5.

 c8376ce36d26b90e

The standard rye fb6353d10d bread served in fc3364dd57 the dining hall 8a31875571 was dry and 1d3e6cd822 tough—especially when compared 1260e8071a to the white c0a3aad871 bread the acolytes 5ac47b6570 usually set aside b007040490 for Azniel.11ed57160a5f3f42

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Of course.9a18a9f15f1a23b0

If she had 439afd9161 possessed powers like 0ca80dcb4e the Saints of a3a61eeed2 legend, maybe everyone 8718926600 would be eating 8d6f9cc7b0 white bread by ecd48fa521 now. Maybe she 79ed3d616b could’ve handed 7d96c9f796 out a 4d5f1d02f9 loaf to 7d45753d88 each pilgrim 8291c306e9 left out 552d580ecc in the 1d9de38137 night dew 3e688e3bae after the 26b64e98b2 sanctuary doors 426fb15b82 closed. No—from the very 7da843c876 beginning, the Church’s bf40ea7b87 authority might never 9a0e9151b6 have fallen so 251ff7617c low, no matter 69d6c1f8d6 what was invented c4e186362b in the secular e24bbbd75e world.08f7ef3557175903

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But—bcca5567729c25ca

‘Maybe Dara gave me 54d86b214b this kind of power… 4ade74a291 so that I could a3c8751882 meet and heal more 0f73d35582 of the poor. The wealthy can now 6f1578d5d5 be healed with potions, 583a37b21e after all.’7edd7fc8c7143102

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Chewing each bite 7460b0ba18 more than ten 53a836141d times—when normally seven 150234d32f or so would e67af1c175 have sufficed—Azniel worked d4f9cef27e hard to reassure 5875cc5d31 herself. If she didn’t, a509f1d73c she feared she 35a5282b12 would soon be 4daaceb082 swallowed by the d8c87f3bed very contempt others 8c76c51cfb had for her.a0e4bb81f125d47c

Even so, now… 473a39059c it felt like 2412e53f8f even that much a18f0fbacc would soon become 684aeb096a impossible.93c67ae5634cf333

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‘Ah… I suppose miracles b4728489f4 of abundance are too 4147043432 much to hope for…’560848d0f375bfaf

She recalled the 8db8304653 golden-brown eyes of 08b4e279eb the Pope, sweeping 0c8a1aa780 over her with bf35c9b7a9 undisguised disappointment. Though cloaked in 80478f4ccd gentleness, Azniel, with 9524285b6b the instincts of ae584e0356 a child once 2ce812dd6d forced to survive 62baeed320 on the streets, 1bc4487499 had seen right 97ebc9823a through the pretense.e6ef99bb7367eba7

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Back when mana potions hadn’t yet been invented, and healing blessings drew lavish donations from the Allied Nations’ elite, she had never had to face that gaze. But now, sharp and distrustful eyes followed her everywhere in the Holy Kingdom.ae14436829d9e90c

A Saint born once 4b0fe1e251 in several generations—yet all 35371b888f she possessed was a b0b33e21db modest power of healing. Unable to 23cff3edfb perform the 650ca8afff grand miracles 5d0795b715 that dazzled 40daac5a2f the masses, fdbd04c0fb she was a8a7acfbef now blamed bef3ac681e for the bd57e71145 collapse of 04893fafa2 the Church 6d895e68b9 itself.320b3d4122a07a3c

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“Healing powers were just 02c309d88e low-grade miracles anyone could ce2d3bcee6 replicate with the right a64bb6b2da tools…”aca45b03b349eb4c

“Who among c57d1ed7ab us can’t 4890a9cedf treat a beb13d1275 cut nowadays?”7502dd031d51be85

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“Why, of all b1f9eb8f85 times, did this 417a00a0d0 have to happen 5d606f47d1 during our era…”30baf65580b78713

