Of All
Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #126
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
"Long time no see!
How are you?"
I wanted to tear my hair
out at the sight of the male crow talking to me with an excited expression.
No way, no way, you...
Did you go looking for Crobanlock in the last
few weeks I haven't seen you?! And you
managed to find one and eat it?! People stomp their feet because it's so hard
to find, but you tell me that you found it in a few weeks?
Do I have to praise this guy for being
tenacious?!
...And! Why did come to me after you eat it?!!
Male crow, you---!!
The male crow's appearance
itself rattled me, so I couldn't react except to open and close my mouth over
and over again.
-How can I react?! What kind of reaction should
I give to be normal? Can you tell me?!
The male crow, who seemed
to be confused about my reaction, was just smiling. Perhaps feeling that my
behavior unusual, a maid came to my side and whispered,
"Rainelle-nim, that
person... No, that crow, shall we drive him away?"
"No, wait a
minute."
Preventing the maid to
kick him out, I then approached the male crow. He was still grinning.
"Did you find and eat
Crobanlock? No, was it to find Crobanlock that you disappeared until now?"
"Yeah! I had a little
trouble finding Crobanlock, but I found one and ate it."
"Why? For what? You
didn't have reason to eat it, right?"
I was genuinely curious.
Why did a crow, whose top priority is to survive in its territory, search and
eat the fruit? I don't think the effort and risk it takes was worth it.
I looked at him. Frowning
slightly as if he was offended by my question, he said as if disappointed,
"Until now, it was
okay not to eat one, and there was no need to eat. Rather than turning into a
human by eating Crobanlock, a good territory, a warm nest, and a female to mate
with were more important."
"But?"
"But, a female who I
really want to pair up with appeared."
Saying so, he took a step
forward. His eyes, which shimmered intensely, contained emotions that could not
be seen in ordinary animals.
"Isn't it the male
who does everything possible to please the female?"
I was speechless. The
crow's words were a logic that applied to most wild animals.
Exceptions exist, of
course, but usually males woo females, and it is up to the females to accept or
not accept them. The crow's life was also like that. Singing or flying as if to
show off how much power they have is the male's behavior during the breeding
season.
---But still, this male
crow's behavior was strange. Usually, if unsuccessful, another female will be
courted. Because that way is more advantageous for leaving one's descendants.
This crow's behavior...
He might not realize it, but his
reluctance to give up was like human.
"It's strange,
though. Usually, if courtship fails, they'll find another female."
"Usually yes."
The crow meekly nodded his
head. But his words were not over,
"But I don't want to
pair up with just any female. It's best to cherish and take care of each other
until one of us dies. If there's no big accident, we'll be together for the
rest of our lives. I don't want to be with a female who doesn't even have that
kind of existence in my heart. That's why until now, even when the mating
season came, but..."
His gaze grew more
intense.
"You, a female I want
to be with for the rest of my life, appeared. In my eyes, you're really pretty
and lovable, so I thought I'd want to be with you for the rest of my
life."
Having said that, the crow
tilted his head. As if he didn't understand himself, there was a sense of confusion,
"And... I don't feel like finding another
female because I've been rejected. Even if I know it’s weird, but I like
you."
The crow's gaze was so
intense that it was burdensome. It may be cliché, but it was like a flame.
"I want to be with
you. I don't like other females, I like you, I want to mate with you, have
offspring, and raise them, so I went to find Crobanlock. If I become a little
like you, I think I can change your mind a little bit."
It was direct. The
sincerity was so clear that it hurt. To the point where I wondered if one could
really want and long for something so purely.
But I'm sorry I couldn't reciprocate your feelings. If I
even accept it because I'm feeling sorry, it will be a lie, won’t it?
I feel sorry for you, but it would be better to answer this
kind of thing straightforwardly.
It was when I was about to
open my mouth as I thought that,
"---What's all this
fuss about?"
---It was a voice I never
wanted to hear in this place, in this situation. As I turned my head, it was as
if it moved with rusty hinges.
And of course, Karmeut was
standing there. He was with his entourage.
The emotion of anger was
burning in Karmeut's eyes. It was to the extent that I was afraid to ask about
since what part he had been listening in. Seeing him like that, the male crow
also tensed his body. He seemed to instinctively feel the hostility aimed
towards him.
"Who are you?"
Karmeut's voice as he
asked that question was sharp. It was a fierce voice that made my shoulders
shrank even though it wasn't directed at me.
"Why should I
explain?"
The male crow replied
sharply. Maybe he didn't like the way humans commanded him.
Or maybe he didn't want to
appear weak in front of me, I don't know.
But one thing was certain. That was a
very poor answer.
Karmeut chuckled and laughed. ---But his eyes were not smiling.
"Grab him and put him in
jail."
"As you command, Your
Majesty!"
As Karmeut's order fell, the knights
immediately carried it out.
Oh my God!
Ah, no, come to think of it, the male crow is an
unidentified intruder(?), right? So the knights are
doing what they are supposed to do, but...
Karmeut, is this the character you’re supposed
to be? Normally, you would have listened to what was going on first, no?
Is that not it? Is this what Karmeut is like? Ahhh, I'm
confused!!
"What! Let go of
me!!"
The male crow screamed in
panic, but the knights wouldn't let him go. Rather, it seemed that they were
giving strength to their arms while making a stern expression.
As if showing how powerful
the knights were, the crow waved his arm violently, but he wasn’t able to shake
them off.
The crow's face crumpled
at the words of the knight who said,
"If you won’t stay
calm, we'll have no choice but to treat you roughly."
