Names Entrusted to Death
No, pain was normal for him, but today it hurt more than usual. Clutching his strangely aching stomach, Raven spat out another mouthful of blood.
Was it because the Guardian Spirit hadn't appeared through a summoning? It didn't feel like that was the whole reason…
……Ah, right. I got slammed into the ground while completely unguarded.
He hadn't had a chance to brace for the impact while shielding the child.
He'd ignored it since nothing seemed broken, but now it was clear he'd suffered internal injuries. No wonder blood had come up at the time—it hadn't been his imagination.
Internal injuries are such a nuisance.
Just as troublesome as wounds on his face.
Whenever blood pooled past a certain point inside him, it would reflux. That was bound to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. Even if he swallowed it back down, his body had stopped aging, so eventually he'd have to remove it anyway…
……Ah, whatever.
It wasn't urgent right now, so there was no need to worry about it.
Raven roughly wiped his mouth and turned toward Didi. Meeting the child's eyes, which were filled with confusion and concern, he smiled as if nothing had happened.
A nervous flutter of black wings came from above, but he ignored it cleanly.
"Well then, I suppose it's time we talked."
"……"
"How did you end up alone in a place like this? Won't you tell me?"
"……"
"Didi?"
"……Ah."
The child, who had been staring blankly between Raven's mouth and the bloodstained ground while repeating the question, finally snapped out of it after hearing it again. With a hurried thank-you for saving them, Didi began to explain.
The story wasn't anything special. It was the kind of common tale Raven had encountered many times throughout his long life.
"You were being transported after being kidnapped when a Gate opened, and the kidnappers abandoned you and ran… Quite the ridiculous turn of events. That must have been terrifying."
"Yes……"
He didn't bother asking why Didi had been kidnapped.
Reasons for abducting a noble family's child came to mind easily enough without much thought.
Some fools demanding ransom, getting caught up in the family's political struggles, or perhaps a succession dispute over the position of family head… something along those lines.
Given that Didi had hidden both name and family, it was likely one of the latter two.
"Um… Benefactor."
"……Benefactor?"
What was with that cringeworthy title? Raven's lips twitched.
"Ah, my apologies. I don't know your name…"
"I have no name. Just call me Raven."
"Yes, Sir Raven. And earlier, that person's name was……"
"That person? Who… Ah."
Who else could it have been besides himself?
"My Guardian Spirit?"
"He was a Guardian Spirit?"
"Yeah. His name is……"
Raven hesitated, then turned his head slightly as if avoiding the child's gaze.
"I don't know."
"……You don't know?"
"No, I don't."
……Damn that bastard's name.
It wasn't an unusual question. He'd heard it occasionally whenever he saved someone through the Guardian Spirit and closed a Gate, but this time the reaction stung.
If he'd known it would feel like this, he should have pressed for the name instead of letting it slide just because the spirit was reluctant to reveal it.
Even if it meant losing the bet by failing to find it within the time limit, he resolved to learn it no matter what. Raven pressed his lips together.
"……"
"……"
"……I heard that Sir Raven is both a Shaman and a Fighter."
The child, who had been watching his expression carefully, changed the subject. Raven gave a wry smile at suddenly being shown consideration by a child.
"The Guardian Spirit must have told you. That's right."
"I heard that Shamans usually accept the spirits they summon into their own bodies to fight……"
That was certainly true. Manifesting a spirit in a fully embodied state was practically impossible. His situation was the exception.
Would the child find it suspicious? There was a well-educated tone to the way Didi spoke—typical of nobility to start with doubt? No, given the circumstances, it was more likely Didi was trying to figure out how to use him.
He knew better than anyone that kindness didn't always beget kindness, so he prepared himself to deflect whatever reaction came. But then a bright voice continued.
"Sir Raven must be an exceptional Shaman!"
For a moment, Raven's green eyes widened slightly.
"……"
"……Is that… not the case…?"
"No, you're right."
……This kid was kind of cute.
Raven grinned and ruffled Didi's hair roughly. A pleased giggle accompanied the playful voice that followed.
"Across all of humanity, there's only one Shaman more skilled than me."
"I knew it! That's why you have such an extraordinary Guardian Spirit! He looked like he was an Awakener in life!"
"……An Awakener?"
Awakener… Didn't that refer to those who suddenly displayed abilities beyond the level of ordinary humans? Those whose talents in almost every area surpassed human averages, often said to have "absorbed fragments of talent."
Their abilities were on a level that ordinary humans could never reach no matter how hard they tried.
He'd known the Guardian Spirit was exceptional, but to that degree?
……That's one more clue I can use when searching for the name.
How long had they been together, and he was only learning this now? He really was an idiot.
He should have seen the Guardian Spirit fight properly at least once. Raven swept a hand over his eyes with a troubled expression and asked bluntly.
"That skilled, huh?"
"Pardon? Yes…. And he seemed particularly adept at defensive combat as well."
"Ah, that I already knew."
Even after dying, the spirit had spent all that time learning and practicing how to fight while protecting others.
With an indifferent face, Raven tapped his index finger against his thigh. The child, who had been watching him quietly, opened their mouth hesitantly.
"……Um, actually…"
"Yeah?"
"No, never mind. Excuse me."
"What excuse? More importantly, shall we continue this somewhere safe? There's an inn nearby."
Though only trivial small talk had passed between them, Raven had noticed that Didi had something to say. Something that wouldn't be of any help to him.
