MLCD Chapter 6.1 || Human

In the 4731f4342f early hours 94a268d3a4 of the 6c3c4e3d47 morning, Shavonne d16e68aee8 awoke briefly 11f782d714 to the a705e4aded smell of 6265b88543 water seeping e2ea688ca3 in from ad89bef51f somewhere. As he bd7c6eeede gathered his 3aa5a0f607 groggy senses, 97dbc33f29 he saw 0c8a4354d2 dense fog 876b0be070 rolling in 58e854ea52 through the a8553be17c half-open window.a9e70f4ccac2e697

The whole world was shrouded in a thick fog. The《Grisby Street》 sign, Mr. Cloud’s tailor shop, and Mrs. Bay’s dressmaker shop were all hidden in the mist. All that could be seen was a row of gas lamps, each emitting a dim light as if about to go out.0cd815a47cdf0d49

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Just as 27c7c3df56 Shavonne was 79b8aded52 about to f6ffe39c8d close the ae34dc641a window, a 41d0e2530b strange sound 7d3e04df36 reached his 95529ac930 ears.What’s that sound?Shavonne paused before latching aca9133b64 the window and peered ce2a561520 outside. More precisely, he b5a9487403 looked into the 56556b2e13 dense fog beyond 1bf99a5e96 the window. The sound seemed to 300cde247e come from over there, d6cf325af5 but the fog was 30c82a269d so thick that nothing ef854b0e17 could be made out. It was uncertain whether 04ed6122d5 anything was there at 7140ae279a all.d9e4db889a43e1c6

The only thing 190be23331 certain was that 9042dadf52 the unidentifiable sound ad99856213 was getting closer f1a0471eb3 and closer. The noise, which ac04ab00df sounded like rustling ea4019f41d shrouds, or ghosts acffafa61c drifting, or perhaps a84fffd607 simply the wind 3f41d97caa blowing, gradually began f12753aaa8 to take on 167ee1a5db a clearer form. There was a 50a72075e9 clattering sound coming 239c7bf817 from within the face44774d fog. It was 1e363f34bb the sound 20ceef530b of horses c0107f62c8 coming.e27782244888bad3

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Before he could fully grasp what the sound meant, the source revealed itself. Although the fog was thick and he couldn’t see clearly, it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t recognize it was a carriage. Two diligently running horses, a coachman holding the reins, and a plain carriage body without any coat of arms came into view.9b13f5afc0a7b1b0

It was a carriage so common that you could see more than thirty of them if you went out on the street, but for some reason, it kept catching his eye. Shavonne couldn’t take his eyes off the back of the carriage disappearing into the fog. Something bleak, like fog, like anxiety, was seeping into the nape of his neck.9b801c280e04fe0d

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“Couldn’t sleep again, I see?”acf7776132eef32f

Suddenly, Lewellyn’s voice came from behind. He thought Lewellyn had been sound asleep, but apparently not. Or perhaps he had woken up after realizing that the space next to him in the bed, where Shavonne should have been lying neatly, was empty.05a031388bbba030

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“How long did you sleep today? An hour? Two hours?”5ebd06a40cd9367f

He was accurate. It seems that 0696c6bee0 after living together 200442a7cd for three seasons, 829154e553 one can even 4940e4d208 guess how long c79f2f6776 their lover has 07c9669fee slept.61f6f8a12af1dab6

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“Is it that obvious?”95a5d63887f51a00

“Of course it is. Your eyes are like a rabbit’s, your dark circles are like a panda’s, and your hair is like a lion’s.”1a507f49790e00b8

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“I must look terribly ugly.”6633f7171349fb8a

“No. You look like a beautiful chimera.”3d8102e015d14f76

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However, Lewellyn himself looked no less haggard. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were chapped, as if he hadn’t had a proper sleep. His skin was as lusterless as tree bark. Looking at him, Shavonne was once again struck by the fact that handsome people remain handsome regardless of whether their eyes were bloodshot like a rabbit’s or their dark circles drooped like a panda’s.9d2aff019b5c0896

“Go to sleep quickly. I read in the 《Daily Bunch》that when people don’t sleep, their liver gets damaged and their heart worsens. Even though a sleepless Mr. Shavonne is lovely too, I can’t sacrifice your health just to appreciate that.”23468318bbb1e065

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“Well, I don’t think you’re in a position to talk about health or anything.”aa8de1495616b76f

Shavonne retorted. Lewellyn paid no 85bb6fccf8 mind. He raised f2e4a44163 his eyebrows d22063af00 nonchalantly and b8cee029c0 replied.74753a3e49770a82

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“Oh, you seem to be under some misunderstanding. I don’t have any problem sleeping, I’m choosing not to sleep.”dcd8488785e657ac

He says he’s not sleeping when it’s obvious he can’t sleep. Lewellyn was someone who rarely showed signs of struggle. There had been hardships in coming here from Ira Street, but Lewellyn had never once uttered a negative word.7ca7a3686dfdf5e0

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Even when he did say something, it was always along the lines of “You know what? Every day is difficult because Shavonne is too lovable,” or “I feel exhausted just by seeing, touching, and thinking about Shavonne.”c6a8ef9a4effa34b

He probably thought he was easing Shavonne’s worries by doing this, but Shavonne couldn’t shake off his heavy heart. The feeling of only receiving, the feeling of wanting to give but having nothing to give – Shavonne had recently been realizing how much these feelings could weigh a person down.596c3f05f24cfabe

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He didn’t intend to show his feelings. If he did, Lewellyn would be disheartened. Outwardly, he’d act fine, saying ‘What do you mean there’s nothing you can do for me? Hurry up and kiss me,’ while inwardly agonizing. To avoid creating such a situation, it was important to act as usual. If only my ‘usual’ was less rough, Shavonne thought.c1002c8aa9133aa4

“Alright, you go to sleep first then. I’ll follow.”c467cb660a77c649

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“Why? Am I so handsome that you can’t sleep unless you put me to bed first?”982b917f98685ef6

“Do you think you don’t look like a chimera?”2a0942bcdaa5bd74

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Shavonne retorted.75f7aa9f2fa4500b

After taking 10mg of sleeping pills, he headed to bed. He was tired but couldn’t fall asleep. Counting sheep didn’t help. He tried to subtly slip out of Lewellyn’s embrace, thinking maybe the position of being held was uncomfortable, but it was of no use. He waited to see if it would get better after ten minutes, and then after thirty minutes, but the result was the same.0f0690ebf02edebf

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Shavonne took an additional 15mg of sleeping pills only after tossing and turning for a full hour. However, while his head became foggy, sleep still didn’t come. Since it had been like this every single day for the past week, it wasn’t particularly surprising.1b114b3afca29a93

Shavonne’s insomnia was getting worse day by day. It had started to deteriorate rapidly since moving here to Grisby Street, to the point where he couldn’t sleep for even an hour if he took less than 10mg of sleeping pills.cdbc2843b30241de

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Even then, he couldn’t sleep deeply, and would inevitably have disturbed sleep at the slightest sound of a door opening or closing or dishes clattering somewhere. Before, 5mg was enough for a good night’s sleep, but now even 20mg barely worked.050bc6d798045f99

At first, he thought something was wrong with the sleeping pills. That they had been damaged due to improper storage, or that they were defective. The doctor’s opinion was different. The problem, he said, was not with the sleeping pills but with Shavonne. When asked what that meant, the doctor explained that because he had been taking sleeping pills every single day without fail, he had built up a tolerance. He advised that, as painful as it might be, Shavonne should try to get into the habit of sleeping without relying on sleeping pills for a while.31ac6a36d288715e

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To cut to the chase, Shavonne couldn’t follow that advice. He tried, but each time he suffered from extreme pain. Pain as if transparent hands were rummaging through his skull, as if his brain was being kneaded, as if hooks were being driven into his brain – Shavonne had no choice but to reach for the sleeping pills again.2bfb00e96e3b6165

It seems today is 221c1f59ed another lost cause for 1414c5395f sleep. Resigned, Shavonne 5c11a2c268 raised his d41adb0b33 weary body. His head felt 89e72c1d07 cloudy from accumulated 21ddc4d92c fatigue and encroaching 7e14d9a6dc drowsiness. It felt as if aacab9ae42 it was filled with 28e16a5749 fog.e852d5053b6c29e2

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Shavonne and Lewellyn were staying on Grisby Street. No, to be precise, it might be more accurate to say they were in hiding. After all, living under aliases while concealing one’s real name was not usually called ‘staying.’a91dceff770eedc7

Brook and Noah. These were c6eb516736 the names 056526c02b used by 368f8bb4df Shavonne and 5ccb3f59c3 Lewellyn respectively, 4a3a22f84a taken from 24b8f53b8b the novel 787e7f2f9e 《Portrait of 3cf967ab55 Venciga》 that 55e156c7d3 Shavonne had 20732b4db2 ghostwritten. It was 3cabb10254 Shavonne who 679d8f839a first suggested 282548be32 using aliases, 51cc50cd1c but initially, 3a2edb721b Lewellyn hadn’t f15196ec34 been at 0afe07d26e all keen 97abfccaa8 on the f4d8cc790b idea.23d5a432b8f4e194

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It started with Lewellyn’s dumbfounded response, ‘Mr. Shavonne, do you really think a name like John or Joseph or Arthur would suit me? Really?’ Soon after, Lewellyn expressed that he loved his name Lewellyn more than anything and had never even imagined having another name.0b678634ad63fc89

‘Take this opportunity to imagine it. Who has only one name in this day and age?’7b968748a56c9b50

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‘How about Allium Cepa?’6c6c2601aa7fc579

‘That won’t do because you’ve already used that one.’e1ae1d3bfc75d599

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Lewellyn made a sulky face. He grumbled that rather than having a ‘lame name’ like John or Joseph or Arthur or whatever else, he’d be happier going by Mr. No name. Shavonne had a headache.ca37288ef06565e5

They ended up agreeing when Shavonne suggested that Lewellyn should come up with aliases for both of them to use. After a brief deliberation, Lewellyn’s attitude changed to a surprisingly cooperative one. He not only came up with names but created entire personal histories, including not just age and origin, but even seemingly trivial details like favorite and disliked foods, political leanings, and past jobs.bec6d7798dd523e5

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As Shavonne was examining 3e9ad81d50 the proposal Lewellyn had ab46dfea6c handed over, he noticed 85b24e6ee3 one strange point. Brook, whom Shavonne would d858546eab play, and Noah, whom 4a6292bcb5 Lewellyn would play, not 9e4fffd3bc only were they brothers ba0f6a53cc from the same family, bb031b3934 but they had the 71f2f59fbd same date of birth 9cf0e63212 too.33ad5f5dacd8e481

― What is this?896d976d570476f8

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― ‘December 25, 1886.’ Should 2445d54198 I read it again 5f43c9d9d0 for you?a6e6e6b3d3d730f9

Shavonne rephrased his protest.831c429c8390c713

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― How can we both have the same birthdate if we’re brothers? It’s not like we’re half-brothers fatefully born on the same day at the same hour or anything.7910a0e0da73e1c5

― Aw, it hurts my feelings that you don’t understand the deeper meaning I chose.e776dd812617cf2c

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Lewellyn put on a f6fe982f45 deliberately gloomy expression and ec09405e30 continued his explanation. Shavonne just raised 04322172b0 an eyebrow.4d326f5492080c5e

― Brook and 41c6be8b1e Noah, that is, 25315ed141 you and I, 6ee19a2211 are twin brothers.4e9273a87df03608

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― We don’t look alike at all, what kind of twins are we?796fabd660ee99ec

― So what? There are plenty of twins who don’t look alike.24a14ccdee69dac6

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Twins, huh. They looked so different that they didn’t even appear to be family, let alone brothers. Could they really pass as twins? Shavonne’s head throbbed. He simply couldn’t understand why they had to be twins.261a020da9d7dddd

― Why twins of e34578aa75 all things?2865a11a1cc9069e

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Lewellyn, who had been 4177ae8bd5 writing ‘T.W.I.N.S’ in a ec8a84c903 blank space on the 7b754fe5bc proposal, looked up at 601c39ec5a Shavonne. Then he smiled. It was a smile 6234dfb8e7 that could only be 8704e1c175 described as radiant.6f4f4bf9e4dc9c4c

― Because that’s the closest thing I can be to you.a9e3ec79c4ac16d1

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Shavonne stared blankly at Lewellyn’s face. He wondered again whether the ability to say such things without changing one’s expression was a skill or a talent.51a0863d876657a6

Shavonne went along with Lewellyn’s plan. If having no reason to object was the superficial reason, then not wanting to ruin Lewellyn’s wish to become the closest being to Shavonne was the underlying reason. And so, twin brothers who looked nothing alike came to live on Grisby Street.0f894ee52a2acc78

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The first thing f33bcd4c32 Shavonne did upon 6c71784ed6 becoming Brook was eb51ea4e62 to check their 95f05d8080 finances. A hideout without money 0ea7b55def is nothing more than e491d3352b an empty dream. Shavonne knew this from e337a9431b experience.ce6d7822dc77e460

