Of All
Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #123
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s
POV
Karmeut blinked slowly.
Feeling anxious about him not responding right away, I continued to speak,
"Is he really taking a break? If
that's the case, we can just not have the lesson for a few days, no need to
replace him, right?"
My class wasn't like the classes at school, and missing a
day wouldn’t be a big problem. Namuel
was the person I personally designated as a teacher,
furthermore, it wouldn’t be a big deal if his class is canceled for a few days.
I was nervous. My instinct
was ringing a warning bell that something was wrong.
"---I'm sorry,
Rainelle. For keeping it from you."
After hearing Karmeut's
reply, I felt like my head went blank.
"...that, what does
that mean?"
Karmeut said with a really
sorry expression,
"I kept it a secret
because I thought you'd stop him... I'm planning to tell you after he had left…
Marquis Namuel had left for the Milburn territory."
--- I felt like I was
struck by lightning when I heard that he had left.
Leave?! Milburn territory?! Namuel is?!
"Kar, Karmeut, I
personally chose Namuel. But why-"
“Of course, I know that
well. I also stopped Namuel because of that. But…”
He sighed softly and
finished his speech,
"I couldn't stop him
from leaving to research Crobanlock. You know that, don’t you, Rainelle? How
valuable Crobanlock is."
Hearing those words, my
mouth opened and closed over and over.
No, this is crazy!! Me, the one who had met the
Black Bird, is here! Research on Crobanlock? Bullshit!!
"If that's the case, he should
tell me!"
I was angry at Namuel for acting unexpectedly. And I felt bitter at Karmeut for
supporting such unexpected behavior.
You can die, Karmeut! Agh, well, Karmeut
doesn't know anything. Haah! Damn it!!
"I said so. But
Namuel refused. He said that his actions
might be sacrilege in the eyes of the Black Bird, and that you might find it
offensive because you had met the Black Bird."
I was stunned.
"That’s why he left without
saying goodbye?"
Why are you treating me like a stranger? Huh?! What!! To
me, what you’re doing is more like sacrilege!!
"...Then, uh, where's that...
Milburn territory?"
"… It is a territorial area in
the west of the Empire, the territory closest to the Qubelian Mountains that
cross the continent. It's close to the western end of the Empire, so it's far
away."
I'm going crazy. He went to the western end of
the Empire?? Crazy. Crazy!!
"---Are you okay,
Rainelle?"
As my complexion changed from
moment to moment, Karmeut carefully asked the question, perhaps worried. But,
to be honest, I didn't have the spirit left to answer that question.
No. Is it a good thing that he has gone far?
Wouldn't Karmeut be safe if he awakened while being so far away?
It felt like my mind was
cluttered with various thoughts. I tried to untangle the thread, but it felt
like the more I did it, the more I twisted it.
Karmeut shouldn't die, but when I try to do
something, why does it keep getting like this?
"---Rainelle?"
I was suddenly awakened by
Karmeut's actions, approaching me with narrowed eyebrows as if suspicious.
"Sorry, Karmeut, I'm
going somewhere for a bit."
"---What?"
I didn't wait for his
answer. I went to the window and opened it wide, then I turned into a crow and
flew into the sky.
I must inform Adriana of
the current situation. We need to come up
with some countermeasures! If we don't, we will get into a big accident!
It seemed like it was the
first time I had flapped my wings so desperately ever since Karmeut became
emperor.
Crazy!! Even when I went to meet the Black
Bird, it wasn't like this!!
I went to Aria's manor and
looked for her.
Where are you, where are you!! Ah! Found you!!
ARIAAA!!
I rushed to ArIa who was
on the terrace of her room.
"Huh? Rai...
Ouch!"
The problem was that I
couldn't hold my strength and crashed into her almost like a head slam.
Oh my gosh... the, the world is spinning...
"Ouch, ouch, ouch...
Rainelle?! What's going on? In such a hurry..."
I was able to gain consciousness
through her action of carefully grabbing me with both hands and lifting me.
Ah! There's no time for me to feel dizzy right
now!
"Aria! Big
trouble!"
"...? Big
trouble?"
Aria seemed puzzled at my
sudden action of saying that there was big trouble. But her expression
stiffened at my next words.
