Of All Things, I Became a Crow

*Rainelle’s POV

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I picked up the last piece of the reddish-colored raw meat and swallowed it. Meat, fruits, and grains were given to me every morning until I was full.
It was a little scary.

When I was a human, I didn't even think about eating raw grains, but now I'm eating those the most as if it was natural.
Sigh…
Besides, I eat until I was so full every day like this, and even eat cookies as a snack, but I haven't gained any weight.
Should I consider this good or should I consider it bad?

No, does flying burn that many calories? Is that why birds constantly eat? Oh, that makes sense. Some of them have short intestines, but…

I gulped the water from the bowl and looked around.

…By the way, it seems to be noisier since morning today? Karmeut doesn't seem to be doing anything different, but somehow the air seems to have been pulled tight…

Without realizing it, my feathers stood.

No way, is today the day of the Bozcourt?

Filled with anxiety, I looked at Karmeut.
But perhaps he did not feel my gaze because he continued to eat silently.

…that behavior of his… gave me more certainty.
Normally, Karmeut would feel my gaze instantly and look at me or smile at me, but that was not the case now.

I looked around.
But by the time Karmeut was about to finish his meal, there was a servant beside him, so I had to give up the option of transforming into a human.

…Still, I don't think it was like Karmeut to chew on a fork while thinking so hard.

“Caw!”

I let out a loud cry and eyes gathered on me.
I could see the servant frowned slightly like she didn't like that very much, but was that a big deal?

What's important now is Karmeut!

“…Oh, Rainelle? What's wrong, not enough meal?”

I didn't like the way Karmeut smiled as he replied half a beat late.
At the same time, I felt sorry for him.
When I think of Bozcourt, I get anxious, but what about the person involved?

So I shook my head hard to indicate “No”, flew to Karmeut's shoulder, and sat down there.
We ate face to face at meals, but now that I saw the situation, I think I should stay with him and talk later.

Perhaps surprised by my actions, Karmeut's body flinched slightly.
Then, with a smile, he said,

“Yeah, okay.
I'll hurry to eat and play with you soon.”

I didn't know that he said he'd play with me for the servant to hear.

Yeah, you should.
Hurry up to finish eating, let the servant leave, then talk to me!

The servant's gaze stung a bit, but I ignored it and returned to my perch.
And I spent the time cleaning my feathers as I waited for Karmeut to finish eating.

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Ah, if I had known that this would happen, I would have eaten a little slower.

Fortunately, Karmeut finished his meal shortly after.
After telling the servant to go outside after tidying up, he looked at me.
His golden eyes were still shining beautifully, but I could feel that they were different from usual.

“There is no one else.
—You can change into human form.”

At those words, I immediately changed into a human form.
I met Karmeut's eyes while feeling the texture of the hem of my dress by rubbing it.

He was smiling as usual…
but, yet again, it wasn't quite the same as usual.

“Are you doing Bozcourt today?”

“…yes.”

Although startled for a moment, Karmeut answered yes.
I asked a question while I was relieved to see him answering me without any lies.

“When?”

“-At noon.
It will be held in front of the Imperial Nobles and the Emperor.”

“Can I go and see?”

Karmeut seemed to ponder for a moment.
But he quickly nodded his head and answered,

“Yeah, I think it's okay.
I'd love to have you cheering for me too…
but you have to be in your crow form.
And you'll be with Sir Windster and Namuel.
Lastly, don't intervene just because it looks dangerous.
Got it?”

“Then Karmeut promise to me too.
That you won’t die.”

Karmeut fixed his gaze on me instead of answering.
I had no intention of backing down, so I did not avoid that gaze.

…if Karmeut is defeated or killed at Bozcourt, the original storyline is twisted.
That bastard Luwellin will become the emperor.
And, and…

I didn't want to see Karmeut die.

I heard that in Bozcourt, the participants will take the form of wolves and fight a bloody battle until one of them died.
But can it be the same as normal wolves? No, it wasn't.

It was common for all predators to care about their bodies, and for either side to admit defeat and step down before getting hurt. If you are injured in a fight, you cannot hunt, and if you starve, you die.

This was more reasonable to view this Bozcourt as a bloody battle between people dressed in wolf skins.

…in other words, even if you surrender, you will be bitten and torn until your breath stopped.

I didn't want to see that.

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I didn't want to see the beautiful golden and white fur dyed with red blood.
Didn’t want to see his skin torn and laid there helplessly.

Never.

“Yeah, I'm not going to die, never.”

Did he sense something in my eyes? Karmeut nodded his head with a determined expression.
I wasn't completely reassured, but I was somewhat relieved by Karmeut's reply that he would not die.

“You have to win.
No, no.
Just don't die. As long as you don't die. I don’t want to see your skin ripped and blood-soaked fur.”

Karmeut smiled.
He approached me with a soft, gentle expression on his face, and reached out his hand, then he stroked my cheek gently.

As I could feel the calluses on his palm, Karmeut's voice reached my ear and made me shiver.

“Thanks for your concern.
I'll make sure that never happens.
I promise.”

When Karmeut said “don’t be afraid,” only then did I realize that I had been trembling.
At first, I thought it was kind of funny that I tremble like this, but I was more worried than I had thought.

So I lifted my trembling hand and wrapped it around Karmeut's hand.
I felt warmth at my fingertips, and the trembling of my body gradually subsided.

“Okay, I promised you…
and I'll believe you.”

Hearing that, he laughed softly.
Suddenly, my head was pulled and leaned against Karmeut's chest.
I was stunned and froze for a moment.
I couldn't respond to the touch of his hand that was stroking my hair and the arm that wrapped around my back when a soft voice landed in my ear.

“I'm a little happy that you're worried about me this.
So, this is for good luck.”

