As they were about to leave Valtercua, Ravin pulled Lin aside for a private moment.

"Are you okay?"

Their voices overlapped, both asking the same question. The concern in Lin's voice resonated deeply within Ravin, filling her with a bittersweet warmth.

"Here."

Lin pulled a potion from the porter's bag and handed it to her. Ravin gently pushed the potion back.

"Lin, you should use it for yourself."

"I'm giving it to you because I want to do something for you. It'll make me feel better."

Hesitating, Ravin accepted the potion. As she felt the warmth left by his hands on the glass bottle, she asked him a question.

"You're leaving right away, aren't you?"

"Yes, we have to move quickly since the warrior party is tracking us."

"And it seems the Demon King's Party is also after you."

"I don't understand why they're targeting me."

"Maybe you're just too popular?"

"Me? Haha."

His dry laugh, devoid of any change in expression, was tinged with sadness. The Lin she knew was someone with a warm heart, capable of expressing his emotions vividly.

"I have a favor to ask, Ravin."

"Anything, just say it, Lin."

"Some of the warrior party will arrive in Valtercua today. The saint will definitely be among them."

"That makes sense; she's always the one to take the lead."

"Can you tell them that we're heading to the Zramun Archipelago?"

"You want me to tell them your destination?"

It was necessary. The demons in the Zramun Archipelago were too much for Lucy to handle alone. More specifically, it would be nearly impossible to face them with Lin, who was a liability. Originally, they could have gathered various items or received enhancements in the Valtercua black market, but unfortunately, the illusionist Adora, their rival, had shown up. The entire black market area had been under Adora's illusion for who knows how long, effectively nullifying any opportunities to strengthen their abilities.

"There's a strategy behind this, isn't there?"

"Yes."

"You don't have time to explain it to me, do you?"

"That's right."

"Alright. Is that all you need me to convey?"

"There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Identify priests and believers in the Church who are devout and knowledgeable in their faith."

It was a request only someone like Ravin, the leader of the Thieves Guild, could fulfill. This was also related to Arsil's wish.

"Leave it to me."

"Thank you, Ravin."

With everything said, there was no time to waste. Lin turned to head back to where Lucy was waiting. He began to move away from her, the man she had waited five long years for, growing more distant with every step. She wasn't a child anymore; she couldn't cling to him and demand he stay.

Ravin tried to reassure herself, but with every step he took, her heart sank deeper.

"Lin!"

In the end, she called out to him and ran into his arms. He instinctively caught her, looking surprised.

"Ravin?"

"Don't go..."

She pleaded with him, her voice trembling with desperation.

"Can't you just stay with me? I promise I won't hurt you. I never have. I would cherish you more than anyone else. I've loved you since the moment we first met..."

"Ravin."

Lin pulled out a soft cloth and wiped the blood from her lips—the blood she had coughed up from the potion's side effects.

"I have to do this."

"But why? Why do you have to go through all this? There are others in the warrior party who can do it!"

"Everyone has their role. Mine is insignificant compared to theirs; I'm just a porter."

"But you don't have to carry the burden alone. We could share it. I’d even become a porter with you."

"You have your own role to play. Like ruling over Valtercua, for example."

"I prepared this city for you. It was meant to be a place for us to be together!"

"I have to save the world."

"I don't care about the world. All I need is you."

"Ravin."

Lin gave her a pained smile.

"The world I'm trying to save includes you. It's the world you live in."

How could anyone persist in their stubbornness after hearing such words? Ravin felt a mix of frustration and relief. He was still the Lin she knew, not a puppet but a man with a warm heart. Wanting to make her parting less painful, Lin decided to give Ravin a gift. He wasn't oblivious to her feelings and couldn’t help but notice her affection.

"From now on, you can call me Lin."

"Ah..."

Ravin's eyes widened.

"Is that really okay?"

"Yes, please call me that."

"...Lin."

"Yes, Ravin."

"Lin... Lin!"

She seemed to treasure the gift, repeating his name softly. Then, suddenly curious, she asked,

"Why did you go by ‘Mr. Yi’ back in the Gutter District?"

"I didn't have a name back then. I really was just ‘Mr. Yi.’"

"When did you get a name?"

"After Arsil left."

Should he tell her this? Lin hesitated but then made up his mind.

"I got my name just before our district was destroyed."

"Who gave it to you?"

"That's right."

"Who?"

