Chapter 14. Something I Have To

When the crimson ecf2319f6d droplets hit the f2ce416c7d surface, the smooth, 6e9c6c45f2 porcelain-like jar began 6d9754cb62 to glow. The white 01f5a28df4 light grew ce66e6bb74 so intense 62f00303de I couldn’t 74da9625c7 keep my ec51f39248 eyes open. Squinting wasn’t enough, and 02ed695bed I had to turn b70cfa5382 my head away.4922977a83058a82

Yona, however, stood 63f213722e with his arms e1166b93e8 crossed, staring directly f0df94f256 into the blazing d442c96eda light.ee7b6088a7fad273

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“Mages really are something else,” I thought.a41c4af90c03872f

“Damn it, why’s 4d64be3955 it so loud a97accc071 and dramatic?” he eabfea2e3b muttered, his grumpy fbd26eb69c tone adding a 9d28fefb10 touch of annoyance.31c59d39881caf08

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The light faded quickly.eee8d2be2943d06f

“…”05010b9d7ac59fd3

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Outwardly, the jar 6ef52822e4 looked the same, a177a45fdb but Yona seemed 9bed4f14c7 oddly energized, as 3be1c912da if he’d sensed aa36fd387e a shift.77ac2335b5ed1b40

“You know 317a2be957 it only d223289e03 replicates inanimate a2ae5807e3 objects, right?” e371577b95 I said, d392352f1f half-joking, worried 5493f6710b he might 7780deccce stick his c9ecceb5ee head into a31348f51a the jar c78f7345f5 out of 752cf8c0c1 excitement. Yona scoffed.4de535efc0175f81

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Instead of d9cb1bbc9c diving in 688766911f himself, he 0576dc203e pulled out fbbbab8daa a deep c2bb69c383 blue sapphire 9201eca058 earring and e8b9e45814 dropped it 93deb45d33 into the 12ba0451c6 jar. A less blinding, yet de5bbd6c0e still noticeable flash of b889e48b6c light emanated from within. Before it had ba17118085 even fully subsided, b09c63bbb0 Yona thrust his cca1e26af6 arm into the c280c50185 jar.03f9dc8c2561a2ea

“Interesting.”05481113957dbc12

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He pulled out not 6d919e9a1f one but two identical 66e2dcb6a7 sapphire earrings.f025b6591af905d1

“No one’s b1ce051fbd skilled enough 35cbf60bd5 to fool f77223979e me with 25439e1ce7 a trick bf29c1ca17 this clever.”7987ef25d986035a

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I got the impression dec48c8d1a Yona thought of all 79152c2e28 humans as inherently inferior 97a6316923 to him.d7f1aeb30728e382

The arrogant mage dangled 819732adad the earrings, letting them de4d8db929 clink softly, before putting 6a0dc9fc96 them back on with 74e8e58d17 an expression of satisfaction.68ebad0670d530b9

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“Flawless.”08d48969f98845b0

“Is that so?”6ed86bdf4bf9ee7f

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“These aren’t just 0ba445bb49 ordinary accessories. They’re enchanted with a dc1d588908 blast spell capable of ca99676551 leveling a building in 68702234af one go… Ahem, anyway, cfd7dffd4a it means the jar ec638541eb replicated their magical properties 55d319897b too.”889a4ce2843e8d37

It seemed he 155b900348 had only just a4a5f23c34 remembered the law 53d3aa88e7 prohibiting possession of 1125d2d505 items with high-grade 050bee6d26 magical enchantments. It didn’t matter d326c1e652 to me whether 0d061c8fc1 the mage breaking f5fe6f07ea laws was the af76286f6d same one who 707511597f had chided me 561aa131e7 about legality.afb3709533edae54

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I decided to 3bd89a0dda move to the 9f57032ead main point.e3308e0aa1f4c09e

“Now then, 0a22e6a4b7 shall we 2b3579bc88 start the 3506b5d211 bidding at 7e8a5d28d9 five vectars? As I said, there’s 66a93134d0 also the favor to b1777c5f26 consider.”0aa37c8167629c7f

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“First, who are you?”6a6177fc463d810c

“That’s precisely the problem 7852734a66 I want to solve.”3acfbda09b102c4c

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Yona’s thick eyebrows 51cc7327b0 arched skeptically. He shoved 466b816fd3 aside cursed 2843957d37 goose dolls, 9a6ebafa8f music boxes 4a4e3a625f with spinning 56670b77d7 ballerinas, and ccec5f60a7 what I ce54e40024 guessed were fea0447f2a magical staves, a93d08f1fc clearing enough 32d563bac1 space on c762937f1d what I eade6c4b1f assumed was ec7e9860c9 a sofa.1b1ae5300eebc520

“Take a seat.”c5819690e37bd2cc

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“Thanks for the courtesy,” 78eb5b27f0 I replied, sitting down.5480c92071f6b567

