34 – The Night Crow
“……….”
Surely… it can’t be, right? I knew perfectly well that it wouldn’t be intentional. But…
‘Wouldn’t I be executed if this were discovered?’
The Frost family members. Even the knights and maids seemed to hold Ariel in high regard.
And what about the situation I’m in now?
Late at night. A man entering the esteemed Yeongae’s room. The moment someone discovers this, I’ll probably be torn in half by the Duke of the North.
And… after being resurrected in any way, I will surely endure endless torture.
“I… I apologize-!”
Though I don’t feel any pain, the thought that I might have to witness those dreadful moments firsthand made me quickly open the door and enter.
In the dimly lit room, only the lantern on the table faintly illuminates the interior.
The women’s room was so simple that you couldn’t believe it was a woman’s room. There was no sign of decoration. It was plain and filled only with efficient, colorless furniture that seemed to be carefully arranged.
“You’re here.”
Eriel, sitting in the chair behind the desk with a lantern, looked at me and spoke. I looked at her and was slightly surprised.
Usually, when you stay in a house, and even more so in your own room, you would wear comfortable clothes.
On a night like this, even wearing pajamas wouldn’t be strange.
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“A battle… outfit?”
However, Eriel’s attire was not the kind of attire that could be seen as such at a glance. It looked sturdy and flexible, even at first glance.
…Does she wear that kind of outfit even at home?
“Why are you so surprised? Are you ready?”
“…Yes? What do you mean… ready for?”
As I stood up from my seat and lifted the mask on the table, I could only respond vaguely to Eriel, who was speaking.
What preparation? I haven’t even heard of such a thing.
“….What?”
“No. I don’t know what preparation you’re talking about.”
To Eriel, who made an expression of disbelief, I could only speak with a slightly dejected tone. I really didn’t know anything.
“You. Haven’t you heard any explanation?”
“….No. I was just wandering around the castle and helping out.”
“No. Sigh… I get it. That could happen.”
No… I really didn’t hear anything. Although I felt a bit unjust, I didn’t express it.
“Listen carefully. I’ll explain it once.”
Eriel let out a small sigh and soon began to explain. I strained my ears, not wanting to miss a word.
“The dedicated butler. This position is not just about helping with insufficient manpower or serving, it’s more than that.”
“Then what additional duties are involved?”
“Night Ravens. Have you heard of them?”
Night Ravens? What on earth is that? It sounds like some kind of fanciful name I’ve never heard before.
Seeing my puzzled expression, as if she expected it, Eriel continued to explain.
“Sorcerers of black magic. Those loathsome beings are teeming like vermin across the entire empire, especially rampant here in the North.”
Indeed, it’s said that the number of black magicians has been increasing lately. Especially in the North, they are said to be hiding almost everywhere.
Just like when I stumbled upon a cave of a black magician and encountered one, it suggests that there are many of them in the North.
“And. The secret organization established to annihilate these sorcerers – the Night Ravens. We sleep during the day when everyone else is active, and awaken at night when these vermin come to life.”
“You’re telling me this because…”
“Yes. You too are a dedicated butler, meaning a member of the Night Ravens. I didn’t expect you hadn’t heard…”
A secret organization to annihilate black magicians. The Night Ravens.
Unknowingly, I had become a member of the Night Ravens.
‘No. Does that mean I have to use black magic to eliminate these black magicians?’
It was a truly ironic situation. Me, a black magician, becoming the blade aimed at them.
No, perhaps it’s more fitting for me. My ‘Magic Eye’ can detect and reverse the same black magic.
“Only a very few within the Frost family know about the existence of the Night Ravens. And only a select elite are part of it.”
“Is there a Night Raven among those I saw today?”
“Possibly. We always hide our identities behind masks. And… you already know one of them.”
“Who… Ah.”
At Ariel’s words, I pondered for a moment and then remembered someone.
The black mage’s cave where I first met Ariel. And that black mage had introduced himself as the ‘former butler’.
So, was he the one who infiltrated as a black mage to kidnap Ariel? Quite bold. To infiltrate the enemy’s leadership and even manage a kidnapping…
“Do you understand now? Then let’s get ready. Here.”
“…Yes.”
