Chapter 36: The Raven Mecenary Group

The kitchen in the White Flower Palace was unusually quiet that day. The clatter of pots and pans was absent, replaced by an odd stillness hanging in the air. Rin sat slumped in his chair, his posture defeated, his eyes unfocused as if his very soul had fled his body. He repeated the same mantra over and over, though it lacked the conviction of someone trying to motivate themselves.

" I'm still alive... I'm still alive... I'm still alive..." he muttered to himself, trying to calm the storm of emotions wreaking havoc inside him.

Across from him, Harumi stood with her hands on her hips, her usual energy replaced by something almost concerned but more bewildered. She stared at Rin, who was clearly a man on the verge of complete collapse.

" Rin... How the hell do you seduce another consort!?" she exclaimed, hands flailing. "You could have seduced Miharu before she became one, but how did you do it? How!? Explain!" Her voice was a mix of frustration and confusion, wondering how Rin, in his current state, had somehow been tangled in such a mess.

Rin, still in his defeated slump, slowly turned his head toward her, his face grim.

"Yeah... at this rate, leaving the empire is my only choice," he replied with a hollow seriousness that startled Harumi. "Time to pack up my stuff and go to another country."

Harumi's eyes widened, her expression turning instantly into one of disbelief. Before she could react further, she reached over and smacked the back of his head with an open palm, forcefully snapping him out of his stupor.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she scolded, her tone rough but full of concern. "You can't just leave. You're stuck here whether you like it or not."

Rin whimpered under his breath, his shoulders sagging even further. "I don't want to die..." he mumbled dramatically, his hands flailing like someone preparing to be sentenced.

Harumi could only stare at him with a mixture of exasperation and pity. "You really are something else," she muttered, though her tone softened. "You're being way too dramatic."

Rin let out an exaggerated sigh, his mind a whirl of thoughts he couldn't quite organize. Harumi's words rang in his ears, but he couldn't shake the reality of the situation. He had watched Miharu grow and change, all while maintaining the composure of someone who could easily become a leader, yet now he was caught in a situation that made him wish he could escape everything.

If only Harumi knew what was really at stake. But Rin couldn't tell her—couldn't let anyone know. He wasn't just a warrior. He wasn't just an apprentice to the White Flower Palace. The truth was far more complicated. And for now, he was trapped in the very life he had chosen to leave behind.

"Yeah, I'll stick around," he muttered, shoulders sagging further. "But it doesn't make me any less dead inside."

Harumi just shook her head, walking away to finish whatever she had started, though her gaze lingered on him with a small hint of concern. For all her teasing, she knew Rin wasn't just overreacting. There was something heavy weighing on him, something he wasn't sharing.

But for now, all she could do was watch as he continued to battle his demons in silence.

As Rin stepped into his room, his demeanor shifted. The usual warmth of his personality melted away, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. His eyes flickered briefly, glowing purple as he invoked his hidden power. In an instant, his form changed. His samurai-ninja uniform materialized around him, sleek and dark, as he summoned a dagger to his hand. With one precise slash, he cut through the air, tearing a rift in space that opened into a realm of swirling shadows.

He walked through the tear with controlled steps, his presence commanding and terrifying. The shadows around him shifted in response to his will, and as he gestured, they revealed the dark figures standing before him: the eleven members of the Ravens mercenary group, the same group that had attempted to disrupt Miharu's bid for the Black Princess Position.

Rin's voice was icy, devoid of any warmth or mercy. "I'm sure you all know what happens when you fail your mission." His words were calm, but the threat was palpable in the silence that followed.

The leader of the Ravens flinched, unable to mask the fear creeping up on him as he stared at the man before him. Rin, whose power had consumed them once before, could easily do so again. The Ravens had already felt the full force of his Shadow Manifestation—the supreme spell that dragged them into this shadowy subspace where escape seemed impossible. Rin had devoured them into the abyss before, and now they stood at his mercy once more.

The leader swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "What do you want from us?"

Despite the fear in his voice, there was a hint of understanding. He realized that Rin wasn't just going to kill them on the spot, not yet. It wasn't because of any mercy; the leader knew that. It was because Rin needed something from them—something they didn't yet understand. Perhaps there was a purpose behind their survival, at least for now.

Rin didn't respond immediately. His eyes swept over the group of mercenaries, assessing their fear, their uncertainty. It was clear that the Ravens weren't going to escape unscathed, but Rin wasn't done with them yet.

"You're not dead yet," Rin said softly, his voice a whisper of deadly intent. "But you will be... unless you prove your worth."

The leader tried to compose himself, his mind racing to find a way to appease the man who held their fates in his hands. "What do you want us to do?" he asked cautiously, aware that failure again would mean certain death.

Rin's words were a quiet command, each sentence laced with authority. The atmosphere in the room felt charged, as if the very shadows surrounding them bent to his will. He could see the fear in the eyes of the Ravens, but he wasn't interested in breaking them—no, Rin had something else in mind.

"Your skills and men… I want to give you a chance at a second life," he said, his tone calm but unwavering. "I'm sure you all joined the Ravens for survival, right? For a future. Now, I'm offering you a future on my terms."

The leader hesitated before speaking up, his voice shaky but defiant. "What if we refuse? What happens then?"

Rin's gaze hardened, his hand tightening around the dagger in his grip. "Can you refuse?" he asked coldly. "You think the Ravens have a high reputation? You're just another expendable group. Finding another job won't be easy—if you're lucky, you'll scrape by. But if you join me… you'll be more than that. You'll be alive, with a steady income."

