The Crow That Watches
“Mana overdose drug?”
Decon tilted his head as if hearing the term for the first time.
But there was no way to tell whether that reaction was genuine.
Pretending to know nothing in order to draw information out of the other party was one of the most basic conversational tactics.
Even though Decon Gold acted especially kind toward me while calling me his benefactor, I couldn’t forget one crucial fact.
The man standing before me was one of the Seven Stars of Knox.
“I don’t know much about it either. It’s just… something like the drug that back-alley thugs take before fighting other gangs. That’s all I know.”
“But didn’t you just mention ‘addiction symptoms’? That implies you’ve seen enough of them to recognize the signs in someone who’s addicted.”
Look at him.
The moment he spotted an opening, he pounced on it.
I lowered my head and fidgeted with my sleeve, trying to look troubled.
Decon apparently decided I was scared and softened his voice again to soothe me.
“It’s all right, Rookie. You can tell me anything.”
“I-I wasn’t lying…”
I hesitated for a moment, timing my words carefully, then spoke.
“Before I came to Knox… when I didn’t have any money, I sometimes walked through the back alleys at dawn. Every now and then I’d come across people who had passed out or died. If I searched their pockets, I could sometimes find coins…”
“Oh dear, that must have been very difficult.”
“Anyway, occasionally I’d find bodies like the Green Merchants’ leader—mouth foaming purple—dead on the ground. Later I learned that if you take too much of the overdose drug too often, you end up having seizures and dying like that.”
“Hmm.”
Decon stroked his chin, lost in thought.
The languid expression he’d worn earlier was gone; his face was now sharply focused.
I sipped my cooled tea little by little, giving him time.
He would have a lot to think about.
Because I had deliberately said “too much… too often.”
In reality, the kind of extreme addiction symptoms the Green Merchants’ leader had shown didn’t appear after just one or two doses of the overdose drug.
Someone had been supplying the man with the drug that frequently.
Hoping he would succeed in assassinating Killian Knox.
So right now, the names of every organization capable of pulling off something like that were probably flashing through Decon’s mind one after another.
At least I planted the suspicion that there’s a group behind it. But who knows what else he might come up with.
Maybe someone out there harbored such deep resentment toward Killian Knox that they would keep feeding him illegal back-alley drugs until he became addicted.
After all, even I had spent time wondering how best to stab that bastard where it would hurt the most.
At that moment, the quiet Decon asked me,
“Where is your hometown, Rookie?”
“…Lovenhaven.”
“The territory on the border between the Empire and the Crollin Kingdom.”
How did he know the name of that insignificant rural backwater?
While I was inwardly startled, Decon suddenly stood up.
Then he staggered as if he might collapse at any second.
“Ouch.”
“Are you all right, Lord Decon?”
“Ah, it’s nothing serious. I just got a little dizzy from moving so suddenly. It’s a common side effect while I’m under the Mana Blockade. More importantly, I’m terribly sorry. Something urgent has come up and I need to leave right away.”
“I knew you’d be busy! I’m perfectly fine, so please don’t worry about me!”
When I waved both hands and stood up to follow him, Decon lowered the corners of his eyes and asked,
“You barely touched the cookies. You can stay and rest comfortably. The tea has gone cold, so I’ll have my aide bring a fresh pot…”
“No! I’m all right!”
I had held back earlier because Decon was sitting with me, but if I asked for more tea while alone in the room, there was no telling what his aide might do to it.
“Are you really sure?”
“Yes! It would be completely inappropriate for an outsider to remain alone in the master’s office.”
I followed Decon as he put on his coat and left the office, adding,
“Since I gave the cookies to you, Lord Decon.”
Through the gap in the closing door, I caught a glimpse of the window facing the western forest.
“I achieved my own purpose as well.”
Mother’s embrace was warm.
Every night after bathing in warm water, she would tell me old stories until I fell asleep.
It was a precious time when I could have her all to myself—something that became rare after my younger brother Lucas was born.
“Helena, the moon is especially bright tonight, isn’t it?”
“Haaam, yes.”
A loving kiss settled on my forehead as I answered with a long yawn.
