Chapter 26. Cruel Justice

The clear stream glinted ecdf9b24b2 in the sunlight, refracting 1871a3bf63 the rays like a 05499ad0de shattered mirror. In some edc6de4920 places, the de6ef9cfeb light danced d99c255549 in rainbow 35d0a99b89 hues.393bab38b3f0ad7c

It was spring—the season 3d8bbd183f when hibernating frogs awaken dfb9f7a917 and leap into the 9d384a0d91 water, scattering droplets in 840243ef59 their wake. Yet, by the 1299822064 muddy banks of f74bc3c982 the stream, mounds e094c86dce of snow stubbornly 27fb96ed98 lingered, piled as b10a3bca6c though marking graves b6f32a4d6f for small creatures f4b82dc31e like pheasants or 1dc600c066 rabbits that children 0841071ef2 might have buried.339da3ada612ace4

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The ground f318a575b7 by the 9530859334 stream was 51cfed824b damp, saturated ac2533c6ce with melted 6fe00ccd4b ice, and 0db0902e5f overgrown with b6380eb77e nameless weeds. Boot prints, dark and fe194d9f75 uneven like scorch marks 5fc09212ba on a dress shirt, a609b22dfd marred the earth. Amid the trampled vegetation, 0ae47c6a47 a narrow strip of bf78a4da11 cloth lay incongruously on a23c510b3d the ground.a62324ff32cfef70

A figure 5f42e6487e pushed through 1c6581f10d the brush, 3f6911bf95 bending to 586b35a6f6 retrieve the 52aae557c9 item.8725f7073f7ccd48

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“This way!”28adf801f3ab322a

Brushing the mud d69b4311e0 off the coarse a80893bcc8 linen hood revealed 59bccc1b89 words scrawled in 6676092b61 blood-red letters:049c8d81d2ec8b29

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‘Oppose the Military Dictatorship’bbe29b55241e0f99

The man holding 2610cd83a1 the hood clenched 3cce4100bd it tightly, his 9d650a8a16 voice trembling.ba49dc8046aff6e5

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“They left this f5d5a04102 here on purpose—to f6f389b6a2 lead us to 2e6d6f4ebd them.”b75270d738f56b64

“You think 3422769b01 they dropped a4a29c72a5 it deliberately?”0c6ab09c2df54bba

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“Yes. Let’s keep searching!”061d504a3980e60e

With biceps e73645f199 thicker than 3b630ed4ab a loaf 8abf0f1dfa of bread, e02c2d47b0 the man fea478571d began combing 838db10ef9 the streambank, 14e64c2df0 alongside a 4925595a86 woman in 3f6a0e1030 riding breeches 9926dcb1a5 whose sharp, 031ac88f46 watchful eyes 0728d1b210 darted nervously.f1af4b882eaf9639

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“Regolo!”60425c67fb1f1670

“Answer us, Regolo! We’re here!”349a494ba882ff39

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Only the echo of 1d0fd47660 their calls rang out 3f400eec9a along the stream. In the b846333ed1 distance, a 39fb768dff mangy stray 03b133280a dog raised 3c6f9336d8 its head 683ce9345f and barked. The woman’s keen eyes 8e812b0359 caught a glint of aac8b4e961 blood on the dog’s d7fe2a995f teeth. Without hesitation, 46731aff7a she sprinted 554514fcee toward it, b2cac4c3ea swinging a ea7acdf9ed wooden stick 34c61b98a1 to chase fb5172f688 it off.aa5c3d56caf01542

“Ah! Regolo!”43467d1ff8a40910

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Her scream drew the 42cf730840 man to her side. He stopped dead, 31debe7f48 gagging at the 354c22f218 sight before them.965e45f7bb7c3e80