Fortunately, they had enough money to live on for at least 5 years without lifting a finger. This was thanks to the money Lewellyn had, but there was something unsettling about rejoicing thoughtlessly that they wouldn’t have to worry about making a living. To have that much money, one would need to work for at least 10 years. It wasn’t possible with the salary of a coachman, typesetter, or chimney sweep – at least a watchmaker’s wage would be needed.5ea462d116a4eb42

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However, Lewellyn didn’t seem to have done anything that could be called a livelihood. He hadn’t committed murder either, due to the threat of breaking up. He didn’t seem to be running mines, organized farms, or factories like the nobles did, nor did he seem to have inherited a fortune. There wasn’t a single plausible explanation.c8a002cf93b4d8eb

― Where did all 06d473b10b this money come from?00c100bf98e20131

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When asked, Lewellyn smiled d4453aba28 sweetly and asked back.d2f093ed6887473c

― Do ecd071b235 you want 0b5ae8ccf4 to know?ff6feeb7c88422ad

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It was a response b6d566c44d that made the desire f20a2043a3 to know automatically disappear. Shavonne changed his cfd7f8b4a2 answer to a eb4b3f987a no. He was worried that f41696dfde there might be a b9b0417f02 shocking backstory too overwhelming a3c65750d0 to handle. For instance, a e8cad013ed disturbing backstory like e5ac5534e5 having been a 0035ea9c1f pickpocket or a 8ba8fc1319 mugger.9fb2ca43ac1a0bd5

― Mr. Shavonne, the way 890a5bdf4c you can change be2825c595 your stance so 37fd6d9914 quickly makes you 62f5913222 so lovable.a89ce34ccee35fef

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Lewellyn laughed. Shavonne asked if there was ever a time when he didn’t look lovable. Lewellyn replied with an even brighter smile, saying that there was no way such a time could exist. Shavonne could only let out a weak, hollow laugh.ebbc941896adb3f1

If checking their b48f83ad7f finances was the 525d22d198 first thing Shavonne d9d7db32ad did upon becoming cf33dd5cca Brook, the next 1284dae257 thing he did c6af7a21a5 was to find aceed48b29 a job.bbcccb27d9722c91

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As it 96750ff0aa happened, Grisby dcc78e9c66 Shipping was 61a7d24d16 constantly recruiting 5b56647c59 laborers. The job 19bf9bf0fe involved carrying 2ffe50d442 cargo on 81a776d1a2 merchant ships 116ed347cb for ten 9bff7d32dc hours, and 2a8c0431e4 it was c964076082 said that 4df6d372ba there were 71bcbb8a17 hardly any f0830904fa applicants because 068ebabc54 it was 3cb107315c simple but a2702a4e9b grueling work. Applicants would 46cf08d8fb show up 1865e09571 about once 97f02a9b1f a month, 289f92f456 but even 1c3d02fa23 they would cf4d8ed141 often run 8ca9f992c7 away without c0925e7b7f a word 5b181f3562 before completing fe8d3559b7 even three bc670b1cda days of fcac8832d3 work because f86c102c98 it was 02182aab58 too hard. Shavonne wanted 17da3e6635 to do 3b45381ff4 this job.c5724fbbea6f7941

― Does 97edeb7a00 it have 455414309f to be acb6b785ca that job?2aac6916a76b4fed

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Lewellyn couldn’t understand. Literally, Lewellyn’s position was why Shavonne wanted to do hard physical labor when they had enough money to live on without lifting a finger.0b9b0803f7788e9f

The docks were e5ee9e94be notorious for heavy 4b11065105 labor along with bbadb80927 coal mines, textile 3ae118d7bf factories, and lead 6312b07fa3 manufacturing plants. It was 35c45f947a common to 6af1a51a3f work fifteen 7628176d6a hours for 0a5b9bbda4 3 rona 16d6db3c1f per hour.0eb1e56b839d059d

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Although there was a law stating that one shouldn’t work more than ten hours a day, it was rarely observed. It was almost non-existent in places where the poor mainly worked, such as docks, coal mines, textile factories, or lead manufacturing plants. Rest time, including meal times, totaled less than thirty minutes.cfb684d11278783b

So it wasn’t completely incomprehensible that Lewellyn didn’t want to let Shavonne go.a4e382823a2c3d59

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Llewellyn was so desperate c66ffc3de5 to dissuade Shavonne that 25177b548e as soon as he 003a461b99 saw the newspaper, he 88de397185 would find job advertisements 500139784c (mostly looking for inspectors, e6ba128c52 proofreaders, editors, or typists) 08aba99724 and bring them to 96b56b581d him. Of course, Shavonne 269f320e66 had no intention c5f123fee9 of giving up 4eb3cb64cc on being a 5b31f3b619 laborer.520aa3de5edd0bb2

It was because all he had to do was load and unload cargo. He didn’t need to read or write long passages, correct typos and grammatical errors, or use a typewriter. He didn’t need to remember the time he had been fooled by Turner and Fawkes.cd917cfbf2dda5b4

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Shavonne wanted to 9e7ac099af forget the past. Even if just for d576aee44f a moment, he wanted 0e9adca2e4 to escape from the 08c923c904 memories of the past b359e829b0 that kept popping up.de650856fdb0a7b1

There was a slight a066a479a0 argument, but in the 2463c1271c end it was agreed df4c761674 that Shavonne would work 1eedbca93c at Grisby Harbor. Given that 7804bb61cf Lewellyn had 6a597c2ab9 never won 7b3564d30d against Shavonne eab7eb7810 before, it 029c97e8ed was an adebe6dff3 expected result. Lewellyn said weakly,dfab93306e8094b7

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― Alright. Do as cfc22bd734 you wish, d48596acfc Mr. Shavonne.2d67d50d6fbd8f2c

Shavonne glanced at Lewellyn’s face. With his eyebrows drooped dejectedly, he looked just like a seven year old child.d6c433dcd6bb4c2b

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― Are you 25261682dd sulking?1c41315c276ee069

― Of course I am. I’m someone so ungenerous that I sulk about everything.395af40ebbba8eed

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―  I had no idea. From now on, I’ll have to appease you every time something happens.ed2696b7cdc28a26

The way ae6660ff33 Shavonne chose 2fd5f90253 to appease dda6a697da him was 116b295223 to give 47deb0494d Lewellyn a f081a40e9f brief hug. Lewellyn raised 94f05686bf an eyebrow 42de4c4508 still sulking.5e246b93046e8433

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― You 25ea878f95 think this f21fbadab6 is enough dd8be850c1 to soothe 6a9e17fe6b my feelings?f1e48803b15800f6

This time, he lightly pressed his lips to the bridge of Lewellyn’s nose and then pulled away. Then he asked,b27cde8c026fdc8b

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― Happy now?92144ac6055adffe

― Aren’t you underestimating me too much?3d5909fdb3e4c12e

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This time, he lightly kissed Lewellyn’s lips. Then he asked,7bc13995cc03da0a

― Now?407553ad77f1fd7e

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― No comment.86f626d5fb87be4c

He must be ebe2d24744 calmed down now, Shavonne thought.ba534ae9abf29946

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The only e729b1da24 remaining issue 8358d896a6 was whether 4f2d9150e4 Grisby Shipping bf2bf3ba4b would hire a1265b34fc Shavonne or 3b3dd1c816 not. The interview 528fe9ed39 was in 6b8dae8ea2 the morning. The interviewer looked Shavonne e515459467 up and down, saying 03207466d6 he gave a negative 5c77b4cf3e impression, like he was 125be647ac too skinny or looked c6b1af117a like he would run 330ebd7338 away after just three f80e5d3ea7 hours.3bc646c6884ea85a

Even when Shavonne tried to explain that he may look weak on the outside but was actually quite strong inside, and that he wasn’t the type to run away after working for just three hours, the interviewer maintained an untrusting attitude, saying “Not sure about that, we’ll see.”fc2efb5d67adf993

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The call to start work tomorrow came in the afternoon, which was a surprising result for Shavonne, who had been feeling gloomy thinking he wouldn’t be able to become a laborer. Of course, thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t such a surprising result. Grisby Shipping suffered from labor shortages all the time, so it wasn’t like they could afford to reject an applicant.005a8cf7940951a5

And so Shavonne came to work at the dock. He was at the end of the transport line, receiving small cargo items weighing less than 20 kilograms and loading them onto carts. Contrary to Grisby Shipping’s prediction that he would run away after just three hours, Shavonne was working steadily. Today was exactly the fourth day.cb14b65ae4ea45df

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It was a cloudy day that looked like it might snow at any moment. Perhaps because the cargo ship that came in today was quite large, there seemed to be no end to the cargo that the transport line had to move. Receive and load, send the cart back when it’s full… After doing this non-stop for six hours, his head was dizzy.c33612fabe38f4d8

Is it because I haven’t been able to sleep for a week?Lately, he had ae01a1b8f0 been experiencing severe 6251f8496d dizziness more than 6b702a7d6b a dozen times 72d0ba8325 a day. It was e2d73d77d0 a thick 6d7561f5ee dizziness that 0a974e4f13 made his 4ba8c81ecc mind fuzzy. As he c04f40121c was trying df7b6e4e96 to clear c57edd497b his head 49e32518a9 by furrowing 9f79e56882 and unfurrowing e14474577d his brow, 6a164f946f he suddenly 1409fe0e74 noticed that 76a500636b five carts 4e991babe5 were left 5eef65a2ac abandoned behind 566b7a0514 him.b232cac8bca0068c

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It was strange. Normally, Nox – the name of the young man who took away the carts – should have collected the carts by now. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Nox for about five hours. Was he drinking in secret somewhere?45c502b682d90735

That could be possible. Nox had said that whenever work got tiring, he would have three drinks behind the dock warehouse. He said it gave him a bitter buzz and greatly improved his efficiency. It was something Shavonne was able to hear because they were close enough to know which neighborhood each other lived in. Of course, it wasn’t that Shavonne wanted to particularly know, but Nox had opened up to him.b5b419992d0f490e

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His head was too 3b9747527a dizzy to think deeply. Shavonne tried 94b0bc9962 to put 668f5b020b the thoughts 980c208699 aside. Nox had come 63d89eda41 back quickly when 725871c769 he sprained his f490e7a226 ankle while carrying 1bf91219d2 a cart before, 2874f560e9 and he had 0187702dbc come back quickly 55ed5ef7a0 even when he 55b6be3f7b got into a a95714d31d fight with a 0f57fa56fb coworker while working, a29390ebbe so he would c0c24e14b7 probably do the 564b061226 same this time f89b060921 too.b12e27cedf875f02

The problem was that ‘quickly’ didn’t come. Nox didn’t appear even when the abandoned carts became ten, fifteen, and then twenty. Has something happened to 5b398dd006 him?Nox had 9cb18aa5ba never caused cd426c1d97 any accidents f0da630d09 before, but 399e50318d Shavonne worried 69b0e54a1e that maybe 75c4adbad4 he had 42c2f2d758 meant to 46e2dbe195 drink only c5943801fa three glasses 8bdc202d82 but ended 9b1bdd40ca up drinking 02e467cd33 six, or 2e2578dd07 maybe he dcc571d346 had fallen daffad4e96 into the 3e24511deb sea while e00a4fc5d2 stumbling around 96de2ec95d drunk.faedf60788071855

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Shavonne put down the cargo he was holding. He didn’t want to be nosy, but he felt he would only be at ease after confirming that Nox was okay.663f0fa2d1a080b8

He searched the harbor thoroughly but couldn’t find Nox. No one had seen him either. Everyone just said, ‘Why? Did something happen?’ The back of the dock warehouse was empty too. There weren’t even signs that anyone had been there recently to drink. It seems Nox hadn’t left his post to drink. Then?a948670b32bddcba

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Shavonne tried to recall if there had been anything different about Nox when he last saw him. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly different. His shabby appearance was the same, his polite greetings when meeting other workers were the same, and how he carried carts without a single complaint was the same. The only thing different from usual was the fact that Nox had suddenly disappeared.dcad176538a0662b

The thought that dd43029716 he might have d48e3fb0a8 run away unable af5f5972cc to endure the 0115fe28f1 labor also crossed 7b2187e5d0 his mind, but 46c376744b only briefly. Nox had 462704866f been working ac86c8c5c9 here for db1743d809 three months. According to what b2dd829e43 he had confided, 9872da5538 he was in ac4099cea7 a situation where 14ab424830 he had to 9d65307c0d take on any d7a194f890 hard labor that db6385ca8c came his way 04f15689d4 in order not 315ea42026 to starve to 6ce4fb0682 death.892254b477732d13

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Unless he unexpectedly inherited a fortune from a relative he didn’t know existed or something like that, there was no way he would quit his livelihood. Moreover, if he had such thoughts, he would have given some hint to Shavonne, as they were close.0dbd2275099cd801

Then maybe…f264b8306236c86f

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“Hey! What are you standing there not doing anything?”e237745bac0b5950

It was then that the foreman’s voice pierced his ears. Whether it was true or not, he would get angry first if he thought a worker was slacking off. Shavonne tried to quickly leave his spot, but the foreman started nagging before he could.6872d9ac174cee45