“My sweet baby.”
“Liar. You only ever say Lucas is pretty.”
“Hmm? Is our Helena feeling neglected?”
“…I don’t know.”
When I sulked and burrowed deeper into her warm arms, Mother laughed and hugged me tightly.
“Let’s see… what kind of fun story should I tell to cheer up our Helena?”
“The one about the moon, the stars, and the crow.”
“Again?”
Even as her voice carried the amused tone of ‘how many times has this been,’ a smile spread across my own lips.
Though my sulky feelings had already completely melted away, I still urged her.
“Hurry.”
“All right, I understand.”
Mother gently patted my back and began the story.
Long, long ago. In a time so ancient it was almost forgotten.
It was an era when the world held nothing but darkness.
In the sky there was only the moon.
The moon shone alone in the night sky, illuminating the world.
But the moon knew.
There were places its bright light could not reach.
Behind the mountains, inside the forests, beneath deep valleys—there were shadows that defied moonlight.
So the moon created the stars.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
At last, seven stars began to shine beside the moon.
The stars worked hard to light up the places the moon could not reach.
The star behind the mountain. The star above the forest. The star looking down on the valley.
Now the night was no longer dark.
But Helena, even where light reached, there were things that could not be seen.
There were wicked shadows that had learned how to hide within the light.
They crept out in secret beneath both moonlight and starlight, plotting evil deeds.
No matter how brightly the stars shone, it was useless.
The moon grew worried.
How could it find what could not be seen even when illuminated by light?
Just then, a single crow flew in from somewhere and perched near the moon.
It was a crow with feathers blacker than night and eyes as red as blood.
The moon asked,
“Who are you?”
⟨ The Moon’s Question ⟩
The crow answered,
“I am called Crow, O Moon. I was born from the shadows. Therefore, I know what they are hiding.”
⟨ The Crow’s Answer ⟩
“Is that true?”
The crow nodded.
“But you must help me, Moon. My eyes can see through darkness, yet if it is too deep I lose my way. Lend me a little of your light. And the light of the stars as well. Then I will be able to fly anywhere and find every shadow that hides.”
The moon smiled brightly and shared its brilliant moonlight with the crow.
The seven stars each gave a handful of their own light as well.
Only then could the crow spread its wings powerfully, carrying moonlight and starlight beneath its feathers.
From that night onward, the crow flew through the darkness.
Whenever it discovered a shadow hiding within the light, it would quickly inform the moon.
Because its feathers were so black, no one ever noticed the crow flying by.
But the crow saw everything.
Then one night, the moon fell into a deep sleep and no moonlight fell upon the world.
A vast and terrifying darkness tried to swallow the moon whole.
Neither the moon nor the stars noticed it approaching.
Because it was a darkness that had learned to hide within the light, just like a shadow.
But the crow saw it.
The crow flew toward the moon with all its strength.
And it cried out at the top of its lungs.
“Moon! Danger! A wicked darkness is coming!”
⟨ The Crow’s Warning ⟩
At that cry the moon awoke, and the stars gathered their light all at once.
The darkness could not withstand that radiance and scattered.
From that day on, the moon never spent a night without the crow.
The crow stayed close to the moon at all times, seeing what no one else could see, hearing what no one else could hear, and flying to warn the moon before anyone else if danger approached.
Therefore, Helena, even if you happen to see a crow flying across the night sky, do not be afraid.
That crow is working hard to protect the moon while we sleep.
“Mother.”
After the story ended, I spoke to her.
“The reason I like this story is because the moon won’t be lonely anymore. And actually…”
I cupped my still-small hands around her ear and whispered.
“When I grow up, I’m going to become a crow. The crow who is closest to the moon.”
But Mother was acting strange.
I had expected her to praise me, saying, ‘Our Helena will make a wonderful crow!’
Instead, the hands gripping my shoulders were painfully tight.
“Ow, Mother… it hurts…”
“Helena, no. That’s not what you need to remember!”
“Mother?”
“Remember this, my child.”
Her wide eyes were shot through with vivid red veins.
“The crows are always watching you.”