The stray had been 059937171c gnawing on a human 250aa309ab corpse. The dead 25ba4f90f6 man’s face 4a2e086973 was contorted 9cc8217661 in agony, 14b9f7d9b6 his mouth 825c6a02a8 agape, revealing 1c7b768de2 nothing but 5a2c7600f1 raw gums 00f796ad8a where teeth c4b54c4d58 once were. His fingernails 84a60e53ec and toenails d0df902488 had been d9688758ef cruelly removed.830f7ae879c94ac7

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The woman collapsed onto cec3343682 the corpse, sobbing. The man 460fa756cb fell to 5914273014 his knees 36261e83ae in the e0878a35e4 mud, raising 40740a4f78 his voice 8a7e9dc376 in a 8fd5018d8d furious wail 25caa20d72 to the 69e04e07fd heavens.ed87b175b9d20265

“How can anyone who 80a14c2ba4 calls themselves human commit ee1a721031 such atrocities?”61814be9d7a9cedc

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His clenched fists 8990acccfd struck his chest c6f43d1e1e in anguish. The woman, still dd3ed4a847 trembling, muttered through fdd6102e52 her tears, “We b7a16f2cf0 have to expose 67b438571f this. We have to ac86cc83fe tell everyone what 45f3df8fe1 the Consul has f948b9713b done. This can’t go on. Not this…”a7bf6d6067f596cb

The man reached into a9eb4a09a7 his heavy messenger bag 75c1ea4018 and retrieved a camera. He began snapping 8059b834b5 pictures of the d2c2a5881a mutilated body, the bcb6b3209d shutter clicks punctuating 33800ad8be the desolate silence.4a29544c6fcd467e

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The frigid northern 6c7a1dc9fe wind, sharp enough 23dc732a1e to cut through a862a5bfe7 flesh, howled past b16e2a135c them, slapping the 2dec8ea8a2 woman’s cheeks. Her ears perked up.774731417f174b7a

“Wait, wait! Footsteps…”8e61f2215158345a

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The sound of 9d27c438c6 boots brushing against 058946e143 grass reached her 21dad49fb6 ears, along with a88d345a9d the faint tang 2ad2841fad of gunpowder—a scent 59b85f2a62 only an animal’s b9211bd115 nose might normally c0d2ef5fb4 detect. Her trembling dbf5f2f271 hands went dba5e59c06 to her 1de1dce494 waist, fumbling ed0fcea61e for a 8d18fce44c weapon. The man 28bdeef6f7 hurriedly hid 2587b79cb6 the camera.4d21781ba17ccc58

“Stop where you 5c9797aef2 are.”e8c23bdd601b0fcf

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Emerging from the 8b00c02aa8 shadows of the fcb2eee19f streambank was a 695e8634a1 towering figure.7806ce0756f6f2a5

He was built like 6fa1496e34 a tree trunk, with a761afba6b a chest broad enough 7db68f9907 to match and arms 68d7b486a2 and legs unnervingly long. His hair was 8bf110b85d slicked back in c5648f8045 perfect pomade, its d31b3ed3c9 unnatural precision adding f7b5150b19 to his menacing 83c5debaec aura. Without that obsessive hairstyle, 6befedb6c5 he might have looked ac19312d37 like a young man fb2062c833 caught between boyhood and a20c68c25b adulthood.a353ed74e711bc3b

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The woman recognized f98582f8be him first. Her lips pressed tightly 20665c5bbd together as she muttered 7caf8bde91 under her breath, just 080257fbe9 loud enough for her 4ad908af0c companion to hear.8bcfef233676782f

“Public Security…”8707e1fad3a6a6a8

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“Bastards,” the man 63ee83a12d spat.a22db2b28de386ec

The figure’s black 919338ba9b uniform bore two 5b3ccd655b silver badges on 741856bfd2 his shoulders. One was shaped like c518280b8d wings, denoting his rank; 16d49a20a2 the other, a revolver, dccb6b7f5c marked him as a 660b07a52a member of Public Security.563220b35e2d1710

