Of All Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #43
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*3rd person POV
"...Rainelle."
Karmeut smiled at the crow's gaze that was directed at
him like she was scolding him through her cawing.
"I'm sorry. You must have been angry. -But I was
curious. You also had questions, so you asked Myrdin-nim, didn't you?"
Rainelle puffed up her feathers. She clacked her beak dissatisfiedly, but she didn't
seem to deny that fact as she didn’t turn her head away.
At her actions, the prince smiled and stroked her wings.
"Well, to be honest... When I opened my eyes, I was
a little happy."
Karmeut laughed when the crow tilted her head. He grabbed
crow’s body and lifted her slightly.
He smiled at the sight of the crow who was just rolling
her eyes without struggling. He took her into his arms and continued speaking,
"As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw you, so I
thought that it was over. ---Isn't it strange?"
Rainelle puffed up her feathers again. Then she immediately
changed into a human form. This made it Rainelle sat on Karmeut, but she didn't
seem to care much. Rather, she was looking at Karmeut while looking a little
angry.
"---Do you know how worried I was? You bled so
much...!"
"Yes, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it. ...I wanted
you to be safe, but you attacked Luwellin who tried to harm His Majesty the
Emperor, didn't you?"
"Uh, that's..."
"How could I have stood still in that situation?
---That's much better than just watching you get hurt. Anyway, I'm sorry. I
broke my promise."
Those words brought tears to the purple eyes. Perhaps she
didn't want to cry, Rainelle buried her head in Karmeut's arms. The rustling
sound of feathers adorning her dress can be heard.
"...don't do that in the future."
"I won't... ---that's probably rare, too."
He stroked her black smooth
hair, swallowing the words: "Because I became the only one who would
become the next emperor."
The hair that was under the palm of his hand was smoother
than silk, making him want to stroke it over and over again.
At his touch, Rainelle let out a sigh of satisfaction
like a cat and rubbed her face against his chest. It was the same behavior that
she had done when she was in the form of a crow, but it was unavoidable that it
became different when she did it in the form of a human. Karmeut groaned lowly
as he felt something in his chest getting warm with satisfaction.
"Huh? Does it hurt somewhere?"
"No---. It's not like that..."
The prince covered his
face with one hand, feeling a sense of guilt as he looked at Rainelle
who was looking at him with innocent eyes. ...However, even that could not completely cover his red face and
ears.
"Ha... Rainelle? I don't know what I'll do if you
continue like that."
Rainelle blinked for a moment at those words, then her
face suddenly turned red. And with a popping sound, she turned into a crow.
"Kkakkk!!"
Karmeut couldn't help but burst into laughter as Rainelle
flapped her wings quickly and went to hide herself on top of the closet.
It was only now that Karmeut really felt that the
Bozcourt was over.
He was more than satisfied to be the next emperor, to
have removed those who threatened Rainelle's safety with his own hands.
Rainelle, who cared for him enough that she was able to
shed tears, came to his mind, and it made his chest itchy and ecstatic.
The prince tilted his teacup, feeling full of happiness
as he watched only the little bit of feathers that were exposed. ...feeling the
fatigue he had just felt melted away, Karmeut quietly enjoyed the sense of
triumph and satisfaction.
***
The wound wasn’t that big, but Karmeut had to rest
without moving. The fact that there was excessive bleeding was a big factor. Of
course, the biggest reason was that he was the only recognized legitimate heir.
Thanks
to this, I’m able to rest comfortably without any interference, so there are no
complaints. And I’m even more satisfied because this rest feels like a reward.
Thinking so, the prince turned his head to look at Rainelle.
A giggling translucent creature was flying in front of a
crow that was flying around the room while making a pleasant cry.
It was a translucent spirit with wings on its back. The
spirit was small enough to fit in the palm of a human’s hand. It was the wind
spirit that made a contract with Rainelle with the help of Myrdin.
Rainelle seemed to be amazed and liked the spirit. She
was so excited that Karmeut wondered if she ever had so much fun.
