A rasping sound, like sandpaper rubbing together, emerged from the crow's throat. Then, the dry, croaking voice of an old woman echoed clearly through the room:
"Of course, Ms. Hope. We are not like those gods who sit on high, demanding faith while turning a blind eye to the suffering of their believers. We focus on... the trade. You pay the price and complete the tasks we require, and in return, you naturally receive what you deserve... the reward. It's quite fair, isn't it?"
If an ordinary student were to witness this scene, they would be utterly shocked—the crow was speaking!
But if Greg were here, he would simply say: "Sorry, my cat says she's hungry. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
This clearly wasn't the first time Audrey had witnessed this, but even so, her body shuddered violently, as if the voice carried cold, piercing needles.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then forced them open, her gaze swirling with internal struggle.
"But... Silvia Lorraine... that girl..."
Audrey's voice dropped even lower, carrying the instinctive awe and fear a believer felt when mentioning a deity.
"The light magic she used during the Placement Exam... that pure power... anyone with eyes can see she must be... a God-blessed favored by the Goddess. I... I am a believer of the Goddess of Light, yet I am to strike at a potential God-blessed... This... this is the ultimate blasphemy! It's a betrayal of faith! According to the teachings, my soul would..."
"Faith? Soul?"
The voice within the crow's mind let out a short, mocking sneer.
"Did your faith ever help your son shed the label of a useless person? Did your pious prayers ever cause that so-called 'merciful' Goddess to cast even a single glance of pity upon him? Audrey Hope, you know better than anyone what it means to have no power in this world. What kind of looks will your son face in the future? What kind of life will he have? Are you truly resigned to this?"
Each rhetorical question hit Audrey's heart like a heavy hammer, striking her most vulnerable spots.
Her face turned deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Indeed... was she resigned?
She was a Deputy Professor at Glory Cael Magic Academy, having reached this position step by step through her own hard work and knowledge.
Although it was only a deputy position and she was often marginalized due to her background and personality, there was still hope for a promotion to Full Professor in the future, which would grant her higher academic status and resources.
Her life seemed to be on a slow but steady upward trajectory.
But her son, a mere eight-year-old boy, had been judged as magicless during last year's Mana Awakening Test, possessing no talent for cultivation.
To her, this result was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
In this magic-centric world, what did it mean to have no mana?
It meant being forever severed from true power, status, and glory, relegated to the lowest tier of commoners. Even after her death, her son might not even be able to secure a basic living without her protection.
She could not accept it!
How could the son of Audrey Hope be an ordinary person?
The test must have been wrong!
Or... the time simply hadn't come yet; he just needed a catalyst!
And the faction represented by this eerie crow offered exactly that.
A deal that could grant her child the magic talent she so desperately craved.
On one side was the Goddess of Light, whom she had believed in since childhood for spiritual comfort, but who now seemed so silent and distant. Along with that was the soul-shuddering sense of blasphemy and unknown punishment that came with kidnapping a God-blessed.
On the other side was her own flesh and blood, her son, and a tangible hope to change his destiny.
Faith was illusory, something for the afterlife.
Her son's future was reality, and it was urgent.
Audrey's breathing grew increasingly rapid, her internal struggle surging like a small boat in a storm.
She remembered the hidden envy and loss in her son's eyes every time he saw other children performing simple magic tricks.
She remembered her own endless anxiety and fear in the dead of night.
She remembered the looks from her colleagues—looks that seemed sympathetic but were actually laced with a secret sense of superiority...
Blaspheming a deity? Falling from grace?
If it was for her son to have a bright future...
Audrey suddenly looked up. Her eyes, once filled with pain and struggle, were gradually replaced by a near-obsessive, desperate, and fanatical resolve.
The last trace of color drained from her face, leaving only a deathly white determination.
She looked into the dark red eyes of the crow, as if staring through them at the entity behind the deal. Word by word, her voice raspy but clear, she said:
"I... understand. Tell me... exactly what I must do."
"For my son... I am willing to do anything."
...
When Greg woke up and pulled back the tent flap, he found that Nightmare had already returned to the camp.
The black cat wasn't curled up on her cushion as usual. Instead, she was crouched on a flat patch of ground near the rock wall, with several oddly shaped stone fragments she had picked up from various corners of the dungeon spread out before her.
Her head was lowered, her emerald eyes focused intently on the fragments. Occasionally, she nudged them with a front paw, seemingly trying to fit them together in a specific way.
Greg rubbed his bleary eyes. Seeing this, he couldn't help but yawn, his tone a bit dismissive.
"I say, Lady Goddess, could you stop bringing these weird things back? The camp isn't that big to begin with. I'm worried this place will turn into a junkyard for your 'collectibles' one day."
Hearing this, Nightmare didn't even look up. She simply replied in her ethereal, slightly mysterious voice:
"These are not junk. They may seem insignificant now, but in the future... you might thank me for my collection today."
"Hah."
Greg scoffed, walking over to the nearby underground river to splash water on his face.
"Thank you? What, are these broken stones going to assemble themselves into a treasure map and lead us to some lost hoard?"
Nightmare gave a noncommittal chuckle but didn't answer directly. Instead, she stopped fiddling with the stones, turned gracefully, and looked at Greg with her emerald eyes, naturally shifting the subject.
"By the way, my other half. I have observed you these past few days... it seems you have been making preparations for something that is to happen tonight?"
Rate on N.U.
