Chapter 112
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Cockatrice
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It might just be me getting ahead of myself, but no matter how I looked at it, this sounded exactly like my story.
A being that could hold one ability per feather, wielding countless powers at once.
No matter how much I thought about it, it had to be me.
To be precise, I could operate up to five traits simultaneously at the moment, but as I grew, the number of abilities I could handle would only increase.
And right now, even though it was five on paper, by teaming up with Swungswung, I could use as many abilities as I had feathers.
Not only did the abilities match mine perfectly, but considering all the circumstances, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was referring to me.
The wisest sage accompanying that existence.
That could only be Moona, of course.
There might be other sages in the world, but Moona was a legitimate one, certified by my own eyes.
And the most beautiful queen... that had to be Swungswung.
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【Shadow Race Queen】
An upper species of the Shadow Race.
A unique species evolved through an unconventional method, inheriting the traits of the Shadow Race.
It can manipulate shiny objects with the power originating from the crown on its head. Despite its innocent face, it's a clever being that knows everything it needs to.
【Skills】
「Ooooh LV4」
「Uuuu LV2」
「Shuooo LV1」
【Traits】
「Fluidization」
「Shadowization」
「Levitation」
「Queen of Gems」
The Queen trait was probably something others could have too.
Even the magpie right in front of me had the Queen of Birds trait, didn't she?
But the key phrase was "the most beautiful queen."
Swungswung's trait was Queen of Gems.
The Queen of Gems could certainly be called the most beautiful queen.
And I, who arrived in this forest with them?
I'd become the bird from legend that devours the night.
It was actually pretty spot on, in a way.
I had been hunting the Host of the Eternal Night, after all.
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat and gauged their reaction.
The savior you've all been waiting for has arrived.
That's what I wanted to convey.
"Sigh... And that's the problem. We gave power to Dabih and Vega to keep the prophesied being in check, but that being hasn't appeared. Now they're exploiting the birds with the power they gained."
I flapped my wings lightly and pointed at myself with a wingtip.
"Caw."
No, I'm right here.
The prophesied being.
"If only the prophesied being would appear and drive them off..."
"Caw."
That's me?
...I couldn't be entirely sure, to be honest.
It could just be a coincidence that the crow traveling with the wisest sage and the most beautiful queen happened to match my identity.
"We don't know exactly what that being is, but we do know it's powerful enough that we have to pull schemes like this to keep it in check. Still, legends are just legends. As long as the prophesied being doesn't appear, they'll keep using their power like they are now."
They gained power to oppose the prophesied being, but it never showed up.
And it probably wouldn't in the future either.
In that situation, Dabih and Vega were exploiting the birds with their power.
"It must be truly difficult. Especially for someone like Little Wind, who has feathers— they won't be able to overcome Dabih and Vega's abilities."
Saroka was right.
They had absurd powers like summoning rain and nullifying feathers.
If a bird that wielded fire through its feathers faced them, Dabih and Vega could nullify that fire entirely.
And I had no basic traits; instead, I filled that gap with my feathers.
What did that mean? Fighting Dabih and Vega would nullify all my traits.
And it wasn't just traits I'd lose.
【Afterglow Crow LV16】
【Skills】
「Crow's Eye LV5」
「Bird's Wisdom LV2」
「Night Feather LV1」
「Shadow Flame LV2」
「Night Summoning LV1」
「Twilight Feather LV3」
「Afterglow Feather LV1」
【Traits】
「Evil-Slaying Beak」
「Glow」
「Shadowization」
「Flexible Bones」
「Unyielding Flame of Revolution」
All skills tied to feathers would likely be sealed.
Not just skills with "feather" in the name, but even Shadow Flame, which used feathers as a medium, would be unusable.
Traits manifested from feathers in the first place, so they'd all be nullified.
That left me with just Crow's Eye, Bird's Wisdom, and Night Summoning.
None of which directly helped in combat, meaning I'd have to face them with nothing but my body and basics.
The reason I was strong was because I could combine and wield traits and skills in unconventional ways.
Others had limited uses, but I could unleash them wildly, overwhelming even superior foes until they fell.
But in this case, I couldn't play to my strengths.
Even core traits like Evil-Slaying Beak or Shadowization that defined me would be sealed, leaving just a big, ordinary crow.
Of course, that didn't mean there was no counter.
I still had a hidden card up my sleeve.
Even using it didn't guarantee victory, so it was still tricky.
"But even so, it's not like we have no countermeasures. Our forces are still too weak, so we've kept it secret as a trump card to reveal at the decisive moment. ...If Little Wind truly helps us, we'll share that information and cooperate fully."
The birds weren't just getting pushed around helplessly.
They seemed to have been building resistance against Dabih and Vega from the shadows.
"Caw."
I nodded lightly.
Since I'd already decided to help them, there was no backing out.
Combining my cards with theirs might lead to an answer.
"How fortunate that Little Wind has come here. ...Dabih and Vega's abilities aren't invincible. Their power seems utterly beyond reason, enough to dominate this entire forest. Yet they're only exploiting the birds."
"Hmm..."
Moona moved his beak as if intrigued.
"Their abilities were made solely to suppress birds. And we've found a way to counter it, even if just a little."
Saroka closed her eyes briefly, then continued in a calm tone, as if she'd made a decision.
"Cockatrice. Its poison and feathers might be able to break Dabih and Vega's abilities."
...Cockatrice?
"Cockatrice, huh. In the eastern regions, it's also called the Gokadoorisoo."
Gokadoorisoo? What the heck was that?
Sounded like something out of a wuxia novel.
Cockatrice was a fairly famous creature.
A kind of bird with both a chicken's head and a snake's head.
A powerful monster wielding poison and petrification.
"It's a bird, yet not a bird. It can counter Dabih and Vega's abilities. Their root is none other than water. Cockatrice poison could damage that root temporarily."
Moona nodded in agreement with Saroka.
"Mm, such a being would certainly be a great help. So, you're planning to ally with it? That's nearly impossible, given it's a monster with almost no intelligence."
"An alliance... No, we can't do that. It's difficult, and cockatrice are natural enemies to birds anyway. The moment it sees us, it'll charge."
Let's befriend a cockatrice and take on Dabih and Vega together!
That wasn't it, apparently.
No crow-style beatdown combo, huh.
A bit disappointing.
...But if we can't make it an ally, why bring it up?
Saroka's gaze lingered on my talons.
"However, we can use its byproducts."
Use its byproducts?
They'd already captured a cockatrice!
Hiding it away to use in a situation like this.
No matter how they got it, as long as it countered Dabih and Vega's abilities, it was fine.
"We know its location. Now we just need to hunt it."
Yeah, just hunt it...
"Caw?"
Hunt it?
Me?
Hunt a cockatrice that spews poison and petrification wildly?
"Caaaw..."
Was it my imagination, or could I picture a stone crow statue?
That seemed a bit too difficult.
To get materials for beating Dabih and Vega, only to become materials for those materials myself?
"Don't worry too much. My knights and I will stand at the front."
The magpie spoke in a kindly voice.
Her tone was filled with confidence.
It would have been reassuring.
If she were still a harpy.
I looked around.
A small magpie with a injured leg, and parrots with missing head feathers.
...Put these guys in front and have me hunt the cockatrice?
"Caaaaw!"
Even I wasn't that unscrupulous of a crow.
"Caw caw caw!"
I don't need help from puny birds like you.
"Shuuuung..."