Chapter 69: The Giant Crow

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The bell tolled six times, its echoes lingering in the air.

 

From the moment she stepped into Francis Academy, the world changed before her eyes.

 

The bustling, ancient tundra city with its maze of natural gas pipelines suddenly morphed into a tranquil, isolated town. Here, meandering rivers flowed, a lush forest thrived, a sprawling lake glistened, and grassy fields were encircled by floating stone steps. Pedestrian paths, lined with railings, hovered just above the ground, spanning across the water bodies and threading into the heart of the forest. Amidst the greenery, the occasional spire of a tower soared into the clouds, connected by marble-carved arched bridges and pathways.

 

The streets had a subdued light—owing to the bizarre fact that this place was enveloped in night. Within the town, there were two moons. One was the solemn black spire clock tower nestled deep within the forest, its circular clock face akin to a full moon, adorned with six faces on the hexagonal exterior, each pointing in a different direction. The other, the real—or maybe the illusory—pure white moon, watched over the earth from its pristine vantage point in the starry sky.

 

"Gravitation magic... Have these mages really developed the ant monsters' legacy to such a degree?" Salser murmured unconsciously in astonishment.

 

Viola glanced back over her shoulder.

 

The archway was still there, a pure marble structure, radiantly white, yet it was utterly quiet, as though an invisible shield had blocked out the street's noise. Looking beyond the gate, one would only catch sight of a blue shadow, mist-like, lingering in the backlight—boundless, gently streaming outside the gate like an ethereal sea of fog.

 

Occasionally, people would emerge from the shadows of the archway, some children coming alone, looking around in awe; others were children accompanied by guardians, either amazed or indifferent; and there were also adults who quietly bypassed them—seeming to be school staff working here.

 

A towering, castle-like windmill stood at the entrance, its four massive gray-white blades gently rotating. In the shadow beside the windmill, a few people sat in silence. Now and then, a cigarette tip would flare up with a pinkish light, only to be abruptly snuffed out by a woman's angry scolding. The bricks of the pedestrian path took on a faint purple glow under the night sky. Moments later, a sharp scream erupted behind her. Viola saw her teacher frown, his eyes igniting with a white-hot flame.

 

"Don't waste your mana, mage!"

 

A crow, as tall as a person, landed on the ground. It raised its massive, protruding chest, one eye like a black pearl staring intently at Salser, the other doing likewise, then gradually tucked its wings and preened its feathered chest for a while. It lowered its head and said, "You appear quite on edge," carefully observing Salser,  "but there's no need for such caution here, mage."

 

With a gentle leap, the large bird landed beside Viola, its imposing shadow enveloping her entirely. However, the crow paid her no mind, focusing solely on Salser, "Even if the Empire were to occupy this city or slaughter half its population, considering the value of Francis, this place would still remain a safe haven."

 

Its statement was certainly unsettling. After a brief pause, Viola heard her teacher respond with a cold tone, "Conversing with giant crows isn't my usual pastime. I'm not particularly fond of creatures that feed on magic."

 

"Hey there! I could have some useful information for you, so why not loosen up a bit?" The giant crow teased, giving its head a playful shake. "I can show you the way, help you save some time. Got anything to eat around here?"

 

A few mischievous boys ran over, approaching the giant crow, but were startled and turned to flee at its sharp, piercing cry.

 

"The new students here are always so naughty," the giant crow said, opening and closing its sharp beak, "But let me tell you, I've been roosting in the Moon's Spawn for centuries, and my friends and I have feasted on the corpses of more than a hundred kids like them—you know, in war, there are no innocents, and we don't care who the dead are—unless it's our lord, of course."

 

"You've certainly indulged in many feasts," Salser said with a mocking tone, "Just like the war in the Pale Gorge decades ago, which is common knowledge, isn't it? Only these little brats are unaware."

 

"We weren't the first to enjoy that flesh-and-blood feast, noble sir," the giant crow shook its head, refuting the notion, "And I can't go around telling every mischievous brat just  to keep them away from me. Who knows, they might grow up to become mages even more powerful than you."

 

"You could always wish for them to perish on the battlefield."

 

"Hey there! I wouldn't wish for such a thing. I'm a kind-hearted giant crow, serving the lord of the Moon's Spawn, and I enjoy wandering around this academy. Kind-hearted Felisin, honorable Felisin, polite Felisin—that's all me."

 

"I don't see any Moon's Spawn floating above Cast City," Salser said sarcastically, "‘Kind-hearted’ Felisin."

 

"Moon's Spawn doesn't have to stay in one place, now does it?" Felisin said, circling them with a wobbly gait on its two bird claws, "And Moon's Spawn has always been nearby, you just can't see it."

 

"Then what brings you here? Who sent you, Felisin?"

 

The giant crow, with its beak marked by knife wounds, opened wide, and Viola felt it was silently chuckling. The bird fixed its gleaming eyes on her briefly before turning its gaze back to Salser. "While I'd love to bear the banner of the Moon's Spawn lord, the truth is, I'm here due to my own curiosity. I'm a flying witness, and over these few hundred years, I've seen your eternal madness. These tattered feathers and scarred beak are evidence of your wanton destruction."

 

"You certainly have a lot of negative opinions," Salser said to it with a mocking tone.

 

"Oh! This isn't negativity, it's simply the truth!" Felicin exclaimed with an exaggerated tone, "Ancient wisdom taught me that when dealing with you mages, honesty is key. Otherwise, why would I tell you about eating human corpses?"

 

Salser shrugged, "Can you lead the way then? First, we need to register this little girl, and then guide me to a demonology teacher named Caren Hortensia—or perhaps I should refer to her as a nun?"

 

The giant crow glanced at Viola and ruffled its feathers, "Who is she, your daughter?"

 

"I've never been married; she's a little girl I've adopted."

 

"Oh! I see what's going on here!" The giant crow said with the tone of a drunken middle-aged man, "You're grooming her, huh? Get her all attached while she's young, then it's just easy to bring her to bed when she's barely grown. Marry a girl who loves you willingly, even if she's clueless—you're into that, just like those fancy noble lords, am I right?"

 

"Your politeness seems to be lacking, black hag," Salser said, casually conjuring a bottle of wine from thin air. He uncapped it, and the red liquid twisted into a serpent-like noose, drifting through the air towards the giant crow.

 

"I like this, Master Mage!" The giant crow winked cunningly, swiftly gulping down the serpent made of red wine, "As for this little girl, you can take her too the registration under the windmill. Once the tuition is paid, you're off the hook—with a mage like you as a guarantor, even the basic entrance exam can be skipped!" It smacked its beak with relish, adding, "Someone will then guide her to complete the remaining procedures, and you can just tag along with me."

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