Anger Was the Reason
As soon as the war with the Holy Kingdom ended, Raven's four disciples summoned Deciever.
They had meant to call him the moment they learned he had killed the emperor, but everything else happened in the blink of an eye. By the time they brought him in, it was already all over.
Even so, they had no intention of letting it slide.
"Why did you do it?"
Altare asked, his voice heavy and sunken.
He had no interest in Deciever's revealed identity or the power that had erased so many lives in an instant. They'd all known for years that the bastard had dangerous depths. If anything, learning the truth felt like a weight lifted.
He had always been an insufferable prick. There was no reason for their relationship to change now.
I don't know why he leaves us alone, but if he'd wanted us dead, he'd have killed us long ago. No need to change how we treat him.
More than anything, they simply refused to grovel before him. But that was beside the point.
What mattered now was that the damn bastard had blinded their eyes and carried out his insane plan right under their noses.
"No wonder you were so helpful. I should have suspected you back then."
They had let him be because his help was genuine. Had it all been to scheme behind their backs?
After first conceiving the Association, Altare had buried himself in documents to make it more concrete and stable. In doing so, he had missed that vital information was being filtered before it reached them. Whenever they needed eyes on the outside world, Deciever would appear with flawlessly organized files, making the deception even harder to notice.
They had known a war had broken out, but they hadn't realized Deciever stood at its center. Only after hearing that he had killed the emperor did the scales finally fall from their eyes.
"...Forget all that. Why the hell would you do something so insane?"
At the icy question, Deciever, who had been sitting indifferently and twirling the ends of his hair, lifted his gaze. His inhuman eyes fixed on the speaker, then his lips curved into a grin.
An artificial smile spread across his face, crudely pressing down every unpleasant emotion.
"Because I was angry."
"At what?"
"Everything. Just... everything."
So it was a tantrum.
Raven understood it instinctively.
Not only had their relationship soured, but the other party had vanished completely. After searching and searching without success, his temper had finally twisted. With his short patience, holding out for a full year must have been a miracle.
That was why he had caused such chaos nine years ago—one year after that day.
There was also the matter of checking the birth of a new god candidate.
The god worshiped by the Holy Kingdom was one that did not yet exist. They believed in something nonexistent and revered it as divine.
In other words, had the Holy Kingdom endured longer, a new god might have been born. By destroying it, Deciever had crushed that possibility.
He had moved to keep in check a new god candidate who would arise through proper, formal procedures rather than as one of the Errors. Truly, his personality was rotten to the core.
Still, the tantrum and impulse seem to have been the larger part.
If the goal had simply been to restrain them, there were far more efficient methods. Yet he had chosen this obvious, attention-grabbing path. The reason was clear.
Raven let out a deep sigh and pressed hard against his temples.
If venting his anger had been the main objective, there was no way this would be the only incident. It had been relatively small and easily buried, but he might have reached into other places as well.
What exactly has he been doing these past ten years...?
Having cut off all contact with people while in hiding, Raven knew nothing. Frustration surged through him.
Yet regardless of how complicated Raven's thoughts had become, each person had achieved their purpose for this meeting, and the explanations were finished.
Edardo, who had given the other party time to think, spoke as though preparing to end the gathering.
"That concludes the explanation. Is there anything else you're curious about?"
"...No. Thank you."
"This isn't something that requires gratitude, so spare me the thanks. We'll do our utmost to look into the 'name' on our end as well."
While Esperanes specialized more than Aurell in digging through history, he had no intention of losing.
"And if any other business comes to mind, don't hesitate to come find me."
Edardo smiled with easy grace and waved his left hand, palm outward. The vivid scar stabbed into the eyes, painful enough to etch itself into memory.
"There is no chance I would forget you, so come whenever you wish."
"..."
Once I leave, another scar will be carved there.
He didn't know how to describe this feeling. After staring at the scar for a long moment, Raven smiled. Despite his convincing expression, his voice carried not a single drop of emotion as it filled the room.
"Yes. Thank you."
This time, Edardo did not refuse the gratitude.
Instead, watching Raven rise from his seat while remaining seated himself, he spoke.
"You remember that you've been designated as a special guest, yes?"
"...I remember the guidance I received ten years ago."
"Then that's fine. Do you remember who you should ask for?"
"Edi."
The name he had given for those who could not remember.
"Edi of Decert."
"You know it well."
"It seems you still haven't taken it as a surname."
"Edi could be a nickname or a real name... Decert?"
"It was one of the name candidates for the current organization Aurell. It carried the meaning of beginning in an environment as barren as a desert. If a surname becomes necessary, we intend to use it."
Edardo's lips curved loosely.
"There was no need."
His casually drifting gaze settled on Raven's thumb, where blood still flowed.
"The bleeding hasn't stopped."
"Ah, this."
"Get it treated before you go."
As if he would accept no refusal, he placed his hand on the communication device and called for someone named Lethe. A knock came almost immediately, as though she had been waiting nearby, and the door opened.
