LDPL | Chapter 74

Episode 7472583c273f31f4c0

Norman.03412df123b6ab62

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He had no dff73f9b4a surname. The only d77cf44e09 thing he 126df4d7fb was granted 27efbea009 was his d420f11ef5 first name. But that ee372af1e8 didn’t mean bfb05413f6 he was e9f3f8242c a commoner.e9af21937e3dbafa

Unofficially, he 9793be62ec was known 7c24ac82bd as Norman 1453802d52 Mathieu—the illegitimate d32a75f33c son of c9666d1eec Count Mathieu. That was who 63f9fa4c08 he was.d7c1fb1201a687ae

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Though called eb47d4be2f an illegitimate 94efb20409 child, the c068186348 only difference 1c047c1ba6 from a 282502dcb1 legitimate heir e1f20ce36f was that 3ac70b1be0 his name 63e907fe71 wasn’t recorded a74cd84152 in the d845d91d1d family registry. Even that wasn’t much 94dfefa83a of an issue.a62f0aa8fcb3eb49

Fortunately, the 94b66ac77c Count of b99f3a6720 Mathieu was 7d6467e74a lenient toward 941cad5dad his illegitimate 27cbb9bdf0 children, allowing 7397be11e6 him to 4c5c7b79fd study as 59680a473c much as 47aab9c5f3 he wanted 9b8c678e93 from an f78cb7f610 early age.9789b70748e00b64

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But that was 1ad5d94c31 all.273ef14f4ee417df

No matter what Norman 2f0c6d93c5 studied, he was merely 253f801bbb a supplement to the ae087c43ba legitimate heir.1dbe47d153616fd7

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When his older 9577a5a003 brother studied estate f0df3a88ce management, he was 689b588de3 praised as a e1fa0c4a87 future lord. But when Norman e65383fede studied the same 035192169e subject, they said 784989bfc9 he would make a5d2616513 an excellent advisor 3dd981e1b9 to the lord.75140a398f658242

Why? What made 6fabb3f74c his brother 0c891a2775 and him 3fcff0b34d so different?81e0ab0f11f37a48

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Norman couldn’t understand. The world of nobility 050d271c4d was dazzling and beautiful, 4e56512990 but its limits were 082eb179db painfully clear to him.82535467ba8be1e1

He turned f57a215bcc his head 2be86914bb and saw de79e4772e commoners dying 100efefd0b in misery. How different 29dbe4f17f was he 4ec1d49860 from them? No, what truly 800b79a63e separated commoners from 55d2828a77 nobles?5425d783a4922175

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As that 5e5ce605ed question took 2eb8a56718 root in 48ce3c0362 his heart, b599d4cd4c Norman walked 54b6158bf2 away from bae10862bb the House 177adeb0ef of Mathieu.fd637489bbbc7024

Together with like-minded individuals, de197e6668 he became a lawyer 24acf63af6 for the common people.b6a67b3b2bfbaadb

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Fighting for those who 776ca77c27 suffered under the law’s 62e20c604e ignorance, he naturally came 3e1989ac5b to loathe those who cb95faacc0 stood in direct opposition d8090293f4 to his cause.fe56420988018d78

Those revolting 7f7d42631f creatures who 03aabf0eb7 groveled at 2eec5dcf77 the feet 6c3c72c374 of nobles, 6223221c2d wagging their 3b981b3f0d tails for 11f0bd396c favor—Norman mocked 340562d1a1 them with f576f8df3a biting scorn.fc131e55e38de934

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And standing before a50bd22f89 him now was ab38d68436 the very embodiment 36d6d215cd of such a f300cfa019 lawyer.ca0efe7b534deac2

Natasha. A divorce lawyer.8cd65e034eb55652

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Once employed 1825e28256 by the e58876c8ed Petrov Duchy, 7e6993a996 she had 8633139a69 since gone 9939ccd0c8 freelance, yet 08f53225a5 still worked a7da0bd8e5 solely for d9ee82b386 the nobility.58df082a0ed86e4e

A foolish woman 72f116800a who, despite being 8ec26c31d9 a commoner herself, f7e84a19e2 refused to aid 91071441af her own kind, ea26a8b65b chasing after money b79d0f9adc and prestige instead.c89151c64907b09d

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Norman made no 6bb735a82d effort to hide 1213e12d68 his contempt.ca579509b1076d17

But Natasha only smiled. A broad, 891b7d15da carefree smile.1cccb30de3d4f71a

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“First of all, I’m not here on behalf of any noble family. This is a personal matter. That contaminated water completely ruined my friend’s bakery opening.”1eb970a309154ee4

