1.

There are always df1ce7f296 those few, clandestine, 0c8316afb1 exceptional meetings.
Especially after d4293ecc61 the war, 4b6d064732 when peace fb1b978a07 was just 9965d66a7e beginning.f1fbee4b90affda7

* * *e080d1d7836a2461

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Leo Fric Helton, the 8ef8bf0869 beautiful sword of the b73e57acff king, a hero.
The foremost 0b99c62cda contributor to 42a9191917 the defeat 0525c2156a of the 96ab8e8c79 corrupt Ledetian d7b54c0f22 Empire.f823eba37e58faf2

Countless tales 32ac6ead83 of his 482293e0c0 valor sprouted bd31dfb261 like mushrooms e59fd8cce0 throughout the 6ff9f66645 kingdom during b7fbd25668 the rainy 91dab5b326 season.95bcf5a4586bc580

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They said 6b89075916 he once 183b39f22c cut down f9f16e43a5 a hundred e1b2fe5eee men with a163c6e212 a single 2febcefdee stroke, rescued 5a0cdc6b3d a supply 19e9535604 unit left b570375095 stranded and 78e45b7286 awaiting death da17dbf681 by intervening 8fa48baf2d alone with e55afc5549 his knights 0a165475e4 of the 4a167e4539 “Black Wolf.”c8ce8d229d25585a

People knew of his cf78287e60 heroic feats: capturing members 004c0ee43e of the fleeing imperial b127605b77 family of Ledetia as be3afc034a prisoners thanks to his ab4052dbfe unmatched martial prowess, bringing 770de553ff about a swift surrender.7eb1ddc78dcfd811

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The people of 1d15cdb8df the Kingdom of 6ff43063d2 Thornfeld had come aceddd1170 to revere Leo f8fab61d24 Fric with a 9427d2dd7c near-religious devotion.cd4c9fe5721a4505

It naturally became a 2eb6d0d0fa pastime to guess what a62c8aae1f grand reward might be c72e3a1039 granted to him.d5ac61da513faf72

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“He’ll be granted one 3cebb84a7d or two, maybe even 9aded538df three estates without hesitation!”7b13710bcbf721e7

“Indeed! And those won’t just d14bb3a624 be ordinary estates, oh 5a05d7cd80 no—a grand territory, surely!”8bcc7bcfab26e837

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“Are there any 5f063571c2 vacant grand estates?”e104b90a30702601

“If not, they should ddcdbcaee6 take one by force dab72a4ae7 to give to him!”f407d690d0cf01ac

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“Shouldn’t he at de7159ebb6 least receive the 58ea1bc676 rank of Grand d9715a1eca Duke?”f062d706efb35ed9

“That’s going 8b4794c66d too far. Not just 49faa2b3cf anyone can 6ca36e1e66 become a 923c10681b Grand Duke.”052c260abe759786

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“Anyone, you say! And besides, he belonged to a ducal family before his title was stripped. Now would be the perfect time to elevate him to the rank of Grand Duke, wouldn’t it?”404992b069cb1044

It was a 86bdb73af0 story everyone knew—that a06f5b1124 House Helton had dc25941374 its ducal title b0873ced20 revoked in the 00ac2e305e time of the e1d894db4c former duke. The pitiful 8c1176b3e4 tale of 9075716aa4 a beautiful 089be48aa2 young boy af155b6bc0 who lost b3ae415e98 his parents, 6cd07beeb4 his title, e332c8f679 and his 959d04e3e8 honor had 0f57f578fb faded away 64e14be0d7 under careless f760421fb2 sympathy until 0d67cefbe8 it was d1de659e9a eventually forgotten.c594e7aa230a2c88

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Then that very cff392b3f8 boy, once vanished 571b75e8c9 into a desolate 0b9f794361 northern estate, returned d1e3e089d4 to sudden prominence faaa630236 through the war.3d393f716dd7a974

