The Raven's Duty
Summoning an unknown man and exchanging glances with him made sense if one assumed he wasn't human.
Dan's eyes rolled around.
Then what kind of race is he, exactly?
At least, he didn't show the traits of any commonly known other races.
When Dan shifted his gaze back to confirm, he met a pair of vivid green eyes. No—as if the man had already noticed he was being observed, Raven turned his head sharply the moment Dan looked, meeting his eyes directly.
"Why?"
"……."
Dan shook his head.
His abilities, his identity… there were plenty of mysteries, but he didn't seem to harbor any malice. Given Dan's desperate situation, he had no intention of pressing the issue.
Just as he tried to look away, those strangely glowing green eyes kept drawing his attention.
"Ah, so it's these eyes that make you uncomfortable?"
Raven, already aware of the gaze, touched the corner of his eye.
"Some people find the ghostly aura unsettling. Usually the elderly or those with shamanic talent. You must be one of them."
Ghostly aura? Shaman?
His confusion must have shown on his face, because an answer came immediately.
"These eyes are borrowed from my Guardian Spirit. I can't see otherwise."
A Guardian Spirit was ultimately a soul. Meaning, the dead.
"Borrowing the eyes of the dead means they'll carry a ghostly aura."
……So it really was a 'Guardian Spirit.' He had heard the man call it 'ancestor,' after all.
Dan followed the hand tapping at the corner of the eye, then turned his head forward again.
To think he had borrowed a part of the body from someone who had already died and left this world. Even if he called himself a shaman, Dan wasn't sure this fell under the domain of shamanic arts.
His suspicion doubled, but curiosity had outweighed wariness from the start. Dan decided to set his interest aside for now and focus on moving forward.
No matter how suspicious he is, there's nothing I can do about it.
He reminded himself once more: he was the one in need.
He was the one asking for help. Leaving to find someone else just because of suspicion wasn't an option—he couldn't even be sure he'd find anyone, and even if he did, the chances they'd help as readily as Raven were slim.
Raven was an unusual case. Dan wasn't lucky enough to draw fortune twice in a row.
If he'd been lucky to begin with, he wouldn't be in this situation.
Sister……
He prayed it wasn't too late.
The closer they got to their destination, the more pointless thoughts rose and faded. Dan spurred his running feet toward the place that was finally coming into view.
And when they arrived—
Crack.
They found a woman snapping the neck of what appeared to be a pursuer.
"……."
The Guardian Spirit ??? lets out a low groan.
What cruel twist of fate was this?
For a moment, Raven stood frozen as if his breath had stopped, staring at her. Then he slowly turned his head toward Dan. Those lifeless green eyes seemed to take him in before a faint, bitter smile slipped from his lips.
……Damn it.
Death, you knew all along, didn't you?
That I would get involved with this kid and end up helping him.
That's why you chose that one soul among the many you had to collect. Because you know I don't cling to life—in fact, I long for death.
"……."
"……."
An uneasy silence stretched precariously.
Before the silence could turn into something more unsettling, Raven lifted the corner of his mouth. His voice came out light, as if the tension had never existed.
"She's decisive. Judging by the situation, that woman seems to be your sister. Is she an Awakener or a Fighter?"
Dan shook his head with difficulty, still frozen in place.
Their father had been the village's only Fighter. He'd been part of the vigilante group. Their sister had only learned a few techniques from him.
……For the record, their father had died protecting the village from slave traders who used illegal mercenaries.
"Who…! Ah."
The woman, who had been glaring at them with sharp eyes at the unfamiliar voice, softened her gaze upon seeing Dan standing beside Raven. She seemed to grasp the situation. Her body, perhaps drained of tension, swayed weakly and collapsed.
Dan rushed forward to catch her.
"──!"
"……Why."
The woman's lips moved soundlessly.
She was asking why he'd come back. It was obvious even without hearing it.
Raven, having no intention of interrupting their conversation, turned his head and approached one of the pursuers who was still breathing—the one the woman hadn't finished off. Normally he would have gone to the woman to do something, but not this time.
……There was no need.
She was someone whose soul Raven had to collect.
So this was both atonement for breaking his promise and an outlet for his frustration.
He placed his foot on the man's neck and leaned down, looking at him. His green eyes, carrying a ghostly aura, gleamed coldly.
"……The only slaves officially permitted by the nations are defeated nobles and criminals."
"Kgh……."
That had been the standard set by the first emperor of the Ardal Empire.
The emperor himself had been opposed to slavery, but how could one man defy the madness of an era where conquering through war and subjugation had become the norm?
Instead, as his final act of defiance, he had declared that the nobles of defeated nations—who had driven their own people into war only to abandon them in defeat—would become slaves. It was both a warning to the leaders of other nations who might attack Ardal and a warning to his own nobles: only those prepared to take responsibility should speak of war or conscription.
Of course, that was only 'official.' Since there weren't enough criminals and nobles to meet the demand for slaves, the line was tacitly broadened.
"The tacit allowance extends to the common people of defeated nations. That's about it."
Still, it was limited to 'defeated nations.'
Yet something felt off.
"These people don't look like they're from a defeated nation no matter how I look at them. You can tell from the look in their eyes."
