Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Crow's Eye
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A woman with hollow eyes.
The magic researcher Halona.
Her gaze was fixed on Rishir's hand.
On the black orb he had rummaged out of his pocket.
"Oh ho. I sense an extraordinary aura from it. Indeed, Rishir. What is that?"
"Ah, Duke Palag. This is—"
Rishir trailed off as he examined the black orb.
Halona immediately picked up on it.
The fact that he didn't know much about this 'black orb'.
Thus, Halona's confusion deepened.
That treasure wasn't something for someone who didn't even know what it was to possess.
'The Crow's Eye...'
The shamans of the great tribes pooled and accumulated their power in peacetime.
To prepare for situations where their own strength alone wouldn't suffice.
The essence of that completed and maintained power.
That was the treasure of the shamans, called the Crow's Eye.
Managed in the tribal dimension, that great treasure was permitted only to a tiny few even within, let alone outsiders.
Halona suddenly recalled memories related to the Crow's Eye.
Memories of being invited to their tribe as a 'benefactor' due to ties with the shamans.
At that time, Halona had luckily been able to behold the Crow's Eye.
Under strict guard, and very restrictively.
In stark contrast to being pulled out like random junk from a pocket now...
In that regard, Halona's subsequent attitude was perfectly natural.
"Where did you get that thing?"
Her tone dripped with blatant suspicion.
Halona pressed Rishir.
"Halona? What's this all of a sudden?"
Sensing the odd atmosphere, Palag hurriedly intervened between them.
"Palag, let me be clear: that is not something obtainable through normal channels."
"...What the devil is it, then?"
"A treasure the shamans would choose death over handing to an outsider."
Halona explained everything she knew about the Crow's Eye to Palag.
"Even the elders wielding strong influence within the great tribe can't take it out. Handing it to an outsider goes without saying."
"..."
"Palag, you know as well. The possibilities are limited. And if one of those proves true— we'll be dragged into a terribly troublesome mess. Perhaps... no, certainly. By now, the massive force of barbarians is tracking that item. Even you wouldn't welcome getting caught in that uproar, would you?"
Well then.
If you understand, step aside.
Halona signaled Palag, who was blocking Rishir.
"Wait, Halona."
"...?"
Halona noticed the anomaly then.
Palag's reaction was lukewarm despite hearing of the gravity.
Palag said he couldn't understand Halona.
"As you say, there are people who can take the Crow's Eye out, aren't there?"
"What?"
"The tribe's Grand Shaman."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"That Rishir has a legitimate way to obtain it. Maybe the Grand Shaman just gifted it to him?"
"...Palag, what nonsense is this."
Halona's brow furrowed.
Palag's words, uttered as if obvious, were far too detached from common sense.
"Rishir recently had contact with the Grand Shaman, after all."
"Good lord, have you lost your mind, Palag? That's not the point! Why would a Grand Shaman give something like that to an outsider?!"
Halona was exasperated.
Already frustrated, seeing Palag frustrated at her felt like a boulder crushing her solar plexus.
"This is ridiculous... How do I even explain this..."
"Frustrating...? You saying that?"
"Calm down first. Let's hear from the man himself. Rishir. Where did you get that item?"
"That time— the crow, no, the shaman that Mr. Dwenn introduced me to?"
"Ah! Sirain! Yes! Go on!"
"Got it as a gift from her."
"I knew it!"
"???"
Listening to the two, Halona unwittingly raised both palms upward.
'Got it as a gift from the family head.'
'Got the holy sword as a gift from the hero.'
'Got an original spell as a gift from the archmage.'
How could 'got it as a gift from the Grand Shaman' be any less absurd? Where was there anything to accept?
"Palag. You believe that...?"
"Hm? What's not to believe? Oh, by the way, Rishir's trustworthy. I vouch for him on my name, Palag."
"No... it's not about personal credibility..."
What?
Am I the weird one?
It felt like being a normal person in a village of cyclops.
And not just any, but the 'Frozen Breath Archmage' claiming to be one made it even more insane.
Halona gathered her wits and spoke.
"Fine— let's hear it. Sirain, Grand Shaman of the Thunderwing Tribe and esteemed elder. Why would that shaman gift the tribe's great treasure to an outsider?"
"Hm. I'm quite curious myself. Rishir. Under what circumstances did Sirain gift you that?"
"While I was practicing descending as a guardian constellation in the Land of Stars, she suddenly handed it over before leaving."
"Oh ho. So that's what happened."
"Th-this mad...!"
Halona was aghast.
At Rishir calmly spouting such madness.
And at Palag calmly accepting such madness.
"P-Palag— what the hell happened to you—"
"Now, now, Halona. I understand your confusion well enough. Calm down a bit."
Palag soothed her calmly.
"Just to confirm: with that Crow's Eye, the ritual can proceed right away? Meaning, even if we delay a few days, there's leeway?"
"...Yes. But that doesn't mean we should use it—"
"Ah, got it. Got it, so calm down for now— let's handle other matters first."
"Other matters...?"
"Yes. The thing you asked of me. You said you needed to investigate something in this city, asked for cooperation."
"..."
"We'll do that first. How about it?"
"If you're using this as an excuse to force me—"
"You know I'm not that kind of person."
"..."
Palag seemed too normal for someone who'd lost his mind, and Halona gradually calmed.
