No, it's normal to feel pain, but it hurts more than usual. He clutches his strangely sore stomach and cough out blood again.

Is it because the guardian spirit does not come out 'through a call'? He doesn't think that's everything...

'...Oh, I was thrown to the ground defenseless.'

There was no time to cushion the impact while covering the child.

He ignored it because it didn't seem to be broken, but now he sees that he appears to have internal injuries. For some reason, he felt like blood was coming out of his mouth at that time, but it wasn't because of his mood.

'My internal injuries are also bothersome.'

It's just as annoying as the scar on his face.

Whenever the blood accumulates inside him more than a certain amount, it will reflux. There is a high possibility of unnecessary misunderstanding. Even if he swallows the regurgitated food, since time has stopped in his body, he will have to get it out at some point...

'...Oh, I don't know.'

It's not urgent right now, so there's no need to worry about it now.

He roughly wiped his mouth and turned towards 'Didi'. Raven smiled as if nothing had happened, looking at the eyes that showed confusion and worry.

Above him he heard the nervous flapping of a black bird's wings, but he neatly ignored it.

"Okay then, is it now our turn to talk?"

"..."

"Won't you tell me how you ended up here alone?"

"..."

"Didi?"

"......ah."

The child, who had been repeating the question while looking at Raven's mouth and the floor where the blood had spilled with a blank expression, came to her senses after hearing the question again and gave an answer, saying thank you for saving her.

The story was nothing special. It was a common story that he had encountered quite often in this long life.

"You were kidnapped and on the way, the gate opened, and the kidnappers ran away, abandoning you... You had to go back in an awkward situation. It must have been difficult."

"Yes..."

There was no need to ask why they were kidnapped.

I can think of several reasons why a child from a noble family could be kidnapped without even thinking about it.

The actions of some idiots to demand a ransom, getting caught up in a family political dispute, or a fight for succession rights to take over the position of the head of the family... to a degree.

Considering that the name and family name are hidden, it must be one of the latter two families.

"My... my benefactor."

"...Benefactor?"

What is that unfamiliar title? The corners of Raven's mouth trembled.

"Oh, sorry. I don't know your name..."

"No name, just call me Raven."

"Yes, Raven. And his name was..."

"It's him, who... ah."

Who else could have been there but me?

"My guardian spirit?"

"Was it a guardian spirit?"

"Yes. The name is..."

Raven, who was hesitant, slowly turned his head to the side as if to avoid her gaze.

"I don't know."

"...You don't know?"

"Yeah, I don't know."

...His damn name.

It's not a new question, and it's a question he occasionally hears every time he saves someone and closes a gate through a guardian spirit, but this time, the response is painful.

If he had known this would be the case, he should have inquired sooner rather than just because he was reluctant to reveal his name.

Raven kept his mouth shut, promising himself that even if he couldn't find it within the deadline and lost the bet, he wouldn't just ignore it and would find out.

"..."

"..."

"...I heard that Raven is a shaman and fighter."

The child, who had been watching as if he had read the awkward expression, slowly changed his tone. Raven, who was suddenly taken into consideration by the child, let out a bitter smile.

"I guess the guardian spirit spoke. That's right."

"I heard that even if shamans summon spirits, they usually accept them into their bodies and fight..."

It certainly is. Because it is virtually impossible to manifest the soul in the body of the object. His situation is exceptional.

Is he trying to be suspicious? The way he speaks makes him seem quite educated, but like a noble, he must be suspicious, right? No, since the situation is a situation, there is a high possibility that he will try to take advantage of it.

I know better than anyone that favor may not be returned as a favor, so I prepared to accept whatever reaction I received, but a bright voice continued.

"Raven, you seem to be an excellent shaman!"

For a moment, his green eyes widened slightly.

"..."

"...is not it...?"

"No, that's right."

...This is kind of cute. Raven grinned and patted the child's head. A playful voice came down with a pleasant giggling sound.

"In all of humanity, there is only one shaman better than me."

"As expected! So, you have an unusual guardian spirit! It looks like he was an awakened person when he was alive!"

"...Awakened?"

If he's an awakened person... doesn't this refer to people who suddenly show abilities beyond the level of ordinary humans? These people are often called 'absorbed fragments of talent', whose talents almost all exceed the average human level.

Their talent is at a level that ordinary people would struggle to reach even if they tried hard.

he knows his guardian spirit was excellent, but that was it?

'......There's one more clue that can be useful when looking for a name.'

He can't believe he's only now realizing how much time they spent together. He's such an idiot too. He should have seen the Guardian Spirit fight a proper battle. Raven asked bluntly, wiping the corners of his eyes with an uncomfortable expression.

"Is he that talented?"

"Huh? Yes... Plus, he seem to be good at protecting and fighting."

"Oh, I know that."

Even though he was already dead, he said that he had been protecting him ever since, learning and practicing how to fight. With a sour expression on his face, he lifted his index finger and tapped his thigh. The child who had been watching Raven cautiously opened his mouth with a face full of hesitation.

"...I-I, could it be...."

"huh?"

"No, no. Excuse me."

"How rude? Should we go somewhere safe and talk? There's an inn nearby."

There was only meaningless chatter, but Raven realized that the child had something to say to him. Also, that doesn't help him at all.

Conversation without the main topic is likely to be information seeking and the foundation for the main topic. It's probably a request for help related to the situation she's in. If he tries to leave like this, they will definitely follow you.