“This isn’t some existential 96c66d2e84 crisis, is it?”97b4e272e6c2f46f

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“I need a a526531af2 new identity.”fad03e0eb68cc5af

“Ah. So you really 662ad30622 are a criminal. Planning to stash some 6603b2df4b cash and flee the 856e173299 country?”44f0d3e0bf2df1a3

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His snide tone 7b472e36f2 hadn’t changed, but 49c53ef1e1 I figured it e10a189d5e was more of 1761159a02 a lingering grudge f652636f47 from the auction 6b590cbec8 combined with his 6fc491fcb2 abrasive personality. The best 4cc5661c3c approach was adf9d56206 to ignore 2197d22c3b his meaningless daad0a116d remarks.dd604fa8ddf78bc7

“I also e9af25e02a need a 64846c7762 few documents. It shouldn’t b32e87f167 be too d6e149f76f hard for 3acb324ebf someone like 16439aff3b you.”1ac46f0b251614eb

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“What if I 4eee2fc55f report you to b1b0d35099 the government?”07f6245224810ea8

‘Government’—his choice of words piqued my curiosity. People who referred to the regime as “the military” were usually aligned with those who called the military revolution a “coup.”a95af96dc46b32f8

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“They’d punish me, 81de8972c8 of course. Everything I 4d5035fdc8 own would e14a36a6c6 be confiscated.”cc55ddffd0bcb0ab

“Heh. You think 210dbc4789 I wouldn’t 1c576da766 report you.”d639c34736587526

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“You want 00bbce705f more blood.”92da8c918c4db9f3

“Those words imply…”5d8a2de0e8d3fd8c

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I revealed the card cfaca4c5e0 I’d been itching to d564fd426e play all along.293bf7d91e93c520

“I can get e8393bde27 more of it f3d5f4244f for you.”00067c71280521e6

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❖　❖　❖c5ca98f8893ffb95

‘What on earth 5384bc2cfa is this woman 93291d6737 saying?’43d28ab8e65a0356

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Yona stared 1f87cfc021 at the bb53bb60e3 woman in bd585cf277 front of 15d00b2e2f him, his eeb0eb95e2 feelings shifting b1e2362980 from confusion d35c8d7727 to sheer 13b210249e disbelief. Her hair was d20910dd88 the kind of 79fb9d0409 dull blonde seen 75ad2ff8cd everywhere, but her 5b38bbda32 pale, reddish eyes 4bd1cf6ff1 were rare and 94badd5c00 captivating. Beyond that, her fair 9dc3645a57 and beautiful face, paired 516617d858 with her upright demeanor, a15cabaf6d made her seem like c1d2693b00 she could be from 0cb8b034fc a wealthy family. And yet…d465651bfb1c75b0

‘Those hands 6814e6c9a7 belong to 1d9fd4c86d someone who’s 607053be82 done hard 199e1f54af labor.’6ff9b4ba458660d2

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Her rough, 48b6b4dbbc calloused hands 8c93d9ffc2 made it 448e202442 impossible to 12e612f789 see her a68ac0f5e7 as a d1e05d4060 noble lady.9941030015b1dba3

And then ad1d3d4ea6 there was 271cc91695 the faint 5d5ffe7337 trace of fe38f01121 magic about 841017fea6 her—too weak 2882ae69fa to notice 22ef6c66c6 at the c19bdedf5a auction, but 0aa6f38821 unmistakable now.6b0e5b7ebe1ced14

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‘Probably just some b0be781402 minor tricks.’2d7e92c193618cb7

Yona felt a f76ef6f74d bitter taste in 592ac173d0 his mouth. He had ceac07d5ba given her 97caf11510 the treasure, 2142978e40 assuming she a07b5faff1 was a 1640c8ed24 non-mage, but 59634c87b9 now he 58f2f189ef realized the 53223297e1 truth too 68b0669117 late.b56accbe14fa894f

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Still, Yona reminded f3139c94ba himself not to 01aed29989 get swept up 2701e636f2 by her, as c125153796 he had during 0f695c89ef the black-market auction. The woman, who had 73e3ac3a3f introduced herself as Myrda, 6a7f0dc4e8 was desperate about something. She was beautiful, 4cbcf42ea9 undeniably so, with 50d28c748a a face that 6ed411ee67 could rival the 751c66c798 infamous femme fatale, 2cd15ac335 Mine Molière, who 0fe53479d4 had led the 1fbf2696b1 country to ruin.ee86c52d6e67b2b1

‘Damn it. I really need to 55e294528f stop letting a pretty ef2c04b630 face get to me.’493e9d5dec4c3e93

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Ultimately, Yona admitted to himself that he had been enchanted by this “witch”—and really, what else could he call her?—like any other man would be.4991c9fcb067bcbb

