Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai

In a realm where the Yatagarasu—the mythic three-legged crows—walk the earth as winged humanoids, the delicate peace of the North House territory hangs by a thread. Yukiya, the unassuming second son of a regional lord, has long been content to drift in the shadow of his younger brother, who outshines him in both scholarly pursuits and martial prowess. With no appetite for glory and even less for the blade, Yukiya harbors no dreams of power or prestige, making him an unlikely candidate for any position of consequence. Yet fate deals a baffling hand when he is abruptly summoned to the Imperial Court to serve as personal attendant to the Crown Prince himself. Thrust from provincial obscurity into the gilded, serpentine heart of imperial politics, Yukiya finds himself bound to a master whose presence stirs far more than ceremonial duty. What begins as a bewildering appointment quickly descends into a maelstrom of courtly conspiracy, cold-blooded murder, and the insidious spread of a shadowy narcotic that poisons the capital from within. As an unforeseen foe marshals its forces on the periphery, Yukiya and his princely charge must navigate a labyrinth of treachery where every alliance is suspect. In a world built on ancient myth and razor-sharp intrigue, the survival of the Yatagarasu may rest not on the strongest sword, but on the quiet resilience of a boy who never sought to be a hero.