Night Crows
Night Crows ".........."
There's no way... right?
I knew full well that couldn't have been their intention. Still... 'If anyone finds out about this, isn't it an instant death sentence?'
The members of House Frost—knights and maids included—seemed to cherish Erielle dearly. And what about my current situation? Late at night. A man sneaking into the precious young lady's bedroom. If anyone caught even a glimpse of this, the Duke of the North would probably tear me in half on the spot. Then, no matter how I came back to life, I'd be subjected to endless torture afterward.
"E-Excuse me—!"
Though I felt no pain, the thought of having to witness and endure those horrific moments made me fling the door open and slip inside before anyone could see.
The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of a lantern on the table. It was far too austere to believe it belonged to a woman—no decorations whatsoever. Only stark, monochromatic furniture with sharp edges that looked as though they would cut you if you brushed against them.
"You're here."
Erielle, perched on an office chair at the desk where the lantern sat, looked up and spoke. I stared at her, mildly surprised. Normally, people wore comfortable clothes at home, especially in their own rooms. At this hour, pajamas wouldn't have been strange. But she was dressed in what looked unmistakably like combat gear—a full-body suit that appeared both sturdy and flexible.
...Does she always wear that even inside the house?
"What's with that look? Are you ready?"
"...Pardon? Ready for what...?"
As Erielle stood and picked up a mask from the table, I could only give a dumbfounded reply. What preparation? No one had told me anything.
"....What?"
"No, I just don't understand what you mean by 'ready.'"
Faced with Erielle's incredulous expression, I shrank back and answered. I really had no idea.
"You didn't receive any explanation at all?"
"....No. I was just wandering around the castle helping out with chores."
"No way. Haah... Fine. That can happen."
No... I truly hadn't heard a thing. It felt unfair, but I didn't voice it.
"Listen carefully. I'll only explain once."
Letting out a small sigh, Erielle began her explanation. I perked up my ears, determined not to miss a single word.
"A personal butler isn't just someone who fills in for lacking hands or attends to trivial tasks."
"Then what else does the position entail?"
"Night Crows. Do you know what that is?"
Night Crows? What on earth was that? It sounded like some edgy middle-schooler nickname I'd never heard before.
When I gave her a blank look, Erielle continued as if she'd expected as much.
"Black mages. Those disgusting creatures are crawling all over the Empire like insects. Especially here in the North—they're thriving."
Just as she said, the number of black mages had been steadily increasing lately. The North in particular was supposedly teeming with them hiding everywhere. It made sense, considering I'd stumbled upon a black mage's cave while traveling and encountered one.
"And the secret organization formed to hunt them down—the Night Crows. We sleep during the day when everyone else is active, then wake together when those insects stir at night."
"The fact that you're telling me this means..."
"That's right. It means you're also part of the Night Crows as a personal butler. I can't believe you never heard about it..."
A secret organization dedicated to eliminating black mages. The Night Crows. Without even realizing it, I had become one of them.
'Wait. So I'm supposed to use black magic while hunting down other black mages?'
It was deeply ironic. A black mage like me becoming their executioner. Then again, perhaps it suited me perfectly. My "Demon Eye" could detect and inversely calculate the same dark mana they wielded.
"Even within House Frost, only a handful know of the Night Crows' existence. Likewise, only a select few elites operate within it."
"Could any of the people I saw today be part of the Night Crows?"
"Possibly. We always hide our identities behind masks. And... there's one person you already know."
"Who.... Ah."
At Erielle's words, a face surfaced in my memory after a moment of thought. The black mage's cave where I'd first met her. That black mage had introduced himself as the "former butler."
So he'd infiltrated as a black mage to kidnap Erielle? Bold move. Sneaking into the enemy's leadership and attempting an abduction...
"Do you understand now? Then hurry up and get ready. Here."
"....Yes."
Erielle handed me a mask resembling a crow's face along with black clothing. I stared at the outfit for a moment before layering it over what I was already wearing.
I hadn't refused or delayed even slightly. Whether I'd known about the Night Crows or not, this was a duty assigned to me—and because exterminating black mages was simply the right thing to do.
I remembered the cave where I'd met Erielle. Unlike her, who had barely escaped with her life, there were others who had died without ever seeing the light, subjected to horrific human experiments and torture. I recalled paying my respects as I buried them—the cold bodies, the eyes that couldn't close even in death from the pain. I still couldn't forget that sensation.
'I don't want to create any more victims.'
Even if I could act to reduce the number of victims, failing to move would go against basic human decency.
"I'm... ready."
"Good. Let's move. Put on the mask."
Following Erielle's lead, I donned the mask and leaped out the window after her. Thud. Just before landing, I concentrated mana into my legs and feet to minimize the impact.
"........"
Erielle watched me in silence for a moment, then turned and sprinted off into the distance. I gritted my teeth and focused my mana to keep up with her speed.
A snowy night. While everyone else slept, we began our work.
***
After running for several minutes, Erielle and I arrived at a small village not far from Frost Territory. It was a tiny settlement, and at this late hour, no one was out and about.
".........."
Nod.
"Haaam..."
Understanding Erielle's hand signal, I quickly slipped past the guard the moment he let his guard down and entered the village.
"This way. Follow me."
"Yes."
Once past the checkpoint, we could afford to move a little slower inside the village. Erielle headed toward a corner of the small settlement, and I followed silently.
"....Is there a black mage in this house?"
"Yes. According to our informants."
We reached the farthest corner of the village, stopping in front of a small cabin. From the outside, it looked completely ordinary—no signs of anything amiss. A neatly stacked wooden house. Warm light glowing from the windows. Yet vines had crept along the fence and were reaching toward the house itself, and strangely, there was no sense of human presence.
"We're going in. Stay close and be careful."
"Understood."
Creaaak...
Prepared to strike at the first sign of attack, we opened the door only to find the house empty. The furniture was arranged as though someone lived there, and a lantern was lit, but even that looked poorly maintained.
"....Strange. This should be the right place."
"Could there be a secret passage?"
"Maybe. I'll check the second floor. You look around the first. Shout if anything happens."
With that, Erielle lowered her stance and ascended the stairs. Despite the wooden floor, her footsteps made no sound.
'Alright... I should search too.'
Afterward, I carefully examined the first floor without letting my guard down—the kitchen with its cooking utensils, the small bedroom, what appeared to be a closet. I searched every corner but found nothing unusual.
Hmm... I've checked everywhere worth checking. Maybe I should look outside...
While I was back in the living room pondering this, I suddenly felt an extremely ominous and bizarre energy emanating from somewhere. It was so faint that even concentrating hard might not have detected it. Probably only noticeable because I possessed the Demon Eye.
"Well, well."
Using the Demon Eye, I scanned the living room and realized the dark mana was coming from beneath the carpet I was standing on.
"Lady Erielle...!"
"....Call me El during missions. Drop the 'lady' too."
"Yes, El. Could you come here for a moment?"
"Did you find something? There's nothing on the second floor. Just long-abandoned rooms."
In response to her question, I quietly lifted the carpet beneath my feet and tossed it aside.
"Oh? How did you find this?"
"Haha... Just got lucky."
"Good work. Let's go."
Creaaak...
When I lifted the carpet, a hidden basement entrance was revealed. The door creaked on its hinges as it rose. It must have been used recently—hardly any dust stirred. The rest of the house was neglected, but this pristine door confirmed the black mage had been using it frequently.
"Stay alert and follow me. From here on, we don't know where those insects might pop out from."
I tightened my focus once more and lowered my stance, following Erielle down the stairs into the endless darkness.