Lin answered with silence. But Ravin, being sharp, quickly figured it out. Lin... this Lin. The last name Yi, and the first name Lin. Why Lin? Was it taken from someone's name? Was there a historical figure named Lin?

Lin... Lin... Lin...

Who could it be?

"Ah."

There was someone with a similar name—one woman.

"Could it be Rina?"

Lin gave another bitter smile. It was the reason he didn't want to talk about it, the confirmation he didn't want to give.

"She shortened her own name to create ‘Lin’ for you?"

"...Yes."

"That's..."

That sly fox had given you that name to bind you to her! Ravin's heart cried out with jealousy, though she didn't voice it. The name she had longed to use for him was a gift from the woman she despised most.

"She tried to erase us from the world."

"Rina may have given me the name, but she was also the one who called me by it the least."

She had called him by that name less than ten times.

"After our district was destroyed, it became a name that belonged solely to me."

"Have you thought about changing it?"

"I've used it for so long; it wouldn’t be easy to change."

If he ever did change it, it would be after he stood before her as an equal, when he could hear her call him by that name one last time. He wanted to show her how much he had grown, to completely erase any lingering regrets.

"Do you still love Rina?"

"No, not at all."

Though he had wandered aimlessly for three years after leaving the district, volunteering as the warrior party's porter to make a name for himself because of her, those feelings had died when he left on the journey to defeat the Demon King. His heart for her had died back then. The feelings had already begun to erode long before.

He had no lingering feelings for her, but there was still some regret about the words he had said to her.

"Then it's okay."

Ravin said no more. She wasn't the type of woman to be petty like some people. Ravin was a thief, accustomed to taking what she needed through theft and robbery. This time, she would steal the heart of the one she loved. No matter how long it took, she was confident she could wait. But she couldn't let him go without a reminder of her.

Stepping back slightly, Ravin drew a dagger.

"Ravin!"

To Lin's surprise, she swiftly cut off her ponytail. She placed the bundle of hair, tied with a thin elastic band, into a small pouch and handed it to him with both hands, bowing her head.

"Keep it as a talisman? So I can protect you wherever you go."

And so that I can be with you, no matter where you are. Women often wanted to leave a mark on the ones they loved, a symbol that they were always together, and a warning to other women that this man was taken. For example, that red ponytailed warrior who was always after Lin.

Lin looked at the pouch for a moment before accepting it with a smile, not a bitter one this time.

"Thank you, Ravin."

"Don't mention it."

Suddenly, she felt shy. The usually tough Ravin looked down and twisted her body awkwardly, a sight Lin found quite unfamiliar.

"When everything is over, bring that to me. Please come to see me. If you don't, I might have to come to see you first."

"It's a bit of a shame, though. I liked your ponytail."

Lin’s comment caught her off guard.

Ravin genuinely thought it was a relief that Lin wasn't more handsome. With competition already fierce, if he were even more attractive, she feared she would have had to fend off many more women with her dagger.

"T-Then, if I can grow it out again... can I come to see you?"

"Of course. As long as we're both in safe places."

"Yeah, yeah!"

The odd atmosphere finally dissipated. The two stood awkwardly for a moment until Lin, who had to leave, bid farewell first.

"Goodbye, Ravin."

"Goodbye, Lin. Let's meet again in good health."

"Take care of yourself, and don't drink any more of that potion, okay?"

"I won't."

He was walking away again. But this time, Ravin felt at peace as she watched him leave.

As he became just a dot in the distance, Ravin finally crumbled.

"Ugh... Uuugh..."

She covered her mouth, trying to muffle the sounds of her crying.

She had let him go.

The man she had waited five long years for, gone just like that.

"Lin...! Lin...!"

She already missed him and wanted to see him again.

When would she get to see him next?

The joy and emotion of knowing Lin carried her hair, coupled with the sadness of his departure, weighed heavily on her.

"If only I had confessed to you back in the Gutter District... would I be the one by your side now?"

She quickly shook her head.

The past had its own significance.

No matter how painful or difficult it had been, it was the past that shaped the present.

The present Ravin had succeeded in securing a future with Lin.

Whether that future would include a life together, she didn't know, but she would never give up.

"Deep breath."

She inhaled deeply, savoring the warmth of the moment she had just experienced.

"Haah."

As she exhaled, her gaze hardened. She was no longer the vulnerable woman from a moment ago but had returned to being Ravin the Thief, leader of the Thieves Guild and ruler of Valtercua.