Make Dark Fantasy Great Again-Chapter 46: High-Grade(?) Manpower (3)

“Oh my god! You turned a wolf into a human!!!”

“...”

Risir was speechless. Did she think he was some kind of magician?

Instead of correcting Kela’s misunderstanding, he turned to talk to the wolf cub—no, the beastkin woman.

“Ah...”

But suddenly, the woman went limp and collapsed unconscious. Her form shifted back into that of a wolf cub.

“D-did it... fail?!”

Fail what?

Risir ignored Kela and checked the cub’s condition.

Not like I’d understand anything just by look—Hm?

Surprisingly, he did understand something.

What is this?

If the wolf’s body were made of flesh and blood, Risir wouldn’t have sensed anything, as he was neither a veterinarian nor a doctor.

But the cub’s body was formed of mana. It was as if a physical shell had been placed over a core of mana. This allowed Risir to intuitively grasp the cub’s condition.

She’s cleansed, but weakened at the same time.

He placed his hand on the silent cub, and her expression softened noticeably. Twitching, she nuzzled against his hand, as if seeking more contact.

Remembering how he used to pet his dog, Risir scratched the cub’s neck and head, rubbed her belly, and patted her hindquarters.

The cub let out a contented whine.

“Oh.”

Risir noticed the cub’s energy growing stronger.

I don’t get why, but my energy seems to help.

After a moment’s thought, he scooped up the cub and held her in his arms.

The blue wolf cub whined and wriggled in his arms, searching for the most comfortable position. She finally settled on lying back and exposing her white belly. She closed her eyes and fell into blissful sleep.

As Risir observed the sleeping cub closer, a word came to him unbidden.

An elemental...?

He’d never seen or experienced an elemental directly, but he imagined this was what it would feel like.

“Wh-what did you do to the wolf?!”

Kela questioned him, her eyes wide with fascination. From her perspective, the whole thing had been a magical spectacle: a mage transforming a wolf into a human, then back into a wolf.

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“I’m not sure, but I think the immediate danger has passed. I’m guessing it might be some kind of elemental.”

“Oh...! An elemental!!!”

“I’m not certain, though. It’s not my area of expertise. Do you know anything about this, Miss Kela?”

“I-I’m sorry...! I’ve never hunted an elemental before...!”

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

“Yes! I apologize for not being of more help!”

“No need to apologize...”

Risir averted his gaze, a little flustered by the glitter of admiration in Kela’s stare.

He didn’t understand, but Kela’s reaction was perfectly understandable. Most mages treated adventurers like illiterate simpletons, dismissing them outright. If there was a race more arrogant and condescending than nobles, it was mages.

Kela had been on the receiving end of such treatment countless times, even from mages far less capable than Risir.

-I’m done.

-What happened?

-Would you even understand if I told you?

-...

That’s how the mages Kela knew would have reacted in this situation. But Risir, this genius mage, not only explained things patiently but even asked her opinion.

Kela grew anxious for no reason. If only she had a good answer. If only she could prove herself worthy of this mage’s respect!

Hoping for another opportunity(?), she focused all her attention on Risir.

Then a memory surfaced.

-I was wondering if there were any quests for me.

-My friend, you’re not cut out for this life.

Kela recalled their first encounter and went pale.

“I-I apologize, Lord Risir!”

“So suddenly?”

“When we first met...! I made such disrespectful remarks. I’m so ashamed!”

“What? Oh, it’s alright. Weren’t you just concerned about me?”

Kela was starting to feel afraid.

What is this? How can he be so un-mage-like?

Risir acted as if he’d stumbled into magic by accident, not like someone who’d lived his whole life as a genius mage.

In any case, Kela collected herself and made a suggestion.

“For now, let’s head back to the guild!”

***The second-in-command of the Draffon Guild, Master Deputy Dupona, had a sharp gaze that belied the absence of her left eye, concealed by an eyepatch.

She unbraided her neatly styled blue hair, then re-braided it, finding the repetitive motion the only way to calm her nerves.

Inside, she grimly swore.

We’re fucked.