"Rainelle, be careful."
Rainelle tilted her head at Karmeut's sudden warning.
"Caw?"
Rainelle cawed as if to ask ‘why?’
He laughed at her behavior and added an explanation for
her,
"Managing spirits requires mana. Excessive use of it
can make you dizzy, and in extreme cases, you can collapse or die. If you feel
dizzy, you must cut off the mana and return to the spirit to the spirit world.
Okay?"
Rainelle puffed up her feathers as if she didn't like it.
But she nodded to indicate that she understood. Watching the wind spirit land
on the crow's head, Karmeut felt bittersweet somehow.
To
be honest, the way the Wind Spirit and Rainelle are playing is very cute.
Although their species are different, did the wind spirit feel like Rainelle is
its younger sibling? Wouldn't
everyone think like that when they see the two laughings, chasing after each
other, or playing around?
Besides,
Rainelle also seemed to like the Wind Spirit very much. I watched her flying
after the spirit with her purple eyes shining brightly after all.
Ignoring the feelings of disappointment and sadness,
Karmeut reached out his hand to Ranelle. Then, as soon as the crow landed on
his arm, he felt a little less sad and started stroking her feathers with his
hand.
The crow slowly closed her eyes in a good mood. The prince
opened his mouth as he smiled,
"Rainelle, I'd like to chat with you for a moment...
is it okay?"
Although she was puzzled by Karmeut's sudden request to chat,
she quickly changed into a human form.
*Rainelle’s POV
Ummm...
I'm sorry, but I have to send you back now, Mui.
It was regrettable to send back Mui, the wind spirit. It
told me its name at the time of signing the contract.
But
seeing that Karmeut has something to say... I can't help it. We can only play
again later. By the way, what does he want to talk about?
I was very excited about signing a contract with a spirit
that I had only encountered in novels, but I set aside my disappointment
because Karmeut was also important. Above all, as Bozcourt was over and him becoming
the emperor had been confirmed, I am relieved that it seemed that the story has
progressed properly according to the original storyline.
"What is it, Karmeut? What do you want to talk about?"
He nodded at my question, then he opened his mouth in a
soft and gentle voice like always,
"I was just thinking..."
"...?"
"I'd like to make it public that you can take human
form. If it's too much right now, at least I’d like His Majesty the Emperor to
know."
I flinched at Karmeut's suggestion. It's not a problem in
itself to reveal that I can take on human form.
But,
but... If that happens, wouldn't it be inconsistent with the original? If so,
would it be okay?
I hesitated, not knowing how to respond. If I reveal my
identity, an unpredictable future that was out of sync with the original storyline
was laid out. Conversely, if it was not revealed, the storyline may go the same
as the original, but it may hurt Karmeut's heart...
How did Karmeut interpret my hesitation by not answering?
He smiled as if it was okay and said,
"You don't have to answer me right away. If you
think it's difficult, I'll respect your opinion. I don't intend to force you. I suggested it because I thought it'd be
better to reveal it. Sorry, I didn't mean to put you in trouble.”
I felt sorry for Karmeut, who still smiled while saying
that, because it seemed like he was so thoughtful of me.
"May I ask... why do you think so?"
Karmeut blinked slowly. Then he smiled embarrassedly and
scratched his cheek.
"During Bozcourt... you stopped Luwellin from trying
to kill His Majesty the Emperor, didn't you?"
"...ah... that, that..."
Karmeut's words made me stutter automatically. It was
something I hadn't thought about before actually moving my body, but I broke my
promise with Karmeut, didn't I?
"Don't
interfere just because it looks dangerous"
I
promised that, but I intervened! Agh! Agh!! Come to think of it, I shouldn’t
have promised anything to Karmeut!
Thinking about how angry he got before, it was fair for
him to scold me.
As I wiggled my fingers while thinking about that,
laughter can be heard.
