Chapter 139: What the Master of the Magic Tower Did
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: What the Master of the Magic Tower Did
“Thief! Minion of the devil!”
The bird was definitely directing those words at me. The fact that a bird born from a fruit was suddenly speaking was shocking enough, but this was a fantasy world. Having already experienced demons and magic, nothing could truly surprise me anymore.
Perhaps because of that, I managed to regain my composure quickly. The problem was what the bird had just said. I narrowed my eyes and glared at it.
“Who are you?”
“Ha! Me? You’re asking who I am? How dare a mere human presume to ask my noble name?”
“...”
It was an arrogance that reminded me of Desmond. At least Desmond was cute when he was inside the teddy bear.
Wait, was this bird kind of cute too? I tilted my head, observing the bird with its leaf-colored feathers. The bird’s yellow beak twitched.
[How dare a mere lackey of those angels...!]
‘Angels? Lackey?’
Desmond’s fuming voice echoed in my head. As Desmond, currently inhabiting the body of a Direwolf, let out a low growl, the bird flinched again. For all its squawking and shouting, it seemed to be quite the coward.
[That thing is a Harnen,] Bibi chimed in.
‘A Harnen?’
[Yes. They’re birds kept by angels. In the old days, they acted as messengers between angels and humans. I heard humans consider the Harnen a Good Omen.]
At least Bibi was saying something useful for once. I nodded.
“So, you’re a Harnen?”
“Urgh, how did you... Did those demons tell you?”
“Something like that.”
The Harnen already knew I had contracted with demons. Furthermore, it seemed to know that I was the one who had ruined the "destined" future. It might even know that I was a possessor.
I stared intently at the Harnen. For some reason, I felt like this bird could tell me things I didn't know yet.
“The fact that you’re so upset must mean the angels can no longer interfere in this world, right?”
“Ugh...”
“I guess even the angels are helpless now?”
The fact that a Good Omen, a creature on the side of the angels, was throwing such a fit was actually a very good sign for me.
To be honest, I had been worried deep down that things weren't over yet. Just as the First Duke of Winston knew his descendants would be wiped out in the future, I feared the future I had changed might eventually be rendered meaningless.
Though I had purged the faction following the Empress Dowager and the Radical Faction of the Temple, as long as the Temple remained, the angels would surely target this world again. Who was to say another Empress Dowager or another Cedric wouldn't appear later?
However, seeing this Good Omen—a supposed ally of the angels—screeching and arguing with me suggested that wouldn't be easy. Even for angels, it would be difficult to engineer such a situation again.
“You cowardly demons! To bring a human from another world and cause such a mess... You dirty, underhanded bastards!”
“And what about you? You called her a Saintess recognized by the angels, yet she contracted with a demon. Isn't that dirty and underhanded?”
“That! This exalted one hated that filthy human too! But...!”
“But?”
“Grrr.”
The Harnen fell silent for a moment, unable to refute my words, and lowered its head. It seemed even they found it shameful that the Empress Dowager, their Saintess, was a contractor for an Ancient Demon.
“Sometimes, one must commit wicked acts to achieve the greater good!”
“Is that something an angel’s messenger should be saying?”
“H-Hmph! What does a mere human know?!”
“Hmm.”
Whether it realized its own words were shallow even as it spoke them, the Harnen couldn't look me in the eye. My gaze as I watched it grew cold.
“Fine, whatever. What I want to know is this: will you people try to create another human like the Empress Dowager, or not?”
“T-That is...”
I reached up and tapped Nathaniel’s arm, which had been wrapped around my shoulders the whole time. The Harnen was just a small bird; it didn't seem capable of harming me.
Nathaniel lowered his arm with a reluctant expression. The look in his eyes as he glared at the Harnen was far from friendly.
“Nathaniel here was subjected to horrific things at the Temple and nearly died. It happened because the angels you serve turned a blind eye to such atrocities just to keep their grip on the world. Do you know that?”
“Ugh.”
“I don't know about me, but you shouldn't be acting so high and mighty in front of Nathaniel, don't you think?”
When I asked this while crossing my arms, the Harnen hung its head as if it had run out of excuses. But soon, it stiffened its neck and looked up again.
“It was a necessary sacrifice for their great mission! He should have accepted it joyfully!”
“Don't make me laugh.”
“What?”
“Should I give you a taste of that 'great sacrifice'? I think roasted bird would be good for dinner tonight.”
“Hieeeek! Stay back!”
As I stepped forward threateningly, the Harnen recoiled in terror. Because it had been trapped inside the fruit, its wings were sticky with sap, preventing it from flying properly. It flailed pathetically on the ground.
It didn't want to die and become a roasted bird itself, yet it spoke so irresponsibly about others' lives. The Harnen’s pathetic display seemed to perfectly mirror the selfish stubbornness of the angels.
“It’s no use running! I’m going to turn you into a roasted bird right now and—”
“Oh dear, please don't bully the little thing too much.”
“...Master of the Magic Tower?”
An unexpected figure stepped between me and the Harnen. I looked at him with surprised eyes.
But thinking about it, the Master of the Magic Tower was the person most likely to be connected to the Harnen.
This was the Magic Tower, and he was its master. Furthermore, he was the one who had planted the tree that bore the fruit the Harnen came from. He was even the one who told me not to be surprised by whatever came out of the fruit.
“You’re the one who brought that bird here, aren't you?”
At my question, the Master of the Magic Tower gave a thin smile. His slender silver-rimmed glasses glinted under the artificial sunlight.
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Were you on the side of the angels? Why would the Master of the Magic Tower...?”
“Ah, I must decline such a misunderstanding.”
Shaking his head gently, the Master of the Magic Tower looked down at the Harnen. His gaze was incredibly cold. The Harnen began to tremble even more than it had when it was with me.
“Y-You wicked human! How dare you imprison this exalted one inside a tree and then hand me over to a demon contractor to be eaten?!”
“Hmm, I don't recall handing you over to be eaten.”
“You devilish man! You monster!”
The Harnen began to hurl insults at the Master of the Magic Tower, just as it had done to me. However, unlike me, who had been taken aback, the Master showed no reaction, as if he were used to it.
I looked at him with suspicious eyes and asked, “What was your intention in trapping that bird in the tree?”
The Master of the Magic Tower turned to me and replied with a bright smile.
“Naturally, because a Good Omen must not interfere with Lady Dia. If I hadn't imprisoned it, it surely would have hindered you.”
“So... you were trying to help me?”
“Of course.”
Could I trust his words?
The doubt flickered for a moment, but the Harnen—who didn't seem bright enough to be an actor—didn't look like it was faking its reaction. Moreover, as the Master of the Magic Tower, he had concrete reasons to be hostile toward the angels.
“Then, thank you. Everything was resolved well thanks to you.”
“No, please don't say that. I was merely a coward.”
The Master of the Magic Tower replied with a bitter smile, a hint of gloom crossing his face. I couldn't understand what he meant.
“A coward?”
“To be honest, I couldn't gauge who would win. I couldn't act as proactively as Melissa did. So, the most I could do was imprison a Good Omen.”
“Ah.”
It seemed the Master of the Magic Tower hadn't been certain whether I could defeat the Empress Dowager. Still, unable to side with the Temple that regulated the Magic Tower, he had chosen to trap the Good Omen in the tree.
“Still, thanks to you, I and the people dear to me are all safe.”
“If that is the case, then I am the one who should be more grateful. On behalf of the Magic Tower, I thank you.”
“Haha.”
I let out an awkward laugh as the Master of the Magic Tower bowed sincerely. When he looked up again, he directed a blunt, cold stare toward the Harnen.