"P-please……"
Whether it was the killing intent choking him or not, the foolish plea came out stammering. Raven pressed his foot down harder on the neck to silence the unwanted voice and muttered lowly.
"Ardal hasn't fallen in the meantime, either."
Ardal was a nation with a thousand years of history and the military power to match.
At least until Raven had gone into seclusion, they had possessed enough strength to endure most wars for over a decade.
Of course, most surviving nations were in similar positions… which was why they avoided provoking one another.
Which meant these people were……
"They've got some nerve."
Just a bunch of lunatics. Raven defined them simply.
The possibility that another faction was trying to undermine the emperor's popularity crossed his mind, but that wasn't his concern, so he set it aside.
"Now, how should I deal with them……"
Just kill them and be done with it, or track down their base and wipe it out?
The latter offered him no benefit. Blood was already flowing from his wounds, and he still needed to obtain the fairy tribe's herbs. There was no reason to detour for these insignificant fools.
But considering what I have to do soon……
His gaze briefly caught on the woman.
Just then, his sleeve was tugged. His eyes, which had naturally passed over her, lowered. Dan, still holding the woman, was looking up at him with a tear-streaked face, as if pleading for him to do something.
"……Ah, right."
His dry voice continued.
"I came here to fulfill your request."
There was a faint, hardened resolve in it as well.
Whether it was resolve not to waver at the resentment he would soon hear, or resolve to atone in his own way, his unreadable eyes met Dan's as he spoke.
"First—"
Crack—
The foot that had left the pursuer's neck crushed the man's ankle as if taking a step, then closed the distance to the woman.
The strange gaze he'd felt since saving Dan had vanished now. With nothing left to hesitate over, he spoke the rest without pause.
His somewhat cold voice fell.
"I suppose I should start by apologizing for not being able to keep my promise."
"……—"
Dan's eyes widened as if asking what he meant. Raven quietly turned away from him and raised a hand to his own neck.
As if urging action, the red gem on the necklace vibrated faintly.
"……I have to kill this woman."
"!"
"There's no other choice."
Who could have known things would twist like this?
She should have died long ago. He had known the moment he saw her.
Snapping a pursuer's neck was a miracle in her condition—she shouldn't even have been able to move. She had probably squeezed out her last bit of strength for her brother. It was impressive she was still alive.
That's why Death sent me.
Every life had a predetermined lifespan, and most people died in accidents before reaching it. That was why the phrase 'lived a full life' existed.
When someone died before their time, if Death or his errand-runner didn't collect the soul within three days, the person either wouldn't die or would come back to life. The three-day funeral customs among humans originated from such incidents.
The woman before him belonged to the 'doesn't die' category.
The type who clung to life through sheer will.
Raven now had to trample and sever that will.
He slowly placed his hand on the gem of the necklace and lifted it. A black current flowed from the gem along his fingers, gathering in his palm to form the shape of a familiar weapon.
"……You know,"
Holding the weapon that reaped souls, Raven approached the woman, looked into her eyes, and spoke quietly.
"Death has an errand-runner who acts in his stead. Did you know that?"
It wasn't a question, but a statement meant to convey information.
Seeing that the other seemed to understand his intent, Raven crookedly lifted the corner of his mouth. Despite having eyes that had lost their vitality, as if time had stopped for him, he spoke with a chuckle.
"People used to call me Raven, after the bird Death commands."
"……Ah."
"I've come to stop your time."
……Collecting someone's soul was mentally taxing. Especially if the person was connected to you in any way. That was probably why Death had set it as a condition of his immortality.
Glancing at Dan's face—now blank with shock and betrayal—Raven maintained his nonchalant attitude and added, as if doing him a favor.
"Any last words you'd like to leave?"
He didn't usually ask, but this was his own form of apology.
He had promised to help, yet here he was trying to kill her instead. And he really was going to kill her.
"──!"
"Stop, Dan."
The woman, who seemed to have come to her senses, stopped Dan—who looked ready to lunge—and spoke with labored breath.
Her voice was detached, carrying no resentment or anger, yet it pierced Raven's ears clearly.
"Mother's last request was… to take good care of my brother."
"……."
"If you take my soul, I won't be able to fulfill that request."
So.
"If you're going to take my soul… at least carry on that wish."
"……I asked for last words, not a request."
Raven's green eyes trembled faintly. He quickly composed his expression and added, sounding incredulous. No, more than that—
"You're saying that even after seeing me break my promise right in front of you?"
Raven had broken his promise to Dan right before her eyes. She wasn't oblivious—she could tell from the earlier conversation and Dan's betrayed expression.
Yet the woman smiled faintly, as if it didn't matter.
"……."
What more needed to be said?
After a brief exchange of glances, Raven raised his weapon without answering.
Feeling the end approach, the woman quietly closed her eyes. Though her silence held neither affirmation nor denial, he could read the refusal in it—and the reluctance to refuse. That alone was enough for her.
He won't be able to completely ignore the request.
One way or another, he would carry it in his heart.
Of course, she didn't want to die. She simply knew her condition made resistance impossible, and ever since she'd sent her brother away alone, she'd been prepared for death. She didn't want to cling to false hope and make an ugly scene.
But that was only her perspective. Dan couldn't just stand by and watch his only remaining family die.
"──!"
The black bird flew toward her with fierce momentum.