Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Finding the Crows Part 1
-Scratch, scratch, scratch.
-Swish, swish, swish, swish…
The sound of grinding the Hydra's poison fang echoed throughout the workshop.
I wore a full-face mask made of blue bamboo thread and worked hard to sharpen the Hydra's fang. The Hydra's fang wasn't smooth and had thorn-like bumps on all sides, so it had to be polished to be made into a dagger.
This is why when you are bitten by a Hydra, the entire flesh falls off.
Having been grinding the Hydra's fang for hours, sweat was pouring down the inside of my mask. The work required my utmost attention to avoid injuring myself with the unrefined edges.
Besides, who knows when I'll come across a workshop of this caliber again?
There was an abundance of strange tools and materials in the wizards' workshop, which made it an ideal place to work on the poison fang. Such tasks were usually difficult to undertake in a regular forge.
"Master."
"Yes, what is it?"
"It's lunchtime."
"Already?"
"Yes."
I glanced at the closed door, then removed my mask and stepped outside. El was there, offering me a towel.
"Thank you."
Time had flown by so quickly. I wiped off the sweat with the towel and headed to the dining hall with El. Jamil was already there, in the midst of his meal.
"Theo, you've been busy since morning, haven't you?"
"There were some things that needed my attention."
Jamil moved to sit next to me. Then he set down the leg of a desert buffalo he had been eating and lowering his voice subtly.
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I can't speak freely in a place like this. Too many ears around."
"You could just lower your voice a bit."
Jamil chuckled as if he'd heard a particularly amusing joke, then leaned in closer and his voice dropped to a whisper.
"It's about 'that', 'that' thing."
"That thing?"
"The Black Gem."
"…..!"
Did Jamil already get some information about the Black Gem?
"…. Alright. Let's finish eating and continue this conversation in my room."
"Alright."
Jamil returned to devouring the leg of the desert buffalo.
-Gurgle…
Watching him eat made me realize how hungry I was. After all, I had hardly eaten anything at the feast the night before due to exhaustion. I ordered some more of the desert buffalo ribs and grabbed a piece of well-toasted white bread. Even the most ordinary bread becomes a delicacy when spread with raspberry jam and clawed camel butter. I took a big bite of the bread, feeling slightly less hungry with each chew.
El looked at what I was doing and began to spread jam and butter on HER bread, following my lead. The little girl still had quite the appetite.
The desert bull's ribs were simply grilled, but they were oozing with fat and not very appetizing. I mixed some herb powder and salt I had with me and sprinkled it over the ribs before savoring each bite. Oh, the richness of the juices! It was a world apart from the dry jerky we had in the swamp of death.
The accompanying potatoes, merely boiled, were surprisingly delicious as well. If they were topped with a dollop of cool mayonnaise, they…
"Hmm…"
The taste made the hardships we endured in the swamp of death melt away.
Of course, food was the best thing in this world too.
Perhaps because I had exerted myself by sharpening the Hydra fang since morning, everything seemed even tastier.
There's truth in the saying that food tastes best when earned through sweat.
"El, have some too."
"Yes, Master."
"That's right! Eat a lot and grow big, little one."
"I'm not little, small Master."
El's eyes widened into triangles as she looked at Jamil. The latter was very surprised by being called "Small Master" and widened his eyes roundly in return as he gazed back at El.
"Small Master?"
"Yes, small Master. Since Theodore is big Master."
"Isn't it obvious that I'm the big one between us?"
Jamil's incredulous remark was met with a warm smile from me.
"Let's just eat quietly."
Jamil and El quickly fell silent, making the mealtime quiet and peaceful.
After the meal, I returned to the workshop with Jamil. I meticulously checked the workshop for any signs of eavesdropping magic or similar surveillance before nodding at Jamil. It was a signal that all was clear.
"You found out something about the Black Gem?"
"Yes."
Jamil took a black gem out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Our vice captain started talking about it after seeing this."
"Vice captain?"
"He may be a beastman, but he's no slave-born. He's a tough one who joined the mercenaries voluntarily to find his sister."
"Skip the backstory. I'm curious about something else."
Jamil just shrugged.
"Patience, my friend. All of this is relevant."
I listened to Jamil's story with a displeased expression on my face.
"Thanks to you entrusting me with this, I nearly met my end last night. He attacked me with wild eyes, in the middle of my sleep no less. Not like him to be so cowardly."
"And then?"
"But who am I? Of course, I overpowered him. He started cursing and didn't explain why he attacked…"
"Get to the point, Jamil. I'm not interested in your near-death experience."
