Chapter 102
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Magical Girl
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Swung...."
Swungswung curled up into a ball and hopped onto my head.
He'd grown bigger, but Swungswung's body was still just a single black cloth.
In other words, curling up like that let him shrink right back to his old size.
Now shaped like a black bowler hat, Swungswung gently cradled my head feathers.
"Swungswung."
Was he feeling the same way I was?
For some reason, I kept getting the feeling my head was about to get stepped on.
"What do you think? Can you trust me now, nya? If you accept my offer, I'll tell you the location, nya!"
"Caw."
Since Chacha's words had turned into an actual quest, the odds of her lying were zero.
She was telling the truth, and heading to the spot she mentioned would greatly boost our chances of running into Cheshire Cat.
"Caw."
Having received this info, it was only right to give something in return.
Sure, some bird might listen and then fly off without a second thought, but I was a crow who repaid favors.
"Caw caw."
But what was it she wanted, anyway?
Improved working conditions?
"Get rid of this nya-body! This is too much, nya! I won't beg you to fully heal my magic circuits, nya! But please, just get rid of this, nya! And these cat ears too! Nya!"
Hmm....
I preferred the cat-eared maid character over the Red Witch vibe anyway.
Still, passing the message to Gretel should be doable.
"Thanks, nya! One more thing now that I think about it—that Gretel girl's kinda weird, nya. How can she casually make someone do this stuff, nya? And this is a secret, nya.... Th-there was definitely a tail too, nya! I don't know how she got me to wear it, but it's horrifying, nya!"
A cat tail too?
Gretel's tastes were intriguing.
"Be careful, nya. I saw one for crows too, nya. So that innocent face of hers.... Doing that to crows...."
A crow version, huh.
Chacha sure knew how to crack a joke.
There was no way she actually had one of those, so she was probably just saying to hurry up and fix her before it became a real threat to me.
"Oh? You saw that?"
"Yeah, nya! She was putting cat ears on a crow.... Hiiiyaaak!"
Had wearing the cat-ear headband really turned her into a full-on cat? Chacha let out a startled meow.
She jumped in shock upon realizing Gretel was suddenly standing right beside her.
"I wondered what you were whispering about, but yelling like that makes it impossible to ignore."
"Th-that's...."
Chacha must've figured Gretel would be too busy feeding Moona and wiping his beak to notice.
In truth, Gretel did have superhuman focus when helping Moona, tuning out most background chatter.
But not this time.
She seemed to have caught every word Chacha had whispered.
...Though it wasn't exactly a whisper.
"S-sorry, nya...! I won't do it again, nya! So please, anything but the fireplace...."
"Oh my? You're thinking weird things again. Why would I do that?"
"Th-that's...."
Just watching made it hard to breathe.
"Caw...."
Good thing Gretel was on our side— if she were an enemy, we'd be in deep trouble.
As an ally, Gretel was fantastic.
That soft voice, the occasional gentle smile.
Aside from her bizarre tastes, she was the perfect teammate.
But as an enemy? No way I'd think that.
Of course, she was probably going easy because of what Chacha had done in the past.
No, even stopping at this level was something to be grateful for.
If she'd caught any other Night Witch, it'd be straight into the fireplace, no exceptions.
"Anyway, you were having quite the fun chat, huh? We should share these stories with everyone, but telling just Crow makes me jealous~?"
Chacha trembled all over.
"Hiiyaak...."
And Cherry and Kiki were shaking too.
No, why are you two scared?
You're not Night Witches, so you don't need to worry.
In that tense atmosphere, Chacha explained everything to Gretel.
Info on the Lion Heart King was better from Cheshire Cat than Gretel's books, and she knew how to make contact.
"Striped cat, huh. I've gotten tips from her a few times. Her info's reliable enough. Personality's a bit iffy, though."
If Gretel said that, Cheshire Cat's attitude must really suck.
"I'm all for it either way. Our maid wouldn't lie, right?"
"Y-yeah, nya...."
