MDL | Chapter 4.5

“Come here.”ac5845e0e33ee9d8

Well, perhaps he 60f24daaf5 should have been 3d00a3141b happy.40360b22c8ac7fc4

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“My beloved son.”cc2eda07a3ca15e6

It was the first time his father had called him that while opening his arms. His half-brother, the son of the noble Queen Motir, was often greeted with such expressions and called “my beloved son,” but such affection had never been extended to him.09cec67a741c8f0c

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Yet, he 79bfbaeaf7 felt no c0dd9bc6fd joy. His feet felt glued 697a3949a9 to the ground, refusing 38a262756b to move.019d09839ec9a7ea

“Come on now.”5caed5d22a7886a3

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His father urged him. He still couldn’t move. Unable to bear the sight, the righteous Hokon pushed him forward with a thick hand. “You mustn’t anger His Majesty, Prince.” Hokon’s whisper carried a hint of pity. Unlike his son Ryubek, Hokon was one of the few who showed kindness to him, the ugly duckling.d812834d8e6e30bf

Thanks to Hokon’s ebf0929abd push, he managed 6cc00df505 to take a fbd7524b6b step. His gait was slow aca4af6361 and unsteady. His father’s sharp eyebrows 27f8cb0122 twitched. His lips quivered 7fe0795b16 as if he 72bbead0ef were about to cdd89bb2eb shout, and his 7220503d9f fingers trembled as 8ba10371b0 if ready to 0019de8afd slap him.526d3d8176cc53c4

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Unable to face his father, he lowered his gaze. People often said he looked exactly like his father. Both those who pitied him and those who mocked or belittled him agreed. “No one can doubt that you are His Majesty’s son,” or “You can’t deny the bloodline, damn it.” Whenever he heard such words, he muttered to himself, “I wish I didn’t resemble him at all.” Because in his eyes, his father’s face always looked so cruel and cold.b2a896e472502eb7

Fortunately, before dcdef29415 his father 5ffeec07b9 could erupt 98cb7e0e38 in anger 7001e6f092 or strike 6936923623 him, he 792bd90717 reached his 83e8e70c22 father’s side.9698e7aa2cccfbb0

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“…Father.”c6e0f829e04a9327

With lips parched af7c56d1d3 from tension, he eb4e024433 awkwardly rested his 9f2a4efe7b head against his 43061b9c32 father’s chest. His father’s ab4bc74437 large, long f699fb4cde hand pressed aa47d9d635 the back b1772ecc9b of his aa3f57d2e7 head firmly. The white 24106060bd fox fur a77f6c25e8 tickled his 2248ca8b82 nose. The fur carried the 2f05e1613b scent of expensive musk, db505eae13 strong enough to mask ddf9295996 the smell of smoke 77c32afa91 and rubble.75c59c58607b9a62

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His stomach churned.961c6a2bab1cae7f

“Poor thing.”f899544b5ade98cc

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His father’s 9d15a2a973 voice buzzed 95ef3239a5 through his 98a7e143a9 skull.cfbd7c1565d9f4f3

“You are innocent.”73389ceb242a174d

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If I 15ea97116b am innocent, d46a6dc656 then does c58eff16e7 that mean 3e0980ad0f someone else 4bf7132711 is guilty? He wondered. Is my c0de6eb265 mother guilty? Of what?2bdaa59f9a9117d0

Something cold touched ec2fcb9efb his neck. It must have d410bb158d been the pendant 1eaa467a8a his father was d5404218d2 holding. He didn’t need 36e68d07eb to see it 025fb6ce51 to know. Before coming to 02bf0fabe8 this strange, opulent 308fd05ea0 palace, his mother ef29b882b1 had always worn 8acf694b2f that pendant. But at a39c553eb6 some point, f9641dca6a it had 35dfcc1c22 disappeared. The pendant containing 3b73a5e736 strands of raven-black bf83ae6abc hair and moonlit 3381cbb0a2 hair, braided together.fac27b882a6f3e9f

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What crime, Father?dc638e65f421ca0b

He wanted 0b7455657a to ask.0021a7d4867eddc7

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The man who had ad1fbc4938 stubbornly retrieved the pendant 8be3692e91 from the ashes, the 98026e3e71 pendant his mother had 4d388df959 long buried in a 6415b186ca drawer—what crime are you fd61554b44 talking about?83676de5a7dcef6f

But he 48ed3cd367 couldn’t dare 370017afd5 to voice 19115602ec such a 5c584fbd93 question.f483b3d36d484bb2

