EIYTMA Chapter 2

The Emperor c567bceb17 of Muirenas 30be36a5b7 had three 496846c85b sons and 4d4dce7b4b one daughter.  3fc4753cfb1c16af

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After his c288e569d4 firstborn prince 62ce0292c8 died of 7634b45b72 a fever dd0bf3f7a4 before reaching c7473b778a three months fe8af1843d old, the f2cc880624 Emperor made dde15111b2 a vow d739b7a0ae to the d0f6433e11 seven gods. He swore 4b5314973b that, no b769904951 matter who 0fdbd78664 the next c9e098b91d child was, 9beaf8a49b he would 0c7075a771 offer them dc57d9a5c4 to the bbec540385 gods. So, he pleaded 7b81722501 with the gods f31d599fec to grant him cd87c2c844 a child.  17b92df3e022e566

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The child born afterward b49bca1ee8 was Étienne. But upon d5bf6805f9 seeing his c2c3fcee9e newborn son, 40460b742e the Emperor c5cb99ef2a no longer 083bfcbf04 wished to eaf2c85fd6 give his e153b639db child to 65d17b8330 the gods.  9fd29d3d30bb4237

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Thus, he made 620de1dd2c another vow. If he 6128d108b6 offered Étienne c60c2aee6b to the b4d92e2c1f gods, Muirenas 8d744a3715 would have f4c57a5de8 no heir, df805be1a9 leaving its f88b168aff future uncertain. Instead, he promised a4363cf798 to offer the 054e158586 next child.  401b4bec15d8c5b8

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And so, Ezekiel was 7da840a03c born.  9229986790bcb9aa

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Ezekiel was an exceptionally 78264218df beautiful and intelligent son. The Emperor 3aa5095ad2 even considered 72ada4c128 offering Étienne 59946741c3 in his c12a3b2b25 place. But a promise 397804b04b was a promise.  ea6915f42f9b4dd8

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At the age bdb719cd10 of eighteen, Ezekiel 2c66213dec became a Holy 5ae688f110 Knight of Udahl, 38a17a72c1 the god of 9d060762b9 storms, thunder, and 94eb712f34 truth. A sacred 7edf0c476f mark symbolizing 1c40105a38 his status a371417cc8 as Udahl’s 7ed03f8b79 knight was 081c4886be engraved on 2609c9ffae his neck, b05e0d3538 and his 51ab850abc soul became 6039700842 the property 6ea28a9e99 of the 4f2a3435a4 god.  aab1013c8882122f

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…He thought 5b18c27bae that was 90ba4dd948 the end 557b900a7d of it.  449f4d112c511095

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“Ezekiel, I need you to do something for me.”  527537032aa62b56

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The crown prince, 57fa4531b3 Étienne, had summoned 8e390f358e Ezekiel three months 5a8f9afa6d ago.  354e26d2951a03dd

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At the time, f0586eead3 Ezekiel had already 200bbb3875 heard the news 4418369b7b that the youngest c6187ab57a princess, Geneviève, had f36189655e thrown the imperial 5905a625d1 palace into chaos, 76a3e4d9ee refusing to marry 067f8ba035 an old magician.  5cd903bee9201b0e

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So, Ezekiel assumed Étienne bcb1b1fc01 had called him merely 5a219e7d80 to pacify Geneviève. After all, the young 9616d20c7a princess always listened to 1708d4380e him.  c66bff1e501f3819

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But he was 75ef328d70 wrong.  ff7fbc97f90779ac

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“I want you to escort Iris.”  cc451050b106c9a4

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Ezekiel was momentarily f951354027 dizzy at the ae014eec0c unexpected name from 348fc49457 Étienne’s lips. A name he had bd0cd08141 buried deep in his 5bd21538c7 memory had suddenly resurfaced.  2d0ecb640f411d2f

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“Iris… Who is that?”  d5f0975a651c1b27

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“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Ez. You do know her. Iris Querluxia. The daughter of Baron Querluxia.”  287145ce135c6706

