The Immortal Had a Guardian Spirit Chapter 24

Since he’d gotten his promise, Eckhart gave Raven the address of his lodgings and obediently withdrew.

There was a moment of commotion when Diddy, whom he’d left with the gatekeeper, clung to Raven with an anxious face as Eckhart tried to take him inside, but Raven—already exposed in front of everyone—said he’d take the child in himself and told Eckhart to leave it be, which settled the matter.

“Well then, I’ll see you later, Captain!”

Raven watched Eckhart’s retreating back as he verified his identity and went inside for a moment, then turned his head. Now it was time to sort out the situation.

Since he couldn’t just spit up blood openly in such a crowded place, he kept the guardian spirit around without dismissing it and fixed his gaze on the soldiers who had already gathered and were waiting quietly. The soldiers flinched at the green-eyed gaze directed at them, but only for a moment before they approached slowly.

“Are you finished with your business?”

“Yeah.”

“We deeply thank you for closing the gate and protecting the people. May we ask for your name, by any chance?”

“…Just call me Raven.”

“Raven—that’s a name I’ve never heard before. What is your nationality?”

“None.”

“Ah, so that’s…”

As if piecing together the reason for his unknown name, the soldier nodded with an expression of understanding and bowed deeply. Then came a mix of expected and unexpected words.

“We can arrange a proper identity for you, sir, within the Empire. But before that—His Majesty, having heard the news, wishes to invite the hero who protected the Empire’s people to the palace. May we escort you there?”

…He’d known they were imperial soldiers, but it turned out the Emperor himself had sent them.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible—an unknown but talented individual had appeared—but the timing was too convenient. It left a bad feeling.

‘He arrived almost immediately after I came out of the gate.’

Even though the distance from the palace to here was considerable, he had arrived at nearly the same time as the personnel who were supposedly in charge of the gate. Arriving alongside those who should be on standby—almost as if he’d known in advance and set out ahead of time.

Moreover, as if he’d heard something beforehand, he didn’t even ask about the guardian spirit standing right there. That guardian spirit, which had been slaughtering monsters outside the gate, should have been a desirable talent as well.

Yet he treated it as if it didn’t exist, or as if it were just an accessory.

‘Suspicious after all.’

The blatantness made it even more suspicious.

Normally, curiosity might have led him to go along, but this time his instincts felt off for some reason.

Hiding his reluctance as best he could and pretending to think it over, Raven gestured with his chin toward Diddy in his arms.

“That’s an honor, but I have something I need to do. I made a promise with this kid.”

“Ah, I’m fine!”

“…”

“I can’t be a hindrance to you, sir!”

When did he get so perceptive—he was such a pain before, why is he like this now?

In the middle of that, the imperial soldier, observing the situation, quickly picked up the thread.

“If you have a companion, you may bring them along as well.”

“…Are you sure about that?”

Something still felt off. He didn’t want to go.

Hoping this time the kid would refuse, Raven asked Diddy again.

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s an honor for me too, to see the palace.”

“…Wasn’t it urgent?”

“I can’t refuse the honor of an imperial invitation, can I?”

“…”

Thanks to Diddy’s sudden lack of tact, Raven had no choice but to accept the invitation.

∞ ∞ ∞

“From here on, I will guide you.”

It seemed the Emperor’s order was genuine, for a chamberlain was waiting at the palace entrance.

Whoever it was, they’d clearly come prepared. With a nonchalant expression, Raven followed the chamberlain across the palace corridors. Diddy was seated on one of his arms.

“Hey, what’s a crow doing in this sacred palace!”

“Caw!”

“Ugh, get out of here!”

“Caw! Caw!!”

Flap flap!

…He thought he heard a gardener outside wrestling with a crow, but that probably had nothing to do with him. Just ignore it. He thought he saw black feathers flying past the window, but that must be his imagination.

He deliberately kept his eyes off the window and looked away for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.

…Of course it had everything to do with him.

‘If he was going to do that, he should’ve just said he was coming along…’

He didn’t know what to make of that stubborn, persistent single-mindedness. He’d clearly had a chance to accompany them.

