Ch 18 Poaching a Chef

Though Kurou said it casually, Asterion’s eyes sank into a cold stillness.

The artificial mana heart he had made for her was intricately tangled with her actual, biological heart. That must have been why the thief left it alone—they likely couldn’t tell it was a mana heart and left it behind.

But taking the mana stone?

Kurou’s gigantification stone was the core item required for her to transform into Eclipse. Ripping it out meant that Kurou could have died on the spot.

And to think they sliced open the chest of a sleeping, defenseless bird while she was still alive.

…You dare lay your hands on my familiar?

Asterion bit down hard on his lower lip. His chest felt so tight it was practically burning.

Kurou’s sleeping spell couldn’t have blocked out the pain.

She must have endured that agonizing pain in her sleep, but because waking up to a reality without him hurt even more, she simply crawled back into her slumber to hide.

“Don’t worry. Whoever took it, I’ll definitely hunt them down and get it back for you.”

The usual lazy drawl in Asterion’s voice was gone. He gently layered a protective barrier over Kurou’s scar.

“First things first. Let’s head home.”

“Home? Boss, we have a home?”

Kurou’s eyes sparkled as she asked. Asterion let out a soft chuckle and stroked her head.

“Well… It’s a bit of a weird place. But you’re going to need to rest up and get your strength back there for a while.”

Asterion settled Kurou comfortably onto his shoulder and stood up.

“Let’s go, Kurou. Since you worked so hard. from now on, I’m going to wait on you hand and foot like a princess.”

“Hehe, you’re gonna regret saying that, Boss!”

Excited by the promise, Kurou flared her wings out as if she were smiling.

***

“Wow! The labyrinth actually goes down to the 11th floor? The humans up there all think it stops at the 10th! You’re amazing, Boss!”

Even though her body was nowhere near fully healed, just being by her master’s side again seemed to give Kurou endless energy as she babbled along. Looking at her frail, bony wings, Asterion answered with a smile.

“Don’t waste all your energy right now. If you keep talking so much, you’re just going to get even hungrier.”

He flicked his wrist, pulling up Kurou’s status window once more.

[Status: Extreme Hunger]

[Nutritional State: Malnutrition (Danger)]

The red text gnawed at him. The ribs poking through her sparse feathers were pitifully thin. Asterion opened his inventory, pulled out a handful of soft reeds he had gathered earlier on the hill, and padded the inside of the Mana Cradle. Once the fluffy reeds were piled on top of the cradle radiating pure mana, it looked exactly like a cozy bird’s nest.

He carefully lifted Kurou and set her down right in the center of the cradle.

“What is this place? It’s so soft.”

“I’m glad. Don’t step a single foot out of there.”

“Mmm, no objections there. But how did this place end up becoming our home?”

Kurou’s clear eyes looked up at Asterion. It was also an indirect question demanding an answer for the hundred-year absence. Asterion pressed his lips together for a moment before finally letting out a tired sigh.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“…I was sealed away for a long time. I was asleep. And then, I woke up here.”

“Sealed? Who did that to you, Boss?”

“I’ve got theories. But I’m not sure.”

Asterion slumped onto the floor next to the cradle and stared blankly up at the stone ceiling.

“Kurou. The truth is, during the fight with the goddess, I deliberately cast a self-destruction spell.”

“Deliberately? Why?”

Kurou’s voice trembled slightly. Asterion let out a bitter laugh and looked down at his palms. These were the hands that had saved countless lives, and killed countless enemies.

“I’ve lived… for way too long. A hundred and thirty years in this world. The time I spent with you and our comrades was definitely fun. But as they fell one by one… I just became so tired.”

A bone-deep exhaustion flashed through Asterion’s eyes. He knew better than anyone just how crushing the crown of being the sole Archmage was.

“There’s just too much happening in this world. People change, and conflicts repeat themselves. And it’s just a matter of time, the people I cared about grows old and eventually dies. The child I knew became an elder in the blink of an eye.”

Asterion paused for a second before continuing.

“I think I’ve reached an age where it’s all become a bit too overwhelming.”

Kurou’s expression slowly shifted. As his familiar, the tiny raven instinctively understood the crushing lethargy and exhaustion her master felt.

She didn’t ask any more questions. She just hopped a little closer to the edge of the cradle, and snuggled her head and chest on his arm, trying to share what little body heat she had with him.

“So, the truth is… I want to go back to sleep.”

Kurou’s movements stopped entirely.

Her master, who she had literally just reunited with, was essentially telling her he wanted to leave again.