A splendid 7a93f3ed01 return has b51237747d a way 67a10e1ded of stirring cfd28a3b16 people’s excitement, 8541a0ac75 and their 6fa263ecb3 fervor felt d67fee6648 as though 3436de5058 it teetered 417ffdc9ea on the 8dea842b21 edge of ea37db07fb fanaticism.19756c3ae5377d6b

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“Why don’t we 551434045f just hand him 74e7a00c3a the throne and 119907ecb9 the kingdom while 6a4d4edfa0 we’re at it?”1e426e60bfb41571

“What a c35d906576 reckless thing 889640e76b to say. Have you 5202e953f1 forgotten that 96646b49e7 King Wintran 1fcae4fdc2 is the 25a3bdcd5b one who e0752bc851 brought spring b0866191f1 back to d276be2df7 the continent?”a40bc4dea63b61c7

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“And could he 7efffb56c5 have done that 79489f2093 without Sir Leo 79c41875a6 Fric?”23f59da75cd23040

“You’re drunk, completely out ed2ed8d9d8 of your senses. Stop drinking already.”4aca52ec5173c1fb

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With the e7fa76ea6e warmth of 80a3b7ddcd the drink, 3fa63dd58f some clueless fdee412cd1 folk snickered, d707ce9450 tossing out 3302be5f30 whatever comments 59b7ca61c7 came to 479959de59 mind.cb0259332409e896

“Well, it’s not fe634027e8 impossible, really. If Sir Leo ac057f5c86 were to marry ac33a3f209 the princess!”5460f72c908e8e57

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“Drink responsibly, please.”53fcef157b23bb22

This was a d019e951dd common scene throughout 95d8e46484 the Kingdom of 72886df1e4 Thornfeld.605a853105593617

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“…”a3ea97384473db2f

“Heh.”63255ec5feaac709

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In a 787bbfac1f particularly dim 6336cacf47 corner of 941a777553 the tavern, 5e00e98665 a man b9a3a5a4fa watching the 3ce7a977e9 lively crowd 47ca263391 let out 0d75d4bcde a small 29dbb98d50 chuckle. He had his ba0461d48a hood pulled low, b406e3918e his mouth just dfb8865708 barely visible in e76f8d5739 the dim light.dd98515f51eaeaf0

“Let’s be e2c85ba456 on our 53101cd427 way now.”a1d3681d171b64dd

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“Why? This is amusing. Let’s listen a bit fc34dc8666 more.”1a138e9637475d47

“It’s late, my lord.”95d4bc7f1eeac341

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“It’s fascinating, dde595d008 isn’t it? They don’t know the 8fe9fdfadf first thing about titles, 5349618895 yet they want to 6dbc2a599c offer him all the 267fa9bb6c best ones. It’s as ba52454461 if they’re b12a0822f6 making an 28a5d1f2ae offering to e6cc2b3b62 a temple.”fcc0f1554412d24f

The man chuckled softly, 69a7c4cf7a veins protruding on the 34ac3b7ad4 hand that held his 1335629e46 cheap liquor.451061e02b89facc

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Just as another cc8f712b50 began to speak, 3949b4272b a loud voice b763467f68 filled with frustration 15eb5ce88d cut through the 22aec5cce6 room.68644922ad21d2bd

“Now that 2048d4411d I think 2a28f6fa26 of it, 494a4254d9 why haven’t ac68692f2d they held a35ab49a2b a victory 2bfc5241db parade yet? I’ve been 8bc8169a10 delaying my 4f9c68af1c trip home 79042f4215 just to 30bd441898 see it.”3253216c86bce22a

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“Told your wife f44b972c5a it was work 23a81f4f3d keeping you busy, cfeba0e6e7 I’ll bet?”03d5db575e3826f0

“Of course. If I told 604af2b318 her it was 7790e5ccc6 for the victory 9e4102a7d5 parade… Oh, no.”d8422b621cf0ed02

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“You’re hopelessly obsessed.”807a88ddb4dac4db

“But really, isn’t it dbb4ce3679 taking quite a long 83e91d4549 time? They say every shop 8d901b119a is complaining about the ea1691f623 loss of profits.”f186934db8ed28de

