My Reincarnation As A Chicken

So somehow, I managed to let my chuunibyou urges takeover. Ok, to be honest, I only let them live because I was scared they might have possessed a sort of connection to an actual hero. If a hero got angry at me, I'd be in for a ride which I wasn't interested in at the moment.

I wanted to just let them go away, but the Marcus guy was following me and I couldn't just teleport into a random spot in the city while Yokino was missing. If someone related to these guys had done something to Yokino (Like captured her), I could use these guys as hostages or bargaining chips as well.

We were currently walking down the streets.

"Have you eaten ice cream, before?"

Marcus asked me.

'Hmmm? Ice cream?'

"Yep. It is sweet ice that you can eat during hot seasons like this one."

Ice cream existed in this world? That sounded like fun, but now wasn't the time. I refused the offer and kept on walking about the streets quietly. I was headed towards the point on my map where Kawaii was. She had moved from where she was last night, although that would have been a bit tough to notice since the map had no details whatsoever – a blank space with a dot on it.

"Tori, which hero is your favorite?"

"HAHA! Found you, Sister!"

The damned chicken spoke to me.

'W-What?'

"Did you know? Oh! The Dark Church approaches!"

'What?'

"Hey Tori."

"The Dark Church! HAHA! They seek to destroy us! We shan't allow this!"

'Shan't allow what? And who is we?'

BAM!

"Damned chickens! Running all around."

He turned around to leave and I tried to grab his arm, however, Marcus grabbed mine.

"Tori! Can you hear me?!"

The retarded blonde shouted in my ear. I grabbed his ear and brought him to his knees.

"Ow! Ow! I-I apologise!"

'You don't interrupt a busy person, understand?'

"Y-Yes, yes."

I turned around, but then the boy was gone.

'What happened to the boy that was here a minute ago?'

"W-What bo-OW!"

'Some shrimp. A little taller than me, pale skin, no meat, dirty hair, black eyes?'

"That sounds like every boy in this city.

Mira said and I realized it immediately. Looking all around, the kids were skinny and in rags. Not wanting to think about depressing things, I decided to answer his question.

'Why would I have a favorite hero, you idiot?'

"How the hell am I supposed to know!? Everyone has a favorite hero, you damned brat!"

I seemed to have triggered him. If I continued, we would have gone on like this endlessly, but this wasn't the time for this.

'Erm… the flashy one?'

I let go off his ears and responded quietly just to shut him up. But he went further.

"The [Paladin of Supreme Thunder] or the [Heavenly Judge of Blood Red Flames]?"

'How the heck does [The Heavenly Judge of Blood Red Flames] sound flashy?'

"The [Paladin of Supreme Thunder] then? Me too! Although people argue that the Heavenly Judge is better."

'No, that's not what I said-'

Completely ignoring me, he brought his face closer while showing off how much of a geek he was.

"I mean, no one likes the little girl type. We all prefer the big busty ones, do we not?"

"Preach, brother!"

The big guy in the back shouted and I noticed all the girls giving them glares, but they didn't care. Marcus proceeded.

"Still, I guess we can't technically call those guys [Heroes]. They are just [Paladins] of course. Some are even just [Hero Candidates] that are abnormally strong. For instance, there's that person from the New Kyoto Empire. A new [Paladin] that was announced this year. He was a [Hero Candidate] just a few months ago according to gossip. Apparently another one popped up too. There are rumours that the Demons are actually gathering their forces. Some say a war could broker out between both parties and that's what the Holy Mexar Empire is preparing for, bu-"

This guy really liked to talk a lot, didn't he?

'Shut it.'

'Let's go get ice cream or something.'

He nodded his head quietly.

***

So I ended up just going to get ice cream with the party. Although there was a weird moment with talking chickens. Apparently no one else could hear them other than me, so I would ignore that. Either he poison's effects from the previous night were probably working or I could understand them because I was well… a chicken myself. Both of which made no sense to me since logically speaking, I wasn't a chicken and [Poison Resistance] should have erased the poison from my veins already.