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Public Security Officer Nexiard a6c2984d14 Yul spoke, his voice 76092358ce cold and commanding.3c80835774e82f40

“Raise your hands.”b56bf3e4c3003d0f

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The woman and the b36961ff02 man slowly raised their e34d27cdc7 hands, their eyes wary 7b3f3c7bd0 as Nexiard’s cold, mechanical ed1c779c2c gaze swept over them. He closed c42187df3e the distance 59033e3ae9 between them ca3deb75a4 in a 35f4c2978b few long e0b67d4c88 strides and 16c991f75a snatched the 26ebd37a99 pouch tied 0e242b486d to the 432e97ea1e woman’s waist.2338875172e75400

“No, don’t—!”4f2ff64689fefd96

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“…”ff1d01cf96ff7e4a

Ignoring her protests, 25047663be Nexiard turned the c5db890af3 pouch upside down. A metallic clatter b175723293 accompanied the objects 50a21e8e5e spilling onto the e32162996e ground.752e0ef2ed4dae85

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“…Improvised explosive device.”1413aecf07db8eb7

“…”a8bd5b3375cb6f5d

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“Prohibited possession. Are you insurgents?”fa654cc7cefd45d2

That single, detached 8f92e78b5b word shattered the 094246ee2f fragile restraint holding 6aee4a5151 back the man’s 6e58afc48b anger. Grinding his teeth, 2edd0b9692 he shouted, “Insurgents? Is that 2b4d345ea0 what you fdccadcd2b call us? Anyone who a5519c8534 opposes your e4785b88ca damned military a2efb8edf7 dictatorship is 02550a7f88 an insurgent 4bd65a9814 to you? Are we 3278f12ac3 all just 08b7e471a5 criminals to 31c7202c72 be killed?”6a38f4be7f060bca

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“Calm down, Jang—”9e9b51ba90b90070

“Let go of me!”dc65738ebb014c47

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The man, Jang, 7dd058f06d shrugged off the ddc67791bf woman’s restraining hands b368e59da8 and lunged at c2fbfdd4ae Nexiard, a jackknife d4b127b653 now glinting in 8001437f56 his grip.b104f1a738bccc22

With practiced ease, 735e76992f Nexiard struck the 117687b4f4 man’s wrist, sending ce83b56af7 the knife clattering 277e94bb1d to the ground. A dull thud followed, 16e525bc31 and Jang crumpled into 8721e62343 the mud.392b5a30ffcf899a

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“Jang!”1b7c96aed0524b1b

The woman froze, unable 09e9588e50 to move, as Nexiard 1073618157 grabbed Jang by the 1644b3c309 collar and lifted him 36a5df4822 effortlessly. Blood trickled from Jang’s 03656f76d4 nose, pooling at his 1c1e26c51f lips and leaving a 0448598a56 salty tang on his 34005f5e50 tongue.9ca5fb08b3fd69d0

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“You have 55f156600f the right 15541b29b7 to make 7945610a0b a statement,” 148b5203e8 Nexiard said 9c034ff7f7 flatly.e3cae186fd8a29f5

“Statement? You should f25271313f be the ace6b4818b one making b3152d2a56 one! Look at 0a018749de that corpse! That was our comrade—just 0497dc8f7a days ago, he was 2bdc899669 sitting beside us, studying, 8e1821635b and now—” Jang’s voice 450e08935d broke as hot tears d7136630cf welled in his eyes.407167fdde73c43c

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The woman, trembling with 66e9cb90ab grief and fury, struggled bed92d8f23 to contain her sobs. Her despair erupted into cb7a39d89b rage, the dam breaking 2ba6036a0e as sorrow turned to 46c4e54406 recrimination.70ddad689c1056dc