"Hmm, but sending you off right after reuniting feels like a waste. The trip'll be tough too. If someone helped out, it'd go smoother."
At those words, Black Wolf's tail started wagging.
Wag wag wag.
"...Hey, what're you looking at? I'm not saying use my tail fur, got it? Try it and see!"
So she was saying to use her tail fur.
I didn't really want to under normal circumstances, but since she insisted....
Fine, I'd use it up good.
"Having Wolf help Crow would make things easier! But I'd like to offer even more assistance~?"
More help from here?
Was Gretel joining the fight herself?
That'd be reassuring.
No, reassuring or not— we could probably just storm Lion Heart King's Castle.
"Sadly, I'm stuck here and can't leave."
Right, that was it.
Gretel couldn't leave this cabin.
Whether she meant the gingerbread house or the whole forest, it meant she couldn't come with us.
"But I know a way to help."
"Caw caw."
Gretel's help, huh.
Maybe remote magic bombardment from afar?
That alone would be awesome.
I'd flap into position, and flames would rain down from above.
It wasn't my spell, but it'd boost my rep anyway.
I'm great at dramatic entrances, so a little showmanship would make it seem like my power.
"I like magic, but I'm pretty into alchemy too? Thanks to my new friends, I whipped up something fun."
Gretel was skilled in magic, but her alchemy was no slouch either.
Cooped up researching all day in this cabin, her skills had to be top-notch.
She probably had some overlap with that shut-in Plague Witch.
Difference being, Plague Witch did bad alchemy, Gretel did good alchemy.
But what fun thing?
Not the cat ears and tail, right?
"Hmph."
Black Wolf huffed primly and turned her head away.
Gretel smiled at her, then handed me a tuft of red fur.
「Black Wolf's Red Tail Fur」
An item crafted from Black Wolf's tail fur.
Remodeled with Shadow Wolf powers, it can summon a compatible wave-length ally for a limited time.
Returns automatically after a set duration.
I widened my eyes and read the description.
"Caaaaw!"
What was this!?
Alchemy could do stuff like this!?
Well, it wasn't that weird.
I could read Black Wolf's tail fur powers with my own eyes—it was a special item.
Similar to the gems I got from beating Host of the Eternal Night.
Moona and Swungswung had enhanced those gems' effects.
So Black Wolf's tail fur could be altered the same way.
"Unlike Wolf, it's single-use with a strict timer, but still pretty useful."
Probably not easy to make.
And it came with restrictions.
Still, summoning backup mid-fight besides Black Wolf was a huge edge.
Summon Gretel with this!
...Yeah, no, that wouldn't work.
"It can summon the Red Witch, albeit limited."
Name's Red Tail Fur, so it'd be her.
"Congrats, Chacha. You can regain that power you wanted, even if just for a bit~?"
Chacha's body shook at Gretel's words.
Too happy to contain herself?
To help me out, she'd need her magic restored.
No way they'd send her in this state.
This might be Chacha's golden chance.
Her last shot at recovering her old power and escaping this place.
...Thinking that way, it felt kinda off.
What if she backstabs me?
"Don't worry, Crow. I'll train her properly while you're heading to your goal."
Gretel smiled.
"Red Witch—no, I'll turn her into a proper magical girl."
I could somehow see the future.
Not the old brawling Red Witch, but a shy magical girl with cat ears and tail.
A maid-outfit magical girl drawing hearts in the air while chanting weird spells.
"Nyaaaaak! Nooo, nya! That's hell! Hell, nya!!!"
And apparently, I wasn't the only one picturing it.
...Sounds kinda fun, though?
"Magical girl" had a way of stirring a male crow's heart.
Made me wanna contract with them to become magical girls too.
"...Caw?"
I locked eyes with Cherry and Kiki, trembling and watching from behind.
Would that make Cherry and Kiki her seniors?
"Caw caw caw caw."
Crow Witch—no, Crow Magical Girl production plan formed.
My instincts told me:
This would work.
In all kinds of ways.
A path to rolling in tribute....