episode_0248

“… Regulus.”

-It’s a bit unpleasant to hear my name coming from the mouth of a lowly creature. Did that traitorous bitch tell you?

Every time a faint voice echoed, blood spurted out in all directions from the cross-section of the neck. The body of the crow, which had long since died, was trembling more and more.

-Still, it was worth giving the gift. It’s nice to see you like it this much.

“What did you do to the captain?”

-Well? What do you think I would have done?

My whole body was shaking violently. My eyes were sore as if they were going to pop out, as if blood was rushing to my head. These were all sensations that came from anger, not fear.

It was a completely useless emotion in the current situation. I knew very well that my anger was actually becoming a nutrient that caused the bastard’s pleasure.

But the most patience I could muster right now was to not wring that crow’s neck.

-Why don’t you try to guess?

Even in this situation, it was fortunate that at least a modicum of reason remained. It was the time left for the headless crow to stand on its own two feet. In that time, I had to extract as many clues as possible from it.

Any clues that might be relevant to the current situation.

-Haha, you know everything but you pretend not to. I even kindly sent you a dream. Don’t you remember?

But at the words of the headless bird, a sharp pain that felt like my heart was being pierced engulfed my whole body once again.

“No way… ”

The witch’s whispers meant only one thing: last night’s experience was truly more than a nightmare.

-I see you finally remembered!

Pushut – Blood splattered at the high-toned voice.

-I thought that if a human had the power of Polaris, he would definitely be able to see our memories. Well, there’s no need to be thankful. I just thought it was a sight too good to keep to myself. Oh my, a sight that pierces the heart of an adversary… How wonderful…

Let’s calm down. Right now, it’s a priority to think about its intentions. Every word is so obvious that it’s trying to provoke me on purpose.

-I told you, you’re a surprisingly stupid person. You couldn’t forget a woman who just passed you by and ended up messing things up in the end. You should’ve seen that expression on his face…!

There is nothing that a crow’s body, which is not even a real body, can do. That is why he is throwing away the captain’s arm and wagging his wicked tongue to try to shake me.

– Isn’t that right? Your ‘captain’ was worried about your safety right up until the moment his heart was pierced. Was your academy life going well, did you have a girlfriend, did you accidentally touch someone… Phew!

The crow flapped its wings as if laughing.

-Does that make sense? Who would that heartless man worry about? Even someone who isn’t even his blood relative!

As we talked, my mind cooled down a bit. Thanks to that, I was able to sort out the situation with only dry reasoning, excluding emotions as much as possible. Of course, even that required a considerable amount of mental effort.

First of all, it was clear that something had happened to the captain and his sisters. He could understand not only the frozen arm in front of him, but also the reason why the nightmare last night was so vivid.

The leader was the witches’ greatest enemy. It would be nice to kill him.

But there was no way he would have traveled this far in the form of a crow just to leave behind a mere mockery.

“What do you want to say?”

-Ahem…

A small snort was heard. A brief silence followed.

-My precious captain and sisters. What if they are still alive?

And after a while, with blood gushing out, a very simple word was heard, and my firmly held heart collapsed into nothingness.

-Haha, I decided to show them mercy. Instead of taking their fleeting lives, I decided to interpret them and accept them as ‘us’.

The crow flaps its wings again. Judging by the rotten, black blood flowing out, time really is running out.

“Mercy… you say?”

– They were quite difficult enemies. It’s worth interpreting. Well, I don’t have much time. To be exact, I’m barely holding my breath.

I don’t know what he meant by the interpretation he was talking about, but I can clearly see why he said it.

The witches were calling me to their land.

With the lives of the captain and his sisters hanging on the scales.

The snotty whispers were just disgusting. He knew our weak points all too well, yet he had no hesitation in exploiting them.

Paradoxically, this may be possible because we do not have a mind.

-If you truly cherish them, then it would be your duty as a ‘human’ to come and rescue them. Oh, but don’t even think about asking for help from others. If you don’t come yourself, I might blow your opponent’s head off in disappointment…

“… Don’t be fooled.”

-what?

“I won’t be fooled by your lies.”

And I forced my mouth open and barely managed to squeeze out words. I tried with all my might to somehow appear calm.