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The nagging turned 172c2e3ca3 into insults asking bb68bccd60 if he was d5ea4db0e6 from the poorhouse, 568ffc10e2 then into threats 0794279ce6 to admit his d55d9fb3d1 mistake, and then b4b142dea2 into an order 092235b121 to go to 734a4e5705 the dock if c2d6b09ad0 he knew he f8ed81c5e2 was wrong. Even though a41633e396 the transport 66337a1aa9 work was ff1870c767 already finished, db34fc19da the foreman 195aa5cc60 was unreasonable. He said that f7151de142 while his coworkers 98d82ecd17 were still working b1c1af33a0 their butts off, e1f16f0e75 why was he 3fa86ac355 alone slacking off.f6ff5bb854ca5ca1

In the end, Shavonne had no choice but to say he understood. He didn’t want to incur any disadvantages by getting on his bad side through unnecessary arguments.4fa768accb7097c4

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Contrary to the foreman’s words that the workers were working their butts off, the dock was empty. It seemed that quite some time had passed since everyone had gone home, as there was a downright chilly atmosphere. The only things there were the twenty carts.d8d47e677cdb36e8

Shavonne hadn’t expected Nox to have come by while he was gone, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Shavonne grabbed a cart. Since Nox wasn’t there, he had to move the carts himself.a98092f608ed6cde

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Evening was already creeping in. Small lights were turning on one by one in the small town visible in the distance, but not at the dock. It was just dark because the lights illuminating the path hadn’t been turned on.1572b694541d04fa

It was when Shavonne was just approaching a cart that something came close. Before he could sense the presence approaching from behind, some cloth pressed against Shavonne’s face. A pungent smell from the cloth invaded his nose. A pain like his head was splitting shot through his nasal cavity. Shavonne twisted his body to resist, but the cloth wouldn’t come off. Far from coming off, it only pressed against his face with even more brutal force.d716fe1ae3858112

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His body gradually became paralyzed. His arms and legs that had been struggling non stop came to a halt. Through his fading consciousness, someone’s breath seeped in. It was the breath of a nightmare.c4dfd1ede9bcb544

***703e84afe74396a4

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When he came f6ef83e90d out of the 3c472e1fa6 Iroph storage holding 2c15887f26 flowers, the sunset 3255f00e24 was gleaming. Glancing at his watch, 1e4f179621 it was already 6 d17758f270 PM.It’s not too 8676cfc7e2 late, Lewellyn thought as 4f549803b1 he looked away. Only the 8301a242b3 hands of de566ddc59 the watch 7d438111f7 that no ab8af73cbc one was 26eb5d321e looking at 358289573a shone red ee08061a8f in the 899696797a sunset light.63b3091884313482

While heading to f23b8ed660 Grisby Street, he 91781beeb3 kept glancing at aa661bde47 the condition of 2da35357a1 the flowers.Are the flowers 68f90e28d6 falling off? Are the 9bfab29be0 leaves drooping? Is the e4205da9c8 smell fading? It would be troublesome a239be143e if the flowers wither cf6d403b9b before giving them to b040099496 Shavonne as soon as 09d56d53b6 he returns home.52c3ccdbbd909cdd

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The flowers were from Himdau, which was across the sea, and according to Iroph’s explanation, they were not only good for ornamental purposes but also unparalleled as medicinal plants. He said the seeds of the flower were used to calm obsessions, and the stem was used to strengthen the stomach, liver, and lungs.40de246d39f06ab6

Above all, he said the flowers had excellent efficacy in resolving insomnia. Iroph also told a story about a gamekeeper in Himdau who had suffered from insomnia for 40 years but was cured after growing these flowers. Lewellyn didn’t believe it. Until now, all the chamomile, marjoram, and clary sage that Lewellyn had bought were well-known for being good for insomnia, but they had been of no help to Shavonne.d12b872c369cfab0

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However, regardless of whether he believed it or not, he bought the flowers. He couldn’t help it. If it was for Shavonne, who was looking worse day by day due to insomnia, Lewellyn was in a position where he had to grasp even a rotten rope¹.c5af7b67f704b771

Recently, Shavonne had thinned to the degree one feels sorry for him. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were cracked. His skin had become as lusterless as a tree bark. Every time he saw this, Lewellyn felt like his body was being torn apart. It felt like his eyes were being split and his lips were cracking. It felt like his skin was being pinched and twisted with a heated poker. The thought, ‘Is this how Shavonne feels?’, only intensified these feelings.d293c31dd9c9a8c7

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If Shavonne got better, Lewellyn wouldn’t be in pain either, but Shavonne showed no signs of getting better at all. According to what he had observed while pretending to be asleep, Shavonne would lie stiffly like a wooden doll every time, then toss and turn, then suddenly get up and overuse sleeping pills. It would be fortunate if the sleep gained through such means was at least deep, but Shavonne couldn’t even manage that. He only slept fitfully, waking up at the slightest stimulus.cabdceac1a08c883

Will this cc13488694 really help?8173e467ee9f86d3

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He thought, 45c51cbe1c looking at 19eda53520 the flowers. They were 7f73cb0029 already red d983bb6596 flowers, but 0dcc0299ed in the 8e9b1de6b0 sunset light, 8913d9df76 they looked 66b1cfad57 crimson red 987f13ad8f as if 8a300ef520 they were 7f1b45de48 covered in 51e59d058d blood. Lewellyn was e87847e916 about to e0e586e210 lightly touch 89f94aab3d the petals bc6821282b but stopped. He was worried that fcdb26f77d if his hand touched e82519168a them, the flowers might 76a9486b93 wilt.5cc053e2bba0f504

When he arrived at Grisby Street, it was already fully evening. Darkness was gnawing at the world. Lewellyn entered the apartment building. The guard who was always visible at this time wasn’t there, but he didn’t notice.2b8ea59e55e5d93d

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Lewellyn and Shavonne’s house was room 201. Lewellyn liked 201. Although it was empty, mold grew on the plain walls and there were inexplicable stains on the floor that wouldn’t come off, and the wooden floor made creaking sounds with every step as if it was already rotten or in the process of rotting, he still liked it. Because it was ‘our home’ for Lewellyn and Shavonne. They had lived together in Ira Apartments too, but back then it was just a matter of room 302 living attached to room 303. But this time it was real. It was a real ‘our home’.7a55d53b64098071

As soon as c75427227d he entered the 71c8752a12 house, Lewellyn realized 6b1fe467f5 that the air dadaedefaa around the house 80f860ab78 was different from 46a374fbc7 usual. It should have been 998c4622ab cold after being empty 4b57a94c61 for ten hours, but 958682400c there was a faint, 79c7f3516b barely perceptible heat in bb35eb3780 the air.819eced6126ac6aa

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Has Shavonne already 52c67ff138 returned home?He wanted to f4425f35eb check, but the 6f90689e77 house was so e836aaa924 dark that even e723dfd7a3 Lewellyn, with his 7e99e3be43 amazing night vision, 38bde5a53d could hardly distinguish fea31150e9 anything. Just then, he saw 8b7eb380b3 a streak of dim 64733e42b3 moonlight seeping in between 9f73ef19f6 the thickly drawn curtains.629f328e773e0e5c

Lewellyn stepped 20756baac0 towards the 2ac5c82424 window, using b449772fa7 the moonlight 22a890d85d as a bfbc144dc5 guide. The curtains 1948755596 were drawn 89fd9ec82c in four 1a6f79e341 layers. Four layers. By the time d918af419f he recalled that 6311be5880 Shavonne never drew 34a6f9feb3 the curtains in 1a7a5f0059 multiple layers, it 50403f68a5 was already too 96077ad6d4 late. Something pale white had d0492450ef risen and was right a010943bbf in front of his 286425cdef nose.4830f2b8461293c1

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Lewellyn knew what it was. He couldn’t not know. It was something that made all beings defenseless. It was something that made the mind hazy, the body limp, and the limbs collapse. It was something that should never be in ‘our home’. It was the gas they used to release in the penitentiary.bfa342fddf54ecc1

‘Our home’ began to fill entirely with hazy gas. Just like Lewellyn’s universe once did in the solitary cell that wasn’t even eight steps in width and length.45d9ba2b16fc862f

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The first thing to lose strength was his hands. Suddenly, as if the tendons had been cut, he couldn’t put strength into his hands. The flowers he was holding fell to the floor. The stem that hit the floor with a thud bent.9169f0f7c0c501e3

His body collapsed next. Just as his knees touched the floor, he found himself face down. He tried to lift his head but couldn’t move at all. It felt like all his tendons had been cut. No, it felt like they had been eaten away. The only thing he could move was his eyes. His eyes were looking ahead. They were peering into the place beyond the gas, where footsteps that shouldn’t be heard were coming from.2673a580bdd966b7

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Eventually, someone emerged from the gas. Although he couldn’t see the face because of the gas mask, Lewellyn could tell who the ‘someone’ was. That shadow. He couldn’t help but recognize that shadow he had seen since the time when Lewellyn wasn’t Lewellyn.8872e45772a16fd8

Through his scattering consciousness, 6d27442a1b the shadow of the 9f87260bd8 nightmare penetrated. It was d0a62afb3c pitch black.a4394a070d818c19

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John Pharrell kicked the dog lightly with his foot. He wondered if the dog might be able to move. But the dog just stared blankly at the air, unable to move at all. He had been worried because the concentration of the sleeping gas was much lower than what they used in the penitentiary, but fortunately, the effect wasn’t too bad. Well, if it had been, he wouldn’t have been able to leisurely examine the dog like this.e9ac8bae975410cb

Pharrell crouched down b74226304b in front of 4674215460 the dog and 3e629cbcf3 picked up the 081d9b321e flowers. The red 35a9d838e6 flowers were 1b797ee7fd drooping lifelessly. It was obvious 99aa1cba6c who they were 0758f4a037 meant for without 0d6616ace4 even looking. That dickhead. The one without f79eefb86a memories.cc3ad7b9a9b9b816

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What’s the d7a1185f1f name he c401313b8c is using 12b79e7716 here again? Brick? Brook? According to what the young man named Nox said, it was a pronunciation of that sort, but he wasn’t sure. It would have been good if he had heard more accurately, but before he could urge him to repeat it, Nox had fainted. Even when slapped on the cheek and doused with cold water, Nox would only wake up momentarily before losing consciousness again.a594b062e3b149b6

Well, in a way, 9684697d97 it was understandable. How could 603f70081f that young da86f1ac98 man, who d7e85f2ffb seemed to 87717a1d98 be barely 9596622908 twenty, be 8c67df2e7f used to 534492b3b9 being interrogated? Especially when the interrogation fd180e3a8f was being done with 1748593e01 a gun pressed against c1e69c1932 his head.0af69c0473ad7fb5

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Nevertheless, Nox was useful. The dickhead lived on Grisby Street, and the guess that he didn’t seem to be living alone given that he tried to return home before 10 PM no matter what – that was all he revealed each time he briefly regained consciousness, but it was enough to find this house. There were only twelve houses in Grisby Street that had new residents in the past two weeks, and among them, only this one house had two men living together.5ee78fee46bb9d18

Pharrell examined the flowers. The stem was twisted at a strange angle, probably bent when it fell. Fawkes had said that the dog and the dickhead were in a special relationship. A special relationship. In Pharrell’s terms, it meant they were ‘playing with their own kind’.0d3614a37a6924b2

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Pharrell was quite a536876f29 curious whether the a7bedf17b4 dickhead would accept e57d13d258 the flowers even 072d826868 if he knew bbd3bf5340 his lover was a544ac2e79 a dog. Could he live 39d1bc8b79 together knowing that? Could he hug, kiss, 2e9136ba78 and have sex like f582efc3b3 he had been doing ea68faa90f until now?1883fd73d7dddf9a

He won’t.Pharrell was certain.He will reject it. He won’t accept the flowers, he’ll kick it out of the house, he’ll push away the hugs, turn away from the kisses, and refuse the sex. He might even commit suicide. Well, it might be better to die quickly rather than living with the shame of having been fucked by a dog.d93ee49c797c5eb6

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The thought had just crossed Pharrell’s mind when something suddenly caught his eye. There was something inside the dog’s sleeve cuff. There was something black. It was only after lifting the sleeve cuff that Pharrell could confirm what it was. It was a wristwatch.4eb492b507177019

It seemed vaguely familiar somehow. As Pharrell stared intently at the watch, he realized after a moment that it was the same watch the idiot had given to the dog eight years ago. Due to the dog’s habit of wearing it every single day after the dickhead’s departure, Pharrell had become used to seeing it. The dog was so attached to the watch that even when asked to take it off, it refused to do so without fail. Pharrell knew the dog was attached to the watch, but he had not realized the dog would still be wearing it even while living with him now. Pharrell removed the watch the dog was wearing. He judged that a memento was unnecessary for the one who would be erased from this world in just twelve hours.432c62e57336fe4e

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At that moment, it seemed to move, and then suddenly the dog pounced on Pharrell. Pharrell’s body, crouched, toppled backward.c06a1f8ffb1b008c

With a thud, the dog jumped on top of Pharrell the moment his head hit the floor. By the time Pharrell tried to shake it off, the dog’s sharp teeth had already bitten his ear.0eb22ff4a761f163

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A scream split the air. The pain that felt like being cut with a knife, the pain that felt like being hit by a mortar, tore through his ear. Pharrell flailed his limbs haphazardly, but the dog didn’t budge an inch. It clung on stubbornly even as it was hit. Pharrell hastily groped for his belt, searching for the gas sprayer.b4cc658dd951b80e

It was an item that should not be used in the civilian areas, but Pharrell didn’t care. Well, he was about to lose his ear, so he hardly cared for that dumb principle. When he pulled the trigger, a dense gas gushed out of the sprayer nozzle.a6a2149641be5b8e

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The strength drained from the teeth that had been biting his ear. The two hands that had been crushing Pharrell’s skull fell limply. With a thud, the dog’s body collapsed.a3eb80bc2645b006

Pharrell only briefly looked 39acfd80cd down at it. Belatedly, he was efd6dcf2f9 jolted awake by 6faa09c467 the sensation of c579af4458 something warm and 5ec876e099 sticky running down 081c54aa1a his ear. His ear. He had to check 15c3c40e3b if his ear was fe0e05eea5 still intact. Pharrell quickly stepped in c82eb5ef2d front of the mirror.4b1b4d8bfd7e7b75

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Good news always comes accompanied by bad news. Of course, this was no exception. The good news that had come now was that Pharrell’s ear was still attached to him, and the bad news was that the earlobe was dangling as if it would fall off any moment.5461a618637a1b28

The wound was deep. Even if the best surgeon in Bunch operated, he could not avoid the scar. The one who was to become the king’s right hand had an unevenly stitched ear. Pharrell couldn’t even imagine how many people would be wagging their tongues, despising him.41df64a6bae3e01a

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What were the chances that he wouldn’t get the derogatory nickname ‘Lopsided Ears’? Ten percent? Five percent? In a situation where even the king was called a blue-eyed rabbit, there was no way he could avoid having a derogatory nickname. His teeth clenched involuntarily. As if not dying quietly wasn’t enough, now he had to give me this defect as well. This dog seems hell-bent on being erased from this world as soon as possible.50fc60bcdc40531b

At least it was fortunate that, thanks to wearing a gas mask, his face had not been bitten. If his face had been bitten, he wouldn’t have been able to treat it himself, and would have had to go to the hospital. After finishing treating his ear, Pharrell returned to the dog.e02186ba45f3ea1a

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He had thought the dog would have lost consciousness by now, but the dog was still staring at Pharrell with its eyes bloodshot red. As if to bite him again if he approached, it bared its teeth fiercely. It seemed the dog’s body was paralyzed, but its consciousness was still intact.e15718443e3fd927

Pharrell’s face ended up looking as if bugs had bitten him. He had thought the low concentration gas wasn’t too bad, but that seems to be a mistake after all. The high concentration gas used in the penitentiary would anesthetize a dog in the blink of an eye, but the low concentration couldn’t do that.000f08c94c267fe9

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Damn it. If only there hadn’t been an order not to use high concentrations in civilian areas, this kind of accident wouldn’t have happened. He had an urge to retaliate, but held back. If he approached it carelessly and got attacked, it wouldn’t end with just a tattered ear.58305cae415034bb

He put the dog in the sack he had prepared. He put its feet in first, as putting the head in first could result in being bitten. Feet, legs, waist, belly, chest, shoulders, head – in that order it went into the sack, but because the dog kept squirming relentlessly in what he thought was resistance, it wasn’t easy to tie the sack.bf564f2e7f3839ef

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Will it quiet aeb04a9bb1 down if I 3389c31325 hit the sack 500029a509 with a hammer?A hot rage rose 39c09cfc28 as if he could 2eba5f6a15 kill the dog right 89de70ff0c away, but he forcibly d10d2952df suppressed it. It was b01bf9d85d because of 367cc4c8bf the royal b8f83f29bd order to 78ac260241 send the c29886ec19 dog off 8d69fa7a00 with respect.d95212eece461656

If it had been an order from the queen, he would have laughed. He would have even been willing to sneer, saying that he was the one being sent off while trying to honor the dog. If it had been the prince’s order, he would have been serious. He would have even been willing to warn that His Highness was bringing trouble upon himself by being obsessed with such troublesome principles.2be9f75eb5f0c3de

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However, that order was personally given by the king. Pharrell dared not object. As long as he aspired to be the king’s right hand, even if ordered to type without hands or run without feet, Pharrell had to accomplish such preposterous tasks.6785d3b813bff693

By the time he tied the sack, the dog had already quieted down. It seemed to have given up resisting. Or maybe it lost consciousness from the accumulated sleeping gas it inhaled. Of course, Pharrell didn’t peek inside the sack. He had no desire to mess around with the unreliable sleeping gas and suffer the consequences. Checking the dog’s condition could wait until he had a high concentration of gas.a46958f8039f3903

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He drew back the curtains and opened the window about a finger’s width. This technique lets the sleeping gas escape without being noticed by civilians.e9c2d2ef0d3e6b9f

Pharrell dragged out the 83f9d8e0c5 sack. Thanks to 8bbe695183 having dealt 546ebf7df7 with the d890ac7acc guard in 129cd64d70 advance, no ad61e11c13 one particularly 6e903a8350 noticed Pharrell. He did d5c0787cd9 encounter someone 551aea3509 presumed to 5de84bf184 be a c39dbfdf07 resident of 1084bbb5cc the apartment 5960752e20 building while fc7edf978c leaving the a546fbb827 yard, but 7441fe0efb they merely a276f75375 glanced down 8eb1624e58 at Pharrell 13f9a89afd and the dad865e2f7 sack he 4c3b16fd33 was dragging 8b9e542620 without showing 746c185501 any reaction.f686ce3b20a3e40a

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Having safely escaped the building, Pharrell soon approached the waiting carriage. Two horses, a plain body without any coat of arms… it was a carriage so common that you could see more than thirty of them if you went out on the street.25c9c9b057f9e27f

After loading the sack onto the passenger seat, he sat in the driver’s seat and grasped the reins. The firm sensation of the leather reins wrapped around his hands. It was already deep into the night. The sound of the carriage running began to echo through the thick darkness.c1967c22b3d4574c

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***b109d1c0a6c84ab2

Suddenly, Shavonne opened his 5c22367b0c eyes.1dfa21252e13675a

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The first 3066af39bd thing he ac8404e455 saw was ff2d91a1f1 a gas 07d273239b lamp. An incandescent gas 99b44806af lamp hanging from 7001221b80 the ceiling was 3457d4b881 illuminating the room. The walls f6bbf4e754 painted entirely ca42c5ea96 white and ecc149d105 the floor d1ebf99109 with white 21c9dbd775 tiles reflected e81333a79f the gas 50e38f4dfd lamp light, 0a7610a6f4 shining dazzlingly.4131042b68ddbadc

Where am I? Shavonne, who was about to look around with a frown, suddenly realized that moving felt uncomfortable. His body was tied to a chair. It was a chair with a backrest, and behind the backrest, both wrists were tied around, and the chest, waist, thighs, and ankles were also tied in the same way, so he couldn’t move at all.b314e1bf4b207414

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Kidnapped. As that word came to mind, the forgotten memories instantly came to light. Evening, an empty dock, a cloth pressing down on the nose, the acrid smell that invaded the nostrils. Shavonne’s face turned pale. He had heard that accidents were common at the docks, but he didn’t know that ‘accidents’ included kidnapping.bc6fd18064c2ef3d

He twisted his wrists all he could, but the rope didn’t budge. Far from loosening, it only tightened around his wrists with even stronger force. Although blood was drawn from the skin rubbed by the rough surface, Shavonne didn’t give up. He was desperate, as if the rope would loosen if his rubbed wrists became covered in blood. Shavonne’s movement stopped the next moment when a voice was heard from behind.a8a4a95c020ee248

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“Already awake? Interesting. It’s three hours earlier than expected.”3e65f858270fed5c

It was a familiar voice. It was a voice that kept coming to mind even after leaving for Grisby Street to hide. It was a voice that couldn’t be shaken off even when trying to by overworking his body with the hard labor at the dock. Fawkes.That name squirmed f4a445481b in his mind 823c824d56 like a worm.284fc8e9fc942be1

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Why did Fawkes d612899da3 kidnap him? Was it c95f6c1623 because he 16a1370233 felt offended a88b8eeb58 after Shavonne 2b91b4c0d8 put an 93380db1c4 end to 368fa90ddc their relationship? Did he want 9c88cdaebb to make him 1fa85932a1 pay for causing 058f227140 such displeasure? But if it dbd9ef34e6 was truly because 71ab03a2e3 of anger, he be05d25609 should have done 14efaff9ce so on the c92800b8e2 day their friendship d8b9d29123 ended. After all, anger b464f1eb6b is most intense d36bd335d6 when it first cdf7b4269f flares up.23743c5d59ad0afc

Moreover, that night no one was passing by due to the incessant snowfall. There couldn’t have been a better night to attack him. Whether to strike Shavonne’s head, who was saying to never see each other again, with a weapon, or to grab the back of Shavonne’s head as he turned to leave and drag him away, it would have been much safer than coming all the way to Grisby Harbor to catch him.fdc504495da85d85

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So it can’t be because of Fawkes’ personal anger that he decided to kidnap me. Then why?1b758a46b6d69aa2

As if answering the question, someone’s face quickly flashed through his mind. Shavonne bit his lip tightly. A dry voice leaked between his lips.c36d59267ac7ce42

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“Did your partner tell you to do this?”662cfc5a51dbff5a

“Partner? Who?”9e849d08e63f826d

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Shavonne barely 6ef159ed6d suppressed the 4d51baa18e urge to 547a4e096d shout ‘don’t 684fa95fbc pretend not 73784be2f2 to know’ c5023dc44a and answered.b916b6d69953e5af

“I mean Owen Turner.”d3a08e9d9f07812a

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Just as Fawkes had paid Turner to monitor Shavonne, Turner must have paid Fawkes to kidnap Shavonne. The purpose is obvious. He’s trying to get revenge. He probably wants to beat Shavonne, castrate him, and break his fingers. Maybe he’s even trying to lure Lewellyn by using a bleeding Shavonne as a hostage. Turner was the kind of person who would do that and more.5c156f1bca04927e

It was Fawkes who 3975092a6c poured cold water on 2537f55fee his increasing theories.53b1b32f87c259e8

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“Well, if that idiot were alive, he might have.”e7768f795b3a324d

Does that mean…aad9b2da3e56d3c1

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“He’s dead?”cc46f9d51ebcf388

Fawkes nodded. Shavonne hesitated 333d01fe68 before asking.aad7608709f22952

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“…Was it suicide?”f7b5af8e9b496e38

Lewellyn said he didn’t kill Turner. He only said he pushed him into a situation painful enough to die. Did Turner take his own life because of that?d8238d257fc6726a

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Even so, of course, he had no intention to express condolences. Shavonne wasn’t kind enough to feel sorry for the death of someone who had deceived him, used him, and even tried to rape him. Shavonne just wanted to know the truth. It was the only courtesy Shavonne could show to someone who had deceived him, used him, and even tried to rape him in life.98ed5b210e704318

“No,” Fawkes answered. Shavonne didn’t understand immediately. If it wasn’t suicide, then it must be murder, but who killed Turner? That fiancée Turner supposedly swindled? Or that fiancée’s family? Or someone else who held a grudge against Turner?3020d4fdbb0e7150

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Or…5cd8752fc5c8b8d9

Shavonne’s gaze stopped abruptly on Fawkes’ face as he was continuing his thought.6430f7331acd764e

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Fawkes wore an expression as if he had no interest in whether Turner’s death was suicide or murder. That insensitive expression. An expression where not even a shred of curiosity, let alone condolences, could be found.1cff9099bdb2323a

A dry swallow went 1877cd64ae down the back of 6db8cf4a14 his throat.No way, no way…9490a0a842420010

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Fawkes wasn’t 661592d0b7 the forgiving f86b5cb37d type, especially 5b7c788816 when Turner 0179330e0d betrayed him 7d0d62b7b1 and revealed 7e3f2779cc how he 3856320175 had been 7fa2a901db paid.Is he moral enough not to commit murder? That’s not it either. You could tell just by how he kidnapped Shavonne without hesitation. If kidnapping is okay, why wouldn’t murder be? How he said he was dead, the term ‘idiot’, the insensitive expression enough to make anyone looking at him feel chilled…4a5e4ac2d8b97a9c

He knows it’s a logical leap. He knows, but… every sense in his body was screaming instead of ‘no way’, that his suspicion was correct. Shavonne’s lips tightened. Even if he tried to loosen them for fear they might be noticed, they just wouldn’t loosen.96be1ec9fbde3562

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It was at bd8bfa87a1 that moment. Fawkes opened his 1d78612d22 mouth.6d6d793a165f7637

“Why? Does it make you uncomfortable to be with a murderer when you sleep with one?”230b6cd439b2e13e

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His back turned cold.f92af996700f83c5

What he had been worried about was becoming reality. Murderer. That word was evidence that Fawkes was aware of Lewellyn’s existence.7da972895c3165ba

