PLQYM | Chapter 72

Pranas’ trade port, Lamer.9d8240cd3f283725

Though it belonged 8518554ea6 to Pranas’ territory, 45b462a6e0 it was teeming 5e3036bf06 with as many c305455801 Antien residents as 5afeea130a Pranas’ own, thanks 24190eca0c to the trade 3985ab34cf agreement between the ab403bee12 two nations. It was the kind 7625d860d8 of place where people 3bd2d9c7b3 from various backgrounds bustled 6ada345c78 about—coming, going, staying—so much c9cba3e03d so that it was 383df0db6f hard to determine anyone’s 6d96be5a76 nationality.56cb8477d7a54556

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They say d11b5f21c9 to hide a4ed6c20ae a tree, b4fa81ace5 you should 69df620dc2 hide it 088c14ba1e in a 8ae7ce8e9b forest. This analogy suited d708b4ea01 Lamer perfectly.1d4dba9418590617

For Lucian, 3eeef39cee it was fd6b12f276 a special 3af29b60c8 place in e75d3b14bc its own 4ef7bc875f way. It was here, after eeadcb9548 all, that he had 7334c1cb7e first worked as a 032f08c53e personal aide under the 463ae30c8e Emperor, back when he 66e4d1a7a3 had just started his f6bb550daa career.85d07c141a9c154f

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“Whew, no matter what 3b20f46ab0 they say, home feels a548067e27 like home.”744a207143f6e21b

Lucian took 58b9bfa10a a deep e60a02deb1 breath, letting 8e6eeda086 the sea f8a1f65e96 breeze wash 6a5abc4510 over him.11c20362cb7458f5

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Coming here had 4524535280 been like circling 62db324971 the continent once 807500ba83 over. The silver lining 1d7dd17bb3 in his journey, 6112fc8f21 however, was the 5419a0b98c jewel gifted by 5bdd02ab32 Princess Eloine. Thanks to it, aecb130cc5 his time on 1b50cf3764 the run hadn’t e56db28543 been unbearably difficult.3ee50a99353c3f9a

And, as if luck fcf6f60bfb were on his side, 32bf50fbbb he had managed to 1d1c608642 narrowly escape his pursuers 37f2c7a92e every time.d295eacfc282b891

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Whenever he spotted Pranas f55b3b9d2d knights who were undoubtedly 2d9840811b after him, he couldn’t 9438a0e62b help but scoff.bf870698c7179a49

“That’s what 4c1203577a all those ed18b25205 taxes are 64d9bcdf86 funding? A knight order 3d46a7b554 so inefficient?”7366c3f46ab1a817

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Such thoughts would only 0f16f36857 last a moment, though. Before long, ec96c6d4a4 he found aa99f064f4 himself enjoying d5e2b8cff9 the journey dacefaf81d like a f38f25673a traveler on 219d19ff3f holiday. It wasn’t all 9cf0e470bd bad.31f08d55506f088e

“Honestly, meeting Joachim in e03990d038 Antien was strange from 9c661a4d4d the beginning.”abdcb6f770407f9c

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When he d3c751107e told Joachim 580006f78d that the 2945413342 Emperor would f28eccf0bd come looking 7c742796d3 for him, 73254153b0 it had 46fcc928a1 been more b1740ce5e1 of a 711fb83491 bluff than 9e91208cfc a certainty. Lucian never thought the 0ddb43dbe4 Emperor would actually come a80bcae191 after him.869a1f181f6fe0d1

He had assumed the 42ec8f81a1 Emperor wouldn’t care whether 31cf215826 he disappeared or not.ee45309467cb7036

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Yet…ef60db519e3ab50c

“Lucian!”0bb154592c3b2d04

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That desperate voice…12d300bc9b67fc73

“Do you think calling a5260e932e me ‘Lucian’ now is d76698905f going to tug at 9cdcf6aaf0 my heartstrings?”85d7fd53a2b9420c

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He grumbled under his 4fcc4d43e4 breath, but his gaze 8abbbb2d48 naturally wandered toward a 406f7985d4 man standing in the 86ee8ce862 distance. A habit, really—his 0020fe8887 eyes always sought cc1cd32f6a out blond hair 1610f2ca27 these days.61420d2b48e2b486