“—!!”

Suddenly his face approached me and there was a soft touch on my lips.

Uh, uh, huh?

Thump-thump-thump-thump,

My heart began to beat wildly.
The touch on my lips was so soft, and the scent on the tip of my nose was familiar, but it was harmful to my heart in the present situation.

Besides, I couldn't even close my eyes as I was still frozen, but Karmeut slowly closed in again.

*Chu—!!*

His lips soon dropped a peck on me.
Then he smiled, the corners of his eyes bent gently.
I couldn't think of anything and just made a dumbfounded expression.

Thi, this…
how can you make a crow’s heart like this..!!

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“This, this…
what…”

“It is like a lucky charm.
I think it will really give me a lot of strength if you promise that you’ll let me do a deeper one after Bozcourt.”

…this is the first time that I know.
First time I know! That… Karmeut is so sly!! Ha, but he didn’t use his tongue, so this isn't a kiss, it's a peck.
But he said a deeper one… that refers to a kiss, right?

Me, kissing with Karmeut? Ahh, ahhh…!!

*Poof*

– I think I heard a sound. Seriously! It felt like heat rushed into my face and my eyes were spinning.

Now, wait man!! He, I mean…
If I told him that he can kiss me, wouldn't Karmeut fight hard? So, if it can make the storyline goes according to the original, it's not bad…
but that, that, though!! It’s embarrassing to approve!!

Oh, God!! I’m so embarrassed!!

“A, a deeper one?”

“If you want to know what it is, just promise me that you’ll do it.”

You know what?! I know what it is!! But it would be too embarrassing for me to frankly say that I would do that!! Ha… but I think it would be good to raise his motivation…

I just nodded my head because I didn't have the courage to answer.
Karmeut’s face suddenly brightened.
It made me feel as if something was a bit off, but I had no intention of breaking his bubble.
However, I also didn't dare to keep seeing Karmeut's face in human form like this, so I quickly returned to my crow form and fled to the perch.

“Caaaw! (How can I make such a bold promise?!)”

Aaaaah I'm crazy!! No, it's not that I don't like it…
but it's about accepting it openly…

Wahh, waahhh…!

My eyes felt as if they were spinning.
Hearing the sound of laughter, my face heated more.

Aghh!! I wish he will win, but I'm anxious and worried about what's going to happen after that…!

Aghhh!! I don't know!

***

 

3rd person POV

On one side of the Imperial Palace, a place like a stadium, which was not usually a popular place, was rarely full of people.

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Whispering and talking to each other, they were all well-dressed nobles.
Each expressed different emotions: excited, worried, or anxious.
However, if they all had one thing in common, their gaze was focused on the seat reserved for the emperor.

The emperor had not yet arrived.
But because of that, the nobles can chat with each other and talk about the current situation.

“Would you have imagined that Bozcourt would happen in this generation?”

“Isn't it the Third Prince's? Of course, it was unexpected.”

“I can’t believe that First Prince is also awake…
It's not uncommon to awaken, but according to the records, it is said that people usually awaken before the age of 20.”

“I've heard that it's rare, but it's not something that never happened.
His Majesty, the 10th Emperor, ascended to the throne without being awakened because there were no awakened people at the time, but he awakened when he was thirty.”

“—In any case, this place will be stained with blood like it was back in the day of His Majesty the Emperor.
Even after several decades have passed, that scene is still not forgotten, and I will see it again.”

One of the aged-looking nobles shivered.
-It was because the scene that had not yet been forgotten came to his mind vividly as if it had just happened yesterday.

Terrifying growling sounds.
Sharp gleaming teeth.
Every time they bite each other's bodies, blood and flesh spurt out.

It was a sight that couldn't even be compared to fighting between wild beasts.
It was similar to the sight of monsters and warriors fighting in a duel, yet, it was also not the same.
Dying if not killing seemed that it was a desperate situation, but the bloodshed between the princes who turned into wolves in Bozcourt was more than that.

It was madness, obsession, and a grueling brawl for the survival and power of malevolent beasts.

If it weren't for Bozcourt, people probably wouldn't be able to see such a sight, even anywhere else.
By nature, a beast (predator) was a creature that saves itself if its own body was likely to be damaged.

Monsters were more violent than wild beasts, and because they feed on humans, their survival was at stake, but it wasn't a certain desperate situation.

Bozcourt was a duel that did not stop until the human-minded warriors, who risked their lives for survival for the most honorable place in the empire, bite their opponent and end their breathing.

The chattering ceased in an instant.
It was because The Emperor had appeared.
Even from a distance, his complexion didn't look very good, but the emperor, who came and sat with an unshakable posture in his seat, slowly opened his mouth.

“Some of you may know why we're here today, and some may not.”

The emperor's voice, which had become louder because of amplification magic, resounded clearly in the wide area.
Contrary to his face, which was completely ill, his powerful yet stable voice drew the eyes of the nobles to The Emperor in an instant.

“There are two people who are qualified to become my successor.
They are both intelligent, have support, and have 'awakened'…
—They are princes who are members of the Imperial Family and not lacking to be the next emperor.
…but only one can become emperor.
I have prepared this place to come to a decision.”

The emperor's voice saying that he had prepared this place somehow sounded faint and bleak.
And the nobles who had watched Bozcourt before clenched their fists unconsciously as they kept their mouths shut.

“I can't let those who will rule the empire in the future create chaos within the empire over the right of succession.
Therefore, those who wanted to become my successor will have to risk their lives to prove their power in front of everyone.”

When The Emperor finished speaking, the nobles clapped their hands.
However, because of the tight tension, the applause without cheers sounded rather bizarre.

“Let Wolfric Iveld de Karmeut and Wolfric Kaveld de Luwellin come in.”