The Burden of Old Names
“Captain!”
“Benefactor!”
“I figured this would happen, but still…”
Raven scanned the familiar faces, wondering where to even begin. He let out a low, incredulous sigh.
That Eckhart had shown up carrying food was one thing.
“How in the world did you even find this place…”
“Don’t underestimate our members! Back in the day, they’d do any dirty job if you paid them enough!”
…That’s hardly something to brag about.
And it wasn’t “back in the day.” It was literally until a few moments ago.
Raven’s lips parted, a mountain of things he wanted to say clearly written on his face, but Eckhart beat him to it. With a playful shout that made it obvious he was joking, the man continued in a proud voice.
“Actually, our newest recruit told us!”
“Newest…?”
They were all new, so why make a point of calling someone the newest? Were there more people who had joined after the ones who’d taken the assassination request…?
“Yes. True to his dream of becoming a stalker and assassin, he knew your exact location.”
The explanation sounded familiar. A face immediately came to mind, and Raven lifted his head.
Perched on the chandelier, watching them, was a crow. It had apparently followed them all the way here. The bird let out a small caw as if to ask what are you looking at? before sharply turning its head away.
“So Dan joined your mercenary group…”
“Yes. He’s been staying at the barracks, saying he wants to learn the sword. His enthusiasm was quite admirable. He followed us here, but… where did he go?!”
To think he’d secure a place like this.
He must have predicted I’d offer more money. I knew he didn’t like asking for help, but I didn’t expect him to come up with something like this.
Of course, it wasn’t dangerous, and it was the boy’s own choice, so Raven had no intention of interfering. Still, there was one thing that bothered him…
“If it’s the sword, I could teach him myself.”
Dan’s master is me, after all.
No matter how unusual the situation, he had no plans to abandon his role as teacher. Slightly irritated now, Raven kicked off the ground, leaped up, and snatched the crow from the chandelier.
The bird flapped in surprise. Raven met its eyes and asked,
“Did you really think I’d only teach him things related to Sculpted Souls?”
“……”
Instead of answering, the crow slyly averted its gaze.
Reading the confirmation in that gesture, Raven tucked the bird against his chest, covering its eyes, then strode through the Lofty Mercenary Group members until he stopped in front of one person.
Dan, who had been trying to hide among the burly men, looked up at him with trembling eyes.
“Now that I think about it, I never properly explained the full range of what I can teach. I apologize for that.”
His previous disciples had always been by his side, so he’d simply pointed out their shortcomings as they arose. There had never been a need to list everything he could teach in advance. That was why he’d overlooked it.
“There are no limits to what I can teach.”
“……”
“Anything you need to learn, I can and will teach you.”
Raven was not a master of any single field. He was a teacher who taught every aspect of life.
To a child traumatized by monsters, he had taught the sword so they would see monsters not as objects of fear, but simply as prey that needed to be hunted.
To a child who had lived in a dark well, believing it was the entire world and waiting only for death, he had shown the beauty of life. To a child who had lived like a beast, he had taught how to live as a human. To a child whose overwhelming talent had caused them to curse others against their will, he had taught how to handle jusul.
The one and only thing he could not teach among all things related to life was “normal, ordinary human relationships.”
“Reading, martial arts, how to live… it doesn’t matter what it is. I can do just about anything.”
“……”
“So tell me anything.”
Raven smiled brightly. It was a confident, trustworthy smile that carried clear self-assurance.
“No matter what you need, I’ll teach you with everything I have.”
“……”
Dan stared at that smile for a long moment, then slowly lowered his gaze and gave a small nod.
Only then did Raven release the crow and turn away. His green eyes shifted to Eckhart and curved into a gentle arc.
“The new recruit you took in is my disciple.”
“…You took in the kid who tried to kill you as your disciple?”
“That’s right. You took in a kid who tried to kill your ‘captain’ as one of your members, and you’re going to lecture me?”
“No… that’s not what I meant.”
A kind or soft-hearted person might spare a child who had tried to kill them. But taking them as a disciple was something else entirely.
Who would willingly keep someone who wanted them dead close by?
