[This is the information about the slave traders I got from torturing the pursuer. Take it to the imperial palace. Prove that you’re a Fragmentary and ask for help.]
While Dan looked at the small piece of paper in his hand, he clenched it into a fist.
Crunch — he clearly felt the stiffness of the paper crumpling between his fingers.
His sister had asked that man to take care of him. But Raven had no intention of fulfilling that, and Dan couldn’t help wanting to kill him.
So he reached a conclusion.
‘Adults don’t need a protector.’
He would follow Raven until he came of age, while strengthening his abilities and finding his weak point. The legal age was generally 20 years, but sometimes adulthood was recognized at 18 depending on the situation.
In his case, having lost his entire family and being forced to fend for himself, the flexible standard would apply.
Moreover, he had just turned 17 recently. One year left. As soon as he turned 18, he would seriously act to kill him.
Criiick
The old floor creaked unpleasantly with every step.
The innkeeper, who had been absentmindedly looking toward the stairs where Raven had gone up, finally noticed another customer and turned her head quickly.
With her best welcoming tone, she said,
“Welcome. Are you here to eat?”
Dan shook his head.
“Ah, then are you here to stay? For how many days?”
…Raven had said he would stay just a few days.
Based on that information, which he had overheard, Dan raised one finger while focusing his vision through his Fragment.
To capture a target well, you first had to know them.
In the vision of the black crow perched on a tree outside, he could see the inside of the room where Raven had entered.
And then Dan’s eyes widened in shock.
‘…What?’
It was an unexpected scene — or rather, overwhelming information he received all at once.
His gaze trembled, full of confusion.
“The key to the room is here… young man?”
The innkeeper spoke, but Dan barely heard her.
From the crow’s viewpoint, he could see Raven taking off the top part of his clothing to change the blood-soaked bandages.
His torso, covered in terrible scars, was the second thing he noticed.
What really caught his attention was something else the wounds that, despite all the time that had passed, were still bleeding as if they had just been inflicted.
Even the scratches that Dan himself had made while struggling were still open.
‘His wounds… don’t heal?’
They should have already scabbed over. The minor scars across his body also looked like fresh injuries.
There was no other way to understand it — all his wounds simply didn’t heal.
‘I already thought he wasn’t a normal person…’
But what the hell was he?
Ever since he had followed him here, Dan had tried to observe him in every detail. He had already suspected that Raven wasn’t exactly “human.”
And during the entire day of traveling, he had noticed strange things.
‘He doesn’t go to the bathroom.’
‘He doesn’t sleep.’
‘He doesn’t eat.’
So poisoning his food or launching a surprise attack wouldn’t work.
While not sleeping or eating for a day could be explained as an exception, the absence of physiological needs was undeniably inhuman.
More than once, Dan had almost lost track of him during the journey.
If he hadn’t been a Fragmentary, or if his Fragment hadn’t been a flying bird, he would have already failed.
Now, with this new information about his unhealed wounds, Dan’s face tensed.
‘Is he really… not human?’
But he had heard that even other races ate and had bodily needs.
He had never heard of a species whose wounds didn’t heal.
“Young man!”
“……!”
“You’re finally reacting? How can you be thinking about something else in front of a person?”
“……”
“Anyway, here’s your key. Go upstairs and find the room with the matching number. Looks like you’re tired, so make sure to get a good rest.”
Dan looked at the key in his hand and then slowly stepped up the stairs that Raven had taken.
He tucked all his growing doubts deep inside his chest.
‘…If I keep observing him, I’ll find out.’
After all, he still had plenty of time.
***
Raven, after entering the room, took off his blood-soaked shirt to change the bandages and tied his bothersome hair back. His bare torso was pitiful. Various large and small scars covered his body, along with new scratches he had suffered before encountering Dan.
As soon as he removed the bandages, blood gushed from several parts, and the already silent room filled with an oppressive atmosphere.
[……The Guardian Spirit ??? says you should hurry to reach the elves’ territory.]
“There’s no need to hurry. I’m not going to die, so it’s fine.”
Unlike the heavy mood of the Guardian Spirit, Raven’s expression was calm. Not only would he not die, but he also wouldn’t run out of blood.
His body, whose time was frozen, maintained a constant blood volume, so he wouldn’t have trouble moving.
Thus, with an indifferent expression, he wrapped new bandages around his leg, from which blood was dripping abundantly.
“It’s just a little painful and annoying.”
…A heavy silence fell. The tense atmosphere persisted as Raven finished changing all the bandages. But just when it seemed the silence would be eternal, a new message appeared.
[The Guardian Spirit ???…]
Pop.
