The Mage and the Crow
The Mage and the Crow
The day Rebecca and Kate came to watch my performance.
After the magic show ended, I cleaned up the backyard as usual. I absorbed the moisture from the ground that had been soaked by the waves, then refilled the shattered earth. My lovers helped with the work, so that day the cleanup wrapped up even faster than usual.
Which meant the time to part with Crow had also come faster.
'That bastard Crow always leaves the moment the cleanup is done. He never tries to stick around any longer.'
Crow would coolly leave my side the instant the post-show cleanup was finished, like clocking out right on the dot. I tried to tame him by giving him breadcrumbs or cookies, but he just ate them and never lingered by my side any longer.
"Hey, Hwajilguji. You wanna live with me?"
Guaaaack!
I'd even asked if he'd become my pet once, but Crow just let out a violent cry and shook his head back and forth. Guaaaack... somehow that sounded like he was vomiting. Apparently, he hated the idea of living together so much it made him want to puke.
"Fine, you damned bird. Show's over, so get lost."
Caw! Caw!
Flap! Flap!
The moment I waved my hand, Crow flew off into the sky without looking back. As I watched Crow beat a hasty retreat, as if afraid I might try to grab him, I noticed one peculiar thing.
'He always flies off in the exact same direction.'
The direction Crow flew off in after the show ended was the same every day. The bastard always headed west, which happened to be the direction of my workplace, the Adventurer's Guild. Maybe Crow's nest was somewhere near the guild. It piqued my curiosity a bit.
"Luke. Where are you going?"
"I'm just going to take a short walk outside. I got curious about where that Crow lives and wanted to follow him."
I parted ways with Rebecca, who had stayed behind in the backyard helping with the cleanup, and immediately chased after Crow.
Even though Crow was a fast flyer, following him was possible. That was because Crow didn't seem to have an impatient nature; he often landed on things like rooftops mid-flight to take a break.
Pit-a-pat!
I kept my footsteps as quiet as possible to avoid being detected and chased after the bastard. After a while, the place I arrived at was none other than the Adventurer's Guild.
Caw! Caw!
Crow circled the sky above the Adventurer's Guild once, then slipped right into a familiar building. It was the main hall of the Adventurer's Guild. The place where Wendy works at the reception desk, and where the Vice Guild Master, Bella, has her office set up on the top floor.
"Hm?"
Crow didn't just boldly walk in through the building entrance like a person. He went inside through an open window on the top floor. I squinted at the window he'd entered and was taken aback.
'Isn't that the Vice Guild Master's office?'
Vice Guild Master Bellatrix. That's the office on the top floor where she usually conducts business. A wild Crow had just gone in there. This was a serious situation. No matter how well Crow synced with me during our performances, there's no telling how he might behave in private. He could rip up every piece of confidential document in the Vice Guild Master's office.
I hurriedly rushed inside the main hall and called out to Wendy on the first floor.
"Miss Wendy! We've got a problem. A Crow just went into our Vice Guild Master's office!"
"Huh? What crow?"
"The Crow I use as a mascot during my performances! I accidentally let him fly outside, and he went straight into the Vice Guild Master's office."
Wendy happened to have seen my performance before, so she knew about Crow well. She understood that he wasn't a violent bird, but her face instantly turned pale anyway—it was unavoidable.
"A Crow went in there? Th-the Vice Guild Master is currently out of the office right now, you know? Miss Hannah isn't inside either, and there's no one watching the office at all."
"We need to chase him out fast before Crow causes trouble. May I go up to the office myself?"
As the most senior receptionist, Wendy was the de facto person in charge among the guild staff. It was clear that if any accident happened, letting her know beforehand would let her smooth things over to some extent. Wendy understood my situation and granted my request.
"Come with me, Mr. Luke. Let's go chase out that Crow together."
Wendy rose from the reception desk and rolled up a newspaper into a stick.
"What's that newspaper stick for?"
"It's a receptionist's dedicated weapon! It's also super useful for swatting horseflies."
Gripping the newspaper stick like a weapon, Wendy took the lead herself and headed up to the building's top floor. We climbed the stairs together—though it felt a bit awkward to say this all of a sudden—but the curve of her firm, plump ass peeking out from beneath her skirt was absolutely incredible.
'Is this what a MILF's ass looks like when it's in full bloom? Fuck, that's hot.'
I know it's rude to observe the backside of the kind soul who's willingly helping me, but I couldn't help it. When a seductive, sensual ass sways right before my eyes, it's only natural for a young, healthy incubus to look. Ultimately, while trailing after Wendy's ass, I arrived at the top floor of the guild's main hall before I knew it.
Vice Guild Master's Office. While climbing the stairs, Wendy had resourcefully borrowed the office's spare key from a building manager she happened to run into, so there was no need to break down the door or anything.
"I'm opening it. Get ready to catch the Crow!"
"Got it!"
Click!
The moment Wendy unlocked the door, I was ready to throw a Water Whip inside at any second. I planned to capture Crow, who'd be inside the office, by snagging him with the whip. However, the instant the door actually opened, both Wendy and I were caught off guard. Because right away, we heard a human voice coming from inside.
