Chapter 114
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Bird of Terror
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Hobby.
It's a fairly famous bird in its own right.
Since it's a raptor you can relatively commonly spot in our country.
Of course, "relatively common" doesn't mean you'll see them everywhere easily.
Maybe it's because they're raptors, but they look pretty fierce-tempered.
They sure look cute, though, just going by appearances.
"Well, well, won't you avert your eyes?"
Its personality isn't cute at all.
The size difference between me and the Northern Hobby is pretty huge.
Exaggerating a bit, I could fit the little guy right inside my beak?
Partly because I'm so big, but mostly because it's so small.
And yet it has that kind of attitude despite its size.
Like they say, small peppers are spicy?
"Lady Clara! Please calm down!"
"...Hmph. Fine, I'll hold back once, for the Queen's sake."
At least it listens to the magpie.
Its name's Clara, huh.
Sounds like it'd be lively and fun.
Definitely seems like a raptor with a savage personality.
That horned hawk from last time was the same.
Tried to trick and kidnap an innocent me.
If I hadn't shown my prowess, I'd have been hauled straight to its nest.
"Lady Clara. Lord Moona, Lady Rebecca, and little Wind here are benefactors who came to aid us. Refrain from rude behavior, and as for the cockatrice..."
Saroka passed along a few words of caution to Clara.
Probably telling her to listen to me.
"Well, small raptors like that don't exactly get along with crows."
Moona spoke up, as if the situation made perfect sense to him.
"Kak?"
"Magpies, crows, and small raptors—they're rivals fighting over territory dominance, aren't they? Of course, little Wind isn't your average crow."
Is the whole species naturally hostile to crows?
Yeah, I'd heard magpies and crows pose a real threat to small hobbys like that.
Especially since they flock together—actually puts the hobbys at a disadvantage.
"...Fine. Since it's the Queen asking, I'll give it a shot."
But it sure listens to the magpie well enough?
Saroka's true form was a harpy, not a magpie, so maybe that's why.
No reason to defy her just because her appearance changed.
While the hobby and magpie chatted, I sneaked a peek at its status window.
Northern Hobby LV20
The standout trait was Forest Princess.
Does that mean she's the magpie's daughter?
Nah, probably not.
Different species to begin with—no way she could be.
More like a successor or something along those lines.
Pretty high status, then.
Wait—princess... Does that mean she could evolve into a harpy given time?
"What're you staring at?"
Her personality's prickly, but I should try to get along.
Too bad I never got to see Saroka's old form, but if this hobby evolves into a harpy, I'll get to see one eventually.
Harpy's one of man's ultimate fantasies.
Heck, I'd take spotting a single harpy over some legendary spirit any day.
"Kak kak."
Level 20 isn't low by any means, but not exactly high either.
About on par with barely beating that big hawk from last time?
Didn't see the fight myself, and given her tiny size, even that might be a stretch.
Still, fights aren't just about weight class.
She's got princess status, and birds are their secret weapon—must be something I don't know about.
That Sky's Brand skill catches the eye. Super intriguing name.
On par with the destructive power implied by Evil-Beak something.
No clue what it does, but the vibe screams powerhouse skill.
"Clara. Don't get mad—pretend you're dealing with me."
"Ugh... Why do I have to deal with some random male I've never even met..."
She flaps her wings like she's full of complaints.
"Swung..."
Swungswung was glaring at the hobby with a weirdly displeased look too.
Not that weird, really.
Swungswung hates anything that gets close to me.
"Shwoooong..."
I'm chalking it up to cute ghost jealousy.
Nothing serious—just the inevitable quirk of a young ghost.
Won't lead to any big trouble even if it ramps up.
Swungswung's not suddenly gonna go feral and kidnap me or anything.
"...Swong?"
What.
What's with those startled eyes.
Voice changed a bit too?
"Swungswungswung."
Swungswung waves it off like it's nothing.
Is it just me, or does Swungswung seem extra suspicious today?
Swore I saw a red glint in its eyes for a sec.
"...Kak."
Probably just my imagination.
Saroka wrapped up her explanation, and after some back-and-forth, the hobby joined us.