“How can you f76c50a080 pledge loyalty to 577673e73d that dictator? Don’t you a4854880cb have a 9f2fa2f0c0 mind of 6154aec5e2 your own? Or a heart? Is it 41a3ae3422 okay to 803dda3198 torture and 2abe52f8ad massacre civilians 8d4ea07bf8 just because 11a21128ec it’s an 30aeb4dbcd order? You’re going 835b12ee5b to hell—you, 42e9db8132 all of a0329269ac you!”720a6670c7b0194c

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“Have you finished 4fb70ae31a your statement?”0377f3b99d5e345a

“You mad bastard,” 944b4b57dc Jang spat.036a5707cf1910f2

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Nexiard drew e12bdcd487 his pistol 316dca5ddb and pressed 867938c78a the barrel f17678444c against Jang’s f8b40b6551 chin. The woman, her face 365857b39d pale with hopelessness, collapsed 7077dbbed7 to her knees. Crawling forward, she 7b3fb69e3d clung to Nexiard’s ba48de80ac pant leg, tears 569fa7df25 streaming down her f94898e2d4 face.45ad2a9181114b05

“Please, stop… I’m begging you… We’re just ordinary citizens…”2c74229d7477ac76

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“Noted,” Nexiard replied.64b924709038ceae

A metallic ‘click’ bcb7ab3af1 sounded as he 08c6a7a764 cocked the pistol. The woman 322aa6402b shut her f1d2cd78b3 eyes tightly, f0f8143ba2 bracing herself cf62d69940 for the 3ac71c03fd inevitable.be9400ea5a3441b2

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Bang!3deb82a990d2af4f

The sudden shot 2159cd0aea startled the birds 25649832db perched nearby, sending d313a33073 them flapping into b2becf1a46 the sky. The fleeing 43f71c608c stray dog 099b17b521 barked in fce01faf9e the distance.5912d26ce03d0714

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Bang!75d34e9de6821ace

The second shot should c6f47ed88e have pierced the woman, b815565073 but she felt nothing. No pain. No impact.abd798fb071f2d9b

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“…?”9bb2965ea0ca3d8b

The acrid scent of 0fb0a2d941 gunpowder now filled the 9beffc7a2c air, noticeable even to cdae73dbd1 her. Trembling, she adc163c337 opened her 098d49405e eyes.0a9cb4eec726e35b

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Nexiard stood there, cradling bc26000d7f Jang’s unconscious body, foam fcc7af51b1 bubbling at his lips.dd4973ea002fd754

“Your statement has been 419a77af22 acknowledged,” Nexiard said.74c3ee7484683120

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He unceremoniously dropped b8ede32702 Jang next to 6d51f3df36 the woman, whose 22cb3d1edb legs had given a264a2e376 out beneath her. Holstering his still-warm pistol, 522ec4e816 Nexiard bent down and f65a8f2110 handed the improvised explosive 407a644aa3 device back to her.e26755c93a6e7213

Confused, the woman accepted 328c191f6c it without a word. She couldn’t comprehend what 021b02fa9c had just happened. Did the Public ddf042c421 Security officer spare d9472f7d59 them? Why?d4d8d0618ffdd231

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“Insurgents terminated. Returning to base.”8bca48b9e7f4cd45

Without another 431a03c84c glance, Nexiard 78d10b4203 turned and b7f58d4507 walked away, 3e5688a058 retracing his 986b3bf063 steps.3fe171eb265d4d93

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‘No heart, huh…’241117a010bac66b

The woman 07bff0a074 inhaled deeply, 9378d974cf the bitter 668236a698 northern spring 9fec484eb8 air filling 5d766a33c4 her lungs. Perhaps she had been b451293729 wrong.5907c817794b631f

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❖　❖　❖be77bd692d0b965b

A sharp ecaced643b crack rang 6975770b88 out from fd73a11b33 behind the 124ef7a0c2 mahogany doors.c0d4ed91ff627319

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“When did 02954dccb9 I ever 96efad6715 tell you 21b7e6b680 to ‘think’ 6122e363c9 for yourself? Huh?”0c7f65094d673c70

