Chereads / Type: A Certain Master / Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: The Feast of Crows

Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: The Feast of Crows

On the deck of the Phantom of the Seas, Pascal gently laid Li Xiang down before standing and opening his right hand. Inside a small transparent soundproof box lay the conch shell that had entrapped Li Xiang in an illusion. 

Adashino Hishiri picked up the box and asked, "What do we do now?"

"To break the illusion, I need to understand the magic chant and how the spell was cast," Pascal explained, pointing to the conch. "In other words, we need to release the spell again."

"No way!" Adashino immediately rejected the idea. "We can't risk anyone else being affected by this magic."

"Wait, wait," Pascal quickly gestured with his hands. "I didn't mean for anyone else to take the hit. I'm not confident enough in handling it myself, let alone risking another person."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"A tape recorder," Pascal replied, surprising the others. He continued, "Illusions stem from sensory-based magic. To put it simply, magic deceives our senses using energy and a medium—in this case, sound. The voice coming from the conch is both the carrier and the spell formula, with magic being the energy that powers it.

"A tape recorder is an inanimate object, so it won't be affected by the illusion. When we record the sound, we filter out the magic. When we replay it, without the energy to power the spell, it's just sound."

"I see," Adashino said, finally exhaling in relief. She pulled out her phone. "Louis, bring your MP3 player up here. What do you mean 'why?' Just bring it!"

Shortly after, Louis arrived on deck. Glancing briefly at Li Xiang, he wasn't surprised. As part of the 12th Squad, he had witnessed the earlier events from the ship's control room. 

He reluctantly handed over his MP3 player. "This is brand new! It cost me three hundred pounds."

"Don't worry, we won't break it," Pascal assured him with a smile as he took the device.

"Do you even know how to use it?" Louis asked. Technology wasn't exactly embraced by most magi, who generally found it beneath them.

"I may look old because of the beard, but I'm around your age. Of course, I know how to use an MP3 player."

Pascal gave Louis a reassuring look before turning to Adashino. "Captain, I'll start by casting a soundproofing spell."

He stepped back a few paces, drawing a magic circle that flickered briefly on the ground. A transparent barrier enveloped him. After placing noise-cancelling headphones on his head, Pascal set the MP3 player to record, directing the tiny microphone toward the mouth of the conch shell before carefully opening the soundproof box.

A haunting, ancient melody echoed forth.

About ten minutes later, Pascal shut the box and removed his magic. "That should do it."

He pressed play on the MP3, and an unfamiliar, ancient language filled the air, carrying with it an eerie resonance.

"I've heard this song before!" Louis suddenly exclaimed, causing Adashino and Pascal to turn their attention to him.

"This language isn't modern. How could you have heard it before?" Adashino asked, surprised.

"I don't know the language, but the melody is identical to the one sung at the opening of the club performance two nights ago. Didn't you attend?"

"What does that performance have to do with this?" Adashino shook her head. She hadn't gone due to overseeing the preparations for this mission.

"I didn't go either," Pascal added. "I was busy as well."

"Mei Lidell Archelot performed this song. It's almost identical to the one we just heard, though I can't be sure about the lyrics."

"That idol who's been alive for centuries?" Adashino's voice faltered for a moment. "Can you recall the lyrics?"

Louis nodded, replaying the words in his mind. The song wasn't long, and he remembered the gist of it.

"It was a hymn. The lyrics were simple, praising the beauty of a princess from the Pendragon family. Based on the mentions of Flora, the Flower Goddess, giants, witches, and Britannia, I'd guess the song is set during the age of myth. Given the famous surname, it likely refers to Arthur Pendragon, the legendary King of Knights. But as far as I know, Arthur never had a daughter—only an illegitimate son, Mordred. So, this princess..."

Adashino thought for a moment and then said, "Arthur had a sister—Morgan le Fay Pendragon."

"Could this relic be related to Morgan le Fay, then?" Louis asked.

"It's too early to say for sure," Adashino replied, adjusting her glasses. "First, we need to figure out what this ancient language is. Only then can we confirm if it's tied to Morgan le Fay."

"I'll handle that," Pascal volunteered, thumping his chest. "I'll contact the professors in the Archaeology Department and have them analyze the language. Once we understand the chant, I can begin breaking Li Xiang's illusion."

"Good. Move Li Xiang to the cabin so he can rest. I'll head back to the control room to see if anything else has been discovered," Adashino said, just as her phone rang.

"Licia Foster, what's going on?"

"Captain, we've detected something ominous! You need to come to the control room, now!" Licia's voice trembled with urgency.

A deep unease settled over Adashino as she quickly pocketed her phone and rushed to the control room.

"What is this?" Adashino's eyes widened as she stared at the massive screen.

The earlier feed showing Li Xiang had been replaced by... crows.

An endless swarm of crows, blotting out the sky.

"Our radar shows the flock is nearly a kilometer long, numbering around thirty thousand," Licia, a tall, blonde beauty typical of the British Isles, and captain of the Law Department's second squad, stood beside Adashino, trying to keep her voice steady. "They all emit magical energy."

"Impossible! There's no way!" Adashino's calm shattered. "Are you saying that all thirty thousand of these crows are under the control of some magus?"

"As unbelievable as it sounds, it's the reality we're facing," Licia said, her voice trembling.

A deathly silence fell over the control room.

"How long until they arrive?" Adashino asked, taking a deep breath.

"Five minutes."

"All personnel," Adashino activated a loudspeaker with a spell, her voice echoing across the ship. "Everyone except the 12th Squad, immediately report to the deck and prepare defensive magic! The 12th Squad, head to the armory and activate the ship's weapons systems as fast as possible!"

Finished with her orders, Adashino grabbed a headset and sprinted toward the deck.

More than three hundred official members and auxiliary staff from the twelve squads leaped into action. The 12th Squad raced to the armory.

While normal cruise ships weren't equipped with weapons, this one had been custom-made for the Law Department, complete with a combat management system.

On deck, Adashino gazed into the distance, her face growing paler by the second.

The enormous flock of crows formed a massive black cloud, swirling together like a tornado preparing to descend on the vulnerable island.

Quantity had become quality.

Even if each crow were the weakest familiar, the combined magic of thirty thousand lesser creatures would have catastrophic power. Together, they were ready to unleash a storm of magic.

A feast of crows was about to begin.