In the end I left it all to my chuunibyou urges taking over for a brief moment. The ice cream parlour was run by some buff guy with turquoise blue skin and white markings wearing nothing but a dirty apron and pants. I was having second thoughts on the matter till Marcus told me this guy was actually an Ice Nymph. He was a wandering Ice cream seller, looking to make use of his Blessing to feed everyone in the world and make them happy. Apparently this wasn't their first, or second, or third time meeting.

This day just kept on getting more and more redundant by the second. I could feel a migraine coming so I just took the ice cream reluctantly and stored it in my item box. Its effects were, to be honest, phenomenal. It was the only thing I had seen that could give and increase my stamina points. Also, that guy had a unique skill called [Chef's Touch].

Well… I'd just let the copyright handle all of that for me.

"Isn't it weird how we always meet that guy?"

Mira stared suspiciously at the ice cream cone in her hand. Her more reserved twin was sniffing it curiously before taking a lick.

"Good as always."

He said after finishing it. Celica showed open angst towards him and slapped his broad ċhėst.

"You really should mind what you eat, even if you're from the Dwulvrian Tribe."

She yelled at him, but he couldn't care less. He just yawned and patted her head, causing her face to flush red.

"You know, you'd probably find it easier to get a husband if you don't shout too much."

"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHAT?! I-I-I-I-I'm only fifty-four, you know? I- I am relatively young amongst my people!"

She immediately went to her defense in an almost comical manner. I noticed the others staring at both of them with smug expressions.

"In that case, I'm sure you wouldn't mind having me then? I actually like em young."

"I w-w-w-won't ac-ac-accept y-you! N-Not in a million years!"

"Sure, sure, keep talking, red."

He let go of her head and grabbed her up onto his shoulder where she kept mumbling to herself.

"C'mon guys! We've known him for quite a while now. I don't think you should be getting suspicious of his food now."

I sent a message to Daryl through [Telepathy]. And he immediately took three steps away from where I stood. I sighed and looked at Nukeme who was busily eyeing everything. I noticed his skill [Eye of Gold] was working fervently. He didn't know it, but this skill was a Magical skill that allowed him to identify the value of anything he laid eyes on. He also had a title called [Fate of the World's Luckiest]. It was a title that dictated his destiny and apparently made sure he would be happy and lucky in life.

The title's effects were so overpowered I actually wanted to steal it, but I couldn't do that. At least, I didn't know how to. I was currently having him scan the entire room for anything of value which I would have glossed over.

"Tori-sama… those two things over there."

He pointed at two people standing some distance away. I didn't understand what he meant till I checked out their stats. I was honestly surprised, but I decided to keep quiet about it. They must have belonged to someone important and judging by the way no one in the room had talked about them, it was either due to it being an unspoken rule or everyone simply not knowing. Either way, I would just shut my beak about them.

"What are you looking at, Tori?"

Marcus asked then his eyes scanned the room. Luckily since I was wearing a mask, he shouldn't have been able to identify where I was looking. That is what I thought till he pulled out the Uno reverse card on me and pointed in the direction Nukeme's eyes were still fixed.

'Nothing. Go back to your damned ice cream.'

"But I'm done with it! Besides, you seemed to be staring-"

'Shut up.'

Maybe it was time I ditched this group. I grabbed Nukeme by the neck and was about to run out the door, with my speed they wouldn't be able to catch-up, but then the duo appeared before me. A man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties with dark brown hair and a pencil mustache, wearing a white tunic with black edges and a black sash tied around his waist with a white pants and brown sandals. He was quite skinny and his complexion, a bit pale. The woman to his side wore the same thing, except with a hat on her head, but unlike her counterpart, she possessed black hair and she looked to be more of life. Her face was beautiful without a doubt and it reminded me of someone.

"E-Excuse me… Are you people, adventurers?"

The man asked, stammering his words out. All of them looked at him then at each other.

"Yep. We're a C rank party, not named yet. You got a request or something?"

Marcus answered.

"U-Um… no. Y-Yes… wait… No."

