Of All
Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #114
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
The story of Namuel’s
route was no different than what I heard before.
But it wasn’t exactly the
same to same. Although the content was the same as what I heard as a crow, the
feeling I have now was completely different.
---Aria also said that she
started keeping a note of what she remembered because a person's memory fades
as time goes by.
"---Huu, the story
writer is a real bastard..."
Of course, it's not something
I can't understand. If it's Namuel’s route, and if there's a secret of his
birth, it’s normal to plot it that way.
But!! Was it really necessary to hand over the
emperor's seat?! Namuel already has a lot of things!!
"Rainelle."
"Wait a minute. I feel like my
head is going to explode."
It looks like real swearing will come
out. No, it already popped out in my mind.
Is this story writer an xxx?!!
"I'll go back. Really..."
"Hey, Rainelle? As
expected..."
"As expected, what? You think I've gotten smarter?"
"Uh, um... ---A
little bit?"
I wasn't angry at Aria's
behavior of saying that while darting her eyes around.
---Even I myself thought that I was really
stupid after possessing the body of a crow.
"Of course, I have to
be smart. Think about it. I have gained great strength, but if I’m simple and
use my strength recklessly, what do you think will happen?"
"---The Capital will
be destroyed."
"Or, I die before
that."
At that, Aria shut her
mouth.
Why? It’s true.
"Will the army who
guards the Capital stand still? They'll attack. I can dodge by flying, but... I
can't leave Karmeut alone."
Aria didn't respond. But
she looked at me with a complicated expression. Then she let out a long sigh
and mumbled,
"Sigh...
Rainelle..."
"---Why are you
reacting like this?"
"Wuu... the cute feeling is gone... Rainelle was really cute
too..."
"...what?"
"I will not say it if I don’t
think so! I can't lie!"
"That's right, but do you have to
say that in front of me?!"
"I’ll tell you! It’s better than
lying, right?!"
"Hey!!"
When I yelled at her, Aria
deliberately turned her head on purpose.
Ha?? I don’t wanna lose in an argument!!
"Then I will take the
Crobanlock!"
"You can't just do that!!"
"Why not? Karmeut's
life is still at stake!"
At that, Aria bit her
lower lip. I lowered my shoulders and said with a groan,
"Don't worry. I won't
take it."
"Huh? Why? Taking it
away is the safest way, isn't it?"
"Fool. Then it will
warp the original story. Although it has already been twisted by my existence."
"---Isn’t it good to
be different from the original...?"
"It's good if Karmeut
lives. What if Namuel awakened in a different way after the Crobanlock is
taken? What if he awakens in a way we don't know about?"
"---!! Oh..."
Aria clenched her fists and
her face crumpled as if she wanted to pluck her hair, then she shouted,
"Ah! Then it's going
to be a real pain in the ass!!"
"Right? Wouldn't it be better to know the future to some
extent?"
"You know that if you take the
wrong step forward by riding the original route, it’s going to be bad,
right?"
"There's no way it's going to go
completely like the original. I'm here."
When I pointed it out,
Aria answered with an even more bizarre expression on her face,
"...I wanted to
tackle you because it felt like you’re showing off, but I can't say anything
because you’re right."
"Give up and accept
it."
"...Ah, really!! Give
me back the cute Rainelle from before!"
"Rejected!"
"You’re so
mean!!"
Aria
leaned her back on the chair as if she was tired of the exchange.
Then a quiet voice can be
heard,
"...Sorry."
"Huh?"
"It’s because I
attacked Namuel... No, because I fell in love."
When Aria said that, I
looked at her. Aria, with her eyes closed, was leaning her head comfortably
against the chair. It was as if she didn't want to meet my eyes, so she did it
on purpose.
"It would have been
better if it was a different target character than Namuel. At least Karmeut
wouldn't have to die. It's only Namuel’s and Sedarun’s route where characters
die "
Saying that, Aria gently
turned her head slightly. Her behavior made me laugh somehow.
"Then, Aria, if you
go back to that time, do you think you'll be able to love someone else? Other
target characters like Miel and Galenos?"
"..."
Aria didn't answer. Then,
slightly, very slightly, she shook her head. Because that was her answer, I
shrugged my shoulders.
