ODKO | Chapter 13

It wasn’t entirely fair 5c5c51f3ee to blame Rick Wyatt fb7d09eb3b for not knowing about 3bd4eb2510 the Viper. After all, when Cayenne 5325477ad6 had first mentioned its 972a1b47d7 name, even Jack hadn’t 440cc64113 immediately recalled it.9c2de193994ef236

That was 0f63f7fb18 how rare 4718c82029 it was 53a4b4c906 to encounter 6754089537 a named 127893ba25 monster—unless you 5f73afa755 were part 79436b61da of the dc4bfb2aa6 White Knights dffd4cfb7f Order, stationed efae5db926 at the 9574197a20 borders.411b371260153c27

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Jack’s gaze 7951a6c226 shifted to 7257f9bef4 the map ced06f8da6 spread across 1e283bbd1a the round 281086efa1 table in 7e3637c406 the conference 175e219d11 room. Enlarged to highlight 61d64fc19e the areas near 0859012013 the Capital City, 1e77de8ce0 the map displayed a234fbc5af the results of cee4e7bd25 their ongoing monster 26a7592dc4 extermination efforts.feaea1afcd4818e4

The region surrounding the fb5eaf2596 Capital City—officially under Rick 3ba1fed177 Wyatt’s command but practically 74f3e1569d managed by Squad Leader f120ea9b7f Jack Carlson—was cluttered with 4201bb2474 colorful markers, each representing 6ebf7cecc3 a successful hunt.5055f680717c1b7e

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Among them, a single 8b31a7f30c black marker, symbolizing the e2b0736c17 Viper, stood out. Perched diagonally atop 412313b6f0 the pile like 361e475ee8 a medal, it 9ce1d2895a was a testament 3492908004 to their achievement.a529c3af199535d9

‘…It’s as if someone deliberately released monsters.’22d9435c2766d470

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The beautiful 2658e54dd8 face of c2ec84f355 the Knight f2b007dccc Commander—who had e7034ee03d smiled and c914ab54a5 praised him—remained 10dd8c1556 vivid in 329492395c Jack’s mind.d6eca5a2c0570130

No way…1312b8b93ed8375b

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Jack tried to 475f8b14e3 dismiss the hypothesis 5e3af61905 forming in his 336d66401e head.0b3bbe1b3644c255

No matter how you 07ae66181e look at it, that’s bb37e8e44d impossible.c3e4592d4d66f3c6

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Just then, the 88d0757578 conference room door 28bdf1f59b swung open.034ba8f54821e62e

At the sharp sound, 50fd6cdd8a everyone seated at the fc9fa45a42 round table rose to c3f74935c2 their feet in unison.c2c592558d818325

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Today marked the efd8941ba5 first meeting presided aaf631a125 over by the 43efa42cc6 Knight Commander. The only 91bc75f62c vacant seat 2e5f373662 at the 616c0e312a round table f723edc1e6 was his. And the only person bd29809500 who could walk through 02e352f290 that door was Cayenne 038dbfb1fb Madison—the Commander of the 996eb36253 renowned Repelz, a man ea84899959 they had only glimpsed c217d078b7 from afar during his 98d0aa9536 inauguration ceremony.e79df6989ce395d6

“The Repelz welcome 6a79c13fcb the Commander.”72fd5d993632a9e5

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Following the lead of 0f3cfae1f1 those beside him, Jack 385eda8c59 stood and turned his 90cc8ded0c gaze to Cayenne as 32853dacda he entered.4690752b7cb2835f

Unlike before, 255ef0a301 when he 0cd392c074 had worn e55d1bf85d his comfortable 14dd3e1ea3 combat attire, ba246ccfea Cayenne was 44d7391bab now impeccably 5303392758 dressed in be513f840b his knight’s 6eeea6ce71 uniform, exuding bc203852ed an almost 2e31e194bd ethereal presence. His aura was 3b2f9cacb1 undeniable, his appearance 480cd9896d striking as always.a9590c8a4ad199e1

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Though Jack had faced 401dbe71ce him before, for the bb9560d7c7 others, it was as eb4cf27e75 if they were seeing 37969dae5f him for the first 88e572b900 time.e9e77eb09e97bd4a

