Rune Mage
Rune Mage
I hadn't called for Bella just now.
I'd called for Hwajilguji, my performance mascot, but for some reason Bella answered instead.
"Why are you answering? Is your name Hwajilguji, Bella?"
"Gasp!"
Bella's usually calm eyes now shook as if an earthquake had erupted inside them.
I'd never seen Vice Guild Master Bella flustered before.
Whenever she stood before adventurers, Bella always displayed a queenly charisma and composure.
'I'm starting to get a feel for this.'
Looking at the trembling Bella, I became convinced she had some connection to my mascot Hwajilguji.
My instincts as the Golden Sun whispered to me for the first time in a long while.
That right now, I had essentially seized the weakness of this woman called Bella.
Woo-hoo!
This kind of thrilling sensation was a rare treat.
Similar to when I interrogated Kate, who insisted she wasn't a troll during the caravan escort quest.
Right now, every inch of Bella's body seemed magnified before my eyes.
A hand awkwardly suspended in midair, violet eyes unable to meet mine, beads of sweat trickling down her pale nape.
The young office lady's breasts, beneath her blouse, rose and fell irregularly.
Her smooth stocking-clad calves quivered uncontrollably.
I didn't have any physical proof whatsoever.
But I resolved to push Bella right here.
"So you were Hwajilguji, Bella?"
"What? What do you mean I was the crow? What are you talking about?"
"I'm asking if you used some kind of magic to transform your body into a crow."
"I've never studied magic. I'm busy to death running the guild; where would I find time to learn magic?"
As expected of a seasoned office lady, Bella swiftly regained her composure and deflected my interrogation.
I didn't back down and immediately spoke again.
"I've felt a sense of incongruity from the start. Your aura is incredibly similar to that crow I raised. In particular, my crow's eyes were purple, unlike other crows. And that matches your eye color perfectly, Bella."
"Are you suspecting me of being a crow just because my eyes resemble it? Even if you're one of the few mages in our guild, that's quite rude."
Bella swept back her jet-black hair, sleek as ebony, and shrugged.
As her long hair swayed in the air, a pleasant scent wafted toward me, like she used a nice shampoo.
Sniff.
Inhaling that hair scent seemed to sharpen my concentration.
Bella looked at me, doing something perverted, with an expression that seemed to say, 'What kind of creep is this?'
"What did you just sniff?"
"The scent of lying."
"Excuse me?"
"I smell lies on you, Bella."
"There's no such smell!"
"It's very distinct. Especially from the ring on your finger, Bella."
"......Ah!"
Bella hurriedly hid her left hand, the one with the ring, under the table.
But I had already fully confirmed the ring's design.
A ring with runic letters engraved around its edge.
Unless Bella was an occult enthusiast who carved runes onto her belongings as a hobby, that ring was unmistakably a magic tool.
Thanks to learning runic letters from Rumi's lessons, I instantly grasped what the rune engraved on the ring meant.
'Hagall.'
It was a rune that contained the meaning of intense physical transformation.
Every spell for mages to disguise themselves as animals or transform their bodies was based on that Hagall rune.
Meaning the ring Bella wore was a magic tool that activated a transformation spell.
"Bella. Your ring is engraved with the Hagall rune. That's a rune used to transform a person into a different form. The runic characters have been heavily modified, so others might not recognize it, but you can't fool me."
"......Tch."
"Now answer. Is it true that you were the crow who helped my performance? You used a magic tool to change your appearance, didn't you?"
And that concluded my deduction.
In fact, I could have presented even more evidence here.
Like how I knew Hwajilguji was a crow without you ever saying so.
But just from correctly interpreting the runic characters, Bella seemed to have already given up on deceiving me.
Letting out a short sigh—'Hoo'—Bella spoke.
"As expected of the mage I've been keeping an eye on. I had no idea the rune on my ring meant such a thing. Trying to hide magic from a mage—I was arrogant."
Bella sighed and raised her left hand, the one wearing the ring.
It was a ring adorned with runic letters around its edge and a luxurious ruby.
"That's right. My true identity is the crow who helped you."
While readily revealing the truth, Bella gently caressed the ring she wore.
Right at that moment, a change began to occur in Bella's body.
Flash! A dazzling radiance burst out, and the body of the beautiful woman instantly transformed into a crow.
Naturally, having transformed into a much smaller crow, her original clothes no longer fit at all.
The sweat-damp blouse and skirt slipped down onto the office floor.
From within the pile of clothes, a crow wriggled, then poked its head out and let out a cry.
Caw. Caw.
"So I was right."
The moment I muttered to myself, the crow leaped out of the clothes and flew up lightly.
The crow, after taking flight, landed precisely on my horn like a homing pigeon.
Before I knew it, I spoke to the crow that had attached itself to me just like during the performance.
"Can you speak human language in that state? As a bird, your vocal cords should be poorly structured for speech."
Curious, I spoke to it, and Crow Bella actually engaged in conversation with me.
However, Bella didn't speak with her voice; instead, like telepathy, she conveyed her thoughts directly into my mind.
[Like this. I can transmit my thoughts directly into your head, Luke. The 'Raven Ring' that lets me disguise myself as a crow also has a built-in function to establish a mental resonance with others.]
A magic tool that even has a built-in mental resonance function—it's clearly an incredibly expensive item.
After all, a magic tool that can perfectly transform a person into an animal is extremely rare.