“The captain and his sisters would have died long ago. It’s too late to go save them now. Even if they were alive, they wouldn’t want my salvation. You don’t know them. I’m sorry, but your disgusting lies… ”

-Puhhhh… Puhihi…!

But I was overlooking one fact.

-No, that’s not it.

The devil sees right through our hearts so accurately.

-Their thoughts don’t matter now.

The hazy voice opened its mouth again. There was a distinct hint of joy in it.

-What matters is your heart right now. The hatred you hold toward me, the desire for revenge, the anxiety, and… even the slim hope.

Heheheehe. A mocking laugh echoes hollowly through the air.

-You have no choice but to step forward to save them. That is the most important proposition of our conversation now. Even if…

The headless crow was now unable to control its body. It was shaking its wings and staggering its legs as if it were drunk.

And soon, the hazy voice left its last words as if it were a will.

-… Even if everything I just said was a lie.

-Pfft!

Feathers and clumps of blood fly everywhere with a loud noise. The pungent taste of blood lingers on the tip of my tongue. What flows down my face is the cold sensation of death.

The surroundings were quiet as if nothing had happened. However, the witch’s last words were still engraved in my mind like a curse, and they still held me captive.

The most disheartening thing of all was the fact that I could not possibly deny its whispers.

“Fuck… ”

***

“… ”

The principal’s office. Haewolhwa was staring at her former student’s arm with a calm, calm gaze. No emotion could be read from the eyes that were briefly visible.

After a while, Haewolhwa glanced around. The masked boy who had brought his arm out looked visibly tired.

His precarious inner self could be felt very well even through the mask.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

And then Haewolhwa opened her mouth after a long silence.

“You said you had a dream?”

“Yes.”

“And have you ever had a similar dream before?”

“That’s right.”

The masked boy nodded faintly as she summarized the story.

“But given the circumstances… it’s clear that it wasn’t a dream, but something that really happened. I can’t explain it properly, but it’s clear that I was connected to them in some way… ”

“There’s no need to explain it like that. I believe what you say.”

Haewolhwa cut off the boy’s trembling voice and answered dryly.

“Aren’t you in a position where you have their power in your body? If witches can share thoughts, then it’s only natural that you can do so too.”

She approached the sofa, buried herself in it, and calmly took out a cigarette and lit it. Soon, a sweet scent and colorful smoke were released into the air.

“That’s what the captured witch Spica said. They must be desperately hoping to get your powers back.”

Soon she turned her gaze back to the masked boy.

“This incident also seems to be a plot for him. It is a provocation with a strong intention to lure you. Of course you know that much, right?”

“… Yes.”

Haewolhwa was finally able to relax a little when she saw him nodding obediently. Both sides had to assume that fact in order for the story to be established.

The power that the masked boy possessed was originally intended to destroy all living things on this land.

A power that no wizard can dare to rival, a power that is almost invincible if you exaggerate.

Now, that power was actually a dagger stabbing the witches. It was natural for the witches to want to recover their power.

And of course, it was something that could not be handed over simply according to its intention.

“… You just need to know. For now, go and calm down. I’ll take care of this from now on. ”

Haewolhwa continued speaking while looking at the masked male student standing tall.

“Still, thank you for understanding my intentions. If we lose you here too, we… ”

However, Haewolhwa closed her mouth because of a sudden premonition. A strange energy was leaking out from the boy. Haewolhwa was able to immediately realize that she had made a mistake.

“No way.”

Haewolhwa, who guessed his intention, immediately shook her head. The girl suddenly got up from her seat and glared at the masked boy.

Now, he was dealing with Haewolhwa in a rather calm manner.

“He said that if I didn’t come in person, he would kill the leader and his sisters.”

“Bullshit. Didn’t I tell you? It’s an obvious trick.”

Haewolhwa cut him off on the spot with a rebuke.

“Those kids are already dead. Don’t be foolish anymore. Don’t you understand? If you pass on from here, their sacrifices will be in vain… !”

“I have to go. As long as there is even a glimmer of possibility left.”

“Cannot be allowed.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t come here to ask for permission.”

The eyes beneath the mask were shining softly. It wasn’t difficult to guess his complete determination.

“I came to inform you.”