A low-tier adventurer of their guild had brought in a group of unconscious men and a mage. Apparently, the men had attacked the mage and the adventurer, so they retaliated.

That much was acceptable. In fact, it was great.

Adventurer guilds shared the City Council’s responsibility of maintaining order. So apprehending thugs who attacked people in broad daylight in back alleys? That was a clear plus for the guild.

Now, if that were the end of the story, Dupona would have commended Kela on a job well done and given her a sweet little bonus.

Unfortunately, the report continued.

Dupona prayed she’d misheard, or that the mage had misspoken.

“You are certain? These men might be connected to black mages?”

“Yes. They possessed an item of black magic.”

“...”

Black mages were a far greater threat than common thugs. Apprehending one and reporting it to the City Council would bring immense rewards, and even elevate the guild’s reputation. Hunting a black mage was a major plus.

Yet, Dupona couldn’t bring herself to celebrate. There was a good reason why such a hefty reward was offered for hunting black mages.

They were more difficult to deal with than any fiend or criminal. Even tower mages had limited knowledge of the dark arts, so what hope did adventurers have?

A wise adventurer would avoid any involvement with black mages.

Yet behold! She was being asked to sign off on a confrontation that had already happened.

Dupona glared at Kela, who stood beside her like a criminal who knew their wrong.

“I-I’m sorry...I never imagined they were connected to black mages...!”

Dupona lit a cigarette. It took a long drag to calm the furious twitch in her face.

She asked Risir again.

“You are certain? These men might be connected to black mages?”

“Isn’t that what you just asked?”

“Then, think of it as saving a life and try again. It’s possible they just stumbled across the item by chance.”

“That’s highly unlikely.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“They fully understood the item’s power and its purpose, which requires knowledge of black magic. However, they showed no other signs of using black magic themselves. Therefore, this is what I think—they were given the item by a third party and instructed on its use.”

“...”

Dupona stared at the obsidian ring on her desk, stunned.

He gleaned all that from just the ring?

All she could gather from observing the ring was that it was unusual, but this mage had deduced so much. As he’d said, using the ring required knowledge of the dark arts.

This type and depth of knowledge surpassed even the expertise expected of tower mages, which was why Dupona found it hard to trust him.

It wouldn’t be too late to compare after hearing her advice.

She decided to reserve judgment.

Soon, a new visitor arrived in Dupona’s office.

“I heard you summoned me.”

Her name was Kedgan. As a certified mage of the colored mage towers, she was one of the mages the Draffon Guild occasionally consulted for magical matters.

As far as Dupona knew, there were only a few masters above her in the Gray Tower who possessed deeper knowledge of black magic than Kedgan did.

She couldn’t be any more dependable in this situation. However...

Dupona suppressed a sigh. Tower mages, with their immense pride in their knowledge and abilities, rarely offered their services for free. She’d summoned Kedgan out of necessity, but the thought of the price she’d have to later pay already gave her a headache.

Dupona forced herself to explain the situation.

“So where is this ring of black magic?”

Kedgan picked up the obsidian ring and examined it closely.

“You got scared and called me for something so trivial?”

“Care to elaborate on why this is trivial?”

“I should be asking you. Why are you so wary of this random ring?”

Kedgan gave a small sneer.

Ah, there it is. It finally feels like I’m talking to a mage.

Dupona continued, feeling a sharp discomfort she hadn’t felt when talking to Risir.

“Another mage warned me. They said to be cautious of the power within this object, and to beware of whoever its true owner might be.”

“It’s such an ambiguous power that it’s hard to even define as black magic. This power has no effect on humans at all. Being so wary of this, that mage must be one of two things. Either a fool trying to deceive you, or an imbecile deceived by their own knowledge.”

Hearing that biting criticism, Dupona cast a cautious glance at Risir.

“Hm?”

Kedgan’s gaze followed hers, and Dupona cursed inwardly. A similar situation had occurred before.

-Heavens, are you serious?

-Which school do you all belong to? Or who is your master?

-Why can’t you answer?

-Don’t tell me...

-Oh wow.

-I’ll ask nicely. Will you please refrain from speaking of magic in my presence?