They say the risks of body transformation are too great, so they aren't made carelessly.
I continued speaking to Crow Bella perched on my horn.
"Do you like my horn that much? You've been clinging to it ever since we first met."
[The ride quality is excellent. Your horn is more comfortable than any perch I've ever clung to.]
I'm not sure if being told my horn has great ride quality is a compliment or not.
"While you're hanging there, let me ask one more thing. What was your reason for transforming into a crow and helping my performance? You showed up every single day without fail to act as the mascot."
[I was just cooped up in the office and needed some fresh air.]
"Just to get some fresh air, you went around acting all cute for the citizens? That doesn't seem like something a noble young lady who'll inherit the guild should be doing."
The more I think about it, the more absurd it is that the crow was Bella.
A noble young lady respected by the citizens of Yoen-su, disguised as a bird and making a spectacle of herself.
Bellatrix hails from the Lignote family, who could be called local magnates on the Western Continent.
Since the Northern Kingdom had also granted the Lignote family a title, Bella could be considered a bona fide noble young lady.
She's not in a position to be rolling in dirt or prostrating herself on the streets.
At my question, Crow Bella let out a sad 'Kraaah!' and answered through mental resonance.
[I know well that if people find out, it'll be a huge disgrace. But in my original form, I always have to show a strict and serious face to people. To relieve stress, I need to deviate like this from time to time. Even if it wasn't to help your performance, I've been wandering around in crow form since long ago.]
"Since long ago? Since when?"
[Since three years ago. I got so angry at adventurers cursing me with 'Doom Bella, Doom Bella.' I took out the family treasure, the Raven Ring, and began my escapades from then on.]
"Ah, Doom Bella...."
Doom Bella.
It was a derogatory nickname adventurers used when badmouthing Bella for her poor guild management.
Being called by such a crappy nickname would naturally build up stress.
'This woman was twenty-three, wasn't she? She's not even that old.'
Twenty-three is still a college student by Earth standards.
Having worked tirelessly in the Vice Guild Master seat without ever getting to play since her teenage years, it was no wonder she'd lose her marbles.
She was relieving the stress built up from work in her own way, I guess.
That she relieved it by turning into a crow was a bit preposterous, but who cares.
It's not like she bothers me, so it's fine.
"I see. I understand your circumstances, Bella. All the things I'd been curious about are resolved, so I feel refreshed. Although there's a slightly disappointing part."
[What's disappointing?]
"If you were a real crow, I planned to tame you well and keep you as a pet. But since what's inside is actually a grown-up maiden, I can't do that now. I can't keep the Vice Guild Master as a pet."
"O-Oh, I see. I'm sorry about that."
I mean, anyone would get goosebumps thinking they were almost trained as a pet by a Gold-Tanned Incubus.
"Will you still come when I perform in the future?"
[Of course, for sure. I have nothing special to do this month. My daily work is all done by the morning.]
"Wow. You earn money just working mornings? I see the Vice Guild Master position is a cushy gig."
[That's only for this month. Starting next month, I'll have to start preparing for the end of the year, so I'll be insanely busy. By December, I'll have to eat and sleep in the office.]
It's an unwritten rule that office workers get busy at year-end.
So October, this month, seems to be a relatively relaxed time for Bella.
.......
[.......]
That was after we'd finished asking each other everything.
An awkward silence flowed through the office for a moment.
Crow Bella was still demurely clinging to my horn.
[......Um, Luke.]
"Yes?"
[Will you tell people? About me transforming into a crow and going around doing bizarre things.]
So she was cautiously asking if I'd spill the secret, huh?
Of course, I'm a Dream Demon who can keep his mouth shut, so she needn't worry.
"I'll keep your secret. After all, your help contributed to the show's success. The kids absolutely loved Hwajilguji."
[I like it too, the name Hwajilguji. It sounds like some legendary creature's name, and I like that.]
A legendary creature, she says.
She's rating my naming sense too highly; it's a bit burdensome.
"Ah... Yes, well, something like a legend."
[Thank you for giving a good name to me, a nameless crow. But I want to return to human form now; could you leave?]
"Can't you just transform right here? Do I have to leave?"
At my question, Crow Bella let out a flustered caw.
[Do you know what I'll look like if I transform right now?]
"What will you look like?"
[I'll be naked. I'll never get married.]
Only then did I look at the clothes Bella had shed on the office floor.
If I looked closely among the clothes, I could even see a bra and panties.
Since her clothes all came off when she transformed, she would naturally be naked when she reverted to human.
"Holy shit."
Crow Bella, who had been clinging to my horn, flew to the pile of discarded clothes.
I hurriedly rose from the plush leather sofa and exited the office.
Rustle. Rustle.
As I waited in the hallway, I heard the sound of clothes rustling several times from inside the office.
Having returned to human form and fully dressed, Bella opened the office door a moment later.
However, she didn't open the door fully; she just poked her head out slightly and looked at me standing in the hallway.
"Finally able to speak human words. Now that we've finished our tea, you should head home."
It seemed it was time to head home.
The leather sofa in the office was so comfortable I hadn't noticed how much time had passed.
I turned and walked down the top-floor hallway.
Suddenly, Bella spoke to me cautiously from behind.
"Hey. See you tomorrow, Luke."
"Tomorrow...?"
Thud.
Before I could even reply, the office door shut.