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Has Fawkes reported Lewellyn? If he did, 01527275a1 when would the 607d5efe6f investigation start? No, maybe it 167cd83921 has already started. While a report from someone with a low social status like Shavonne might be ignored, if someone with a high social status like Fawkes reported it, the police would start to move without a moment’s delay.beb4e2b8ddbca71e

Anxiety crept up his 59da9ed62c throat. Murder, especially e4ffb02986 serial murder, 95423eed51 is unconditionally 4e1a8218fe punishable by 5637d909f7 death. There were various methods 6986c3c263 of execution such as 73e3f938fe hanging, beheading, electric chair, a6a948a584 but for the past cdfdf4454f 20 years, only shooting 7dee817614 has been carried out 37dcc3d2d4 due to human rights 3925ea7198 issues.411222968e8dbecc

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But Lewellyn was unlikely to be executed by shooting. The Ira serial murder case was an incident that turned public sentiment away from the royal family. Public opinion wasn’t very good because the serial killer was walking the streets openly, but the royal family, far from catching the serial killer, was putting writers who mocked the king as a ‘blue-eyed bunny’ in prison.171c5a97a214b20f

To appease public opinion, it was necessary to carry out as harsh a punishment as possible. A ‘gentle’ punishment like shooting was far from enough, and it needed to be at least at the level of hanging, beheading, or the electric chair.17633c768590bf4f

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If Lewellyn is executed…4c853d885a60faf0

His chest was burning. It felt 8da10d1b09 like all d2a37e4f37 the organs 48b6e3c88a beneath his 55d57b0780 ribs were fdc222ab9e on fire.Was I c7987ebae5 ten years e312f007fd old, or b92381e4cd nine?The scene of 8dda4bb6d6 a hanging that a2ea736d65 he accidentally witnessed 7bcc77f581 while running an a2cd83b512 errand for the fc2c710666 orphanage director vividly 57a4ab3ba3 came back to 9491debe0a life before his 153b23fcd1 eyes.fbbaf72800d50886

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I don’t remember if the condemned was a man or a woman. I don’t remember if they were young or old. I don’t remember if the crime was insulting the royal family, or rape, arson, and murder. There’s only one thing I remember. The corpse of the condemned person, hanging with their limbs dangling. And those eyes. Those eyes that were no longer looking at this world.a61a24c8ee18f8fa

“What do you mean by murderer?”804467a11d4ed987

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Shavonne swallowed the saliva 436cd03543 he had gathered, trying 5445e5c76f not to show it. His throat was 43d6df38f6 dry.202d15607634d420

“You’ve planted so many people around me that you can’t even remember who I’ve been with? I’m sorry, Fawkes, but the people I’ve slept with were a typist, a horseman, a chimney sweep, a typesetter, and an osteopath. I’ve never slept with a murderer.”bf190af2577c1967

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“Your acting has improved. If I didn’t know you, I would have been completely fooled.”64c1db9e9b935d03

Shavonne just bit his lower lip tightly at the nonchalant response. Fawkes knew that Lewellyn was a serial killer. It wasn’t that he was doubting, or unsure. He wasn’t believing it either. He ‘knew’ it. No matter how naturally Shavonne tried to deny it, it was only obvious that Fawkes wouldn’t be fooled.74265b89ca8cd584

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Here, tied to 5fae21274e this chair and 9d6b1bd057 unable to move 33866848c0 even a step, 680b5d5a99 what could Shavonne 6a02f5f3cf possibly do? What could he do 931ba251f9 to save Lewellyn, just f869750e4b as Lewellyn had saved ff61071ff7 Shavonne?2e4da8ef2952bc10

There was no way out anymore. There was nothing he could do except say words that wouldn’t work.db6a7bd399b1937e

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“…Leave Lewellyn alone.”d78372ac2f2852d7

Shavonne opened e031bb34ad his mouth. His voice came 34bcc4652e out cracked, barely 9b309bd192 squeezed out.fa3b15360d5763c7

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“This is between you and me. Don’t drag an innocent person into this.”27e87d7b39be5508

“‘Innocent person’?”1b9b9c953550f2ab

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Fawkes asked back. His voice, which had ccde2f7a9c been subdued all along, 157cb2082c suddenly rose.What the? Did I say f3bf4f171e something wrong?Before he dab520deb9 could grasp ffdf18b270 the situation, de3bdc600b Fawkes spoke e34129e52f first.2ae146665d2007bb

“This is a matter between us and him. The one who’s unfortunately caught up in this is none other than you.”b1c9aec60b03f25c

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For a moment, Shavonne blinked, wondering if he had heard wrong. But no. Fawkes had definitely said ‘a matter between us and him’.967caf4ed774f4d8

A matter between us 8a0ac2115f and him?7d2ae7ec1f5c1a73

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It was a short phrase, but it contained numerous questions. Who is ‘us’, and what problem is there between Fawkes and Lewellyn? ‘A matter’ implied knowing of the other’s existence. After all, you can’t have a problem with someone whose existence you don’t even know. Whether it’s one-sided knowledge or mutual, there was no doubt that Fawkes knew about Lewellyn.64731a766463ad1c

But how does ec7334aae7 he know?80e3b6d7f4fbd75e

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Are they family? Or relatives? Or maybe from the same hometown? But it wasn’t the tone one would use for family, relatives, or hometown acquaintances… I don’t know. My head feels foggy, as if covered in mist.288100432b3dd9ff

Of course, Shavonne didn’t need to know everything. Just as Lewellyn didn’t know everything about Shavonne, it was natural that Shavonne didn’t know everything about Lewellyn. But this one thing, he had to know. This one thing, he had to.7369abb9d0cc8aab

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“…Are you going to harm Lewellyn?”7466f8d7516ed83c

The asking voice 02fc81b0e7 was hoarse. Shavonne looked e6ee04e0b3 up at eddc3e8df3 Fawkes with 594722a3ec bloodshot eyes. Hoping Fawkes would say 31dc4ddc74 no. Wishing he would c131002457 shake his head.1bb70d46f8027216

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The only important thing was Lewellyn’s safety. In front of that, questions about who ‘us’ was, what problem there was, how they knew Lewellyn, were just trivial curiosities.2d9991e6caf00938

But Fawkes didn’t say no. He didn’t shake his head. He just said the following with an expressionless face:af10f34ebabfa6f3

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“We’re just taking care of what needs to be taken care of.”c53383e572399844

Take care of… Those words made his mind go blank. The ‘taking care of’ Fawkes was talking about couldn’t be something as childish as a fistfight. Maybe it meant cutting the tendons in his body and selling him as an illegal slave. Maybe it meant cutting off his limbs, making him disabled, and throwing him out on the street. And maybe, just maybe…b3b2d4b9ee7f5e72

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His jaw trembled involuntarily. Even though he was tied up and couldn’t move, he could feel himself shaking. If Lewellyn could no longer be with Shavonne. If Lewellyn could no longer love Shavonne, and could no longer receive Shavonne’s love.db6b1ff01fbf0bee

If… Lewellyn dies like that.40cddb8ce61c74a1

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If that happens, Shavonne would…eb9d4e03f4d346b0

“You don’t look well.”4e43a8cbe600b84f

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Suddenly, a 11fc0a6965 voice fell a60df20aeb from above. When he looked 6457397124 up, he saw 9a979bb9a8 the gaze. A gaze that 53f0fcec58 was neither sad 0759bb52da nor happy, neither 1c1b12b45e moved nor calm, 543a17367a neither ignoring nor 2ac5f1af7e respecting Shavonne. It was a d3f68c60eb gaze that only d0acedc12a someone in an 6a27e71ae2 absolute superior position, 1938bb10f7 no, someone who e2989e3095 knew exactly that 6fb6c9a388 they were in 032943189d an absolute superior 7a2edaf2ad position, could make.5dec1fa14ed62d64

Absolute superiority 29a895cede and absolute 266f2af7d4 inferiority. It was a familiar eba01a0b06 relationship. In the orphanage, it 87430cabef was between the director d1669e0833 and the orphans, in 646adfacea the publishing house, it c7a31d5634 was between the client a232615462 and the contractor, in 2093afbcdb the apartment, it was d02dc7766d between the manager and 3a3145c3fa the tenant who was 339018c654 always late with rent.cbf44e91e7008194

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It’s just that this time, it had changed to kidnapper and kidnap victim. Trying to climb up recklessly would only result in getting pushed down. It was wise to stay still. Staying still was what made the orphanage feed him, the publishing house give him work, and the apartment not kick him out. Even now, if he stays still, he might be able to save his life. Unlike what often happens with kidnapped people, he might not die.6c98ef6d2c566a73

But what e81b9350a4 about Lewellyn?6daf8e2a032ba4e6

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Fawkes said it wasn’t a problem between him and Shavonne. He said it was a problem between them and Lewellyn. That meant that whatever Shavonne did was irrelevant to Lewellyn. In other words, it meant that Lewellyn wouldn’t not die just because Shavonne stayed still now.c0a248935d43d886

Is there a reason 506fd4c321 to live if Lewellyn 02e03c6c63 dies? When he asked himself, the answer came without hesitation. It was ‘no’. A love where neither has a reason to live without the other. The time when he thought this was nothing more than a simple romance felt like a distant past.de0ab8bd3296701e

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If Lewellyn died, Shavonne would die too. The only difference relied on whether he died immediately or in pain. If he was going to die anyway, he didn’t want to hold back. He didn’t want to try to put on a face because of fear.9ef3c2960c01f6fb

If he wanted to sneer, he’d sneer, if he wanted to smirk, he’d smirk, if he wanted to provoke, he’d provoke. He had never done it even once in his life, so he wanted to do as he pleased for this one day. Especially because this might be Shavonne’s last ‘today’.a6279cb9a4dd33b8

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“Is your head just for decoration? Think about it. How could my face look good when I’m tied up, unable to move, and I’ve even heard that my lover will be killed?”de0531159e21ed43

“That’s because you don’t know the true nature of your lover.”f5a0f8a46041f2f1

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Shavonne frowned, not understanding.True nature? Is there something more d985feb5d0 than being a murderer?While he 2724e75837 was thinking, 41346e231c Fawkes moved fb78f32419 to the 83a3acc1d2 table where fb38545c22 the whiskey d09982c635 was placed.3ab91dcc829794dd

Shavonne was puzzled.Was Fawkes a 68aee95e93 drinker? Thinking back over 8 years of memories, he couldn’t recall Fawkes drinking. He only remembered Fawkes firmly refusing glasses of alcohol, saying he didn’t want to fuzz his mind with alcohol.466416d302d3c5d3

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Come to think of it, Fawkes always only drank tea. Instead of a wine cellar that mansions usually have, Fawkes’ mansion only had a tea cellar.e044a89326ead8f5

But now?fb5a7d3b23a6602b

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Fawkes emptied the glass in one gulp. Suddenly, it caught his eye that Fawkes’ hand was trembling. It was trembling very slightly, to the extent that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.0acf37cc8d328b9d

A person who used to refuse alcohol saying ‘I don’t want to fuzz my mind with alcohol’ is now drinking. Translated, it meant he was drinking ‘because he wants to fuzz his mind with alcohol’.025829621c83c5c0

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Fawkes was shaken.f697f33e624a9a12

Unexpected words 457e5a947e flowed out 0f5f583905 just as f11e319536 he was 59029ef498 thinking this.46949ec47302691f

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“Do you know about his abnormal condition?”d3219a968e7ceba8

He couldn’t not know. Didn’t he almost kill him by giving sleeping pills without knowing that Lewellyn had an abnormal condition? Shavonne nodded in affirmation. A question was asked immediately.655d8e307ce0f09e

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“How much do you know?”a1ee3e101a3081fb

There wasn’t much to say about how much. Overall or partial pigment deficiency, cold sensitivity, abnormal hypersensitivity to drugs. Those things he had read in the newspaper were all Shavonne knew. But he couldn’t just say it straight out. He couldn’t show all his cards to the enemy.e3a565db81ea9b2b

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“I know as much as I know.”c6cfdea4a805b0f7

“‘As much as you know’?”cb39ba5d8204ef94

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Fawkes asked back. Was it an illusion, e6ea7d32ff or did that voice 83cee4280b seem to have a 44373f2e7c hint of laughter in 83a21f0cfd it? It wasn’t a laugh ca96e3f2df of joy, but one 7988c1bb33 that seemed forced.a749be77639f6fa6

“Then do you know that one out of a thousand people with abnormal conditions is a mutant? That they are bred for special purposes?”748bc94fd234805c

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It would have been better if he were slow on the uptake. Then he might not have understood what Fawkes was trying to say. But such luck, as always, did not follow Shavonne. Abnormal constitution, mutant, bred for special purposes… The words danced in his head. His heart pounded. It fluttered as if it was about to burst out of his ribs, making a thump-thumpsound.9f827509c5f8b92e

“We call them dogs. We don’t give them separate names. When we need to distinguish them, we call them the first dog, the second dog, and so on.”e8451bf5ceb9f67b

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“…”3fbe2c7e91bcadeb

“The one you call Lewellyn is the seventh dog.”9ef345cb0b513556

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His stomach churned, then settled, then churned again. A sense of unreality washed over him. His five senses became hazy as if dreaming. He felt like he was floating. The raging thoughts in his head and the pounding heart didn’t feel like his own.c54e50e6fd1131c9

“It’s not that there weren’t problems with any of the dogs, but the seventh dog was particularly troublesome. It couldn’t be controlled. It would have been one thing if it was just towards other people, but it was like that even towards its master. We hoped it would learn to obey as it grew older, but the results were not good. No, they were disastrous. When it was a pup, all it did was bare its teeth and growl, but after it grew up, it bit people nearly every day. We cleared away corpses daily. It was to the point where it was considered a miracle to come out alive after entering the kennel.”cbeaacd981d52bfb

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“…”552e03163703fb38

“The government couldn’t help but be skeptical. What the government wanted was a dog loyal enough to die without hesitation if its master ordered it to die, but the seventh dog not only lacked loyalty, it couldn’t even be controlled. Opinions clashed between those who said it should be disposed of as soon as possible and those who said we should keep watching it, if only for the sake of the budget that had been invested so far. At first, the opinions were evenly split, but as the days of the dog attacking people grew longer, the opinion that it should be disposed of gained weight.”044d452fb993f7e2

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“…”803ba305a4a1a0f2

He tilted the whiskey bottle as he spoke. Though there was a distance of several steps, it wasn’t so far that one couldn’t see the hand holding the bottle. Perhaps he was gripping it too tightly. His knuckles were so white that the tendons seemed to stand out.99f7316f0d277af4

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“That’s when a strange thing happened.”3bb6208d509fe2f3

As the glass filled, Fawkes straightened the bottle he had been tilting. It was at that moment. The last drop of alcohol remaining on the bottle’s mouth fell. With a plop, ripples began to form in layers inside the glass.7bc238b3ae52b88a

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“The dog that would attack anyone, whether man or woman, old or young, wouldn’t do so to just one person.”ce0b55ff276717d3

With each layer, a voice came to mind. One layer for the seventh dog, two layers for the kennel, three layers for the one person. And the fourth layer…c7e3bbd32dd051fe

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“To you.”077d595a922af551

‘You.’04631b9e2fd2f2b5

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All the ripples 9b3d18d708 stopped.c3c7b14eefa56fa3

And the next moment, a terrible tsunami that would sweep everything away, or perhaps had already swept everything away, crashed into Shavonne’s world.ba0febec5569308e

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All ripples are like that. They rise when they collide, seem to rise and then disperse, seem to disperse and then disappear. Shavonne usually didn’t try hard to suppress the ripples. It was a natural thing. Time would resolve it. If left alone, it would disappear on its own.31a714b29f105b9c

At least until e0401f19cb now, that had cf2e096d4d been the case.3b18b2cccba8d73c

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“What did you just say?”d461674c49b72699

For the first time, he realized. The fact that ripples could spread endlessly and take over one’s body. The fact that they could make one sway so much that they couldn’t stand straight and tremble so much that they couldn’t even sit down. It was no longer a ripple. It was a massive tsunami.f3bb88fcc518f983

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His raging ade7a0e817 mind and 835f429d74 pounding heart dd5b77ceae calmed down. The floating, dreamy 90c805938f sensation disappeared. All that remained 40fc4a4483 were the waves. Thousands and tens of 4be2e52c8c thousands of waves were 5ec578eeb9 everywhere. Reason and emotion, consciousness 9af7ccb97e and unconsciousness, mind and 26a4ab36e4 heart. No place d548c6d87f was an 7ef6eb237b exception.6d50af2e203dca78

“Do you remember working at Lute Penitentiary?”dd2dec8cea6954a1

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For a moment, he wondered if he had heard wrong, but it was only for a moment. Shavonne’s hearing wasn’t that bad. His mind wasn’t clear either, but it wasn’t so foggy that he’d have trouble understanding him.e47edfc2cdb3013e

He had heard him 154156a3cb perfectly. Fawkes had 19ca7fdedb said Lute 5a3aa1582f Penitentiary. With such precise a18361a957 pronunciation that it f7626a5f26 was impossible to 8c8038a7e8 mishear. His body stiffened de63539490 like a drowned eaf2327130 corpse. It felt as d2ab897c35 if his bones 58088c6c9f and flesh were 68880eb994 wrapped in water 8ba97fbf59 so cold that 10fa25e475 he might faint 317b4e8aee if touched, frozen d3b247ee33 solid just like fb02c08e2c that.0155a1a320e208c7

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“No, let me correct that,” Fawkes amended. “To be precise, I should ask if you remember ‘going to work’ there. Because no matter how much I ask, you won’t remember ‘having worked’ there.”3201589499744f81

Did he remember going to work at Lute Penitentiary? The answer would be ‘yes’. Although he only had one memory, it was a memory nonetheless.b91cae3ba8ba7083

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Shavonne remembered applying 7cd489e2d4 after seeing a d450f2158e job posting for 5db3efdc21 a guard nine 657e6293c6 years ago in d43672a11a winter. The problem was 41f856ae24 that he had 4e6b6d9da3 no other memories 401a3375e5 besides that. He had no 2b5d005b3e memory of going 4e9a3684ea to Lute Penitentiary, 4c8cdf044b no memory of 6ea3b1c40e meeting anyone there, a1b9ae5c81 no memory of afc7383cc4 working there. All memories ca05fba544 spent at 8219a3c508 Lute Penitentiary 1c5475879b had disappeared.dd8da5cb6c1ebe51

No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say they were ‘cut off’. His memories ended with applying after seeing the job posting for a guard in November nine years ago, and then resumed with him being penniless and wandering the streets in January eight years ago.e50bdddba4abc642

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People called Shavonne a7a9418eb3 a lunatic. Their argument was 6ef9c99056 that even though d32f4ec964 his behavior was bfad56254a normal, there was 06fc640500 no problem in b31213023c calling him a 2a7c39af73 lunatic since he 49f9f5d779 had no memories.bb9ecedc9ee1a732

Shavonne met Fawkes in August of that year, during the period when he was being called a lunatic. That time he didn’t bring up the story of Lute Penitentiary because he didn’t want to be called a lunatic. No, he was downright avoiding it.662822b60a734a06

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Shavonne would leave the place if someone was about to mention the name Lute, and he would keep his mouth tightly shut if someone asked if there was anyone who had worked as a guard. Since Shavonne hadn’t told him, there was no way Fawkes could have known that Shavonne had worked at Lute Penitentiary. It should have been like that.1e60b325de19fe69

However, Fawkes knew. Not only that, 2f9ed8d3b7 he even knew a79d399ad8 that Shavonne had 408b32942c no memories.6a11f38e8632437b

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What does 5092a237a9 that mean?9399fa5972ab35fc

Even when he 4f90612909 asked himself, there abb1c41fd4 was no answer. He thought that ff64d11616 the truth would 16676b45d3 become clearer the 9b71dbee73 more he knew, 601ebd7f1e but it seemed e44b09bd93 that he had eb4a407ae2 been mistaken. The more he knew, b9ebe5b68e the more ambiguous everything 27ace80d85 became.7f3575ccdd9e753b

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It felt like something was being pushed up under his throat. The problem was that right now, Shavonne didn’t even know if it was a knife, scissors, saw, or hammer.67c62f150ab5302d

Idiot. Fool. A dimwit wearing his 0488fe5bf7 head just for decoration. Shavonne cursed himself like that. To be precise, his own stupidity. He deserved to be cursed. There was no one more foolish than a person who couldn’t even figure out the nature of the danger when it was approaching.4eb7c108227b0256

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Like the mythological snake that grows two heads in place of one when it’s cut off, solving one question made several more grow in its place. No matter how much he racked his brain, everything was at a standstill.7b23da79de3e976f

“When you met the dog there, you were a guard in training. Of course, you were called a guard in training in name only, but in reality, you were no different from a slave. You had to do as you were told. If they needed an errand boy, you had to do it without a word, and if they needed someone to talk to, you had to listen quietly even to stories no one wanted to hear. You even had to stay still like a sandbag if someone wanted to hit something.”1650aa7ba9a3a1d3

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“…”11c4f93f9e1a56a8

“That’s why you became disliked.”da439797f6c37adc

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“…”95e723f30ac33a54

“How would you feel? If someone could freely interact with the dog without any worry while you couldn’t even come near for fear of being attacked. Not only that, but also the fact that they weren’t someone with power like the warden or vice warden, but a guard in training who was treated as a slave.”bae91d4e8ee17982

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“…”6e7ee2f91808fdd4

“No one liked you. When someone found out about your night wanderings, it was perhaps natural that they tipped off the higher-ups.”b70ce92050de974d

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“…”c02552a9e5166789

“The word was passed from the chief officer to the correctional officer, to the senior correctional officer. Eventually, it reached the vice warden’s ears. As far as I know, the vice warden wasn’t much of a gentleman, but he wasn’t enough of a ruffian to assault someone he had just met. That day was different, though. I heard he beat you for a full five hours. With his own hands, without borrowing the hands of his subordinates. The vice warden said he would throw you out as soon as dawn broke. If the warden hadn’t stepped in to protect you, that’s probably what would have happened.”3ac752f8a7c88b0e

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“…”6a6f39289fad4417

“The warden already knew that you were in contact with the dog. He had been turning a blind eye. When other guards felt a strange sense of inferiority seeing that the dog didn’t attack you, the warden was weighing the possibility of using you.”99d896372453cf4d

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“…”2ab1194f2203f4c4

“The warden thought you were suitable as a trainer. Your role was to teach the dog how to communicate with humans. Furthermore, if you could teach loyalty and absolute obedience, that would be even better. The condition the warden offered in his proposal was everything you needed. He said he would give you a family. He could even give you friends or a lover if you wanted. Oh, and of course, he didn’t forget to add enough money for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. You hesitated and then asked for a week’s time. You said you would bring an answer within a week.”65ab3d1bd9481779

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“…”9f6def0c70c3f8f3

“But you know what’s funny?”5c9576b0771a2528

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“…”489ef7f3a657f57e

“That very night, the same night you asked for a week’s time, you tried to sneak out of the detention center. You never had any intention of becoming a trainer in the first place. What did you say? That you didn’t want to exploit people’s feelings.” He added, “It’s ridiculous. It’s not even a ‘person’.”8f01f5e34cc75a25

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“…”89c85ed921a40148

“The warden doesn’t like being deceived. Well, who likes being deceived? But he particularly hates it. As soon as you were caught, the warden told you to choose between dying or becoming a trainer.”3b44b24dab9ef7b8

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“…”3c981617d106ae58

“In the end, you ended up entering the kennel where the dog was. Well, it was the obvious choice. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t throw away their lives because of a mere dog.”bdb35eafec2e3bf2

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“…”7681da482e43e18a

“The problem arose from an unexpected place. Your mind started to waver. Not like that was completely unreasonable. Whether it was because you were forcibly brought into the kennel,, or because you had to exploit a ‘person’s’ feelings to survive, or for some other reason, the fact was that you were under extreme stress.”f25bfccb793f64d6

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“…”7b1f76f8795384df

“As you know, a mentally ill person can’t perform such a crucial task.”38f0829ba1dc8fb4

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“…”d9dc725ddd9b130e

“You were expelled just like that. The initial plan was to kill you, but the permission didn’t come through. It was because you fell into the civilian category as a guard in training. In the end, all we could do was throw you out onto the streets.”229fdb3f98cf6064

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“…”b1ca86362f2bb939

“Of course, you weren’t entirely useless. The dog did become docile in the end. It wasn’t something you did, but something we achieved by using your life as collateral. Still, it wouldn’t have been possible without you.”5849c0e1dbfedb76

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“…”168420104e86d817

“Everything was perfect. At least until last winter.”de14b61506d1cb11

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“…”62c41b353866e2a0

“Last winter, just before the disposal—for political reasons—the dog disappeared. Or more accurately, it ran away.”9b3199cb770c1598

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“…”d46f1ac6b6f0da9a

“…It went to find you.”025bcf862f99f475

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Shavonne’s eyes stopped.dede0d1ae14562a1

“It was unexpected. I wouldn’t have done that. No, nobody would have. Would you go looking for someone you knew for just about three months, almost 10 years ago, just because you had nowhere else to go?”50102da9c31e2703

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As he lifted his head, he could see Fawkes’ Adam’s apple moving. It was a violent movement as if it would burst through the flesh. But only for a moment. It didn’t take long for Fawkes to compose his voice.994f5df0644222c3

“And that’s all. It took longer than expected, but everything is falling back into place.”333be5eb930e385a

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“Back into place?” The question popped out involuntarily before he realized it. His voice was hoarse and cracked from not speaking for so long. “I really don’t understand. What exactly do you mean by ‘back into place’?”758f5017a3182a27

Fawkes put down e1537a00f2 his glass.Clank. The sound of 3228c9539e the glass hitting 3dc5bb887e the table rang 39eaa98a18 out loudly.c226d465c236e7a4

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“You don’t understand?”bcd746c72d1959c7

Fawkes’ eyes looked directly at Shavonne. They were black eyes.3166828536959e78

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“It means that by tomorrow morning at the latest, the dog will be disposed of in Lute, and your memories will be erased.”fd399d109635637a