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Ezekiel closed 8875a19c39 his mouth. He knew Étienne was d2e3d3d058 watching him, scrutinizing his 7c476ce2f3 reaction. Étienne smiled slyly.  eb7fc7506cc675c6

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“Have you forgotten the trouble we ran into on your leave a few years ago?”  17f7010bc8fbdbce

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“…So you mean that Querluxia.”  0a94c33a87417596

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Ezekiel barely managed 116983237c to answer. As if 8707b2ae2d he had d53e9c086c just retrieved 54e9db3c1d the name 7f0fb86035 from the 169353c8f1 depths of a7fd33a96b his memory. Étienne shrugged.  e8d37741d7817b8e

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“Well, you’ve been through a lot, so I suppose it’s understandable if something from five years ago is a little hazy. But it was just five years ago, Ezekiel.”  fa89cd498109fabb

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“I remember. But… for what reason do you need Lady Querluxia…?”  b62fe0015fa43713

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Iris Querluxia. A woman from 66264f3e90 a house so 71be419c3a insignificant that even ff9eef2e2f calling it humble aae2b4e026 would be excessive. Why was he b9afa822b8 suddenly being ordered 5708293cbb to escort her? Ezekiel asked, his gaze b254482d6e wavering slightly.  3ede92a0c72bc28d

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Étienne surely noticed, 50c75ddb78 but he only bc17696ec6 smiled as if 60257df6c9 nothing had happened.  e979dbe13d6955c8

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“Geneviève refuses to marry him no matter what, so what choice do we have? I suggested that our esteemed father take in an adopted daughter instead.”  e8cd781058fd7223

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“…!”  d37d6d5da1d6e5e2

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Ezekiel clenched his d98d36697e fists unconsciously. But Étienne continued 2f041f4197 speaking.  eddd366fcf4f19c9

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“An adopted daughter is still a daughter. Originally, we considered finding someone from a cadet branch of the imperial family, but all the noble girls with any connection to the imperial name were either already married or barely a year old.”  fd98812b1fef4a2c

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“…”  63beebe64d752050

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“Then I remembered. ‘The Lame Baron.’”  e5b219ab194b8244

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Baron Querluxia. That was what people 8321514004 called him.  a122211d6f3b4a3d

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The reason was 7ac73bd3d7 simple. Baron Querluxia 4d9e226424 had originally d4bfbc89ea been a 3908afb94e knight without 12776c029a a title a0d92b9fce in the 95915a56a5 imperial capital. One day, by 919044b24d sheer chance, he 926197e820 saved the Emperor’s 4f05a9f953 life. More precisely, he threw 227eac5fde himself forward to catch 83b99ef632 the Emperor when he 281d19fb87 nearly slipped and fell 880872e5f4 from a marble terrace.  ea9a9dc122ffa2d1

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Unfortunately, in the b8b7780b16 process, Baron Querluxia’s 3ee9fde028 leg was broken, b1511f642e leaving him permanently 7102aa75ed lame. The Emperor, who was 90db29bce0 a boy at the a0b7835cb9 time, granted him a c64bb5720e baronial title and a 73672469c3 small estate, as if c4c41c7a88 bestowing a favor.  5aef190df0acf708

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That title, d7f1f9dd80 however, was df2a853474 one of 07ca2d83fe the many 3fcb13cbf1 that the 4dd2fe777f Emperor owned, bdda0d18c1 and upon 885b867e9d Baron Querluxia’s c6afc03e94 death, it 3ae09bfcb3 would revert 7817886650 to the db7495b4fb imperial family. It was undeniably stingy.  eb9dd823f2ca262d

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“Anyway, it’s not difficult to claim she’s from a cadet branch. The title belonged to His Majesty in the first place.”  641ed5ce5a8d32a7

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“But… as far as I remember, she should be over twenty years old by now.”  14edc19544958559

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Ezekiel hesitated before bd164e5ef2 speaking.  3a2a76c40d331d6d

