What started as a casual glance fueled by curiosity turned into a frantic search for the source of the commotion.
His widened eyes clearly caught sight of the Gate near the city walls, spitting out monsters. That alone was reason enough to move.
“…Goddamn it.”
Even from this distance, their eyes briefly met—Didi’s and his.
It would be too late if he climbed down.
Clenching his teeth, Raven leapt straight off the cliff. The height was dizzying—enough that a normal person wouldn’t even leave bones behind—but it wasn’t a problem for him.
“Brother!”
[The Guardian Spirit ??? responds to your call.]
A dark-haired, green-eyed man appeared at once, catching Raven firmly before vanishing. Thanks to that, Raven landed safely on the ground, spat out the blood surging up his throat, and immediately dashed forward, launching himself at the monster threatening civilians and slamming his knee into its head.
As he did, Raven called out to his Guardian Spirit again.
“Take care of the people.”
Lend me your eyes.
“You can manage, right?”
Slaaash!
As if to prove his agreement, monsters around them were sliced down in an instant.
Seeing that, Raven didn’t spare a glance for anything else and headed straight for the Gate.
He passed the panicked crowds, Eckhart holding Didi, and walked unwaveringly through the rain of blood and torn flesh. His eerie green eyes, glowing with ghostly energy, locked onto the Gate with a clarity impossible to miss.
A lone figure cutting against the stream of evacuating people was so unnatural that even Eckhart’s gaze, drawn in like a trance, fell on Raven. But only for a moment—snapping out of it, he shouted urgently:
“Captain! Don’t go in! The Gate response team will be here soon! You don’t need to gamble your life like this!”
“…”
And just how long is ‘soon’ supposed to be?
Even as they spoke, the Gate was steadily radiating its energy, trying to open another Gate somewhere in this world.
That’s why Raven didn’t answer. He simply walked into the Gate.
****
Eckhart panicked.
The fact that Raven had casually summoned what could only be described as his Guardian Spirit was shocking enough. But the sight of that strange being casually slicing through monsters spilling out of the Gate, and more than anything, Raven entering the Gate alone, sent Eckhart into full-blown panic.
“What the hell is he thinking?!”
Why? What’s he relying on, charging in there alone? The Gate response team will arrive soon, won’t they?!
“And he’s not even in good shape!”
On the way here, he’d seen that assassin-in-training stalker sneaking glances at Raven’s leg. And there was the constant scent of blood whenever Raven moved—Didi had clearly noticed too. Eckhart wasn’t blind.
The Captain—Raven—was injured.
“And yet he jumps into the Gate like that?!”
Is he insane?!
What should I do?! Do I just wait here for the response team to show up? What if he dies before they arrive?
The man’s suspicious in more ways than one. The stories that all ended with him killing people… the fact that they’d barely met and there was no time to build real trust…
But the image of him running straight toward them last night, that fleeting scent of blood, still lingered in Eckhart’s mind.
Grimacing, he tore at his hair with his free hand, then clicked his tongue sharply and handed the child to one of the guards at the city gates.
“…?”
“I’ll be right back. Please watch the kid for a moment.”
“Uh? What…? Wait, by ‘there’ you mean… the Gate?!”
“Yup, if I die or don’t come back, just take her to her guardian. Should be somewhere in the capital. She came here to meet them, after all.”
“Wha—Hey, wait…!”
Ignoring the guard’s frantic voice, Eckhart strode toward the Gate.
The Guardian Spirit sensed Eckhart’s approach but didn’t stop him. It wasn’t necessary, because—
THUD!
“Gah?!!”
“…What the hell?”
—because the kid would be out soon anyway.
Someone dropped right onto Eckhart as he charged toward the Gate. Using the man’s chest as a foothold, they balanced themselves and slid along the ground like riding a board. Landing smoothly, they glanced down and made an odd face.
“…Why are you here?”
“C-Captain…?”
Black hair cascading past his waist, and those strange green eyes unmistakable anywhere.
It was Raven. There was no other explanation—the man who had gone into the Gate alone was standing there, unscathed.
Relief and confusion tangled across Eckhart’s face.
Good thing he made it out okay…
But how the hell did he get out so fast?
Did he run away because he couldn’t handle it alone? No, he didn’t look injured. Surely he wasn’t hurt in that short time.
…Wait a second.
If he ran, doesn’t that mean the Gate is still—
Eckhart’s eyes flicked to Raven’s body, searching for injuries, then snapped toward the Gate behind him.
Leaving your back to an open Gate? This guy really is insane—
But the thought cut off as he saw the Gate had vanished entirely, not a trace left behind.
“…Huh? Where’s the Gate?”
“What?”
“The Gate… Wait, did you… Did you close it?!”
“So what if I did.”
“Holy sh—!”
He closed a Gate? Alone? And this fast?
Eckhart didn’t even hear Raven’s annoyed muttering about the swearing. His hand shot up, grabbing Raven’s leg—the injured leg, presumably—and felt along it.
“Your leg, your leg—Is it…? Wait, it’s fine?!”
“Clearly. Now let go.”
“Fine? If you’re not injured, your skills must be insane! How has no one heard of you?!”
“Let. Go.”
“Whoa—Your leg muscles are insane!”
“…”
If he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Eckhart knew Raven was strong, but this?
His hand pressed against solid muscle—honed through brutal, real combat. Like carved stone.
