Of All
Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #94
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
Aria teased me for being a sinful woman who’s popular with crows, but it was okay.
"If you keep doing
that, I'm not going to deliver the letters! Mwahahahahaha---"
After this and another, I
succeeded in getting a letter from Aria.
Good! Then I'll deliver the letter to Namuel!
I turned back into a crow.
Then I stretched my wings first for a warm-up.
Of course, Aria was
looking for a chance to touch me, so I did my warm-up safely on the chandelier.
After meticulously cleaning
my feathers, I swished through the open window and flew away. There's a sound
of disappointment behind me, but,
Let’s ignore it! Ignore it! I'll get caught the
moment I get swayed!
Karmeut
also touches me affectionately, but the result is very different from him. My
feathers are on the line here!
*Flap, flap, flap! ---*
I was flapping my wings
hard to fly to the palace when suddenly a black figure appeared in front of me.
Whoa!!
"Caw! Caw!! (What, what!!)"
I screamed in surprise and
missed to catch the thrown envelope a few times before finally getting it.
Therefore, I glared at the crow blocking my way while tightening my toenails
that grabbed the envelope.
If I were still a human,
it wouldn't be easy to distinguish between animals that I only have seen a few
times. No matter if the person is a zookeeper, it would be a hard thing to do unless
the person takes time to observe and encounter the animal. There was even a
saying about this in the ‘Little Prince1’.
‘It's just one of the common foxes, but when tamed, it
becomes the only fox in your eyes.2’ ...was the analogy a bit strange?
Anyway, if I was human, it
would the same as not knowing if this was the bird I met yesterday or if it was
a new one I met today.
But was it because I
possessed a crow? I could easily tell that this crow was a crow that had been
chasing me.
Uuh, what should I say...
In human terms, this crow
goes into the handsome group.
...Ha! That doesn't mean Karmeut is ugly
though! It’s still just a crow! If comparing them, then Karmeut is way more
handsome!
I shook off my thoughts and looked at the crow. The crow
was biting something in its beak.
Was it because I didn’t
make any cawing anymore? The crow slowly approached me.
What the crow had in its beak was a piece of
meat.
What? Why didn't this crow eat it and flew all
the way here?
I had no time to solve the
question as the crow was pointing its head to one side. Then it flew slightly
to the side where its head pointed at. It repeated that movement.
"-Caaw? (-You want me to follow
you?)"
The crow nodded briefly. I
hesitated for a moment at his behavior.
Um... I have a letter… I don't know if I can go
somewhere else…
But it was also true that I
wondered where the crow would take me.
The real-life of a wild crow! Is it possible to experience it?!
It was too much to ask me
to live in the wild, but I thought it wouldn't be bad to experience it for a little.
Umm, but this letter is the problem...
"Caw! Caaw! (Wait! I'll leave this behind!)"
I can leave it in Namuel's room.
Thinking like that, I let out a cry. The crow blinked its
eyes for a second. With a slight
nod of the crow's head, I flew quickly toward the Palace.
When I arrived at Namuel's
research room with Mui’s help, Namuel wasn't there.
Should I say my job was
finished? If Namuel
was present, it would definitely take time to talk and do this and that. So I
thought it was fortunate.
I put the letter down on
the desk and left the room in a hurry.
"Caaw! (It's
done!)"
The crow, which had been
following since earlier, waved the tip of its wings. Then it looked around. I
could understand the crow's reaction, so I cried out happily,
"Caaw? (There are a lot of shiny
things, right?)"
The crow was startled at
the words. After that, as if it said “I'm not interested in these
things!”, he jerked his head away
and started flying somewhere.
I rolled my eyes at the
crow's back. Then it stopped in place and turned back its head.
Seeing that gaze, I followed him quickly.
The life of a wild crow! Of course, it is not a
mountain or forest, but I am also curious about crow's life in a city!
How long did I fly after
the crow? It lowered the altitude toward the plaza. Then it went into an alley and landed on a pile of
firewood.
