Chapter 108
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Parrot
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A bird with white feathers flapped its wings as it stared at us.
If its feathers hadn't been falling out in clumps, it really would have been beautiful, but this one's plumage was a patchy mess.
"Seda!"
The parrot opened its beak wide and squawked at me.
I echoed the sentiment in my mind.
Seda!
No, why are you acting like that when you're a bird yourself?
First bird you've ever seen?
"Kawk."
【Cockatoo】
A type of parrot with pure white feathers.
Highly intelligent and curious, they enjoy interacting with humans and other intelligent beings.
They're not just good at mimicking human speech—they're smart enough to teach it to other parrots, too.
【Skills】
「Parrot's Eye LV1」
「Flexible Body LV2」
「Courtship Dance LV6」
【Traits】
「Sturdy Beak」
「Flexible Vocal Cords」
「Sharp Talons」
A cockatoo, huh?
These guys are pretty famous.
They sing well and dance great, right?
And look at that trait: Flexible Vocal Cords.
If I had that, I'd probably mimic human speech even better.
Though it might not make much difference.
I can already mimic human words with my current vocal cords.
The problem is that when I speak, it comes out in a creepy Scarecrow voice.
But why's that skill level so high?
Everything else is normal, but Courtship Dance is at LV6.
What the heck has this guy been up to?
Well, since we've met, might as well try to make friends.
Sway, sway.
I added a little wave to my neck and got into position.
Let's go full Bollywood.
They like dancing, so if I bust a move, we might bond fast.
"Weird, weird!"
"Freaky, freaky!"
It says that so casually, right in front of the crows.
"Kawk..."
Even so, can you really say that to my face?
And what's wrong with my dancing?
Swungswung loves it the most.
"...Shwoong."
Swungswung patted my shoulder with his tiny arms, like he was comforting me.
"Head's intact!"
"Head's intact!"
Huh?
"Kawk?"
Turns out they weren't reacting to my dance.
"Fluffy!"
"Fluffy! Fluffy!"
Guess they're just shocked that unlike them, my head feathers are still full and lush?
"Kawk, kak."
My chest feathers puffed up on their own.
I wish they'd compliment my feathers more.
"Hm, I think I get it now. Are you the ones responding to my call?"
Unfortunately, Moona stole the spotlight.
Well, communicating with Moona's dignified voice beats my cawing any day.
"Handsome!"
"Pretty!"
And the parrots react even more enthusiastically to Moona than I expected.
These guys don't have a feather problem—their heads are the problem.
That doesn't suit Moona at all.
I don't see handsome or pretty when I look at him.
Is it because I'm still thinking with a human head?
From a bird's eyes, maybe Moona's super pretty?
...Nah, no way.
No matter how I look, he doesn't seem that way.
"Pleased to meet you. Call me Moona, seeker of truth and follower of fine cuisine."
"Moona, Moona!"
Good response, at least.
Chatting with their own kind beats me, I guess.
...Wait, aren't I the same species?
"Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!"
"Good. We're here investigating the mysterious happenings around these parts. Like the sudden rain, for instance."
At those words, the parrots went wild.
They flapped their wings and hopped around like they all had something to say.
"Me! Me!"
"I'll say it!"
"How'd you know?"
"Gretel told us."
"Gretel! Good girl, good girl!"
Hearing "Gretel" softened even the wary ones' expressions.
"Yes, tell us about this jungle. And I'm curious why your beautiful feathers are falling out."
"Sad! Sad!"
"Feathers! Plucked, plucked!"
They wail dramatically with sad eyes.
To pluck a bird's feathers like that.
And targeting the head feathers so obsessively.
Dabih and Vega must be the worst of the worst.
"Oh? Were the ones who plucked your feathers named Dabih and Vega, by any chance?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Smart! Smart!"
The parrots gazed at Moona with sparkling eyes.
They could've been wary of this random kiwi bird, but confirming the Gretel connection made them super friendly.