A conversation without getting to the point was probably groundwork for information gathering and the main request. Likely a plea for help related to Didi's current situation.
If he tried to leave now, the child would surely follow. He'd come to shake off one kid only to end up with another attached to him—what could he do? He couldn't just abandon a child on the street, so the only option was to return to the inn.
It also felt wrong to simply give directions and run off, especially since it was already dark. At the very least, he should see the child to safety before considering his duty done. Raven sighed and turned back the way they'd come.
In the distance, he saw Dan also heading toward the inn. Above him, the crow flapped its wings mockingly.
∗ ∗ ∗
Dan and Raven moved while keeping their distance, as if they were strangers. It was only natural—they weren't close enough to hold a conversation.
For a while, only the occasional voice of the girl named Didi speaking to Raven broke the silence of the night. Dan arrived at the inn first.
Clink.
When he opened the door and stepped inside, the innkeeper sitting at the counter recognized his face and stood up with a welcoming expression. A mix of slight worry and nosy concern poured out in her questions.
"You're back? I was worried when you suddenly ran out. Was there some urgent matter?"
Dan shook his head.
He'd hesitated briefly at the familiar speech from someone he'd only just met, but the innkeeper, interpreting that moment of hesitation in her own way, smiled apologetically and patted his shoulder heartily. The unexpectedly strong force made Dan's body sway for a moment.
"Oh dear, right. I was being insensitive, wasn't I? Everyone has their own circumstances."
"……"
"You haven't even shaken off your travel fatigue yet, and you ran off so suddenly. You must be exhausted. Go upstairs and rest."
He nodded and climbed the stairs.
Clink. The sound of the door opening came from behind, but he didn't bother turning around. At this late hour when few people came and went, the person entering right after him was obvious.
……That would have been true, if not for the innkeeper's next words.
"Welcome. Here to stay the night?"
"……!?"
Dan's head whipped around.
There stood Raven with the child perched on one arm, and the innkeeper treating him like a first-time guest.
"What brings you here at this late hour? And with a child, no less."
What was this…… Dan's eyes wavered in confusion.
Why doesn't she remember him?
Someone friendly enough to act familiar with a mute person like him wouldn't possibly pretend not to know Raven.
Did the innkeeper have amnesia? Even so, it made no sense that someone who remembered him wouldn't remember Raven. His eyes, and—though he hated to admit it—that face was harder to forget than anything.
Just earlier that day, when Raven had first rented a room, hadn't she stared at his retreating figure as if entranced?
At this point, he was curious about Raven's reaction. The time on the room he'd paid for hadn't run out yet—what would he do? Dan's gaze shifted to the man standing before the innkeeper.
"……"
The black-haired man with striking green eyes lowered his gaze for a moment before lifting it again. He swept back his disheveled bangs and released his tied-up hair, letting it fall loosely before smiling at the woman in front of him. His somewhat sharp eyes softened gently, like fine sugar dissolving in water.
"What, big sis? You don't remember me?"
"H-huh?"
"I stayed here before too. I'm a little hurt. You were so insistent about coming back again."
"R-really? That's strange. I wouldn't forget such a handsome young man so easily……"
There was no bewilderment, hurt, or anger at having forgotten him in less than a day—just a natural response.
Of course. This was a situation Raven had experienced countless times. It could even be considered a natural phenomenon. ……Though he hadn't expected to be forgotten this quickly.
[■■ entrusts their name to Death until the contract ends.]
This too was part of the contract with Death.
It was a clause that could be overlooked easily, and at the time he had done just that, but now he understood.
A name was proof of existence and validation of worth.
Handing it over to Death meant that no one would remember him.
Layering a smooth smile over the resignation that came from experiencing the same situation repeatedly, he thought.
How long has it been since I left this person's sight?
It had been longer than he'd thought since he'd last shown himself after renting the room… but even so, not even twenty-four hours had passed.
This innkeeper was the type who didn't last long. Beneath gently curved eyelids, dry eyes rolled indifferently.
Can't be helped.
He'd have to rent the room again.
The money itself wasn't a big deal, but the problem was that in the current situation—where he'd given his coin purse to Dan—he'd already used up the remaining mana stones on the room. Originally, he'd planned to acquire more mana stones when the Gate opened earlier, but he'd been too distracted by the child and the Guardian Spirit to do so. What could he do?
I'll just have to charm her.
Having quickly assessed the situation, Raven immediately began making full use of the "useful face" even the Guardian Spirit had acknowledged. Having done this more than once or twice, his handling was skillful.
"Handsome young man, huh. I'm glad to hear it, but……"
He set the child down beside him and spoke naturally, as if addressing an old acquaintance.
"Late flattery won't get you anywhere."
"No, it's not flattery, it's really……"
"Big sis."
Taking one more step closer to narrow the distance, he slowly reached out and lifted her hand. His thumb lightly brushed her rough nails before moving upward to slowly rub the thickened knuckles from hard work.
"Effort has seeped into these pretty hands." Raven murmured, just loud enough to be heard, then added that they were still beautiful before raising his head. His green eyes, moist with apparent hurt, seemed to meet hers before dropping downward.
"You really forgot me?"
"……"
"Really…?"
"Well……"
Actions and words that would have earned anyone else the label of madman.
But there was a reason people said a face carried its own plausibility. The innkeeper stared at those pitifully wet, drooping green eyes for a moment before squeezing her own eyes shut.
"……Now that I think about it, I think I do remember……"
It signaled the success of Raven's memory manipulation.