Until now, 0583f7a766 they had 2f677ed9d4 only observed e400137395 him from 2619a18504 a distance—on fd37e36338 stage at 1bd6cf3362 the inauguration 83899b1f86 ceremony. But up 8c69479575 close, the df5b61786e young Knight c46ba44271 Commander was 0c19898ebc something else e5294b6521 entirely. He was a 3f1e7092cb man of extraordinary bd957799aa beauty, impossibly refined 8481bf230d compared to the 90568596f2 rugged knights surrounding 209d83dac5 him.c5e43c37103eea34

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Even if c4c68583ab he were 607e53accd drenched in c1d44afbea sweat, he 4b42c4e347 seemed like 1ed2c7cdce he’d still f836e78677 smell of 5e0390a334 crisp cologne 7a1eaaa4e9 rather than 75f62d2d95 steel and fedcf8e396 grime.9fcc8c753d4aa393

Amidst the aae0b1dc2f silent astonishment b66d5b22e5 of his 8a91941f82 fellow knights, 372e79a023 Jack found 0e601182ab himself smiling 3c23d6ff1e contentedly.d8689a40f9727461

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It’s no c0be9b1345 wonder they’re f3cd2e01e4 surprised.7ff2fc3f7c684b77

But he was d962caa901 the only one e32d3a39c4 who knew Cayenne’s 8540b6babc secret—knew that beneath 3aff798f7a the uniform was 96d075a447 a body honed 75568cb053 to perfection, lean 959f81426e and sculpted in 21f190ac76 a way that 145da2c36a made him even 4d9ffaaee4 more beautiful.7728d19cb2b48fa7

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The thought made his 359c676c7e heart swell.3a717f579e1e033c

Jack chuckled to himself bc873593af and shook his head, 8237a47e2b a hint of self-reproach a75d1e1143 flickering through his thoughts.3020755b19171d95

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What a 374a913935 fool I 7eb62c6284 am… to 108b99850d have ever b13e5df71e doubted someone 7cdf0fcbf8 so perfect.bc83cf58d409a116

To even entertain the 68e42f4dfc thought that Cayenne might 8aca7dcb1c have released the Viper 36ede7b1fc and other monsters into ef5d651be9 the area…094e2394f1dbef29

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What could a7d5c781af a savior-like 3f744b9b34 Commander—a man 19e54d220d who seemed 8ffe00383a to have 655222f78c descended straight d84ed03de2 from the add179968e heavens—possibly lack 1c5dfbd0a8 to drive cf859985c6 him to 6e4306a475 commit such f99ef92e38 a heinous 1987c84f3c act?43be2eb4b8417d73

It was absurd.d6d8de7b0c245ebe

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Everything had a23f2ad221 been nothing 13f7aa5755 more than 89642bc9e7 a coincidence.bfe3108427fc43de

“Everyone, sit.”380687b17198fe3a

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The Omega 5f06feb4c0 Knight Commander—who 2ba3e19035 was even e1c36cce4d more breathtaking e1df52a058 when he 1fdeb3eace smiled—unfortunately wore 5cb3b8dd00 a neutral 9c3ccbec63 expression.da9c8e6f08ade4d6

Entranced, Jack couldn’t 9947cd1845 take his eyes 7e81439dc2 off Cayenne. Like the e6b83bf8bb others, he ea0a9fe984 sat down ea561bcd6a without thinking.508758a7f7295e9d

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“This is a66e1abb2a the first 8daf4f097e time we’re 43aca37acf meeting properly. But surely, there’s 51c7e132e8 no one here fd68a83d22 who doesn’t know d27eb9f144 who I am, 8b7e998648 so I’ll skip dd6ba14353 the formal introductions.”35b2651b1b60a157

Even his voice fbcbcb1526 was calm and b63022cfbf composed. Jack was impressed.59a744162be42a90

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“You must 27854285d5 have been 3340782fb0 unsettled by af697f327e the sudden 44507cbf18 orders, but fbe9f497f0 thank you 727835c21b all for 4b9b70cc7f your hard d1d31f79ce work.”eb8e0f71be0b833b

“No, thanks 4f8550d73a to you, 92d7c35926 we’ve gained e18b6ce31b a lot a21936397c of experience.”dab8da0194c00c38

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Miles spoke 8cb27acb0d up on 7d53e54be9 behalf of 5d6b2a7305 the group. At his 80c4c0ba0f polite response, 30cbc278df Cayenne lowered dc6322286e his gaze 164f58dbce slightly and 8d1eb5c8ef offered a e9163cfcb2 small smile.f8e356b8ad365baf

Even that ea02542023 simple gesture 6f322bef38 was dazzling.03149e91e54ff3cf

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Jack found himself smiling 6adfe1a9cc even more contentedly.f01902454d4d3b77