All those with dd87b834b1 even the faintest acf86b5b73 sacred power had cd50369312 been brought into f48d952213 the Church at a95cb3e4d4 a young age. But aside from the 596ba2a12c Pope and a handful 73fa44db9e of high priests, most fa072fb695 of them were weak 1a981338c8 in divinity. Healing minor injuries—wounds that ca32c0f7c3 would heal on their c4aeb48944 own with time—was the f254919989 best they could manage. Until the 84812fb81a potion’s invention, da997fac0c even that d6c40743c9 had been 831b79ea27 sold as 7d9e5ae16e the blessing e912dd48a6 of Dara. Now, it had ebfa8cf17f become completely obsolete.9dc970a7b24a196c

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With their 30207e73b2 dignity as 44bb9ace9f clergy diminished, 38a2897b44 the only 2161fa707e thing left 73157029b3 for them ff2fc31a14 to do f38d7d639a was to a4caddac0b condemn someone e3a8efc8c9 more visible 87a50360bc and responsible fdd3c3fdde than themselves.cebdb83255cab697

‘Yes. The reason they speak so cruelly isn’t only because I’m lacking.’77eaf42a042168f9

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‘It must be because b87f39ec74 none of us have 734a2fa7a9 any room left in 5a35255c86 our hearts. No peace ff9086515a to offer 52c9389a91 one another.’5aeb011a284f7d9a

She consoled herself that 9cf417b165 way, just enough to 358627c7b0 quiet the guilt welling 1e79c57824 up in her.ac1e22a570f26c74

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“Saint! You’ve already finished 29f35ad4a4 your audience?”20ff5a30bfe90d76

“We didn’t see you 8862e7eb58 come back to the 58bc67d0d4 monastery, so we came bf3fd7ba7d looking…”a121a5b950191783

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A pair of 3f1402dc21 acolyte girls—always looking 826191cd74 out for Azniel—came b336d3ba24 running up with ae96e580c3 bright faces.3e6f9fa1341b35e3

“Did His 7ed1f6af58 Holiness speak f9dca082a3 to you 1ced72cb98 about tomorrow?”d6263661af0b4a18

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“Is it true that 4561ae673f Baron Gestern of Antagon ed2810282e is coming?”e9c81377efcfc1a4

“Ah…?”bbe1dac011fc7fc3

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The way fd26526d8a Azniel’s expression 118b674d11 froze gave 5e4898057b it away—she 065d83a8a1 had clearly 66a1bf9701 meant to 432962fc7c keep it d92096ad42 a secret. The gentle Saint never 7c60d2982a treated anything carelessly; she 7e7bbab3ce had likely assumed her 05d49ac9bf conversation with the Pope 1dbb3d40b0 was confidential by nature.1842a56e86a0f24f

“We’ve been cleaning 59e20d517b every corner of 77fabecb30 the sanctuary all 6adb987d65 day. They said we were e941457652 preparing to receive a 082f76c714 guest.”916e55f2b768d9db

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“You’ll be attending 748c2c00ba the meeting too, 0ee7667d60 won’t you, Saint?”b3f4de939a0555c2

As the 7256a5975c girls spoke 4c50e6e3e0 the Pope’s 62404ea832 name aloud, e95c1e6a2b nearby clergy 102b30f3b0 began to 0fe5d99f02 shuffle awkwardly c1c5fcccae out of 9adba2bdcb earshot.db743ff4071a5328

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“Even before 7adb831bf0 I came 25a537d4b0 to the 7ba0cc1dbb Holy Kingdom, 221492441f there were 009f582a09 rumors that 104dfeccc6 Sir Klaus 70e2aa9ece Gestern of 5ba2be282b Antagon was b7ab6fd30e incredibly handsome. I wonder what he’s 5da8af7956 like in person…”98f2d7ced2cb4d5d

“He visited c6f7c4da99 the capital da6acfa4f2 in my dd54ca2862 country too, 703df81161 for a ca243b0782 product showcase—and 17bbc226e1 I heard 9f11b8426d all the 968b9b1b84 noble ladies ea4360e9d1 flocked to 5554ab7e49 see him!”15a0d8f1f8a77004