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“A victory d520a05046 parade would 619cbb30cb mean festivals 8f4d7f2837 and feasts, 8526366b74 wouldn’t it? Taverns stocked 733e57b601 up on 7f25ad572f drink, and bf5570e00b they’re worried 61e5a60b16 the ale ab6822e411 will go a1c081965e sour waiting. The tailor bcf050994e shops are bf688964a1 the same—they’re a24c47df16 waiting to cb0ac919bb collect fees 4cd5c1ac08 for parade e4a7d5ed96 costumes.”0869fbfe0109f32e

“Oh dear.”bc717fb7f7125ee9

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“They wouldn’t fb97c91ce4 be skipping 27a3b58d6e it, would 73fa3dfb0f they…?”b42c5732893f50c5

“No way. If they 814e03aa24 did that, cded323db9 all the 895e161633 young ladies e09e3e403a who’ve been dc60fcf9e5 waiting to 944e03444f catch a c7389aeff5 glimpse of 6a5e8f2ad4 that face 0931d14a20 would rise 0f911229a7 up. It’d be a 6159510101 revolt, a real da37f0e482 insurrection.”b254dca7ef3ebdf9

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Laughter rippled 281a9aa50b through the b591b1ca15 tavern at f740c6e59c the jest.97dd44b7423df1c4

“…”ab501e0eedfff73b

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The man holding a9ccb83769 his glass chuckled ae78ba6f54 low, draining his 513b769d98 drink in one 70d789c525 go. The harsh 4311bddfbc liquor ran 8b26f0f1a4 down his 31d93fb958 throat like 161013fb1f a brush 14537a2766 painting him cd015be402 from the 137a87cf4b inside out. Despite his hazy aff31c09b2 mind, his resolve 8fd461dd2f grew clear.e90bdf532f232748

While his subordinate abe3dbad38 went to settle 427d64e982 the bill and 946ede013f fetch the horses, 738192165a he stood by 2b5118d65e the tavern door, 5ccc0f1b7a stretching out his 075670bf53 body.57b179ec171f2893

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Information gathered 24459225b7 from spies 466e72df2a always had 57082d3c16 its limitations. In the 11848070bc end, he 2baf4d42a9 could only 2045c27c6c rely on 842560cd50 his own e61bf2e276 judgment. He was f25352089e glad he 3b70314166 had come 0409fe4a11 to see bb259920fa it for bbeab59133 himself.cf87bd6b5c57e6a7

“‘The people 49bb249281 adore their a7ab7a2083 wise king b04273d540 and brave 4fa322d4e9 knight,’ they efd60abe03 say. But isn’t it 795589b6fa obvious? It’s all fanatical, 33631d25ab lopsided devotion.”58c5ccbd34a26f9b

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The stars shone brightly, 05657a3810 filling the sky like cf20aafa10 grains of sparkling sand 3391470b60 across a dark shore.a325b729d3486961

“It’s so peaceful.”09bd55c342217311

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He murmured 4e75458065 to himself.a04904651a8806fb

“Peaceful.”9c91328b26d2b7ab

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After all, 9ef87a750c in a ba71d8cb52 place like 3b85af1d91 this, no 1a4dd7bdd3 one would e7736caaed recognize him. He nudged 5a8f8f62d8 back the 2a7cd6c7f7 hood that 6fab9f471a was uncomfortably 8f24738076 obscuring his eb51aa6cb0 view. His pale blond 436345bb7f hair glimmered faintly 37d9c9a5ae in the starlight 30e1906019 against the deep a4ac3a86a6 night.70cab5776e3b3e1c

“In an era of f71e797f11 peace, there is no 51fc91624b need for heroes.”4e45a95d01e73fdb

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* * *65470df387ff02c4

The secret meeting was 6a597c9cac arranged at the baron’s cbf4c0317d estate—a small, nameless fief 8fd5ebf04d near the capital.b1634b8503842ce3

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The baron, suddenly 583a7e294e tasked with hosting 48a1806b44 such important guests, cd4e22ea57 was at a 20f404bce4 complete loss.a15a62ce4b0db343