"I don't mean to get angry. Of course, I was
surprised because you broke the promise... but I thought it must have been for
a reason. Besides, I was able to seize the opportunity thanks to Luwellin's diverted
attention in that situation."
...I
sometimes wonder, is Karmeut a mind-reader? Or is it that my mind became
simpler since I became a bird? If
you read my mind this well, it feels like I have become too
simple-minded. Is it really like that?
A groan came out of my
mouth.
Seeing me like that, he smiled and said,
"Besides, even if we don't say it, His Majesty the
Emperor should already know."
"Uh, why?!"
"Of course. Myrdin-nim confirmed that you can take
human form, right? Myrdin-nim isn't fully active now, but he's a magician of
the Imperial Palace and the one who has spent the longest time with His Majesty
the Emperor. His Majesty's most trusted person would be Myrdin-nim."
"Um, um, and...?"
"I think you've noticed to a certain extent. ---And thanks
to Myrdin-nim, you were able to sign a contract with the spirit, right?"
With those words, his hand turned to touch the necklace. I
felt the gentle tickling movement of the air, as if something fluffy had come
from his fingertips.
"Contracting with a spirit is useful in many ways.
---I only thought of protection magic, but... I like it more because the spirit
can respond flexibly according to the situation. ---That doesn't mean it's easy to make a contract with a
spirit."
"...But why did you ask for protection magic?"
His golden eyes darkened. The figure of him with eyes
that can’t be read was somehow unfamiliar. ...but, I could feel this one thing.
He was worried.
...why?
Luwellin is dead, and Karmeut will become the emperor in the future, right?
"...Rainelle. The Imperial Palace is a dangerous
place. Of course, some problems arise over the succession rights. But just
because I become the emperor, it's not always safe."
"...ah..."
That's when I remembered it. Whether it was in the historical
record or any form of media outlet,
the royal palace or the imperial palace was always luxurious, but the
description of it was like a field of thorns.
It was not that the emperor does not suffer from
assassination threats, and there was also a tense battle for power that the
nobles have to endure.
When I remembered that
there were times when the king was reduced to a scarecrow due to the power of
the nobles, I had to desperately suppress my desire to rip my hair out.
Aghh
really!! I must have lost my intelligence after becoming a crow! How come I
only think of this now!! Crazy, really!
No,
wait a second. That means... Karmeut thought of me and
asked Myrdin, a wizard, for my sake---?
Of course, there was a premise that you would like to know more about me, but
since it is related to Crobanlock, you were curious too, right?
My heart got tickled. For some reason, I asked the
question while holding back a smile that was about to appear on my lips,
"Then, the reason for telling His Majesty the
Emperor is..."
"If you let him know that you can take human form,
it will be easier to protect you... ...and also my self-interest."
"Self-interest?"
?
What?
As I tilted my head, unable to understand, Karmeut's face
went red.
...huh?
why?
"To His Majesty... to Father, I also want to
introduce you."
"Ah..."
I was about to say "I see", but then stopped.
Wait,
wait, wait!! Hey, these words have some nuance---!! Am I thinking right? It's probably right, right?
That's right! Otherwise, there's no reason why Karmeut's face would turn so
red!!
"That, that, that, that---!! Why, why are you
telling your father? Huh?"
My voice rose
spontaneously from the embarrassment. But unlike before, Karmeut
answered with a smirk,
"You want to know why? I can give you a hint."
I felt a rush of heat rushing to my face.
Ugh,
ahhhh! A hint?! Is it what I think it is?!
No,
wait! Thinking like this makes me feel like I’m a pervert! Of course, Karmeut
is handsome, good-natured, caring, friendly, and capable, so he has the image
of the ideal prince from fantasy, but isn't this and that different?!
The flow of my consciousness seemed to run wild as my
eyes swirled. Then I heard a short burst of exclamation in my ear,
"Ah, that's right! I deserve a reward."
"Re, reward?"
Karmeut smiled and nodded his head. Then he approached me
while I was frozen for a while. I thought his face was coming too close...
***
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