Dan was wary of 'Didi' because that little girl was not an 'ordinary human' no matter where he looked.

'At first, I thought it was an illusion.'

He didn't know whether it was Raven who was out of the normal category and was insensitive to the idea of being 'normal', or a mercenary who had just met, but Dan, who had been watching him from afar without ever taking his eyes off him before meeting him, knew for sure.

'She doesn't go to the bathroom.'

That little girl's physiology was lacking. It was like...

'Yes, just like Raven.'

He was watching Raven intently, he could only see her from the side so he noticed a little late but still clearly. The little girl, who was said to be a noblewoman, had never gone to the bathroom even once.

If so, there is a high possibility that other parts are similar to Raven. From there, Dan was able to guess another thing.

'It's not that he didn't mention it because he kept missing their meal times because it was a nuisance, but I guess he just forgot because he doesn't care if she doesn't eat.'

I don't know if Raven 'can't eat' or 'won't eat'. Anyway.

''That' is not a human.'

Dan, who looked into 'Didi's' eyes, dared to be confident. That is not an eye that sees humans as fellow human beings.

That's probably why he felt this discomfort. There is no way that a strong person who does not understand and has no intention of understanding the weak can play the weak. How can a being who looks at people like that like they are annoying bugs and shows murderous intent play a 'human' perfectly?

...Dangerous.

Instinct rings an alarm. 'That' is a being that shares similar characteristics with Raven, but is different from Raven. An unknown being with a distant aura that is closer to a monster.

'...It's okay.'

Despite the vivid threat to his life, Dan tried to remain calm and took the wad of paper from the Fragment Spirit. His back was wet with cold sweat.

'Because Raven is nearby.'

He won't die.

'You wouldn't act like a 'bug' and risk getting caught by someone who wanted to be by your side and then try to kill me.'

It's funny that his life depends on the enemy, but for now, this is the best. So Dan suppressed his instinct to run and looked at what he held in his hands.

He wasn't able to watch properly because he was keeping an eye on Raven, but it was something that she had been secretly receiving all along and was tearing into pieces before returning to Raven's side. I had to check what the monster that was sticking next to my target was quietly trying to get rid of.

'This...'

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"!"

Dan looked back in surprise. Taking advantage of that opportunity, the mercenary, Eckhardt, snatched a wad of paper from his hand. The man's expression, which had been skimming the paper without much thought, soon changed subtly.

"What is this."

The assassin's dream tree was sneakily approaching nearby, so he went to look out to see if he might try to kill the captain again.

"Wanted badge... ?"

What is he watching? Is he considering a career change from assassin to bounty hunter? Certainly, it is better to be a bounty hunter who stays within the law than to be a criminal such as an assassin or stalker.

Anyway, he's glad he wasn't trying to kill Raven.

So what kind of criminal is our dream tree trying to catch in the first instance? There was interest in his relaxed eyes. Eckhardt began to read the text slowly.

'...No criminal history? Simply looking for someone?'

It is certainly difficult to catch a criminal from the beginning. He was just trying to understand it and move on, but the largest amount in writing caught my eye. It was a very large amount that was too much to just look for one person.

'This looks a little suspicious.'

It might be salty if you hold on to it though.

What kind of person is this that they charge this amount... ? The face that was reading the section about facial expressions with curiosity soon became more and more strange.

"This... why does it feel like someone I know... ?"

"Do you think someone you know has turned out to be a criminal?"

"Ah, captain... !"

When was this close... ! Raven suddenly pops his head in without warning and snatches the paper out of Eckhart's hand. The expression disappeared from his face as he glanced over the contents, leaving Eckhardt fidgeting.

"...I just did something."

Yes, he definitely knows.

It seems like the people following him are quite enthusiastic. Raven looked back at Eckhart and Dan, and at the wanted badge with his impression written on it, before casting hidd gaze at Didi, who was rolling her eyes with an uneasy look not far away. His reaction was unexpectedly calm.

'It's nothing new.'

Because he was aware of Didi's suspicious behavior from the beginning. It was funny to be surprised now. He didn't know that such a thing would be included in the suspicion.

"This..."

Anyway, we need to sort out the situation now.

In a strange atmosphere where everyone was watching one person, Raven felt all the attention focused on him and opened his mouth with an expressionless face. A voice with difficult to read emotions came out.

"Would you give me money if I went there myself?"

"..."

"It's quite a sum."

[Guardian spirit ??? sighs.]

"No, boss! That's not important now! What did you do that you were charged this amount?!"

"I don't know either."

The stiff air loosened a little. Raven, who was just skimming Eckhart's scolding and meaninglessly scanning all the identical wanted badges, approaches Didi. He returned the stack of paper to her hand and asked calmly.

"So, why did you secretly collect this?"

"Well, that is..."

"Are you planning on handing me over when we get to the capital?"

So, did she collect it without his notice? Although it is inferred that she did something like this several times on the way here, he never saw anything like paper, so maybe she was secretly getting rid of it. It makes sense if she tried to get rid of it this time and got caught like this. He wasn't angry. It's not like it's a blow to him. Being betrayed in the first place was only possible if you trusted the other person. 

'I wonder who is looking for me so much and for what purpose, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to get caught...' 

So it was the moment Raven thought indifferently. Diddy grabbed at the sleeve in a hurry.

"Absolutely not!! I can't believe it! No way!"

"Then?"

"That..."