He was trying to get rid of one child, but ended up having another child, so what should he do? He can't leave the child on the street, so he has no choice but to go back to the inn.

It's a bit difficult to just give directions and then run away. It's a dark night right now. Raven sighed and walked back the way he came, feeling like he was doing his duty by at least throwing it away in a safe place.

At the same time, Dan, who was standing in the distance, can be seen turning towards the inn. Above his head, a crow flapped its wings mischievously.

*****

Dan and Raven moved at a distance as if they did not know each other. Since there was no need for conversation, it was natural in a way.

Dan arrived at the inn first, with only the voice of a girl named 'Didi' occasionally speaking and Raven answering to break the silence of the night.

Rattle.

As He opened the door and entered, the lady sitting at the counter checked his face and stood up with a happy expression on her face. Questions were asked, mixed with a bit of worry and nonsense.

"You're back? I was worried because you suddenly ran out. Did something urgent happen?"

Shaking head.

Dan shakes his head for a moment before he even pauses for a moment when he suddenly hears a casual comment about how long it has been since he has seen each other.

He don't know how he interpreted that moment's hesitation, but the woman who stopped suddenly smiled apologetically and patted him on the shoulder. Dan's body stumbled for a moment due to a force stronger than expected.

"Oh, right. I didn't notice, right? Everyone has personal reasons."

"..."

"You probably haven't recovered from the exhaustion, but you must be so tired after running all of a sudden. Go up and get some rest."

He nodded and took the stairs.

Rattle. He heard the door opening behind him, but he doesn't bother to turn around. It was obvious that he would be the next person to come in at this time of night when there weren't many people coming and going. It would have been so if it weren't for the inn lady's comment.

"Welcome. Want to stay overnight?"

"......!?"

Dan's head turned.

There, Raven was standing still with a child sitting on one arm, and a woman who treated him as if she was a guest who was seeing him for the first time.

"What brings you here at this late hour? You even brought a child with you."

What is this... Dan's eyes were shaken with confusion.

'Why doesn't she remember him?'

There is no way a person who is so friendly and friendly to him, who cannot speak, would pretend not to notice Raven.

Was that aunt forgetful? Even so, it makes no sense that someone who remembers him doesn't remember Raven. As for the eyes, he hated to admit it, but it would be hard to forget that face.

In fact, when Raven first entered the room during the day, didn't she look at his back as if she was fascinated?

At this point, he is curious about Raven's reaction. There is still time left on the room he paid for, so how does he deal with it? Dan's gaze shifted to the man standing in front of her.

"..."

The black-haired man with strange green eyes lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised them again. He swept up his messy bangs, loosened the messy hair that had been tied up all along, and smiled at the woman in front of him. The rather sharp eyes folded gently, like fine sugar melting when it touches water.

"What is it, sister? You don't remember me?"

"Yes?"

"I've stayed here before, but I feel a little sad. I'll definitely come back sometime."

"Really? That's strange. There's no way I could easily forget such a handsome bachelor..."

It was a natural response without any embarrassment, disappointment, or anger at having forgotten him even before a day had passed. Of course, this was a familiar situation for Raven, as he had experienced it many times. It could also be seen as a natural phenomenon.

...He never thought she would forget it so quickly.

[■■ entrusts his name to Death until the end of this contract.]

This is also part of the contract with Death.

It's a provision that can be overlooked without much notice, and it actually was like that at the time, but he knows it now.

A name is proof of existence and proof of value.

Handing it over to Death means that no one will remember it. he thought to himself, putting a sly smile on top of the resignation he had become accustomed to after experiencing the same situation over and over again.

'How long has it been since I was out of this person's sight?'

It's been longer than he thought since he hasn't been seen in front of her since I took her room and entered... But even so, he's only been there for less than 24 hours. This lady isn't the type of person to last long. Beneath her beautifully curved eyelids, her dry eyes rolled indifferently.

'I can't help it.'

He had no choice but to re-occupy the room.

The money is not that precious, but the problem is that in the current situation where she gave Dan his purse, the remaining magic stones have already been used to secure a room. Originally, he was supposed to get the magic stone when the gate opened a little while ago, but he couldn't do it because he was distracted by the child and the guardian spirit, so what could he do?

'I have no choice but to flirt.'

Raven quickly grasped the situation and immediately began making full use of her 'useful face', which even the Guardian Spirit recognized. He was good at handling it as he had only done it once or twice.

"You're a handsome bachelor. I'm glad to hear that, but..."

He put the child down next to him and spoke to her as naturally as if he were talking to an old acquaintance.

"It's no use flattering me too late."

"No, it's not flattery, it's really..."

"Sister."

He takes a step closer, narrows the distance, and slowly extends his hand to support the other person's hand. His thumb lightly grazed her rough nails and moved up slightly to slowly rub the knuckles that had become thick from rough work.

The effort has been put on his pretty hands. Raven mumbled inaudibly and added that she was still beautiful, then raised his head. His green eyes, full of disappointment, seemed to meet the other person's eyes, but then lowered down.

"Have you really forgotten me?"

"..."

"Really...?"

"Ugh..."

Actions and remarks that, if someone else had done so, would have made he seem like a crazy person.

However, it is not for nothing that they say that his face is plausible. The aunt, who was looking at him with pathetically wet and sagging green eyes with shaking eyes, eventually closed her eyes tightly.

"...Now that I think about it, I seem to remember...."

It was announced that Raven's memory manipulation was successful.