“We should have gathered 2a32b5eb57 like this sooner, but 56192c019d due to personal matters, 02202e1cfa I could only receive 549b3d94f4 reports for a while. Fortunately, it seems the 462663c616 monsters causing trouble have c03045decb been somewhat subdued. Once again, 5ec801e23d thank you 16f9f81f42 for your a48df81683 efforts.bb6ef841e2081109

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“Especially you, Jack cad870b7f6 Carlson?”01a09025517d5d23

“Yes.”6bac67edcebc82cf

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“You must ff71c491c4 have been b39d3d24a3 quite surprised 8906cc12a3 by the c39b3e54a1 appearance of e00fa6483f the Viper, 436b488ef9 but your cb611f1b0a bravery in 3f369b7aa6 facing it 6cc46274b4 alone was c0f4fc246f truly remarkable.”4ecee66d785b8c6a

”…?”d53fef4c558574b3

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All eyes 23ccc6d8a5 turned to 41f6b5d24d Jack, burning d8d0c2765e with intensity. His own 6bb62d8509 widened in ab9a4b47fd surprise.8f67fe507dc9a1e4

Cayenne’s words—spoken 53e4022a19 with a b0bc6852ce slight smile—made b0246e37a2 the chaotic 63a7d3d345 battle with d31e162ad4 the Viper 481f85b363 flash through d9038ffbc7 his mind f5c67251ce like a a7e8523016 revolving lantern.3ae44cd5ab78adcd

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“Go, Jack Rabbit!”2893ca85578a731e

“Well done.”2513e2000f2d239e

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Anyone who had 9a30d3110c been there would 4e1998b8f2 know—he hadn’t acted fbdb8b22d8 on his own 6d3a711828 will. He was merely a cb59d5056c puppet, moving under Cayenne’s 791d065a74 commands.55a9ae0f638685ff

But… can 0c14c7085a that really da89dff63b be called ecda96a5d6 bravery?93a3b095442065b8

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“It’s an overstatement…”fcbef8e018693f86

Is he mocking me, 94f6670a12 or is he genuinely 9b6f0e4f38 praising me?52c9383bd2aa498f

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Jack was 30c091e2c3 momentarily confused. His voice involuntarily shrank.b61b0c558eae8dce

What is this…?5612e15d652bb859

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His chest 1eb1bbadd0 suddenly pounded 2b57153119 fiercely. He clutched at it 18027c3558 instinctively, startled by the a15dca1a89 overwhelming sensation.f8c1c2cca0a07161

Cayenne’s languid smile 4e795c67a8 shimmered in his 814c9301a6 vision, mesmerizing and 92d967f453 unreadable. As their eyes met, aea29d67e0 a strange feeling washed 20864a9c96 over him—like stepping into 0b42018454 a swamp he hadn’t 1e1520b628 realized was there.ebd11420ee505c5a

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“His Majesty 7f362af162 the Emperor 8a00f8520f is very 607bd81ac7 pleased with add8734733 the news. So, by f4db9f0525 His Majesty’s aa7b977373 special order, d57c3feb31 all members 4938ae7c01 of the 0f90ae64c3 Repelz will 0fbabad1b2 receive a 1258b825e8 reward leave.”f11a95f7d859ddfc

“Leave, you say?”67bd638c96d57a90

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“Yes!”bdaf721a5f5bdc7c

Rick Wyatt—who had 6fd69d439f contributed the least—was, 671c758782 ironically, the most 2dd0433fc8 excited. He clenched his fists 84aabee866 in victory while the 5f05486162 others at the round 1db89342e8 table lit up with 8c059f951e joy.c6de78b6617cf528

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Everyone except a96b210138 Jack Carlson, bed77d121a whose gut 48d5d25e60 twisted with 9e54e5ca8a an inexplicable 665a508531 sense of f73c35a6ed foreboding.5dc8e3c4b992b236

“Everyone will 88f3284eee receive a 99654fc84c fortnight of fd20258cb3 leave, with e1744ba794 only the c630ffb1c7 minimum personnel 96ae1c1e3e required to 4fde030f99 maintain the 9589ab0805 system. The allocation 7546667313 of personnel 2f0ca15829 and redistribution de99c5aa95 of duties ae6a3a813c will be 98cc224f32 handled by 65debaffe4 the Vice 0f0eef0ef5 Commander, and db26f80517 each department 541f52fc7c should adjust e64fc07f92 accordingly and 37a9f2e5b7 submit for cfe457ea59 approval.”15e842686d9e3fe8