“Excuse me, is that person over there staring at us also a companion of yours…”

To that question, Raven had shaken his head vigorously with a displeased expression and sent his fragmented soul off like that. He’d chosen the troublesome path instead of the easy one.

‘Well… it’s his own loss if he insists on being that stubborn.’

Since it wasn’t Raven’s loss, it didn’t matter.

Stopping his train of thought, Raven looked up at the chamberlain’s voice announcing their arrival and took in the massive, ornate doors. The chamberlain continued with instructions on etiquette to observe when meeting the Emperor, but Raven let it go in one ear and out the other.

“Please adjust your attire before entering. Let me know when you are ready.”

“…Ah, do you have a handkerchief by any chance?”

Since he hadn’t found the right timing, he’d ended up bringing the guardian spirit all the way here.

This place wasn’t as crowded as earlier, so it should be fine. He set Diddy down and reached out his hand toward the chamberlain.

But the one who placed a handkerchief on his palm was not an adult, but a tiny, fern-like hand.

“…”

Raven looked at Diddy, who had offered him his own handkerchief, for a moment, then raised it to his mouth.

As he nodded toward the guardian spirit in that state, the other immediately vanished. Before he could even pay attention to the palace attendants flustered by the sudden disappearance, a surge—blood came up.

‘…That’s a lot.’

He had kept it summoned for quite a while. If he’d delayed even a little longer, an emergency settlement would have been triggered.

The handkerchief, soaked through, seemed to have reached its absorption limit and began dripping red liquid. Raven frowned slightly at the sticky sensation soaking into his sleeve.

If he’d known this would happen, he should have rolled up his sleeves.

“…I’m done now.”

Since his clothes were black, it wouldn’t show much. That was a small mercy.

After cleaning his lips and damp hands, he tucked the handkerchief away and nodded. The chamberlain, watching him with a grave expression, cautiously opened his mouth.

“May I ask if you have some sort of chronic illness…”

“It’s not contagious, so don’t worry.”

“…It might be best for you to see a physician after the audience. I’ll make preparations in advance.”

“If that puts your mind at ease.”

Raven shrugged indifferently and gave a look that said, “Aren’t you going to announce me?” Only then did the news of the visitor’s arrival reach the Emperor beyond the thick doors.

Permission was granted, and the doors opened.

‘…He’s young.’

Raven carefully observed the young Emperor seated on the throne.

Bright, intelligent eyes, yet with a hint of timidity, as if cowed, and baby fat that hadn’t yet melted away.

‘At most, he’s under twenty.’

That he became Emperor at such an age meant something had happened to the previous Emperor. In that case, he’d be busy just consolidating his position. It made sense that slavers would dare to target the Empire’s people.

Just as Raven was about to bow his head roughly—

Step.

Suddenly, Diddy, who had been standing beside him, began walking forward.

“…!”

The green eyes that followed his steady steps sank heavily, as if grasping the situation.

It was an unexpected development, yet no one stopped him. In this bizarre situation, realization was inevitable.

‘I clung to that 1% possibility and came all the way here, but of course.’

The 99% suspicion had hit the mark.

Step. Step.

With every step, ‘Diddy’s’ height grew. Bones that had seemed so fragile thickened, shoulders broadened, and his hair gradually lost its color, turning white. From the form of a young girl, he transformed into that of a mature, sturdy man.

Ha—Raven looked at the Emperor, who had risen from the throne and stepped aside, and let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a laugh.

‘…Now I understand why the Emperor seemed so cowed.’

With that bastard around, of course he would be.

What human could dare to stand against a ‘demigod’?

He also understood clearly why the slavers had reached out toward the Empire’s people. The Emperor was cowed, and that bastard had no intention of looking after the Empire—so it was only natural.

‘The gate conveniently opening right in front of the city gates, the palace’s envoy arriving so soon after I came out—it was all that bastard’s doing.’

Because he had the power to do so.

‘The fact that none of the palace people asked about the guardian spirit—that must have been because that bastard told them in advance.’

That bastard knew the relationship between Raven and his guardian spirit.

Diddy—no, once Raven’s precious youngest disciple, ‘Deceiver’—sat down on the throne. Crossing his legs, resting his elbow on the armrest, he curved his lips into a smooth smile and greeted him as casually as ever.

