Of All Things, I Became a Crow

*Rainelle’s POV

...Eh? Is that okay?

I looked at Karmeut questionably. Then, he smiled and nodded as if he was saying that it was really okay.

Well, things are going weird, but... It seems that Karmeut really will become the emperor, so it doesn't matter---maybe.

*3^rd person POV

Everyone's eyes were on Karmeut. No, to be precise, they were on the crow that had moved to sit on Karmeut's arm.

She was a large crow with mysterious purple eyes that made one wonder if there were any animals with eyes like this. The crow, who briefly nodded as if she understood the prince's words, flew up.

The crow hovered over them, slowly flapping her wings that were larger than expected, and then lowered the altitude to be near the sofa. Then her appearance gradually began to change.

"---!!"

Namuel's eyes widened involuntarily. The change in front of him was astonishing. As the size of the crow grew, the legs became longer and thicker, and the wings also grew longer.

And the feathers on her body, including the ones on her wings, began to fall out and began to form the shape of a dress as she began to take on a human form. Namuel couldn't help but be amazed.

The explanation was long, but the change was instantaneous. In a few blinks, the crow had turned into a human woman.

The woman smoothed the hem of her dress, her white hand sweeping once through her hair which shone purple and green at certain angles like the feathers of the crow before. Her dress was made of black feathers. The woman looked at them for a moment, then she turned her head towards Karmeut and opened her mouth,

"...Is this okay?"

"Yes, that's enough. Thank you, Rainelle."

"I don't know why you want me to turn into my human form all of a sudden..."

The woman, who shook her head gently, approached Karmeut... but she stopped. Then, with a worried look, she looked at Namuel and Myrdin alternately. She seemed uneasy taking on her human form in front of anyone other than Karmeut and Galenos.

However, Myrdin didn't seem to care about Rainelle's reaction. No, rather, he looked at her with an expression of admiration, then he turned his head to the prince and said,

"Your Highness, you have obtained a very rare bird. It is very rare to find a crow that ate a Crobanlock."

"...! How do you know, Myrdin-nim?"

"Heh heh, I used to study on Crobanlock, and then I met one by chance. A crow that could take on a human form just like this beautiful lady under Your Highness’ care."

When he said that, Namuel suddenly came to his senses. He then looked at Rainelle with a look of regret. He muttered as he let out a long sigh,

"...this kind of mistake… I should have suspected that as she had a strangely high intelligence..."

Namuel, who had thought that her high intelligence was not an indication of such a rare bird and that she was just a common crow, blamed himself.

‘No matter how intelligent an animal is, it shouldn’t be able to grasp the situation of Bozcourt and can take such quick actions...!’ thought Namuel.

But whether Myrdin was trying to appease Namuel or not, the old wizard said,

“There is no need to blame yourself, Marquis. She’s indeed such a rare existence that I have only been able to meet one individual like her in my entire life. That one doesn't reveal the fact that he can transform into a human in front of people thanks to his high intelligence and bird-specific caution. Of course, the Crobanlock also plays a part."

Rainelle seemed to be in a bind. She looked at Namuel and Myrdin, then she turned back to her crow form and sat down on Karmeut's lap.

As the crow slightly dug into his arms and let out a quiet caw, the prince stroked her back reflexively. Karmeut asked a question as he squinted his eyes and gently scratched Rainelle’s chin, who let out a pleased cry,

"Myrdin, if you don't mind, can you elaborate more about Crobanlock and that one crow that ate it?"

"Oh, of course. I came here because I was concerned about the Your Highness’ health of the prince, but I also couldn't deny that I came because I was interested in Your Highness’ crow."

It was a dangerously honest remark in front of an Imperial Family, but Karmeut just shrugged it off. To be able to get such a reaction, the old wizard in front of them was a great being in many ways. Enough to make even the prince respect him.

As the story seemed like it would be long, Karmeut called a servant and ordered snacks along with tea to be brought in. Not long after her concentration returned, the crow cried out in worry as Karmeut had moved from the bed and changed to sit with the others.

Rainelle grabbed the hem of his sleeve and pulled it, but Karmeut just stroked her back as if saying it was okay.

Rainelle looked dissatisfied as she inflated her feathers to Karmeut's action while being sat on his lap. Then she shook her head and turned away.

Karmeut shed a cold sweat as he saw Rainelle's body clearly expressing 'whatever'. Luckily, she didn’t get off his lap.

Karmeut was stroking her feathers like he was relieved by that fact. Myrdin was looking at that scene as if it was very interesting.

"Hmm, then I’ll start by explaining about Crobanlock,"

Myrdin cleared his throat after he took a sip of his tea and said that as he fixed his gaze on Rainelle.

The crow ignored Karmeut's touch. She picked up at ate cookies as Myrydin continued,

"As most people know, Crobanlock is known as a mysterious fruit that grants different abilities to each person through 'awakening' if they endured it. And since the place where the fruit is found is random, it's impossible cultivating it and specify where it could be found right now."

Karmeut, who was a little sullen as Rainelle ate cookies alone, nodded his head. When Galenos and Namuel witnessed a completely different appearance from the prince that they knew, their pupils shook, but Myrdin continued speaking as if he saw nothing,

"By the way, do you know exactly what Crobanlock is?"

"...isn't it a fruit? A fruit with awakening power."

“Heh heh. When it comes to fruits, it comes from plants. However, there is no record of finding a plant that produces Crobanlock, and there is also a record that it was found in the polar regions. The fruit is randomly found regardless of the environment. ‘Do plants that produce those fruits really exist?’"

