"Where's your head, caw?"
"Did someone sneak in and take it, caw?"
"It's possible. It disappeared exactly a year ago."
...... What is this all about?
This is the laboratory of the Demon King.
Located beneath his castle.
Filled with countless tools and magical devices to kill intruders!
Who could have dared to enter such a place and steal Andasar's face?
"Does a Dullahan's body instinctively seek out its face, caw?"
"I've tried, but it just goes berserk every time."
"If I can stabilize that body, caw?"
"Then I'll gladly hand it over."
Of course, it's not as simple as just handing it over.
It's a question of whether I can stabilize the body, something even he couldn't do.
He seems to think this is like a competition between corpse artists.
I can feel a strange excitement in the Demon King's skeletal eyes.
"My art must be done alone, caw."
"That's a shame. I would have liked to watch."
The Demon King spoke honestly.
But I can't show him how I stabilize the body.
By not showing him, I can elevate my fake art to true art.
"How much time do you need? It's obviously impossible by tomorrow, so about a year...?"
The Demon King hesitated at the immediate response.
"...... 10 minutes? You're really pushing it."
At first, I thought I might have heard wrong.
He failed to stabilize it in a year. Now the Corpse Crow claims he can do it in just 10 minutes.
It's impossible by any standard.
"10 minutes is enough, caw."
"Hmm...... I hope that confidence is justified."
His arrogance has gone too far.
It will be amusing to see the Corpse Crow's face after he fails in 10 minutes.
The Demon King shrugged and left the laboratory.
Exactly 10 minutes later.
"...... How did you do it, exactly......?"
The Demon King looked at the stabilized Andasar's body with disbelief.
Even without eyes, his shock was palpable.
The body that had been wildly unstable was now completely calm.
It remained standing even after the seal was removed.
What took him a year to fail, the Corpse Crow accomplished in just 10 minutes.
Actually, it took less than 10 minutes.
"What magic did you use? Tell me."
"Discussing the techniques of art is taboo among artists, caw."
"I can't believe it......!"
It was hard to acknowledge and believe.
Like the Corpse Crow, the Demon King also creates art with corpses.
But he was confident in his superior skills.
No matter how transcendent, he didn't think anyone could surpass him in the realm of art.
He was the best in this field.
Yet, what he couldn't do, the Corpse Crow did right before his eyes, in just 10 minutes.
The past year flashed through the Demon King's mind.
While the Demon King was shocked, I was secretly disappointed.
The reason Andasar's body was unstable was one: it was in a Chaos state.
The precise term is Chaotic.
In the game, players enter a Chaos state after accumulating a certain amount of evil deeds.
This state makes it impossible to use warps, be chased by guards, and be hated by NPCs who won't give quests.
But beyond external reactions, a Chaos state also applies debuffs to the character.
'Entering a Chaos state causes madness.'
In the game, it only slightly reduced certain stats, but here it caused real madness and berserk behavior.
There were only two ways to resolve a Chaos state:
Building reputation through good deeds.
The former takes a long time, but the latter can resolve it instantly.
I had planned to use the pardon given by Priest Andrew, but plans can change.
'Since I have another one anyway.'
I still had one pardon from Priest Andrew.
If I asked, he couldn't refuse, as I used one to save his daughter.
'Monsters seem ignorant of the Chaos state.'
It's strange that monsters would enter a Chaos state from accumulating evil deeds.
Perhaps it's the opposite, where reputation increases.
Moreover, Andasar was originally human, so his structure was fundamentally different.
What was puzzling was why he entered a Chaos state in the first place.
'He's already dead, so why did he enter a Chaos state?'
Andasar had already died and become undead when he became an Eldritch.
Even after purification, he was still a corpse.
It's strange for an undead to enter a Chaos state from accumulating evil deeds.
This needs further investigation.
"As agreed, I will take this artwork, caw."
"...... Can't you tell me what you did?"
"I'll think about it, caw."
"......! I hope it's in a positive direction!"
The Demon King was genuinely passionate about corpse art.
He seemed to think we had something in common.
I don't want to be friends with this bad taste, but among the Demon King's forces, he seems the most friendly.
He would be the most exhausting to turn into an enemy.
I have to maintain at least a surface-level friendly relationship.
I spoke to Dullahan Andasar's body.
"Head towards where your face is, caw."
Dullahan Andasar's body continued to move in the direction of his face.
But ultimately, it didn't find it.
"That place is a hot spring where the Star Guardians gather."
The Star Guardians' hot spring.
The largest place in the center of Kramdel.
Dullahan kept moving towards there.
"The Star Guardians are investigating the hot spring. It probably started when the tears of the goddess began to mix in a year ago."
When the winds of change began to blow in Kramdel.
The hot spring became bustling, and the monsters stabilized from that time.
"Oju forces. The Star Guardians and we have a non-aggression pact. It's best not to cause trouble."
The Oju forces and the White King.
Monsters who fear nothing, yet they are intimidated by the Star Guardians.
"Because entangling with each other will never end well."
Their relationship doesn't seem particularly good.
