Pascal hit the play button. A language entirely unlike modern English flowed from the speakers--a tongue that was impossible to understand, yet possessed a strange, haunting quality.
"I've heard this song before!"
Louis suddenly jumped up, drawing the surprised gazes of both Hishiri and Pascal.
"This is an ancient language," Hishiri said, her brow furrowing. "How could you have heard it?"
"I don't mean the lyrics. I can't understand the words, but the melody... I've heard it. Didn't you see the club performances the day before yesterday?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Hishiri asked, shaking her head. She hadn't attended.
"I didn't see it either," Pascal added. "I was busy with the logistics for these ruins."
"May Riddell Archelot," Louis explained. "Her opening song... it had the exact same melody. I don't know if the lyrics were identical, but the tune was unmistakable."
"That idol singer who's been around for centuries?" Hishiri paused for a moment. "Recall the lyrics."
Louis closed his eyes and thought back. Since the song wasn't particularly long, he remembered most of it quite clearly.
"It's a hymn. The content is relatively simple--it's a song of praise for the beauty of a princess from the Pendragon family. Based on mentions of the flower goddess Flora, giants, witches, and Britain itself, it clearly refers to the Age of Gods. But I've never heard of King Arthur having a daughter... He only had his illegitimate son, Mordred. So the 'princess' in question..."
"King Arthur had a sister," Hishiri said, her voice thoughtful. "Morgan le Fay Pendragon."
"So these ruins are connected to Morgan le Fay?" Louis asked.
"It's too early to say for sure," Hishiri replied, adjusting her glasses. "Our first priority is to translate this ancient language. Once we have the exact lyrics, we can confirm the connection."
"Leave that to me," Pascal said, tapping his chest. "I'll contact the Archaeology Department immediately and have their professors analyze the recording. As soon as the meaning is clear, I can begin dismantling Wayland's illusion."
"Good. For now, move Wayland into the cabin so he can rest. I'm heading back to the bridge to see if we've found anything else."
As Hishiri finished her command, her phone began to ring.
"Arisa Kano? What is it?"
"Captain! We've detected something... and it's bad! Get back to the bridge, fast!"
The urgency in Arisa's voice sent a jolt of anxiety through Hishiri. She shoved her phone into her pocket and rushed back to the bridge.
"What is this...?"
Hishiri's eyes widened as she stared at the massive main screen.
Wayland's feed had been replaced by a new image--crows.
An endless, suffocating sea of crows that blotted out the sky.
"According to our radar, the swarm is nearly a kilometer long. We estimate there are roughly thirty thousand birds."
Arisa Kano stood beside Hishiri, her face pale. She was a quintessential British beauty--blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tall, slender frame. As she spoke, she tried to keep her voice steady, but the tremor was unmistakable. "They all have magical signatures."
"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Hishiri shouted, her usual composure vanishing. "Are you telling me thirty thousand crows are being controlled by a single magus as familiars?!"
"I... I can't believe it myself, but the data doesn't lie..." Arisa's voice was shaking.
The bridge fell into a deathly silence.
"How long until they arrive?" Hishiri asked, taking a deep breath.
"Five minutes."
"To everyone..." Hishiri's voice boomed through the ship's intercom, amplified by magecraft. "Aside from the twelfth team, everyone! Now! Get to the deck and establish a defensive perimeter! Twelfth team, report to the armory immediately and activate the ship's weapons systems!"
As she finished her orders, Hishiri grabbed a headset and sprinted toward the deck herself.
The regular members and support staff of the twelve teams--over three hundred people in total--sprang into action.
The twelfth team made a beeline for the armory. While a standard cruise ship wouldn't carry weaponry, this vessel was custom-built and equipped with a full combat management system.
On the deck, Hishiri stared into the distance.
Her face went even paler.
The countless crows had formed a massive, swirling black cloud that looked like a literal tornado, ready to descend upon the island.
Quantity was becoming quality.
Even if these were the lowest-level familiars, thirty thousand of them casting magecraft in unison would create a force far beyond a simple sum of its parts.
A feast of crows was about to begin.
Wayland soared through the air.
The image in his mind continued to guide his path.
As he drew closer to his destination, his blood-red eyes slowly began to return to their natural state, and his reason started to return. But he still felt an instinctive refusal to change his course.
He flew over golden wheat fields, over silent villages, and over a bustling castle. Finally, he reached a small island.
His small crow's head was filled with a confusing jumble of thoughts, leaving him momentarily dazed.
Wayland let out a sharp cry and landed on the highest point of the island.
He looked out over the sea, falling into a sort of mindless, meditative state.
Until more and more crows began to gather around him.
He snapped out of his trance to find a chaotic scene.
The sounds of countless crows were mashed together into a deafening cacocphony. It was like a holiday weekend--birds pushing against birds, heads jumbled together.
"How did I get here?"
"Who summoned us?"
"Stop touching me, you ugly bird!"
"Shut up, you mangy crow!"
"What are we supposed to be doing?"
Wayland felt a surge of irritation, like a fire burning in his chest.
'It's too loud!'
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]