He extended a hand to the leader, his form imposing, the shadows around him twisting as if they too were bowing to his will. For a moment, he almost seemed to take on the image of the former Hoshimi Rin—the genius Imperial prince. But the Ravens wouldn't know that.

"Fifty silver coins per day," Rin said, the offer hanging in the air like a weight. "As long as you obey me. I won't ask for impossible tasks. Just information gathering, some basic work in a place I own in secret."

The Ravens stared in stunned silence. Fifty silver coins. It was an amount that made their eyes widen in disbelief. To many of them, it felt like too good of an offer to refuse, but their instincts told them that there had to be a catch.

"You guys are worth that much every day. The skills you used to capture Urakawa Miharu—skills I personally trained you in combat for—are too valuable to throw away." Rin's voice was firm, but there was no malice behind it, only a promise of safety and steady work. "Whether you become loyal to me or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you value money and safety, don't you?"

The leader flinched, clearly shaken by Rin's words. He knew the truth of it: they had no real loyalty, only survival. "Me and my men… we just want to live ordinary lives. We've been forced into this life because of our circumstances. The Ravens were founded for profit, so one day we could escape this life and live normally."

Rin smiled, a rare and subtle expression that conveyed approval. "Good for you, then," he said, nodding as if pleased with their honesty. "You'll have that chance. You'll live on the land I secretly own. You can be farmers, tradesmen, whatever you want. But when I need you, I'll ask for your skills in information gathering. You'll still get paid for that, of course. And if the job's difficult, I can increase your wages."

The leader's eyes widened with hope, a flicker of disbelief in his gaze. Could it be true? Were they truly being given a second chance, a chance to escape the life of mercenaries and live without fear?

"Of course, if you ever decide you want more than that, the option's there," Rin added, his voice still calm but with a certain finality. "But the choice is yours. Survive, live well, and work for me when I call. Or refuse, and face the consequences."

The leader exchanged a glance with his men, who were equally uncertain but could hardly argue with the offer. In that moment, Rin's power was undeniable—he held their future in his hands.

"Alright…" the leader said, his voice finally steady. "We accept. We'll work for you."

Rin nodded, satisfied. "Wise choice."

Rin held out his hand, and with a subtle surge of power, a letter and an insignia materialized. The insignia was unlike any ordinary emblem, its design intricate and shimmering faintly with magical energy, clearly something that could only be replicated by Rin's unique magic.

"Take these," Rin commanded, his tone authoritative but calm. "Go to the Former Urakawa Territory. Present this insignia to the person in charge, and give them this letter to inform them of our arrangement. They will provide for you and ensure everything is in place once you arrive."

The leader hesitated for a moment, his eyes widening as he accepted the items. The sheer ease with which Rin had summoned them spoke volumes of the man's power and precision. The leader couldn't help but feel awed—and slightly unnerved—by what he had just witnessed.

Rin continued, his expression unchanging. "The person in charge will relay my orders when the time comes. For now, I have other matters to attend to. Leave my sight and do not fail me."

With a casual wave of his hand, Rin's magic enveloped the Ravens, and in an instant, the group vanished from the shadow realm. They reappeared in a dense forest near the White Flower Palace, disoriented for only a moment before the leader looked down at the items Rin had entrusted to him.

He clenched his fist, holding the letter and insignia tightly. Turning to his men, his voice carried a mix of resolve and newfound determination. "Let's not disappoint him. We leave for the Urakawa Territory immediately."

The Ravens melted into the night like shadows themselves, their movements swift and silent as they began their journey toward a new life. For the first time in years, a glimmer of hope had begun to shine in their lives, even if it was born from an unexpected source.

Rin returned to his room, stepping out of the shadow realm. His black eyes, now devoid of their earlier glow, had returned to their natural state. He removed his cloak and collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"Why did I feel like recruiting them was the right thing to do?" he muttered to himself. The decision weighed on him, not out of regret but from a strange, lingering sense of déjà vu that gnawed at his mind.

The feeling wasn't unfamiliar—it was a resonance from something deep within his soul, as though some unspoken part of him had guided the choice. It felt instinctual, as if the decision was etched into his very being, yet Rin couldn't grasp why.

His thoughts drifted to an old rule, a fragment of wisdom ingrained in his upbringing.

"Hoshimi Code... Section 7... In selecting people for influential positions, one must prioritize talent wielded despite their beginnings. A Hoshimi will earn the loyalty of a talented individual on their own."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. That principle had been drilled into him as a Hoshimi, yet it felt distant—almost like it belonged to a life he no longer claimed as his own. Still, it had guided his actions today.

"They managed to trap Miharu," Rin murmured, recalling the Ravens' earlier actions. "Someone skilled in wind magic, speed, and combat... and they succeeded. If left alone, they'd likely perish, their talents unrecognized, wasted."

He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes as if the weight of his thoughts could be eased by rest. Yet his mind lingered on the notion of second chances. Whether it was generosity or some greater calling, something within him demanded he give them the opportunity to rise.

"It's almost like... I'm being a ruler." His voice was soft, a whisper meant only for himself. "Or maybe... something else in me is telling me to guide them."

The room fell silent, save for the faint sound of the wind outside. As Rin lay there, he couldn't shake the sense that his actions were part of something larger—something inevitable. Whether he liked it or not, fate seemed to be pulling him back to a role he had long since abandoned.