The Immortal Had a Guardian Spirit Chapter 7

‘…The guardian spirit hasn’t even returned yet.’

Already?

It’s far too soon compared to what I expected.

…The child will be startled, so I’d better say something in advance. Forcing himself to be nonchalant, he opened his mouth.

“From now on, I’m going to—bleurgh—.”

“…?!”

Ah, too late.

“Cough, hack hack!”

Blood poured onto the ground.

Before Dan, who was flustered and restless, Raven had been bent over vomiting blood. As he tried to straighten his back, he inadvertently put strength into his legs and staggered. Immediately, Dan reached out his arms to support him, but someone else extended a hand faster.

“[…Come to think of it, your leg was injured too.]”

“Cough… Ah, esteemed ancestor.”

“[Not esteemed ancestor, hyung.]”

“Yes, hyung.”

When the guardian spirit had appeared in response to Raven’s call, the monster’s teeth had already been touching Raven’s leg. Not stopping there, the creature had been forcefully closing its jaws to chew what was in its mouth, so even if it had been sliced apart immediately, injury was unavoidable.

Not only the leg but his entire body was covered in wounds from being scraped by sharp teeth. Examining his disastrous physical state, the green eyes darkened somberly.

‘If only he had called just a little sooner.’

Then at least these pointless injuries wouldn’t have occurred.

Knowing full well the great difference in price between the guardian spirit descending in answer to a call and intervening uninvited, yet still taking his time like this—how frustrating.

He wouldn’t have acted so foolishly without reason.

‘…Has he started being wary again? Or else… spite?’

The narrowed eyes swept over Raven.

Meanwhile, Raven, who had no way of knowing this, stumbled and stood leaning against the guardian spirit’s arm, spat blood a few more times, then raised his head.

Gray eyes tinged with chagrin and embarrassment groped for where Dan would be.

“I meant to tell you not to be surprised… too late.”

“….”

“It’s nothing serious, so you don’t need to worry.”

…Blood was dripping from his chin. As if that was at all believable.

Dan, who had been staring at him blankly, quietly traced the word ‘chin’ onto his palm.

“Chin…? Ah, sorry. It must have been an ugly sight.”

Raven nonchalantly wiped his chin and mouth. A response in stark contrast to Dan, whose eyes wavered with unease.

After all, this wasn’t due to illness or injury, but the price for involving the guardian spirit in the human world. The timing was utterly terrible, but there was nothing strange about it.

Thus, in order to calm the startled Dan, he deliberately patted the guardian spirit’s arm with a light attitude.

“All cleaned up?”

“[Yes. There are no more monsters in the vicinity.]”

The guardian spirit’s arm, which had been supporting the staggering body, readily released him. Instead, where those fingertips headed was none other than his leg.

Kneeling on one knee to examine the most seriously injured area, he spoke.

“[The fairy herbs?]”

“Hm…?”

It didn’t seem to hurt that badly. Was it really worth looking for the herbs?

Raven lowered his hand and felt the wounded area. The fingers came away thickly coated with wet liquid. The wound seemed not so light after all.

Even without seeing, he could tell the fierce look the guardian spirit was directing at Dan, and chuckled.

“It would certainly draw a lot of attention to walk around ignoring this, wouldn’t it?”

“[…Child, that’s not what I’m worried about right now—.]”

“I know, I know.”

With no visibility anyway, he answered half-heartedly and stood the toes of his injured leg upright, tapping the ground. Each time, the injured area throbbed sharply, giving him a sense of where and how badly he was hurt. So, ignoring the stinging weight of the guardian spirit’s gaze, Raven mulled it over.

‘At least it’s a part of the body that draws less attention, so that’s fortunate…’

But to move around like this, he’d have to change the bandages often. With just a little neglect, the blood would seep past the bandages and through his clothes, so he couldn’t be lazy. It would be quite troublesome.

‘So that’s why he looked for the fairy herbs.’

Indeed, the herbs cultivated by the race most friendly to the world, handed over infused with the power of their chief personally, were effective even on a body whose time had stopped…

But what good was that. He shrugged lightly.

