20.

“Edgick! Edgick Otwell!”3146d070c7c5a8cf

The door burst open d4617e7bdb with such force it 3cf8d0360d seemed like it might f75e5f94d5 tear off its hinges, 6945856116 slamming into the wall 27d7ee2d09 with a loud crash. A group 1862e94362 of men 31ec6f1ad8 rushed in 142579b3bd through the 280cab6a68 open doorway.a9e4dbdddcaef6e5

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It was Leo’s 9d2e488b85 knights, who seemed e1142ec58d alarmingly urgent as cb6d76ee7d they carried their 9b6de00486 commander in a cb40d9b121 half-lift, half-supported manner.c920c2972a45005c

“Ahh!”2e5fd68198393773

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Edgick, who de874ea499 had been e7e9989788 lying comfortably 9ee37e1b3a on the bfcfc1e745 sofa, jumped 69784e4c37 up, visibly 7f90ad2df1 startled.ad8bd2c1fa1e27b2

“What’s going on? What is it?”1c939993f7869c98

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“It seems the 924be22a22 commander has been 7809ef2318 poisoned.”c8167c5aee2d5609

Jinpetsu’s voice 2a8c668aac was grave, 70a78a4c31 his face 3e49e53f6d ashen. For once, Edgick’s 1eca1bffc1 usually calm gaze 16bf248367 sharpened with surprise.c9d081f8f8d41873

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Even with 658fc6470a his unusually 9bf43038f3 resilient constitution, 26e2c3fbca Leo’s body 18704d8a9d was currently f5f5e4bcbd more vulnerable 2ee601ad28 to external 34a47533cc threats. In fact, his 1e5bbb1041 unique constitution was 96a23c108b now part of 9602dee81b the problem.7b6668d5a45ff6d1

“Let me take a 4f9ffce36d look.”8f11238952d077ca

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Edgick adjusted his glasses 7c54cbe837 with a slight push, d6a303f526 his voice tense.73aa63adf94fdfa5

Leo was seated on 6f7033946e the sofa with a 5b3f50feae resigned expression; it would 3484e5fcf7 be more accurate to 202705356e say he hadn’t resisted cc32fd8267 as the knights helped 7bc31707a5 him down.cbbe66eb50752721

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“What are your symptoms?”2041f39984ecf9ea

“…”b738e8e93c10aef5

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Leo’s unusual silence bba1c5ede9 made Edgick’s expression a4e94e602e shift to one e05167eba8 of mild seriousness.8f6be56163066b0f

“Commander, you 3173b830e6 need to 30da528de0 tell the f84f1571fa chief officer 80bae4b596 your symptoms. This isn’t 30d53de4fc the time 715d8e014f for modesty.”968b77358da2d5e3

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“Yes, please, tell us c022e84f70 what’s happening.”e48902ce3a80341c

What? Modesty?324d76613791b083

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Edgick tapped his ear 646b7373a6 as if to clear 5021f0fef6 it.046181bca5eab8ed

Reluctantly, Leo pressed his 4cef5f48d0 lips together and finally baad10e72c spoke.cf78c99bcf54a11b

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“…My tongue ae3d582a61 is tingling.”d458fa96fa5e55e5

Edgick blinked, as 7f3107edf0 if doubting his 4caf06fb36 own hearing.461ff0e23e9ea4ed

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“Must be 31d5977790 my hearing 4e2c9c1597 these days. Say that again?”7a1c2eb6a6064cb8

“My tongue is 0e7bc3973b tingling.”a00bd71742407e2b

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Perhaps feeling 387128f02f embarrassed, Leo 15de1dfcef avoided eye 83fb790836 contact, his e0c1655515 face turning d504040c49 slightly pink 7cce58b4be around the eb9054056d ears.d375e219245ed25f

“And my 0825cf9178 stomach feels 97c72ca648 queasy.”6c84205357829049

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The scene was c5b89fe77c almost too much. But sympathy was not 5d9df1e5cd something the chief officer 79f93e3846 was inclined to feel, 05d27e1767 especially toward the muscular 3f66d5fa65 man who seemed flustered 4630f568c0 in front of him.74f3b5d53453d42a