That fundamental question was not answered by Karmeut and Galenos. Only Namuel nodded slightly, understood Myrdin's words, and asked,

"Then you're saying it's not a fruit?"

"I’m sure that’s the case. If it’s real fruit, it would have only grown in specific places. This is only a hypothesis, but... Your Highness, can you tell us about the beginning of the Wolfric Family?"

Karmeut blinked his eyes slowly at the sudden request. However, it was not an unknown thing because it was a famous story that spread among the people, so he did not hesitate to open his mouth,

"It is said that the wolf of divine nature who served the god of creation gave his seed to humans and gave them his power. The wolf with divine power periodically visits humans who have inherited the blood of the wolf and paired with them. In the subsequent generations, the First Emperor, Wolfric Ervil de Marc Dael, led the people and founded the empire with the strongest power and leadership..."

Even while saying that, Karmeut did not understand Myrdin's intentions.

Karmeut: ‘...Why did he tell me to tell this story?’

"Yes, yes. ...but did you know that there are more divine animals besides the wolf that assisted the Creator?"

"I've heard of it, but..."

He had heard that because it was included in Theology among the educational subjects that he received since his childhood. However, because he wasn't very interested in Theology itself, he only knew that there was another divine animal and couldn't remember exactly what the other animal was.

"The divine wolf with a deep relationship with the Wolfric family. The animal that had the closest relationship with the wolf is the crow."

At those words, three pairs of eyes turned to Rainelle.

...the crow had a close relationship with the divine wolf?

"...caw?"

Rainelle, who had swallowed a piece of cookie, tilted her head. When she felt that their eyes were on her, Rainelle turned to the cookies. She bit one with her beak, and after a brief flapping, she had run away to the edge of the table.

Then, as the crow started to eat the cookie comfortably, the expression of 'no way', was apparent in the three young men’s eyes.

At their reaction, Myrdin chuckled and continued speaking,

"Of course, you can't compare it to Your Highness’ crow. It is described as a black bird, but it likely has a crow-like appearance. In any case, that bird became the wings of the wolf to see distant places and ate corpses for humans. It is said that the bird ate it so that the corpses won’t pile up. And it is also said that the bird entrusted that role to crows who resembled itself and scattered fragments of its eggshells on the ground."

Having that said, the next words could be guessed. So Karmeut responded to Myrdin's words this time,

“…Do you think that the eggshell fragments are Crobanlock?”

"It's not to the point where you can't understand it, is it? Of course, it's mentioned in Theology, so it's hard for a mage to blindly believe it... But I can't deny that it isn't. Rather, it's more rational than the hypothesis of it being a fruit."

"...if the content of Theology is true... Are you saying that Crobanlock is an object that exists for crows in the first place?"

"That's what I think, Marquis."

Myrdin, who said so, turned to Karmeut. Then he fixed his curious gaze on the prince and asked a question,

"If you don't mind, Your Highness. Could you tell me more about your crow? My thoughts on the relation between the Crobanlock and the crows are not far from being a highly credible hypothesis. Oh, of course... It would be better if the crow would cooperate."

After receiving the gaze of the old wizard burning with a passion for learning, Karmeut remained silent. Then he replied with a smile,

"I will cooperate if you want, Myrdin-nim. But..."

"Heh heh, when the word 'but' appears, you have to be prepared for the next words. Yes, what is it? The conditions for Your Highness’ cooperation."

Karmeut golden eyes gleamed strangely as he looked at Myrdin with a sly smile. Seeing the prince's gaze, the magician smiled as if he was having fun and patiently waited for an answer.

The prince quietly moved his hand and called the crow. Then the crow approached him coldly and reluctantly as if she was sulking. At such action, Karmeut laughed and stroked the crow's neck. At his fingertips, a sapphire pendant could be seen.

"Can you cast a spell on this necklace? Of course there's basic magic on it, but I'd like to engrave some more sophisticated spells on it."

"Hmm... let me see."

Myrdin leaned forward and looked at the necklace hanging around the crow's neck. The old wizard's eyes that scrutinize the necklace turned to Namuel.

"The Marquis has cast a spell."

"Yes, that's right."

"Hmm, hmmm... it’s magic that changes the necklace’s size according to the user. It's not difficult to add magic here... but what exactly do you want, Your Highness?"

"...According to what Myrdin-nim had said, Rainelle is a precious being, isn't she? Any magic that can keep such a being safe is good."

Hearing that, the old wizard chuckled.

"Heh heh. So that's how you answer it. All right. Shouldn't this old man believe what the young man says?"

Karmeut flinched at those words.

Was it because the stroking hand had stopped? The crow raised her head and let out a small cry.

At the sight of the prince who hurriedly moved his hand again, the old wizard chuckled politely and then nodded his head.

"Jewels are hard and have a lot of magical power because they have been created through a process that took many long years. Besides, if it's a sapphire of that size... how about not limiting it to magic?"

"...what do you mean?"

"There is also a good option called ‘spirit’. Wouldn't that be better? Crows are animals that fly in the sky, so Wind Spirit would suit her best."

Rainelle tilted her head and cawed like she was saying ‘huh?’. The others were also confused.

"...But, Myrdin-nim. As far as I know, dealing with spirits is very difficult..."

It was such a baffling proposal that Galenos, who had been silent until now, asked a question. As if supporting his question, Namuel also added some words,

"Besides, basically you need mana to deal with spirits, but the most important thing is the affinity with spirits, right? I don't think crows have both no matter how much Crobanlock they ate..."

"Well, is it really like what you said?"

***