The next moment, with a
*pop* sound, the knights holding the male crow's arms staggered. The male crow
returned to his original form in an instant and soared high into the sky with a
sharp cry.
Like he can't just leave as he had
been trampled on in front of me, the male crow hovered in the air for a moment.
The bristly feathers seemed to
represent his heightened nerves.
The male crow's gaze then
drawn to Karmeut. Disgruntled, as if he was very displeased to find Karmeut
there, he let out a cry.
“Caaaw!”
After shouting once, it
flew high and then disappeared.
---In the situation that
ended in an instant, only silence lingered. ---I was the one who couldn't stand
the silence, so I opened my mouth with a light sigh,
"---Let me explain,
Your Majesty. Regarding this, I'd like to
talk to you alone. Will it be okay?"
"...That would be nice. This
way."
Karmeut voiced out a command, as if he
was quite angry.
Well, that’s understandable. If I witnessed a
woman confessing to Karmeut, I would be angry too.
The problem is, just before I was about to say
no, Karmeut stepped in and things got ambiguous…
It would have ended relatively cleanly if I had
rejected the male crow on the spot, but since it went like this... From the
male crow's point of view, he’ll think that a male competitor intervened and so
the female couldn't answer, right?
He might think: ‘Just when we are about to be happy
together, that damn bastard interrupted!!’
...No no, this is not the time to think about this!! The
important thing right now is to placate the angry Karmeut!
While secretly grabbing my chest in
nervousness, I followed Karmeut. Because it was the Imperial Palace, the rooms
were really so many, so we went into a random room alone, with just the two of
us.
“---So, what’s with that crow which
ate Crobanlock?”
As soon as we entered the room,
Karmeut instantly threw a fastball which made my
mouth dry.
...Well, I'm proud of myself! I didn't look
away!
"...It’s the crow
that I met while going back and forth to Aria's manor. The crow has a territory
near the manor."
"Has he eaten
Crobanlock from the beginning?"
Karmeut's eyes flashed for
a moment as he asked that.
For some reason, I wanted
to burst out laughing at the sight, but I suppressed it.
Oh, really. It's so cute to see you being so
jealous.
The temptation to tease
him rose slowly in my heart. I was worried that
if I tease him here, Karmeut would get back at me.
Ah, let's not do that.
Of course, the fun was guaranteed, but
I quickly gave up because I didn't want to imagine
how to deal with the aftermath.
Ugh, won’t I die in bed if I do that?
"No, it was just a
normal crow. There can't be a Crobanlock in the Capital. Even if there was, who
would leave it anywhere for a wild crow to eat?"
At that, Karmeut went
silent.
I mean, there was absolutely nothing wrong with
what I said. If it is in the Capital, what kind of person would leave a shiny,
precious-looking fruit alone?
"That- that’s right."
"And to get to Aria's
manor, I have no choice but to pass through the crow's territory, or I have to
go around a long way."
"..."
With a face full of
displeasure, he shut his mouth. ---If he had been in the shape of a wolf, I’m
sure he would have been beating his tail to the floor.
But I also had my own
dissatisfaction.
It would have ended neatly if you hadn’t interfered right then
and there!
"By the way, since when have you
been watching?"
"Ever since he said that he had a
hard time finding Crobanlock."
---After watching it almost from the beginning, why did you
intervene only then?
Karmeut's behavior was absurd. But
what was even more absurd was his gaze that seemed to say, “I am very dissatisfied.”
A sigh came out of my
mouth. I didn't expect to see it until now, but it was surprising to see
Karmeut behaving like a child.
"Why did you cut
in?"
When I asked why he
interrupted, his eyes widened and his pupils shook.
---Ahh! He misunderstood! If I don't speak up
quickly, I'll be ruined!!
"If Kamut hadn't cut
in, I would have refused right on the spot and ended things cleanly."
"...uh?"
"I was going to say
no on the spot. ...What are you looking at with such surprised eyes?"
Karmeut averted his gaze,
seemingly feeling guilty. Then, without realizing it, my eyebrows went up.
"Don't tell me, did
you think I would accept it because I was tempted?"
"Oh, no. It can't
be."
"Yeah? If you thought
so, I'll be terribly disappointed."
Karmeut's shoulders shook
at the word ‘disappointment’.
---Look at this?
"You didn't jump out
because you couldn't trust your mate and
were anxious about another male courting me, did you?"
"..."
"Karmeut, you can swear on your
name, right?"
"..."
He was silent, then he lowered his head...
“---Sorry. I thought so a
little bit...”
It's good to be honest, but that doesn't mean I
won't get angry! Still, since you are admitting that, there is room
for extenuation.
"Why? Am I that unreliable?"
"No! It's not like that!"
Karmeut shook his head
violently, denying it at once. Then, his expression suddenly darkened.
"It's just... because
you're so charming, and because you're originally a crow... That's why I'm a
little bit nervous. He's a crow, and he can turn into a human from eating
Crobanlock..."
---To be honest, it wasn't
something I couldn't understand.
Yes, of course.
However!!
I went up to him, grabbed
his face and lifted it up. With a forced to purse lips, he stared at him with
wide-open eyes, as if surprised.
"Karmeut."
"...Uh, yes?"
"If you think like
that, it makes me, who is taking empress classes, look like an idiot."
"---!!"
It seemed only then did he
realize. His eyes widened.
His pupils shook so much
and his gestures became awkward, to the point that I felt my heart getting
lighter from it.
Karmeut is a bit of an idiot at times like
this, huh?
***
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