-I can’t stand being associated with ‘mages’ like you lot.

The Draffon Guild had called on several wandering mages for consultations, but Kedgan had snapped and ended up verbally slaughtering the lot of them.

Among mages, the reputation of a mage tower was absolute. To engage in a meaningful debate with a mage as prideful as Kedgan, one had to belong to a specific tower.

In fact, Kedgan had only ever had one proper conversation with a mage, and that mage had been from the Blue Tower. Of course, even then, she had torn the other apart with aggressive logic and tone.

“Is it you? The mage Miss Dupona was talking about?”

“That’s right.”

“I am Kedgan of House Sarorat. A formal mage of the Gray Tower, trained in the Teldran school. My master’s name is Kaldrine. And you?”

“I’m Risir.”

Dupona groaned inside, as his introduction was far too short. She shut her eyes tightly, already feeling guilty for what was about to happen.

Kedgan would surely latch onto Risir’s brief introduction and tear him limb from—

“Risir? Risir...I’ve heard that name...Ah! It was you! The one who exposed that wench Tulan!”

“...?”

Dupona was thrown into confusion. She’d never heard Kedgan speak in such a friendly tone. She didn’t even know the woman was capable of it.

But what came next was even more shocking.

Kedgan giggled awkwardly as she continued.

“Dupona, how could you? Trying to compare my opinion with Mr. Risir’s insights?”

“...?”

“Anyway, I have only one piece of advice regarding this matter. Follow Mr. Risir’s judgment completely.”

“...”

Thinking about how she had just criticized Risir in front of him, Kedgan flushed slightly as she showered the man with profuse praise, then hastily excused herself.

“...Is that really Miss Kedgan?”

Kela was dumbfounded.

***“Where...”

A short while after Kedgan left, the captured men in black robes began to regain consciousness one by one.

“...!”

They were startled upon seeing Risir’s face, then again when they saw Dupona’s.

“W-wait! We don’t know anything! We were just following orders!”

Terrified, they volunteered information before any interrogation had even begun.

“Just following orders?”

“Yes! A few days ago, someone came to our guild and gave us a bunch of these obsidian rings—”

Just as they were about to spill everything...

“Urk!”

Their words were abruptly cut off as their throats tightened.

Dupona sprang from her seat.

“It’s hex venom!”

It was a method often used by demonoids to control their inferiors. They’d implant a venom that activated under specific circumstances, preventing betrayal.

Fortunately, alchemists had discovered the recipes and antidotes for most hex venoms.

Dupona began listing the antidotes she had prepared for such situations. She observed the symptoms closely, and tried to pick the appropriate antidote. However...

Dammit, what is this?! I’ve never even heard of this poison before.

Just as she was panicking, Risir spoke up quietly from the side.

“It’s nothing like venom. It seems to be a type of black magic. What a relief.”

“Black magic? This is a disaster—wait, what? Did you say relief?”

He’s relieved because it’s black magic?

Dupona’s mind struggled, and failed, to make sense of the idea.

“Hurk! Hurk! Hurk!”

Regardless, the men’s breathing returned to normal.

“What a relie—”

Dupona’s one eye wavered uncontrollably.

***While Gadena had swallowed his pride and headed to the Gray Tower for help, another elf was doing much the same.

Draffon, the Guild Master of the Draffon Guild, was still reeling from shock. He had received a letter requesting a secret meeting, and when he reached the specified location, an unexpected figure greeted him.

“You are...”

A woman stood in front of a towering figure, who glared intently at Draffon. He immediately bowed his head before the immense pressure.

“I bow before the Bough of the World Tree.”

She hailed from Royeth, one of the ten Great Houses, rulers of the elves’ sacred land.

The Princess of the Grand Forest gazed down upon him.

“Draffon. I need your help in guiding a lost elemental in Bondalles. It won’t be easy. It’s a very shy child.”

The greatest adventurer of Bondalles had a feeling this would be no ordinary quest.

***Meanwhile, a certain wolf cub was nestled in a chair, twitching in her sleep.

Risir gently stroked her fur, and the cub let out a happy sigh, rolling over with her belly up.