Wouldn’t even be able to stab this without a properly sharpened blade.
Even if you did manage to stab it, pulling the blade back out wouldn’t be easy.
From the outside, Raven’s frame seemed slim—more like a scholar than a warrior—but under the clothes hid that body.
I have to recruit him!
Someone who could close a Gate solo, in front of witnesses, with undeniable skill… If that man joined the Lofty Mercenary Corps, even with only two members, the guild wouldn’t dare disband them. He alone could extend their lifespan.
Eckhart, still trembling, opened his mouth again.
“Captain… I swear on my life—I mean, maybe not my whole life—but very nearly everything… Please—”
“No.”
“I am dead serious… I’d stake almost everything—”
“No.”
“Join the Mercenary Corps!”
“…”
Does he even hear words?
All those stories where I killed good people—where did those go in his head?
Looking down at the idiot still clinging to his leg, Raven pressed down firmly.
“I said no.”
“Guh—C-Captain… I can’t breathe… But with strength like yours, you’re perfect for the corps—Guhk!”
…Probably faster to just ignore him.
Raven pressed harder, stifling Eckhart’s words, then stepped back with an exhausted face. But the mercenary shot upright, trying to grab him again.
In a flash, the Guardian Spirit appeared and stomped on his chest, pinning him down.
“Urgh! What the hell—?!”
“…”
“…O-Okay, I’ll stay put.”
Despite the dull, faded gray eyes—clearly blind—the Guardian Spirit’s gaze landed on him with eerie precision, making it all the more terrifying.
Eckhart had been about to protest, but froze as he caught the killing intent etched into Raven’s clenched jaw. Submissively, he folded his hands over his stomach. The Guardian Spirit glared down for a moment longer, then lifted his foot in warning, stepping away.
Lying flat, Eckhart’s eyes darted around before he mumbled under his breath.
He hadn’t promised to shut up completely, after all.
There was no way he could give up so easily on the survival of the Mercenary Corps.
“Still, Captain…”
“I told you—I’m not your Captain.”
“It’s the Captain seat we’re talking about! Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime—”
“Give that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to someone better when they show up.”
“No thanks. If you won’t take it, I will.”
“Then take it.”
“No thanks. It’s yours.”
“…Do I just knock him out?”
Raven exhaled, an incredulous chuckle slipping out. Too ridiculous to ignore. Somehow, this idiot made it hard to dismiss him outright—the answers just kept slipping out before he could stop them. Maybe it was the fool’s ridiculousness.
…Or maybe, who knows why, there was desperation hiding beneath that idiocy. But Raven had no obligation to care.
Still… knocking him out sounds… tempting…
Leaving the Mercenary Corps’ precious interim guardian role vacant was a minor concern. But from the looks of it, Eckhart had successfully handed Didi over to the guards.
Raven narrowed his eyes, gauging the man in front of him. Sensing the danger, Eckhart shot both hands up in surrender.
“Y-You keep threatening me, but I won’t go down easy! I’m practically a pre-certified Warrior!”
Lying there, waving his hands in surrender, looked ridiculous—but Raven focused on something else entirely.
One eyebrow lifted in mild surprise.
“…You?”
This idiot’s nearly made it to Warrior status?
Well, to be fair… his skills did seem decent. At this rate, he might step into the Warrior domain before he’s thirty.
“Huh. Unexpected.”
“Unexpected?! That’s hurt—”
“With skills like that, why bother with me?”
Why chase after me this desperately?
“You could find someone else. The ‘Lofty’ name, the history, the Mercenary King’s legacy—you could recruit others easily enough.”
Keep hustling around, and eventually, someone would join. Even tarnished as it is, Lofty’s reputation isn’t worthless.
…Or so he thought.
Eckhart’s eyes widened as if hearing something unbelievable. After a brief silence, his self-deprecating mutter slipped between them.
“It’s not just tarnished…”
“What?”
“I mean, sure, we’re desperate, but I’m not taking just anyone. It’s ‘Lofty,’ after all.”
“…”
“So, any chance you’ve changed your mind about joining…?”
He’s clearly hiding something… but that’s not the issue right now.
Besides, looks like company’s here.
More shocked, curious stares layered over the ones that had been lingering since Raven closed the Gate.
Raven exhaled deeply.
“Get up. You planning to stay there forever?”
“…Pretty sure I cracked a rib. Your Guardian Spirit’s stomp was—yeah.”
“…”
“If you became Captain, I might recover instantly…”
Raven approached silently and raised his foot. Eckhart bolted upright in terror.
“You’re so cold, Captain!”
“…In the capital.”
If I leave him be, he’ll just whine again.
Already wasted too much time. And making an empty promise to someone I’ll forget isn’t that hard.
So, Raven opened his mouth, saying something he rarely bothered with.
“If, after I finish my business in the capital, your feelings haven’t changed…”
If you still remember me then.
“I’ll give you help—equivalent to a mercenary or even a Captain.”
“!”
“Good enough?”
Maybe because it was a lie spoken to someone so painfully transparent… or because he saw the desperation hidden under the foolish exterior… or maybe it was simply the first proper lie he’d told in ten years.
But it was hard to meet his eyes. Raven looked away.
Eckhart stood frozen, processing the words, before joy slowly bloomed across his face. His expression lit up, and forgetting his pain, he lunged forward, arms wide.
“I love you! Captain!”
“I’m not your Captain. Let go.”
“Captain!”