Cuckoo (3)
Time began to flow again inside the mine. The investigation team moved busily. One person had vanished, but no one noticed.
"Horrific."
They examined the blood-soaked ground and mangled corpses, desperately searching for the cause of the gruesome disaster. They gave it their all. After all, this was the Hailstone Principality's primary source of revenue: the magic stone mine. Whoever was behind this would face imperial repercussions once uncovered.
In the midst of the prolonged investigation, someone approached an investigator.
"What do you think caused this?"
The man was curt. His attire even differed from the other investigators. He was from the Arcadia Empire, not the Principality—specifically, an agent from the empire's intelligence division. The empire had dispatched him because the destruction of the Principality's magic stone mines hurt them too. Uncovering the culprit and preventing a recurrence was paramount.
But none of the investigators here could pinpoint the cause.
"...We haven't found any evidence."
The investigator responded to the agent's question with an awkward smile. It was the truth. There was something odd about the extent of the corpses' damage.
It's too ambiguous to call it a monster outright.
It looked like a monster's doing, yet somehow not. If monsters had truly attacked the mine from the start, neither the Principality nor the empire would have missed it. Yet not one, but all three magic stone mines had been hit. The scene suggested it was impossible without a monster wave.
But the incident had already spilled over. To report upward, they needed solid evidence. The investigators racked their brains to piece it together, but came up empty.
"Hmm..."
The imperial intelligence agent was equally stumped. His mind brimmed with monster data, but nothing matched the scene.
The bite marks are too irregular.
The teeth marks on the bodies were haphazard. Even this seasoned agent, who'd seen countless monsters, had never encountered such irregular dentition.
The incident reeked of anomalies from the outset. The current site alone screamed it.
No evidence worth calling evidence.
Whether man or monster, perpetrators always left traces. But everything was too clean. As if it had always been this way.
"......"
The agent glanced at the mine's shadowy depths and turned away.
"Like a monster born from the darkness itself."
"Pardon? What was that?"
"Nothing. I'll be going. Carry on."
He felt embarrassed by the absurd thought that had crossed his mind.
A monster of darkness? Ridiculous.
The agent shook his head and turned to leave—
"You can't come in here!"
An investigator's shout echoed from inside the mine. Curious, he looked toward the voice.
An old man?
There, an elderly man strolled out leisurely. So serene, he could pass for someone out for a casual walk. The white-haired elder ignored the investigators' protests and scanned the mine interior intently.
Intelligence division?
No, an unfamiliar face. The agent eyed the old man's attire: impeccably gentlemanly, with a sword at his waist. Perhaps because its owner was elderly, it didn't seem threatening. The others felt the same, merely yelling for him to leave.
"Hey, old timer! Didn't you hear? Get out now!"
Humans have limits to their patience. The elder was ignoring them too much.
"Even an old coot has limits to ignoring people!"
One investigator, fed up, drew his weapon. Investigators were no slouches—all rivaled knights in skill. From the mood, he looked ready to swing.
Tch.
The agent turned away. He wasn't in charge here. His mission was just to find clues. What happened to the old man didn't matter. If the elder hindered the investigation, excluding him this way was fitting.
Moments later, the sound of air slicing rang out. The agent turned back.
One more needless corpse.
But the scene defied his expectation.
"Huh?"
The old man, presumed dead, stood unharmed. The investigator who'd swung at him remained frozen in position.
"...!"
Seconds later, the sword-wielding investigator's body shredded into dozens of pieces. Everyone stared at the elder in horror.
What just happened?
They held their breath, wary of the old man. Even in the tension, he carried on.
"Hm, nothing unusual."
He even muttered to himself leisurely.
The old man's identity was Walter. He was surveying the mines Celestia had trashed. This was the last one.
"Why the mines, though."
The Captain had ordered Ariel to investigate them, hoping for clues. But nothing turned up. Still, Walter examined the interior closely. He ignored the pesky flies buzzing around, focusing solely on finding the Captain's trail.
"Hm?"
Scanning the floor, Walter spotted something odd.
"The hounds converged in one direction..."
Unnatural tracks. Examining Celestia's Shadow Hounds' traces, he found they'd gathered toward one spot.
"Could it be..."
A possibility dawned on him. But the environment wasn't conducive to focus.
"Dieeee!"
Another fly charged with sword raised. But it too shredded in a blink, collapsing.
"!"
The agent rubbed his eyes at the surreal sight, rechecking the scene. Was he dreaming? The latest attacker lay minced around the elder.
He didn't even move...!
Now everyone knew: this old man was no ordinary elder. They deemed him an enemy and drew weapons.
But the agent screamed inwardly.
No, don't draw! You can't provoke him!
His agent's instincts screamed. His gut warned against touching this old man. But everyone was charging.
The elder uttered one word.
"What a hassle."
His hand rested on the sword at his waist. That was the agent's final memory.
Afterward, every head here severed. Decapitated bodies toppled, blood gushing. A cauldron of death.
With the pesky flies gone, Walter reexamined the floor tracks.
"......"