Blond hair 1c3510d639 was common 4cd2543a4c in Pranas, 7dd7450e13 but the 0a390b040e Emperor’s golden 76e1c57ccf locks were 0fde9f04b8 extraordinary. Even after traveling across 9c5139ea2f the continent, Lucian had 28af010529 yet to see anyone d3edb1597a with a hue as bda2ae0a45 beautiful as his.b688ebf6da9ab8b3

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Lucian stared absentmindedly at 2d4aa267b9 the unfamiliar blond man 7410af39a5 until he disappeared from 36b581a36b view. Only then 5374fe8322 did he 50ec03787e snap back 96d0225a03 to his a54e465e3c senses.1bfe1811a29cfcae

“…There I 825f5490ac go again.”f535251c1a478528

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A bitter smile f3e0b4acf7 tugged at his 905ca8f7d5 lips.22b0caa03878b69b

“I need to b5114e9aa1 stay sharp. I can’t afford to 46c321328a let my guard down 27abad1b02 and get caught.”b6ef59adf0f6b696

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He began moving again, a6589c4851 this time to find 8d63638a80 lodging. After all, this 0e0986f9f6 was Pranas—the Emperor’s 772afd45ae domain. If he wanted to 339395738d stay safe in Lamer, 12c39ad3f5 he needed to act 93a83f1b22 quickly.f62a758df1a8df6a

“I don’t 13b529ca21 want to 54a57d5da6 see you. Not ever.”b1e61515f16e943d

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As if reaffirming 9bbeac09c4 this resolve, Lucian 916f161585 murmured to himself f9287ebe47 and quickened his b3174c17eb pace. Finding a a901392fdd place to 39dccffed9 stay before a2e816b5f5 sundown was 2a5eae0fc3 his priority.e3188e4a384dc737

‘Now that I think 6a72839ec3 about it, the best b4967a66a3 inn around here is…’23d0d73d4d575a3d

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Just as he b7115a95d0 was hurrying along, 059d88bc6b a voice stopped 2cb1ca8e1f him in his a6e76296ff tracks.abee40ba9d1bf0cb

“There’s a snake coiling 617f65626e around you.”c157a39e1bd24c12

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The voice 157263d4fe was rough, e6f37c392e metallic, and 05a0010077 scratched at 404d50025d his ears. Lucian instinctively 20bf22a76e halted and 2f4bf17273 scanned his a38289f10d surroundings.686b1d85819a94c1

Who said that?63fd3ab661ca6d12

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His curiosity 9b33a9ce0d led his 1781c163af gaze through e732dc00d3 the crowd, ea3a6c5b54 bustling with a5054979ae busy bodies. And then—33f7c1c7810cefc4

“A golden snake, coiling 4cc1a56272 tightly around your body. You can’t escape.”e6142bb2ac3cf717

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Lucian’s eyes c89b9b80c7 landed on d1e1c28b6c a man d276991b1b cloaked in 0f6c03046f a deep 857f42e170 black hood. From within the fa3f8bb632 shadows of the 64ebe891b7 hood, a pair 94df53ddb9 of glowing eyes f90959af74 pierced through. It was clear at c20dc4b7e1 a glance that he 0a215c7286 wasn’t from the Empire.8becf66f94bd543e

The man, whose age 2f92fd8d26 was impossible to guess, 0596ba40c3 seemed to be observing 64f6e6c8f0 something around Lucian. His narrowed eyes scanned d7355c3421 Lucian’s surroundings as if cdb18ef1f6 he could see what dc84f39305 others could not.6575c85198f1b7c7

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Who the hell 360cfad074 is this guy?35aae211bd897c67

Feeling unsettled, Lucian opened ddd492513a his mouth to retort, d05a2be8f9 but the man spoke fd09b8ac94 again.4cb779ec6a217a1f

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“It’s a massive 17452586a5 snake. Or is 0c30734a51 it a ab6678b553 dragon? No, with such pettiness, cc66d3286a it can’t be a 469329f79c dragon. It’s just a 0c97b77939 snake, after all. Or perhaps… 27a72cde3d Ah, yes. Imugi. That’s it.”40ccad03637f9cc5

