Chapter 57 - The Magic of Deepest Black

“Whoa, that startled me.” Limon frowned without thinking. It wasn’t just that the baby bird’s cry was far too loud for its tiny body. A moment ago it had looked dead; he hadn’t expected it to suddenly make such a racket. But that was only the beginning.

CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP! CHIRP, CHREEP!

As if once wasn’t enough, the baby bird cried out again and again, sprang upright in its nest, then began making all sorts of strange gestures. It raised its wings high as though cheering, then waved one wing frantically.

“... What the hell is with that bird?” Was it throwing a fit? Going berserk? Watching it struggle as desperately as a castaway spotting a passing ship after ten years on a deserted island, Limon could only stare in disbelief.

Li Qingyu, who had been reading the sign beside him, answered. “It says it’s a rare species called the Bluebird of the Florine.”

“Florine... Wasn’t there a witch by that name once?”

“Yes. Apparently this species was created by that witch as a familiar. It says they’re smarter and tend to live longer than other birds.”

“And suddenly go berserk?”

“It doesn’t say anything about that.”

“Hmm. Maybe this one’s just an oddball, then.”

CHREEP, CHREEP!

As if demanding they stop chatting and look at it, the baby bird even started hopping up and down. Limon compared it to the witches’ familiars he had seen before and nodded. A dark mage might create an entire species of birds this unhinged, but surely a witch wouldn’t.

“Any idea why it’s doing that?”

“Sorry. A successor to the Hundred Beasts Form and Intent Style might know, but I’ve never learned that supreme art.”

“Surely you can get a rough sense of it.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure...” Li Qingyu tilted her head, studying the baby bird with her beautiful obsidian eyes. Then, looking a little surprised, she said, “I can tell it’s delighted to see us for some reason... but I can’t read anything beyond that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As you know, Sword Lord, psionics may be versatile, but they aren’t omnipotent.”

The Black Dragon Clan’s psionics could even read minds, but only in very limited circumstances. Limon knew they didn’t work well on animals, whose thought processes differed from humans’, or on people with strong minds, like high-level players. If they had no such limitations, he would never have been able to go around crushing the Seven Dragons Society as he pleased.

“Well, can’t be helped.” Limon readily accepted that and turned around. “Kids, time to go.”

CHREEEEEEEP?!

The baby bird’s eyes widened as though it had heard something unthinkable. Sia, who had been watching it with her corpse-like, lifeless eyes, turned to Limon in apparent surprise too. “Already?”

“We can’t stay here forever.” Limon sounded unimpressed. The baby bird was certainly unusual, but that was all. He had seen every sort of beast over his long life, from chimeras that mixed humans and animals to the spirit beasts at the heart of the Spirit Upheaval and predators that devoured whole islands. This bird wasn’t enough to hold his attention.

CHIRP, CHREEP!

“It really doesn’t seem to want us to leave.” Perhaps the children had never seen a truly rare animal, or perhaps they were still young enough to feel for it. They hesitated, unable to ignore the baby bird’s plaintive cries. Sia spoke for them in her usual flat voice.

Limon shrugged. “I don’t mind either way... but if we stay, you won’t get to ride the rest of the rides.”

“Huh...?”

“I won’t get to ride the bumper cars?”

The children all looked stunned, as though the thought had only just occurred to them. Sia looked from their faces to the baby bird gazing at her with mournful eyes, then came to a firm conclusion.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

CHREEP?!

The baby bird’s beak dropped open like Caesar stabbed in the back by Brutus. But Sia didn’t change her mind. There would be plenty of chances to show compassion; who knew when they would get to visit an amusement park again? Having somehow become the closest thing the orphanage children had to a big sister, she wanted them to enjoy as many rides as possible while they were here.

“Sorry, bluebird.”

“We have to go...”

CHIRP! CHIRRUP! CHREEEEEEEP!

Like a castaway clinging to a lifeline, the baby bird cried even more desperately and flapped its wings. The children kept glancing back wistfully, but in the end they hurried after Limon.

CHREEEE...

After a brief moment of panic, the baby bird pressed its beak shut as if making up its mind. It took a few steps back, squeezed its eyes shut, pattered forward with its wings spread wide, and leaped from the nest. It was a leap toward freedom—a challenge only winged creatures could attempt.

SPLAT!

The result, of course, was pitiful. No amount of flapping wings still covered in down could generate lift. The baby bird dropped straight from the nest and lay sprawled on the floor, groaning.

CHIRP.

Fortunately, perhaps because it weighed so little, it didn’t seem hurt. It quickly sprang up and pattered off again. But its dash soon came to a halt. The zoo’s final boss stood in its way: its birdcage.

CHIRP, EEP, CHIRRUP.

For a while it struggled to squeeze its small body between the bars. When it finally gave up, it looked down at its plump belly with reproachful eyes. After a moment’s thought, it gripped the bars with its wings and began to strain. It was a hopeless effort. The bars might have been thin, but a baby bird was neither a rhinoceros nor a bear; it had no chance of bending them with its wings.

But what happened next was astonishing.

POP!

One moment the baby bird was straining against the bars; the next, it vanished and appeared outside the cage. It was a sight that made you doubt your eyes. It should have been impossible. Small as it was, the bird was too plump to fit through those narrow bars unless it had somehow crossed space itself.