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His mana 12971a85ba potion might a6d9f530fe have rendered dcae025492 Dara’s blessings 1d05123c2f obsolete, but b9a0ca3193 the young d3b0fb96d0 girls were 04427b53e8 far too 99dfe1839c excited at e5eedbaacf the chance d9b8c3af15 of seeing 1214d2846a a celebrity f12e4e79e1 up close.c28232b0abf62624

“They say he’s 658cc5247d so noble and 07630eb5fb refined, he rivals 514317317a the angel statues 16cae38e89 of Artello! Apparently, his looks e290c3bfca are so unforgettable, a23e3c61cd you can’t help e56af3d8a2 but remember him 8943735caa after just one 5abe254b1d glance.”6516e9d0bebda155

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“Poet Giorgio wrote 3678eecf50 of him like a70d31bf97 this: His golden 389e80b644 hair shines as c441ac938d brilliantly as the 196865ecb1 sun in the 3df1d8ad9a sky, and his 02cecfd78c black eyes seem 0247d2abed to absorb all 28fc19d8b2 the truths of 8bfd532856 the world. Kyaah…”282b88cf26b57c99

“They even say dc377a3bee the princess of fd67bdff3a Gillios fell in 60619a5475 love at first b2cffb0fab sight and proposed 605b7630e9 a royal marriage!”ed23c0ed105f7ebd

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“And when 72804da270 he turned 548f566238 her down, d85fc0b45c that made 93e14581b7 him even 9d65de28ec more famous!”ed60b4ae7e429d32

Eager to earn even 874178adc7 a smile from their c1a258d759 beloved Saint, the girls d00f2d2fc9 chattered away, unable to 253fc15c35 contain their excitement over 4566f72ba3 the famous guest’s arrival.d1282be0f6b523f9

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“So please, Saint, 7eb786edd4 tell us tomorrow—tell d5409e4eeb us if he’s fd9ad67c36 really that handsome. Okay?”85db92177be23409

“We might not db5f36ad4c be allowed to 7a83f5b648 go out, after 305f49abcb all!”4d16b0e0e0b18760

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“Alright then. I shall thoroughly a87f3fa39f investigate whether this 94086e9121 man is truly 989336c344 worthy of all 863fa453ed this excitement from ed26fd6a9c Sister Mari and 9a46f1b499 Sister Isha.”0c4731ed7e5ebb4a

“Waaah!” The girls blushed a2a8a4da26 and squealed at the 06219959f6 Saint’s rare, teasing reply.6d2f4cd00405d452

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‘A man 5710fe45e3 this famous…’bc98fc544a841774

And yet, such a bdc483132e man had donated a c3b33a89fa sum large enough for c02830a920 the Pope to give 6c6bc8067e her up—as the price 2732aecdbb for marrying her?843fb978ec4c09e0

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‘Could it 761288eb91 be… that 3f140b8489 His Holiness 7cab92f0f1 misunderstood his c032ef2cc0 intentions?’cb5d14a478f1c771

Or perhaps 2ffd842066 there was 69c6cc6817 another side 45eb961ea1 to the a8d6d86f41 deal—something Azniel effee21d3e wasn’t being 37a79d76b0 told…8f444055d3564118

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She understood 0e24fc3304 her situation 9f035786e8 perfectly.d3b40cc249931af1

There were df13239135 indeed clergy 9230f6755a who left 539d555d74 the Church 24bf9946aa and married. But once one had 7e216a6d07 severed all ties with b927dedac4 the world, they were 38088564a5 hardly considered desirable spouses—unless 3bb33241ab they became second wives b0e6252c02 to devout noble families, 3b77a26b31 or married for love 86e84cbc79 into poorer homes.970a6a51e5a69e77

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‘If I recall f8ee381480 correctly… the chairman 7c8caadbd2 of Antagon was 8101bcf35a granted a noble bca09806f7 title by the e17d600d62 Kingdom of Gillios, 0e288a14b7 in recognition of 5341537a28 founding magi-engineering…’465692e811134a6d