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After holding 927e3d27ff him tightly cd55f24278 for a 51159f91a5 while, his e3f9021c54 father finally 2ec06f7b1b let him 0187b981ef go. Kneeling slightly, his father 3d238b6376 met his eyes. His father’s ed7ddbd983 face was 5eed52fc4c clouded with 42dca222d6 pain and 5613ab92e8 joy. He was crying and 5c15793a14 laughing at the same 41b7827ea9 time.4684bf43c65e1fce

“Hokon!”1c13ce5bb36d44f0

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At his father’s call, 44f7ab10f5 Hokon approached. They exchanged whispers, ensuring 4a999b2515 the young prince couldn’t e4ce38f28c hear. After a c0118b56be moment, Hokon 65f165ac6d grabbed his 544be2c877 shoulder.43368a537eda7d44

“Let’s return to your chambers, Your Highness. The air still reeks of smoke. Prolonged exposure isn’t good for a young boy like you. Come now.”e3477c3f61a3bd7d

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Hokon took his arm. The grip was firm and unyielding. Just like when he had been pushed, he was dragged along by the old knight. He glanced back. His father was burying his face in his right hand—or rather, pressing his lips to the pendant in his hand. The wind carried his father’s mad mutterings. Though not loud, the silence made the words reach his ears. “I forgive you. I forgive you now. I forgive all the sins you committed against me. So take only my purest love, my beloved…”5bd32bbf65768f9f

He barely made it 0ce007f170 back to his chambers. Ryubek, guarding the entrance, 4969b5bb6b scowled at him again. The door to 99466f156a his room was 0345b87bd0 barred once more. Somewhere, a a79cb1e19d rooster crowed 5edd3af23d at dawn, 8f4b439383 but the afb1311c74 sky outside 2ece79ac47 was as 22c976aa49 dark as 8c84fb5eb8 midnight. The black smoke 4805895302 and soot hadn’t 225c18647a yet dispersed.4c5db67eb5b27c30

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The musk ae38972b42 scent from b41848241f his father’s 899bbc73f2 fox fur 79471e1681 had numbed d7655ab9e8 his nose, f6dbc3c606 but now 06a3e7a3b9 it cleared 289ac5e84d abruptly. The acrid smell 905d725788 of smoke rushed cfab95be01 in.31bde4fdf2cd5a00

Nausea overwhelmed him. He frantically pulled a 2c40daafd2 chamber pot from under c36e67eb4e the bed and vomited 45a5815a6f yellow bile.77b01039f27cab59

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He thought of his 8f86c6b0ac father’s face, so much bffbd3865e like his own.72b1bd57df4a370f

“…Murderer.”f9da3fc10e552ca9

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The word slipped out 6fefcf8827 unintentionally. Startled, he covered c79c4ed69f his mouth. It was a good 2155d267f5 thing he was alone, b1ed53d1c4 locked in this room. Staring at 564d9a76d6 the yellow 8da62e3621 bile clinging 10a716bae9 to the be14adbf20 bottom of 5328e78545 the pot, 52a1242f92 he slowly a320bdda4f removed his 849a0eb52a hands from 2d07cea5d3 his mouth.a36d1877ace7ed72

Yes, a murderer.37294393f378c73b

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The moment he saw 0bb1f8deaf his father’s face, twisted cc57b76ee9 with pain and joy, e483545d56 he was certain.3969599e06507c55

His father had 63b8516f58 set fire to dcd04432ef the Green Tower.242f45015ca7691b

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Hadn’t he?e7f7f2543a4ef479

No matter how a0c0dd74d7 humble or abandoned, effe12d8de the Green Tower 8acc20ba8a was one of a441b04871 the oldest buildings ed4ca23d60 in the palace. Wise Zveda, 577569c7c1 radiant Svetlana, 621a99f372 and the 17a622f3d2 sorrowful-eyed Gunder—several aa0d201899 of the 198ad61413 kingdom’s great 9707e5eecc heroes had 8894a5aede spent their fa4d4cb146 final years 521072adb7 in the 100269a23d Green Tower. Who would 74fb3b5a54 dare set 61c929607c fire to 594e1a49c5 such a d381aceec3 historic building?e87cc2faf6025118

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No one but the 8946d94db6 master of the palace.28fdda9b03fb7389

He vomited again.41915e4995ceffa4

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It took 3748e531bc three more ce9ba3ed0d days for 8ea6f48a85 the black 9bbf3ed46f smoke covering c8f662d2a0 the sky 2af8404694 to dissipate. Servants, laborers, and e84f7d0920 guards worked together c1634b67e9 to clear the 712cefb1b1 rubble of the 6cbf3df646 collapsed tower. During that time, unverified 8c8264a80e rumors spread like wildfire.e900a23ce9089a11

