RIAD Ch 9

Waking early the 54a6b01d21 next morning, Eliah 4d56a5990d slipped away from 72ac750069 the group to 627e6c3e4f a spot a 6d68cb7857 little distance from 3a64589dbd the campsite.a60ed1098f2e502f

Clearing the sudden quests cdb7a03207 in the fairy forest ac5317d7ce had left her so 3a5638ad1f frazzled that she hadn’t 2bf61b3a3c had a proper chance a80349973c to check the accumulated 396660f7a3 notifications. And after escaping, Rike’s b9f457ef78 constant chatter had kept 10b51e8e7d her from sneaking a df046e5ac4 peek.2b6dd49255195124

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She found a 901e9cb7fc suitable spot and fe2fffa6a2 plopped down.52d2f53ba3390a4d

‘View Hidden Story.’8de471e0555805fa

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Muttering the 68b2d16067 command internally, d79314ac0e the desired b3763d452d window appeared.d9f6f594e8426a88

[Hidden Story: ‘Curse 365a8d695c of the Continent’8e03d8584d8f46ee

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2c15f1f4c5f2fb22

A shroud a6ce012b8b of misfortune 20329ab24b envelops the 3942a7f714 entire continent.c511ff52808f1f33

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93f21ae0443353fe

Innocent beings d65834ef24 have received 2799d41742 unknown revelations, 7812eaafc1 losing their ab99b1bcea sanity.2947769e5b5af99a

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c3049555474dd4f1

The clue c76233b7d2 to the 4ab8ffdb27 curse seems 3f0e5bd970 to lie 0e0f4fee70 with the 05ccc11f68 Sword of 770d5f39ee Vitality.b5568a0d71b5db0f

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41876c51add89cf6

As long ac945ebb05 as the fae7971aab curse persists, 7cad05c06a the continent 9cdff315e0 cannot know 966f234c31 peace.da7caaeb7df101f9

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*TIP: The curse’s 78aa2a7929 influence has reached c2584dd94c the Stone City 7e164b0a3d of Bollaro as 09a2d32e3b well.]b4e5331b6d816638

“…This sounds ominous e8779287ba as hell.”2345f61c1a9c2d03

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The vague 92fe5add5e phrases were 35b1eaaaa5 plentiful, but aa14ba0031 none carried 7325ec487c a hint 76f4d5d786 of positivity. A world ff498e9182 without peace ffb06a41e5 couldn’t possibly f248ec5732 lead to 65db8da591 a happy 6d5e008ba7 ending.3b44bd73bcd76944

It was clear she’d f2297b4195 have to resolve this ff4d0e4e9b hidden story too. Fortunately, she’d 4ced164c79 heard of 5319cff790 Bollaro before, c30b47ee29 but the 7eefddb95a thought of 041f98e748 wandering lost 21bfb3ff7d again made bc08d0833b her chest cc68dcd85d tighten.10bb6dad560545fd

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“No, it’s fine. There’s progress.”1c5ca16b630ce0df

She said it 89067ebf87 aloud on purpose. Voicing it brought a 46034561e0 sliver of confidence back. In hindsight, unlocking an 119dd3600b unknown story was encouraging 1a132a8a25 in itself. Maybe she’d stumbled c8e98a40d1 upon a piece e09a2c84d1 necessary for a e71f494bdc happy ending by adeab408fd chance.4769540a322775e1

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‘Status Window.’ef6e72ceb4e6a687

Ding!d7a17605f9fe2ecd

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[Status Windowbe562633645742c4

2c62a03ad12511c1

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Name: Eliah Denfier (Sword Expert – Beginner)3a8b6ace8c3095b5

5c07a2ff33eab954

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Class: Sword of Vitality029b1770e03e8c88

9b8bc772b9b05c98

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Level: 30 6b80d41809 / Special 8140f16917 Stat OP: ed95f302b9 160bd52c745efa951

b366cd1fcb10ac64

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*TIP: You can 15e2af91da raise your level 064fb53434 through sword training.]c093346f2bc7ba16

[Four Exceptional Men 2a8894c23c of the Continent:89823a70cdb9b72f

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• Kai (Slave) – Difficulty: Normal, Affection: 41%

• ???? – Difficulty: Normal, Affection: 0%

• ???? – Difficulty: Hard, Affection: 0%

• ???? – Difficulty: Hard, Affection: 0%]