"Who's there? May I ask what business you have opening my office door on your own?"
A smooth female voice, like a jade marble rolling. A young-looking woman, sitting at a large desk with an imposing nameplate, spoke to us. Wendy and I were startled at the sight of her.
"Miss Bella?"
"V-Vice Guild Master! Weren't you out of the office?"
Vice Guild Master Bellatrix. She was sitting at her desk, staring intently at us. For some reason, she had taken off the jacket she always wore and was dressed in considerably thin clothing. She just had a single white dress shirt draped on top, but it was soaked with sweat, making her bra perilously visible through it.
"I went out and just returned to the office now. It's Miss Wendy and... you there, the mage Mr. Luke, the treasure of our guild. What business brings both of you to my office?"
Before answering, I stepped closer to the desk and glanced around the inside of the office for a moment. A Crow as huge as an eagle had clearly entered this office not long ago. But there was not a single trace of the office supplies having been disturbed. I had absolutely no clue what had happened.
"About ten minutes ago, I saw a Crow go in through the window of this office."
"A crow?"
"Yes. A large crow, sort of like my pet. I accidentally let it fly out of the house, and it ended up going into your office, Miss Bella. So I came up here with Miss Wendy to catch it."
After hearing my story, Bella reacted with a puzzled look, as if she had no idea what I was talking about.
"I really don't know what you mean. I didn't see any crow come into this office."
"Really?"
"At least, there was nothing here when I entered the office. Perhaps it flew back out the window while you, Mr. Luke, were coming up the stairs?"
Bella pointed her finger at the wide-open window. As it happened, a single Crow feather had fallen on the windowsill, proving I hadn't just been seeing things.
"Oh, there is a feather. Looks like a crow really did fly in and then left."
As if she'd only just noticed the feather, Bella stared at the fallen feather on the windowsill with an intrigued expression.
"Thank you for coming out of concern, but my office is safe."
"That's a relief, Vice Guild Master!"
"Miss Wendy, you must be busy, so please head back down. You know the work doesn't flow smoothly without Miss Wendy at the reception desk."
"Understood."
Wendy bowed her head respectfully and exited the office. Confirming there was no issue, I was about to follow her out when Bella suddenly called out to me from behind.
"Mr. Luke, how about a cup of tea with me? It's been a while since we last met; it would be a shame to just part ways like this. After all, it's just between you and me."
Somehow, her voice carried more intimacy than when we'd first spoken at the promotion ceremony. And we hadn't met a single time since then. Besides, what did she mean by it being "between her and me"? We weren't even that close.
'When did we ever meet before for you to act so chummy?'
It was a bit baffling, but it was awkward to be frank about it. An aura of a female boss managing an entire guild emanated from Bella, sitting at that imposing desk. And not metaphorically—she really was the boss. Bella, set to inherit the Guild Master seat within the year, was practically the power behind Gjallarhorn. A single word from that black-haired beauty could potentially end my adventurer career for good.
"I happen to have a fine tea brought from Alvheim. It's a leaf tea that elves drink, you know. A precious tea that even great wealthy merchants can't just drink casually."
"You're giving such a precious thing to me?"
"Mr. Luke is invaluable talent for our Gjallarhorn, you see. Yet another guild-affiliated mage left yesterday. They got hired by some nobles and transferred away. If even Mr. Luke were to leave, our guild would be ruined."
"Ruined?"
"For real."
Bella's voice, saying the guild would be ruined, was filled with sincerity. Since there were only four mages in the guild, it was understandable that a woman who was a Vice Guild Master would want to build a friendly relationship.
"Alright."
"Hehe. I like that you're so obedient."
Bella seated me at a guest table and personally brewed us tea for teatime. A tea personally brewed by the Vice Guild Master—somehow the pressure made it hard to even taste it properly.
"Miss Bella. What's the status on the investigation into my class? Is it going well?"
"Ah, my secretary is investigating it thoroughly, so don't worry. Soon, you should be able to receive your class designation, and a magic staff befitting that class."
Some time ago, Bella had promised to have her side investigate what my class as a mage was. I'd been anxious because there hadn't been any news since, but thankfully it seemed to be progressing well. My worries eased, and I continued chatting with Bella.
"Thank you for taking care of it."
"I like that you recognize I'm taking care of it. Hehe."
"But I've been wondering since earlier—why are your clothes so drenched in sweat? Did you come back from exercising somewhere?"
While we chatted, my gaze naturally landed on Bella's dress shirt. Specifically, on the chest area of the dress shirt where her jet-black brassiere was showing through.
"......."
At my sudden question, Bella fell silent for a moment. It was hardly a serious question, but she seemed unable to come up with an answer quickly.
"Miss Bella?"
"Ah, ahaha! That's right. I came back from exercising. You see, I've been buried in the office so much lately that my stamina's gotten weak. I went for a bit of jogging along the trail around the guild."
Letting out an awkward laugh, I saw Bella avert her eyes from my gaze. A strange sense of dissonance I felt from that gesture made me suspicious. Just in case, I tossed out a bit of bait.
"Say there, Mr. Hwajilguji."
"Huh? What for?"
Right away, it seemed like I'd landed a big one.