‘How did this even 1f1180e011 happen?’cbba1a942880029c

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For a eb5efc81de man of 63fcbd4fb7 such humble 47dfca6fa7 status, he 54c01a220f considered it c01fe07314 a once-in-a-lifetime 92e634120e honor.520cea743c78ab35

When the 67179916c8 royal palace ee64304761 had contacted 40b35a28a0 him a c81b990d00 few weeks 6684106a31 prior, asking a828fcb4ae if they 9ddc81076f might borrow fb2b5016c6 his manor 49bb039c0a for a 3678e98aba confidential meeting, ba706ea168 he had e345483f08 been overjoyed.b76ef35acbc0b76b

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To think bbad34bab2 that the 29f97ebbbf king, who ba9d0fde7e had brought a3f480339a spring back 9896559e7f to the af8a960d07 continent, and 751a4020ba the legendary d401dd7f35 knight who ed8d2f04e5 had felled f442014648 countless enemies e7157b2077 as the 1e240c78a4 king’s sword, b09128613f would hold b7ec370275 a meeting 2612c8e9d9 in his a0051ef4b8 very home.f899529e94a9194a

Before they’d even 92c5c3e3b0 held a victory 61c86eeb5c parade in the f54f8de99f capital!3c55c42c53d7c82a

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The delay 2ddb5b22a5 in the 41db328e5a victory parade 88f48dd76e had indeed 0be2aca16d puzzled many. Everyone in the Kingdom 49c3160cd6 of Thornfeld had been 5cf58fd7e6 eagerly awaiting Sir Leo fd4864cabf Fric Helton’s grand return, 2db113fc56 especially the common folk, 0b598f0d26 for whom it was 5e1f10529b a rare chance to 2d03b1e2dc see him.a96a606bd35e64ee

The baron had driven c3d8bfa817 his household to the 053f1cd422 brink in preparation, ensuring 8d4d046475 everything was ready to eafb0be090 welcome these distinguished guests.c379cd110964b18b

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The first to arrive df06a32ba4 was the royal palace’s a7650d0178 delegation. They arrived well before 3e621607d4 the appointed time, leaving b028210779 the baron with a 320f75c96b peculiar sense of unease.4d10641606b61c5b

“Count Zellered, 75fa4c32cd envoy of c842245852 His Majesty, b4f7544e5b King Wintran.”b25702b06b009072

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Behind the 4a6918abe3 count, who 9421b2c676 had appeared 7a84edd2c2 in the 350c42ca3f king’s stead, 26f8736632 was a 6c5bbe820a line of c82d7f7e45 knights exuding e84f88304f a tense 4b4a3a2ff4 atmosphere. Among them f0e8a0bc9a were several bb4d1a4644 bearing the 8f953baf7d royal emblem.588d9ebb90b39060

It was an overwhelming d6a720b5d1 display of authority.5ff192914265bd40

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The count barely 78e580df33 acknowledged the baron 6241d35a79 with a curt d695a47c11 greeting before deploying b4cebeacde his knights to 26c3094b71 strategic points throughout 9af8c93452 the manor, only f2aa6b9a06 settling into the 091843ca01 drawing room once 84ac4521df he was satisfied. Several knights remained stationed 01eb735e6d behind him, standing like 4ddbe5930f a silent wall.099ca62fc89e1f78

The atmosphere was anything d008bed64e but cordial.cbdc9aa478741412

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The rare tea a00eca8c9b and refreshments the 10630e653c baron had painstakingly aa4bec4c56 procured sat untouched, f7d9c42e3a growing cold.2e15ba8a1ffcb653

They had described it a460744b56 as a “quiet meeting,” c542b7dbfe yet this felt more a6268436ad like… a covert operation, 5e92a83892 as though they were 4244dc3ac7 lying in wait to 6826344820 apprehend someone.06f74a25d3ff78c2

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“Master…! He has arrived…!”d652e12d1bd2b3db