"Black Worm."
"Black Worm?"
"That's the name of the black gem. Black Worm. He cursed me, calling me a filthy crow using the Black Worm."
"After beating him senseless until he came to his senses, I pressed him for the full story, and he shared something intriguing about the so-called 'Crows'."
"Crows?"
"Yes, Crows. It's a nickname for those who use the black gems. These gems apparently make it impossible for the victim to defy the wielder, be it animal or monster…"
It all started to make sense.
The shadow wolves, the trolls, and the black gems.
"It seems our vice captain's sister was also abducted and fell victim to the black gem."
"So…"
"Right. That's why he lost it when he saw me with the gem."
I was lost in thought for a moment.
I had naively thought the black gem was merely a medium carrying some sort of obedience curse…
Such a simplistic view.
Mind control spells and curses were strictly forbidden across the continent.
Discovery meant immediate execution.
"…If there are those willing to take such risks for this, they must be of the vilest kind."
I let out a deep sigh. Jamil glanced at me briefly before continuing his thoughts.
"Theo, what happened in the empire might have been a coincidence, but this time, it's no accident."
"I think so too."
"And that's why…"
Jamil scratched the back of his head and gave a sly smile.
Wait, this seems… familiar?
"How about joining our mercenary group?"
Just as I thought.
"The Red Bear Mercenaries can protect you."
"I can manage on my own, thanks."
"The Crows are more dreadful than you think. My vice captain said they commit horrendous acts. Theo, you said you were ambushed in the swamp of death this time, right? They are targeting you."
"I have my duties to attend to."
Perhaps it was my overly firm response that silenced Jamil. He didn't speak further and only watched me with a face full of worry.
The quest of the origin god.
Completing this quest might reveal a clue to returning to my original world.
I have no desire to settle here; thus, I cannot be bound by anything.
"Anyway, thanks for the information."
"Don't mention it. We're friends, aren't we?"
"..."
I just shrugged my shoulders and put my work mask back on.
"The Red Bear Mercenaries will be heading back to the capital of Roshan tomorrow morning. If you ever need my help, feel free to seek me out."
"…Sure, friend."
"Hahaha!"
Maybe I shouldn't have used the word "friend"?
Jamil burst into a hearty laugh, waved his hand, and then left the workshop.
I found myself staring at the black gem left behind by Jamil for a long time.
"The Crows, huh…"
***
The Red Bear Mercenaries departed amidst a noisy farewell, and soon after, I completed my work on the Hydra's Poison Fang dagger. Now, only one task remained.
I had to sort out the cultists' items and deliver them to Agni, the western magic tower master.
Most of the cultists' belongings were used in rituals, so many of them held significant magical value.
While the temple might shun such items, wizards were a breed unbothered by their origins.
"Choosing the [Polyglot] trait was really a good choice."
Thanks to the [Polyglot] trait, I could roughly translate the demonic script engraved on the cultists' items.
"Hmm…"
This one is useless, so I'll sell it; this one too, and this one pretends to be useful but isn't, so I'll pass it along; this is praise for Rasghal, pass it along, and so on…
I stumbled upon a pebble the size of a palm amidst various items.
The pebble seemed so ordinary that I wondered if it had accidentally been mixed in with El's belongings.
However.
"This is…"
I gently traced the engraving on the bottom of the pebble with the tip of my finger. Fortunately, it was in a demonic script that I could read.
[Crow]
In an instant, I felt a grip on my breath as Jamil's words flashed through my mind.
Crow. A nickname for those who wield the black gems.
…. Could this be related to their summoning of the Hydra?
If they were intertwined with radical cultists like Rasghal's followers, they were far more dangerous than I had anticipated.
There's nothing good about getting attention from these guys…
Should I have heeded Jamil's advice and sought refuge with the Red Bear mercenaries for the time being?
"…. Haah."
The unexpected emergence of "Crows" muddled my thoughts.
Let's stay calm. After all, I was already aware that danger was imminent on this continent, wasn't I?
The "Crows" were merely one of those dangers.
As I had done until now, I would simply continue on my chosen path.
I know the flow of this game.
This knowledge was a tremendous advantage.
Understanding how the history of this game and this continent would unfold was akin to having the power to carve my own destiny.
I clenched the pebble tightly in my hand.
If the "Crows" were targeting me…
Then it was only right that I should target the "Crows" in return.
If they were involved in the incident at the swamp of death, it was certain they'd be linked to other significant events as well.
All I needed to do was start tracing their tail from now on.
"…. Let's do this."
It would be they, not I, who would end up regretting it.
Index
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone