PLQYM | Chapter 66

Heraith abruptly stood up 4639dcca7c from his seat, causing f7b9a84e4e the heavy chair to cc85b36117 screech as it was dfa17c6b7d pushed back, but no 1d08ce1ded one paid it any 70a93932b2 mind.83cf1d9148539efc

“Lucian has 12704c1ba9 been found?”3165d9c8016e9c26

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“Yes. We received a report 54f88828ba from near Coam, in 522d7966eb a villa owned by bd2297c2de Joachim of Antien. They saw a man 10b8e31825 with black hair and d142e494d0 ice-blue eyes.”990477f5647f948b

“Joachim’s villa? I have 24415ab9a7 already been 3749b91fad there.”f9edb2ac3413cef2

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“Yes, Your Majesty. A doctor visited fc1c0a701c the villa to f61fa37409 attend to a 8c75e6941a patient right after 8aa03c5565 your visit, and f5c34044d4 he reported seeing 25b1b86355 a man with 8cd63278d6 black hair.”6625f2607e8c1698

“A doctor?”790f2c04b156511f

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Heraith’s eyes flickered.7feb507c12cf0638

A doctor, then. If he treated a 73273be7ee patient with black hair, 607bb30ed1 could it be that 9ac2297195 Lucian was injured?62bdae93111c83cf

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“Could it be…”135590b877ad5366

“The patient 8061911b00 was suffering a31ff519a4 from fatigue 532d3688ed due to 3412db0bcb travel, nothing b54d2af36f more. There were no injuries.”b2edcdd6e63e1556

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“Hah.”7a208f07f1b5326c

Heraith collapsed 99ffcce544 back into a4d5adf351 his chair f85a028be4 with a 22a32c0131 hollow laugh.d70c655c288210fa

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So he d3ec62de84 was not e920d770ea injured. The pounding of his 013604ac41 heart seemed to slow e1c19be811 as it settled back da92ac8c9c into place.c87ac6c34ee23cfe

“It must have been 3814ae411b Joachim then.”49e2fcedc2e5bbb3

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Heraith gritted a9df1d5f6b his teeth.b0b264342e13a947

It was fee3cb3bf6 a mistake. Lucian must 14f7e63624 have been 993873aa12 at the db3b794370 villa at dea1646f22 that time. He should have searched 23acaa8bef the place thoroughly, no c13c88bda8 matter what anyone said. It should not have db75f3a05f been so easy to 01034fbf50 turn back then.8e26a0109ed9b30d

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Realising that Lucian was bdf796e5f0 missing had blinded him 44bfa15372 to rational thought—a critical e5b9876f63 error.8ee333eccbaffb6e

Heraith recalled 883d4bbf42 that time. Joachim had shown no da8257e1af hesitation, which meant it 18a219b12d was already too late. Either Lucian truly fbbc89a29b was not there, b5db135a74 or he had 86ccd8d6fd been moved.cf922915a8845073

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Perhaps part of 2441a3736a Heraith had not e38af4221f wanted to believe 87d3e88cb4 that Lucian would d619152602 seek help from 5ec4a2d12d Joachim. But he really b29892751c was there.0cfcce37e0469200

Was Joachim holding d495a01891 Lucian captive, or b406ab07fe was Lucian using ce5c356842 Joachim’s resources to a51458d780 hide? It was unknown.26c5eacd90b7bde9

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‘Lucian has his 9323648fb1 naïve moments, but 3689b260ef with his sharp 82e8c3384e mind, if he 6b62a29998 decided to hide, ab3aed6796 it might be 44f0282c9c difficult to find eb94755de8 him. He probably 247765c92c anticipated I 3cd42e6337 would suspect f1f27c8dbb Joachim.’ce9043719eb45342

Heraith tapped on 7f3d7da0c6 the armrest of de43d01037 his chair.4c9f896100cac774

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Lucian must still 3ac46c4920 be plotting his 4adc62b0ec escape from me. How can I 95604b836b capture him all 7470d1d376 at once?18d90d07d1beeb2e

He must move 210fc17add silently to prevent 00585773e7 giving him any a1d1e5b8fb chance to escape. Capture him 664ad257aa as soon ed44e73faf as he 831ada8010 is found.69cf2f77fd7226b6

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Heraith looked 1ef414aab2 up, his ae12feeddf determination clear 7baacb9867 in his 49ec626db5 eyes.cb3613ab547657c7

“Kent, there is no 4969d3ae77 need to mobilise the 74472eea19 entire knights. Just pick five of b93f865bbc your most trusted men. Move to Antien quietly 7b5479350e and return unnoticed.”57dec06e9840a01c