"I know that people
can't change their feelings as they want like that. That's why I'm thinking of
resolving it in a way that doesn't involve taking the Crobanlock away if possible."
"...Is that so?"
"No one has the right
to say things that force their minds on others, right?"
Besides, it’s not like I hate Aria either.
I swallowed the words and
lifted my head.
The sky was blue, and
white flakes of clouds were floating around.
"--Ah, then, we have
no choice but to make a plan assuming Namuel eats the Crobanlock."
“I came to see you because
of that, because now I am not a crow that can simply turn into a human.”
Aria sighed again. Then
there was a long silence. I didn't have much to say either, so I closed my
mouth.
"...how about
attracting Sedarun?"
"---What? That hidden
character? Are you talking about the assassin character?"
Hearing me question it,
Aria nodded her head.
"---Isn't that
dangerous? He’s a target character, but he's an assassin, so if we make a
mistake, we might get assassinated, right?"
"If we went along
with the original storyline, we have to take risks to twist the crucial part.
Isn’t that also why Rainelle met the Crow deity?"
"That's right."
"We need to add at least one
card. Ha, really... love is hard."
"Still, giving up is not a
choice."
"Giving
up? That's what you use to count cabbage1."
At Aria's resolute words, I giggled.
“Well, if both you and I could give up, we wouldn’t have to worry so much, would we?”
"Right. So let's
cheer each other."
I nodded my head to Aria
who clenched her fist as she said so.
"Then I'll go
now."
"Already?"
"I went out without
telling Karmeut. Plus... they say the more cards you have, the better, right?
I’ll prepare my cards in my own way."
"...Then I'm in
charge of Sedarun?"
“Isn’t it easier than me
who doesn’t have the original heroine buff?”
"Ah, that... I don't
think it's as simple as that... He’s called the hidden character for a
reason…"
I finally pulled out my
trump card at Aria's whining behavior,
"If you do it, I'll
let you touch, hug, and pet me as a crow as much as you want for a week."
"Okay then!!"
---I like that it's easy to negotiate. But I
don't know why I'm getting so confused.
After swallowing a sigh
inside, I turned into a crow and flew to the sky to return to the Imperial
Palace.
"That child is also a human with a soul
from another world."
"Yes, she is."
"Is she trustworthy?"
After I arrived at the
Imperial Palace’s grounds, I pondered for a moment at Eileen-nim's voice asking
if Aria was trustworthy.
Is Aria trustworthy?
"Um... I don't
know."
"You don’t know?"
"She's a good and
pleasant person. That's why I hope it goes well. ---But this involves the
person she fell in love with... so I'm not sure."
For Aria, Namuel is at
stake, and for me, Karmeut is at stake too.
---This is not an easy problem at all.
As I frowned at the
uncomfortable and anxious feeling, Eileen-nim's voice can be heard,
"Don't worry too much, sweetheart. If it's
really urgent,
I'll use my power."
"—Eileen-nim’s?"
"Yeah. Of course, it's a method when everything else
is not working. Don't rely on me too much. Because my power has a big
impact."
I nodded at Eileen-nim's words.
Great power comes with a great backlash.
...But it made me feel like I had insurance, so I felt much more reassured. A
smile slipped out of my lighter heart.
"...Huh? It's
Karmeut, isn't it?"
When I saw Kamut walking
down the hallway, I was somehow curious and happy. So I folded her wings and
went over to him.
"Karmeut!"
"...Rainelle?"
As if surprised, his eyes opened wide.
Then he smiled slightly at the sight of me.
Well, it would be surprising to see me flying with my wings
out in the shape of a human being.
"Do you want to fly around with
me for a bit, Karmeut?"
"...Ah, I'm on my way to the
office. My work isn't done yet..."
---I don't know why Karmeut looked so
salty when he said that.
I'd like to help him...
"Rainelle, would you like to come
with me?"
"---Huh? Where? The office?"
Karmeut nodded his head. Then he added
with a clumsy smile,
"I wish Rainelle say yes. Just
being by my side is enough. Can you do that for me?"
How can I reject him who asked so cutely? Thinking like that, I nodded my head.
