his authority was rapidly eroding. This was only the beginning.

'That bastard...'

Gerhen came to a decision.

No matter what, Lisir’s achievements must not be recognized.

In fact, he would go further—Lisir’s contributions must be thoroughly discredited.

Fortunately for Gerhen, dismantling others was one of his specialties. His track record of ousting political rivals and scapegoats both within the Mage Tower and society was well-established.

"But who is this Lisir, really?"

"Lisir, you said?"

"He not only identified dark magic that even the Masters couldn’t detect but dismantled it on the spot."

"That’s the kind of feat you’d expect from a High Priest of the Church or a master of white magic."

"It does make you wonder… could even they have done it?"

"Or here’s an idea—what if Lisir is actually the same as Tulane?"

"What?"

"A fellow dark mage, or maybe a former ally who betrayed Tulane to take advantage of his plans."

"You’re insane."

"Kidding, kidding. Just joking."

"Still, it’s an interesting perspective."

"Even accounting for all that, his abilities seem extraordinary."

Gerhen already had a plan. He knew exactly how he would approach this situation.

***

Deep in the underground prison beneath the Gray Mage Tower, a sprawling facility used to contain dangerous substances and creatures, Tulane, the dark mage, sat confined in one of its iron cells.

Her blue heart, the source of her mana, had been destroyed. No longer could she hear the voice of her master—the "Parasite."

Her lifeless eyes stared blankly into the void until, for a brief moment, they flickered with a trace of light.

"So, this is what a so-called Master of the Mage Tower stoops to doing?"

A clandestine meeting, one unrecorded in any official log. Gerhen stood in front of the bars, addressing Tulane.

"I guarantee you this: you’re going to die. The Tower will soon conclude its investigation and questioning, close the case, and hand you over to the Church. Even I can’t intervene in that process. However, as I said, I can make sure you don’t go alone."

"You want me to claim that Lisir betrayed me? That he’s one of us?"

"Exactly."

Tulane dropped her head and let out a guttural laugh. Her voice cracked, her skin charred and melted. The Master Tulane who had once captivated the minds of countless scholars in the Tower was nowhere to be seen.

"An intriguing proposal, I’ll admit. But do you really think the Mage Tower scholars will believe it? Trusting the words of a dark mage and executing the hero who vanquished me? Even the dimmest peasants in a backwater village wouldn’t do something so idiotic."

"There are those who are foolish because they know too little, and those who are foolish because they know too much."

"What?"

"I’ll lay the kindling. All you need to do is toss a spark onto it."

A lunatic.

Tulane let out a dry chuckle.

That was it.

She didn’t bother asking Gerhen for his motives or reasoning. What use were those to someone already as good as dead? If she could drag down that detestable man in her final act of defiance, it would be satisfaction enough.

***

Gray Mage Tower’s Underground Prison

Deep within the sprawling underground prison of the Gray Mage Tower, a facility used to store dangerous substances and creatures, Tulane, the dark mage, was confined in one of the iron cells.

Her blue heart—the source of her mana—had been destroyed, cutting her off from the voice of her master, the "Parasite."

Her lifeless eyes stared into the void until, for a fleeting moment, they flickered with awareness.

"So, is this what passes for the actions of a Mage Tower Master?"

An unrecorded meeting. Gerhen stood outside the bars, his gaze fixed on Tulane.

"I promise you this: you’re going to die. The Tower will soon conclude its investigation and interrogation, hand you over to the Church, and close the case. Even I can’t intervene in that. However, as I said, I can make sure you don’t go alone."

"You want me to claim that Lisir betrayed me? That he’s one of us?"

"Exactly."

Tulane lowered her head and chuckled hoarsely. Her voice was cracked, her skin marred and melted. Not a trace remained of the Master Tulane who had once captivated the Tower’s students.

"An intriguing proposal, I’ll give you that. But do you think the scholars of this Tower will actually believe it? Trusting the words of a dark mage to execute the hero who took me down? Even the dumbest peasants wouldn’t be that stupid."

"There are those who are foolish because they know too little, and those who are foolish because they know too much."

"What?"

"I’ll lay the kindling. You just need to toss the spark."

A lunatic.

Tulane let out a bitter laugh. That was all.

She didn’t bother questioning Gerhen’s motives or reasoning. What would be the point? She was as good as dead. If her final act could bring ruin to that despicable man, it would be enough.

Confrontation at the Tower’s Gates

"Why aren’t you eating it?"

The "feast" of a steaming drink (her spit) and an orb-like "meal" lay untouched.

Perrin pouted, visibly upset that Lisir had set aside the banquet she’d so proudly prepared instead of consuming it on the spot. He managed to placate her before taking his leave. Together with Pien, he began walking across the Mage Tower’s courtyard toward the main gates, with Meltas and Perrin seeing them off.

As they neared the gates—

"Is that…?"

A group of mages stood waiting. At their head was Gerhen, who stepped forward and addressed Meltas directly.