Or maybe they're just smitten with Moona's looks.
"Pretty, pretty!"
...Smitten with that?
Is there something about Moona I don't get?
Cheshire calls him a sexy big sis, and now parrots are fawning over him.
I don't get it, but maybe I have to accept that Moona's a pretty kiwi bird.
"Hm."
Moona shuddered like something was in his eye.
...Is that a wink?
Why's he looking at me while doing it?
I'll shelve my thoughts on Moona's looks.
Something about it is bothering me.
I don't know why.
"From my investigations, I suspected they were making it rain to exploit you. Is that true?"
"Smart!"
"Yes, yes!"
As expected, Dabih and Vega were exploiting these birds.
"Is the reason your head feathers were plucked part of that exploitation?"
"Similar! But different!"
"Similar but different... So they plucked them for a different purpose than exploitation."
"Exactly, exactly!"
I observed the parrots' reactions.
They seemed simpler than expected.
"Rest easy. We're here to help you."
"Yay, yay!"
"But in this state, it won't be easy to help."
"Sad, sad!"
More honest than simple, maybe?
This straightforwardness works for us.
We can decide our moves easily.
"We lack clues. If you share information, we can resolve this more smoothly."
No sooner had Moona finished than the parrots started chattering over each other.
Their loud voices nearly shook the jungle, but Moona and I patiently listened.
"Evil spirits, evil spirits! Bad, bad! They imprisoned us and made us work! Meanies!"
"Yes! Evil spirits, evil spirits!"
Doesn't sound like the tragic love story Cheshire wants.
More like evil bosses imprisoning and exploiting parrots.
"Evil spirits, huh. We thought they might be nymphs, but not?"
"Nymphs? No idea!"
They say it so innocently.
Nymphs must not be common knowledge.
"But evil spirits! Evil spirits!"
They keep repeating "evil spirits."
Evil spirits.
If they're really evil spirits, this'll be straightforward.
I ground my beak gently.
「Evil-Exterminating Beak」
The beak of a divine bird that exterminates the world's evils.
Extremely sturdy and sharp, it allows consumption of things that defy reason.
Grants resistance to natural environments and eliminates recoil from beak attacks.
Can directly strike impure entities and magical rituals.
This beak is the Evil-Exterminating Beak.
I've only used it to poke Moona's butt so far, but it's finally getting its debut.
I handled evil spirits fine even before this trait, so with it now, they'll be a tasty meal.
Of course, our goal isn't to exterminate them—it's to get the info Cheshire wants.
"Evil spirits. Hmm... Do you mean wraiths, perhaps?"
"Wraiths? What's that?"
"Dunno, dunno!"
They don't know wraiths either.
Probably none around here.
Humans' grudge wrapped in cloth as a wraith makes sense they don't show up in dense forests like this.
"Hm, Rebecca. Could you show yourself for a moment?"
Moona asked Swungswung.
Swungswung squirmed out of my arms reluctantly.
The parrots stared, then leaped up in unison.
"Kyaaah! Kyak!"
"Similar, similar!"
"Looks alike! Looks alike!"
Oh?
Unexpected intel.
Figuring out Dabih and Vega's true nature this easily.
"Different! But kinda similar!"
"Same vibe! Chilly and... black...?"
Probably not the same species.
Swungswung's a unique species, after all.
"Shwoong?"
I stared piercingly at Swungswung's crown.
【Shadow Wraith Queen】
An advanced form of the Shadow Wraith.
A unique species evolved through unconventional means, inheriting the traits of Shadow Wraiths.
It can manipulate shiny objects with power from the crown on its head. Despite its innocent face, it's clever and knows everything it needs to.
Swungswung isn't a normal wraith.
He's a Shadow Wraith Queen.
"Queen" in the name means something.
And Dabih and Vega resemble Swungswung somehow.
...This might resolve easier than I thought.