As she spoke, Ariel handed me a mask resembling a crow’s face, along with black clothes.
I looked at the clothes for a moment, then layered them over what I was wearing.
The reason I didn’t refuse the suggestion outright or even delay it a bit.
It was my duty, whether I knew I was the Night Raven or not, and it was only right to kill all those black mages.
The cave where I met Ariel. Unlike Ariel, who barely escaped with her life, I remember those who died there, subjected to horrific human experiments and torture without even seeing the light.
The sensation of burying them myself, feeling their cold bodies, and their eyes, which couldn’t perceive even in death due to the pain.
I still can’t forget that feeling.
‘I don’t want to create more victims.’
It wouldn’t be right as a human to not act and reduce the number of victims when I have the power to do so.
“I’m ready.”
“Good. Let’s go. Put on the mask.”
Following Ariel, I put on the mask and jumped out of the window after her, who had leaped out first.
Thump.
Just before landing, I concentrate magic in my legs and feet to minimize the damage.
“……..”
Ariel, who silently gazed at that figure, soon turned away and dashed towards somewhere in haste.
To keep up with that speed, I clenched my teeth and focused my mana.
On a night when snow fell. At the moment when everyone was asleep, we began our actions.
***
After running for a few minutes, Ariel and I arrived at a small village not far from the Frost Territory.
It was a tiny village, and because it was late at night, there was no one visible around.
“……….”
A nod.
“Haah…”
Understanding Ariel’s gestures, at the moment when the guard briefly relaxed, we quickly passed by the guard and entered the village.
“This way. Follow me.”
“Yes.”
If we had passed the inspection, we could move a bit more slowly inside the village. Ariel walked towards a corner of the small village, and I silently followed.
“….Is there a dark sorcerer in this house?”
“Yes. According to the information from our sources.”
We reached the front of a small cabin in the most secluded part of the village. It looked like an ordinary house with not a single suspicious detail.
A well-built wooden house. Warm light shining through the window.
However, strangely, the vines growing around the fence seemed to want to peek over the house, and there was an unsettling absence of any signs of life.
“We’re going in. Follow with caution.”
“Yes.”
Huh…
We were prepared to defend ourselves in case the Dark Sorcerer attacked, but as soon as we opened the door and entered the house, we realized that no one was there.
The furniture was arranged as if someone was living there, and there were lanterns lit, but everything seemed poorly maintained.
“…Strange. This is definitely the right place…”
“Could there be a secret passage?”
“Maybe. I’ll check the second floor. You check the first floor. If anything happens, shout.”
With that, Ariel lowered her stance and went upstairs through the stairs. It was a wooden floor, but strangely, no sound of footsteps could be heard.
“Where… should I look?”
After that, I carefully searched the first floor without letting my guard down. The kitchen with various cooking utensils, a small bedroom, a place that looked like a closet.
I thoroughly searched every inch, but I couldn’t find anything suspicious.
Hm… I’ve searched everywhere worth checking. Should I go outside…
As I returned to the living room and pondered for a moment, I suddenly felt a very ominous and eerie energy coming from somewhere.
It was a faint energy that I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been concentrating. Perhaps it was because I had the “Mana” with me.
“Look at this.”
I used Mana to examine the living room and immediately realized that I could sense dark magic from beneath the carpet I was stepping on.
“Ariel, Miss…!”
“…Call me Elle during the mission. Except for Miss.”
“Yes, Elle. Please come here.”
“Did you find something? There’s nothing on the second floor. Just abandoned rooms.”
In response to her question, I quietly lifted the carpet under my feet and flung it far away.
“Ho-ho. How did you find this?”
“Ha-ha… Just got lucky.”
“Good. Well done. Let’s get going.”
Creeeak…
As I lifted the carpet, an entrance to an underground passage was revealed. I lifted the door, and it rose with the sound of its hinges.
It seemed to have been used recently, as it didn’t stir even a speck of dust. The rest of the house was in an unkempt state, but this well-maintained door confirmed my suspicion that the dark mage frequented it.
“Stay alert and follow me. From here on out, we never know when some bug might pop out.”
I resumed the tension I had momentarily relaxed and began to descend the stairs into the endless darkness, crouching low, following Ariel.