Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Sage
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Is it that it can speak human language, or is it some kind of automatic translation letting me understand it?
Whatever it is, I've found a creature I can communicate with.
Sure, I did see one person when I hatched from the egg, but that woman threw me out the window the moment she saw me, so she doesn't count.
A nocturnal bird with fully regressed wings.
It moves quickly using its well-developed leg muscles and finds prey with its excellent sense of smell.
It looks like just an ordinary kiwi at a glance...
Mimicry LV10
High-Speed Thinking
Gourmet
Sage
But looking at this, it's anything but ordinary.
"It's been ages since I last saw a new seed, so my introduction came late."
Mimicry makes sense, but those traits are no joke.
"My name is Muna. They also call me the Sage."
Sage Muna!
So this kiwi's name is Muna.
A name fit for a repository of knowledge.
"Caw caw."
I nodded my head vigorously.
It's responding kindly, so I should return the favor.
Words won't work, so I'll have to use body language as much as possible.
"A tree felled by long years of storms, yet its vitality still pulses in this space. I can't deny it's tinged with my personal tastes, but please make yourself at home."
...I have no idea what it's saying, but it seems like it's lending me its nest.
Night's already late, so I can crash here for a day.
I followed where the kiwi led.
There was a hole just the right size in the tree Muna had been hanging from, and passing through it revealed a surprisingly spacious area.
"Chirp...!"
A place that could rival the nest I made?
It was intricately crafted in a way you wouldn't think a kiwi bird built.
Probably push that thing to seal the entrance.
...But if it has a nest like this, why was it hanging from a branch?
Just personal preference, maybe.
"As I mentioned earlier, you should fill your belly first. I don't know the details, but you seem to have been through quite a lot."
"Caw caw."
No reason to turn down food.
Wonder what it'll give me.
Kiwi, right?
Sweet and tangy kiwi?
"What a captivating fruit. I call it the Sun Fruit."
Disappointing, but what Muna brought wasn't kiwi.
It had a plausible name, but it looked like a shrunken bell pepper.
"Chiiirp...."
I was hoping for kiwi, but bell pepper?
Still, bell peppers aren't bad, so I'll eat it gladly.
Look at that kiwi's wistful expression.
This little bird truly believes this fruit is more valuable than kiwi.
And it has the Gourmet trait, right?
This might actually surpass kiwi in taste.
"Caw caw."
I pecked at the fruit, which I guessed was a bell pepper, alongside Muna.
"Do you understand why I like this fruit so much?"
Not really.
The crisp texture is nice, but it can't beat kiwi's sweetness.
"I read it in an ancient tome long ago. They say the flesh of the Sun Fruit hides flavors we can't even comprehend."
A flavor beyond comprehension?
More importantly, tomes?
You can read too?
"Unable to accept that, I relentlessly researched and pursued knowledge. I don't even remember how many years passed, but in the end, I managed to taste it, if only just a little."
"Caw."
I flapped my wings, trying to clap.
"The taste of swallowing blazing fire. If it soaks up the sun's light, maybe it tastes like this. It's closer to pain than flavor, but in a way, it qualifies as taste."
The kid seems nice, but it sure talks fancy.
Isn't it just talking about spiciness?
"...Caw?"
Mid-peck, I realized the truth.
I let my guard down because it had no smell.
It wasn't like a bell pepper.
This fruit's true nature was chili pepper.
"Caaaaw."
But I'm a crow now.
And it's common knowledge that birds can't taste spiciness.
I wondered if that was true, but it seems it is.
I'm devouring this chili with no issues.
....
"CAAAAAW!"
Like hell birds can't taste spice.
"O bird like a curtain of pitch black, is something amiss?"
"Cawww.... Hack...."
The delayed burn makes it even worse!
I flapped my wings frantically and dunked my beak into the water bowl inside the nest.
"Chirp, chiiiirp...."
I gulped down water and stuck my tongue out to cool it as much as possible.
My beak still tingles.
How is it this spicy?
Way beyond any chili I know.
As I cooled my tongue and beak, I locked eyes with two black dots gazing at me soulfully.
"Chirp...."
I feel like I did something rude.
It shared its precious fruit, and here I am spitting it out and shoving my beak in the water.
No guest could be more troublesome.
"Fascinating, a chain of intriguing events!"
Thankfully, Muna didn't get mad.
The two black dots just vanished from its face.
Meaning it closed its tiny eyes in thought.