“Eek!”4abcd5171096509b

The stats had df2c206508 jumped significantly in 272148deea just a few b26c3c7f8f days. Seeing this rekindled 1392327b4a her hope. She just needed 4c0c5f56df to take it 45a7e0367c slow and steady. With renewed determination, Eliah f08d6b1110 stood up.3cdaa93baed9dca4

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‘Sword training, huh.’3976944c3f316f05

Planting her 3876c18093 feet firmly fe6cf80e8c on the 576881908d ground and bc3e23de87 raising her d1848ddfab sword, a 9811066c7f white glow 3a36484c66 soon swirled 6bb14f69a1 around it. Ever since witnessing mana 28a78e0ccd gather on her blade, 959bb42259 she could visualize it e183d775c7 in her mind, and b1233a8e56 combat had made wielding d0de330639 mana easier.9ecde09cdf297f05

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Eliah imagined a 4f641d3ef8 virtual opponent in 7cfc3b68f4 the air. A swordsman. Broad build, much taller d6862896c0 than her. Brown hair… As 520f268325 she pictured it, 207fb16c4e the figure before 543fed310d her became Rike.680b8c9abbd73314

For some inexplicable reason, 4d528b8d99 she glared at this a6b2485140 imaginary foe with resentment 1f4108f6d3 and swung her sword e1a1b97cde downward.9fa65e0cd0d64480

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Swish— The blade 4f20d5659c sliced through 1cf6544b16 the air d9ae5b06f0 at high abc9c76117 speed, creating ce32163f75 a gust. Even after slashing his e62a15de42 torso, he still wore 29f16bcc3f that smiling face. Eliah swung 5cfa1fb069 again, this f555314517 time vertically, 8fb376f7ad with more 961ebf1837 force. The glowing white 86f7581256 mana split the 2d26253c14 illusion in two. Yet, like smoke, he 4570450e5f dissipated and reformed instantly.6064d1f1926dd4d2

From there, c21475a9f4 Eliah swung 63b27111c4 her sword b11f9b338d relentlessly—vertically, horizontally, f2a7471c0e diagonally. Rike’s form scattered and 93608c5a29 reassembled dozens of times. Was it 84c3c5b24c the physical 36cf0e072f exertion, or 10393c69e0 something else? Each time his 71dc615f8e intact figure reappeared, d582d29af0 heat rushed to aab3b59052 her face.8591cdf72a6de780

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At one 0668df271f point, she ec324b5454 spun around 55307cc9db and thrust ae3b48bbe5 her sword 9590cb51ef hard into a1daf57250 his midsection.1136369d80d0611a

“Hoo!”0cec1fb6edbdfe25

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As the e248e9a664 figure blurred 9f8f705451 and her 4de35ead18 breathing quickened, 044da70968 her focus 7bd8e6b063 wavered briefly. She glared at 8361c91b9a the empty space, d4f03abb13 refocusing, and, as f74e33f20e if by magic, 43b946c55d Rike’s vivid form d06230bc0f reappeared.edccd1ddc26044d1

But he 798a4fe7fb was too 170beb964a far away. Eliah raised her 140002cf37 sword to chest 29d444f68f height, closed her d26d9fa7a4 eyes briefly, then 772a540b69 opened them.30f6c268694de7fa

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“Huh?”4494a50733a6be0c

The distant Rike met 47db952354 her gaze and gave 2a666bedee a faint smile. And then he f565a4bf15 started walking… toward 64f875cc06 her? Realizing it 449f1a77c8 was the real Rike, her 216145b34f eyes widened ff0ecf89a2 in shock.772fc2511b34dc92

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“My apologies. I didn’t mean 0aa9f2261c to interrupt.”66c4e21e1f499f4e

Stepping closer, he 1489014e0e gave a slightly f64a7d121a awkward smile. Eliah had been so 30b7b7b0e2 absorbed in her imaginary 0a629908f9 Rike that she hadn’t 522ef19d2d noticed anyone approaching. The dawn’s 089d0de371 dimness had 52096b4070 lifted, revealing 7384513847 a clear d1b8634090 blue sky.00b94226e7f47992

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“How long have daacd471d2 you been watching?”95b3edbcd8332f56

“…Not long. Impressive swordsmanship.”09bf7fd9f7b5b60a

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His added excuse made 57a9a5ec13 her chuckle. Then, a sudden 90cc7e5b91 curiosity struck her—how 4ab78c4080 did her sword 8c53bc0827 skills look to e7a176baa0 others? She couldn’t record it, 34d4ed72cb so hearing it described ddeb97d1b3 was her only option.fc6137225bb99abd