"Caaw. Caaw. (Here, eat this. It's good.)"
The crow’s eyes were
sparking when it put the meat in its beak in front of me.
I flinched for a moment at
the look of anticipation
...If I don't eat here, I think it'll be very
disappointed… And it might get angry---!!
I've experienced with my
whole body how strong that male crow was, so I didn't want to get beaten again.
Maybe it’s because it lived in the wild, but it
has good wings! It’s enough to catch up with me, who could borrow the power of
a spirit!
I looked down at the piece
of meat.
I don't think it's spoiled... Wait a second.
Crows eat corpses too, right? …Scavengers have a strong digestive system, so it
would be okay if it’s only a little tasting... right?
I bit the piece of meat
that looked like a piece of chicken with my beak and swallowed it.
I was a little worried,
but fortunately, it didn't taste bad.
"Caaw? Caaw? (What do
you think? It's good, right?) "
I remained silent for a
moment as it proudly inflated its collar and asked that.
Of course, it's a very
good food by the standards of the wild, but... was it because I live in the
Palace? Or was it because Karmeut had selected my food very well?
---Maybe both?
"Caw, caw, caaw. (Uh, yeah, it's okay.)"
The crow didn’t seem to
catch how I used ‘it’s okay’ instead of ‘it’s good’ as it raised its head as if
it was really happy. Still showing its good mood, it came up to me and said
with a small cry,
"Caaw caaw. Caaw. (There's something more
delicious over there. Come here.)"
"Caaw? Caw? (Something
more delicious? What is it?)"
"Caaw caaw. (Come here and you'll
know.)"
I blinked at the crow's
act of urging me to come and see instead of answering the question, saying,
Something more delicious than meat? What's
that?
I don't think it’s easy for a wild animal, or a
city bird, to get meat... but there's something more delicious than meat?
Feeling half puzzled and half curious, he followed the
crow and spread my wings. A
thought crossed my mind, but I didn't want to think so.
No way it’s ‘that’, right? No way~
***
Why am I right?! Why?!!
"Caaw? Caaw? Caaw,
caaw! (What do you think? Isn't it
cool? There aren't that many places to get fresh larvae!)"
Saying so, the crow rummaged through a
heap of something brown, like compost. When the crow stood back up, it held
something that I didn't know if it was soil or something else, but then a
white, plump larva appeared through the dark brown pile.
And that appearance smashed my mentality well.
Ah
ah ah ah ah!! A white, plump larva is in the
dark brown pile! The color stands out even more because of the contrast! Oh,
God!
The next scene made me want to faint.
The crow stretched its beak very nonchalantly and picked up the plump larva. Then
it swallowed the white larva, which wriggled as if to make me see clearly.
There was an illusion that I could
hear a gulp. And it occurred to me that although I was a crow, my face would
have turned blue anyway.
Huk! Bug! A bug! It swallowed a bug! It swallowed a bug and
ate it! Right?! I saw you eating just now! Argh! Argh!
"---Caw? Caaw. Caaw, caaw (What's
wrong? These are fresh bugs. They are big and juicy, so they are savory and
delicious.)"
Yeah? No. Absolutely not! Not at all! For you who are born
as a real crow, it's going to be a really delicious delicacy, but for me---?!
No! The human soul in me refuses bugs! Even if the world allows crows to eat bugs,
I don't! I can't put it in my mouth and swallow it! And with it wriggling like
that--! Aghhh!!
I wanted to peck the crow as hard as I
could while spitting out those words. ---But I can’t as I saw what was in front
of me.
There's a wriggling bug! What size is that?! Is that to
match the fantasy background?! How can a larva as big as a human’s palm move?!
Ahhhhhhh!!!
The crow didn't seem to understand why
I was frozen. Rather, it tilted its head as if saying: "What's wrong with this delicious
thing?"
---Don't
tilt your head and just bury the larva! Bury it nicely!!