"Rishir. So we'll have to put the ritual on hold for now— is that alright?"
"Yes. I got confirmation that with just this item, the ritual will go smoothly. Now it's only a matter of time. Isn't it?"
"Thank you for understanding. Not as compensation exactly, but I'll do my utmost to convince this friend quickly and resolve that time issue."
In the rather chaotic atmosphere, the ritual discussion was tentatively concluded.
That night, deep into the hours.
Halona met Palag again in his study.
To carry out the task she'd requested in exchange for helping him.
She was investigating bizarre phenomena occurring in Bondaress.
"So, countless stars are dying in Bondaress now, and the shamans assigned the investigation to you?"
"...Yes."
"Heh heh. Deaths of the stars. Quite grandiose. I'm no expert in astrology, but isn't it a big deal?"
"It is. Perhaps events beyond our control here are unfolding."
"Then no time to dawdle. Let's proceed at once. How can I assist?"
"From now, I'll trace the star's trail. Use your city status to ensure my movements face no restrictions."
"Gonna cause a ton of trouble, and dump cleanup on me?"
"Precisely."
Afterward.
Halona busily moved about the study, preparing the ritual.
"By the way. Your scholarly passion is truly wondrous. Blood magic, necromancy, spirit summoning, and now astrology too. Next it'll be black magic?"
"No interest in black magic. Yet."
"Heh heh heh. Good to hear."
As conversation flowed, ritual prep reached its final stages.
Halona opened the window.
Standing at the sill, she nodded after confirming the night sky packed with stars.
"Let's begin."
Snap.
As Halona snapped her fingers, a fist-sized orb of light was born from the pattern on the floor.
It moved toward the door.
Palag, waiting by the door, opened it, and the light exited without pause.
Halona and Palag followed.
"Where it arrives may hold the culprit. Prepare for contingencies, just in case."
"Will do."
Halona's expression chasing the light was tense.
"Hm...?"
Then.
Palag let out a suspicious grunt.
The light was drifting inside Gus Manor.
After traversing corridors for a while, it stopped before a room's door.
"Here, I suppose."
"This is..."
Palag stared intently at the door.
Soon, he burst into a 'Ha!' laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"...No, nothing. Just thinking it worked out perfectly."
"...?"
Leaving puzzled Halona behind—
Palag knocked on the door.
Very politely.
"Wait, Pal—"
"Rishir. Sorry for the late hour, but mind if we come in?"
"...?"
Rishir?
Why that name here?
As Halona panicked, Palag opened the door and entered.
Whoosh.
A cool breeze from the open window greeted them as the door opened.
Rishir.
He had the room lights off and window open.
Just like Halona during her astrology ritual.
"Rishir?"
"Hm...? Ah, Duke Palag? What brings you here?"
Rishir, sitting on the floor with eyes closed in focus.
He came to and answered Palag.
"What were you doing?"
"Ah, practicing astrology. The method of descending as a guardian constellation you mentioned before."
At that moment.
Hero Roera sat by the campfire, her face clouded with worry.
High Shaman Yoan.
Due to their conversation about her and Rishir.
Yoan said.
"Let me summarize once more. Rishir. He's completely ignorant of shamanism, correct?"
"He was, last we met."
"Then, his guardian constellation identity must be a coincidental byproduct of his special power. In that case—..."
Yoan looked at Hamun.
The beastkin girl had fully regained her vigor, but her innate power as an astrologer remained greatly diminished.
Due to the mighty guardian constellation borrowing her strength to descend.
"The only way he descends is by borrowing Hamun's power."
"And each time he borrows her power to descend, Hamun loses a significant portion?"
"Yes."
Whew.
Roera sighed heavily at the negative confirmation.
Seeing Roera, her companion Lotna ventured.
"...Now that he's a guardian constellation too, won't he take interest and learn astrology?"
Yoan shook her head.
"Even for him, reaching the mysteries of guardian constellations takes ages. Even considering his special talents, it'd take years at least."
"Years!?"
Yoan scowled unpleasantly at Lotna's reaction.
That 'years' was conservatively low.
Then, the party's mage Gelrad spoke.
"So, without expending Hamun's power, he can't descend, nor exist as a guardian constellation?"
They recalled Hamun's words on the day they parted from Rishir.
- I can't sense his presence.
- He's... not by my side...
Yoan nodded.
"That's the order of the stars. The flow deviated by his presence has simply returned to normal."
Then.
All eyes turned to Hamun.
The beastkin girl listening silently with a deeply complex expression.
Roera, beside her, gently stroked her head.
"Hamun. Let me be clear: you have no reason to blame yourself. Got it?"
"Hero, it's just..."
"Hm?"
Hesitant Hamun.
She carefully opened her mouth.
"Right now, it seems Sir Rishir is learning astrology."
"What? How would you know?"
Yoan, a fellow astrologer, reacted most strongly.
"Not sure exactly... but his star is dying and being reborn repeatedly..."
Sudden riddle?
Lotna muttered at Hamun's words.
Yoan's reaction was no different.
With a dubious expression, she said to Hamun.
"You mean... his star is twinkling?"
"...No. Literally dying and being reborn, over and over."
Hamun gazed into the distance, letting out a hollow laugh.
Ah.
He just died again now.