"Namuel is
gone!"
"---Gone? To
where?!"
"To the west of the
empire, to a place called Milburn territory.
According to Karmeut, it is the closest place to the Qubelian
Mountains..."
At the sight of Aria who had stiffened with her mouth wide
open, I grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her body.
"Aria!! I understand that it
feels like you’re going crazy, but come to your senses!
Did something like this happen in the original game?!"
"Oh, crazy... there isn’t such a
sxxt! What's this sudden and unexpected behavior!! No,
more than that, why did he go somewhere else?! You don't give me an answer and
went to another territory?! You coward!! If someone confessed, at least you are
supposed to give your answer!!"
The image of Aria
clenching her fists while swearing was so powerful that I backed away without
realizing it. But Aria seemed really angry to the top of her head.
"Haah?!! How much
effort did I put in!! But you just ignored it and ran away?! I shyly confessed
that I like you and even showed it by giving you a Crobanlock!! I think ‘of course it takes time, so be patient,
patient, patient…’ and wait for your response, you punk!! And you
unexpectedly went for a dive which isn’t even in the original story?!”
"Hey there... Aria, calm
down..."
"Do I look like I can calm down
now?! It’s so difficult for him to answer?! I like this man, but I have to
break this punk's head---!!"
"No! A mage's head is precious!!
What if you damage the brain too?!!"
"I just have to be careful,
enough just to make a crack in his skull!"
“No! That won't do you any good! Calm
down!!”
Again, I grabbed and shook Aria, who was so angry to the point that fire was
about to come out of her mouth.
As a measure, I changed
into a crow and showed my cuteness, and then she seemed to calm down a little
as she hugged me.
“Whoo, whoo, whoo… Okay, whoo, let’s
calm down, calm down…”
"---Are you calming
down now?"
"--- Rainelle, I'm
really sorry, but can I hold you while you’re in crow form a little longer? If
I don't, I think I'm really going to chase him to where he is and punch him
with all my might."
When she said that, I
flinched and turned back into a crow.
Well, after meeting Eileen-nim, aren’t I able
to talk in the form of a crow?
Thinking that there would
be no problem with holding a conversation, I sat quietly on Aria's lap. Then a
hand gently stroking my back followed. After exhaling roughly, Aria opened her
mouth,
"Why did Namuel
suddenly leave for the Milburn territory?"
"Well, Karmeut said
that it is to study Crobanlock."
"What!! Rainelle, you
can even speak in the form of a crow?!"
"Huh? Yeah. It was
possible after I met the Black Bird."
"My!! Then, can't we
talk like this in the future?!"
"...this isn't
important right now! Can't you focus on Namuel again!!"
I squeaked and then jabbed
Aria's finger as I yelled at her. Then an unpleasant scream followed.
"Ahhh, it hurts so bad!!"
"After you were so angry that
fire was blowing from your mouth, you’re going off the mark now!"
"---Gah!! I almost forgot!!"
Aria, who was pulling her hair for a
moment with a strange scream, pouted her lips.
"---Ugh… Rainelle, why do you
think Namuel went to the Milburn territory?"
"Huh? Me? You asked me?"
"Yes. In a way, I
think Rainelle would know better. You take Namuel’s class, right?"
"...He hasn't been to
class for a few days, so I only heard the reason when I asked Karmeut."
"---Of course, there
is that, but..."
Aria, who answered
uncharacteristically gloomy, sighed and buried her face in my back. Aria said
as I flinched at the warmth and breath I felt through my feathers,
"Other than that, do
you know why? You know what they say. ‘There are
times when you don't know how you feel’. It comes out often in novels, right?
In other people's eyes, they are clearly in love, but the people themselves
think it’s one-sided. It’s a typical sweet potato1 development."
"---Oh, I know. It’s so
common."
The stronger the sweet potato, the
better the cider2 that comes after it.
"Even when Rainelle was
insensible about Karmeut’s feelings, I can clearly see that it’s love."
"---Heuk, cough, cough!!"
Come on, why did you bring up the past all of a sudden?!
Embarrassed and bewildered, I
struggled to avert my gaze. But Aria's words were not over.