This guy was shaken by something. He was stammering too much if he had a request for adventurers. Well, from my knowledge, adventurers weren't so respected to demand such a reaction. Let alone C rank adventurers.

"Well… out with it. We haven't got all day."

The elf bluntly said and the others let out nervous laughs. It would seem that they were already accustomed to her bullish nature.

"This is a missing person's report."

The woman to his side said, her voice like honey. Then she looked at me.

"Sorry, but there are no other capable looking adventurers around, which is why we approached you."

I couldn't argue with her. Because this was a bloody ice cream stand. A few tables set up around on the side-walks with no more than five other people eating ice cream. Not a single person here was even an adventurer, so it was already highly suspicious of them to come say this to us here, and not in a guild.

"Who…?"

I asked.

"My name is Touka and this is my husband, Ignis. We are looking for our daughter, Ulva."

First of all, after using [Analyst], these guys had no names and second of all, why would Ulva's parents who sold her come to the city looking for her? The slavers had already kidnapped her so there was no problem for them. Anyway I looked at this, these two were too suspicious.

'Did the slavers send them? But then that would mean they figured out I was in the city. Then again, going on a blood suċkɨnġ spree like some crazy vampire the night before probably wasn't so smart. Then does that mean they know I've come for Ulva and sent these things here? But how would they know it was me specifically? Wait… then did these guys do something to Yokino? That could possibly explain her disappearance. Hmmm, the best thing to do right now would probably be to run out of here and back into the forest. A simple tactical retreat till I come up with a good plan.'

DING!

[You have 1 pending message from the servant Yokino]

'What? Lemme see.'

[Yokino: Yo, lunch. I decided to go on a covert mission and scout a bit in the city. I found a lot of stuff and also heard that the slave organization that kidnapped Ulva has figured out that you're in the city. I've manipulated their actions to some extent so if you are approached by some people claiming to be Ulva's parents, listen to them.

Ok, now I am going to explain the Organization itself. It is controlled by group known as the "Sub-Circle", led by the one they call Boss. This Boss is actually a powerful nobleman in this city called Percy McAllister. I am still gathering information on him as we speak, but so far he seems to be the cliché noble douche. A rapist, slaver, weird pervert, greedy, ugly pig that would suck up to anybody for power. I still don't know why he is the most feared being in this entire kingdom, but my investigations are still underway. Next, the Sub-Circle consists of seven other members. I've acquired their pseudonyms, although their actual names remain unknown to me at the moment. The second in command is Guard Dog, Red. Next are Grimm Black, Slothful Silver Sword, Hard Master Aigen, Kennel Master Dog, Hooded Wolf, the Deathly Poisons who are actually two people. Weird, huh.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. By tomorrow I should have way more information on this issue and I should have tracked down exactly where Ulva is and why they went to great lengths to capture her. So far, the only clue I have is "Experiment". Alright then, peace! And don't go blood suċkɨnġ again… It's creating too many problems and people are becoming too on guard. Rumours are already spreading of a possible vampire in town.]

I didn't expect that. This spider was unbelievably good at information gathering. Quite possibly even better than Reiman. This information was surprisingly the best thing that had happened today. And Yokino was manipulating events to some extent, which meant I could use this opportunity to get the best of results.

"I… am… sear-ching… for… her… too."

I told them and they looked at each other as if surprised.

***

"Let's start again from the top. My name is Touka and this is my husband Ignis. We are Ulva's parents and we came here to get her."

I looked at the couple who sat before me, claiming to be Ulva's parents.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you guys."

I had Nukeme tell them in my place. I needed to make this as believable as possible.

"Excuse us?"

They decided to act dumb.

"You sell your daughter to some slavers then all of a sudden claim that you want to take her back and expect me to believe you? State your game."

I snapped my fingers and Nukeme jumped at the man, pinning him to the ground with a dagger across his neck.

"Hehehe, get ready to die, human."

"Hey, Tori, isn't this a bit…"

Mira tried to speak up, but I glared at her and she piped down. [Devil's Miasma] seemed to function properly even if I directed it at exactly one spot. The others looked at her, frozen in place and were confused.