Unwilling to engage in pointless argument over the consideration shown to him, Raven pressed his lips together, gathered the crow into his arms, and followed the other man to another room.
The moment Raven's figure disappeared, Edardo, who had been watching his back, drew a dagger from within his robes.
He placed his already scarred left hand on the desk, positioned the blade, adjusted the angle, and murmured quietly.
"There will be plenty to write in the treatment records."
The signal that a rather special client had arrived came while he was still with Raven.
Even so, Edardo showed no trace of impatience as he dealt with Raven until the very end. Only after recording every detail of their encounter did he sit down before the client.
There was no sense that he was reading the room, nor the slightest hint of apology in his demeanor.
The green-haired man watched with sharp eyes as the bandaged man on his left hand opened the door and sat down across from him. Then he spoke.
"It seems the system here is in disarray. To keep someone waiting this long."
"If it were truly urgent, you could have left the request with someone else instead of meeting me directly. Did the guide not tell you?"
"For the sake of secrecy, fewer people who know is better. How could I trust them enough to reveal the request?"
"If you lack even that level of trust, I wonder whether you can entrust anything to us at all."
Stigma, who had been about to voice his own reluctance, clenched his fist tightly.
The emperor wished to make contact with the slave liberation activists. Yet they were extraordinarily wary of representatives from any nation. If affiliation was revealed, they fled. If approached in secret, they suspected the unclear belonging and vanished before any message could reach them. They needed a force unaffiliated with any state.
Esperanes' information network was too clearly tied to the state, while organizations that would do anything for money specialized in murder and possessed rigid minds that communicated poorly. The activists would likely interpret their intentions in the worst possible light.
In the end, only Aurell remained.
If the weak emperor had not desired a friendly approach, I would have set a trap, swept up all those damned self-proclaimed liberation activists, left only one alive, and extracted their base.
It was stifling. The urge to abandon everything rose within him, but he thought of his homeland—the territory that had once belonged to his family and was now one of the Empire's occupied lands.
Stigma swallowed his displeasure and spoke in a low voice.
"I need information on the slave liberation activists. More precisely, a means to contact them."
He had wondered why they were making such a fuss over a single finger. It seemed the purpose was to arrange a meeting with their close aides.
Raven, who had received treatment surrounded by a man called El and a woman named Lethe, recalled the conversation they had shared while crossing the path after leaving the hiding place.
"I heard you are a benefactor of Aurell."
"I'm not a benefactor. We simply had a transaction—"
"I'm sorry for not remembering."
"And please take care of us in the future."
...It seemed even the children here took after their leader. Perhaps because they were close aides.
Golden hair and golden eyes. Seeing that even their coloring matched, they might be blood relatives. Thinking of the children who shared the same colors as their leader, Raven walked briskly until he suddenly realized he had nowhere to go and stopped.
As if asking how long this was supposed to continue, the crow in his arms pecked sharply at his sleeve.
Come to think of it, I never released the spell.
He snapped his fingers. The jusul that had blocked the sculpted soul's eyes and ears vanished. The crow shook its head as sight and hearing returned.
Raven lifted the bird and set it on his shoulder. The moment it gained freedom, it spread its wings to fly, but—
"Ah, by the way."
Raven reached out again and caught it firmly, pulling the helpless creature back into his embrace.
"Where are you staying these days?"
"...Caw."
He was staying at an inn with the money Raven had given him before, but he had no intention of saying so. Dan—no, the crow—turned its head slightly aside.
Of course, Raven had not asked because he truly did not know.
"Is money not a problem?"
It must be about time for the inn fees to run out.
He felt a tiny flinch. It seemed he would need to give the bird more money soon.
"I have no intention of interfering with your lodging, so don't worry. And don't stay in strange places just to save a few coins."
"...Squawk."
"What kind of delinquent cry is that?"
He shook the bird playfully before releasing it.
The crow flew up unsteadily and perched on a nearby building, watching him. The behavior was achingly familiar.
More importantly, where should I go now...?
He had already submitted the request concerning the Guardian Spirit's name. Deciever's past actions were history and could be looked into slowly. All that remained was obtaining the herbs from the Elven Territory.
Should I head straight to the Elven Territory, or check on how things are with Eckhart first?
The wounds on his body had all healed thanks to that damned Deciever. The only injury left was the small cut on his thumb.
With all urgent matters settled and time to spare, Raven was still pondering when—
"Master!"
"Hm?"
A clear voice rang from above.
It seemed a shadow was falling over him.... When he looked up, he saw Altare descending with Liv tucked under his arm.
What was this adorable nonsense? Raven quickly stepped back.
Thud.
Altare landed exactly one sheet of paper away from where Raven had been standing and immediately hurled Liv forward.
What are you doing to a child with such a frail body—! Raven caught Liv in a panic as she flew toward him.
As if she had been waiting for exactly this, Liv wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Raven, unable to accept his helplessly captured state, blinked blankly for a moment.
"Father, we wish to request Master's help."
"...Help?"
"Yes. It's related to the Gates."