Chapter 53 Queen
When Nova left the dean's office and passed by the bell tower with its white spire emerging from the dense forest, the evening bell rang out. The sound startled a huge flock of crows, which were like a heavy dark cloud in the deepening twilight.
This group of crows is the tyrant of Baita University. They occupy the bell tower, and almost every year, naive freshmen are bitten and scratched. When passing through the crows' territory, everyone has to cover their heads and walk quickly.
The professor suddenly stopped. A crow, almost as long as his forearm, was standing on a branch not far from him, staring at him with its small, black eyes, revealing a longing and cunning expression.
He stretched out his hand, and a very soft whistle came out of his mouth - then the big crow actually landed on the ground, tilted its head and jumped a few times, flapped its wings and flew onto the black-haired young man's arm, then jumped onto his shoulder, and stretched its head over to skillfully search the other's front pocket.
"You are in danger."
A second voice echoed from the depths of the seemingly deserted woods, but Nova showed no sign of surprise. He simply lowered his eyes and corrected coldly, "It's you and I who are in danger, and we will remain in danger for the foreseeable future."
The crow on his shoulder raised its head warily, but saw no sign of the other human. It shifted its paws nervously, but ultimately decided to try its luck in the other pocket of the human. However, this time, it still didn't find the bread crumbs wrapped in oil paper that it always did. So, it shrunk its head in frustration, croaked hoarsely and discontentedly into the human's ear, and prepared to slip away.
A white, powerful hand pinched its wings without warning, very gently, but there was no way it could escape.
"Quack-quack-quack!"
The big crow screamed hysterically, its feathers falling wildly as it struggled, but its sharp claws could not hurt anyone at all.
Amidst the annoying chaos, the professor said coldly, "Crows are very vengeful. If you don't want to be attacked by a large group of crows' excrement, I suggest you let go now."
He doesn't want to be in trouble with others.
The one favored by God chuckled, and not knowing what the other party did, the panicked crow gradually calmed down, lowered its wings, and lay on the other party's chest without moving.
Crows were considered messengers of Samuel, the god of night and death. Their tendency to take flight at nightfall, coupled with their penchant for consuming carrion, led folklore to associate them with death—another prime example supporting the professor's theory. There's no official record of whether Samuel actually favored these noisy, ferocious creatures.
Azuka slowly and methodically stroked the crow's shiny feathers, and began to scratch the bird's neck until it felt so comfortable that it squinted its eyes. It seemed that his movements were surprisingly skillful.
"Does it have a name?" asked the God-favored One with great interest.
"It's just an ordinary crow, it can't speak human language. How do I know its name?" The professor gave him a puzzled look. "Perhaps there are calls in the crow language system that can distinguish its identity, but obviously, I haven't studied this field. If you prefer to call it "Quack, Quack," you can do so too."
The other person was silent for a while and then couldn't help laughing softly. Nova didn't know what was so funny about his answer. He frowned and decided to get the topic back on track.
"This group ostensibly seeks out Shadow Chaser's allies, but in reality, they're here to test the abilities, stance, and knowledge of the newly minted 'Chosen One.'" He began flapping the feathers that had clung to him from the recent chaos, casually revealing something earth-shattering: "The knight's master is also a Chosen One, most likely the current queen. Their deity is Analene."
"'Beheaded Queen' Esmerel." Nova picked up a dark feather and calmly examined the faint bluish-purple luster within it. "From the daughter of a circus animal trainer to the legendary queen who wielded the military and political power of the Silver Iris Empire. Some say she was simply a 'temptress' who captivated Cassius II since he was a prince. However, I have reservations about this."
In fact, when she first became queen, she was called even harsher names, such as "Bitch Queen," "Whore Esmery," and "Smelly Savage." The nobles of the Silver Iris Empire could not tolerate being bullied by a lowly woman who had once wandered the land and lived with wild beasts, but those calls were quickly silenced by her harsh and bloody tactics.
Azuka's expression grew serious.
The big crow was suddenly thrown out by a gust of wind. It croaked in dissatisfaction and circled above the two people's heads for a few times. When it found that no one paid attention to it, it flapped its wings and disappeared into the night. Nova also realized that the sound of the wind had completely left him - there was no doubt that this was the method of the one favored by God.
"Do you think this is a temptation from the God of Eros?" The Savior's voice was very soft.