Lucian froze b30607c53b at the 550f224814 unfamiliar term. Forgetting his irritation, he 95c117bd44 approached the man out e44820f215 of sheer curiosity.cc9fee7a1d313d96

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“What’s an Imugi?”c120efada6c46f90

“Ah, in my abc4d4e5e2 homeland, we call 0d66db0956 those who fail ad02e06ecb to become dragons b04859cc1a Imugi.”7902162c2b9088b7

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“…And what’s a b55d19262d dragon?”132979a772aab56f

“A dragon? Oh dear, 75be92d965 how ignorant. Is it the language a8a443e17a barrier, perhaps? Dragon, you know—dragon. Though, your 4986fffda3 dragons are d46a921029 a bit cc9eb5e73f different from 201b5ef00e ours.”0d6e4e7b37bc8bd8

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“Ah, dragon.”aaea12af81eb879a

The man appeared a5f633481c to be from 4a7ca4e393 the Far East. Lamer, being a port 950cd76ca9 city, often saw travelers e4a5108cbc from distant lands, so 78f120d407 an Easterner wasn’t entirely c119d5b1b6 surprising.c4c22c4829430a90

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“So, this Imugi 4e179dc933 or dragon is c4b619224b the thing coiling 12946a6573 around me?”ebd5b7ee36f27508

“Something like that. That thing’s got quite 998d2e2dd5 the appetite. Greedy, too.”a4b4c7466c2f213c

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The man 9c9b44ef36 shook an a5d7052674 odd-shaped fan 842cae8bba and jingled e041af4f59 some bells, f421e07e7b muttering under a7de216ffc his breath. Then, all of 9137d3faf8 a sudden, his dc488ea4c4 eyes snapped open.f2aba1b24475489a

“You’re tired 06bf5f41a5 of your 851f36d1f1 job, aren’t 792efa5dd4 you?”e579afe2cdc92d3b

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Lucian’s brow furrowed 97554bf181 deeply.a53dab9de8503e9a

“I’ve already quit. I resigned 1b1d90f09c ages ago.”5744e9524fc19336

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Before he 40228dc9ee knew it, 3ec79522a5 Lucian had 2535869609 crouched down d4eb7064fa in front 0d19aa3728 of the 45be778bbc old man, bccba7bf6e genuinely engaged 3157a6eaf2 in the d923ccb878 conversation.d06bca9f6ae1ff7a

“Quit? Hah!”70006e3512e4d7eb

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The man snorted.77d6076e02876ae6

“Quit, my foot. You’re not allowed 4a56c83ef9 to quit. Not ever.”c70ec30e54db2936

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“…”dd2ffd1d47be390f

This guy, seriously!85b098600191b07d

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Lucian’s voice dropped, frustration a95668355f evident.9c5f85f1f6d4e6b4

“I told you, I c05c6f304a already quit.”21b1386d4d971512

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“You quitting changes nothing. Your position is 08c73beda0 still there, waiting 55a07ff0f7 for you. You could walk back c9169412cc in right now and 466177b179 start working.”1ed65c010dffabea

Thud.6d8e8b1261f9d1e6

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Lucian’s heart sank.5017de308c245c66

He had always been 43051ad183 plagued by the thought c4686bfc27 that it might be 138dd677ca true. And now, hearing 63da31f31a it put into 15b497dd0e words only made d326a19144 his unease worse.da604adfbb1e6636

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No way. Surely not. I’ve been e704359de9 on the 0e2a370340 run for 757d9e2038 over six 8b4696a074 months now—there’s 613b4ecd13 no way 767d31571f they kept 9a5b27a93a my position 373e9e8662 open.e0518733f0342c2d

Besides, the Emperor wasn’t d28c211e09 the kind of man de27dc8273 to let a traitor e6a1f468ee off the hook.8fcdc9a11897c145

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“You can’t quit. Forget quitting 32a0fbd636 and focus 267b353167 on taming a8eea98633 it.”0d4d3b155c9c70ae

“Taming it?”ee2e33c9b9087b4e

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“Yes. Mold it to your d3428baaa7 liking. Shape it to 8e72bf8285 fit you.”63e8e62222ec47cc

