No, normally it would hurt, but this time it hurt more than usual.

Clutching his aching stomach, Raven spat out blood once again.
Could it be because the spirit guardian didn’t come out “through a summoning”?
It didn’t seem to be just that…

‘…Ah, it’s because I crashed into the ground without protecting myself.’

He hadn’t had time to cushion the impact while protecting the girl.
He didn’t seem to have any broken bones, so he had ignored it, but now that he thought about it, he had probably suffered internal injuries.

So it wasn’t his imagination that blood had come out of his mouth at that moment.

‘…What a bother, internal injury.’

It was as annoying as a wound on the face. Every time too much blood accumulated inside, it would come back up. It was likely to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

Even if he swallowed the blood back down, since his body’s time was frozen, sooner or later he would have to expel it.

‘…Forget it.’

It wasn’t something urgent, so there was no need to worry now.
He superficially wiped his mouth and turned towards “Didi.”

Seeing the worried and confused eyes of the girl, Raven smiled as if nothing had happened.

Even though the nervous flapping of a crow could be heard above, he easily ignored it.

“Well, now it’s time to talk.”

“……”

“Could you tell me how you ended up alone here?”

“……”

“Didi?”

“……Ah.”

The girl, who was alternating her gaze between Raven’s mouth and the bloodstained ground, finally snapped out of it upon hearing the question again. After hurriedly thanking him for saving her, she began to recount what had happened.

It wasn’t an extraordinary story.
It was a common occurrence Raven had encountered many times throughout his life.

“I was kidnapped and, while they were moving me, a Gate opened… The kidnappers fled and left me behind.”

“Well, what an absurd situation. It must have been hard.”

“Y-yes…”

Raven didn’t ask the reason for the kidnapping. It wasn’t hard to imagine various possibilities for a noble child to be abducted:
extortion for ransom, internal conflicts within the clan, or succession struggles for the headship. Seeing that she hid her name and lineage, it was surely one of the latter two cases.

“Um… Benefactor.”

“…Benefactor?”

What was that embarrassing way of calling him now? Raven’s mouth twitched slightly.

“A-ah, forgive me. It’s just that I don’t know your name…”

“I don’t have a name, just call me Raven.”

“Yes, Sir Raven. And… that person who was there earlier…”

“That person? Who…? Ah.”

Who else could it be besides himself?

“Are you referring to my spirit guardian?”

“Was he your spirit guardian?”

“Yes. His name is…”

Raven, hesitating, turned his gaze aside as if wanting to avoid the subject.

“I don’t know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“That’s right, I don’t know.”

…Damn his name. It wasn’t a new question. Every time he saved someone or closed a Gate, sometimes they would ask him that.
But this time, that reaction hurt especially.

Had he known this, he should have pushed harder to find out, instead of simply respecting the spirit guardian’s desire to keep it a secret.

Even if he lost the bet for not discovering it in time, he should have tried harder to find out.
With a somber expression, Raven pressed his lips together.

“……”

“……”

“……Sir Raven, I heard that you are a shaman and a warrior.”

Seeing his discomfort, the girl skillfully changed the subject.
Raven let out a bitter smile at being consoled by a child.

“Looks like my spirit guardian told you. It’s true.”

“I heard that shamans, even when summoning spirits, usually absorb them into their own body to fight…”

It was indeed so. Manifesting a soul into a physical body was almost impossible. His situation was an exception.

Would she suspect him? Her way of speaking was polite, indicating she had received noble education.
Perhaps she would try to take advantage of the situation.
Raven prepared for any response, but the girl’s bright voice caught him off guard.

“Sir Raven must be an extraordinary shaman!”

At that instant, Raven’s green eyes opened slightly.

“……”

“Isn’t it so…?”

“Yes, it’s true.”

…This is adorable. Raven ruffled her hair with a wide smile.

With a cheerful giggle, a playful voice fell.

“In all of humanity, there’s only one shaman better than me.”

“I knew you were exceptional! Also, it seems like your spirit guardian in life was an Awakened!”

“…Awakened?”

An Awakened? It was the term used to refer to those who suddenly surpassed normal human limits.

Their talent was so overwhelming that even a lifetime’s effort wouldn’t be enough to reach them.

He knew his spirit guardian was formidable, but at that level?

‘…At least now I have another clue to find out his name.’

After all this time together, he was just learning this now.

How stupid.

Had he witnessed a true battle from him, he would have known.

Raven, with an awkward expression, rubbed his eyes and asked dryly.

“Is he really that amazing?”

“Huh? Y-yes… Also, he seemed very skilled at protecting while fighting.”

“Ah, that I do know.”

Even though he was already dead, he had continued learning how to fight while protecting.

He lazily moved his index finger, tapping his thigh.
The girl, who was silently watching him, opened her mouth with a hesitant face.

“…U-um, I would like…”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing. Excuse me.”

“It’s no problem. But, why don’t we continue talking in a safer place? There’s an inn nearby.”

Although it seemed like trivial talk, Raven had already noticed that the girl wanted to ask him something.
And it was surely a request that wouldn’t bring him any benefit.

It was obvious.
The meaningless conversation served as preparation for the real request—asking for help related to her current situation.

