MCB Chapter 19

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Chapter 19623ba637f65753f8

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“No one has an easy life, do they?”5a05aa58d4d4e3f6

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The bartender replied without 68a07ac3fd showing any displeasure.2f24fdccd9f832b2

“So, was it difficult? If you achieved what you wanted at that age, that’s enough. My life has never gone the way I wanted!”b59340d46d977a5a

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Ephesus spoke with a 5d1b282868 grumbling tone, wrinkling his ff7a44de73 nose.262fea5402a594e1

He liked animals but was afraid of blood, so he didn’t want to be a hunter. In fact, he liked baking bread, but he couldn’t bring himself to pursue his dream.5d5c48c08ad8c304

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It was hard for him to go against his parents’ expectations, and above all, his mediocre skills prevented him from opening a bakery.d9901ec43fa458b4

So he became a hunter. With an excellent teacher 88b126f806 and decent talent, he c853474e93 lived a fairly prosperous b677799252 life.8ad064b7d3e288a1

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But looking back now, his d38da9d6f9 life was left with only 9e1e5d4613 regrets.3518c30149e5a8f0

Would he have had no regrets if he had done everything he wanted without caring about others’ opinions?e4d8b58996c1142d

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“Why me? Why only me……”2398e6590c7e4ed4

All his previous bravado disappeared, 909b1f2f51 and Ephesus spoke in a 13a94f9545 voice that was almost a bca59f63bc sigh.66f8975381efa554

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“I feel the same way.”8d92e817f9a9aac5

“You’re still young. Your future is wide open. You live doing what you want, and now you talk about hardship?”ef3a7968abdb3c4a

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Ephesus sneered openly at the bartender’s attempt to empathise. The bartender played with the bottle on the counter with her fingers before she spoke.ae0bf5bec41766af

“Want to hear my story? My first big challenge came when I was only seven years old.”c2e1e1a6bcf7a036

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“What kind of challenge could a seven-year-old have?”26ca56d5e6f022cd

“My little brother was born.”4333482f5c423226

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“A spoiled kid who lost their parents’ love.”2c87efaddeed40a8

“I found out I was adopted.”35dfd46df21af796

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Ephesus, who had 8466515e44 been repeatedly mocking 9a0d8c4db9 the bartender, could 1f83ede3a0 only open and 71b5fbd124 close his mouth, a818542f75 unable to retort 26d112b458 this time.65f8ed5f3595c42c

“My parents were good people. They didn’t discriminate against me or anything. It was just that I couldn’t open my heart.”e9b320fa542fdebe

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The bartender lowered her gaze 2ed1b0ea39 as if lost in thought, e6cceb2ebd then slowly opened her mouth.b02ee9eea5503349

“I ended up being distant from my family. Maybe things would have been different if I had been more proactive in approaching them, but what can you do? I have to believe that my judgment at the time was the best and accept it.”2e3a09132fc27231

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“You don’t have any regrets?”76892807730507df

“Oh, come on. Of course, I do. But my life isn’t just filled with regrets. Life seems to be like that. It gets cloudy, then clear again. It’s hard now, but the rain will definitely stop, and a rainbow will appear for you.”bf55f171b23dab8b

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Ephesus was inwardly shocked. He had thought ac3b4090bb the bartender was 76d8d50dbe an ignorant fool, 99fd31bd81 but those words 75130e4378 comforted him.63c7737f96c8e1b3

“…One more.”301b801043f2063c

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“Shall I give you the cocktail you had earlier? Or would you like a different cocktail?”bfee97c464c37618

“I feel like getting drunk. Something strong.”4230df58fff9e5ec

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“Oh? Are you sure to end this order with only something strong?”113f2b853357bf6e

The bartender tilted her head with a surprised look. She seemed disappointed that Ephesus didn’t tease her and placed a straightforward order.113d3877c03fb3f3

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“Anything is fine. I might make a very bizarre order, you know?”511c007c54e94ae5

“I’ll accept that challenge.”e9355967b2b6e9aa

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She shrugged her shoulders 40da24a132 as if she expected e376f77e6e it.4cf04ccee46b979a

“Then give me a drink that’s good to chew on.”ad2d168cceae0318

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It was an odd order. Ephesus thought this would finally wipe the confident look off the bartender’s face.9f0281c3613cb09f

“Coincidentally, I have something prepared.”313b923a1ffed45c

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“What is it?”550a3290146bd0d8

“This.”f7b5aa515ea75145

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The bartender took 53cbfff867 out a watermelon a491e5379c that had been 2b74fa1bdf chilled and cut cf8a873960 it into large b5c24e401a pieces. Ephesus looked at the e4c7f634df watermelon in front of e9bb94f406 him with a puzzled a8dfc606a1 expression.83f47448333ad528