It disappeared. Before he could wonder what was happening, a low voice rumbled in his head.
[The problem is that it hurts.]
A voice filled with sadness and concern.
Raven, surprised by the sudden voice, shifted his eyes. His lips moved silently, as if hesitating what to say, and soon he awkwardly changed the subject.
…More importantly.
“I have to beat Death soon in our bet. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about finding healing herbs.”
[……The Guardian Spirit ??? shows doubt.]
“If I cut off the injured part and die, then revive, that’s it.”
[……!]
In reality, burning it would be faster and simpler, but he preferred dying and reviving over suffering burns.
“In that sense, Ancestor.”
Raven’s green eyes curved into a smile.
“Can you give me a hint to find out your name?”
[…….]
“……Ancestor, hyung?”
There was no response.
“Hyung? Are you mad?”
[…….]
“Are you really not going to say anything?”
[…….]
“At least answer…”
Even though the Guardian Spirit had always asked him to value himself more, Raven kept ignoring that advice. Frustrated by Raven’s attitude, the Guardian Spirit decided to remain completely silent.
After finishing bandaging and dressing again, Raven lay on the bed, waiting for nightfall. He tried calling the Guardian Spirit a few more times, but not getting any response, he gave up and lay still.
In the strange silence, he played with the crumpled piece of paper in his hand and sighed.
‘I know I made a mistake.’
He remembered when, in the past, the Guardian Spirit, unable to stand it anymore, had raised his voice to scold him. It was when he abused the strategy of dying and reviving to heal his wounds until Death himself closed that path.
The Guardian Spirit, who had been a hero in the mythological era and had not valued anything, told him.
[Little one, if you can’t find value in yourself, think of me, who loves you.]
[A hero of the mythological era, who valued nothing, now values you above all else.]
Although his words sounded like an imposition, they were actually a desperate plea — a request for him to live as a human being.
Raven understood the meaning of those words well.
‘That’s why I’ve held back until now.’
After all, now that dying and reviving no longer worked to heal, he had been forced to endure it. But even so, he had let his guard down. He had made this mistake.
“Ancestor.”
[…….]
“Hyung.”
[…….]
Hmm.
It seemed he would have to wait until the anger passed. At least, he thought, he was still lending him his eyes as always. Moving his bright green eyes, Raven unfolded the paper in his hands.
It was the same information about the slave traders he had given to Dan.
‘Good thing I didn’t kill them right away.’
Thanks to his patience, he had been able to obtain this information before killing them. During the time Dan spent building the tomb, Raven had nothing better to do, and he didn’t want the boy to dirty his hands so soon.
He remembered Dan’s furious face when he learned Raven had personally killed the pursuers. But now he ignored it and closed his eyes.
‘Thanks to that, there won’t be any problem even if I leave Dan behind.’
That would be enough. Dan would eventually forget “Raven.” Even if he forgot Raven, the memories about the traffickers and the information on the paper would remain.
That would be a new goal for the boy who had lost his original purpose. Thinking of Dan, Raven looked again at the paper and frowned.
‘…Looks like I really will have to go to the Imperial Capital.’
Something bad must be happening there. Had the imperial power weakened? Or were there forces interested in weakening it?
In any case, the situation didn’t look good. If the Empire were solid, these slave traders wouldn’t dare act like this against imperial citizens.
‘They said they would resist at least ten years — are they going to fall right after ten?’
If the Empire fell, it would be a big problem. A small kingdom could fall without much consequence, but if the Empire collapsed, the entire region would be affected.
‘And if a war breaks out…’
Most of the military forces would be sent to the front. Naturally, there would be fewer people to deal with the portals.
That would be a disaster.
‘It cannot happen.’
He didn’t care about deaths caused by war. But he didn’t want more people to die because of the portals.
‘Even if I don’t like it…’
He had to act. Besides, he needed to confront someone in the capital and look for clues about the Guardian Spirit’s name.
Thus, Raven decided that after visiting the elves’ territory, his next destination would be the capital.
‘Then… it’s time to move.’
From his lying position, he shifted his gaze toward the darkened window. He lowered his eyes a bit and confirmed that the crow, perched on a branch, was dozing off.
Of course, he must be exhausted. Managing a Fragment continuously was like keeping the brain constantly active.
He knew the crow had been watching him since entering the inn, which was why he had waited until nightfall. When he noticed the surveillance diminishing, Raven took the room key and quietly opened the window.
Since he hadn’t brought much luggage, and hadn’t unpacked anything important, there were no obstacles. He stepped onto the wide window frame and jumped outside…
And at that moment, his eyes met those of the bright black crow.
“……”
“……”
“Ah.”
He had been discovered.