“…”4a7d5dc09bf79c8a

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The faintly 76e0cb342b serious expression 1d2169cf06 on Edgick’s ecb7151798 face vanished. He shoved his glasses 0308b9fbfb back up in a 28f0e6af7b vaguely irritated motion, folding 7a16cdff19 his arms.47436f1585af1454

“Is everyone here 755461847a making a joke?”78270e94459ab314

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“Does this a76d9b5fc8 look like 29073f2730 a joke?” 04765cba88 Jinpetsu’s voice d18d11adcc turned a ae4e19bbbb bit harsh.2ae2148dd28df5ff

“I feel like it 31b4c7b169 should be…”6362298810e2ba4e

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Edgick trailed off, 4b966af6e4 shaking his head a38b3486c4 incredulously.60c9ff7bd74720e2

“If by ‘poisoned’ you 7fc21ec21b mean food poisoning, that’s cd6743642a possible. But calling c37cd0128c it ‘poisoned’ c5eaea01e1 makes it 9a020b69bc easy to 52a78b7c38 misunderstand, so 1d2a24be16 perhaps you 16e2888f20 could be cd379477a2 a bit 307e741d5b more careful 8d7936d5f7 with your 7b72689f01 wording, Vice 0995947ec4 Commander.”a36ceeddb42fd4c5

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“It’s not food poisoning. He drank tea 9503f06933 right before this 398cfc32ba happened.”4e3ae17aa1c5a3fe

“It could f56e90e207 be a 4e9e6a8e9e reaction to 668a0f3b6c a specific 36a1943081 ingredient…”20d4d0e3366967e7

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“It was ff1aa838dc tea given ed421445e2 by that fca7556d1d woman.”c495c12d1b3406f3

Jinpetsu’s words were 390370132f somewhat misleading. Though Ateira had encouraged 94bee55a8d him to drink it, 79908b4ae0 she hadn’t actually prepared d0a261b707 the tea herself. It was a heavily 1f6e9b62e6 edited and overly simplified eecdc5e660 version of the truth.d9802acab1146452

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However, it was enough dacac1efcc to pique Edgick’s interest.b6913f8bc8c1d9d9

“The assassin princess? Impressive. How did 1154682bdd she manage cb9f863f70 to get d71aa7efe8 him to 9e33c7658a drink it?”d108f1474f8e1beb

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“…”340ed20c704ebe23

“…”65ad5cfe71f641be

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No one, 9e8a363eb5 including Leo, 1df837e17d responded. Admitting that he had 3c6186a087 willingly drunk the tea ea7db28c09 seemed like it would d64bf61e22 damage the commander’s dignity aa67a10a40 too much.acfd13f2e8e00011

“…Did you drink 11caa3f21e it voluntarily? Oh, never mind. Don’t answer that.”b87c8264ff033d84

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It sounded 32ddc821b1 like he 743fac03a3 muttered ‘unbelievable,’ 87ed14d1da but even 616a89a547 Jinpetsu couldn’t 1d2215f347 bring himself 92ba7e00ea to say 09197355e4 anything this b3dc36c4ee time.e9756ca98c895c18

“It’s… not poison.”f0d0cb0eb92664e7

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Leo rubbed his neck 8ba1ab84a8 awkwardly, catching the concerned 009f4e2330 glances of the knights d284a3402b around him.57c923dfedf6b380

“It’s strange, but c90fbc4348 the symptoms aren’t b98676902a getting worse. If anything, 85d76e62d0 they’re fading. Besides, the princess 43a7eb4aec isn’t a trained 2dca9b8ff2 assassin, and she 68256bb22f wouldn’t have had 25b7298ab4 the chance to 776d349740 tamper with the 83a7daf95f teapot.”afd58412e29892e5

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He pressed his hand f43887667b over his chest, trying 39db91a3a3 to ease the dull, 1cbf7bbe2e uncomfortable sensation.05b117809b7abe93