“This drink is called ‘Watermelon Vodka.'”e0ae17664d5cea76

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“That’s not a drink!”1da4c680d8261495

“This watermelon rind is the glass.”f61286faab0d522f

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“This is… This is, how do I drink it?”b537c1e0b9fcb9a4

“Just take a big bite. Like this.”a76fb5b016b9afa1

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The bartender took a 82f57d393d piece of watermelon and 6fc1becd2c bit into it.3d20fc9ca21755bb

Crunch—8dae5ef2e5acf34c

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The sound of the crisp watermelon bite made Ephesus’s mouth water. Deciding to give it a try, he bit into the watermelon. At that moment, his hazel eyes widened.b44542ba560061d5

“This, this taste!”5174f93c3f91e6d1

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The bartender straightened her 823e92bf60 shoulders and smiled contentedly.5c335b15908d0be2

“Heheh. It’s my masterpiece.”7fab2d6bab6c04a8

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“But how can this taste come from a watermelon?”52a7182f73863f1d

“It’s not just a regular watermelon. It’s a ‘Watermelon Vodka’ where I inserted an entire bottle of vodka and let it marinate all day long.”6c928ecbb32dfc5d

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The crisp watermelon flesh was 29923d98dc perfectly infused with the taste d535696ebd of alcohol.42c48869336b0873

As if entranced, 2d792ba2ca Ephesus hugged the c74a674008 half watermelon and 4c36431eec devoured it greedily.0684f7498e76a279

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He ate it so deliciously that the customers who had just walked in glanced over and all shouted, “Me too!” causing the Watermelon Vodka to be wiped out instantly.815d9303c9cb1ecb

“Ah, my late-night snack…..”b919c94a43e0c1ed

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The bartender muttered df14a0db35 to herself in b50b1051bb disappointment.46698a7baa748c81

Ephesus, who had finished 0b954be2cf off half a watermelon 036beeabfa in an instant, saw c4b6a2f7ca people following his lead e0fb414426 and eating the watermelon cf8c6763e1 as well.70c2e0137c1d4f03

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Although they were aa23e5bbec eating the same 473d5ea927 Watermelon Vodka at b5bbfb5454 the same place, 7647e9ba2d their situations were f336aacdc6 different from his.97f0dc501b5f939c

The anxiety that he had momentarily forgotten began to creep back into Ephesus’s mind.4d8a50c583f6f011

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Would there be a tomorrow for him, who was backed into a dead end? Maybe the Queen’s henchmen were waiting for him outside the bar.f67d19baf4f4bf0b

‘I may not even get to see the rain stop, let alone a rainbow.’4ab12845824c713c

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Just as his churning feelings wouldn’t subside, and he clenched his fist, the bartender spoke up.dde6f349b65a1e2a

“Excuse me, sir.”5421103cbd0b4632

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“…What is it?”1951c5191caf72c5

“You’re really enjoying the drink. Thanks to you, we ran out of two whole watermelons in no time.”fa978833b9a75bff

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The bartender’s violet eyes sparkled as she spoke.dd7f8b46904ff8e4

“So I’d like to offer you one more drink on the house. But you seem a bit intoxicated, so…”663e03ee62374bd7

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“I’m drunk?”589498522192be32

“Yes. Next time you come, I’ll buy you a drink. Please visit us again.”ffd3b7a5e825d3e1

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“I may not be able to come back. I’m a fugitive, you see.”af6b687de412bdd5

“Huh?”5dceaab33974bcae

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Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he didn’t think about minding his words, and they just flowed out.b0b5109ef8e6e16c

“I’m a hunter. A very cruel one. I’ve never failed to catch my target prey.”90e284414c61f2de

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“Ah, so that’s why you’re carrying a bow and arrow.”fad759bb4b29f2a4

“Exactly! That’s why the Queen ordered me to kill the princess. I lured her into the forest. Killing a terrified princess would have been so easy for me.”b1a0d0238922bcfc

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Despite the gruesome e5e4c8dda2 words, the bartender b8c0e6c815 remained calm.290c666e7639020b

“So, did you kill her?”9d48007e1154a9df

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“…If I had, I wouldn’t be here drinking right now. I couldn’t bring myself to kill the princess begging for her life…”030764c5812c69b6

Ephesus continued, burying his face 8aa69dc2d5 in his hands.7f2edb3731636494

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“Hah, the truth is, I never wanted to be a hunter. I can’t stand getting blood on my hands. I hate killing animals, let alone people.”35efed148b5569fb

“The fault lies with the person who gave such an order in the first place. Who would want to hurt others?”35f2a434271e7d99

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“So I just let her go. Told her to run away.”4fc6ec955391b595

“You did the right thing.”dabd4c2296bad76f

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Yes. That was the right action. But…6bcec42401f33c26