It is certainly convenient to act in the name of God, but how could the God himself not know whether this person is his loyal servant?
"I can't confirm it yet. Perhaps it was Analene's will, or perhaps it was His Majesty's own initiative." Nova recalled the ecstasy that had been revealed by the fragment of the God of Love's soul and suddenly sneered sarcastically. "At least based on the current clues, the so-called Chosen One is more like livestock carefully raised by the gods, slaughtered the day they are released. And the gods are the greedy, hungry, and emaciated predators. Although I don't know why the gods want your life, it must be related to your current monstrous state."
According to the so-called "comics," the "protagonist" can only die after the finale. Otherwise, why didn't the Storm God Utoska kill the hero when he was still weak, instead of going through so much trouble and ending up losing his life?
The villain's voice was so soft that it was almost a whisper. "Perhaps even if Analene found out that I was acting under her name, she wouldn't dare to expose it."
The group of starving guys kept an eye on the livestock branded with their own marks to see if they were fat and strong, while being wary of poaching and coveting by other diners, and also worried that the humble creatures in the pen would one day suddenly become the masters of the table.
In this situation, an extra prey suddenly appears, and it is assumed that it has been branded as its own, whether true or false - in this situation, what fool would voluntarily reveal that the prey is actually ownerless?
…
"His Majesty."
In the solemn secret council room, Knight Commander Yialos knelt on one knee and lowered his head deeply to the figure sitting behind the desk.
"...In summary, I have had preliminary contact with Nova Brody. In my opinion, he is indeed an ordinary person, but he has indeed received some favor from that god."
A hoarse, rough female voice slowly rang out, "A clever, yet not-so-clever young man, arrogant, eccentric, and conceited, gloating over his talent, gloating over his status as God's Chosen One... Is this all he's shown you?"
Unlike the delicate, clear voices of other noble women, hers sounded as if polished by sandpaper, making it seem a bit eerie. But Yialos knew that this was caused by the smoke that damaged His Majesty's throat while rescuing Prince Cassius II from a fire that nearly destroyed the palace. Furthermore, while escaping pursuit, he sustained a soul-wrenching injury from which he would never fully recover.
"...I am a stupid subordinate." Yialos buried his head deeper.
"Yialos, you've got that old habit of overthinking again," the woman said coldly. "I've handed over full authority to you regarding the massacre of the Saman family. Arrest them, throw them in the dungeon, and interrogate them rigorously. Draw out everything they know—as long as they're not dead, who can say anything?"
The Knight Commander in the Silver Helmet hesitated and said, "But he is that person after all..."
"ha."
The woman gave a short laugh. She pushed aside the documents in front of her, stood up, and slowly walked to the ornately decorated window. Her golden pupils gleamed with an animalistic light in the darkness.
"The gods don't care about that. They just want a good show, no matter if it's a comedy or a tragedy," the contemporary Queen Esmeralda scoffed, even with a hint of blasphemy. She had a sharp, cold face devoid of tenderness. It wasn't beautiful, but it was something you couldn't bear to look at directly.
Yialos was silent for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "I understand. I'll do it right away."
"No, forget it. Let's not touch him for now." Esmerel rubbed her forehead tiredly. She sat back down at her desk, picked up her pen, dipped it in ink, and continued to handle government affairs: "What has the king been doing lately?"
"Your Majesty is obsessed with the arrangement of a new play. According to the report of the attendants, His Majesty would even perform in person after getting drunk, and then make trouble with those people. The mining plan for Blake County that you sent was all burned by His Majesty's order." The Knight Commander hesitated for a moment, and when he saw the pair of golden eyes looking up at him, he pursed his lips and lowered his head again.
"...and, His Majesty has recently...been getting close to a pair of twin dancers from the theater."
In fact, it wasn't just "somewhat close." The twins were renowned courtesans, mistresses of many powerful figures. Iyaros didn't want to go into detail about the king's outrageous behavior, lest it pollute Her Majesty's ears.
He was even disrespectful enough to secretly feel sorry and sorry for Her Majesty the Queen.
"Just like before, find out the identity of the twins," Esmerel instructed with incredible skill, without even looking up. "If they're innocent, leave them alone until the king tires of them. But don't leave any descendants that could confuse the royal bloodline. Anyone who dares to speak out will be dealt with immediately."
"...Yes." The knight retreated silently.
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