As if in a scene from a play, the gazes of the person sitting on the tree and the person falling slowly cross each other. Eventually, Raven reached the bottom, and without even thinking about it, he quickly regained his balance and started running straight ahead.

Instinct is warning: if you can't get him off here, it'll be almost impossible to get him off afterward.

Uddangtangtang!!

- Oh my, why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden...

Kwaang!

The sound of someone rushing out of the room is followed by the sound of someone pounding down the stairs. Raven threw the room key on the counter through the open first-floor window and then increased his running speed.

Because he threw it so hastily, the key seems to have been pushed to the corner of the counter...

'You'll notice someday.'

Anyway, it's on the counter.

The sound of footsteps and grinding teeth coming from behind is truly eerie. Even when he was dealing with monsters, it felt like quiet goosebumps were running down his spine, so Raven let out a laugh and focused on running.

'If I get caught for this, I'll be screwed.'

*****

The youngest disciple thought.

Father... found you, Master, but if he approaches carelessly, he will only be alert. If he approaches him as someone he knows, he will be attacked or chased away, and even if he approaches him as a stranger, only boundaries and an iron wall will come back.

The teacher he knows is like a rabbit and is wary of the topic of loneliness. It must have gotten even worse because it burned him badly.

So instead of hastily approaching, he quietly rolled his head.

'I need to meet him in a situation where he can't reject me.'

Her goal is to take him to the imperial capital, to be precise, the imperial palace.

There may be a way to force him and drag him away, but father is a man who has no choice but to wander the world. It's not our preference to tie him up in one place.

Since he's guilty, he will show him the huge, comfortable cage with the door open so you can come in and out at any time... no, he will show him the nest and apologize.

I'm sorry for getting caught.

He should have lied to him the whole time, but he foolishly got caught and hurt him.

And he needs to engrave in his mind that this is the place he will return to. If he fills it with all kinds of fancy things, he will remember it even if he doesn't want to.

Remembering means that the likelihood of remembering this place increases someday, at some moment.

'I need a way to take him to the capital without compromising the border as much as possible...'

Taking Raven with him is the priority.

Of course, he knows that Master will stop by the imperial capital someday. Since he discovered him this way, all he has to do is just watch. However, he really didn't like the fact that he couldn't even say a word to him when he found him like this, and he couldn't guarantee that another bastard wouldn't find him and do something in the meantime.

The youngest disciple, Deceiver, who could not let go of his true nature, thought as he tore up the paper in his hand, ignoring the most trivial and uninteresting option.

'He is weak to something.'

The answer came quickly. The corner of the Deceiver's mouth twitched as he looked at Dan, who was following his master.

'Young ones that haven't grown up yet. And the victims of the gate.'

If something similar happens twice before the end of the day, it may raise suspicion, but even if you approach it normally, it still raises caution.

In that case, it is better to approach them by creating a situation in which they cannot refuse even if they have doubts.

'It's been a while since I've seen you up close, father.'

Oh, let's take care of this first.

Contrary to the momentum that seemed to move immediately, Deceiver stood still and scattered the torn wanted letters in the air.

Things about 'Raven', especially the types directly related to him, such as impressions, are not easy to remember and recall on one's own, even if they are records that do not disappear. If you don't put it in a visible place, you will forget its existence, just like you would forget 'Raven'.

Things about 'Raven', especially the types directly related to him, such as impressions, are not easy to remember and recall on one's own, even if they are records that do not disappear. If you don't put it in a visible place, you will forget its existence, just like you would forget 'Raven'.

So, it is highly unlikely that someone will recognize Master and report him based on this.

'I stole the bounty notices from all the inns and stores in the village where the teacher's steps are heading, so it should be okay for the time being.'

Seriously, it's a bounty. Did they really think that would work? Brothers and sisters are also very foolish.

The Disciple raised the corner of his mouth in a pout.

'Father is not an ordinary person.'

How sensitive is our rabbit-like Master?

It is said that a bounty was placed secretly, limited to inns and stores, but the moment someone recognizes him and tries to report him, he will be noticed. Then, there will be a greater possibility that people will avoid going to the capital where there is a high risk of getting caught.

And more than anything...

'I found him first, but he was stolen by my brothers and sisters because of a piece of paper like this, so I can't use it anymore.'

He was mine in the first place.

Besides being my father, he is also the only key that will lead me to perfection. Oh, and he's also my master.

While he's calculating for a moment, useless things start creeping into his disciple.

Since he didn't want to foolishly lose him again, Deceiver launched himself in the direction his dear Master was going without hesitation.

****

After rescuing Dan, the Guardian Spirit clearly said this before returning.

[Thank goodness it was after the Gate was closed.]

Raven didn't answer then, but he secretly agreed. If it had been before the Gate was closed, things would have been quite annoying.

How can it be easy for a person traveling alone to protect others and close the gate? Even though he had been through it many times before, he was really sick of the situation just imagining it, so he thought he was really fortunate just as he said.

'It actually happened.'

Raven stepped back with a shocked look on his face, holding the 'child' in his arms. Unlike Dan, who was closer to a young man, a 'real child' who seemed to be only 10 years old, a girl with a precious appearance that did not suit this place at all, trembled and buried her face in his arms. As if she was secretly wiping away tears, the sight of her rubbing her face in a goofy manner was a bonus.

'...Do you have any connection with the 'child'?'

Everything that gets involved is just children. He laughed for a moment, consoled the child, and rolled my eyes to understand the situation.

If others saw the current situation, they would say it was hopeless.

A Gate opened on a wide street and monsters poured out from it. And the child standing trembling in front of him.