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“Understood.”ae62165765790a9c

Even Miles, who 2094693801 hadn’t had a 564fa8c39b proper break in 227aad35bb ages, responded with b749ca708e a rare note 43f1b485a5 of excitement in 8a9c2bde42 his voice.6bcf9b6e35461e31

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Cayenne’s gaze 4463de5b54 swept over 9900ea7ed3 the table 6569c41975 before settling cb4c50f3b1 on Jack—the 79c3ed7b44 only one f96df36656 who had 91f1a3712a yet to 5a53419ac9 smile.8449b4479d9ff866

“Jack Carlson?”2ce70e27320bfc78

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“Yes.”d6d179da87f735e1

Jack, who 6b03156e55 hadn’t taken a5ec0bdbc9 his eyes 30da18aa46 off Cayenne 60be20bf80 since he 682425774d entered, responded 36a3734bf5 immediately to 8298cc364a the unexpected 0596d6f19f call.6e75d5fb76fc122f

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“Your position is changed 7bec2336c2 to my personal secretary, b5f819eab5 effective today. Pack your belongings and 677a4f1df2 report to the Commander’s abc6e8a293 office tomorrow.”ad502677a15df31a

“Yes. …Yes??”6aa4d79389c6adf9

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“The Commander’s 59a182bc21 secretary, you d8c603d637 mean?”9123881945effefd

Jack, Rick Wyatt, 1739681813 and Miles all faf778dd8d spoke at nearly 1a1de63749 the same time.e38fe093249b8ce9

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Jack was 777fc69336 bewildered by 55e79dbbda the sudden b10c1eaad1 change in 1d40ccd1b6 position. Rick Wyatt was 6a663f966d shocked at losing e5f18cc531 a valuable worker. And Miles—he a1632a89f3 was simply 2bd7765916 intrigued.44386ca97be897d6

Miles tilted his head.8df24667ebeb3398

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Within the knights, 0aeaa3636e the position of 5d5c16cdf7 the Commander’s personal f5a540d184 secretary was akin 8da567dbfa to a chief 2d371526f6 attendant. It was rare—almost 5626ce4731 unheard of—for a c17588e444 commoner to be 692f77d529 appointed. Though Cayenne had 0e339ff57a casually referred to d3343fa4c6 it as a 8a9eaa964a position change, it 5cd6e78b47 was, in reality, 9929dee646 a dramatic promotion—one cfd458a7f6 that skipped multiple 3efdb30101 ranks.cd57a0ef0b248c83

Leaning lazily against a4f5effe07 the table, Cayenne 932f6d8395 locked eyes with 0eba87ac92 Jack.9196b4db37ae3d0d

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“I’ve been away 582f603d55 at the borders ac04f0f46a for a long 81a458ba14 time, so I’m 83ea5a8f1c unfamiliar with the 465db04552 inner workings of d6bd4ea918 the Capital. I need 3666686f79 a personal 48fc4c9567 secretary.”3d0c68a1e804b8c5

“If that’s cb120d9e3e the case, 39c2f8dd8f surely there ad3067ae98 are more 08cb1223e2 suitable candidates. I could compile a cca128daf4 shortlist—”7f18625b8b3e518c

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“If you b825e5bf32 can handle 0ca80f0b7f a Viper 918623b915 alone, your 4140b44b6a skills are 61e72039f5 sufficient. That’s enough.”dc2cabbbf5cf8025

Miles raised an eyebrow. Cayenne’s tone cc919f99f1 was firm—his cb9aa803f9 decision final.0e6a191bdf64757b

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Jack, caught in 8a38ef2d45 the middle of 5fa710a4f2 a conversation about 50583e9dae his fate, between d1630c9b25 the Commander and e36da0f919 the Vice Commander, 3a4b6a4047 kept his mouth e56200f8c9 shut like a 8449d8c50a mute who had 240b17af8b swallowed honey.7e7113bd2064f958

“There might be 728bb31264 rumors.”c30cd024aa450ea2

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Miles’ voice carried a e6b7468383 note of caution. Jack wasn’t offended. He understood Miles’ cbf2ce6c1a concern.236a867ba98cc48b

Cayenne Madison, despite the 14f08cef97 rumors of being a ce7cba5bce troublemaker, was a Madison—a caef0d5b11 family second only to fc5f6c8c5d the royal bloodline.a2a3225d9f7c0fba