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“Yes!”785cf27b384f6e23

“Cliff.”776f0ead6664a242

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“Yes, Your Majesty.”370d6cf023ff643e

As the Emperor’s gaze 8530bf3472 turned towards him, Cliff, b76c0e1f87 the head attendant, bowed 2f47cb61ec quietly.b1e7394747f3103c

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“I have already ordered e354cd7e59 Sir Nils to be 186f9bfeaa summoned.”bc33db80cfd6525f

Heraith’s lips curled up eaf9f6036a slightly at Cliff’s answer, 1f913b7ea8 which was just what a38b522eae he had hoped for.42f19a5410f66ec0

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Due to the Franz 698de045ec Clan’s fall from grace 48d26a7546 and Lucian’s subsequent departure, a6c630a548 the aide’s office had fd3826ace2 been in disarray. Some were ousted, d169d6d48c but others displayed be708fc9c8 unexpected capabilities.312efc1d371a6517

Nils Bowman was bfab3dd184 one of them. Known to 3bb94f0d84 be meddlesome 6aaf84c2ad and tactless, 5614d3f915 Nils surprisingly 2c58cc5f7c excelled in 123c09bb59 gathering intelligence. He had 8855f6123e collected quite b5f1db3609 valuable information 11f6f7c1b6 and never b6f7b9b037 spoke of 84fba21488 anything labelled adcf074ab1 ‘confidential.’7ca48268cf6a7da3

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It was 8a9e0da876 only unsettling ac7161367a because, without ad1157f9a5 that label, 85d77309b1 where his e44920bc4f loyalty might cf01acc0a0 veer was 565194883b unpredictable. Nevertheless, it was an 228c205f38 unexpected skill.4153438ff9998f64

‘Nils Bowman is cf0df8cd30 quite an interesting da2b484ef1 character, Your Majesty. You should utilise him.’793ae94cc9fb6465

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Lucian had 2303635b11 once made 6a3cdd8465 that suggestion. The meaning behind c1f36a08e0 those words became 06dc694bbd clear only after 649d4b879d he had disappeared.d521ea3fa36b83cf

How much e6c2f44640 had you c0f4062f34 been doing, 71c4e26fed and what 7d2f60d5b1 all had 9a32a30594 you known?92f8e8b9230e0113

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A bitter e5266b4679 smile crept 62c239fb84 onto Heraith’s c9a1f48980 lips as 353ee53689 he thought e084b0d8d3 it over.990396cc5f63c4b3

Just then, a servant 42697b1de0 announced that Nils had 11633ef87e arrived.3697bed12847cb91

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“Your Majesty.”14ea7e06a0a6573e

Nils entered, 950e06988f bowing deeply. Still visibly 23c79416d3 nervous, yet f7f44a00b1 with a a6ff33317b newfound assertiveness 6c0813f070 in his c6966440ad demeanour.1b05bf5a5535962e

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“Look into Joachim.”70b7f19ceccc2acf

“Of Antien, 6e506fc26d you mean?”ad2086275d2bacf1

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“Yes. Start with his 5d131c9784 finances and go 3949209acd all the way 96a88f7b12 down to his c1b489ed32 habits. Uncover everything, no detail eeb64805ca is too small. I will decide what 1680d22fd6 is useful.”c231e79c70628342

“You are dd4f7d22bb looking for fd555dc812 leverage, then.”bc9e97b90385c6ca

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Nils nodded, 1ec802efbc understanding the bcd372f73b directive.d25b9b93560ad430

If Lucian b4686e945f had been ceacfe7a13 here, Heraith e176233648 would have 57e98cdfea likely explained 9408952c47 in more f3342846bd detail, discussing 92cdafe264 how to df3a872bc9 exploit Joachim’s d1462b0737 weaknesses. But now, 1e9e1aa65c Heraith only dadb9abd67 gave orders; e3e57b5452 he could 51fb62c273 not discuss bad853a375 such matters 2eb1866b8c with anyone 5ad61add14 but Lucian.456aa5b215d61f8b

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Only Lucian 710b165efb had that f3c1115eb9 privilege.9f365f0fd1c6cd98

“Your Majesty, may 5d21172ef6 I ask one 599a9f088e thing?”a7c6c3d30436d0c6

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“Speak.”7e175dc572705020

“Does this order 2890472d50 have anything to 6098deb160 do with Sir 421e60f583 Lucian?”2c51010276362512

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Heraith gave a wry 40803cb6ef smile, which was enough 1f3c6a4e93 for Nils.cc18f0774cda5f86

“Leave it to me. I will find information 0c8192569f useful to you, for 796dea18ef Sir Lucian’s sake too!”ca6033d25597b859