CHREEEE.

For better or worse, the zoo had so few visitors that no one saw it happen.

Its escape complete, the baby bird pattered along as fast as it could, looking strangely exhausted. It headed the way Limon and the children had gone...

* * *

Meanwhile, Limon was feeling rather put out. He had left the zoo determined to take the children on as many rides as possible, but an obstacle he hadn’t anticipated was making that simple goal surprisingly hard to achieve.

“... This one’s under repair too?”

“That’s what the sign says.”

“Just how many attractions is this park repairing?”

“It is a very old park. I suppose a lot of things have broken down.”

“There’s a limit, though.” Limon clicked his tongue. One or two closed attractions would have been understandable. But since leaving the zoo, they had already passed four “Under Repair” signs. Including the ones they’d seen earlier, the total was over seven. At this point, it was hard to tell whether the place was an operating amusement park or a construction site.

And the attractions they had managed to visit weren’t much better: a unicorn carousel with broken horns, a Ferris wheel that kept stopping mid-rotation, and a sluggish swinging ship ride. Most of the children enjoyed them without knowing any better, but only because it was their first amusement park. Those who had visited another park even tilted their heads and wondered, “Huh? Is this ride supposed to be like this?”

“I chose it for the inspection because it used to be famous around the world, but it looks like I made a mistake.”

“So you did intend to inspect it after all.”

“Why not kill two birds with one stone?”

“... Do you actually know what that saying means?”

“If both are skirts, a red one is better because blood splatters won’t show on it. Isn’t that what it means?”

“Why do you have to interpret it in the most bloodthirsty way possible and still somehow get the point right?!” Limon stared at Li Qingyu’s serene smile in disbelief. But he couldn’t press her further. Something happened that left him no chance to ask.

SHHHHHHH!

“Whoa!”

“Grandpa! R-rain!”

“... Oh, for fuck’s sake.” As if things weren’t bad enough, a sudden downpour came through as though the sky had sprung a leak. Limon hurried the children into a nearby building to escape the torrent, then turned to Li Qingyu with an incredulous look.

“Princess, didn’t the forecast say it would be sunny today?”

“The forecast I checked did.”

“Then why’s it raining?”

“I wonder...?” The downpour had been so fierce that even their brief exposure had soaked Li Qingyu’s cap and clothes through. She tilted her head. The answer to their question came from an unexpected source.

“Oh, that? Happens sometimes. Don’t you worry about it.”

They had rushed into the nearest building: the [Magic Hall], so full of odds and ends that it was hard to tell whether it was an attraction or a storeroom. The speaker was an elderly, white-haired employee behind the counter, dressed as a magician with a top hat pulled low. Limon eyed him suspiciously.

“Sometimes? Rain on a sunny day?”

“The fountain system they built years ago broke down. Been doing this a few times a month for about ten years now.”

“This isn’t rain? It’s fountain water?”

“That’s right.”

“... What kind of fountain pours water out of the sky?”

“One made through a contract with spirits. People used to come just to see that fountain... but those days are long gone.” The old man gazed wistfully into the distance, then shook off the memory and rummaged around as he continued.

“Anyway, on days like this, we give every guest an umbrella and a free ticket, so don’t be too angry.” He pulled out a pile of tickets along with plastic umbrellas. Limon stared at the man, who seemed not just accustomed to this but completely resigned to it, then turned back to Li Qingyu.

“Princess, are you sure this is an amusement park?”

“Hmm... probably?” Even Li Qingyu seemed taken aback by this turn of events. She gave him an awkward smile, and Limon sighed. But someone else was having a much harder time.

“Does that mean we can’t go on the rides now?”

“Well, the outdoor rides won’t be running. But you can still enjoy places like our Magic Hall.”

“What does ‘won’t be running’ mean?”

“It means we can’t go on the rides...?”

The children were already tired from trekking from one closed attraction to another. Now they were drenched and had been told they couldn’t go on the rides. Their faces crumpled.

'Fuck. We’re screwed.'

Their eyes brimmed with tears. Limon groaned as he watched them hover on the verge of crying. Like water spilling into an already full cup, one child’s tears would set off all the others in a chain reaction. That was why he turned to the old man.

“Hey, you said we could use this Magic Hall, right?”

“I did.”

“Then do something the kids will like. This is supposed to be an amusement park attraction, isn’t it?”

“Heh heh, leave that to me. I’ve got just the thing.” After a wheezy chuckle, the old man rose and rummaged through the clutter behind him. He took out a long box and set it lightly on the table.

CLUNK.

“...?” The moment Limon saw the box, his expression changed. He had expected nothing more than magical fireworks or shadow puppets, but a thick, musty scent of magic seeped through the cracks and brushed his nose, mocking that expectation.

'This is no toy.'

“What are you waiting for? Open it.” Limon gave the old man an uncertain look as he urged him on. But with Sia tending to the children and pressing him wordlessly to do something—anything—and Li Qingyu watching with curiosity, he finally opened the box.

CREEEAK.

The box swung wide. Inside, something lay dormant: a mysterious relic, old enough to look like an antique, yet more beautiful than any jewel in its elegant, functional design. Its black sheen seemed to beckon to him.

The Violin of Deepest Black.