Words have equivalents. The word ‘memory’ is like that too. Just as the word ‘winter’ corresponds to ‘cold’ and the word ‘water’ corresponds to ‘flows’, the word ‘memory’ corresponds to ‘forgotten’. Erasure, that is, to erase and remove, isn’t an equivalent. Obviously, while you can try to forget memories, you can’t erase and remove them like a record.d10a4293720ac20f

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So why is Fawkes…a21833bcc3149aa1

It was then. As if reading Shavonne’s thoughts, Fawkes spoke up at that moment.a56ee2287ce4c76b

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“Have you ever thought about why your memories disappeared?”bbab1ebf24238820

There’s no way he hadn’t. Why did he lose his memories, why did he become a lunatic, why was he wandering these streets when he should have been working as a guard at Lute Penitentiary? Shavonne spent sleepless nights pondering these questions every day. Looking at case studies, meeting doctors, seeking out amnesia patients… He had been busy without a moment’s rest for a whole month.bb9538909f4ea985

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Despite all the effort for a month, Shavonne couldn’t find any answers. Not even a single clue. All he got was contempt and pity from people, disgusted glances, and a broken body.e08d9e3ab5c549eb

Finding the answer doesn’t immediately solve the problem. It doesn’t bring back memories, doesn’t cure mental illness, doesn’t provide enough money to leave the streets. It doesn’t erase the humiliation felt when receiving contemptuous, pitying, and disgusted looks, nor does it heal a broken body.29603210ac049374

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That’s why. That’s why Shavonne had no choice but to give up on finding the answer.404406c531e50a64

For a 281ba62f61 moment, he 1b0ca33e30 wondered that 7cdf2eb0cc if he 6c545f41dd had known 84d332ee87 he would ffd5ce2aab end up a569d6e936 like this, bf5c0ecd65 he might db0022e162 not have 5e2e0ba86b given up 0c64ef0b0f so easily 7ac7e86992 back then.e3b53eed30f21b07

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“Your memories were erased.”f10799f9c6d34c57

It felt 642e621b52 like something 73cf1ebd16 frozen, like 2089dcbff2 the polar 0e2652e404 sea, was dbd7761ee0 pouring over 528ddbcf90 his bones. Shavonne knew what it 151aee971c was. He knew 9056677d1f what it 4bd94a5713 was before e1a9c92496 it became f882eddb60 the sea, 5d550ded84 before it 71e29182ad was a ca5c37e1f6 huge tsunami, 579c5f2409 before it ef172b15ea was a d9507baa6b low wave, e2f661b2f6 before it 215c1e7391 was a 8aa44d9e7f tiny ripple, fc3d75b61b and before 4175b30ead it was c286e40ae0 all of 730ffb9abe those things, b2a49c3a4e when it 2331e3724b was just d8360243c9 a single 6f7256bc97 drop of 2bc4c1c7c7 water.Truth.932876edec5911f2

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“Did I ever tell you what kind of doctor I am?”b920f19d4aee7311

He did. He remembered 17270d8d8d clearly the 4725769c28 face that 7c71e066da answered he 0f48f9dfb8 practiced medicine 5960e246d5 when asked 240ec41319 what he afb0dcc9ec did for 731e248e32 a living. He also 237158015b recalled mentioning d9ebfa2bd1 opening a 38804d4f11 hospital under ac48985769 his name f243a44454 on Rewood 33c6b3720a Street.Since we talked about it in our first meeting, that must be a memory from 8 years ago… Shavonne’s expression hardened as he thought about it absentmindedly.ed8ad7f62864cac5

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Right. It might have f8f9acb3b0 been the first d897b99fe3 meeting for the ff0c1e2376 memoryless Shavonne, but 0236348654 not necessarily for 29e0e63127 Fawkes. Realizing this, 7c7c9c1b79 his voice 775f0f1ab1 naturally became 0791c26ac6 rusty. Like iron corroded d4f83143ff by seawater.497da71c883a6997

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Didn’t you say with your own mouth that you were a doctor?”9f150cbe9312a121

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“Ah, yes. I am a doctor indeed.”d0606748836717ba

It was a strange 35f3f8742f answer. Before there was time 6a94dc6bd7 to say anything, he 05ce7ecf3e added,576ceebfc4445844

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“I’m a hypnotist.”346241229e173d64

“…”4d21ffb5fce74b5d

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A stench rose 44fbbed8d3 and fell in 4a1800a621 his throat. Silence wetted f151fa5c97 his tongue.b3930a5ea3a09df5

“I was the one who erased your memories before expelling you.”b408bbc09d88a933

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A stench so c6a32845ec strong he could 6f017ac753 barely breathe ran 9559dc660c through his entire f7b64260e4 body, through his 3f4b25ddd7 blood. The sea 279940e68e swayed before 2ab3a87e94 his dizzy 73cec0c33a eyes. Waves breaking with white 33f1454be5 foam, the surface, and 5eed2f76b4 deep below, a drowned b045c20ecc corpse turned to wax.3d280a4a87a927ae

“Why…”7a6cac7fd4479f33

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Shavonne opened his e0bb650f82 mouth.f4faa031f6ec8828

“Why are you telling me this?”8ae57d15b71f582b

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It was a story that didn’t need to be told. At least as long as Fawkes wasn’t the type of person who gained pleasure from telling things he knew that others didn’t. Or well, he could be someone who feels pleasure watching Shavonne’s reaction upon learning the truth, or someone who feels superior teaching something he knows to someone who knows nothing, but anyway.b30a8197133f2dae

“Don’t get me wrong. Despite how I may look, I’m not someone who’s desperate to run my mouth without reason.”0d1aaf7b7ff084b7

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Fawkes said.313bf594948aad05

“This was just a strategy to break your hypnosis as quickly as possible.” He immediately added. “Think of it as putting together a puzzle. There’s a world of difference in speed between assembling a puzzle knowing the big picture and doing it without knowing. Hypnosis is the same. The more you know about the circumstances before and after, the faster it breaks.”f38aa1961c9940bb

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His stomach churned. That came before understanding 8ad2965a04 words like hypnosis. The stench that had 5d0482f29c subsided was climbing a c5cd37cecb steep ridge again. Unlike earlier 7dc87db249 when it d4c9b72aef was quiet, a2c35b0f5f this time 7e0a539422 it was feec0099f5 repeating a 5a83133c61 mad rise 75ee93c97c and fall 9e0fec832a like waves 06f15dbd92 on a d183cef93e stormy day. He felt dizzy. It felt like he 06b53c3bc2 would be plunged into 35a692af8b the sea at any 557beba38f moment.d24a0c084575ab69

Why? He managed to open his mouth and ask. He wanted to ask a whole question like ‘Why are you trying to break the hypnosis?’ rather than just an interrogative like ‘Why?’, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. With each syllable he spat out, his stomach churned as if he might vomit up the stench at any moment.8e8e46406d04edf2

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“It’s to put you under a new hypnosis.”c0d3c6571aaea18b

New hypnosis. The words went over his head. He heard them but couldn’t understand what they meant. He knew the word ‘new’ and he knew the word ‘hypnosis’, but he couldn’t understand what they meant together.0c56c77a75a58945

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Did his body realize something? Independently of his head, the muscles around his eyes started to twitch. It was such a subtle spasm that only he would know it was happening, and he thought it would be easy to control, but it wasn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t control it.930aac3334f4314f

“I could put you under a new hypnosis without breaking the old one, but double hypnosis isn’t very effective. And I don’t want my hypnosis to be ruined. Especially not one on this large a scale.”f92008cceee74d9f

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“…Large scale?”db6af34180244ca7

The spasm 2b8561ebef moved from cdab712436 his eyes 2be6c4a251 to his e77ceae383 tongue. A tremor 023c46e8d9 was evident 81090b5e96 in each b44c47db82 word he 61d98689eb spoke.ddd90df5a88e7b0b

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“Yes, large scale.” Fawkes’ gaze lowered slightly and then rose again. It was a black gaze. “If the previous hypnosis was limited to erasing 3 months of memories from Lute, this hypnosis will erase a lifetime of memories, so it’s appropriate to call it that.”f65a3d833289a8e8

The world 97d70ca24c was submerged a774beddbd in water. Or perhaps 60a9e6c399 water was 423d7c5844 submerging into 7af3f0a4a1 the world.c24aa11bb814eb8f

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“You’ll forget everything. Me, the seventh dog, even yourself. Even this conversation I’m having with you now.”13d960df679d393f

Why is this happening? If Lewellyn were here in front of him, that’s what he’d want to ask. Why is f821571053 this happening? Why is this 1928290ee4 happening, Lewellyn?d3f67df114843f23

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“This is how it should have been from the beginning. If we couldn’t kill you, we should have erased not just part of your memories, but all of them.”5e0ca9ed51fe20f2

Why is 2900c46f79 it so 5bc4b5d52a cold,f9f5be9a011b0f5e

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“Then there would have been no more troubles.”6f22ff5af2425776

Why is 0f79672bdb it so bfa7619e32 sad,683eacbdb8b34113

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“…I wouldn’t have had to dream of suicide every day.”e4a0c2a678726e59

Why does abf33c9174 it have b855f2d38c to be 5cbfcbf1f4 so painful?cb46d96d7759b4d1

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“You’ll live as a servant of the Hinze family. Hinze is known for treating employees harshly. He’s famous for torturing employees without hesitation if he thinks they’re not obeying. In other words, you won’t be able to cause any more trouble.”466b8fda2cf49514

He thought that maybe he was being punished for committing a sin. For daring to be born when even the mother who gave birth to him didn’t love him. For daring to not even have a friendly personality despite having no money, no talent, and no way with words to charm people, despite being an orphan with nothing. For daring to want to be happy. For daring to have someone he wanted to be with, for daring to love, for daring to want to protect…583cda5611cdffe4

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Countless sins floated through his mind. But, but you know. Couldn’t it be that anyone, if they’re human, might forget their place sometimes?25d4ec2aa0d28606

So why Shavonne…f106c6709453be53

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“But don’t worry too much. Your life will be much better than now. You’ll have family, friends, and a lover. They’re all experienced actors, so there won’t be any mistakes.”aade0bcd410e3c68

Was it because he was unlucky? Because Shavonne was born with bad luck, and therefore unfortunately failed to become human? Yes, that could be it. Maybe Shavonne is something that looks like a human but isn’t actually human. Like a doll, or a mold, or a model, or something like that.72ee793e8e56d7e5

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If Lewellyn were here in front of him, this time he’d want to ask like this. Why? Lewellyn, why did f541211a6a I have to 87fa51178b be so unlucky?03b26569a98c179a

Why on earth?d7907e9ce5f6a6f8

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“Get ready.”d4039dcb11843296

Suddenly a 789716a651 voice came 7fd11039ab through. Shavonne opened 91cdf9e442 his eyes 70644237e6 wide. Fawkes, who 319b445861 always spoke 63ce50cfae with clear 7e2c87d5eb pronunciation like 89e48ecd7c a public 6680702efe speaker, had 8ac8b89882 his words a5dd7e1c50 slightly slurred bb121780b1 just now. Alcohol. The presence he 39abb6eecf had overlooked until f37b9a0f96 now wedged into e59a87e205 his mind.fc0b2c4e2b377400

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Fawkes had been 18ec56a853 drinking. Whiskey, at that.0144b65ab07b963f

Although he wasn’t shouting at the top of his lungs, vomiting, or crying like typical drunks do, Fawkes was in an intoxicated state. He couldn’t not be. He had emptied half a bottle of whiskey over 40 proof in the blink of an eye, enough to muddle the mind of even the best drinker in Bunch. Let alone Fawkes, who wasn’t accustomed to alcohol.d00d4a915a6c7a8f

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There are stages to intoxication. Starting from simply feeling good, there are a total of seven stages up to coma. The tongue curling is stage 4. It’s at the same level as having difficulty controlling one’s body. In Fawkes’ case, his tongue was ‘slightly’ curled, so his body control would be ‘slightly’ difficult. It’s easy to subdue a drunk person, after all, their moves would be sluggish. It would have been even more doable if he wasn’t tied up like this, though.fd2895afdb40e040

This might be Shavonne’s only chance to take down Fawkes.394ced082ebe6eab

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He knew that if he failed, it won’t end with just having his memories erased. He’d pay the price for resisting when he should be submissive. If Fawkes is feeling generous, it might end with just broken limbs, but if not… who knows. He couldn’t know whether his eyes would be gouged out, his nose cut off, or his tongue cut out, but in any case, he wouldn’t escape being maimed.903d9b9afeb528bc

It would be 4016b06b72 a lie to 592e41f79a say he wasn’t 4a190812fa afraid. However, there was something 2adee94952 he feared more than 017750803a having his eyes gouged 24451146e8 out, his nose cut abce9f63f3 off, or his tongue 15e4e10712 cut out, so he ba1636629d hesitated no longer. No, he b99c05a8a9 could no bcdb86a95f longer hesitate.5fa025407f6e6d24

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“A life with family, friends, and a lover.”af4cb1b959bc4cb7