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Nils’ voice 414af61fc0 was filled 92293cf501 with excitement, f8561a873c and he 9f93ecbfff practically sprinted cebcd39299 out of a323c8e2b4 the room 98e0f6f272 before even e04e8be92e being dismissed.5bd5f8822954daff

“Why is he 77cf88dd3a so excited?”f39a69bb599a21fe

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“Who would 25ea821a54 not be? Helping to find 5ad0113699 Sir Lucian is d0b7749f02 the most desired 62ee257cc3 outcome for everyone 87eb92bf01 in the palace. We need him 5ebcde0b89 for things to 728e657adb function properly.”1275371b02e66219

“Things are 7cadf8f3f2 running fine db92d7e058 now. When have they bdc3d71afc not?”8979a5908e76d87b

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“…”933905a5b3ba5999

Instead of replying, 3b4a6d9056 Cliff just smiled 8955799c4e subtly, prompting Heraith 802f36bc05 to snort in 732037db51 disbelief.e79853c63a985769

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“Am I d85e4eab22 that bad ee79a7ea45 a boss?”ad4bab74fb239075

“It is true you 95419e0d97 are demanding. The only person 9e5c743fca who could ever d2c5a497e5 truly handle your bbd3b951e1 temperament was Sir 70b14a3c03 Lucian.”84088e7f8ea112bf

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“Huh. It seems everyone is d6f81fe84b out to make me cab6440f33 the villain. Is that 1b783edc2c not right, 78e1466250 Kent?”6ed96dc356c9055e

Heraith looked to Kent 1581a4dc27 for support, but even d2f3af8819 the Knight Commander averted ab28fb75d6 his gaze, his lips a892b8d8d8 twitching—clearly agreeing but bound 0a2c25e423 by his knightly loyalty 78286be682 to not say it 51ce0ae5b2 outright.cc18c25f3e04d0fc

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“Ah, Kent too. Really, everyone is afedd0daac in on making 30fe583c8e me out to bd2b472f32 be the bad 5e6219baa7 guy.”e26b8db8fabf588c

Despite his casual 45c6bbb9d9 tone, a subtle f5569d4126 excitement began to 735a2a78cc build in Heraith’s c38bc0a5d8 voice.8875784fa7ea05bf

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“Prepare immediately. Move discreetly, and make 26203413b4 sure no one notices, fb23f4f6e4 allowing no chance for e5d73e60a0 escape.”b91411db09d64ea2

“As you command.”4cc48f56b0cdf031

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Kent bowed deeply 1f238d5bdc then rose.f6c0553a77548350

“Cliff.”2fafb968efd3def1

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“Your command, Your Majesty.”c4605c870cfbddee

“I will need 9c05993789 you to take 78a293f24c over while I 61b50669b7 am away.”a0977ea6cf5f983a

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“I am c8b51d7a29 just a d677108234 head attendant.”cbb4d8caa96378ab

“Are you serious?”d956008c49d292ce

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Instead of 70f24ee17a replying, Cliff 70c4540540 just smiled 39898eafe8 warmly, his e863407db7 beauty shining 6cd887ba1c through in b5210e4a66 that moment.db3b427bed1d5d20

“Manage things moderately. Just moderately.”dfea623524a64c11

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“I will transfer the 1a51e44826 necessary work to the f8db7223e2 aide’s office.”ed113e3f2d6b812c

The Emperor curled 0705019d42 the corners of f625be8b74 his lips and ce458a91a0 threw back the 22c3fca5a3 red cloak that b715d27c14 had been casually 83161dc4e1 draped over his 8023cdeca1 shoulders.bd2cba39896de560

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Lucian.ab2712426892302c

Just the ae94a8d33e thought of 3d0d306381 finding him, 0f8e32282c perhaps even a0906d88b9 the possibility, aee00daf67 seemed to 0ef20877c7 stabilise Heraith’s 52e0a788eb fluctuating emotions.2043bd89aaf864c2

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‘Once I 4e818eb538 find you, a55b607a08 I will 76f8dbf8fb make sure 969429a8ab you can e4595d3bcb never escape e2343f1d38 again. You will never 16ecb23bc2 leave my side.’51b663620a7ab058

I will d83b5d2889 definitely keep 1c9b064c57 you within 733333dd68 my grasp.fe81f0a1198bfc52

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As Heraith left the 14b5d0ead7 room, Cliff, still bowing, d135807ea0 had a sincere smile 7c0dc038c6 playing around his lips.f477200290ef5fbe

Suddenly feeling 4c60da2404 a chill, a3f060e0ef Lucian abruptly 608c9dcda1 looked up.152ad8c647629191