We huddled up to discuss how to approach the cockatrice nest, how to hunt it down, and prepped thoroughly.
With a guide now, tracking the cockatrice should be easy.
All that's left is taking it down.
We rested up and waited for nightfall.
The cockatrice has snake traits, but at its core, it's a bird.
And it's common knowledge birds have poor night vision.
I'm the exception that breaks that rule, so a night raid should let us take it no problem.
Our destination: the cockatrice nest.
We weren't flying—we trekked along forest paths.
Cockatrice territory falls under Skoll's domain, so that means heading into constant rain.
Obviously, wet feathers are a no-go, forcing us along paths lined with thick, rain-blocking trees.
Flying would just soak us immediately.
We have raincoats, but they won't fully shield us.
So I ditched flying and went with walking.
Thud. Thud.
Patpatpatpat.
Step, step.
Tap tap tap tap.
My heavy footfalls first, followed by the hobby's tiny steps.
Given the size difference, my one stride equals about ten of hers.
Hence the frantic chase.
"Hey! Too fast!"
The hobby complains.
Yeah, not great having your guide lagging behind.
Ruuuuumble creeeeak.
I tried moving extra slooooow.
The hobby shot me a dumbfounded look.
"You just... Ugh, never mind."
Why.
I even matched your speed.
"...How is a crow like you so damn huge?"
"Kak."
Crows are big birds by nature.
"No, you're bigger than most raptors. You could carry a human and fly."
Spot on.
One human's an easy snatch.
I opened my beak wide, miming gobbling food.
Eat plenty, and you can get big like me.
"...My bad for asking. Whatever—just keep a proper pace now. I can keep up."
She looked a bit anxious.
Even if she doesn't like me, she's here on Saroka's request.
Fail at guiding properly?
That'd disgrace Saroka.
So her tiny body hustles to match my speed.
"Kak."
I nipped the hobby's neck lightly as she scurried after me.
"Eek! Wh-what?!"
She jolted in surprise.
Anyone watching might think the crow's eating the hobby, but nope.
I'd grabbed her neck gently and plopped her on my back.
"...Huh?"
"Kak kak."
You're not heavy anyway—just ride.
All you need to do is point the way, right?
"Get me do—... Nah, this is more efficient..."
Started to protest getting down, then realized it wasn't smart.
Her talons gripped my back tight.
"So many feathers. Warm... Ahem, nothing."
Says that, but she's purring like a cat in bliss—bird song edition.
Truth is, my back's basically a luxury nest. No wonder she likes it.
Great, mission success.
We're bonding a bit.
Keep this up, and I'll see harpy form someday.
"Wings are wide... Feathers so huge?"
She pecks curiously at the feathers on my back.
"Kak."
Not trying to pluck 'em, right?
"You really are massive... Unlike me..."
Envious of my size, huh.
Normally I'd just offer sympathy, but this world's different.
Meet conditions, evolve—little more effort, bigger body awaits.
"...But seriously, why can't a huge bird like you talk yet?"
"Kawk?"
I cocked my head.
"Even that half-formed kiwi chats."
Not ugly, and what's "half-formed" mean.
Moona ignored it, deciphering parchment from Swungswung.
"The Queen, me, all of us—we could talk with a bit of effort. A bird your level not talking? Even parrots do it."
She finds my cawing weird, I guess.
Average parrots speak fluently, so a powerhouse like me not talking feels off.
In this world, seems even non-parrots can talk easy.
Moona, Forest Queen, this hobby—all do it.
So a bird my caliber talking is normal; silence is weird.
"Kak kak."
The hobby's misunderstanding.
I can speak human words.
Just stuck to caws since they work fine for communicating.
First impressions aside, seems she's warming up—so time for the finisher?
"Kruuuu..."
I met her eyes and spoke softly.
"Aaaaaah... Nyyyyuuuua...?"
She's on my back, so I twisted my neck halfway around to meet her gaze—no biggie.
"Eeeeeek! Wh-what the hell!"
Ah, nighttime jitters? Freaked out over nothing.
But who am I?
The world's kindest crow.
Fwsh!
I fired off some tri-color lights to comfort the hobby.
"S-sorry! I was wrong! Please forgive me...!"