It seems subtly excited, or maybe that's my imagination.
The black dots reappeared.
"A reaction just like swallowing the sun itself. You must have truly tasted the Sun Fruit."
My movements froze for a moment at those words.
Ah, so this is spiciness.
But it's not ending at that level.
For starters, this kiwi's intelligence is beyond imagination.
It's embarrassing to compare it to the ones I've met, and it might even surpass humans.
It just noticed something odd about my behavior.
Birds don't taste spiciness, but I did.
"Caw...."
In other words, it realized I'm no ordinary bird!
"Whether this is an ill omen or a good one remains to be seen. But you're undoubtedly no ordinary being."
Thankfully, Muna is taking a friendly stance toward me.
"Is it the wind's prank, or the moon's trial? Judging by your feathers, you seem like a fledgling that hatched not long ago."
"Chirp chirp."
A faint golden glow emanated from Muna's body.
A beauty incomparable to the acorn or feathers I'd seen.
Though no stealable feathers were visible, my instincts told me this encounter was worth far more than a single feather.
"Allow me to make you a proposal."
What are the odds?
I fled the mantis and ended up here with this bird.
"All I can offer you is my modest knowledge."
No, this isn't coincidence.
One of the traits I chose.
Fateful Encounter.
In other words, a serendipitous opportunity.
"But I can't share all my knowledge. You can't fit an ocean in one vessel, after all. So I'll give you two choices."
"Caw!"
When I made my character, I prioritized potential and serendipity above all.
The rest were just to survive or seize those until they bloomed.
Of course, I never dreamed my character would be a crow or that I'd possess it, but the framework is the same.
I need to milk this guy for all he's worth.
To counter the 20-point penalty, I have to use everything at my disposal.
"The first is to tell you the location of a place where you can safely live out the rest of your days."
A safe place?
I tilted my head and listened closely to Muna.
Serendipity can slip by unnoticed.
"A place without predators, overflowing with bugs and seeds to fill your belly—a near paradise on earth."
If the Sage says so, it might really be safe.
Though I couldn't agree with "paradise on earth."
A normal bird might chirp happily, but I'm a crow with a human mind.
Seeds and bugs won't satisfy me.
"Choose this, and you'll live comfortably in that form until your end."
A safe haven that won't let you starve.
Not a bad spot, all things considered.
"The second choice is information about this world."
...Information about this world?
Did this kiwi see through that I was originally human?
"An egg is a world. You broke yours and faced a new one. Meaning you have no info on this place. Am I wrong?"
Phew, doesn't seem so.
It's offering info for a newborn bird.
But can I really choose between these?
"Info on a hideout. Or info on the world you face. Which do you want?"
Live comfortably in a safe hideout until death vs. get a bit of info.
Who'd pick the second?
But that's exactly why the first feels off.
Think carefully.
Isn't it pushing the first choice way too obviously?
Does serendipity show up so plainly?
Why did I pick Improved Insight and Genius?
To not miss serendipity.
"Heh, your very hesitation proves you're different from the rest."
My little scheme worked.
The "just one more hint, please" tactic succeeded.
"You're a commendable being who isn't satisfied with merely filling your hungry belly. Perfect timing, too. It wouldn't be bad to let those black eyes of yours glimpse the world for a moment."
With that, the kiwi bird took the lead.
Inside the nest was a crude staircase-like setup.
Wondered how a wingless kiwi got up there—climbed this, huh?
I followed Muna up, and atop the tree, I was left speechless.
The sight before me was unbelievable.
What I saw was night.
An endlessly vast curtain of darkness.
The reason I was shocked? I'd confirmed the sun was up just moments ago.
This dark in that short time?
"Hmm... Questions, but I'll skip for now. Not the point."
The kiwi pointed its beak at the empty air.
My gaze followed, and I spotted a white cloth fluttering in the sky.
"Kyahahaha!"
An eerie woman's laughter.
Myriad cloths swimming through the heavens.
Beings I hadn't seen by day revealed themselves.
An ominous thing made of skulls, a hunting dog's corpse not yet fully rotted, a grotesque shark with three legs, something unknown with a pumpkin head.
They prowled the streets.
"Even as a fledgling, you know this sight isn't natural."
This world is normally like this.
Doesn't seem that way.
The Sage said this isn't normal.
"Eternal Night. Those afflicted by that plague-like curse."
Eternal Night.
I couldn't let that keyword pass unheard.