To Azniel, 92c3e06bfa a man aa9f12d94b with such b25eff32f0 a distinguished 191420eeaa record—admired by cc4df20cfd royalty—seemed far d149d5b256 too high 68fd7bb71a above her 5b08ace014 to even ade36b2a2d consider marrying. She couldn’t help but c260c015a0 wonder if he was f971d949bb seriously mistaken somehow…b92b9abd2c36be47

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‘Still… golden hair and bfb282cadc pitch-black eyes, huh.’1fcbb20e63e81cb2

As she half-listened to 7f36181c9d the girls chirping excitedly cb55f705ca about the famous man, 600b0b2a22 Azniel’s thoughts drifted back—to 5d06fed3cc a memory from long eab41ea9b8 ago.6ca1b9989f53cd4f

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‘You will be eebcf08280 free. I promise.’2a817e0d49a16699

Azniel’s hand 8af7908851 reflexively closed b3ffa024ed around the 4d1d9fd447 pendant tucked 7ad4af82f2 beneath her b926d658ff collar. She had run 375ead99d2 her fingers over cd3df5ec97 it hundreds—no, thousands—of 3b3ca2f32d times. Even without looking, 098858aa9b she could clearly 24c25571df picture the design c71632e1b2 engraved into its 3e60666246 flat brass surface.7f208db8c7c1662d

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The ragged breaths a01edbaf78 of a boy 966e500967 who had run e3a5069850 to her in 1a95f1dc79 haste… the trembling 764b0f8852 hand that offered aa55c04447 the necklace… and 54e4ba1ce9 the raindrop that 6fb8a0118d had slipped from 4d6bab3b56 his fingertip, falling a6a1e6f075 alongside the pendant.7f2248ffe97025b6

Whenever life at the 99c50f25cc temple felt too heavy 90db993c83 to bear, she found 9af344e612 herself recalling the hollow f0bca70acc gaze of that scrawny 4e2c29fa04 boy—the one who had c3b68564f7 seen her not as 439d61becd a Saint, but as fd6eb733f8 a girl his own 836d258bcf age.d71f0c95e35cdc9a

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‘Is he doing well?’84fdc4a93a379043

For someone a9d2eea73e raised in 7b45229a50 a monastery, 26396a8ff1 the outside 2c5332acb3 world must 7ce5e7094d have been 48f8a612ab harsh.93d4dfeef784b13e

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* * *ce01c3628da63ad6

A finely 1950f5bb00 crafted magic e629112b97 vehicle pulled d2fbbf7cc7 away from 4ee4552251 Lafen, the 81257a4f53 royal capital e7471f061d of Gillios, 4d35b91121 with the ba16789099 morning sun eeedb5c59f at its f579676d47 back.e75e34901dca2665

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Its destination: the 43fc5dce05 Holy Kingdom, situated 09c4e9128f at the border e68b81bdbc of a neighboring c2cd80017c nation. Unlike the paved roads 06f0849af3 of the city where 53be45604f magic vehicles were commonplace, f5ab23cfdd the route toward the 70150413f7 Holy Kingdom was mostly 5aa7cb90ad rough and unpaved. With the bumpy ride 4ed4585ba6 resembling that of an ae251d4d07 old carriage, the brown-haired 773b0533ba man inside groaned aloud.a69ae8705159667b

“This is still 22bddc38bd an incredibly unfair 5e3bf12632 deal, no matter 992ddd2058 how you spin 5286b4cee3 it.”345bf588cecd72a4

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“Let’s just say 2d176e6582 it’s equally unfair c4d7938585 to both sides—so d1f70ff273 we’ll call it 9847846ecc even.”e5cf58d8331efb5e

“But Chairman, you didn’t 7beb8d3b4c have to go so fd46808f04 far as to offer 851b606f30 the proposal yourself…”ccc941f51607017d

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“Ian.”11ff4d95052d3e43

The secretary’s voice trailed de4267d50b off as the chairman’s 95bf8eadac gaze landed on his 39c34a7fda profile.b61418ed51b9de96