Ignis on the other hand screamed, fear for his life cracking his voice. I could tell I was drawing attention to myself and it was starting to feel a bit weird, but I wouldn't stop now.

'Talk. You have thirty seconds.'

I ordered and her eyes widened. Why was everyone surprised when they heard a voice in their head? I do all the time. In fact, that was the first voice I heard. It should be normal now. I mean, this is a world of dragons of magic… is telepathy a big deal here?

"W-we had no choice! You know what she is, right?"

Ignis said, which made me quite pissed, but I calmed down quickly thanks to [Evolver].

'I have no idea what you are talking about.'

"Y-you know. The fangs and stuff?"

'What are you implying? That she has fangs and that was a valid reason to sell her into slavery?'

"Yes. That is exactly what we are saying."

The woman who had been quiet, boldly spoke up. She glared at me with her sharp eyes and I did back with a tiny bit of [Devil's Miasma] making her shiver instead.

'So, why do you want her back?'

"Why wouldn't we want her back?"

'For the very reason you sold her in the first place.'

She shut up after I said that. From now on it would seem that she would need to choose her words wisely.

"W-we had to do it. She almost destroyed our village in one night, were it not for a [Hero] coincidentally passing by."

'A hero?'

I tensed up.

"Yes."

I looked at Marcus and he shook his head, meaning he had no information on the matter.

'Ulva was subjugated by a hero? Also, Ulva almost eradicated a village in one night?'

"Yes… you see. She has another form unlike that cute side that I'm sure you are always seeing."

'Huh? Another form?'

"She is a dhampyr. And as everyone knows, dhampyrs who don't consume a lot blood lose control on a blood moon and go crazy, still, their power is limited to only how strong they were before. However, what she became was a rather vicious beast, possessing way more strength than she ever had before. She went on a rampage and destroyed the entire village, easily killing off half of the villagers. I-I haven't heard of dhampyrs doing that before."

"Lamprey?"

I looked at Celica who said that.

"What?"

"I remember hearing of a village that had been destroyed by a ravenous blood thirsty creature recently. Adventurers have been spreading a rumour that it was done by a lamprey, but that made no sense since lampreys, according to rumours, are the guard dogs of the Realm of the Eternal Night. None could possibly be here since the Realm of Eternal Night is actually a myth. Well, it could be something else that was your village."

The couple slowly nodded and simply accepted what she said. These two were awfully bad at this, no? Real parents should have at least known how Ulva was a dhampyr in the first place. It's not like dhampyrs were just born between two humans out of nowhere.

"We had no choice but to sell her to pay off all the damage she caused. The slaver however paid us way more than necessary for the village and we came here to buy her back after finding a way to control her more dangerous side."

'A way to control her "more dangerous side?"'

I asked.

"Yes, you should have seen the collar around her neck if you were with her."

'Yea? What about it?'

"It has the slaver's magic on it. Something that makes it difficult for mo-…"

I intensified my glare and he gulped.

"… demi-humans to use their abilities."

'Is that so?'

Of course, I already knew that, but to be honest, for something that would make any creature who wears it as weak as a human to exist, how powerful was its creator? I was starting to get goosebumps thinking of who this "Boss" person was.

"So do you have any clues as to where Ulva is?"

Marcus asked and lifted me off of Ignis like I were some kind of cat.

"Indeed."

Touka went to her husband's side and lifted him off the ground.

"We were told on the day we sold Ulva that if we wanted her back she would be sold at an Auction that is going to take place two days from now."

'Ah! The day after tomorrow?!'

"Aaarrghh!"

Everyone who was connected to my telepathy let out similar yells and crumpled to the ground. I was surprised that a simple scream to one's inner mind could cause such an effect.

'I'll meet you here on the day, then we go. Don't be late.'

I grabbed Nukeme and ran away after delivering my order. For now, I needed to do exactly what Yokino had been doing.. So I jumped into an alley way, then using the shadows, reappeared in my own room, before my transformation went off and I was back to being a bird.