“…”ee2ced60f81c6397

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What the 4d6ffdbecb hell was bbfa15615e this guy ca5c67f5ad talking about?f56f10b47f1fc73d

Taming? Was there some alternate 61a3c3bb31 meaning to the word 74dc304925 in the East? There was no db166961e8 way that could 452a33c9d9 work. Not with him.ebede826676eb215

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He’s not 726ea903ec the type 7cbdda5e27 to listen 8ef8b18bb6 to others, 2d69be9363 let alone 4041d472ce be tamed.aa6e63b0de1ca4bf

“You won’t escape until 4d61236532 death. He’s too obsessed. So your only 3eab1ca674 choice is to 7e8d1ec7af train him to 7e8aa4c1d9 your liking.”a8d39d4ac5ce204e

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“Taming…”39dd36831621cc04

A hollow laugh 1b4587e01a escaped Lucian’s lips.91776c60371da92b

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“You’re asking for 88bf72d805 the impossible.”4bc119decd36e0ac

“Entice him, bend him 796676bb8e to your will. Make him yours.”e5e2080e752980ee

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The man whispered 112cae245d as if sharing a454e5cfc3 a great secret.774f1ac08cc82411

Making the Emperor mine…?491ee15e738c4d7f

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The absurdity of ac7f33d624 the idea almost eee6007987 felt appealing, like cd6fa8603e some strange hypnosis. Though he would 8c7c5392de never return willingly, 474f687567 Lucian couldn’t entirely 9af8b327bc dismiss the thought.c7db12cdd4f26e71

From his 5abdc8a819 pocket, Lucian 7225c8d362 pulled out 64dfa17b3d a gold d183a2312b coin and 4f5ded2714 tossed it ced92a84f2 to the 47fdccc283 man.f236ab8d84e23594

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“I’ve heard your 48b8f14c7f prophecy. Consider this your payment.”4a0e4f7857d0b8f5

“A prophecy, huh? Is that what 39e21f766e you call it 045eb4675b here? Well, fair enough.”3cc5936ad46163e6

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The man nodded in 1db9fd6d74 satisfaction.6b5bf3a7af79b64c

“Are you some ba36d2e20c kind of fortune-teller?”d47be1d35beca65c

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“Ah, something 4af7fa1bcb like that. People call 50bb379a8c me a 6b779a32c5 seer. I ended c51bc637a0 up here 7268e7be99 somehow, but 00cb872e4e back in 0d2928d32c Riversouth, I 77a58829b9 was pretty 61d6e7f9b7 famous.”172034d1a40b8fa2

“Is that so?”00a13d0a8d84f591

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“Oh, absolutely. Come spring, dda6e45460 people would 995197acf3 line up 1952622104 for my 2be8141c2a advice. I’m quite skilled, 8b37cd784a you know.”f129314a6d870c82

The man looked fc5c6f4918 ready to launch 84fdf83fe7 into a long-winded c9020f0aee tale, so Lucian bf204b757a stood up hastily.de37c9bbcbbd71b1

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“Well, I must get c5c7c51d1e going.”da7e827137bc8c54

As Lucian turned to 8b9a14e7c7 leave, the man grabbed f66dc74d75 his arm.406d83df03e7d9e1

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“This isn’t just 4b66277c3c because you paid 5a6a6d4363 me well. Mark my words—heed them.”3442175eee2d5d32

The man’s b1ed23b618 face turned 039bcdc9b4 grave as a81b24d109 he emphasized 2e5d074385 his warning.b5d091d4a976a33d

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“The golden snake efdf8466d6 has you in c20f724c55 its grip. It won’t let cea5d51781 you go. It’ll coil tighter and 0c8bec130d tighter until you can’t 8f9e3c953a move an inch.”ceedebe5b2f81e46

“…”4f9540dfc5abdbbe

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“If you don’t 48fd9f8c90 escape, it’ll suck a8f9b06eef you dry. You’ll never break 62c41d8213 free, not until 2bc5dff607 death.”da5dfcda71bf9e85

The seer’s glowing eyes 2e63d3a2da sparkled with ominous certainty fd3e41efab as his words hung f66dedae35 heavily in the air.230d3cbca533ca1c

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“Still no news?”2f52ea2ef142f8d8