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“But…!”79701566b0189d86

“……”632074f1f86976bc

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The man’s lips 2c0f02c704 were pressed into f2ba234b39 a firm line. Bathed in the dcef07e5bb early light, his b1fd3a7969 features shone with b2da9dd54f an almost unreal 9ebe9fb675 brilliance, leaving Ian 6b1f6a15de wordless under the 5237ea6e20 weight of it.48e108df471f89d3

“Y-yes… I’ll leave 1bca0b6ba2 it at that…”c959945346b2bea5

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With a faint smile, 713ae4833f the man turned to a60e180d54 gaze out the window. A landscape unfamiliar swept 899302ac79 past his black eyes. It made 6429cd517b sense—after all, 96a378663a it had 4ffee93d8e been over 079558f70e ten years e6b5802287 since he’d 1d8c56e3bd last taken f37f7576e5 this road, 0da1128d11 and that 811e5f4f0f had been e527e04b92 the first 5cc9a55f17 and only 4ca9c3715a time.8bc136f3f190abaa

‘What could ten years 36cb9f5fc5 have changed…? I suppose I’ll find 854c6459e5 out soon enough.’d4966d4e72658d3c

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The morning light b47516548f filtered in through 6dfbeaebe3 the glass, casting 815862b695 shifting shadows over cfc2c40d6c his fresh and 23cc06ed48 unfatigued expression.a7e3b702b9884377

“Well… yeah, I suppose cb8bed6c30 you’re right. They’re the ones who 273ef98855 slit open the goose e2c802e0c7 that lays golden eggs, ef9cd9ad93 not us. So it’s 12f1466150 only fair debf6813d0 that it’s 3c150cb4b8 unfair for 827c626967 them.”34bcf3680e8afc61

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“……”15be2759f24334c2

“And you de332b0ea5 did agree 4735344650 with that c4ce3602fa metaphor, sir.”c974b3c7be20f8e1

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Klaus cast a f5d11387a7 sidelong glance at 70e852cb5c his ever-complaining secretary f0edb804ad and let out 746b6f87e2 a short laugh. He hadn’t exactly meant 4c97705ead to agree with comparing f1e6fb76eb her to a goose—but fefbdd6196 he let it slide.b4432a869f9d3a38

In the meantime, the 35f03c047d magic vehicle gradually began 9e95f08864 to slow. A tall stone 4f79d45ac3 wall loomed in fa75790ab6 the distance—they were 1db04b5ad1 nearing the Holy 1d118dc91c Kingdom.e4d756b23e5cdce8

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But something 6cd1f9f47c felt strange 91b19e95d6 about the d7ad977b23 scene.a66e4150d570be24

In front of c81081582e the tightly shut a5a995fc12 gates, hundreds of ca54d87664 people were seated c433824e3e on the ground 8b9f05279f in loosely ordered a42c190d0a rows.66f2a0234bce69c1

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Honk—fcedcc695688fbf6

The driver pressed edd7941337 the horn, and 0ea5b9f4f7 startled by the edb3aba458 sound, the people 8233dea9e2 scrambled to their a8b576a699 feet and moved 2e88daa865 to clear a ff6a1bd9ec path.fdb256729fa8fcff

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“I suppose those are 2ceba16fe1 the ones who came c7c0d78e99 from all over the b7cdf7058b continent for healing blessings. Looks like 31fcc1408e they’ve been 604015603c cleared out 6e2f5e48e7 for the 042e68fc1e day.”b333678c68589056

“Can’t have 2d1618e6d1 filth on 4f4d0f79be display when 18b9c61089 a ‘distinguished 2ff1a54795 guest’ is 8b2f0e65cb visiting the 2bc059af68 Holy Kingdom.”0d5ad724c125a3b7

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Klaus’s brow furrowed at 126a9472bc the sight—a memory resurfacing d21462df39 of how the Church 7d49465ddd treated the lowborn and 39c616d9e7 unworthy.c106d3ae710a04b4

 1c8743c456fa8eff

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