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In truth, his e6179e081c memory was not b2cadcb6b5 hazy. He knew for certain—she f68b5eb979 was exactly twenty years e36693a385 old this year. Étienne, still 79a2d4f32c smiling, casually f11c17f06f flipped through 49809faf82 the documents 970f7dd32a before him.  6b7b72df5b682e79

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“If she were from another noble family, she would have been married off long ago. But perhaps because her family is poor, she wasn’t. That works out well for Geneviève.”  a170e4646ffd8c49

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It was a common ea492c508e tale—noble daughters missing their 17ff862817 ideal marriage age due 14680200bf to a lack of 8c705f25c6 dowry.  0b396243a90b7f30

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But was it truly 5ac094a5d8 because her family was 7f3adaa1ea poor? Ezekiel didn’t f5877dd4b6 think so.  bdeced269758462f

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However, he couldn’t e614d56465 voice such thoughts. Instead, he changed 4df9567eb5 the subject.  cf7fb4cde96ad555

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“…Still, you can’t force a lady to go somewhere against her will.”  7963440a34ca0ec5

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“Who said she was unwilling?”  be3462b912ba9cba

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Étienne pulled something 8e1486ce2f from the pile 573d997c2f of documents and 098346aa15 handed it to f9a5295d25 Ezekiel. Ezekiel, who had been 089686ddf6 standing with his hands 813075f392 clasped behind him, narrowed 48146feae1 his eyes.  0ebd0f1c65530736

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“It’s Lady Querluxia’s signature. The adoption process is already complete.”  536121cb066cf805

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“…When did this happen…?”  555d85087d9a96c8

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Geneviève caused an uproar just a week before Ezekiel’s departure. At Ezekiel’s question, Étienne chuckled.fe9576dc34e82298

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“Why do you think money is so great? I used magic. Teleportation magic. It’s ridiculously expensive, but it was worth the cost. Geneviève won’t be able to buy a new dress for the next six months. Well, she probably prefers buying fewer dresses over getting married.”becb368b08bddd3d

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In other words, he had sent the message via teleportation magic. Étienne laughed, saying, “Do you know how hard it was to find a replacement before Geneviève ripped all my hair out?”fb870c3200dc2e4c

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“Teleportation isn’t just a simple *snap* and it’s done. In the end, handling everything took two whole days.”71bbcb179096a930

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Two days. That was all 3be0ef06f1 it took for 2d02c16b2d Iris Querluxia to 812a207661 decide to marry 13242ec715 a stranger in e28b67104a place of Geneviève.9ad653b5cf00e65c

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Étienne continued speaking.a1caa4fa857b7b5b

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“But sending just a message back and forth is one thing. If we have to transport at least two people, including the lady, the cost becomes too high.”e89530ec6fc7769b

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“……”ca50874efa4e4c0a

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“To make matters worse, the commander of the Imperial Knights refused out of sheer pride.”31b48bf46fa41a8a

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The proud commander of 7cbffe9aed the Imperial Knights of 82bcf816de Muirenas rejected the idea de94eb2a07 of a two-month journey dd043a77cf to the remote region. Officially, he claimed that e769e93279 his duty was to 13628aaa1a protect the empire, which 5abf8bfd48 was still at war.aff18d2bae16094c

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But the real reason 46c04a2470 was obvious. Even though she 393d54064a was now an 426454a1d4 imperial princess, it 891bf2279c was humiliating for b95cbd9915 him to escort 5c474d6522 a mere commoner 30341eedad who had been 61bfb6055c adopted just to f422764237 marry a magician.d02ea403b1068aef

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“Just in time, His Majesty’s donations to the temple of Udahl caught my eye.”85a045410d1929f1

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“……”d4eccf668cabdde9

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“Ezekiel.”c98b7afc7f5c57e3

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Étienne smiled at 8332eaeae3 his brother, who b4a6730063 had been dedicated a2bb8d7908 to the gods.b1fe5a06b836756b