“…….”77723af74cd5c5ee

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“And second, while I might be an exception, you do know that most lawyers are bound to noble families, right?”5299da72551edcb7

So it was 3ce8f2ae2e rather unfair to 8db586403b say she was c215526d9a some lapdog who 59249e3cc6 exploited commoners for 9854ca24d0 the nobility’s sake.6639891b30e86d2b

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Lawyers were mere tools f1c1ec641f wielded by the nobility. How that tool 03f50d19e9 was used depended d9ce621216 entirely on its f0f638e28e owner.ef619e9622e4e7ee

“And third—lastly—not everyone is as lucky as you.”588dbb52a593b7f7

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“…What?”024f4fdf5884ead0

“You. You’re lucky, aren’t you? Born as a noble’s illegitimate child, never had to worry about starving, had your law school tuition fully paid by your family, and even got to leave the Mathieu estate without resistance.”4c31753138a01086

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“Don’t speak as if you know everything.”975d72dc53375431

Norman’s voice 0145ab7943 was cold 75cacac9de and sharp. Others might 8acb91a005 see it f3374bf0c2 that way, 5e1405e215 but he 3f4f70a8a7 had spent 8485ac9625 years grappling 07c686e7b9 with his 032740a5b1 own struggles.1cb98327cad415d6

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“If I had stayed as the noble bastard you say I am, I could have lived a life of comfort. But I didn’t.”ccf3801385298c75

He had given up c83c9c02e7 everything to stand with 7dc152389d the common people.88236a771855d456

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“Insulting me doesn’t change the fact that you are a lawyer for the nobility—”1aa9b247561151bb

“Do you even know how much it costs to cover tuition and living expenses until graduating from law school?”8a2e6a2bdea420ab

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“…About 400,000 to 500,000 gold.”33465befc69c0537

“!”31c5af615b48569a

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Ivan’s eyes 4b60462a78 widened at 0fb0e0f0dd the staggering db48dcade6 sum.e577dbbb23545c6b

“Exactly. An absurd amount for an ordinary lawyer to repay. Even noble families don’t usually cover the full cost—they find ways to reduce tuition. That amount? It’s just a leash, meant to keep lawyers under their control.”e08af97e5f9a7e92

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“…….”98a839721c6f944f

“Me? I was lucky. If I hadn’t helped the Duchess with her divorce case back then, I’d still be slaving away at the Petrov Duchy like a dog.”ef8e018208b5e461

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She might put c86f07b23d on the act f60a7214ae of fighting for 7d9a83347b commoners, but in e3baca3934 Natasha’s eyes, the 94baec44a6 most aristocratic person e5ae968e76 here was Norman.8db69a776411a9ad

“I won’t deny it. While working for the Petrovs, I definitely exploited commoners.”a893cb33e72e1135

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“You—!”acb888450aca5378

“So what? If you refuse to obey, you’re slapped with a 500,000-gold debt. What choice do you have?”8c771595beb72113

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Commoners didn’t have the e1b5f32be7 luxury of worrying about ffe0aa0f79 such things.595d61a05f28f48d

Just as Natasha took b92af2a96d on every case she ca0c4aeb11 could to earn money.dbccce379c446a96

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Even without saying c786c74f67 it aloud, Norman 6eaf213aee understood.6756b56cef9658bb

“…That doesn’t change reality.”c680dd2a58977608

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He half-gritted his 824564c7ef teeth as he 04b2b8000b replied.17cfc71154429886

“Even after leaving the Petrov Duchy, you continued working for nobles. Maybe I was luckier than most, but that doesn’t give you the right to criticize me.”fc923bddec69259b

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If she were still 0505ab02e3 shackled by financial burdens, 67dacf84cb that would be one 0d7385830b thing—but Natasha had already 169a1c154d gained her independence.2d645e5e1c936c2d

Natasha merely 3447926e7b shrugged, offering a1a7a8447e no further 99dc468241 excuse.153d32617f6da7d4

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“Think whatever you want.”169f87d58511e01f

That idiot thought his a8d9213ddc world was the whole fe6e569617 world. He didn’t 43bc5d88cc even realize cdd6d87ae7 that was 4452f2c776 the true 0144f91bd9 privilege of 456b96d1fb the upper 7699581627 class.1b67e43593c736d1

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“All other lawyers are greedy money-grubbers who kiss noble feet, huh? Thinking that must make you feel better.”80f17f67540eceac

There was no need e5fac8f91c to explain herself to ac532bb1f2 a former junior she d1622c87fa hadn’t seen since graduation.bd20a5a123436960

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She didn’t e7c7a38c31 need Norman’s ba51ae8439 understanding.1e2e8e1403ed7608