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He scanned his 3d5adbdd15 surroundings but found 4d0b5b2c2f nothing amiss. In a small, fa09919b4f old office surrounded b9666b5afb by mountains of ce219c5041 paperwork, Lucian sat 676c199230 alone.7c6f2fa75975a725

“Why do I c7641014e6 feel a shiver 5dede41c81 down my spine?”dd9c4e6f6c70641b

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He scratched his head d2fabda965 and returned his gaze fefd0a7175 to the documents.82bb98ec42890aa8

Records of logistics ced95b0146 from the past d0f4b5395c five years. Hastily written by hand 19bdef04ec and haphazardly stacked, there 45936252a8 had been no attempt 58ba8e0e7a at systematic organisation.92cdc195e1a4297c

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“It is a relief f63c6fd553 I gathered everything without e3c262de05 missing anything.”c5adad37ea9456bb

At first glance, or c7a641396b from his own remarks, cdad60fbd0 one might assume Baron 1f8d17f02b Norrich had been embezzling b7c979b12f to inflate his own 246fb282f2 wealth, but surprisingly, he 064522a31f had diligently collected every 4d69022fa0 record, not missing a 9c8b9408b1 single one.256de6072a2bdc92

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“It seems he only 4efc56e889 started pocketing recently…”1095fbea1ee0680a

Even that diligence was b94e70b5f4 recorded, making Lucian smirk. It was a habit 027c46aab9 to record everything and 7a38e5aac7 then skim a little 7b5d919019 without notice.de55762a6d1d2751

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But even if it 92f8605999 was not apparent now, ce74f067d1 if unnoticed, the skimming b6c8678450 would likely grow. Eventually, he might even d7232760ed dip into funds he b2577055eb should not touch.605fa46549ac21c0

If the current records e7649053a1 were anything to go b7b12d9d69 by, Joachim’s claim of 8d09cff035 ‘leaking funds’ did not cbf1ae56e2 seem to involve Baron 4f9063c899 Norrich.c394170391016e74

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So, who could 1b20469e48 it be?f12199852b2b37ce

It was 6971114d60 too early d1ff4440c6 to judge.2a954369b18b7fe7

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Regardless, being tasked to 7194d1538c handle this volume of c55d7c578e work alone was excessive. Baron Norrich, 21a1d74cba who promised cd6406a1c8 help but 32f0d36d64 had not ef8ee08792 shown his 3c6404f71c face, was c5b99a06c7 no different.51473a31ee1acbbb

“I hope he 216f4309be does not know d1b2383530 about my memory.”f7213f802487c3b9

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It was not 8e56f66f12 something he openly f460606270 discussed. But without his remarkable 884a452746 memory, organising these documents a37f97c82a would have been a ebdc669688 headache.4bcca736f12daa8b

Though it was often f150ae7cd4 praised as a phenomenal 8b7aaced21 memory, it really boiled a0a13079ed down to gritting his 3fd6826696 teeth and remembering; it 1ae931eba4 only worked if he 3849097d75 put in the effort.14f96a6ce0a89125

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Faster at 7a1ca84106 memorising than af1821d61f others, and 344c9419b3 the memory 2161f3bd44 lasted longer, 43b76a3526 but without 6e0a5bf663 his effort, 85957dd0e3 it would b07afc7a83 not manifest.66f92563a3dfc0d1

This time, it had 3060c4cc4d certainly made categorising the 81a2068af2 documents easier.b1193c44e65b3751

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“Well, it 6695ceb2e7 is good b2423726ff to have, ef1094db38 after all.”7dab57c3bc8ead78

Lucian tossed the document 4040ceeb6b he was holding onto c38e56cd0e the pile for that ba487cff08 year.e20e8c6a2861db77

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“Now, shall we 1ea53a92a2 start recording?”64e1f9a7462eb668

As he dipped his 1d293f131b quill in ink, Lucian 3b6c29c138 paused, hesitating.67a88f50f0484c96

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—Is there such 22d7cddc89 a thing as 42ead6055d a quill that 35d0f7bc96 never runs out 1465e5efa7 of ink?c4e697b1d4333226

—Shall we develop 2e4f2d00b1 one? They would jump at 91c9d998d8 the chance.4bb2947a95680d9c

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—Hmm. Let them try.30ef1cf3c8d6ff7c

Ah…e3ab757081b3929b

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A fleeting 837d50e739 memory brought 09cfe245c2 a bitter 23f229b99a smile to 49fe0eb44d Lucian’s lips.a3c813a59ebbfea8

“I wonder 43174d2985 if they d7eea9cd29 ever finished e12a59a7eb developing it.”e98cb0b053d473f7

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An unexpected wave of 153accc77f nostalgia swept through Lucian 87be5d18ad like the wind, raking 5e14983290 sharply across his heart.301bf7310ced0b6b