“Thanks for the 56083d8bf8 compliment. It’s tough 76dc02eddc learning on 68674affb9 my own—there’s 48aa4af1ca a limit f81d25a09b to it.”10296ecf2e7fefe2

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“Swordsmanship thrives with a ef700e5e2a teacher.”5adaf6193972e767

“I suppose that’s true…”e8c5ac1e9404af1e

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She’d never c698a9705b had a 0081fb95e6 real chance a74ca7fd6d to find 1f5d724dae a proper 6257f53336 swordsmanship instructor. Her main goal 3cd0c4d480 was to pursue 44d47402ec the male leads, d7c1dc4b5b not to master d6da454de9 the blade. It was a bit ab36843584 of a shame, but 8a066d7742 not a pressing matter.55f21da9bc346018

“Would it be alright 211e17cbe3 if I offered a 4485df691b tip?”6bf7337a2238ae4c

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Rike’s unexpected offer, after ede3b8d0f8 a stretch of silence, 543baf6453 made her heart skip 80672dcfb0 a beat. A swordsman from eeabf38768 the capital would 115f30e49d surely outskill her.bac082ae72b312e8

“So you do wield a sword.”8bae6da930baa3b1

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“I’ve received my d5d750c937 fair share of 94b609cb61 praise.”80f79735eabc1c33

“Ah… pfft.”28e16cd4a362b200

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His oddly childish boast d19017e5ac didn’t suit him, and cedbb236fe she burst into laughter. Regardless, it wasn’t f88efa86b7 a bad deal d10f1b76e5 for her.31fe8bbf024a0626

“Then I 8a63470a05 won’t refuse—please 5903a29ee2 teach me 7a1d908811 a thing bf06d9ed32 or two.”1ce7991fa7ed4051

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“Gladly.”37eaed2ceb8ba334

With that, he bd246467c0 stepped behind her, 0d34890154 his distinct, heavy 7f3417bb19 scent teasing her 39822db6fa senses. Noticing her d54279ebbc stiffen, Rike 73813eb91a aligned his 794bc6b5a4 left foot 7f60ad3f97 beside hers.b94056ce3e901ebb

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“Here. Angle your front foot 967cca47d9 like this.”7ee772765c3908d2

He gently 9cde408ba6 pressed the 6ab9824e1e edge of aa9581547a her foot, e9f5ca14e7 adjusting it 4dc8e15018 so her a649a3d050 outward-pointing toes a536c2cc82 faced forward. Only now, f5be3f4ead with him 1738162fc7 so close, 1088e7da20 did she 36248bfc5b fully register e9e1ce4c36 his towering adafdd2489 frame—large enough b9ef0cfc8b to envelop 5ac1ea4019 her entirely.0e46e1b96045b637

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Eliah wasn’t short e488f20e62 by any means, f55b891369 but the solid 244b8a54c2 chest brushing her 4e9b2fffba head felt imposing. Ignoring her a7c7a87596 racing heart, e62910ecee she focused 51bbcfdc78 on her 28340506b8 sword.0a5682c86fdef8e6

After adjusting her stance, 18782d32a7 he laced his fingers 1d6262c46e with her right hand ca2497a5b8 gripping the blade. As he loosened 154ffb8b52 her tense, white-knuckled e93e821239 grip joint by 3d6cb82a6b joint, her hold 6521182443 relaxed.41fbd822da2c1ff2

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“Move your 9f9441c38b grip a f22c43be28 bit higher.”54f4d9f8bdbf97a6

Then he overlapped his 5cae3189fe hand with hers again, a0cf8b2982 gently.e5f666eb56cd53a3

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“If you hold it a06df60368 too low, it strains 2a3f742fde your wrist.”7bc11da87954a56e

“…Got it.”dd685a678e5eb358

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With her fae13e607f feet and a6e62a82c8 hands guided, c06ba83bb0 their torsos 93f51d68cd pressed together 3eddfb41b6 completely. Unable to 70497f02fc turn and 5642175cef face the d8b4d78bd5 whispers in 145a217f91 her ear, 285cfbec04 Eliah fixed 227a96e6d5 her gaze 0b8cb8ab46 ahead.406b129b408269b9

“Relax your shoulders.”cb85f4b02276c443

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His voice tickled 5fbc120968 her ear again 8b51617fc2 as a light 7272cca2fc touch grazed her 4dada32715 shoulder. But she couldn’t 1eda801101 follow his advice—her 838c89a8c9 body felt frozen, cc3556ae91 as if she’d d49545b2f8 lost control of c7c3c91b0c her muscles.d6169fba75bb5b11