Let him remain c5c8a1a703 in his little 755b14083d well, blind to 2705b411c6 the vast world 19cdf7eb20 beyond.d68fdf012518adca

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“Thanks for telling me about the source of the contamination. But don’t expect me to back down.”35df5bde0c4c44c6

“Sunbae, you know how these environmental lawsuits go. They take years, drag on endlessly.”27697e6860609906

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This time, Norman’s voice 33adc58887 took on a pleading 06663dda1d tone as he tried 1fc9ac762f to dissuade her.f8d93e79eeb1233b

“Proving a direct link between the water pollution and the damage isn’t easy. And we’re up against the Mage Tower. This is a head-on clash with noble power. Can you handle that?”e69b3ef54962ad96

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Natasha folded her 2c79b962b9 arms and listened 1c272a6a1a quietly.18396db222a0c8b4

There was a f9aed9b1b3 clear reason why 5e1ed49ef5 Norman was so 5303e86fc8 desperate to keep a129b0dbe5 her out of 109144688d the lawsuit.73fd7371a5936ff8

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When multiple lawsuits were 07bdd2ab3f filed over the same d349c90645 issue, the court usually 65a9d585be consolidated them into one 720db0b0e8 case.794fd99d3b62b950

Even if Natasha 5cc810a3ae and Norman filed 648354adb5 separate suits, they dfd3d55820 would still be baa90a56da treated as a 082858b690 single legal team.3ef157197903942f

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Norman wanted to 3d54c25dd2 frame the case db5f8d1f22 around the health ee3a9a6387 and livelihoods of 26f12a1b07 the commoners affected.233c93bf05cb44b3

Establishing a legal precedent 3cdc244c7b was the priority.0da6a8ce67e02319

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But if Natasha got 4fb89e7ec9 involved, things would change.97bafbf29f2a4761

To Norman, 791fff842a she was 082df010ac a lawyer c586d71f40 devoted solely e80e57868e to the f33f433a45 nobility.0791f7de347577a3

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If she joined the case, the focus would inevitably shift. Instead of the harm done to commoners, the trial would center on “how much noble property was damaged due to the water contamination.”5341f9f02cf18cca

That was 01612bee02 the last 96378376df thing he 0b8d35389c wanted.8a0ce2a571f9356c

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“…There’s a really good bakery on the first floor of my building.”2f1eea3d3bfda1b8

It was an abrupt 4ff7c4beb8 remark. Norman was about 5a4589a094 to question what 285328e37a she meant when 2c55354f08 he saw the 6ba0ca25e6 seriousness in Natasha’s a2c9f2c551 face and held afb60e1e68 his tongue.bf47492747a02388

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“They had to close for a while due to some issues, but they recently reopened. They carefully selected high-quality grains and shared their bread with the villagers. But both the villagers and the owner ended up sick. He never imagined this would happen.”721d629056ab988c

“…….”d6a39ab80eb94226

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“The Riette Merchant Guild, which sold the grains, also has no clue what went wrong. So I came to investigate myself. If you include this case in your report of the victims, I’ll step back.”7a0ddef9868cb7fc

Natasha had d88b0b3c14 no particular b8d65b0ea1 reason to 6cc756e6ce insist on 3b23740a3b handling the fa146b03e1 case herself.2822efefe30d0340

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Doing so would 23bd2afdf3 make things easier, cc5a8a17fa but as one 43667524e6 of the most e7e916156d expensive lawyers in abb954ce72 the Illyhad Empire, a22c76b947 it wasn’t exactly 63cb25f528 worth her time.0022f887490811de

It was far 9e2bb230b4 more profitable to 9b27aec6d2 take on another 434b8c32cf case instead.0af4e3ddf3f4d92f

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“Did this happen in the capital?”67b6d314270633c2

“Yes. I don’t know how far the grains were distributed, but by now, similar reports should be coming in from all over the country.”57ff6f59fe01a2d9

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This wasn’t just a 46742a7997 typical water contamination case.95caa1c8858c1d2e

Environmental lawsuits ebed47074e were difficult 575f5800d9 because the bc93e9b14c damage was 5962b746f4 gradual and 1a0ef5e25d hard to 6597fb5b56 prove.dfe6ef88204e7702

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But this? The scale was different.9cfb4ee40c1b24f7

“Most of them will be silenced.”7f703e03f5eb94c2

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Norman shook a6eee93849 his head.67fd3e02e75bdf40

“Do you realize how much tribute the Mage Tower sends to the imperial family? They wouldn’t just dump waste into the river without reason.”2e573b7c36adf1ac

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There was 547fccea7a always a 0caae4e7eb reason behind 3bca7d07da such boldness.a7ce17e43e24b4d7