He did try to kill the captain, and it seems he hasn’t given up on that goal yet. But the captain himself admitted to killing the boy’s family and accepted it as something he deserved… And aside from that, the kid doesn’t cause any real trouble. He seems like an ordinary child.
That was why Eckhart had taken him in—assuming Raven wouldn’t keep the boy close—because the child with nowhere to go had looked like a rain-soaked puppy that kept catching his eye.
Eckhart blinked stupidly. Whether he did or not, Raven simply gave him a casual nod.
“I’ll leave him in your care.”
“No, I should be the one saying that…”
After their dazed exchange of greetings, Eckhart’s expression brightened considerably.
“To be honest, I felt a bit guilty about taking in a kid who tried to kill you, but now that it’s resolved like this, I feel much better!”
“…For someone who felt guilty, you were pretty loud about it.”
“Hiding it would only make it worse!”
Well, that was true.
But wasn’t this honesty crossing into recklessness…?
While Raven wore a subtle expression, Eckhart turned to face the members poking at his sides.
“Captain, what’s all this about…?”
“Our youngest tried to kill our benefactor?”
“The captain said it’s fine.”
“Oh, then it’s all good.”
“If the benefactor says it’s okay, then it’s okay!”
It was resolved remarkably cleanly.
Judging by how things were going, it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about Dan’s treatment either. Raven snapped his fingers to regain their attention.
“Looking at all of you, I probably don’t even need to ask, but… I’d still like to hear exactly how things turned out.”
“We took them in as members!”
“They joined as members!”
“As expected…”
In the end, he had filled the group with people just like himself.
Unaware of Raven’s thoughts—and even if he had known, he would have brushed them off without a second thought—Eckhart raised his voice with an excited expression.
“I had no idea the kids you mentioned rescuing from the arena last time were these people! They’re all in their thirties now, so calling them ‘kids’ means…”
The more he spoke, the stranger Eckhart’s expression became. His voice trailed off, and he glanced back and forth between Raven’s face and body before cautiously asking,
“Captain… exactly how old are you…?”
“That’s right! The records we kept from when we were rescued don’t match at all!”
“That’s how we recognized you!”
“We’re curious about your age too, benefactor!”
Raven let out a small chuckle.
“Well, it’s definitely more than what you’re imagining.”
“Then are you an Awakened after all?!”
“A Shaman and an Awakened…? As expected of the captain…!”
“Think whatever you like. More importantly, did you find out who was behind it?”
The fact that you nearly died, Eckhart.
“Since you took in the very people who came after you on a commission, you must have figured it out.”
He had no intention of hiding or deceiving them, but he knew they wouldn’t easily believe him if he said he was a Fighter. And even if they did believe him, given their personalities, it would only cause another huge commotion. So Raven changed the subject.
Fortunately, Eckhart seemed to remember that part and nodded.
“It’s already been taken care of.”
“Taken care of?”
“Yes. All the dirty things they’d been doing in the background exploded at once and it even went to trial. From the looks of it, they’ll be dead soon, so I didn’t look into it further. Should I have investigated?”
There was no need to investigate.
It was probably just tail-cutting or something similar. Raven shook his head with a disinterested expression.
“No. It’s better to just ask and forget about it. If you start digging and it bothers someone enough that they decide to erase you too, what then?”
“I thought so.”
It seemed someone—or some faction—was trying to sweep the noble’s related problems under the rug. And conveniently, Eckhart had just expanded his mercenary group by taking in loud but skilled members.
They would know there were no traces of him touching the most dangerous and important ledgers.
Since he hadn’t actually gone through the ledgers, as long as he didn’t keep digging, they probably wouldn’t bother making a fuss by targeting “Lofty” and escalating the situation.
“Then let’s put the dark talk aside! There’s something much more important left─”
Eckhart suddenly leaned in close to Raven.
“Now that we have new members, if you would just join us too, it would be perfect─ mmph!”
“I told you I’m not joining.”
“I didn’t say join! I said come with us!”
“That’s the same thing.”
After flailing until he finally knocked Raven’s hand away, Eckhart shouted with a wronged expression.
“Aren’t you done with your business in the capital? Don’t forget our promise!”
“From the beginning, I only said I’d help. I never promised to join Lofty. And saving your life should more than cover that. It wasn’t intentional, but thanks to me, you gained new members too.”