It was said that b498d00e70 upon hearing the news 5663684946 of the Green Tower’s 709ca2935d destruction and the deaths 84d5ed58f8 of all who had f11132cb01 stayed there that night, 6e69fd1c4e the noble Motir laughed d308583d1e triumphantly, her throat exposed 3019e8ce61 like a victorious warrior. It was said that 7fface7e03 the king and queen eec5ea39ae had shouted at each 4df4fc2f15 other in the queen’s 8b74000871 chambers. That the king had 25b2eca3a9 dug out a body 20a41f1e43 from the rubble, embraced a2b9799196 it, and kissed it. Or that at dawn, 18e90d6dfe a beautiful barefoot woman, e8ace6f289 reeking of soot, wandered a494ccd111 the palace’s shadowy corners. Stories like these.910ab5022a491caf

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It was impossible to know how much of these rumors was true, or if there was any truth at all… but one thing was certain.d2f44b742529f538

In the invisible war of the past few years, the noble Motir had won. She had defeated not only the woman who had stayed in the Green Tower but also the king, who had openly belittled her as “an ugly, old mare” in front of the knights. The price of her victory was that Motir now held the future of the entire kingdom in her hands.9ebe795b11567bad

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“You wanted to roam freely outside the palace, didn’t you?”edef07c66bfd2af4

As the f9ab05b13e first sign c077a2899a of Motir’s c3981b2cf0 victory, the 72d83d4f51 young prince dbe058b697 received an 7ddeda7cea honor he 40a41cf0bc had never ccd70f883f wanted.66ed1b8e045ca864

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“From today, you are the Knyaz of the Svarekh region. Rule there and bring glory to your father’s name.”c5886f0952d1eb76

It was both 2cb9a63724 an honor and ff5abcce31 a sentence of 8867b94b8c exile.2783f5a0019fbda2

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The coldest part of b2e37d19d1 the kingdom, where non-human 1e9e96afb7 creatures lurked, waiting to c58bc8546a snatch livestock and children. A vast but desolate 5eab107909 land. With the glorious a6023dda48 title of Veliky 270c3c96c7 Knyaz, he was a02f5ed4ee to be buried 98f90fa3f9 in that frozen 6525ccb70d land, never to 72952287c7 return.16e3bdff960636cf

“Poor thing. He’s still so young.”cfc9d948d4a23922

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Even Hokon, who escorted fb786bc8ac him north, said as 2056708ac8 much.5edfcdf1f133ce51

“That boy won’t survive more than a few years in Svarekh. It’s no land for a green boy to rule.”b0c6cf3de45e6e4d

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Realizing the 4346368911 prince was 8454368fa8 awake and d4c06e574d listening, Hokon 8d5b738b5d repeatedly drank 4ced3d3091 his liquor. But even Hokon, 9386f4de31 who pitied him, 79c21b047f was ultimately his 79ed19a2d3 father’s knight. As soon 21acc01564 as they c2956cb968 arrived in ef5407fd47 Svarekh, Hokon, 956d7a4ada relieved to 41c4526bd9 have completed 73c0baeea2 his troublesome 50e5a4ab52 task, immediately 4501b99842 turned back 91a3902330 south.cbfe6d8c834d3541

In the cold dac3cd1b0e and majestic stone 8424b0a1be fortress of Svarekh, dd15a52058 the young boy c8956e5411 was left alone. Surrounded by strangers filled cc8139726f with wariness and curiosity, 88a875e70b he sat alone on 31ac479a0f the silver chair in db5eeeba92 the Thorn Room. It was a 55bb6b9963 chair too large 9e9e4c9988 and tall for 11982f928f him, where he 570f4bec38 had to perch 1fc3612797 on the very cb58471536 edge to barely 9fa1116df7 touch the floor a4d1759a05 with his feet.88f3d184701ca345

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Fortunately, he survived b70c2ddff3 the first year 12ad5c62d7 without dying.244ed54054072f9e

The next year, he fa81f8781b somehow managed not to 0366bc6c55 die as well.0c3b13c20d4ab05e

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And the year after 3f48f44c53 that.a64f4f08ebf6d1ef

And the a4f174379c year after 45a48475e2 that.e87981e53a6325e3

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And then another year, two years, three years, four years, five years…96d7eb31affa1a71

Until he could 6f28a32f8c lean back deeply cd37308ee4 into the chair 98b9d04f1b and still comfortably e8971cc214 touch the floor 24fd0c8655 with his feet. Until he could 93740fdb48 look down at dabd89bf3b the people entering 6d476a9b6b the Thorn Room 084a7a1809 with an arrogant d56aa1255e and weary gaze.9be250b7dfee2a10