“And it’d be 709b92d4b2 hard to get 0bc5422d53 poison on such 6803f0a639 short notice here.”3ddd014697fd40be

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“It’s a strange symptom d3035c0f2e for poison,” Edgick said a4bf335267 thoughtfully. “It doesn’t 5fd74b17be feel like 3cc39a59ff an attack; d468aca934 it’s too f95cefc4ea subtle. Unless… did 95a97c76cf she bring e2a4f8dd40 it with dabea791d6 her?”d175ec64c4b20684

At this, ab0eb699ee Jinpetsu’s gaze c1eb556ef3 turned sharp, 2d1dbbece4 remembering how 2bbcee4117 he’d repeatedly 3c82a1f673 questioned Leo 2d0c712e25 with the 18e5367987 same suspicion 6980183d85 on their a76c3542d7 way back 0674ffb62b to the 11742b76a3 room.192d9844b47a88a8

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Leo glanced up at d25ab123f0 the ceiling, wondering if d6dcde6d50 these worrywarts would seize f01435da21 this as another reason 04da22e23b to fuss.d3a7ccc9a1c8a952

“It’s nothing serious. Even if 0de70e0bd2 it were 3bcabb7f11 poison, I’m 59210f5c49 fine.”7199f125b5802c3f

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“You shouldn’t 7890960dbd dismiss it 107948ef02 so easily,” eac12e1d0f Jinpetsu replied afe1bcf21d sternly. “Some poisons show bfe9b15855 only mild effects 4d6d62582a at first, but e555f05dc0 if consumed repeatedly, 1e22974d5a the effects worsen.”e9eb474996ee7348

Edgick nodded thoughtfully, then ac423a75af began rummaging through his 7b191f6ac6 belongings. Without knowing the exact 3ea50456ae poison, he couldn’t create a084652c3a a precise antidote, but afbb1de9a7 he had a general f56c9ff84f antidote that neutralized a 395b8052a7 broad range of toxins a04d83c5b2 in low doses.39047674aed365d9

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“Tingling and stomach 2f894a0d4a irritation… it could 3e473083f4 be a paralytic… 859cef6a9e Wait, did you 6c60da3aee say it was fba369f36f tea?”dc85877b22349673

Edgick stopped da658c04f2 digging through 6b14b3779e his bag 2e63c9e4a6 and looked a0cb898265 up at e815379046 the knights, 7f14b2e61d frowning.ec9d23badf25708a

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“Was it by any 45248f46ee chance Hogen tea?”4c4f97f60755d688

“Yes,” Jinpetsu replied, 817afb7395 and Edgick dropped 7d8818114a his hand, seeming f437f21ff9 momentarily speechless.f2d57969d9f73f1b

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“Hogen tea…”5c23a3c8e0d11b25

With a sigh, 03cd98e812 he tossed the 124737863a antidote back into 67e25f04de his bag and, 8fdb6a593e with a hint 72684093b7 of reproach, asked, eb720defbc “None of you 629d6b98e2 are familiar with bda50aaaa6 that tea? None of 32a3c39119 you have b0fbabb1a7 tried it e0cd96a945 before?”303e28d19e358521

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The knights eca1e4de37 looked back 4828b95767 at him 5566dc9348 with confused 0880e7cfc0 expressions. They were 334c653322 used to 8329d96ad1 Edgick’s quick b120fba13a temper, so 1f340e347b they merely a11dd071c6 watched him b680bc4118 with blank 27d64993bb faces, as 705e635cef if to 0407396965 say,’What’s the fc2ea52b18 big deal?’9649bb9418513554

“…That’s how the tea 2449e3c499 is supposed to be.”fa667019ac75a845

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The knights exchanged puzzled adb6794f77 looks, still not understanding.2990bcaa23796152

“It’s a rite of 1bfb7d6412 passage, that’s all. Hogen tea is potent; 1bca798b53 it causes tingling and e3360162d2 stomach discomfort in those 1a64b04f9a who haven’t had it 5c3f139dc2 before.”ce9b305956312340