“Ah.”
“The urgent problems are solved now, so stop calling me captain.”
“Once a captain, always a captain. You need someone to support you in your old age. Just think of it as a nickname.”
“What kind of nickname in the world─”
The retort was quickly swallowed when Eckhart whispered urgently, as if his life depended on it.
“Please just go along with it for my sake. The members joined because they thought we were serving the same benefactor. If the actual person draws such a clear line, my throat will be slit before long.”
…So his life really was on the line.
Looking at Eckhart’s desperate face, Raven let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
Reading the tacit permission, Eckhart immediately shouted to his members.
“Everyone! This is our captain!”
“Ooooh!”
“Captain! Captain!”
“You said you’d support him! We’ll support you for life, benefactor! I mean, Captain!”
“…Fine. Call me whatever you want.”
In a world where he was called “father” by his enemy, the title of captain was hardly worth fussing over. It was good to see them growing up so lively. Though their liveliness was a bit much.
Having suddenly become the unofficial captain of the Lofty Mercenary Group, Raven swept a hand down his face with a sigh.
“Support… I’m still fine for now.”
He had meant to say he didn’t need it, but the expectant eyes looking at him overlapped with the eyes of children from the past who had begged him to stay, saying they would support him. The words came out softer on reflex.
Not to mention Eckhart secretly rubbing his hands together and mouthing “please save me.” His voice softened even further.
“Later. When I get older, I’ll ask then.”
“Looking at the captain’s face, it feels like we’ll grow old and die first…”
“Hm?”
“No, never mind. It would be ridiculous to talk about supporting someone so full of energy! Do as you please, Captain!”
“Kwaaak, the captain is using his beauty trap!”
…I’ve never used any beauty trap.
Knowing that arguing would lead to an endless back-and-forth, Raven let it slide again and pointed at the food basket Eckhart had been holding the whole time.
“I’ve been wondering since earlier. Why did you bring that? Planning a picnic here?”
“Ah, this is a token of gratitude. Thanks to you, Captain, we survived safely, and we were even able to maintain the mercenary group by taking in new members.”
Indeed, now that the urgent matters were resolved, his complexion looked much more relaxed. Raven hadn’t noticed at the time, but compared to now, he could see that Eckhart had previously carried a somewhat impatient air.
With some breathing room, his mouth seemed to have loosened as well. After setting the food basket on the table, Eckhart began chattering away with explanations no one had asked for.
“The truth is, we were in a difficult situation because no one was joining. About ten years ago, or maybe nine. At some point, terrible rumors about ‘Lofty’ suddenly started spreading. They said that a knight order called Lofty had been the closest force to the Calamity during the mythic era—whether as his sword or his subordinate, something like that…”
“Wait.”
There were far too many irritating details packed into such a short sentence.
Raven’s eyes twitched.
“Nine years ago? …No, first explain in detail.”
“Yes? Well… as everyone knows, the Calamity ended the mythic era. The world went through a cataclysm because of it. That’s why there were rumors that our mercenary group, which shares the same name, was hated by the entire world…”
There had even been baseless rumors that the mercenary king Lofty had been connected to that knight order.
That part wasn’t important, so he’d gloss over it. Eckhart made a wronged face.
“They even said that’s why the Lofty lineage has always been crazy. It was incredibly unfair. Lofty isn’t crazy—the personality is just like this!”
“……”
“Anyway, since Lofty was on the verge of collapse, the rumors became accepted as fact and no one joined. People who do dangerous work like mercenaries or sailors are usually sensitive to superstition, you know.”
“……”
“But! Thanks to you, Captain, we’ve come back to life like this! It proves the rumors were nonsense after all. If we’d truly been hated by the whole world, Lofty would have collapsed long ago!”
Because of… because of such ridiculous rumors, the greatest gift he had received, the goodwill of those old men, had become evidence of a curse. Eckhart secretly clenched his fist tightly, then relaxed his grip and let out a loud “Puhaha!”
Because he had proven the rumor wrong. There was no need to ruin a happy moment by dwelling on a problem that had already been resolved.
On the other hand, Raven secretly frowned.
It seems connected to Deciever.