Even though he was in the middle of a hasty escape, once he saw that scene, he couldn't just pass by.

So, Raven, who was now holding the child like this, sighed and twirled the dagger in his other hand.

'I now have two burdens to protect...'

Before, he only had to worry about Dan, but now he has to worry about both Dan and the child.

...Oh, not yet. He sent a warning to the crow that was chasing him ahead of Dan, telling him not to come any further if he didn't want to die, so if he had any brains, he would have kept his distance. Still, it bothers him that the guardian spirit is angry. Of course, he knows he won't turn a blind eye to his danger.

Still, he isn't so thick-faced that he shamelessly calls out his anger even though he knows he's in a situation where he made a mistake.

"...Child, what's your name?"

Raven was prepared to solve the problem on his own and asked the child a question.

"...D...cough, Didi."

"It looks like it's an alias."

He feel the small body in his arms tremble. He doesn't know why she was so scared. Judging by her attire, she appears to be a noblewoman, but it is only natural to hide one's family name and name from someone one cannot trust.

The reason he asks for the name was purely because he needs something to call the child, so the real name doesn't really matter. He calmly mentioned the pseudonym the child had given.

"Okay, Didi. Do you get motion sickness or something?"

She shakes her head.

The way she shakes his head and rubs her forehead against his chest is very cute. Raven, who laughed heartily, opened his mouth and stabbed the dagger into the roof of the mouth of the charging monster, whispering softly.

"Then stay like this for 5 minutes... no, 10 minutes without raising your head. You may shake a little, but don't raise your head halfway through."

What you need to do is simple.

After taking the child and clearing out the monsters that came out, close the gate.

Due to the situation, he will have to keep holding her, so one arm will be tied, but it can't be helped. Rather than moving this little thing away and regretting losing it, it would be better to keep her in his arms.

He whispered softly as he held the child tightly in case he slipped.

"Once I'm done, I'll ask why someone who appears to be a noblewoman is here alone, so it would be best to gather your thoughts in the meantime."

"..."

If he were a little more selfish, he would have the option of avoiding the monsters and entering the gate first, but Raven couldn't do that. He knew very well what would happen if he ignored these many monsters.

'Regardless of whether or not I can protect the child inside the gate, Dan left alone outside will die.'

They will devour the nearest platform and head to a nearby private house.

It is certain that enormous damage will occur.

So, with those words, Raven started fighting the monster while holding the child in her arms.

"[Baby, what the hell are you...]"

──And he got scolded.

In the first place, it didn't make sense for him to deal with the monsters that came with such a huge weakness.

As a result, Raven had to struggle just to clean up the monsters that poured out, let alone close the gate.

Even he gradually became surrounded and things were becoming more and more troublesome.

Raven, who was in a hurry to escape the surrounding situation, stepped on someone in sight and jumped up, but was caught by the ankle and thrown to the ground, reflexively letting go of the child and forcibly stopping her with a hand that almost hit the ground, and hugging the child tighter. His vision instantly turned white along with a dull pain.

So the reaction was late.

It was already too late when the monster's wide-open, vicious mouth came into my personal field of vision. Even when the Guardian Spirit, who had been silent the entire time, stepped forward, Raven closed his dysfunctional eyes as if he had expected it instead of being surprised.

"[...]"

A strange silence falls as if the noise has been cut along with the monster.

The Guardian Spirit, who had cleared out the surrounding monsters in one go, glanced back at Raven and sighed. A young man shaking his shoulders was reflected in his rugged green eyes.

"[What should I do with you...]"

"...But my face isn't hurt."

It would be bothersome if his face got hurt, so he did my best to protect it.

"It's the most useful part. Ancestor... it's a part that brother also acknowledged, so we have to protect it."

The child in his arms shook her shoulder at the joking remark, which was clearly intended to lighten the mood.

Raven didn't care and patted her shoulder.

Anyway, it's better to laugh than cry. It's enough for him to laugh. He can't turn his eyes to the guardian spirit to see his expression, but at least he knows that he isn't smiling. As he maintained the awkward silence, as expected, he heard a heavy sigh and a hard voice.

"[That's not what I meant, it's for your self-esteem... No, that's enough.]"

"..."

"[Why didn't you call me? I'm sure you, a clever person, don't know the reason for my silence.]"

He should have called.

The Guardian Spirit was silent because Raven did not spare herself. Therefore, Raven should have called upon his guardian spirit in times of danger or trouble.

"...but...."

Gray eyes roll gently. Unsure of what was so noticeable, the unfocused eyes that had been blinking with hesitation were pushed by an unspoken urge and gave out anxiety.

"What if I act so shamelessly and my brother hates me?"

"[...!]"

"You know, I only have ancestors."

Wow. As if feeling a pang of loneliness, the child being held gave a lot of strength to the hand holding the hem of his clothes.

Again, there was no way the dead person could breathe, but the guardian spirit stopped moving for a moment as if it had stopped breathing.

Green eyes are shaking wildly between wide-open eyes. After a long moment of silence, he raised his sword and cut down the nearby monster again, then placed his hand on Raven's shoulder.

"[Baby.]"

His hand moves from his shoulder up his neck and cups his cheek, as if he is sweeping in reverse. Her calloused thumb stroked the area around his eyes with utmost care.

His dull gray eyes blinked with curiosity at his sudden contact.

"[I would have definitely said it. Even if heaven and earth turn upside down and everyone in the world turns into an enemy.]"

Even if it means destroying the world.

"[I will never hate you.]"

"..."

"[never.]"