Confirmed. The hounds had gathered around someone. They were loyal to Celestia alone. Yet she hadn't appeared here.
What if they followed another too?
"Captain."
It meant the Captain had been here days ago.
"A rare thrill after so long."
Walter turned without regret. As he left, the mine collapsed.
Cuckoo. The bird known for not building its own nest, instead laying eggs in others'. The hatched cuckoo chick's first act: evict its siblings. To claim the nest solo. The original owners mistake it for their own, raising it with utmost devotion.
Just like my situation.
Comparing to now, my position mirrored the cuckoo's in many ways.
I was currently riding a carriage toward the Hartwell estate. This seat was meant for Brooks, but he'd died. As his replacement, I'd claimed the bastard son spot.
If I were an ordinary boy, impossible. Claiming bastard status? Nobles scrutinized bloodlines fiercely. So the Hartwell knights escorting me brought a mage: Bella from the Fire Tower.
Things worked out perfectly.
Who'd guess the dispatched mage was from the Fire Tower? Bella was even the Tower Master's disciple.
And the Tower Master is a Black Raven member.
I was the Captain. This whole affair was a scripted drama under my palm.
With Bella's help, the paternity test passed smoothly. Now, only living as a Hartwell remained.
A Principality noble's a letdown, but better than slavery.
Originally, I'd flee with Emilia. Compared to that, nobility beat it. Human greed knew no bounds, though—I still felt regret.
Hailstone Principality.
Ultimately an imperial vassal. Even as a count family, Hartwells ranked lower.
The countess's family was a barony, right?
Memory fuzzy on details after so long. But I recalled the current countess was an imperial baron's daughter.
One might think Hartwell outranked her barony, but reality differed. Empire vs. Principality: worlds apart.
And they were loaded too.
Imperial barons with vast wealth—that was their setup. Days of recalling game lore had paid off. Prep for my new family.
I was a bastard anyway. No great treatment expected. But I needed weapons, so I organized settings mentally.
Thus, I remembered: countess's family, a barony heavy in mine investments.
The Principality brimmed with minerals. Magic stone mines topped value. A baron profiting from investments wouldn't skip them.
Obviously.
Oh right—we crippled all the magic stone mines.
Her family likely suffered massive losses.
But we didn't destroy them.
Mines intact; they'd recover soon. My take, anyway. Family mood would sour regardless.
Lay low for now.
Just suck honey quietly. No gain in greed; coast under the noble name.
Lost in such thoughts, I surrendered to the rocking carriage.
"......"
Outside: hoofbeats, clanking armor. Knights escorting me safely home.
Upon arrival, I'd live as a Hartwell.
Inside: me and Bella. She sat opposite, watching.
We'd chatted plenty. Mostly my activities, future plans—mostly dodged.
One firm warning:
- Never divulge what you learn here. Even to your master.
Emilia slept soundly beside me despite bumps. Bella's sleep spell.
Black Raven talk wasn't for her ears. Initially planned sending her to the tower with Bella. But after gauging Bella, scrapped it.
Emilia knew too much about me. Risky if exposed at the tower.
She'd grill Emilia for sure.
For my safety, Emilia joining me at Hartwell seemed best.
Maybe catch some shut-eye myself.
Peaceful rest tempted, but Bella's gaze weighed.
"Got another question?"
I asked sternly. Bella knew me as Black Raven's 'Phantom'. Concept maintenance demanded acting.
My prompt lit her face. She asked one.
"How do I get as strong as Master?"
Her voice brimmed with yearning.
"...?"
Why ask me?
My baffled look prompted her continuation.
"Master learned magic from the Captain, so I wondered if I could too."
Ah, right. Bella's master: Adeline. No innate magic talent. Her bloom to Tower Master? Pay-to-win.
Pay-to-win reigns supreme.
But couldn't say her master powered up via cash.
I deployed my killer move amid chat.
"Only the Captain knows."
Dodge mastered. I was Captain, but hid it. They didn't know where, so fine.
It worked; no follow-ups. She pouted, hiding disappointment, arms crossed, head turned.
Sulking?
Carriage chats eased her, apparently. But even sulky, no help from me. Pay-to-win was the answer.
Even Walter was pay-to-win raised.
Except Phantom.
Phantom members? Lab rats. Cursed gear over pay-to-win, plus perish-on-fail reinforcement scrolls galore.
Lucky survivors gained power; most died. Game-only feasible.
Try that on Bella? Ethics aside, she'd freak.
Suddenly pitied Phantom members more.
"......"
Shook off gloom, flipped to questioning.
Pre-departure village chat: Bella not Black Raven.
Why not?
Master was; disciple should follow. Plus, she knew Black Raven well.
I asked.
"Why not join Black Raven?"
Simple answer.
"Captain's not there."
"?"
"Final approval's from the Captain for official membership, right?"
Eh? News to me, the Captain. Game: read report, done. Here? Such rules?
How'd they recruit then?
"Official members... I'll tell the Captain."
Dodged again. Words barely out, status window popped.
Captain, would you like to promote Black Raven's reserve members to official members?