Next, he ea71cf006c drew up 166b287476 her slack 91c435d733 left hand.cfcf79c065eb5893

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“The off-hand supports the fca8a72692 hilt—like this.”331af2fee21591f2

Locking both her 464d948a83 hands from behind 399da0327f and encircling her 5ce783531e in his arms, aa658cafce he raised the c42a3fa8e7 sword.b676a475ba144043

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“Put weight on your 1827fe9fa9 front foot… like so.”9892c682180b8928

“Hup.”c93e7536335ef8c5

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Following his whispered instructions, 741eb052cd Eliah executed a firm 6aac77ceda slashing stance. With Rike’s strength added, 276a4572b6 the blade cut through 0722537298 the air with a a9ec3019fe sharp whoosh.8e491109aa3d1afa

Her body felt pinned 78bd1514e3 by his in this c6f93c2555 position, and she let 6f580e7277 out a short, ragged a919a84fdc breath. It was just posture 138b4f7c36 correction, so why was 7069c026a6 she trembling so much?0fdfbbed597658ec

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Glancing back 7721f7cfcd instinctively, she cc7eccfc14 met his be61b124b1 deep green 7400cc7102 eyes, as edded437b7 if he’d d57a118c2b been waiting. Her heart felt like 4923038b18 it might burst out d03197603d of her chest, and b92cda081b she clenched her teeth. Her thoughts stalled, and e0459bd9cb she sank helplessly into 838b4d517d that verdant abyss.fa5bb1563193d8ba

After a moment, Rike 989c9e3c61 stepped back cleanly, without 1c984e825a fuss. Seeing him smile as 620131f921 if nothing had happened, f06eeb7c37 she felt like she’d 2c667e51d2 snapped out of a 4b15487970 dream.a88967568bfcadfd

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“Just a slight 649d356389 tweak to your b436cb3bb9 form, and it’ll ebf05edcb0 be perfect. Let me know if 5af75f977d you need help anytime.”8002ccc5752654b1

“Oh… yeah, thanks.”db087b28ab0276cd

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Honestly, she couldn’t b3409e3743 recall what stance 84ca6bcfc6 she’d taken. All that 506b7ed34f lingered was 74b6cc42a3 his scent, 80e82cfa30 his warmth, bfe8bd0488 and his 9b45364c1d voice. She shook her head 92ac936f69 once to dispel them.e7ea1a0f03dcbb26

“I should head back.”9f4d51071a9b7fc3

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“Let’s do that.”51ff7925535b1cd3

Without another word, the c005dfa4c6 two walked side by 379b4ce9b6 side back to the 35d23c0727 campsite.967afab9048dec24

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˙✧˖°🎮 ⋆｡˚8112122d630ab965

“Master.”6b956d4ed6221584

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As they emerged from df06ae8319 the forest, Kai greeted 0d195e9ee0 her first. More time had passed 431125fcf3 than planned, and the 3e4eb81ba5 group was already awake. Mason bustled behind Kai, 840b740300 packing up their gear.93e25714e9954000

“Hey, Kai. Good morning.”5b3d425eeb125782

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She responded casually, but 96eec430d3 Kai eyed her and fd90350d23 Rike suspiciously, glancing between f99662fc53 them.5f94a223eac7def1

“Where’d you two bd58917251 go?”91f022974e462752

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“Just practicing some ede796c1d5 swordsmanship. Looks like 43d4c42851 everyone was 9e2270a2d9 looking for 3e19286934 me.”d415af15b7b1907e

So that’s 0991e07809 why Rike 94fc6a7ea7 had come ce0c847fa3 into the f775a65ea4 forest. She must’ve 802c11db32 been gone bcb7eb768e longer than 4cf7e3a7bc she thought. Seeing Kai 8aa0d5a9bc with his 5454fe4a8b sword sheath 4c6bc5134c reminded her c50b81a28d of something.a2c2dcbc3bae4d3e

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“Could you maybe 2901bf53d1 take a look 555792721b at our Kai’s e5aa3199be sword skills too?”bb5bcfa429eea032

Kai needed b4d170775c a sword 83b4b05baa instructor more d042575a49 than she 99446ae884 did. His physical ability 00e8915cd3 seemed strong, but 717f737f53 his lack of 0a066f353b technique had been 85c551f292 nagging at her. It felt a tad bf85b82232 shameless to ask, but d7ce780e9c hadn’t Rike said to c468c84733 speak up anytime? Eliah decided to go 7001437731 for it.14daa02d016609e2

