The Immortal Had a Guardian Spirit Chapter 26

“If possible, make covert contact when an opportunity arises. There’s no need to overdo it. Since we can’t be sure how that monster will react, it’s best to proceed as cautiously as possible.”

A fickle monster, unpredictable by nature. The only saving grace was that he took no interest in anything outside what amused him.

There was no benefit in catching his eye. It would be good if they could make contact with Raven, but there was no need to take risks for it—with that final instruction, Edardos turned back to the papers piled before him.

In the silence, Elle, his aide and younger brother, hesitated before speaking.

“Why did you go that far?”

“…Hm?”

Questioning an order already carried out was not insubordination.

The questions that had been set aside in favor of executing the order now spilled out, now that there was room to breathe.

“We could have built good relationships with each of the Association heads just by finding him and handing over information. If we’d captured him outright, even better.”

“…”

“Ah, of course I know. You said he might be our benefactor. But if he truly is a ‘benefactor,’ wouldn’t Aurel’s ‘silence’ alone have been enough help for him? Why did it have to be ‘erasing traces’?”

The name Raven was something he had first heard from his older brother, the head of Aurel.

It had been thrown out of nowhere during an otherwise busy day, not long after the organization had settled and achieved some stability.

The memories were strangely hazy, but he roughly remembered the conversation.

“‘Do you remember a man named Raven?'”

“‘Someone like that… existed? Who is he?'”

“‘…Someone who might be our benefactor.'”

“‘…?'”

“‘I’m not even sure he’s real, but for now, think of him that way.'”

Not a definite ‘benefactor,’ but ‘someone who might be one.’

Even if he truly was a benefactor, there were plenty of other ways to repay him. It didn’t have to be something like this.

Elle couldn’t hide his doubt.

“Does he have some special ‘value’ that surpasses immediate gain?”

“…Who knows.”

“Brother.”

“To give you the answer to the question you’re probably most curious about first…”

Edardos lifted his gaze from the papers and looked at Elle.

Seeing the questions and concern reflected in those golden eyes, so similar to his own, he paused for a moment. Then, fiddling with the back of his left hand with his right, he muttered in reply.

“An information organization runs on trust.”

The tips of his fingers felt the rough texture of scars.

“And hiding him was my promise to him.”

A promise with no fixed end, now in its tenth year.

“I said that Aurel exists today because of that man, so I have to keep my promise.”

Raven.

When he first heard that name from someone else’s lips, he thought his ears had deceived him.

A name so familiar yet so foreign—one he’d always turned over in his mind but had never actually heard spoken aloud until then.

A person whose very existence he’d doubted. The traces were so clear that he had to acknowledge the erased memories and make an effort not to forget them, yet a corner of his heart always harbored doubt. So when the man appeared like this, how overjoyed he was.

‘Of course, he didn’t seem to expect it at all.’

There was a record that he’d said not to expect anything afterward, since he’d forget anyway.

But.

‘As if I, of all people, would break a promise.’

That would be an insult to himself.

Even if he forgot, he would keep his promise. That was why he was willing to take losses and move like this.

Once again, fierce golden eyes blazed like a prideful beast’s.

“…Then.”

Elle, tilting his head with a look of utter incomprehension as if wondering when such a promise had been made, opened his mouth as if giving up on understanding.

There were still questions to be answered.

“What should we do about the mercenary who was traveling with him?”

“…Ah, that mercenary who ‘cleared out the bandits.'”

The unlucky mercenary who ended up receiving our commission.

There were reports that he was striding through the capital, unaware that his life was hanging by a thread.

“There was a suitable candidate, they said.”

A cold smile rose at the corner of Edardos’ mouth. It was a sneer aimed at the vile guild that had claimed one mercenary’s fate and shortened his life.

“They dragged an innocent person in as a scapegoat.”

Of course, he couldn’t claim innocence either—he’d squeezed money by holding leverage over the guild and shaking them—but at least he’d expected them to push forward someone despicable. He hadn’t expected them to use an innocent person like this.

“And it’s a descendant of Lopty, no less—trying to use and discard him like a disposable piece. Utterly foolish, unable to recognize what should be preserved.”

Old things have value in themselves, simply by being old.

And the ‘Lopty Mercenary Band’ is a group that has existed from the very beginning of recorded history up to the present day—the oldest evidence of human civilization, apart from those of nations like Esperanza.

A living relic that proves the existence of the mythological era, inferred to have existed even before the true beginning of history.

“If left alone, he’ll surely die.”

“He will.”

“Thanks to that, I got to land a blow on those unlucky bastards in Esperanza…”

And the trash beneath them got caught up in it too.

“One must repay a favor.”

As one who clearly provided the cause and gained benefit from it, isn’t it only proper to save his life at least once?

And it’s more advantageous for him to stay alive.

“Keep watching, and if it becomes dangerous, report to me immediately.”

“Immediately, you say?”

“Yes. Immediately.”

“Understood.”

Having received his answer, Elle promptly moved to the next topic.

As befitting the head of an information organization where countless pieces of intelligence flowed in, there was more to be addressed.

“The self-proclaimed emancipation activist Daniel is investigating us. What would you have us do?”

“Him?”

As if the expected had arrived, Edardos chuckled.

“It might not be bad to meet him sometime…”

“…”

“But not now.”

It’s still too early.

It’s still too soon to get entangled with the Republic’s revolutionary forces.

“If we rashly get involved with the Republic’s side, it’s bound to become troublesome. We have enough troublesome situations already.”

“Understood.”