"..."

"I... I think if Raven sees this, he won't want to go to the capital..."

"...What?"

"I'm afraid you won't take me to the capital..."

The voice gradually becomes quieter, and soon the head falls down. Raven, who was looking down at Diddy, slowly closed and opened his eyes and sighed.

"...You worry about everything with your small head."

"Sorry..."

"I'll make sure to get you there, so don't worry and get some rest."

When he patted her on the back as if urging her on, Didi, who still looked anxious, glanced at his face as if checking his mood, walked in the direction he was pushing, and sat down. After seeing that, Raven glanced back at Dan.

'...It's better to commit suicide than to take petty revenge.'

He doesn't have to worry about reporting it. On the contrary, he probably doesn't know that if he gets caught, there's a chance he'll lose sight of him, so he'll have to hope that he doesn't get caught. So let this guy get over it. He turned his gaze to Eckhart.

"Are you going to report it?"

"Huh!? no!?"

The sturdy man jumped up.

"Looking at me, I don't think you are a criminal. Is there any reason to hate you?"

"Crime, crime..."

"...Could you be a criminal?" ?"

"Not at once."

He goes around killing people, but he's never been officially wanted, so he's not a criminal. But where on earth did he hear that he killed Dan's family? Normally, after hearing such a story, if you find a wanted badge, shouldn't you naturally assume that the other person is a dangerous person? As expected, he was a guy who behaved unusually from the beginning. Raven tilted his head crookedly.

"With this amount of money, I think you could live without worrying about money for five years. "Are you really not going to report it?"

"Of course—"

"Even if I don't join the mercenary group?"

"...That's a bit unfortunate."

Eckhart scratched his head with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's obvious that if you forcefully capture him with threats like that, it will only backfire. There is nothing more ugly and ridiculous than having a desire for revenge just because someone kicked him."

"..."

"And I'm not so poor that I have to make money by selling a young man with a bright future who isn't a bad guy..."

Stop. Raven's head jerked back.

"Bright... future... ?"

"yes."

"Who?"

"Who would it be? You are the leader."

"You have to hit it well to look like you're in your early 20s," said a fluffy 20-something. Raven, who had just been confirmed by his death that he was 174 years old, stared at Eckardt blankly, unable to hide his bewilderment.

"You... no, that's enough."

"Are you still nervous? It's not that I don't understand, but if you are..."

A mercenary who interprets Raven's response differently walks toward an important client. Sensing ominousness, the bandit leader rolled his eyes and bit himself back, but there was no point in being tied up. A glimmering blade hung over him.

"Eup! Ugh!!"

The guy quickly struggles against the threat to his life looming right in front of him. His gaze instinctively followed the hand holding the sword, and he was terrified when he met the eerily shining eyes, as if he had never been so cheerful. No matter how light he seemed, Eckhart was a 'mercenary' who had killed people.

"There must be a reason why this guy was only captured alive. It seems like he has a mastermind, and if he dies, I'll be in a lot of trouble."

"..."

"Therefore."

"Ugh! Ugh—."

Suddenly, the loud noise stopped, and Eckhart turned to Raven without even wiping the blood that had spattered on his face. A bright smile was directed at the strange green-eyed man.

"Now, my life also depends on the weight of the captain's mouth."

"...Why this... ?"

"What... Think of it as the price of your life. You saved me, right? You can't carelessly inquire about other people's circumstances or easily talk about topics you don't know much about, so you have to reassure them in this way."

"..."

He's crazy. He doesn't know what to say. He tried to coordinate the timing when he tried to report it, but Raven, who was speechless due to the silencing issue being resolved in an unexpected way, ended up being silent for a long time...

"My life wasn't at stake."

"yes!? Am I the only one dying!?"

"Well, first of all, I applaud your courage in trying to live life a little more difficult. It seems like life was very boring."

"No, great self..."

"Wouldn't it be better to clean up after yourself while you're whining? If you want to increase the difficulty of life there, you can leave it as is."

One corner of his mouth rose and he spat out a crooked retort...

.

.

.

While the mercenary was cleaning up, Raven belatedly realized that Didi was watching, so he held her in his arms and covered her eyes.

The child's body went limp and fell asleep, as if relieved by the comforting touch, and even the crow sitting on a nearby tree was dozing off. The raven, who was looking up at the sky to see what he was thinking, opened his mouth.

"I was wondering why it felt so familiar..."

"?"

"There was a fool like you once."

A calm voice broke the silence and spread low.

"For someone who had only seen me for a short time, he was the type of guy who got blood on his hands without even thinking about what happened next."

"Is that a compliment?"

He was also a mercenary. Is it because of the commonality of being a mercenary, or because of similar personalities? Raven lowered his eyes as a memory of a day in the past came to mind.

... Now he seemed to know why he was backing away from this noisy guy.

"He was truly crazy."

"Was that an insult?!"

"Quiet. The kids wake up."

Because what he was doing with that person back then was exactly the same. It had been so long since he had seen his face and talked to him, and he had blood on his hands for someone like that.

"It's quite a compliment. It would be difficult to do such a reckless thing without a great deal of courage."

"Ah..."

Even though he was a fool who completely forgot him if he didn't see him for 5 hours, every time he woke up, he treated me as if he was seeing me for the first time in his life, the immature Raven of the past couldn't bear to leave him. So.

"Well, I killed him in the end."

...So, he had no choice but to kill.