“The herbs ran out a long time ago.”

“[…It seems best to stop by the fairy territory as soon as the ‘errand’ is finished.]”

Careful fingers traced the wound.

Flinching at the concern that registered so clearly it was almost burdensome, Raven quietly pulled his injured leg back and changed the subject.

“But before that, I have to help this child first.”

“[…Who is a child?]”

“I understand it doesn’t sit well with you, but don’t be too harsh. To me, he is a child. Just as I’m a child in the eyes of my esteemed ancestor.”

“[Not esteemed ancestor… .]”

“Yes, hyung.”

Come to think of it, he really hates that title.

Well… he died before even reaching thirty, in the prime of his twenties, so it’s understandable he dislikes an aged title like ‘esteemed ancestor.’

Patting Dan’s shoulder, he smiled softly.

“So, can you lend me your eyes again?”

“[…You intend to move right away.]”

“There’s nothing more to do here. And this one seems to be in a hurry.”

“[I think it would be better to rest a little before moving.]”

As if to say ‘look at this,’ the guardian spirit reached out and wiped away the droplet of blood at his chin. At the unspoken question—hadn’t he just vomited blood—Raven chuckled.

“You already know what answer I’ll give, so why ask again. Just lend me your eyes.”

“[…Fine. It’s about time I’d been out too long anyway.]”

A soul that, the longer it stays out, only racks up karma by the second, had better return. Better to lend only the eyes and provide the minimum karma.

I can never break your stubbornness anyway.

The brief war of words ended there.

The moment the words finished, the light and color drained from the guardian spirit’s eyes. At the same time, as if a flame had been lit, a green glow entered Raven’s gray eyes.

Wearing faded gray eyes, the guardian spirit gently brushed Raven’s eye area with his fingertips and smiled bitterly.

“[At least it’s fortunate that it’s after closing the gate.]”

Had it been before closing the gate, things would have grown far more complicated.

Yet still, his worry for the child who never spared his own body had nowhere to go. Knowing it was meaningless, the guardian spirit voiced the words he always said.

“[Do whatever you like, but… .]”

“….”

“[Do not get hurt.]”

“….”

Now able to see the world again, Raven wordlessly raised his head and looked at his guardian spirit.

Murky gray eyes, devoid of color and light—as if having lent his eyes to Raven, only the traces of existence remained without being able to manifest.

He knew his guardian spirit’s eye color well from mirrors, but the fact that he had never actually seen them on their true owner struck him anew. Staring blankly at the guardian spirit for a moment, Raven soon curled up both ends of his lips and waved his hand.

“I understand, so go on back now. You’ve been through a lot because of me. You should go back quickly and rest.”

“[…I don’t particularly recall any hardship, but very well.]”

Even at this very moment, karma would be accumulating, so returning took priority. Rather than adding any more words, the guardian spirit vanished immediately.

‘Now, then.’

Confirming that his figure had disappeared, Raven calmly took a step back from Dan. Then, a blood-tinged cough burst out.

“Cough—.”

Fortunately, the amount wasn’t much.

‘Perhaps because the emergency settlement happened in the middle.’

The price for the guardian spirit’s intervention in the human world was usually paid all at once after sending the guardian spirit back. But if the physical body seemed unable to withstand the price and was about to die, an emergency settlement would occur at an appropriate midway point, followed by the execution of the price. This was exactly such a case.

‘In the past, I could have handled it all at once without an interim settlement.’

It seems I’ve grown quite weak, idling about for ten years.

Since the body’s time remains unchanged and stopped, it must be a mental issue. Mental fortitude affects the strength of the soul.

‘…Still, it’s fortunate that the price from another’s karma can be recovered from.’

The guardian spirit was both a part of Raven and a separate being.

Originally, the price for intervening in the human world belonged to the guardian spirit. But perhaps due to the peculiarity of being ‘a part of Raven,’ that karma went to him instead.