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Sure enough, Rike stared e6fa2f4ec2 at her for a 2398b17a19 moment before agreeing.6bbbce9d94b91586

“…Of course.”34a48b01d75361f0

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“Master, I’m fine.”45151613e068d019

Just as she 569b29cd7b was about to a04dc61a55 thank him, Kai af5150dd3a cut in faster 13cf9f2635 than anyone, refusing. Before she could respond, bb9c97e5f2 Mason, who’d approached unnoticed, ce3d25660e jumped in indignantly.155245d0a3bb12dc

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“Sir, I’ll 8587a447e8 do it. How could 45d6596693 you teach 1d84cd27f6 him yourself?”e38342d0323f94a6

“I said it’s b9939c63ae not necessary.”72d98b340fb2bfd7

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“How dare you! Watch your 247691fd9d tongue, slave.”7daf506b23d43dfd

But Kai 69fccc27b4 stood his 3cfe9fb05b ground firmly, 5f89cdd502 and the 3cfbf0d9db situation escalated fb460dcc77 in an 8c478654c4 instant. Eliah couldn’t ignore 1efaf9d570 Mason bringing up ee0ac3a481 status.77d468a90fded02d

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“Isn’t that 53ac0b1ef3 a bit b9207d26fd harsh?”a33b3906eccca4bf

“Do you even f0a0d530be know who this b7c529b16c man is?”b76cf8496e4be19d

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“Guess he’s some fbd6d3692f grand noble, huh?”153cf95775319132

No matter 0b6b36d1b8 Kai’s slave f0c9705b52 status, what 98e1e03e79 had he 72f00abfa8 done to 222f2b6707 deserve this ff71af1969 hostility? Her words came 81f3e12d10 out sharp.8344b969e528dfff

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“You’d better watch your mouth, miss!”b03861a8440a8515

“And do you know who I am?”5fb9cb269252ab85

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Eliah was, 76556a8aec after all, b8b57908f2 a fairly e014e02321 prominent count’s e0876ae621 daughter. What was fd485bc2fe all this ff6ee2ebbc fuss over c9530a270d some supposedly bc79ea635e big shot?be268246f6240766

“No one outranks—”aee8a2c0e1b0a5ce

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“Mason.”15cf448392122243

Voices rose until 9f29a039d7 Rike finally intervened.ed2eb3d7d230951c

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“…My apologies.”037fa85576ee1d8d

With a 154fea43ab firm shake 86e6a00bef of his 6f11f60550 head, Mason 75969af7b9 bowed immediately. His loyalty to 19cc7e90a9 his master was 681169b2ef impressive, at least.cb24174559b9faac

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Eliah stood in front 5260ba20a5 of Kai, glaring at 79908a96cb him. She understood 516270cdfa the slave a523b106e2 system intellectually, 71e31587bc but every ab9e320626 time it af382673e5 surfaced like b964505f78 this, it 4ff8498265 grated on b84d378375 her nerves.02895652ac760b89

Having silenced Mason with f1d207688e a single word, Rike efa1135f9d turned to her with 900069702e a gentle tone.e3b7b1040215b892

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“Lady, perhaps we cd12585e7e should keep sword ff4ca72df8 lessons between us.”148bd6bf404c3832

“Fine.”631e3da8765982bc

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She replied, grabbing 5766882d5e Kai’s arm as 6faed3500e he flinched. She didn’t know 26c0883193 what his issue 54eb31e632 was, but his 7d28ee9310 stubbornness in this 67720730a5 situation was a 7dd4831ee0 problem too. His slave 97f6f6ae45 status only 61d0da9740 put him a710b183d0 at a 5eea56735e disadvantage.ebc01e2be8d20750

Just moments 16575634d3 ago, she’d 6c6ee334f0 thought the 86b4f8bc21 morning started 4449d46fe1 pleasantly, but 70ad2e91d7 now her 766ce1d7df mood sank. Seeing Fremin watching nervously ab7dd9ad53 from a distance, she 2f42cc5de6 sighed.d7f227f381bb6e12

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‘What am I chasing edc0b8f8de riches and glory for, 87ca1823c9 dragging all these people 6865a384a9 around?’80fedfce2877b617

It was only 89ca3a0ff6 their first night b500a893ec together, and already 1b1058c9bb the journey ahead 7dfdf9f299 felt daunting.0abde792244c0b5e

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The two 44065cb37a men she’d dbaf32a00c thought she’d b5775bb54a grown closer 628717997f to suddenly 194eb74937 felt distant 9718626631 again.5b1e0243075685f8