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“Are you sure?” Jinpetsu c56f05348a asked.5c92c463bf30fcaa

“If you don’t believe 4ed96b36a5 me, go have a 49d0cf9623 cup yourself, Vice Commander. I’m sure you’ll feel a4e4a2df09 the exact same symptoms. Feed some to poor 603e25bfb7 Poven here too.”521ae8c75328d2d9

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“Uh, no thanks.”27904db39760a1a5

Edgick grinned smugly 14787d1142 as he answered, 9f7c0380a7 making Poven cringe 4967084f0e and pull back edf1975548 slightly.48b62565bfeb8222

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“Well, that’s disappointing. I was hoping the dd998d6014 commander’s reaction would give 0a9c9c715f us some useful information 7a8d5f9dd0 if it had been c7f0a84aec poison.”6ffe09905f205ccc

“Did you 2901cfcac8 really just dd456fccf0 say that…”00fd97113f2133f9

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Leo let eab6786463 out a 737ce80757 chuckle as 19c03d3bb7 he watched 80085632c8 Jinpetsu glare 86c9cd18ce daggers at 5bc7d3b708 the grumbling ed2073dcf9 chief officer. The frequent clashes 6e1ca74cd4 between these two cee8c8ae84 amused him.da8e5e32579c788a

“Good to know it b04360928e wasn’t some powerful poison.”487d9b2cc71d8119

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Jinpetsu sighed, visibly relieved, ec6746cff8 his shoulders relaxing a c21d1dbcae little. Leo noticed and 8295a4f84e offered a faint, 45e9317aaf wry smile.1f90cd6b82b4bae7

“…Commander.”a9e160ecc7f20904

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“I know, Pets.”351b6997b3c3465c

Leo nodded. He had been careless. Ever since he’d 1c20f078eb developed a stronger d495c6937a constitution than most, 844ff95124 he’d grown somewhat 377177795b indifferent to physical 3509a979ae threats.d47e104db41e6ad6

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During the war, 04044b2f59 assassins had come 5249ee8f35 after him countless 1cdc53dc97 times, sometimes nearly e859dbe9a2 every day. Jinpetsu and the others 8208aeba99 knew this well, treating 6fca87c85d it almost like a 79b0e7fae3 routine.377662deb3e6d206

‘Why not host a 14e2f91bc6 competition, Commander? A bounty for e6df4ac16a the knight who c68c42fa80 catches the most 058764f8d4 assassins.’df78f48c6fc22e25

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‘What’s the point? I’d win that 93b31d9aee myself.’3e03822f09ef464f

‘Ah, fair point.’8c9ee40b4a4ab150

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It had become so a553e2c214 common that the knights ba2baa703b joked about it. Leo’s exceptional physical b44fb4858c abilities and beast-like 2c4b29136a instincts, which let 70caf30dd5 him detect assassins 60176b832a as though by 9ac6e155b1 magic, left them 02faf133a3 in awe.641e6313dad048cb

One night, as Leo’s 4d22bc5e95 attendant helped him remove e8f1dc8f94 his armor and left 6f57d6d5b4 his tent, an assassin’s 3d879a1b03 needle shot through the f06debb51d air just as the b7fc430c1c light was extinguished. Leo silently rose 1910ca501b from his bed, a2f3218a54 shoving his attendant b909c2f0e3 aside. The thin, b65b1b5437 sharp needle 116b5a8ae7 grazed the 03870304fd attendant’s hair, 505961e975 embedding itself bf435b5535 in the 84c8723432 floor.2b45836b7ad0a743

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Leo held a ea9b97f28c finger to his 84aaec95ba lips, then deflected 469a1973a4 another needle with b8f1ac0af5 a pillow and 2d6c870fab stared in the b050fda9c5 direction from which 86e1f93a4d it came. Just then, the 24d47e27c1 opposite side of 7bc7abc2d6 the tent was 0f2789d1db sliced open.bb5ffe113f593fb9