If he tried to leave now, surely she would follow him.
Trying to abandon her was pointless, and he couldn’t simply leave a child alone in the street.
With a resigned sigh, Raven turned towards the path they had come from.

In the distance, he saw Dan also turning towards the inn.
Above his head, the crow was flapping irritably.

***

Dan and Raven moved keeping their distance as if they didn’t know each other. It was natural, considering there was no need for them to exchange words.

For quite a while, only the occasional words of the girl called “Didi” and Raven’s replies broke the silence of the night, until Dan was the first to reach the inn.

Ding.

When he opened the door and entered, the innkeeper, who was sitting at the counter, recognized his face and stood up cheerfully. Several questions loaded with concern and unnecessary curiosity followed.

“You’re back? I was worried because you ran off so suddenly. Was something urgent going on?”

Dan hesitated briefly at the informal tone, considering they barely knew each other, but then shook his head. Maybe interpreting his hesitation, the innkeeper also stopped and, smiling apologetically, patted him on the shoulder.
The pat was stronger than expected, making Dan’s body sway slightly.

“Oh, silly me. Everyone has their own matters.”

“……”

“Besides, after the trip, you must be exhausted. You ran off suddenly, so you must be even more tired. Go up and rest.”

Dan nodded and started climbing the stairs.

Ding.

The sound of the door opening behind him was heard again, but he didn’t bother to turn around.

At this time, when there was hardly any movement of people, it was obvious who would be the next to enter.

…That’s what he would have thought, if it weren’t for the innkeeper’s words.

“Welcome. Are you here to stay?”

“……!?”

Dan sharply turned his head.

There was Raven, standing with the girl in one arm, while the innkeeper treated him like a customer she was seeing for the first time.

“What urgent matter brings you here at this hour with a child?”

What the hell was this…?
Dan’s eyes trembled with confusion.

‘Why doesn’t she remember him?’

The innkeeper, so sociable that she treated even him kindly, couldn’t simply forget Raven.

Did she suffer from amnesia?
Even so, it was absurd that she would remember him and not Raven, especially considering his striking eyes and unforgettable face.

In fact, when Raven had rented the room during the day, the innkeeper had looked at him as if hypnotized.

At this point, Dan became curious about Raven’s reaction.

After all, he still had prepaid time in his room.

How would he respond to this situation?

Dan’s gaze turned to the man in front of the counter.

“……”

The black-haired, strange green-eyed man lowered his gaze for a moment, then raised it again.
He ran his hand through his messy bangs, let down the hair he always kept tied up, and smiled sweetly at the woman in front of him.

His features, usually somewhat sharp, softened like sugar melting in water.

“What’s wrong, madam? Don’t you remember me?”

“E-eh?”

“I’ve stayed here before. How sad. You told me to come back.”

“R-really? How strange. It’s not like I could forget such a handsome young man…”

There was neither surprise nor annoyance at being forgotten in less than a day.
It was a natural response for Raven, who was already used to this kind of situation.
A reaction as natural as if it happened all the time… even if he hadn’t expected to be forgotten so quickly.

[■■ Will deliver his name to Death until the end of the contract.]

That was also part of the contract with Death. A clause that had seemed trivial at the time, but that he now understood well.

A name is proof of existence and value. Delivering it to Death meant that no one could remember him.

Raven masked his usual resignation with a carefree smile while thinking to himself.

‘How long has it been since I disappeared from this woman’s sight?’

Since he rented the room, he hadn’t shown himself to her again.
Although not much time had passed… not even a full 24 hours.

This woman was the type who didn’t resist long.
His dry eyes rolled under elegantly curved eyelids.

‘No choice.’

He would have to rent another room again. It wasn’t that he minded spending money, but since he had given his pouch to Dan, he had already spent the magic stone he had left to pay for the previous one.

Originally, he should have obtained more stones when the Gate appeared, but with his attention on the girl and the spirit guardian, he hadn’t been able to.

‘I’ll have to seduce her.’ (LOL XD)

Having quickly assessed the situation, Raven began to use his “useful face”—the one even the spirit guardian acknowledged—with all his skill. It wasn’t the first time he had done it, so he acted smoothly.

“A handsome young man, you say… I’m flattered, but…”

He placed the girl on the ground and spoke naturally, as if they were indeed old acquaintances.

“Flattering me now won’t help.”

“It’s not flattery, really…”

“Noona.”

He stepped closer, reducing the distance, and slowly raised his hand to hold the woman’s hand.
His thumb lightly brushed the knuckles hardened by work as he murmured barely audibly:

“What beautiful hands, full of effort.”

Then, he added:

“You’re still beautiful.”

And he looked up.
His green eyes, trembling with sorrow, looked straight into hers before lowering his gaze sadly.

“Did you really forget me?”

“……”

“Really…?”

“Uh…”

If it had been anyone else doing this, they would have been called crazy. But the saying “looks justify actions” wasn’t in vain.

The woman, looking into his puppy-like moist eyes, eventually shut her eyes tightly.

“…Now that I think about it, I believe I do remember…”

Raven’s emotional manipulation had succeeded.

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