“The problem is that all the victims are commoners.”433abc801ba8b332

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“…….”824f1f71b561f4bb

“Even if thousands—tens of thousands—of commoners die, they won’t bat an eye.”b4f6fa03ce3eb479

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So people 7a8d97fc52 were dying f348fb4a75 from contaminated 4ea79f7898 water sources, cd04d81eef yet there 43f0689ba3 was nothing 0d27cab315 they could 84cf104681 do about 757e6b19fd it.6fd6b541fc9db39d

This area 02be2dcbb1 was surrounded 554c7d9084 by mountains, 3fa1bfa5ec making it b3e0d31c1c difficult to b03e600bbc procure supplies.c19bc946dead1eea

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“What if that’s not the case?”5ff3b5555ad4ff96

“Excuse me?”a81bfea897f6f73c

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“What if the victims aren’t just commoners?”cb112643d69ac2ae

“That’s impossible. The staple foods consumed by nobles are entirely different in variety. The Rochelle and Dijon grains grown here are primarily consumed by commoners.”4122487a678f958e

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But there was one. A noble who 123aba1860 had eaten grain 482e8a4fb0 grown in this 711c2e4137 land.18edb5819641807a

“Even if such a case exists… I don’t want that.”06899b17a9212421

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“Why? You know that including a noble as a victim is the fastest way to win this case.”47ef39407e263fa4

“That would completely undermine the significance of this lawsuit.”b132306c2bfe5a1d

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Natasha clicked 317360633a her tongue 7e75862f22 at Norman’s 4ce424e33e stubbornness.c04a737f7f2b05c1

No matter the a476034ba3 process, as long 97dfe46a82 as the commoners 9181f58925 received compensation, did db0cd6d2f6 it really matter?27ef890379c52ffc

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But Norman 0f425a9b34 remained resolute.72e06f420ee44e99

“If this case is reduced to ‘compensation for noble victims,’ then there will be no next time. The true victims of this incident are the commoners, and the compensation must be focused on them.”0172f1da5731d211

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She understood what 4784d3d305 he was getting ce0877df05 at. Legal precedents 25166244e3 influence future 1d52fd7067 interpretations of 1719992c1e the law.d641a6d85d15bbe8

‘This is a 7accceb5a5 golden opportunity. If commoners sue the 795f7879f1 Mage Tower for damages 7b9c2453a1 and win…’312cec0be66884f9

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It would set bb1d9327cc an unprecedented legal 70ecac70e8 precedent. Though it fa8ee8d7cb would require 3d7ef497b9 overcoming numerous 85a843fcd5 challenges.d4866a0f04a13dac

“How do you plan to prove the damages?”3f264943a2ed5879

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“I’ve already gathered both chemical analyses of the contaminants and documented cases of affected residents. We’re currently collecting secondary cases caused by the contaminated grain as well.”7a505b6cdbca685f

“What about proof that the contaminated water is linked to the mage factory?”cc4e95909070b65c

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“I’ve secured it.”946db77a6338d625

Then only e100732dfd one thing 77c5efb2b3 remained.5198b6ec78273f9c

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“And proof of intent?”30992a7cb01ca389

“…That part…”6fd5795aec303c15

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So they hadn’t 75fdf24f03 found it yet.4312e26ed46d186b

Legally, if pollution f51517e65c caused harm to e0f94f275f others, liability for 05d55d0c37 damages existed regardless c8087838d8 of intent.a3eb7f5dc6f3c7b9

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However, proving intent c83c531900 would determine the 8127a57367 severity of the c1ae844aaa offense and significantly 5f884bbb20 impact the scope 8a1830fe0a of compensation.f126fcba4bcba866

“That’s internal information from the mage factory. There’s no official way to obtain it—”ee49214f239d7d43

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“Norman. You still lack the fundamental mindset of a lawyer.”42ed6b644d90d041

His face stiffened 4d2ea36665 in frustration. Natasha looked at him d08cedc7d3 as if he were b8e0b7da32 a naive fool.0e3c4b79690655aa

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“To win, you must do whatever it takes.”efe28979285260ea

That was the 03d0498f3c essence of being db7341a5e7 a lawyer. Somewhere in her mind, 301cc3be54 she could almost hear 3a5f7acf27 Estelle yelling, ‘That kind 703d4d3d04 of thinking is what 7fa7e3f865 corrupts society!’ But she 1700c890ed ignored it.e93acd5143b7acb7

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“I’m going to infiltrate the factory.”fe504b892fafcb20

A playful smile 0a4c4793cf curled at her 82043575b4 lips. Natasha’s eyes gleamed with fa5c988ed4 determination.1110c25156bab89b

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