“Yes, yes!”5cd82155d21a9b21

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As the baron d416cdf646 sprang up in 39189244a4 excitement at his 68bf56655a servant’s trembling announcement, 1394aae1cb Count Zellered intercepted 3029668b94 him.66d973b3f6528d9d

“My knights will handle 7b3d2c70ea Sir Leo Fric’s welcome. Please, do remain seated. I trust you won’t 89d1965f81 find it a discourtesy.”c6daefc3c2bd86b8

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This level 42e9173aec of reversal e47088989c of roles 558fc0711b was enough 352da3b44c to make 9977faed4b history. The baron, 243b2b96a7 at a 80f40999ad loss, glanced 047d6dd4eb over at f890ec3f16 the count 986e2094ff and his 93217f813e knights and 5a84c4931d quietly nodded, 1efe7f4f82 swallowing hard.455b06a3c402126b

Power and rank 37ce3a5ec6 could render even 9e28f5e4ab impolite actions acceptable.f42f9e33fe97fdf5

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There was 276d054b8f a commotion 5a1b411b78 outside.caa028c4a2a0cf72

The air in the bc8fed37c6 manor buzzed with tension, 706e789b46 a subtle, uneasy rustling 79a4e041f5 that felt unlike the aefdbaa443 usual.177795bf21cfc2f7

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At times, raised a60297c55b voices could be c5aae7f9dc heard. The baron and his 9075373342 servants shrank back, hands d212b76d07 clammy with sweat. Yet the count e6eba5025e and his knights db63159c04 remained utterly unfazed.f784beb3fa2718b1

“Sir Leo Fric 95e058ed61 approaches.”5291729372bb549c

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The heavy doors opened fdf1381082 wide, as if splitting a86650fa72 apart.fcf33080011b2252

A dazzling figure strode c9493741d1 in, like a silver 165391b691 storm. The faint scent of 7d51a5d01b frost lingered in the 0feefbaa00 air.c6f8c5d1401ca6e7

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It took a moment b6f2bbc54d to realize that this 882e1abd54 presence was a person.a45db810d39a7676

His gaze swept 6b8d932ae5 the drawing room 8836540cf1 with cold indifference, e901e1af40 growing icier as e1dfa81df6 he noted King cb5ea01c21 Wintran’s absence.73d4e137d65f3ab3

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As his 2deb047e54 eyes landed e821bed071 on Count e2833a972d Zellered, his fe6aad55d1 brows knitted 2ff7e57605 slightly—a man ca1dc8c2c9 he had f2351461a8 clashed with e7745c18a5 countless times 7687ea1775 throughout the ba346daa3d war, standing f6700d426f there instead 22052c8ab6 of the 23f6d8b10b king.5f4c3499af1d0cc3

When he brushed 660fd23d1d back his luminous fe8938380a silver hair with ab2a62defe a rough hand, dc3b1eea29 it revealed a 4fa6ef51fb smooth forehead and e99215032f striking blue-grey eyes, 9beb87897b as cold and 3cdef45f89 breathtaking as the 2fd0dab4f4 northern winter itself.39231f2b3f9b134a

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It was a violent 3c98735f4c beauty. Despite the 3c09371b3f oppressive presence 18c1ce0496 that seemed 8b11305973 to bind 1df3d6af30 them all, 9999d42dfe no one 92c5eadff5 in the 390f94f3bc room could ce2a9f17b0 look away. They stared at b034d042f3 him, mesmerized, almost 10a8f1df5b dazed.48cc6a580d8c2c4d

“Where is His 88cb7cac4a Majesty?”6006f5f8564deaba

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Leo Fric spoke, 43699df228 effortlessly disregarding the ce56f83e86 captivated stares.09516bf2dd0725af

“He remains 986094c7e2 in the 3a72eb5a6e capital.”ccd249b9a17bf92e

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“What an f295122330 unamusing jest.”46fcb0a67b7399c7

A mocking sigh slipped 37c2a8f3c5 through his red, twisted 253900c2b4 lips.798276c96d6b2c3a

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