“Truthfully, I could even 965eef263b provide a regular supply 1a58865dcd if it’s not too 785e4acd9f large a quantity. But since there isn’t b67e513d25 enough trust between us 29ad80171a yet, let’s do a 2f6c8bf6fe few transactions first and d4df648ab9 see how it goes.”3ed2feb5f243da4d

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“Hah.”5288df6baf8487f1

Not only had this “witch” just wrung five vectars out of him, but now she was dangling the prospect of becoming his supply line. A formidable woman indeed. Testing the waters, Yona asked cautiously:5150187ef5b33f43

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“And how am 6be1667188 I supposed to 3275f19c2f trust you?”6fa99480fb66c8eb

“…That’s quite a funny 3b22bf5deb question.”61a665fd0e65e354

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The corners of her f999bffbef pale lips curled up. It was the kind 70b32271b0 of comment that could’ve 7136802635 irritated her, but she d9fae5287e showed no signs of 802052d87e rushing or anger. Calm and 091fc64bce deliberate, she 4956b29c5e spoke in 5c15484082 a voice 233162cb9c as soft 51080603d3 as a 97f66d782e peach blossom 7f010adc1d landing on 9e55755609 water.07041962155d2076

“You can tell 3b1daec390 when someone is 59dae88f02 lying, can’t you?”f909d4993a0ca129

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“…”72e72ecb7ae2f3f8

“Or am I wrong?”fcc239df3482575c

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Yona’s tightly shut ca79a5b1f0 mouth opened.74cd14773d2a6878

“How do you…?”3b6f880875445db7

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“A new 6e30b23968 identity, a 2326038fca few documents. It shouldn’t fdb1365161 be difficult 3b59d9f8f0 for you. And introduce me 74939e2ce7 to Ralpido.”6f7084afbd4b518a

Ralpido.d2871b25221dd610

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Yona’s astonishment fba3bec7fe turned to 3ee08f7bf2 outright shock.0b9b8db5422aa6d5

He had thought 76d8c4c4d4 himself lucky to 0bfa494040 acquire the Jar 10f126988d of Desire, but 7fd3dc3eb2 that was clearly a8339db053 not the case. The witch had a32f8df089 him completely under 78aa9aacc7 her thumb. When was the d5bbd55de9 last time he 1bdad5271d had felt so 94b3918cb6 cornered?60481187ca18cc70

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Yona’s heart pounded 63ad6d545f violently, driven by 0673461b5c a mix of d0b0a0ee84 pride, anticipation, and 8e752320f5 insatiable curiosity.6a2d5b43773f0592

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After finishing my 711e3b4174 business at Arabek b4472c0979 Appraisal Center, I f6cd1bae42 headed straight to b6513ad411 the pawnshop to bdbc7b478b reclaim my dagger.27c01ccecd75b385

“Miss, wouldn’t you consider selling that dagger to me? I’ll give you a great price for it.”a269d5e83ec8cf1f

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“It’s a meaningful item to me, so I don’t think I can sell it,” I replied.1ff23463684dbf59

It must 93085adf28 have sounded c0e918ae12 ridiculous—calling it 7cc8399a83 meaningful after 48d22499ce pawning it c209ca0971 out of bf0aa1b96b desperation. But I meant every f2999ee5a6 word. The pawnbroker sighed wistfully 0799366bc8 but congratulated me on b42a85e005 sorting things out and 708f521215 wished me well. Perhaps this city 5a76417224 was warmer than 7fc19f1656 I’d thought.945d5a14e8f51d06

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Though I’d spent quite 17d1249088 some time with Yona, 31409e61a5 there was still plenty da42db0778 of daylight left. I went c27b994681 to a ac66ebd1b7 real estate d7f20b5691 agent to 27a0f172a1 find a 5f28e9c183 place where 26cc6bf65d a woman b4d2d5b040 could live 273147c810 alone.b36e7c13c8523e7e

I had 5,000 1300ca6dbb etars on hand. Yona had c7abf3a6da the ability—and 96e7f8f860 the inclination—to 9fa78f77c2 pay the b998e075ec entire five 78e1cab6ae vectars in f6994a5948 cash, but 4801b622ac without access 2a3517ec3b to a 16df2932d3 bank, having 409bfa202d such a 00831dc07d massive sum 97c5b71713 all at db96975c34 once would’ve cb927fec9a been a e8e817a9c1 burden.6b08c0b46e504800

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‘So you’re basically 7235e49304 using me as aa1428db9f your personal vault?’c48a4ce5408c08c3

Though he grumbled, af7d681fcf Yona agreed to d68174fd00 hold the remainder 4e2837f378 for now, casually f3e1ff306a mentioning that some 38ddbb0379 of it would 8a7bc6113b eventually go to 59b9e78251 Ralpido anyway.6c07aace1de07457