"Yeah, okay! I have
nothing to do anyway, and I'm curious to see how Karmeut works."
Hearing that, Karmeut’s
smile broaden. Then he politely reached out his hand towards me. When I gripped
it back gently, I made my wings disappear.
"Let’s go, then. My Lady?"
"...Puho2! What is that?"
"Hmm, you don't like it?"
"No. It's just weird and
fun."
Unable to suppress my
laughter, I walked down the hallway with him. The office was not as far away as
I thought, so we arrived quickly.
...The office, as I had
seen before, was full of stacked paperwork. Karmeut, who looked tired as he
looked at that, shook his head and smiled.
"Sit there. You can
always go back when you get bored."
Saying so, he immediately
sat down and held up a quill. My mouth gaped slightly as I watched him start
working right away.
Oh my gosh, a man who focuses on something is
said to be attractive, but is it really like this?
The serious expression,
the sharp jawline seen from the side, and the movement of the quill moving in a
slanted manner were simple, but I couldn't take my eyes off him.
How should I say it? Should I say it's neat?
Maybe it's because it's something I don't usually see.
Karmeut was already
concentrating on processing the paperwork. He told me to go back when I was
bored, but I didn't get tired of watching him like that, so I continued to look
at him blankly.
*knock, knock, knock-*
I wonder how long I have
been watching him. Suddenly knocks can be heard, and Kamut, as well as me,
jumped slightly.
"Come in."
After he answered in a
low, calm voice, the door opened and someone walked in.
"Your Majesty, all
the nobles have gathered."
"...Ah. It is that
time already?"
The person who opened the
door looked like an aide. The person dressed neatly as a whole. He greeted me
with a simple nod before making a report to Karmeut.
By the way, already time? Is it a nobles
meeting?
I was curious, but somehow
I couldn't open my mouth easily because it seemed like a difficult atmosphere
to speak into.
"---Ah, there's a
nobles meeting. It's a regular thing."
Perhaps he noticed my
curiosity, Karmeut turned his head and explained.
Aha... Well, nobles should gather together to
discuss policy directions and solve other issues. ---Eh, wait a minute.
"Karmeut."
"Hm? What is it,
Rainelle?"
"Can I join the
meeting too?"
Hearing that, Karmeut
widened his eyes slightly. Surprisingly, the aide seemed to be the same.
"...Excuse me,
Rainelle-nim, why don't you reconsider?"
"---Why is
that?"
"It's because we
didn't consider Rainelle-nim's attendance at the nobles meeting scheduled now.
There may be some shortcomings..."
It was not that I did not
understand the feelings of the aide who spoke softly and said that it would be
difficult for me to go.
---Because I'm an uninvited guest. But I also
want to attend for a reason.
"I'm guessing that
it's uncomfortable and difficult for me to be there in many ways. ---But in the
future, I have to meet a lot of nobles. Besides, I also need to learn a little
about government affairs. I'm not going to participate and give my opinion.
I’ll just be another person who'll watch and observe the way the meeting went
at the side."
Yes, that, and I will have to filter out those
who like me and those who don't. ...but it won't be easy.
The aide looked at Karmeut
with a perplexed look. Receiving that gaze, Karmeut turned to me.
"Rainelle."
"...can't it?"
He looked at me for a
while and sighed softly. Then he answered with a smile,
"There's nothing you couldn’t do,
especially since you have a reason for it."
"---! Thank you, Karmeut."
"But don't stay away from me,
okay? Like you said, just watch."
"Okay, I just wanted to see the
atmosphere anyway."
"...Then, Rainelle-nim will also
participate. Shall I inform the nobles?"
"Yes."
The aide left the office after a bow
of courtesy.
---I gulped inside.
...it's a coincidence, but it’s an opportunity to meet the
nobles in person. Keep your mind straight, me. People in politics are like
savages no matter where they are, so if I make a mistake, their opinion will be
easily swayed.
In order not to bother Karmeut, let's just shut up and
observe. After all, I'll have to deal with people
like that to the point of getting sick of it.
***
Notes:
1 A similar sense to one of Napoleon's famous quotes ‘Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.’↩
2 She almost burst into a laugh ↩
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