∞ ∞ ∞

Daniel, the emancipation activist and revolutionary of the Republic, dressed himself while mulling over the report he’d received.

Raven had fallen into Deceiver’s grasp. The conclusion was simple.

“I expected as much, but in the end, recruitment was a complete failure. No room to wedge in.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Can’t be helped. On this side, we were just probing anyway. Honestly, a person that impressive wouldn’t have any reason to join us.”

He couldn’t say he had no regrets, but he let it go quickly. One who must look forward and advance for a better life couldn’t afford to cling to trivial things.

Instead, he finished adjusting his attire and spun around. Unlike his lavish, luxurious clothes, a somewhat subdued smile rose to his lips.

“More importantly, does this outfit look okay? No flaws?”

“Yes. It’s perfect. Not that anyone would dare point fingers at Heaven’s Blood anyway—they’d be too busy prostrating themselves.”

“That’s not exactly a pleasant thing to hear.”

Heaven’s Blood.

The bloodline of the noble and great leader chosen by heaven. In short, it refers to those who bear the surname ‘Roth’—the surname of the Republic’s leader—after their name.

In the Republic, that existence is akin to a god, asserting that all except fellow Heaven’s Blood and ‘true gods’ are beneath them. Just as his aide said. Who in the Republic would dare point fingers at a god? Even questioning a god is blasphemy.

Among Heaven’s Blood themselves, respect is basic unless the other is ‘contaminated,’ so as long as they don’t harm one another, anything is accepted as natural—so there would be no criticism either.

‘What a rotten bunch.’

What they call ‘contamination’ refers to acts of consideration toward those beneath them.

Since when did considering another person count as ‘contamination’? The thought of attending a gathering where such creatures swarmed made his stomach turn, but he couldn’t give them any suspicious ammunition. The Heaven’s Blood were stupid, but their leader was sharp.

“I’ll be back.”

That was why Daniel—no, the noble Heaven’s Blood of the Republic, ‘Digni Roth’—swallowed his nausea and stepped out to attend the Roth assembly.

∞ ∞ ∞

‘Things ended faster than I expected.’

Who would have thought he’d walk right in on his own?

If I’d had a bit more time to observe, I might have found Aurel’s weakness—but Raven’s return had halted all movement. Starve sighed in regret.

‘To be able to close a gate alone in such a short time—it’s no wonder the Association heads were so desperate to find him.’

If I could get my hands on such a man, it would be like gaining a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.

If I’d known this in advance, I would have poured every available resource into capturing him. If I’d secured Raven first, I could have either profited by joining hands with him directly, or even if that failed, profited by handing him over to the Association heads.

— Are you listening!!

“Ah.”

— For the intelligence network of Esperanza, with its long history, to be on par with an information organization from the slums—this is utterly absurd! In all of Esperanza’s history, there’s never been anything like this!

…A decrepit old man who knows nothing but making a racket.

My ears hurt. Starve’s lips twisted slightly. A chill ran through his violet eyes.

— Though I was given this position as a special favor from the ducal house despite not being an Esperanzan, this is unacceptable! The fact that you can’t even eliminate a mere slum lord…

“Wasn’t ‘neutrality’ and ‘non-interference’ the core of Esperanza?”

Irritating old men.

To have someone born of ducal blood, right in front of a ducal house of Esperanza, be told ‘despite not being an Esperanzan’—it was both baffling and laughable, given his own circumstances.

So even though he knew it was better to listen quietly, his pride stung, and Starve deliberately opened his mouth to catch the other’s words.

“Thanks to ‘Aurel,’ Esperanza’s intelligence network has drawn less suspicion. I think the current situation is just right.”

— Neutrality and non-interference exist to prevent harm to Esperanza! There’s no reason to watch them gnaw away at our territory! And Esperanza has survived just fine as a leading intelligence organization. There’s no need to start worrying about that now!

“I believe nothing is more foolish than being certain things will continue to go well just because they have so far.”

— Quiet! Just get rid of Aurel already! Kill their leader if you have to!

If I push further, things will escalate.

Since he couldn’t afford to lose this position yet, Starve fell silent for a moment and let out a cloudy sigh.

“Their leader is an Awakened. One of his siblings is also an Awakened. It’s not as easy as you think.”

— Isn’t that your job?!

Since when did eliminating competitors become my job?

Since this wasn’t a face-to-face communication anyway, he let his irritation show without filter and lowered his eyes.

The annoying voice continued.

— And make sure to establish a connection with this ‘Raven’ fellow. If all the Association heads are looking for him, he must be useful.

“…Of course.”

Knowing further argument would only hurt him, he answered obediently. Unlike his expression, his voice came out rather calm.

.

.

.

‘They’ve truly rotted to the core—should I be grateful that they so clearly show it?’

The more they act like this, the more I want to kill them all.

After enduring the nonsense of old men for a long while, Starve finally cut the communication and let out a hollow laugh, leaning back in his chair. He tilted his head up and covered his eyes with the back of his hand. Darkness descended.

‘…What I need to do next…’

Contain Aurel and attempt to eliminate its leader, Edardos. Recruit Raven. Something along those lines.

But if Raven shows signs of building a friendship with Aurel, it would be better to eliminate him. Can’t afford to create unnecessary risks. The Association heads would be a slight issue, but it could be framed as Aurel’s doing.

‘Considering Edardos’s abilities and Raven’s personal combat strength, it’s a pipe dream at best…’

…Which is exactly why I’m drawn to it.

Beneath the back of his hand, his violet eyes, deep in thought, rolled slowly. Someone was knocking at the door.