Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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Death, who was not pleased with Raven having a resting place, designated him as the next person to collect souls. In the end, it was his fault for falling in love with someone. 

"Huh?! Was this a murder notice?!"

"No, I mean... Thank you."

"How do I interpret those words to say thank you?"

"I don't know."

So, as soon as they arrived at the capital, they had to say goodbye. If this guy also disappeared from sight, he would quickly forget him. As always, all they have to do is go back to the beginning. Raven has no intention of repeating the same mistake.

"...I'm curious about the captain's story, but... Do you want to tell me more about your anecdote with him?"

"Of course not."

...It was the first thing that made him pray to Death. He was the fool who made Death kneel before him for the first time, and he was the crazy guy who made him grab Death's pants for the first time. 

Please don't do that. Wouldn't you be able to take his soul yourself? 

He remember him crying and begging, 

"Why does it have to be my hand, and why does it have to be him?"

"It's not a very good memory."

Raven even clearly remembers what Death said at that time, pretending to be affectionate, cupping his cheek with both hands and lifting his head, he said with a smile.

[This is the price of immortality.]

[...!]

[Fulfill the contract, ■■.]

It was a passing kite.

The idiot who, every time he woke up, smiled and asked people he met for the first time to eat together.

A crazy person who cut down a loud-voiced person who was pointing a knife at him and urging him to kill him, calling me an ominous guy. A fool who created a weakness that he didn't have in order to buy his trust and never once abandoned or betrayed him.

...Raven had to plunge a knife into the heart of the person who gave him that kind of care.

"...More than that, aren't you sleeping? It's night."

"Oh, was it okay to sleep? I think you'll leave me when I fall asleep."

"I didn't even think about that, but fine."

Raven, who changed the topic, laughed and accepted it. It was a joke, but Dan, the most persistent stalker, was also dozing off. The mercenary in front of him didn't seem to be so heartless that he would abandon the young one, so he really think it would be okay to abandon the two of them.

...He really think it would be worth a try. At a time when he was contemplating whether or not to faint the man in front of him, Eckhart made an aggrieved expression.

"I made a fire and grilled meat. Isn't that too much?"

"What..."

"Or is it because of him?"

"...!"

For a moment, Raven's mouth stiffened.

It was only for a moment, but Eckhardt, who clearly saw the scene without missing it, muttered calmly as if he knew it would happen.

"As expected, it looks like he's not a guest invited by the captain."

"...Yeah. I'm not even a guest he invited."

Raven tried to sort it out quietly by himself, but as expected, Eckhardt was very quick-witted. In this case, he guess he should say that he was having a hard time. Raven quietly turned his head and looked in a certain direction. Eckhart's gaze also turned to the same place.

"So, who are you?"

"...Excuse me."

The other person, certain that he had been caught, quietly appeared from behind a tree.

An escaped slave. If the slave liberation activists had moved to rob the slave traders and check for the safety of those who had run away right after that, they would have followed Dan's traces and seen Raven. 

Come to think of it, he could have felt their gaze at that time as well. Considering that he moved to help her and disappeared when Dan met his sister, he must have felt relieved and left. Should he say it was fortunate or unfortunate that he didn't see him go to the extent of killing her?

"Yes, that's right. When our leader saw Mr. Raven, he strongly wanted to have him as a colleague."

"Thank you for being kind to me, but—"

"For your information, I don't know if you are aware, but the Association Presidents are looking for you. If we do our best, we will go beyond silence on the issue and promise to provide you with even more support."

...It seems like it was unfortunate. He think it would have been easier to see Dan kill his sister and rush at him, calling him trash. He think it's all as long as he speak politely. Raven's eyebrows twitched at the subtle threat.

"'Association presidents'?"

"Yes. President of the Awakened Association, President of the Fighters Association, President of the Fragment Soul Association, and President of the Shamans Association. Almost all the big guys are looking for you."

...He think he heard the name of an association that he shouldn't have heard in the middle. Why did the name of the organization that he killed and eliminated come up here? He still vividly remember the feeling when he twisted the head of the association with my own hands. His mouth twitched.

"...He's the president of the Fragment Soul Association, so that's a bit interesting."

"Then..."

"But I refuse."

He already saw the wanted badge. Big businessmen are looking for me? So, what is it? He was wondering who was looking for me so desperately, but thanks to you, my curiosity has been resolved, so he will ignore the subtle threats from earlier. Considering how unpleasant it was, he guess he should be thankful for that alone.

"I clearly refused, so you'll just go away, right? I guess their goal is to make me an enemy."

"...It was late at night and you were very rude."

Contrary to his dissatisfied face, as if he had no thoughts at all, the other person backed away obediently, and silence fell again. Eckhardt, who was awkwardly rolling his eyes in the silence, scratched his head.

"The presidents of the association... You were bigger than I thought."

"So, you're not sleeping?"

"Are you sure the captain isn't sleeping?"

He must be tired. As always, this time he followed the quickly changed topic of conversation and looked at Raven.

"Looking at you, you don't even rest..."

"I don't have to sleep."

"Where is such a person?"

"He's here."

For Raven, sleep is not a necessity, but a choice. He just does it according to his preference. In other words, it didn't matter if he didn't have to sleep.

"So, leave the night watch to me and go to bed quickly. Then I will abandon you and leave."

"Your jokes seem serious."

"..."

"...Captain?"

You're kidding, right? You're not serious, are you? Eckhardt, who had been muttering quietly without being able to raise his voice for fear of waking the child, suddenly sighed and sat down across from Raven.

"From what I see, Captain, I don't think you'll be able to sleep tonight..."

"..."

"How about you tell me a story from the past?"

"...In situations like this, shouldn't you usually just say you'll do it yourself?"

It was so confident that he almost passed over it.