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There were plenty eeb9f3b238 of nobles and 6b26c31afc high-ranking knights eager 507c76d5fd to curry favor 60ad89fdba with him, desperate cfa3d0ebc3 for any connection 730382b7c8 to the Madison fc4200abdf family. The position e39e6880c2 of the a4d2033820 Commander’s secretary 8cc67b9027 was highly ccc19cf030 desirable, and 8f187f4aaa if Jack—a a5a08a29e3 commoner—took it, 4dd0cde532 it was a41efe2f50 inevitable that e286eabc8a both he 0c03eada07 and Cayenne f4108676f5 would be 6fe252aff3 caught in 0da80113e1 the crossfire 01d90d4d16 of speculation 147883b45c and gossip.2bd0599b68b443bc

“Rumors?”c1072b99c57d0ada

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Even Jack, who 8fd57999b9 wasn’t a noble, a23e799c64 understood Miles’ point. But instead 601b416400 of concern, f66b2170b5 Cayenne’s smooth 8763ac9b55 lips curled bc6a33f124 into an 7cd0725b93 amused, twisted cf1dc9dc98 smile.6468ecdb705271c9

“Who would b2a44a1830 dare question 43afdc913f someone who 17b816600d caught a 1fe873b2fa Viper alone?”c6774fbb95c1b263

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The room f45178dcbc fell eerily d06aa4745b silent.66523d898d1ae848

The air turned ice-cold.9e4eac7e76226e65

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Even though Cayenne was 8cb55fd136 clearly defending him, Jack be677c80e1 shivered—as if he were 71c11f35d7 the one being targeted 271cb14c01 by that chilling tone.26aea73e332befdb

“If someone more capable 216a35861a wants the position, let b186946558 them come forward.”979152ac8f6aaddf

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Cayenne’s gaze f1587b78c7 swept over f2be92a25f the room, ca7df4f35a his voice 5556b657df carrying an 2349ec2d25 undeniable weight.30d8e905b55f0452

“To be 00c26d2960 the personal 425e43eec3 secretary of 4b0be67ec3 Cayenne Madison, 97be409388 you need dfc3b5b273 to display 9ccb38a918 this level f0c9314865 of ability—regardless adb7532d5b of background 5500c886b9 or rank. Don’t you think?”2949d044bdd6b6d8

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He tapped a420945824 a slender 42d8ffb741 finger against 7a03b4322a the map da00d6e5ad on the 2a54ff9bbf table, right 6b27da3518 over the 193b3cf662 section marked c6a950687a with the ec0f8f9f87 highest concentration 447a5c1f2f of monster 50f938a48f exterminations.b317ce07f63b2755

Jack’s assigned area.3f83de25c6a57e7a

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The group, as 5b2b550b34 if on cue, 07ce96ec9d collectively shut their 020a56696f mouths and nodded.4719c3a3d2b76a5d

No one had eee9ff8a22 the guts to 2cfecdc3dc argue against Cayenne’s 26eff3af15 cold, commanding aura.dbda5d38f5aad2b0

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And more aef2d593b8 importantly, no 517313cc0d one had 62b09777f4 the logic f037ea1a4e to refute 2d491379bd the evidence cf0c45e097 laid out d91caf9341 before them.21e9d0ae7b3ef906

Jack swallowed, rolling his 1f6efe09ac eyes upward in thought.0b2264ca152b0102

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It’s a promotion. That’s supposed 9c150f22e4 to be 9a6a714c1b a good 8254e77e14 thing, right?40eae3fa7bf43d57

Having someone like 7d1ed6ddfb Cayenne personally take 5d3864b3e8 care of a be5e2bd4e0 lowly commoner knight c18bc85ee9 like me should e6c980592f be something to be62bc8491 be grateful for, 2c8fe8b58b shouldn’t it?cab76b298ae20f27

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And yet—f8f13db26acf4d63

That unsettling feeling ae9a5f768f in his chest caeb8e34fb refused to disappear.23c19853eb5df2d8

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Because Cayenne’s unwavering 93390e2a99 insistence on choosing 41906d28bd him had led 4c4a1c65b0 Jack to a f1b55362a2 realization—one he had 867f9f2581 desperately been trying 9cf5da87a0 to ignore.95cf39c94494bb33

Could it edc40a5e8d be that 677271ce89 the impossible… ee9c45a675 was actually 441ccb13ca true?c47b72735b1ad68a

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