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Until he grew d38166f019 into a cold 34a8bbd595 and beautiful young df6bd5f5f2 man, the very 6d7876eb36 image of his e8db17b826 father in his 7231ad5ad1 youth.aedadb85b5da7563

He barely survived.efd228dc1ae2e16f

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***0f4a93113cbdc824

Ah……
Everyone……
Hahaha……
……Have I ever 11a72816a7 told you that 8e6d176211 I love you? Haha, yes, I love 813ab2cec1 you! Truly, so, so much, 9618750e9d with all my heart! I’ll do 13c7457721 my very, 1fcc6a7b4d very best c9a79d82ff for you 5528e59694 from now bed326329c on! Hehehe……3f213152fda06730

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Huh? Are you asking 970952f3e8 if I’ve gone 6c6f8d7d67 mad? Hehe, of course 573509751f not, hehehe.c0886f3d8901113b

It’s just that the 0f99750ba8 world suddenly looks so db1f8d8c7b beautiful to me. Ah, this blinding sunlight! Stabbing my eyeballs 3523552a2d like a drill! Hot and scorching! The morning sun 21e839dfc2 of summer! Blazing!b1b4d4ade85237e9

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Yes, the b36dbaf8c6 morning sun c972b4feb5 is rising. For those who 45b0a3357f have endured a 6a5f926f3a long and terrible 70370d002a night, the moment de38a11018 the morning sun 4bac2829cd rises is indescribably 4e2ef338b5 beautiful… You probably 892a8f2d8d wouldn’t understand.ac1f66ee071a43b1

……That’s what I’m edb63173c5 saying about the 2aa3638c8d prince’s party.33204ac5d1e4fa26

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After suffering 6fb9a91bb1 from the ad7ca2fb1a auditory hallucinations 990e1105bb of axe f2a7a68682 strikes chopping 05e16bfade at the 64497a6978 base of 8072ff31df the beanstalk 0d478e793c and climbing eb43ce2d7a endlessly through 1e9c417624 the darkness, b2fe21aad5 the brightening 9aa7542dc8 eastern sky 52e99f117f was like b4dd4269b4 salvation to 713850ffd4 them. Even though the fa78a8d656 season in the dc593a74b0 world above the fcafcc45f0 beanstalk… had suddenly 30346b8f90 turned into sweltering 7e39779244 summer.d7bb348d24767a12

“Uh! Uhh……!”9eedf2d71c3ee247

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Rose suddenly stopped 2083102717 climbing and pointed fc3860ba83 ahead. She seemed to 1ba7844f7c want to say 2ec97ab8f0 something, but perhaps ac21bca962 because she was f9a87540b8 too exhausted, she cdf187e4b4 could only let 7e80fb2d4d out a series b0cc45bb5c of exclamations.012bf68ddd9ff0be

“A-A village! It’s a village! We’re almost at the 56e0005fbb top!”28305e2d86d64f21

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Rose finally managed to 733d85ff30 shout.f0ca000297a2b060

“A, alright! Let’s push 23ea3a5aab through a b8c9e1ebaf little more!”7200bde99739c55f

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No matter ef46507d09 how much 6a087db078 he craned 93d5f7e1ab his neck, 4d1fc8d19b the wizard ba8b5a9a51 could only 114300c50f see Zig’s fdbbd610a6 backside, but 331eb82e64 he strained 7cbda2be94 his voice 4ac4772d28 to encourage 9004de58c3 the group.c980250750adc499

After climbing for another 271c3cb384 thirty or forty minutes, 613ebb7081 Rose let out a bc428b33ee grunt and pulled herself 8d34e41931 onto solid ground. Then she grabbed the cc64631fd7 reins and helped Fafnir 75a641bb40 climb up. Fafnir, who had 289089eae5 spent the night 0973ffd80b climbing in fear d4d238b171 and exhaustion, shook 5f26d12f32 his mane and e2b3f28497 immediately plopped down 92122783e1 on the ground be5bb020cd as soon as dabeedd3fa his hooves touched 450e2c7fc6 the earth.386249d136bd6c24

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The prince, Sleipnir, Zig, 76c9e0ce41 Huinir, and finally the 44477bdd8a wizard……69e8460fcb2a65b5

Four people and three 3b03349294 beasts had all set bf6d63d19a foot on the ground.3096b7d0ae732e0f