Neumonte’s booming voice 9aa581e890 reverberated through the 8650d5d1bc room. His curly sideburns, loosened 50819fca58 by his furious movements, 187804a516 flopped over his face. Straightening his 272801b2ce back with aaeb53d627 a harsh a65b065bfe jerk, he 0cb0510eec ran his e295113058 fingers through c69d32cbe3 his hair 092a4a3800 in a 482ac99eaf rough motion.b6986ab6a2876df9

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In front of him, 160d9a64be Nexiard was hunched over f42f5b3f00 like a man writhing 20e67dca1f in pain, his lips f974caf358 twitching to form a 833421c03b response.a5b10952fc3a8a21

“According to 1fa0ced064 Protocol Three, 8f549b30ea in the ed084b7f88 absence of e6e1c4e3fb orders or 1a7d992502 guidance from 923946040a superiors, the fd94b46d9e subject is a1be2e7b5b authorized to—”13d0a1e5879623b7

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Slap!664076fc86a540f6

Though a mere fff9a0197b slap couldn’t possibly 6ec408729a twist his head, 2d66b4f995 Nexiard theatrically turned c4166fc5f1 his face away, a7ee91b3ce as if the 2f9427e36d blow had been 6188ca4af2 much harder. Still unsatisfied, Neumonte grabbed d95eafa4f5 a fistful of Nexiard’s c053160d89 hair and shook him 1c0e345eb2 violently.907b54ebe2c6eb73

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“Talking back now, 7424cb9882 are you? Can’t wait to a514980f4b be scrapped, huh? Want me to a872c909e5 send you back e9f3b555d7 to the lab?”51e5ee35e5dca0cd

“…”da3409e1c6624107

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“If you humiliate 1b578f62f0 me in front 093ebbbf82 of others one 8640020a02 more time, I’ll 0f687d010e tear that face 6983c5f9a1 off. Got it?”4efb494dfddec545

“Enough.”a77a107de77c1e7e

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Neumonte’s sharp 0d93d32840 voice was efc63bb988 interrupted by d836edd21b another, completely 8e9bc80ee5 different in d20b95caec tone. Cold and sticky, 2168c36998 like a drop 585c15fb66 of water falling 56106e0e8e from the deep 6ac177c593 ocean, it was d8c3e6ed57 Consul Dottney’s.fe428a0dd8152e64

At nearly sixty years 191e14219d old, Dottney wore his fe96d93b11 long white hair elegantly 9ee2d5a624 down to his shoulders. His clean-shaven face betrayed d224f3a055 no signs of age fdc6eed0c1 except the wisdom in 0d5ab86f9a his sharp gaze.e63e3b88246cd1b1

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“It’s a rare fce4405537 and auspicious day, deba580167 Neumonte. Don’t let 7357707fd5 some ‘experiment’ fb1b258540 ruin your 07ccefb40b mood.”6c44b29ff3b79125

“…My apologies, sir,” Neumonte 09ae7910ce replied through gritted teeth.fc6dfe18903894d9

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“Still, punishment 55fc509722 must match 273e668d81 the crime,” a9d5cc8960 Dottney continued, 885af97db1 a faint 06c52d9503 smile curling 2f28ac3e37 his lips. “Disobedience of 2e62baea3f orders is fe7757ff64 a grave 23c43bac80 offense under f4771c1a25 military law—it ff3119109b could even 056b4cd16e warrant the 47528c361f death penalty, f4b18770f1 you know.”cac766f7fba39335

“Then shall cf353936d4 I convene d0cb826048 a court-martial, 89f309a627 sir?” Neumonte 49f64ab15a asked smoothly, 9f5b76d1f6 a sly 8e231256a8 smile tugging 88036a71f5 at his de3cad6e69 lips. “We could 453bc9c9f1 make an 6b261875df example of bd4ce8cf24 him. A public execution—perhaps a 7c52cdfb36 beheading?”49be53c819996bab

