Of All Things, I Became a Crow

*Luwellin’s POV

"Damn you bastard! You're an idiot who didn't even awaken!!"

Luwellin was wheezing unceasingly. Since he called a healer to treat him, the wounds on his face and his cracked ribs were completely healed as if they had never been there, but the wounds on his pride did not heal.

Although it was evident in the healer's eyes that she was trying to avoid staring as much as possible, of course the healer had seen his face. Luwellin felt even more irritated when he remembered that.

Luwellin poured wine into a wine glass as he wheezed, then he emptied it in one gulp. Since it was one of the best wines offered to the Imperial Family, the taste and aroma were excellent, but Luwellin was pouring the alcohol into the glass, again and again, probably just to get drunk.

"If he had died then, this wouldn't have happened----!!!"

It was fortunate in many ways to win over Count Falun. In return for taking his side and cooperating with him, Luwellin wrote down a promise to welcome the count's daughter as his empress on paper and handed it over. Up to that point, everything worked out very well.

-Of course, I did not say that I would really make his daughter the empress. Count Falun is one of the powerful nobles with a wealthy territory, but his daughter is a peasant who had never been to the Imperial Capital and her body is also filthy and unattractive.

I think that I could just hug her a few times and put her in a corner of the palace. How happy I was when I heard reports that the count had dragged Karmeut on the pretext of hunting, that he killed all the escort knights, and that he was badly wounded on the side!

I thought he'd run off into the mountains and become the food for monsters and wild animals, but he persisted and came back alive?!

Unable to resist his anger, he threw the wine glass he was holding in his hand. The wine glass smashed into pieces against the wall with a bang, but, perhaps unsatisfied, Luwellin turned the table upside down. The wine bottle fell on the floor and was wetting the carpet, but the third prince only threw a glaring look.

"...that unlucky crow---!!"

How dare it scratch my face with its dirty feet?! How dare you?! To the face of this body that will become the next emperor of the Wolfric Empire?!

That was an intolerable humiliation. I'm so angry that I wanted to catch that crow immediately, pulled out its feathers and claws, then throw it in boiling oil.

A question suddenly appeared in Luwellin's head, which was filled with the idea that when he became the emperor he would capture and kill all black feathered crows in the empire so that he wouldn't see them.

"...but why did that bastard come at me like that?"

If I remembered it again, when Karmeut kicked me... wasn't it when I was to attack that crow?

However, Karmeut, whom Luwellin knew, did not particularly do anything to stop him when he was going to hurt a baby bird. It'd be right to say that he was indifferent.

But when I was about to attack and kill that bird, why was he so hostile?

Luwellin was still his family. No matter how arrogant and self-righteous Luwellin was, he was basically an intellectual who had been forced to learn a vast amount of knowledge (although it was unclear whether he still remembered them), so he could detect subtle changes.

Or maybe he realized instinctively because Karmeut had awakened the wolf's blood.

"...something. There's something about that wretched bastard."

Once I figure out what it is, I'll see Karmeut's contorted face. I can't believe he used the word 'cute' even though his face distorted when I attempted to assassinate his subjects, when his subordinates were all killed, and when he ended up seriously injured.

A smile appeared on Luwellin's lips as he felt thrilled just thinking about it.

If that unlucky bird is precious-- I'll tear it to pieces and throw it as a dog's meal right in front of you.

On the prince's face, who chuckled with such thoughts, there was a mean-looking smile that didn't fit someone from the Imperial Family.

***

*Karmeut’s POV

Karmeut began to work with Rainelle on his shoulder. He scanned through the information about the nobles’ movement, rejecting those who persuaded him to take more rest.

Most of the nobles who swore allegiance to him did not immediately change their attitude just because he was missing.

He didn't think of it as luck out of misfortune. He received allegiance from those who he can pull in, and there were many cases where talented people would voluntarily swear their allegiance.

Those who have changed their attitude... would be because of one of these two reasons. Either that person is a parasite of the empire that is attached to me to flatter me, or that person’s been enticed by Luwellin. But no matter how stupid Luwellin may be, not all the nobles who support him are fools, so people who changed their attitudes so quickly will not be respected or accepted.

Well, either way, it won't change the fact that I don't need those kinds of people.

With that in mind, he carefully read the documents containing information about the nobles, organized them on one side, and picked up a dried fruit that had been prepared as a snack and brought it to his shoulder.

He picked up a book with a small smile as Rainelle swallowed the fruit deliciously. There were many things to pay attention to for the right of succession, but Karmeut was still a prince.

After confirming the movement of the nobles, which was the most important part, the urgent fire was extinguished. If the majority had changed their attitude, he would have had to move quickly to attract them to his side from now on, but that wasn't the case, he didn't have to.

Should I say that this is all thanks to Luwellin's stupidity?

Being an awakened person was so absolute that it overturned the fact that he was the third son and made him a strong candidate for succession. However, despite having that absolute power on his side, he was only of this level.

Now it was shameful that such a brother had the same blood as him.

A knock can be heard when Karmeut turned the pages of the book while evaluating Luwellin briefly.

"Your Highness, the Marquis Namuel has visited."

"......? Bring him inside."

Even though he was puzzled as to why Marquis Namuel had visited him, Karmeut allowed him in. Marquis Namuel- the eldest son of Duke of Sharmalt hadn't had much contact with Karmeut.