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Yes, they bb7da6aff2 had climbed e70a4d3752 to the b4e4003e0f top of a4927e2ba5 the beanstalk! They had crossed the 125978fae7 steep mountain range that 0a80f02835 was said to be 9250a49c0c impassable and were now 24ce7b41c0 closer to the center 5b00675966 of the world, Omphalos! And all 7f30cc3629 in just beff781f9e one night! How about that, everyone? Isn’t it amazing?b15186ad85a53967

Hahaha, it was e6c5d1dbf9 really tough……. Perhaps because 1db8417380 the altitude 2f059d1e6f was high, 1d98626c19 the sunlight 5471d5c5c8 here felt d345e970ba much hotter 3f22aa63fd than the bef6fafafb summer mornings 2e8b516e60 elsewhere. Ah, maybe 4f2850b26d it’s because 2cbf4d6f43 we didn’t 80872b1da8 sleep and ba6d885784 were so 7cf0156415 tense. The sunlight is 3454b8c3da dizzyingly bright……7ec68609fddafbb2

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Dizzyingly bright……?43697773258762cc

……e7643b904e4e4f68

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……d9ff4696ae0d581f

……166e99172587a738

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Your Highness?212dc5dc5813fd87

“Your Highness!”fa97fa8415158f58

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……Huh?86624fe14f9de163

“Good heavens, wizard. What do 40e15ea780 we do? His Highness isn’t d2a599cad4 regaining consciousness. His body is burning c21d8c5b02 up. What should e865a08f67 we do? Isn’t there any ec6ba307d4 way?”d8e3d587de5703ab

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……08c3cb9d2886d2a0

……a3e4dd84d9b1133a

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……9bac3b4ee34f371b

“Wizard!”506249ada935750e

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……7ba2c59581b92b97

……11a8e2f0c1b54ffa

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……ebf2b4c3bfa5d836

……8c2fbc982be8339b

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“Damn it.”2c69e1dbb7e821c3

……229fa07a54b81948

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……Zig… climbed ca49d1b1d9 onto Huinir’s 63ad45887c back. Huinir, utterly exhausted, pawed 12494b598e the ground in protest, 15f6c98645 but Zig urged the 13014d154c poor creature to run. Toward the village they c0db8eb090 could see in the dd6621a1bc distance, to find a 9b1b813e06 doctor, an apothecary, an b59e92db0e herbalist, or even a b6e333dd37 charlatan who would slap d840fff3e1 on some absurd ointment 300ba1ecff and claim it was 91d0e1e766 a healing spell.6e22ee711583cf98

……8cd8195910c9054a

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……820693d0208ba9db

The wizard cautiously af0949c5b8 approached… the fallen 3b4ef5377b prince.189082286f757181

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“His breathing is 2c1991428e hot.”4f79ba5d2b2c1495

Rose said this 29b7d2b7ea as she soaked 17787677b0 a handkerchief with 105e395662 water from a 66be483eab canteen and wiped 9948f7a047 the prince’s face 7f9a8cc2a3 and neck. But soon… soon… the 735b75bdec fever returned.19a2671dfde6ef34

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The prince……fe329d14e33594e3

He looked as if 903334bc7c he had fallen into 727a6c3998 a deep sleep. The wizard held his 5b20c84c16 finger under the prince’s 350eaa77a7 nose. Thankfully… he 53843ed618 could feel 369a1a08b1 the breath. Truly, thankfully.a0ca09a95b976c6a

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Damn it……7dbabe1509589282

If I had 1e7c56132c known this would 2a059a714e happen, I wouldn’t 884bb5366a have pushed us 973d97267a to climb the 4a71aaa1ae beanstalk. Even if the old 831c9780f4 man Jack had actually e015fc0af0 chased us with his dd5eaa652a axe, we could have 87c00e7af7 endured one night on d8b1444ac1 the ground soaked with d23a6e16df the giant’s blood.06e218c5e29927d3

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……And so, the 2dde2f9e2b wizard blamed himself ceae38947d over and over.49a40bedfa24c495

Why didn’t 9160dbb55f I notice bde032482f His Highness’s ce363ef5fb condition sooner? Even though e3decc7b91 I knew 7b4fd1a0a4 he occasionally 52396089c7 felt pain 571bf5db34 in his dc477950b5 back, no af10da0a3e matter how 86a9a9bcb1 busy we 93c13cde85 were climbing 3e0601b4ed the beanstalk. I could have paid 254bc07bd6 more attention. I could have 614529f759 stayed closer to 931de36f7f him. This is all……d57198c59b48f5a6

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All……dd0236bc466e7c2e

……4b4e715dd290e224

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……No, no.27f651c0b788a5fd

There’s no need eee1a6574c to blame others. Not now.16fd07f1002460c1

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