"As I said last time, I'm curious about the captain's story."

"...You're needlessly stubborn."

"I am persistent."

"I don't understand."

What is he going to do with his story? Oh, by any chance. Raven, who was looking at Eckhardt crookedly, suddenly raised the corners of his mouth.

"Why are you curious about my relationship with the association presidents? Are you going to report it?"

"I said I wouldn't do it. I even pointed out my weaknesses, so why are you saying such scary things?"

"...Yes, I did."

He was so distracted by the appearance of the association that he thought had disappeared that he forgot about it for a moment. The expression disappeared from Raven's face for a moment. He raised his head and looked at the sky with his mouth closed, then smiled faintly as if he was sighing.

"The weather is nice."

This is someone you will break up with anyway and someone you will completely forget. It won't be a problem no matter what you say. So this is a whim.

"What should I tell you first?"

"...!"

He heard the name of the unexpected association again, and the sky was so beautiful that it was going to end anyway. So Raven, who had relaxed, opened his mouth to the idiot who said anything was okay.

***

The moon that had been brightening the night went into hiding and the sun appeared. Eckhardt, who cleared his place and set off again, followed after Raven with a blank expression on his face. It wasn't just because he stayed up all night.

"What in the story..."

"I remember you said it's heartwarming."

"It was supposed to be heartwarming. The problem is that it all ends with 'I killed him'!"

Raven certainly told only heartwarming stories, including stories of receiving help, stories of helping people, and stories of selfless people. But why did the story end with those people being killed?

"Have you become a murderer of some kind? You don't seem like that kind of person."

"Think whatever you like."

Leaving Eckhardt wondering whether he should be on guard or not, Raven continued his steps with a sour expression on his face. He could feel Dan's eyes looking at me from afar.

That guy probably heard it all too. While they were talking all night, at some point he felt those intense gazes again. It wasn't difficult to figure out that its owner was a fragment spirit.

"Are there any stories where no one was killed?"

"Hmm..."

"...Was this a question you had to worry about?"

"...15 years? No, it was about 20 years ago. I have saved children. I taught them how to use  sword."

It must have been an illegal fighting ring that took children as young as 10 years old and made them compete in life-threatening matches. Although they were not victims of the Gate, they were saved because they were 'children.' 

Even if he wasn't a 'child', he would have been so disgusted that he couldn't have passed by, but whatever.

'He would have grown into a nasty adult by now.'

He doesn't know how they would have grown up as they were children with nowhere to go but rescued from a harsh environment. He couldn't take them all with him, so he gave them a bunch of magic stones and left them at a place that said they would do anything for money.

'I didn't think I had enough humanity, so I chose it.'

In the first place, there were few places that could accept the children who were full of life, and the arena was in a shady place, so there was no good option. Still, he revealed that he was a shaman and got a promise to take responsibility and raise the children well until they were adults, so at least he wouldn't have used his hands directly on the kids.

'It is well known that a promise to a shaman is not something to be made carelessly, and if you make one, you must keep it...'

Plus, he personally taught him how to use a sword so that if someone treats him carelessly, he'll just kill them. He've prepared the best defense possible, so he's sure everything will be fine.

'Of course, it is only 'to a certain extent'.'

As a shaman, the only thing he could prevent was a situation where he used his hands directly, and he only taught him how to use a sword for a short time, and in the end, he was a physically immature minor, so he doesn't know what would have happened. Maybe he died before he reached adulthood.

Even though he was thinking dryly, it was obvious that if he said it out loud, it would make a big fuss again, so Raven swallowed his words and continued.

"If he had honed it well, he might have developed a useful skill."

"The number of candidates for mercenary membership has increased again. ...No, but it was 20 years ago? How old are you, Captain?!"

"It's probably more than you think."

Smirking, he looked down at Diddy who was sitting calmly in his arms... After a little fuss, the child fell asleep and the issue that had been postponed became a hot topic.

"The problem is that it's difficult to get through the gate because of the wanted badge."

"Ah... ! How dare I ask my benefactor to take risks! Just take me to the castle gate and I will take care of the rest. Leave it to me to take you inside, Captain."

"Okay, then."

After parting ways with these two, he will secretly climb over the castle wall and enter. Dan... Raven told him to take care of it and got the answer. He quickly walked towards the castle gate that was starting to appear in the distance.

.

"Thank you so much, Raven. I will never forget this favor!"

"Okay."

"It was a short stay, but I enjoyed it, Captain. Don't worry, I will take responsibility for the child and bring it to the guardian."

"..."

"Why don't you answer me!?"

"I've been getting sick of your voice the whole time... Now that you understand, get out of the way quickly."

When we were almost there, Raven, who had handed Didi over to Eckhardt on the cliff with a clear view of the castle gate, waved his hand with somewhat cold eyes. Eckhardt, who was holding Didi with surprising stability, seemed to whine for a moment, but as soon as Raven clenched his fist, he quickly noticed and walked away.

"Well, then I really should go."

"..."

"Oh, by the way, boss."

"What else?"

"When will you join our mercenary group..."

"I said I won't join."

"Yep."

Are you really going to kick this?

No, no. This will be the last time, so there is no need to be harsh. He wouldn't know it if he were alone, but he were holding a child.

Forcibly releasing his fist, which had contained all of his strength, Raven nodded, indicating that he should go ahead.

Eckhardt bowed and glanced at Dan, who seemed to be following Raven, then turned his back and went down without saying a word. Raven watched the two from the edge of the cliff as they approached the gate.

'...Then, should I go now?'

He could spend some time in a suitable place and go over the gate at night. Raven turned neatly, but before he could get off the cliff -

"Aaaah!!"

A sharp scream that pierced his eardrums grabbed him by the ankles.

"T-The gate!"

"...!"

Raven's head turned at the shout he heard next.