Chapter 103
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Dabih and Vega
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"Shwoop."
I carefully tucked my tail feathers into Swungswung's embrace.
Black fur summons the Black Wolf, red fur calls the Red Cloak.
Even just gaining numerical superiority would be impressive enough, but since both the Black Wolf and the Red Cloak are powerhouses, they'll deliver even more than that.
The Black Wolf might lack raw combat power compared to the Red Cloak, but her utility meshes perfectly with my abilities.
And the Red Cloak is just brutally strong in the most straightforward way.
Of course, it all depends on how much mana Gretel channels back into them, but for short bursts, they should be able to unleash their full potential.
A couple of solid hits from them would swing the battle decisively in our favor.
"Th-then, what about us...!"
Cherry and Kiki's eyes sparkled as they listened.
Adorably enough, they were asking if there was a way to summon them too.
"Caw."
But summoning you two wouldn't really help much...
"Caw caw."
Well, what matters is the thought behind it.
"It's not something easy to make. And look, the color of those feathers changed? It's not like I can just whip one up on my own—it requires cooperation. Oh, are you offering to provide the materials?"
At those words, they shivered again.
It looked downright ominous.
I doubted they'd go for it, but it almost sounded like she was proposing some kind of live experiment.
Gretel smiled at Cherry and Kiki.
At a glance, it seemed like a kindly smile.
Unlike Chacha, the Night Witch, Cherry and Kiki were more like blank slates, so she'd surely treat them with kindness.
She'd shown a scary side because of Chacha's influence, but Gretel was undeniably a good person.
"A tragic love story, huh? I think I've heard something about that in passing."
"Caw?"
Gretel seemed to know about this incident.
Of course, she had no idea it was connected to the Cheshire Cat, but she knew the gist of the tragic love story Chacha had mentioned.
Information was always better the more you had.
I gently ruffled my tail feathers and waited for Gretel to continue.
"I've gotten close to some birds while living here. They come around sometimes to snag treats from the cottage. I can't leave this place, so I give them food, and in return, they tell me about the world they've seen."
Gretel couldn't leave the cottage.
Yet her information network was impressively vast.
I'd thought Hansel's quick feet were the source, but she had her own informants entirely separate from that.
Did the princess of the sleeping forest have such talents in the fairy tale?
Truth be told, the Gretel from the story wasn't particularly bird-friendly.
Hansel and Gretel had marked their path with bread crumbs, only for birds to devour them all, leaving the siblings lost.
Of course, fairy tales were fairy tales, and there was no guarantee this Gretel followed the script.
She carried Moona around everywhere, so she clearly liked birds.
And the way she sometimes shot me those inexplicable smiles suggested she just plain loved them all.
She'd stare right through me, sizing up the girth of my neck or legs, but that was probably just curiosity.
"What I heard this time was about these beings called Dabih and Vega."
Dabih and Vega.
Dabih was probably the guy, Vega the girl.
"Two people from different stations in life fell in love, but for some reason, they were kept apart. In their sorrow, they shed tears, and a river began to flood."
...Not a metaphor, but literally?
"That doesn't make any sense. Rivers don't flood just because someone cries. What do you think, Sir Moona?"
"Hm... Hard to speculate from the story alone, but we can safely say they're not human."
As the sage said, Dabih and Vega were likely inhuman entities.
"Even a massive giant or golem couldn't flood a river with tears."
"Exactly. It's nonsense. But blaming it on some weather-manipulating power... Hm, better to believe a giant's tears caused the flood."
"Caw?"
I tilted my head.
Sensing my doubt, Gretel continued right away.
"Manipulating the weather is incredibly difficult. It's not quite on the level of divine power like altering time, but even grand archmages can't cast it casually."
I was surprised once that even grand archmages couldn't control the weather freely, and again at the preceding remark.
She said shifting time zones was even harder than that—practically divine power.
"Caaaw...?"
But I can do that whenever I want...?
Just toss me a silver coin, and I can switch them around like crazy...?
Hell, even stockings work...?
As those thoughts crossed my mind, Gretel stared right at me.
"Caw."
I'd better keep my power under wraps.
If word got out about a crow that could freely manipulate time, hunters would come swarming.
And once they caught me, they'd work me to the bone.
Throwing silver coins and stockings at me every day.
"......Caw?"
Not a bad deal, actually.
"Filling this one cup with rainwater is far harder than commanding an entire lake's worth."
Gretel's finger tapped the cup in front of her.
"It might not look efficient or even that impressive on the surface. But this defies the natural order. So, claiming they made a river flood with rain? That's got to be a lie."
Dabih and Vega weren't controlling the weather—it was the birds' misconception.
Or more likely, the pair had deliberately misled them.
"The birds don't like these newly appeared Dabih and Vega. Their tears destroyed the birds' habitats. The birds are doing everything they can to stop those tears, and they're basically being exploited."
From the birds' perspective, Dabih and Vega were a disaster.
Torrential rains enough to flood a river were deadly to all life, but especially to birds.
Wet feathers meant no flying, and grounded birds were easy prey.
"Hoo. I see. Now it makes sense. They're dressing it up as a tragic love story, but there's clearly some other agenda. Using the birds as pawns is part of the plan."
Moona's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
His plump rear wiggled—he was quite invested in this.
Moona was a kiwi bird and a sage.
For such a sage to take interest meant this was no small matter.
"They're not just handling weather—they're wielding water itself. They're hiding their true power with it. Of course, that doesn't make them weak. Controlling enough water to flood a river is no joke. And mimicking rain with it? Easy enough."
Moona was narrowing it down.
I sometimes forgot what he was with that waddling gait, but moments like this confirmed he was a true sage.
"Ugh, what are you even talking about?"
The Black Wolf curled up, clearly uninterested, and tried to nap.
Seeing her like that made me oddly happy.
"Hng..."
Same for Kiki and Cherry, huh?
"Shwoong..."
Even Swungswung was starting to doze off.
I wanted to ask for a three-line summary and crash, but I couldn't.
I perked up my ears and focused on the conversation.
...While stifling a yawn.
"Not just any water-handling beast. The birds mistook them for humans, so they're inhuman but humanoid."
"And apparently both are stunningly beautiful."
"Beautiful, eh? That narrows the candidates."
Humanoid inhuman entities that control water.
Various figures from myths and fairy tales flashed through my mind.
But I didn't have enough clues or knowledge to pinpoint one.
"Sirens came to mind with the bird exploitation, but no. They might do it short-term, but they wouldn't sustain a long relationship with birds."
"Caw?"
I let out a puzzled caw, and Moona kindly explained.
"They despise birds. They think birds' chirping drowns out their songs. Plus, they live near the sea, not forests."
He rattled off info I didn't know.
Moona really was an invaluable blessing.
Had to keep this walking wisdom pouch close.
From now on, any siren I spotted got a preemptive strike.
If they hated birds species-wide, they'd attack me on sight anyway.
"That leaves one possibility. Gretel, do you have a candidate in mind?"
Having tightened the net, he handed the finale to his disciple.
Gretel's eyes sparkled at Moona's words.
"I haven't thought too deeply about it, but hearing you, it's coming together. Dabih and Vega... their true nature is..."
Their true nature is...?
"Water nymphs—nymphs, I believe."
...Nymphs!
No wonder their names ended with that special flair.