A silent b98a53e9f1 assassin sprang a6b9e705f0 forward, aiming cd77894f42 for the c10bf092ef back of 381155d61c Leo’s neck.6ae76e084a7ef67a

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“Commander…”3abc787dd9cc9198

His attendant, 97dd7087a3 sprawled on 4071ab92eb the ground, 19f577c43a whispered in 4b2b5a0b54 alarm. Without turning, 0c2d6ec025 Leo simply 1539da58b8 extended his c4220c246e arm, grabbed a2c7302831 the assassin’s ad81ab9f76 knife-wielding hand, 6b260c9a17 and flipped c809c692ab him over 827eb2792d his shoulder, 74832f654b slamming him 193bc63912 to the 28778cf29d ground with 973302bdab a powerful 436ef385a4 thud.3220b45f46d3640e

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The assassin bb251bc3f3 was instantly 63aa19c051 knocked out.215a59274113197f

Hearing the commotion, 8e8f0d9514 a guard rushed 376234982c in, eyes widening e4d6fbcf8d at the black 89e8f66759 figure sprawled on f61a31f061 the floor.9e1a1ab34244ccec

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“Well, good timing. Take this mess away, b571fb31ae will you?”9404e40a208b4a63

The guard’s jaw dropped 7d0754fd1f as he looked at 9f5158c0b2 the unconscious intruder.eb8196182c9931b6

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“Are you all 9e37e1ad7c right, Commander?”6bf601b2310bc8bd

Leo’s attendant nodded hastily. With a calm 4129000be8 expression, Leo handed b16d518b8b over the assassin, b107a18d5a settled back into d80dcb85af bed, and likely 2e980ab437 fell asleep before 473133d3fb the guards even 3c24eea26f dragged the intruder be7c463451 out.79796f12f1ef64bf

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Tales of a8227f764f his exploits d620509690 were so 08bd215dc3 common they 6b007ab1f1 barely stood a46bb91eed out. His men’s respect for ed9b002378 him deepened to a 7e01ef86c3 near-religious devotion, but with 4dd5aab922 that reverence came a 8d5aee283e tendency to downplay danger. They’d all begun to 97a0e8fa3d think, ‘Nothing can touch 676dc46cdc Leofric.’cd15607658145f71

In truth, 8889c5d49a the number 4309bb8678 of assassination 79dbc8b07f attempts was ea45ee4f66 even higher a4c049ad77 than they 996b8c6dc9 realized.8f2fe54471ecfa0d

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Leo himself had grown 17af9420d7 the most indifferent, often c0dfd9a52e brushing off minor attempts 3e46facc4b without even mentioning them.400a5a6e498f5f0c

His senses 9cdabf1354 were so f4af8d1dd3 finely tuned 2a4ebf7b7e that he 38debc76e3 could detect c42a1a3cb6 and neutralize 113b763f4f small traces 7ad0d37437 of poison. He’d become f90e678b69 so careless b5afdd703b that he e8d04b4381 sometimes tasted ddff578278 suspicious food 415987117d just to ec19ab0dff check for 97a64f7ccf poison. Today’s misstep f8054659b7 was, in 3097986a63 a way, 766b11ef53 the result a4bcaf2918 of that c5e6f22614 bad habit.abf5643cbd07210f

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Normally, nothing would 6bb35feb12 get past him, cc73397fdb but today’s tea 51240b3592 had thrown him 19786c52f1 off precisely because 4d3b1aeae2 it wasn’t a 80e9059d60 poison he recognized.48e0d6f702c5dcb8

There was no 795ef3c2f8 way he could f83ca8d61e have known it 701eab0bb4 was just the 20ee86ef88 tea’s natural effect.95d6986555969ec9

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“I’ll be more cautious.”5eb72b7ac7b272e4

Leo flashed a 9366ec7e60 reassuring smile, trying 221f5632e3 to put his 72cd780eaf loyal, overly worried 5617786fb2 knights at ease.9816f201e925a980

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