...did it understand from my eyes? The
crow nodded. But then it came up to me with the bug.
Huh?
The crow murmured cries through its
beak.
Are you telling me to eat it?
...I don't (want to) know what the
crow meant, but I don't have any room left to think about the crow's behavior. Because the larva, which was bitten between the
crow's beak, began to wriggle.
The white, plump larva's mouth which was
slightly black was rattling as its internal organs were visible on its
body side.
The movement of the larva struggling
with its short legs and mouth had a destructive power that could not
be compared with the worms that were given by the servant before.
Was the crow annoyed by the bug's
wiggling behavior? It gave a little more strength to its beak. Then, the crow's
sharp, hard beak slightly dug into the larva's body, and essence began to leak
out of it little by little.
Hii, save me! This is hell! Arghh! Don't come to me!
Please! Put it away! Get rid of it! Get rid of it! Argh!! My eyes! My
mentality!
The crow tilted its head again. Then
it gulped down the larva in its beak.
"Caw? Caaw? Caw? (Was it too big?
Do you want a smaller one? Or a big one?)"
While saying so, the crow turned
around to search through the pile of compost again.
It's my chance! It's my chance to escape!
I even called Mui and escaped(?) at
maximum speed.
"Caw? Caw?! (Huh? Where are you going?!)"
I can't hear you! I can't hear you!
But I overlooked one thing
as I was in a hurry. Crows that lived in the wild were so powerful that they
can easily catch up with me, who borrowed the power of the spirit.
Damn it!
"Caaw? Caaw? Caaw,
caaw. (What's wrong with you? It's
hard to find larvae as delicious and big as that.)"
The crow hovered around me
while talking like that. Then it puffed up its collar and said,
"Caaw. Caw, caaw. (It's
my favorite hunting ground. Of course, you can come as much as you want.)"
Are you crazy? I'm never going!!
Those words went up to my
throat. But I barely, just barely, managed to suppress it in the end.
I don't want to be attacked!
…But I don't want to eat bugs even more!
I screamed like that from
my heart, and…
"Caw! Caw! (No! I hate bugs the most!)"
The crow made a shocked face
at my words. It was not that I don't understand.
For crows, larvae were
like juicy, tasty steaks.
But! My human soul rejects bugs! Even a
bug with a hard shell will break and the essence will come out! I think my
feathers will be all gone just thinking about it! And larvae whose skin gets
torn and fluid flow when you apply a little strength to your beak?
When I thought of the larva, which was writhing with its white and
chubby body, the speed of my wings naturally accelerated.
Please save this crow, no, this human who possesses a crow!
I can never eat larvae with a sane mind!
***
"...? Rainelle, why are you
coming back out of breath? Did something happen?"
Sa, safe!
Feeling like that, I gulped down the
water in the water bowl after flying as fast as I could to the Palace. I drank
as much water as I could. As the water went down my parched throat, it felt
like I was going to live.
I could feel concerned eyes on me.
Receiving such a gaze, I rubbed my beak on Karmeut’s finger, and then I turned into my human form.
"It's not a big deal,
but it was important to me."
"What's that?"
I tried to answer the
question, but I couldn't utter the words straight away at the image that came
to my mind and staggered.
Ugh! Ugh---! Bugs have such terrifying power!
"Rainelle?!"
I waved my hand at Karmeut,
who approached me in surprise. Even though I gestured that I was okay, the
worry in my golden eyes didn’t dissipate. So I
said to him while trembling inside,
"--I've seen a larva the size of
a human’s palm got eaten. Ugh..."
Watching Karmeut's frown, I tried to
calm down by covering my mouth with one hand.
I haven’t seen anything!
I didn't see anything! C’mon, I didn't see any
larvae! Get out of my head! You little larvae!
***
Notes:
1 Little Prince: A book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (p.s from Ririi: It’s really good! Really interesting!)↩
2 The actual saying is:‘To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tames me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world.’↩
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