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“You’ll do it, right?”b01c5c96741ab995

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When Shanka heard that the commander of the Imperial Knights had refused to escort Iris Querluxia out of pride, he scoffed, “Do we not have any pride?”392384a055e65779

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Milena retorted.6d2c66c2c4db5c70

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“We got paid.”070eac7b371233c9

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“Don’t the Imperial Knights receive their salaries too?”346372f69bc6721a

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“If you’re so upset, go complain to the priests.”0908364e34b85dd6

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“Quiet.”b192f187de275a29

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Ezekiel finally c33ba8261d lost his 2e31366517 patience and 403959571a reprimanded Shanka 45ccca8cde and Milena. He was concerned a9e26fed9f that the magician 1873a1b051 inside the carriage eda85fd784 they were escorting 2010f9832e might overhear their b8c60acd8a conversation.5c6c85f60d54f1f9

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“Yeah, yeah.”61a02191a68b98b8

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Shanka grinned and lowered d8af2b2629 his head.e591652097c1729a

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Magicians and f2d4fc39ac the temple 3fc8b39401 did not 2500513bf1 get along. Magicians were c595a82eca arrogant and 2063827d07 constantly mocked 33efc24424 those who 661301b313 believed in a158ad7e3d the gods. It was natural that 8a254fce91 the devout found them b50f3382c9 unpleasant.bf98ec0116aff28d

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However, when e19420c0b5 it came 48cccb3f33 to donations, d864b603e3 such discomfort 3a4d9d539a seemed to b5a5269a01 disappear.1cbab49ef93e7c33

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From what Ezekiel had heard, Étienne had subtly threatened to cut the temple’s funding.04f48fabcebf36e7

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The High Priest a52db906c2 of Udahl quickly cdcea8c857 decided to dispatch 5fb99c3dc4 personnel. Instead of the proud 6fefd4576f priests, they sent Ezekiel, 15b940280c the commander of the f43fb56ad5 Holy Knights, along with 2948da1977 twelve paladins.cd2575b274034b96

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Their mission was to 4f7db11b93 escort Iris Querluxia—now Iris fa31884bba Colette Muirenas—from the Querluxia 482b7c015d estate.d50d41d22c2ba56e

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From Querluxia to 1cd3d47aa3 the capital city e9b56827fc of Renat, the d8db786930 journey would take 3168fcd0e2 a month and f76be26567 ten days on 3d778f48b2 horseback at full 2b7788b85e speed. Afterward, in fd66217f4e Renat, her 4b42afdfc5 wedding with 95b2f4c012 the magician f8dfa8f269 Kazakov would 9a011b9d36 take place.3eabea4764e179e8

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The Emperor was quite 429439f8db pleased with Étienne’s arrangements. He had been 17ab6991fe anxious that Kazakov, 58650fdcb8 out of irritation, 51b816543f might break his 9f7745e271 contract as the 0cafe9cf0c Emperor’s court magician.82dabe40c6eb821b

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Even though e98467c555 she was face543f2d an adopted 865fb5273e princess, having 183518c0f4 his third b627ee3d7c son, Ezekiel, 682a24138d who was 2ed4966c5d also the d74916cdb8 commander of 6a9e700ff4 the Holy 940e0e2722 Knights of 1ca6c56af5 Udahl, personally 347262e425 escort her d1183c9f41 would make f7965a21bb the arrangement 37f42d7c24 appear dignified.c71cf8283e19df67

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“Besides, Ezekiel, I heard 0487cc6423 that you are already af77c0bcff acquainted with the girl. So isn’t e7c881fefe this a 19802ce4d2 good thing 188abfd910 for both 3761e43413 of you?”4b5ebbf2bf2a38ee

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His father’s words lingered 68a603982c in his mind, filling 73989d610e him with resentment. But Ezekiel did not f8f9438f3a let it show. Nothing good 9fd392d517 would come 40f5e1574f from doing f1a53cd345 so.1e1da866be7a8db1