"Master Meltas, you are to hand over the outsider immediately."

"…"

"…"

"…"

Lisir and his companions exchanged bewildered looks. Finally, Lisir broke the silence.

"Are those the nobles who supposedly can’t stand me?"

"Indeed."

"And they’re so annoyed that they decided to ambush me in broad daylight? Some nobility."

"It’s disgraceful, I agree. But be cautious—they’re cunning and wouldn’t act without a plan."

Meltas immediately assumed a defensive stance toward Gerhen, his expression one of open suspicion.

Meltas was well aware of Gerhen’s recent, aggressive efforts to secure his position. The primary target of those efforts was, of course, Lisir’s achievements, which Gerhen sought to undermine.

Yet even Meltas hadn’t anticipated such brazen behavior in a place as public as this.

"Gerhen, what is the meaning of this?"

"Let’s get straight to the point. We’ve made progress in interrogating the dark mage, Tulane."

"What?"

At Gerhen’s signal, a woman from his faction stepped forward. She was the Mage Tower’s designated interrogator for Tulane.

"Tulane has disclosed new information," the woman said, unrolling a document and beginning to read aloud.

"...Ha!"

When the reading concluded, Meltas let out a derisive laugh.

"You’re saying that everything involving the dark mage Tulane was part of a plot to infiltrate the Tower by Lisir? That he’s an agent of the dark mage faction? Do you even hear yourself, Gerhen? Have you completely lost your mind?"

"I acknowledge that the claim seems far-fetched," Gerhen replied, his tone infuriatingly calm.

"Then end this absurd farce immediately!"

"No. A confession has been made, and it is our duty to ascertain its truth."

"That is not within your authority!"

"No. It is within our authority."

"...!"

Meltas’s eyes swept over the mages standing behind Gerhen. The group was composed of powerful nobles whose influence even Meltas couldn’t ignore.

"It’s time we restored the Tower’s order," Gerhen declared. "On behalf of the Tower’s students, I formally request the initiation of a trial."

"This is—!"

As the crowd grew, so did the number of onlookers. Interest. Curiosity. Amusement.

Seeing the shift in the atmosphere, Meltas’s expression darkened.

Gerhen saw his chance. He reached for the item he’d prepared—

But then—

A commotion erupted behind the group standing at the gate.

"Master Didora, what is the meaning of this?"

The voice came from one of Gerhen’s supporters, who turned in shock to see Didora approaching. Walking beside him was a middle-aged woman dressed in stark white robes that contrasted sharply with her jet-black eyes.

A symbol on her chest marked her rank, distinguishing her from ordinary clergy.

"...!"

Recognizing its significance, Gerhen’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The symbol denoted her status as a High Pontiff, a rank that granted her authority to represent the Church’s interests directly.

Why is a representative of the Church here?

Suppressing his shock, Gerhen stepped forward to intercept her.

"High Pontiff of the Church, state your business here at once."

Not even the Church could enter the Mage Tower without proper cause or permission. Only under specific circumstances was such access granted.

"We have received intelligence that a dark mage is hiding within the Gray Mage Tower," the Pontiff replied.

"That alone does not grant you the right to interfere with the Tower’s affairs."

"Correct. However, I am here at the request of Master Didora to assist in post-incident proceedings."

A direct request from a senior mage.

"...!"

Gerhen’s expression contorted in disbelief. He turned to Didora, his voice rising.

"Master Didora! Have you no pride as a mage? This matter occurred within the Tower! It is our responsibility to resolve it ourselves!"

Didora tilted his head, his expression as impassive as ever.

"Hasn’t it already been resolved?"

"...!"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Gerhen faltered, momentarily struck silent. He quickly forced himself to recover.

Stay calm.

The crowd had grown even larger, the onlookers buzzing with curiosity. His plan could still succeed.

Gerhen brandished the document, explaining its contents to the gathering.

This might actually work in my favor.

Even the Church’s representatives could be prone to doubt. They had traveled far, armed with a mission, only to find that an outsider—a wandering mage—had already accomplished their task.

Just as some within the Tower had questioned Lisir’s capabilities, so too might the Church. And with Tulane’s confession added to the mix?

Gerhen awaited the Pontiff’s reaction with anticipation.

"..."

Her black eyes locked onto Lisir.

"...!"

Then, suddenly, her gaze shifted, and her black irises gleamed with an ethereal light.

"To the outsider," she said. "I ask you this: Is what is written in this document true?"

"It is not," Lisir replied curtly.

Gerhen smirked inwardly.

The Church’s interrogations were infamous for their rigor. A dismissive response like that wouldn’t satisfy them. If anything, it would only deepen their suspicions.

His heart raced with excitement. He could see a path forward.

But then—

The Pontiff turned to Gerhen and said, "He claims it is untrue."

"...?"

For a moment, Gerhen could only gape at her, struggling to comprehend the implications of her words.