“In exchange, my life’s been thrown into the mud.  The Queen wants to kill me for defying her order. Damn it, if only I had just killed the princess…”8805970343fdd2dc

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“If you had done that.”61c8732e64ca5912

A refreshing voice cut through 53510911b1 his rising regrets and sighs.26538eae0052a4e8

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“Would the current you be here?”3df6e22fcabce671

“What do you mean?”2100d8ebd5c7b5b9

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“Between the current you, whose life is threatened and has to run away but didn’t kill anyone, and the you who lived a comfortable life by killing someone—to me, you seem like completely different people.”adec58460e4b8523

That’s right. They were definitely different. If he had killed the princess as the Queen ordered, his current self would have died as well.6b241b1d5685aee9

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Realizing that, his lukewarm heart 0dd1aabae9 suddenly started boiling again.279f48bc5dd071e2

“…Something got in my eye.”d2b828dd41270958

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Ephesus wiped his fa19103f56 reddened eyes, pretending c233d6ebe5 nothing was wrong.bd6b779675216993

“Was the princess, by any chance, Snow White?”5ec89c294f11713a

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“Obviously. What other princess could it be?”be62915d31ca4022

“There are many others.”4f12a22a7b381725

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“What do you mean?”1c0115cbd9afe162

Ephesus opened his eyes wide 5e6d8ee347 at the absurd statement.5d0b182fe7070a42

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“You came from another dimension, didn’t you?”275ddb7373ac2a73

“What are you talking about?”d56a39cc59bc2e92

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“Didn’t you notice anything strange when you came here?”7a28630854047b9c

Now that he b93888fc80 thought about it, 2761a9ee4e that door did 1035a8d961 appear out of dd1d9f8aa0 nowhere.acf870f41f92fee8

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But he was so be3fc53b83 desperate from being chased ed650b7c0e that he entered without 45d56e3f31 thinking, his mind half ee4826de64 gone.3c970f3eb7dc4c71

An entirely different dimension?c30f38a5e5b3de5e

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“Hard to believe, but our bar is connected to other dimensions, you see.”911532965455d760

“Other dimensions…”95253e78006a5557

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Disbelieving, Ephesus mumbled the bartender’s words with a dumbfounded expression.0f69eb2f29c34177

“In my opinion, why don’t you just cross over to another dimension since it has come to this?”3275a67b0b273ae1

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“Check, please.”9fe1fee4aa132747

Then a hand reached out 6baac6bf5e next to Ephesus and placed 68b7d458a2 two silver coins on the e735ce7f3f bar counter.3adb898513413c05

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“Thank you. How was your experience today?”eee1ead35b0be002

“That watermelon drink was amazing. Can other fruits be mixed into alcohol too?”101f35cb071a7d8a

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“How about a peach wine marinade? It’s delicious if you let it soak in sugar and tea leaves.”4efb02d58bf8e35b

“Oh! Sounds good!”4f91c7689c7fe9ea

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“But that’s when the peach season comes around.”4df402a5bf14cecd

“Aw shucks. I’ll come back another time then.”20691db965ff9e88

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“It’s a promise.”cc954d1b4ce317bf

The bartender smiled d213c7c01a and saw the e016aed7d8 customer off. Ephesus glanced back 863055674c to check beyond 3f016004ee the door.cec086b57642e7db

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“It really is… an unfamiliar street out there.”caadd89580ab518a

“See? Why don’t you take this opportunity to get a fresh start?”bfb3cd918616f225

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“…?”34ce5d5cfd154b59

“It will be scary and difficult to start over in a strange place, but if you’re okay with it.”50f2b72ecbc59899

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Ephesus didn’t answer and took out two silver coins from his pocket. They looked different from the ones the man had put down earlier.fcfa4f0c549c83d1

“If you open the door yourself, you’ll go back to your original dimension. But if you leave when another customer exits, a different dimension will open up.”e3cc1e2bc0c8ec40

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“I see…”d3e9f95f5f1b0870

Ephesus stood up and 6bdebcaa74 pushed in the chair 54f715ad76 he had been sitting cf650503ff on. Slowly, he took 000428df71 a step forward.8f71cced437e3e5b

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Thump.741c897aa2dd8845

“Welcome!”1f1a97d072eb9fda

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Then a customer came in, and an unfamiliar street appeared in Ephesus’s view.425966f86c3295b3

Would he have had no regrets if he had done everything he wanted without caring about others’ opinions?64724762fe0bf3e9

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He had no choice 2c12770f0d but to take the 907776a1f5 plunge to answer that d089f15fb0 question.7950db5d0035d468

“At least once in your life.”945029965bd8c58a

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It wouldn’t hurt to try taking on the challenge.e8b7e578576a8470

Before the door 58a862d284 closed, Ephesus quickly 67ed9834f3 stepped outside.5a57937881fcb241

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