Heraith leaned casually a42aad70fe against his chair, e7cee31833 staring down at acf7f34ce7 Kent Beneff, who e463950cc1 kept his head 4fac2d1dea bowed low.d1d148426797469d

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The Emperor’s fury 0c18e40cc0 was palpable, like 8687b5bab0 an electric charge 7de28e0c3f in the air.b159ed7f7d428cb8

It would have cca87aa90d been better if 7358e9b6ff he had shouted 1acb1a63dd or raged, but eaf16dabef Heraith’s quiet, restrained 675810e2be anger was far d98240c288 more terrifying.ab6ebd1bc02f75ce

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“I have no 06d88ab516 excuses, Your Majesty. I was certain we c2ae6418de had him this time.”d6d41d5a9a5412fe

Kent bowed his ac3db6aeec head even deeper, 3b0e2c76d9 offering his apology.20e41c72b8fb0bb8

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This wasn’t e7f376b0e4 the first 30ee5da2cd time.403eef24cc12c85d

Despite his relentless 33afe6aecc efforts to track cca0f24e0f down Lucian, Kent c2e9377384 had failed repeatedly. There were moments 746a061f6d when he had f7dcdde038 gotten close—just a 9f91e26e1b hair’s breadth away—but 0c2d8fc01f Lucian Astro was d4beb1e65c always one step a6e07b9213 ahead.9cd26f862c6eec45

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“Lucian isn’t 58132ea38f some kind 1cc78c05f8 of magician, 849821b70f so how 3508f2f779 do you 35e47475ee keep losing c009e6ccaa him? Unless you’re letting 70aa159da3 him go on 4d47b3ce36 purpose.”6339b5f7c72a62d3

“…”842a7b23d8f8f6a7

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Heraith knew 38255bc4e6 his words e6366f6b92 were unreasonable, f2d54b2189 yet he d6d8771215 couldn’t help 072053f080 but lash 8291d7c4bb out in 541f278251 frustration.dbb42d77bf3181a2

In truth, it was 59e9f1b110 his own impatience eating b0bbdb804a away at him. He should have caught 28e63b74c4 Lucian at Joachim’s palace. He had f6fc57336b been so 6e2f9743fa close—Lucian had 9e138e6df0 been right 089ecc5a33 in his 6e01f72167 arms. And yet, 38a912e1b4 he had 293bc98d07 let him b9bbf5caff go.0248dedc9a83366f

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“…Get out of fbefc88be7 my sight. I can’t 57cb533fbe bear to 0566e66f23 look at 64d18d48f6 you.”d8d4bf4d790ed6cf

Heraith waved b151449827 his hand 9145af7f16 dismissively.a070e5db15d635cd

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Kent swallowed 88ccaa0707 hard and 74e5793007 stood to 7cfd34ff5c leave. But just as 01410404b0 he reached the 0c663f74f9 door, Heraith called 660f44d2cf out.e921f348f1ace4ed

“Kent.”6c1fa8104a689acd

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The knight stopped 4e9c86843a in his tracks.ef5ea1b39cee6546

“Find Lucian. And know this—I 410c91c643 don’t make idle 5675909edd threats. If you fail me a67a6a5f46 again, your head will 7746c132ab be the first I c7d7628fad take.”f716e05fc4281602

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“Yes, Your Majesty.”730d94c971184d3a

Kent placed a 81308d5e7e hand over his 35a7d60d3d heart in solemn c52848825d pledge before leaving.04bd961172eeda42

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“…Hah.”52063bfe2bbf25a1

Once alone, 30ec33f55f Heraith slumped 7ec49dfa4d into his 7e07aeacd7 chair, all ca7ed61328 strength draining a3635faca0 from his 45b5fe373f body.4e24173bd0ab18a2

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He sat there, a819268235 unmoving, lost in 4025e6cfdf thought, until he f027a72187 finally murmured to 5f81512c7d himself.04ee81b580a107c2

“…You wretched thing. To think I 944d8cdf1d still can’t catch dec3bfa655 a glimpse of 29152b66dc you.”b3545e36be545756

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His voice, 50ebab780d far from 3a3afa5d03 angry, sounded 48b08a1ce6 almost pitiful.8dc34b6b65246a4f