“Now I can finally greet you properly.”

Raven took a step toward him.

“It’s been a long time, Father.”

…He thought he now understood the identities of those kidnappers who had been found dead. They must have been high-grade manpower extorted from nearby noble houses through the abuse of the ‘Emperor’s authority’ stolen from the Emperor.

The fact that he’d killed them by copying Raven’s technique was purely to send a message—that his cherished disciple had come looking for him. A message that might be recognized as a joke, or might not be, but would be understood eventually.

How he’d managed to gather so many wanted posters without Raven’s knowledge also made sense if the other party was ‘Deceiver.’ Whether he’d used the manpower he’d stolen or moved on his own, he was more than capable.

That he’d acted with deliberate dissonance and irrationality was to give a hint that he was ‘Deceiver.’ Given that twisted personality of his, it was only natural.

“…Right.”

Sarcasm lingered in the space he’d passed through. Soldiers tried to block him, but when Deceiver raised his hand, they immediately stepped back.

Thanks to that, Raven climbed the stairs without obstruction and stood before Deceiver. Looking down at the man who was no longer his disciple or anything else, he spat out:

“It seems you’ve replaced even your bloodline in the past ten years.”

[Guardian Spirit ??? sighs quietly.]

In the past, afraid of being forgotten and betrayed, he’d started taking in children and raising them himself. Under the pretense of ‘disciples,’ but ultimately, it was self-consolation born of desperate loneliness.

And yet, he was betrayed anyway.

“‘I want to extend my lifespan until I finish my revenge’—and what is the standard for finishing that revenge?”

“Killing the ‘demigod’ behind the Association that caused the gate incidents.”

There was no way an ordinary human could create portals connecting the abyss and the surface. The intervention of a half-god was involved.

That demigod, the cause and starting point of the gates.

…And yet.

“Me.”

Sending me into a death trap. Taking my eyes from me. Devouring part of my soul.

And then brazenly crawling back as a disciple, trying to shatter even my mind—what should be done with such a wretch?

Raven bared his teeth savagely and said:

“Don’t call me Father.”

Who’s your father.

A voice dripping with seething hatred, as if dragging him down to the very depths of hell, rang out chillingly.

The bystanders flinched at the vivid emotion that words couldn’t fully capture, but Deceiver, the very target, reached out toward him with a composed face.

“That hurts my feelings, you know.”

As if savoring a face he hadn’t seen in a long time, his hand brushed down Raven’s cheek—then grabbed his neck, spun him around, and slammed him onto the throne. Thud! In an instant, their positions were reversed.

Madness flickered in the eyes looking down at Raven.

“Just think how much I missed you.”

As expected of a father’s son, the throne suits you well.

Suddenly seated on the throne, his neck trapped between the backrest and a brutal grip, Raven silently glared at his opponent—then raised his foot.

Thump!

Kicked hard in the abdomen, Deceiver flew back.

Without even a moment to steady his breathing, Raven lunged after him, grabbed that shameless face, and slammed it into the floor. He didn’t care about the eyes watching, nor about Deceiver’s dignity as he slid down the few steps, his face grinding against the stone.

Leaving the soldiers hesitating, unsure whether to intervene or not, a sneering voice filled the audience chamber.

“Your real father would be so hurt to hear this.”

“…”

“The sight of you calling a complete stranger ‘Father.’ You’ve become quite the unfilial son in my absence.”

Damn it. My hand is trembling.

There’s no way the bastard directly touching it doesn’t know.

Sure enough, sensing the tremor in the hand pressing down on his face, Deceiver curled his lips into a grin.

“No, Father. I’m calling you correctly.”

“…I’ve never seen a relationship with another person through to the end.”

The sight of him gritting his teeth to hide his agitation every time he was called “Father” was vivid. The hand on his face tightened in response, but Deceiver simply smiled as if completely unbothered.

“Well, if you absolutely deny it… then how about, Master.”

A hand slid up and grabbed Raven’s wrist.

His mouth, about to say “Don’t call me Master either, you’re no longer my disciple,” snapped shut reflexively. Raven could see the vivid light in those eyes looking at him through his fingers.

“Why did you do it?”