"So... tell me. From Rainelle's point of view, what do you think the
relationship between me and Namuel is? Does it look like I’m miserably in a
one-sided love? An unrequited love?"
At that, I turned my body
and looked at Aria. When I saw her being so timid and insecure, unlike usual, I
felt like I was hit on the head.
What. Why did I think Aria would be fine? Did I
think it was okay because she knew the original story better than I did?
Because she was always bright, cheerful, and smiley?
Actually, Aria must have been worried and
nervous about every single thing too. Just as I was worried about
the relationship with Karmeut. Or perhaps, she’s more
anxious?
Unlike Karmeut and me, Namuel was not friendly
towards Aria in the beginning.
Still, she worked hard because he is her
favorite character and the one she likes. But if Namuel had gone to another
place, unlike the original story...
How anxious she must be.
If Karmeut was like that, I would have been
anxious and trembling too.
When I understood Aria's
feelings, which I had never paid attention to because I was too busy with other
things, I felt unbearably sorry for her.
I've relied on Aria once or twice, but I didn't
think about her being able to rely on me.
I bowed my head and
smashed my beak onto Aria's thin fingers. When I felt a faint twitch, I said
quietly,
"Don't be too
anxious, Aria."
"...but, Namuel has
left. Until now, he acted similarly to the original story, so even if he keeps
his distance, even if I feel burdened, I’ve been holding
on, thinking that one day he will open his heart to me-, but not now."
A fluctuating voice that seemed about
to cry reached my ears. As I raised my head, her blue
eyes filled with tears filled my vision.
I changed into human form.
Then I hugged Aria tightly. Patting her, who received my gentle hug without
resisting, on the back, I said,
"I understand how
your anxiety. -But that doesn't mean your efforts weren’t worth anything.
Namuel seems to have been distressed about it."
"...distressed…?"
"Yeah. The Crobanlock. When I
asked who gave it to him, he was unexpectedly embarrassed and struggled to
change the subject."
I kept quiet about the part where I tease him because it was funny.
“I’m not sure because I
don't know much about relationships or anything, but… if Namuel really didn’t
like you, wouldn’t he have refused the
Crobanlock or sold it to someone else? Because Namuel didn’t seem to have much
desire to awaken. "
He would have eaten it earlier if he had wanted that in the
first place. And he wouldn't have said such a thing3 when he offered his
Crobanlock to Karmeut back then.
---Of course, those words may just be coming out of me...
But at least in my perspective, Namuel was sincere.
"But Namuel didn't do
that, and he left in the name of research. Myrdin-nim guessed that Crobanlock was a piece of the Black Bird’s eggshell-, and Namuel is
aware of that too. Knowing that, it's strange that he went to another place to
do the research."
These were the words I came up with to
appease Aria, but I also convinced myself with the plausible words.
...Right? Even though he knew that, it's strange that he
immediately went somewhere else to do the research.
"So, I don't think Namuel would
have left like this if he has no feelings for you. Because there would be no
reason for him to leave."
So I patted Aria on the back,
comforting her, saying, "Don't be too anxious." Then her shoulders
shuddered, and the sound of sobbing came out of her.
---Even though you always smile, you actually hold a lot
inside.
***
Notes:
1 I’ve attached this before, but in case you forget: 고구마 is ‘sweet potato’ refer to an adjective or a noun to express the speaker’s frustrated or impatient feeling about a situation or a person, the feeling similar to what you may feel when you eat sweet potato without any beverage.↩
2 사이다 is from ‘cider’ and it means a soda drink such as Sprite in Korea. But in here it's used as the opposite meaning to sweet potato above by Koreans. When you have sweet potato and you feel uneasy, if you drink ‘Cider’, you feel great and happy. Cider is used to express that kind of feeling. ↩
3 Back in chapter 14 (Oh, how we have come such a long way, sniff), Karmeut asked: "Giving it to me... have you never thought about eating it yourself?", and Namuel answered: "Of course, it's not that I didn't... But I have the blood of the Imperial Family running through my body. If I eat Crobanlock, there is a high probability that I will 'awaken' like Prince Luwellin. And that's not to my liking. I'm a wizard who decided to walk on the path of magic. I'm not one to seize power through the blood of the Imperial Family." ↩
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