He began. Taking an f14dd951e1 invisible deep ccd0269cb5 breath, he 3e4b0d8f86 continued.9a6673a0cc5a2f49

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“What kind of life is that?”0fa0f8bbe3fe890e

The purpose of speech is not always communication. In some cases, it can be communication, and in others, it can be disconnection. In some cases, it can be healing, and in others, it can be violence. In some cases, it can be fact-checking, and in others, it can be insinuation. And in cases like this, it’s distraction.adbd6fce4a77ae1f

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Words are effective at distracting. Especially when it takes the form of a question that requires the other person to actively answer rather than just passively listen. Thanks to this, Fawkes fails to see through Shavonne’s act.ef941e5183448184

Of course, the fact that Fawkes was drunk also played a big part. If he hadn’t been drunk, he would have seen through not only the act but also the underlying scheme. He had never thought that the lack of concentration the alcohol gave was a good thing (naturally, since he had to repeat the same thing three times when dealing with drunk people), but now his mind had changed.a9f1d07a80f448ea

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He discreetly gauged the a89a1b79ba distance to Fawkes.It’s far.Even taking in 3509fca244 mind the usual 0a407b94b6 error in eyeballing 492803401f distances, it looked 85e91d57dc like a good d87dcc44b3 ten steps away.5afbeff9a903bdab

He couldn’t take Fawkes down from this far. It would have been the same even if his body wasn’t bound like now. He needed to close the distance. Since Shavonne, who was tightly bound, couldn’t do that, the only answer was for Fawkes to approach him himself.415252fe5fec2ecf

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The only problem was that this opportunity would happen once – when he approaches Shavonne to put him under hypnosis. If he failed, there wouldn’t be another chance. As soon as he was hypnotized, he’d forget about Fawkes and the plan to take him down.a0f10be120a12300

There was only one chance. When ten steps narrow to three, when the warmth draws near, shadows loom, and the sharp smell of alcohol stings his nose. That’s when Fawkes must be taken down.c89f2122706682e3

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He decided not to consider ‘what if I fail’. Shavonne’s only card was hope. There was no choice but to believe.44425a273bf60774

“It’s a life worthy of a human.”741d2fb80fd30bfd

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With the answer, footsteps began to approach. One step, two steps… The sound of shoe soles hitting the floor grew closer.806096cca1d5654c

“It’s a life where you can learn to live through others.”0e03b3a4092f0123

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From ten steps to five, from five to three, Shavonne couldn’t take his eyes off Fawkes’ shoes closing the distance in the blink of an eye. If he looked away, he might miss a movement, and if he missed a movement, variables could arise, and if variables arose, the plan could go awry.1d5338b6374763e5

A voice in his head chided him for being overly tense, but it couldn’t be helped. At this moment, tension was Shavonne’s savior. It was his eyes fixed on the target without blinking, his pounding pulse, his tightly clenched muscles, and his heart beating so hard it ached.02d6f5c99e2f8271

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“It’s also a life where you can learn to love as much as you’ve been loved, and learn to be loved as much as you love.”5dc15f1a6dc59436

Beads of sweat 2b74a43d36 formed on his b37044e791 eyelashes. It was the cold 65b50b9dad sweat that often comes 89661ae68e with tension.Blink, blink, he 37538ffbd4 deliberately opened 29eb3f0a5b and closed 919241c866 his eyes 754047b230 quickly to 58cc7e19aa shake them bf30581a75 off, and 8b14e45420 only then 745661ced6 did his 3958e2f153 vision clear.09de8fec74cd8499

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That’s when it happened. When the footsteps that had been continuing suddenly stopped.625e4f05f28eff00

Warmth. A looming shadow. The sharp smell of alcohol stinging his nose. Along with these, shoes stood just one step away. From afar, he hadn’t noticed, but now he saw they were new. Or perhaps old ones maintained to look new.23a3a8e473696d50

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Shoes are 2b4fa155af typically worn f64082860a for as 031cc8db78 short as b1d3af3a51 a day 22e33302f1 or as edf66142be long as 5c571dddf2 a week, 24f01f65d9 and can a99b5ab9bb get dirty, 21fe4c447c but these 818a2bd382 were different. From the fd00431bc4 upper to ddd2ad1494 the sole, 43b4143c64 from the fb5fcc32d3 shank to d782520c0e everything else, 3ccf8fbf8e there was 59686267ab a glossy 0541671ec8 shine. It was at that a6c0b18439 moment that a certain 817426a633 realization pierced through his e38ed28d13 mind.bcfb56f86ba29768

That’s it.213cb02c73167165

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If Fawkes had used a chair, rope, and a cloth soaked in chloroform to subdue Shavonne, what Shavonne would use was the shoes. More precisely, the ‘cleanliness’ of the shoes.e81bd8ad8ebca0ef

Shavonne opened his e2df4066ac mouth.f5c1177e80e5a3bd

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“Say, what do you have on your shoes?”87fce447fca33bae

Fawkes made two mistakes. The first was carelessly looking down at his shoes at those words. The second was tying Shavonne to a chair that wasn’t high enough.42caa0997be897dd

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The basics of 57e083cbbd restraint dictate that 81f4e8a326 the feet should e68199f6fa not touch the 3296bba407 ground. If not ddc6da1e6a careful, the dd99930cc6 restrained person c21eb94bbc might be baa6dcb61b able to 4daacfef86 kick off 95b8cfb46b and jump 3860a6ab16 up, chair 5fd40bb52f and all.bd0ad939658d4046

Of course, whether dc29c67fd5 you jump ten 42b452d4b0 centimeters or a 065d736439 hundred centimeters, falling 7592d168ab is the same. The only difference 63a5fb8fbf is whether you bfbe10dd15 break your nose, e2d34b3a8f crack your forehead, 9b769537ea or get a bf59c8eb35 concussion. You might think 72a31f12b2 no one would 9706116878 be foolish enough ee90cb8e28 to do such da9d60d7f1 a thing, but cb4b6a7f46 there is. Right here, db5ff214cc in fact.648affc1fda0c5d1

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He jumped up with all his might. If it had been just his body, it might have been different, but weighed down by the heavy chair, he barely rose half a span. But it didn’t matter. Shavonne’s goal wasn’t to rise, but to topple over. Fawkes tried to retreat belatedly, but it was too late. By the time he tried to pull away, he was already flattened beneath Shavonne tied to the chair.d226ed8676ee828c

Fawkes, who had to bear not only the fall but also the weight of Shavonne toppling over him, seemed dazed. The physical impact was significant enough, but the alcohol in his system made it even more challenging. On the other hand, Shavonne was able to regain his senses quickly, thanks to Fawkes’ body cushioning the impact of the fall.6214617b97d45076

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As soon as his strength returned, Shavonne immediately headbutted Fawkes’ face. With a dull thud, blood splattered in all directions. It was a nosebleed. Seen from a distance, Fawkes’ nose was already a bloody mess. As a bonus, his once straight nose bridge was now grotesquely crumpled.3e137dfe2c1c8824

He wanted to savor the moment, but there was no time. He continued to headbutt until Fawkes’ face was ruined, his cheekbones sunken, eyebrow bones twisted, and a lump forming on his forehead. His forehead stung from the headbutts, but he couldn’t stop. No, he mustn’t stop.59cfce005a0590d4

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Fawkes, who had been efa4c035ae twisting his head to c13e2306c1 shake off Shavonne, eventually 716fe6367c started flailing his arms 8970afeee7 and legs to try a856c48e27 to pull his body 013a686a25 out from under him. He seemed 004f9883c5 to have 402cbfc1d4 judged that 987a715696 there was d5fffec20f no chance b4612e8917 of winning 40c0cd5dd0 while pinned 97f20ae0bf under Shavonne, cf8e626450 who was 6bce18be4a still tied 50f09a605e to the d3acd9c35f chair.dde50b57b6a61c90

Shavonne had no intention 346183dacd of letting Fawkes gain 761cdff13d the upper hand. However, while 7d74db569a Fawkes had f61f16e715 sobered up 29bcdf1e31 from this 192f652bb0 ordeal, Shavonne be456d1c60 was still 02953949e2 tied up. If the fight continued, 043de6d287 it was clear who ecf3a40cf1 would win.759cfff02a53ede0

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Then, he had to de631aced0 end it as quickly 718188b4e7 as possible.e55d02fa8ed9c2ff

For a 2f2f6b483a moment, he 9407eb4d6b thought he 1e3b484f19 saw something. Something white. Something fluffy. Something gently swaying in f42cac34cb a soft flow. By the 97de047910 time he 0f1a66d35d realized it fc520fe82e was the 875c1064c1 fine hair 7a48e40107 between the 4f3c52de7e eyebrows, an 671cff1a45 idea had 08df96cbbc already flashed effd64e9e1 through his 62b6fba4c6 mind.fbdec33cdbd6a6b8

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He slammed his head e9a346c505 down hard towards the 3d36249419 spot between the eyebrows. At the moment 3ba43af2f0 of impact, whether 8d51715c4e it was a ed65d1e903 real sound or 2ee70b7e2c an illusion, he c7ff7f400b heard something shatter. The next moment, a 760963684f numbing pain pierced his 2a9321303d ears.aac953be8164c37e

Vital points weren’t just a myth seeing how Fawkes, who hadn’t lost consciousness even when his cheekbones sank, his eyebrow bones twisted, and a lump formed on his forehead, suddenly collapsed in an instant. Shavonne examined Fawkes with a skeptical eye. Just in case, he poked him a few times, but there was no response. There was only silence2362e3a2ec4058ea

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Any more stimulation might 50f03f7d56 wake Fawkes up. He retreated 5abbf19861 without touching 80052b0836 him further. Of course, given 5c119e3200 the nature of 1756fe17f4 the restraints, he 47d129a67a had to roll cf78db89e8 with the chair dc68c9c79c he was tied fb71af2000 to. With a thud, the c823365bbc chair fell to the 840803dd6b side. Shavonne, tied to 92584c625b the chair, toppled c13b95c25d over with it. His head, 8d24d78449 hitting the 9d91004558 hard floor, 9d71d1a108 felt like 4b152057d5 it was 566a32a303 about to 212408b961 split open.599845804f683254

Rolling, crawling, rolling, crawling. Enduring the pain that felt like his bones were trembling, he reached the table. Carefully, to ensure the bottle didn’t fall towards his head, he knocked over the table. As expected, the bottle shattered, scattering shards everywhere. The fragments were sharp enough to cause deep bleeding if he was careless.760bbced49b09746

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He picked up a shard and cut the rope. Starting with his hands first. He proceeded cautiously, one strand at a time, to avoid cutting himself. Chest, waist, thighs, ankles… The rope came apart surprisingly easily, being unbelievable how it had been restraining his body until now.bece1cc019d314dd

As he a7a8287579 stood up, 69fe226a57 his legs 8be26aa7c3 wobbled. His muscles c711d3ab8a ached, suggesting b5fd16fd3b he had b977688ba6 been tied 97e3d46a3f up longer 0d5a719a90 than he ee601ee396 had thought. Looking around ad103809e9 to see c6373dc31e if there 8cef1830b7 was anything f99993f805 worth taking, b712a5f6c6 Shavonne spotted a4828563c9 a desk 2fafd786ff with three a9ebd1b182 drawers. Opening the 7f24e2ab47 first drawer d2188f6f27 revealed a bfd8d53c77 collection of 011c16b985 business cards. Useless. The second drawer 49721995c5 contained some documents, da6ad11e74 but they were 609711d7c3 filled with words 2702376b01 he didn’t understand, cc372887e3 so they were 9eb3a4e37a equally useless.4122a5482c5eb65e

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The reward came c7df970beb from the third be24097d29 drawer, which he 7d522cd332 opened without expectations. There was a gun. Not a d0108ae475 fake gun 04940984b8 made for 3786cb119b play, but b28cbd5837 a real f006d968ff gun.c5d980c5243f685f

Shavonne had never even imagined he would use a gun. Guns were for important people. Not for a ghostwriter who didn’t have a single book in his own name. Not for someone who was so poor that couldn’t even pay the monthly rent for his apartment, let alone worry about where the next meal would come from. Not for Shavonne.a3125d0f435e3350

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Until now, that’s what he had thought.51a50bfec03ad219

According to what Fawkes had said, Lewellyn would die by tomorrow morning at the latest. ‘At the latest.’ That implied that even if he arrived at Lute before morning, Lewellyn might already be dead. But he couldn’t just wait for morning to come. He couldn’t just sit there waiting helplessly for news of Lewellyn’s death to arrive.10401b955018cc3a

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Shavonne picked up the dc04ea8efe gun. Even if eb92566b70 he was 9db629d448 nobody. Even if 3ac922678b he was 288fec561c nothing. Despite all that, he e2612f551c had to go. He had to 0d47897ecc go and bring 05fc2d42f8 back his world.18cf42bd250a309b

All Shavonne could do 7469e232d3 now was try. And pray.54bdb5cbb3133e0c

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Lewellyn.a3c9fd801b542ad4

Please be alive.bf7766f264083a6d

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Only the night answered. A night so black that one couldn’t distinguish what was path and what was fall.2bbecea83c9b0420

7d9d79e486daee06

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