Because of this, every time he received the guardian spirit’s help, he would vomit blood and his insides would be wrecked. But since the extenuation of being ‘another’s’ karma applied here, recovery was possible, so Raven didn’t mind.

Truthfully, he probably wouldn’t have cared even if it didn’t recover.

Anyway.

Ptui. Spitting out the blood pooled in his mouth, Raven roughly wiped his mouth and lightly pulled up the corners of his lips. The owner of the gaze he’d been feeling all along came into view.

Goodness, those wide, round eyes.

“This isn’t a contagious disease or anything, so no need to be uneasy.”

“…—.”

That wasn’t it. It was the way he so casually vomited blood and cleaned up afterward that was so alien, that was why he’d stared.

If even the fact that he didn’t even assume he might be worried gave off a strange sense of dissonance—was he just being oversensitive?

What kind of person was he? If not a contagious disease, was it a chronic illness? So many things he wanted to ask, and Dan’s fingertips twitched. But Raven, having no way of knowing Dan’s inner thoughts, launched into the main subject with a painted-on smile.

“Now, then. Time to keep my promise with you, isn’t it?”

“….”

“Explain.”

∞ ∞ ∞

No one had noticed, but there was someone watching him from afar.

“…Finally.”

The man who had clearly witnessed every scene—from Raven closing the gate and emerging, to saving a wretched human and standing before him—subtly twisted his mouth.

While wandering in search of his master, weary with boredom, he had coincidentally obtained information about illegal slave traders selling off imperial citizens nearby. He had come merely to spectate, and had simply become intrigued by the escaping slave. Never had he expected to seize such luck.

‘When I searched so hard, he was nowhere to be seen.’

Nothing has changed from before.

Those hyung-nim and noona who had been growling at each other about finding him had even joined hands, it seemed. Yet here he was, blithely wandering about, not only unaware of that but not even knowing a bounty had been placed on him. Even now, did he know that there were eyes other than his own watching?

He briefly considered whether he should kill the others to silence them. But after grasping that the gazes were mainly directed at the wretched human child, he cut off his concern and focused entirely on the longed-for presence.

‘Has it been ten years.’

A persistent gaze tracked every single one of Raven’s movements. Not once taking his eyes off Raven, he murmured lowly.

If a voice could have a color, this one would surely be dark red. The viscous voice resounded.

“I’ve found you, Father.”

Ah, perhaps he’d dislike that title now.

Then, Master. Muttering without hesitation the titles that the current Raven would find dreadful either way, he grinned.

∞ ∞ ∞

There was no time to stand around leisurely and chat. Dan set off first and only belatedly began explaining.

In the first place, there wasn’t much to explain. Raven had already guessed most of it, so simply making the request was enough.

Dan merely scribbled on his palm.

— Please save my noona.

“…All right.”

Though the sentence was cut short, front and back, Raven grasped the situation immediately.

A request within the expected range. Binding the affected area with bandages so the dripping blood wouldn’t cause unnecessary trouble, he nodded nonchalantly and busily followed behind Dan.

…It wasn’t long before he paused—and frowned.

“This direction is… .”

“?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Must be a coincidence.

Shaking his head, Raven urged Dan on, saying they needed to hurry.

Dan, accordingly, moved almost at a run toward the place where his noona was, but glanced back at Raven repeatedly.

Truthfully, being the one in a hurry and in need, he had asked for help without much thought.

‘…Suspicious.’

The man named Raven was considerably strange.

Black hair reaching down past his waist, and rough yet strangely foreign green eyes that gave off an odd feeling. Pale, almost white skin as a bonus.

Taking in his overall impression, he seemed to be in his early-to-mid twenties at best.

‘Really suspicious, I mean.’

An appearance far too young and beautiful to be wandering about hunting monsters alone, and yet a presence that broadly and fluidly shifted across various age ranges.

The time spent observing him had been short rather than long, but the sense that something was off was unmistakable.

‘That unidentified man who appeared suddenly, too.’

Dan subtly narrowed his brow.

‘Is he not human?’