The Star Guardians and Kramdel have an unwritten non-aggression pact.
I can understand to some extent.
The Star Guardians, ultimately the owners of the stars, can't avoid entanglement.
Even if they don't help humans, the Oju forces might see them as traitors.
However, there's still something I don't understand.
"Since it's a non-aggression pact, is it okay for the Star Guardians to enter Kramdel, caw?"
"Regarding the stars and the goddess, we have no choice but to yield."
The word doesn't suit the Demon King at all.
"I'm not officially an Oju force yet, caw."
It's not my concern as long as I'm not officially an Oju force.
Before the official announcement, I'm just a visitor to Kramdel.
The Demon King was perplexed.
"Then it's even more unacceptable. If problems arise with the Star Guardians, we can't help you as just a 'visitor.'"
He would help if I were an Oju force, but not if I'm not.
But I didn't expect help in the first place.
"I don't need help, caw."
I really don't need any help.
Leaving the bewildered Demon King behind, I headed to the largest inn in Kramdel.
Mostly composed of Mythic or Fantasy species, they are treated with even greater respect.
Guardians of the stars, they possess power and qualifications beyond ordinary monsters.
However, they usually don't leave their star's protective domain.
It's a rare occurrence for them to gather, maybe once in a thousand years.
Currently, over a dozen Star Guardians are soaking in Kramdel's hot spring.
"It's definitely the 33rd star."
"It's not the body of the goddess 'Lea.' Her body was scattered into 32 pieces. Then whose is it?"
"The possibility is high."
"To confirm, we need to see 'Beyond.'"
"It's sealed by a Unique-grade mystery. We need to investigate whether someone intentionally blocked it with such a mystery."
As the Star Guardians were having an earnest conversation,
Dramut quietly left the hot spring.
Called the old king, Dramut is still a 'wall' to the gathered Star Guardians.
Dramut is the youngest and weakest among them, so he can't easily join the conversation.
He can't join even if he wants to, as he doesn't know enough.
Even if he disappears, no one notices.
This proves the Star Guardians have no interest in Dramut.
Sighing, Dramut slowly returned to his room.
"...... Who are you? A Corpse Crow?"
The moment he entered the room, Dramut was puzzled.
A Corpse Crow was in his room.
The Star Guardians' rooms are supposed to be strictly separated.
"Long time no see, Dramut, caw."
"Get out quickly if you don't want to be eaten. I'm not in the mood for games."
He opened his mouth, pretending to eat.
It was the first time seeing a Corpse Crow.
There's no way he and I could be acquaintances.
Though he feels bad, he doesn't want to cause trouble.
If he causes trouble in Kramdel, he'll just get in trouble.
If he runs peeing, I'll let him live.
Then, suddenly, Dramut frowned.
"But how do you know my name......?"
How could a Corpse Crow know the name of the noble Star Guardian?
The Corpse Crow removed the core from its chest, and its body began to deform.
The Corpse Crow removed the core from its chest, and its body began to deform.
A more accurate description would be melting.
'Is it so scared that it's ending its own life?'
Dramut looked at this series of actions with disbelief.
A monster removing its own core.
A monster without a core dies. It's an act of ending its own life out of fear.
After all, if it were in its right mind, it wouldn't have entered a Star Guardian's bedroom.
But the surprise didn't end there.
As the wings fell off and the flesh and bones melted, a human form appeared inside.
And that human had a very familiar face.
"Your appearance has changed a bit, so you don't recognize your master? How can you call yourself a loyal servant?"
"Y-You, how did you......!"
Beyond shock, it was disbelief.
But the human in front of him was clearly real.
Dramut's whole body shrank.
The deepest realm where a star sleeps.
Dramut's role is to guard the star and the mountain.
Originally, the star's owner was Wilhelm, but Wilhelm died, and the star fell back into the mountain.
Later, the human who suddenly appeared in his domain was Randolph.
A human of unknown origin who became the star's owner despite lacking the qualifications!
"Moreover, the form you just had was definitely...... a Corpse Crow."
It was definitely a Corpse Crow.
The appearance, smell, and presence were unmistakable.
The Corpse Crow transformed into Randolph.
Or rather, Randolph transformed into a Corpse Crow.
But it was incomprehensible.
When it was a Corpse Crow, there was no trace of the star.
But when it transformed into Randolph, the trace of the star he guards was felt.
It wasn't just a disguise; it was a complete transformation into a different being.
There's no other way to explain it.
Additionally, the melted feathers and flesh were sucked back into the removed core.
'When I return to my original form, I can't use the Corpse Crow King's skills.'
I expected this, but removing the core made the 'switching' complete.
As a Corpse Crow King, I can't wear equipment but can use related skills.
Conversely, as Randolph, I can't use Corpse Crow skills but can wear equipment.
It's like a transformation, avatar, or costume in a game.
Since I already expected this, it's not a big disappointment.
Right now, Dramut is more important.
"Dramut. The reason you're here is the 33rd star, right?"
"...... Humans shouldn't be here."
"Did I look human a moment ago?"