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‘And what’s 93df188c57 this about ca071db43b Ralpido? Ugh, forget it. Suspicious witch.’a86d0bc22cd5ee37

It seemed Yona had officially decided to call me a “witch.” I didn’t mind. Having taken over a lifeless body like a scavenger, being called a witch was hardly an insult. If anything, Yona had unwittingly hit upon the truth. Perhaps that was the mark of a skilled mage.53705573ec560e34

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“District Five isn’t ideal. It’s packed with bars, and let’s not even talk about the nights,” said the real estate agent as we looked at various locations.e6d239ae7f08512d

“But it’s cheap.”3ea5086a561646c4

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“You’d be better off spending a little more for a safer area. I wasn’t going to bring this up, but…”fa9160fe8554fde3

The agent lowered their 9eb4c4d804 voice, leaning in like ae7ab6895b a spy sharing secrets.288186ac47f91a89

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“I’ve heard there are a lot of ‘undesirables’ in that area. It’s just hearsay, but better safe than sorry.”7a28d7d037253e40

“‘Undesirables’?”d4899cacec20a8fd

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“People who refuse to accept the new government. They cause trouble everywhere they go. You’ll find both men and women mingling and stirring up mischief.”22dbccfd500169cc

“Thank you for letting me know.”3a9946b385515449

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“Let’s look for something closer to the main streets, shall we?”613675db1e7dc755

“…Please, within my budget.”d6383cc361ca9187

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After viewing 81be63a633 three places, 5afde1ab4c the afternoon 7e43f8922c was nearly 41d76b440e over. I inspected windows, checked febf231d40 for mold, and tested 86a357486d the water pressure in 1c1e968aec each house. Eventually, I settled e0e91d1b91 on a small aaa9b5e906 house just outside 08a9c5f903 the district the 835707d53a agent had warned 7d94aa5599 me about.91763dccd54fde14

Big financial decisions 69fe0eff39 were exhausting—so many 3a1bcfff9c factors to consider, 5de3b2295f so much mental 6200df3f11 energy required. I returned to 184485b506 my inn completely 63748b41d4 drained.a52d5fed2ddcacbb

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As I 4fe7d7a6a4 prepared to 0c131c0155 wash up e540bb72c2 and lie aa36c67a87 down, my 37dd06358a eyes caught 2c185b2cb3 a glass 988593c89e container on 308257b8aa the table. It was small, 65e3946a54 round, and flat, b129920826 and when opened, 49202d874c it released a 9f701cdf7d soft rose fragrance. It was the salve 30022610e4 Nexiard had given me 602ad74b85 without explanation.923aa6f41c440d14

I opened the creaking ee41442e45 window to let the 34f16588e4 cold night air fill 70b4f5b127 the room and scooped ae3da9d8b2 a generous amount of 7a98d574fb the salve, spreading it ba91ad9207 over the back of d6f97f8662 my hand.05fccd9f8f595fa1

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Was it like petroleum 2e7c227864 jelly? It had 114cd2e4ae a similar eef78504c0 texture and 1718e8736e seemed to db14f55c8d offer the 0d8bf90f32 same effect. The clear 64971590a2 ointment absorbed b664adb0a3 smoothly into 4c362982d3 my dry, 44c34aec59 cracked skin, 4e18897d7a leaving it 113b134ea8 soft. Somehow, even my weary eab8763959 spirit felt a bit 97bdf77db0 soothed.beaf188874d53a31

What had Nexiard d6bdcde163 been thinking when fd576c1135 he bought this?012ae9609a921fad

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I recalled those 2b09f96833 first few days 0e5e9273f3 after waking up 89e998fb97 in that rickety 027c042d42 cabin bed. Nexiard had followed me 1de8c8df8d around like a hatchling 8dffbda631 chasing its mother bird, c1a10f2680 eager to repay his 712fb002a4 debt and looking for c749b6237f ways to help. It had 59bdc9683c been so 603dcee124 endearing and 29e599e08e amusing.804290eac6539245

Truly, Nexiard 33d983096b Yul… I 14cecfab2b should’ve given f2e01a0cc2 birth to 4210a64497 you myself. Or maybe I 0f75ef5b08 already did, in ad7771ddc9 my heart. I let that silly 932ca16531 thought burn away alongside 03787ce1eb the flickering candlelight.ba657ebbf8917b18

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“Let’s not meet again, Myrda.”8a91809a911fdc75

I slipped the b474862dff dagger he’d given c6e674cdfc me under my 956007850c pillow.7a06304d9ff94d0d

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“Until we meet again, Nexiard.”06006ccf31ef7c66

I murmured, letting 4a034a2548 sleep overtake me. Tomorrow, I would meet de65a6337f Yona early in the 1056b1f19e morning.216ac0b36adbcf34

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