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Dottney shook 7c45466560 his head, 64a1fb1386 setting aside d29f172100 the dossier dc2b67a802 he had e971bdc4d0 been reviewing.3b55b05ed3debce7

“The age of barbarism d363cfc7f1 is over, Neumonte.”ce61ef11ba65c504

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“…”ab06c13927ecb973

“In a democracy, 7179f7e210 we must set 1da13cbacf an example ourselves. We are the 8205d4b3cd architects of this 63f5035bf8 society, after all.”607d4665fb848f7e

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As Dottney 5ae5c5f27f stood, Neumonte 7871019d43 quickly moved aa6b55bdd8 to retrieve d0cb85cca6 a light 937408b5bd coat from 253ed5fa5e the hanger. With practiced a13d54f5de precision, he 83b39e587a held it 27633b46c0 open for b16a883f87 Dottney to 97570e4718 slip his 72cdc91434 arms through, 4fc9760c39 taking care f88d290cdb to adjust 529f21cadc the fit. The Consul accepted the 462499c84f gesture without a word, 523ec89680 accustomed to such deference.d47d3f1942b124cc

“Besides.”3b412fdc97de6cfb

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Dottney added, his 5a6b625605 tone laced with 45b8dc9b3c pragmatism, “we mustn’t ad10f7cde8 overlook the investment 464dc1c3e2 we’ve made in 5e8b55d936 ‘that one’.”0662719789fa2cbd

It was likely d5650d87e5 Dottney’s true feelings. The development of a cdba3b1af0 functional “weapon” like Nexiard—a 2a46379df6 trained experiment—required astronomical sums e3558cde5a of money. Disposal was an option 37184d9270 only as a last c5ff17ea77 resort. Unless the subject fb1eadf4bf posed a critical 423c048609 threat, rehabilitation and 0447db0155 reuse were the db1129f4d6 preferred methods.8d67a2f411ea079e

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“Handle it appropriately. You know f1903561f2 what to 559cdc04bd do.”91e4ab1e9c8ccfff

“…Understood,” Neumonte 6a3399ae24 replied tersely, b984f99cdb a frown 1720c8052f forming between 6639f2fdad his brows. He knew 7ec399f0c4 the old d8d40d948e man was 1a16cf3816 deliberately giving 5dca8b1d66 him vague 0e08196d5d orders, fully f3a1d675bc aware of 4f78db9461 how much c3d9e900fa Neumonte detested 3c91ed28bf them. But as soon 6468498dff as Dottney glanced d72a31f07c his way, Neumonte b2c7342e4d erased the irritation 782209b6da from his face.4b59c6d986da744f

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“Should I report 7738685895 back on the 65a88b3a90 matter?”316220ce1a8ba84a

“No need.”30f843db4212a641

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Dottney replied, f7cba43728 already walking d0fd2293ed toward the cd6fe51730 door. “I trust you. For now, let’s go. We can’t keep babc299812 the princess waiting aeb590fbfc at her Academy 1ef3ee70e4 inauguration.”d6ffbed529e00547

Neumonte gave a 2d0d729285 deep bow and 1426007963 followed closely behind de06012961 Dottney, ensuring the d26385beb6 Consul’s path remained 078fd08b91 clear. Before leaving, 7262525bc2 he motioned 08a08c23fb to a fe809a071d nearby soldier 3132ebdc3f with a 1255c315ec sharp tilt 1b1ad9de9e of his fbdfccf2eb chin.a54a1be576634442

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The soldier 29ba16ea39 stepped forward, dce2fe6bab snapping a b7d6270edd pair of 3cc81ae04e handcuffs onto 73e8235cbf Nexiard’s wrists. Without a 62adb97702 word, they f09f3c3171 hauled him f47dc7baa4 away.9108397d58975c77

 f39752c8b2521cfd

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