The Duke of Sharmalt, the youngest brother of the current emperor, Peha, and an unawakened person from the Imperial Family, was a person who was given the title of duke and enjoyed a leisurely life because he gave up his right to succession by himself. Because of that, unlike his other brothers, he has survived to this day, so he was a wise man in a way.

Although he gave up his right to succession, the fact that he was a member of the Imperial Family remained unchanged, so in order to avoid unnecessary controversy, he became a duke who was far from politics.

His eldest son did not jump into politics, but decided to walk the path of magic.

He is a person of outstanding achievement at a young age, but he does not take any side, only delves himself into magic----

Why did he come to me?

Suppressing his puzzled mind, Karmeut rose from his seat and smiled at the man who entered the room.

"Welcome, Marquis Namuel."

"I'm sorry to have come so suddenly, Your Highness."

The man with loosely tied waist-length gray hair was wearing a pair of glasses. With his wisely shining green eyes fixed on Karmeut, he bowed gracefully and gave a faint smile.

After Karmeut offered a seat to the marquis who had an enigmatic smile, he said, "thank you" and sat down.

"...You seem to be keeping an interesting bird, Your Highness."

His green eyes landed on Karmeut's shoulder. Rainelle, who was arranging its feathers with its beak, sensed that it was being pointed at. Rainelle tilted its head and fluttered its tail feathers.

"Oh, does it look like that? It's fun to raise it because it's cuter than I initially thought."

After he said so, he tickled Rainelle's chin who then flapped its wings while making a pleased sound. At that sight, Namuel's eyes lit up with interest.

Is the wizard's unique sense of inquiry tickled?

Uncomfortable with his strangely sparkling green eyes, Karmeut hurriedly opened his mouth.

"Can you tell me what brought you to see me?"

"Please hold your words, Your Highness. No Imperial Family members speak so respectfully to the empire's nobles. If the one who will rule the empire in the future is like this, I don't know what to do with myself."

Karmeut's body flinched. His thin golden eyes that were secretly filled with coldness looked at Namuel, and then they curved.

"What kind of profanity is that? Nothing has been decided yet. Are you a person who doesn't know that it's better not to say things like that in the Imperial Palace?"

"Of course I realize that."

Namuel pushed up his glasses with one hand. Kamut slowly erased his fake smile at the confident attitude of this man, who said that he knew that fact well without hesitation.

"-What's your purpose?"

"My father always said that it's best not to get involved in politics if possible. Considering his past, he would say such a thing, and personally, it's a complicated political story. It's not proper to treat pretentious people in a pretentious society."

His voice was soft and supple. The prince poured him tea and waited for his next words. Namuel, who thanked him with a slight bow, moistened his lips by sipping the tea and then continued:

"...but no matter how much I try not to pay attention, Prince Luwellin's actions have gone too far. If the third prince becomes the emperor, the empire will surely collapse. I have no intention of watching the country where I was born and raised crumble like I'm a third party."

"-and if Luwellin, who has a tyrant disposition, becomes emperor, you who explore magic will become a very good 'tool' and be treated like objects?"

"The knowledge of magic is fascinating. In everyday life, on the battlefield, in the position of those in power ...isn't that right?"

"Then I have a question. Luwellin and I are both members of the Imperial Family. Is there any guarantee that I won't act like Luwellin if I become emperor?"

"At least I don't think there's any chance that you'll stop my breathing while acting haphazardly according to your mood like the Prince Luwellin."

Golden and green eyes collided in the air. The first to open his mouth was Karmeut.

"...that's certainly a plausible reason. But that doesn't mean that I'll just trust you. You, a wizard who had no interest in politics, are going to help because you think that the country is going to be ruined? Don't you think that's a poor reason to help me?"

Namuel nodded his head slightly.

"You need validity."

"The higher the place, the harder it is to gain trust from a person from a higher position."

The wizard hummed and stroked his chin. After pondering for a moment, he put his hand into his sleeve and when he pulled it out, there was a small bottle in Namuel's hand. It contained something blue in color.

The wizard pulled the cork blocking the opening of the glass bottle with his hand. *Pop*

When he tilted the uncorked glass bottle, the small blue grains inside rolled over and passed the glass bottle entrance.

A big blue object fell on the table in an instant with a thud. When Karmeut saw the object, his gold-colored eyes widened.

Although its size was about half of an apple with the same shape, the fruit was densely surrounded by crystals that shined like sapphire.

"Crobanlock------!!"

"You recognize it. Yes, it is a fruit that can 'awaken' the power hidden in the body of the person who ate it. Of course, since it's a fruit with such an effect, the reaction consequence is also considerable."

"How do you..."

"---Indeed, Crobanlock is an extremely difficult thing to get. The climate, the amount of sunlight, the temperature, and other conditions required for the fruit to grow are not fixed. The conditions are random.Sometimes it is found in an oasis in the middle of the desert or in a snowy mountain, so I know that they are precious enough to say that it’s all up to luck to find them. And even if they're found, most of them are eaten directly. The people who are most likely to find Crobanlock are mercenaries, adventurers, and treasure hunters.”

The wizard nodded slightly, drank tea to moisten his mouth, and continued:

"It was a coincidence that I was able to get this. Not long ago, I went to Ripplebeck Mountain because I needed fresh Griffin eggs.I didn't expect to find this with the eggs in Griffin's nest."

Namuel, who lightly touched the Crobanlock with the tip of his finger, looked at Karmeut.

"I'll give you this. Crobanlock is the supreme treasure of the earth that awakens dormant abilities. If you eat this, you will be able to awaken."

***