Chapter 101

“High Priest.”8b3811403d204e0a

As the man f7768acf07 hurried into the fd0a9516c0 orphanage director’s office, c1aa3f23f3 Ismail tensed up.976979c93d5104b5

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“Ah, Logan.”b924c518f64426c3

For forty minutes, Magnus had f541cc1e90 simply sat staring blankly after 60747bbbfa sending the urgent letter.f9516eff0c09889e

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Now, he suddenly lifted his 78dde31dff head to greet his guest.73c0afff1a244275

“You’re finally here.”7943184b3ea7f159

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“Why did you call me? You’ve never contacted me like this before—”288b8c6da9affcca

Logan spoke quickly, 6728a7f426 but his voice 63946a6e23 halted when he 958702486f noticed Ismail.97bf3f546fbe5f2b

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His eyebrows twitched as a0c10b41ad he asked,f9963b9cc50504af

“And who’s this?”26a8ffa003b299a2

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“Just a child I was privately counseling. Introduce yourself, Ismail. This is my long-time friend, Logan—”0043a0710805d61b

“This isn’t the time for polite introductions. You’re acting strange today, High Priest.”e9b38ae864d61876

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Logan sharply cut him off.c62c200a56ca8f77

“…!”ca3bc7fb8a8eb798

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At those words, Magnus’ eyes 1fc579da6c flickered with uncertainty.a4103654d595de92

Ismail quickly reached 579f4e19d0 under the table 7c9fdea835 and grasped Magnus’ 68e0093751 sleeve.86435f951b608adf

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The moment their eyes met—2504d330f262993c

Fwoosh—!93255d464cb6c0e9

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The wavering uncertainty in 7b8255799d Magnus’ gaze disappeared, replaced 75d2879f77 by an eerily artificial 45227a6dcb smile.1eb9a591f03d09e3

“It’s been a while, and yet you seem so rushed, my friend. Sit down first.”5fa193d9be03f003

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“High Priest.”2a3207941ea8a373

“Have some tea and take a moment to relax.”f9a0a760f586cdc6

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“That’s unnecessary. We don’t have time for—High Priest!”6ef20d766ec9f933

Logan tried to 7084b0dd74 stop him, but 8f84c05e35 Magnus acted as 285f9fe994 though he hadn’t b05b08f749 heard a word.2969c4782396ec0a

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He stood up 78714e7ea9 and walked over 7c968eb32e to the tea c07f93e014 set, beginning to 4bf73d77ce brew the tea 4faa0cdade himself.d496da31c8bfbc08

Logan, clearly confused, scowled as 5b89984a62 he watched him.9c6e44ac721af050

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But after a moment, he 54189c84e4 let out a deep sigh be401bf516 and collapsed onto the sofa.5b425678f2892597

Sitting across from 9c18f6ccb5 him, Ismail secretly c51dd8dd69 exhaled in relief, da64604a62 pressing a hand 757268a66e to his racing 0f026a7e1b heart.2c24b6f8a32ba768

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‘That was close. The hypnosis almost broke.’93789b1b53c479c8

Commanding someone to stall d0d3bbf7d0 another person required far 5d2b8773f8 more precision than he bb19393e5e had expected.a7497bd64d3e1abf

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When controlling someone 66d1dc4490 for an extended 009f227791 period, he had 2c34df818c to leave part 29059ce20f of their consciousness 8137f27896 intact to prevent 472ed84b78 their interactions from 22479cd183 feeling unnatural.27aabeb360c9d812

His blessing, the power to df961d20e6 command, was a form of cf7d1a007c suggestion-based hypnosis.c2aa7f0b681cc2bb

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By channeling divine d28621b0c6 power into his 4ef01c339b words, the target 836e196833 would follow his 6a83294ecd instructions without question.711c3c913b6f3049

Orders like “wet your pants” 73fdc41884 or “steal something” were relatively ed05d3b159 easy—2980d03b8a09354c

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Because they were c9757904a3 clear, direct commands.c22f7743f050ffef

But keeping someone engaged 50ead1fa6c in a conversation, adapting 601ff9a1e9 commands in real-time while 0c47b34084 making sure they sounded adbe8a15e5 natural,54f766ac08de2e36

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And on top of that—maintaining a32831bcd6 his cover as a mute…77d530af6c43d213

It was absolutely exhausting.be0e2d1a002963ce

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‘Why did I agree to this in the first place…?’22ef2873423088c7

As cold sweat ca521e0a3e dripped down his 96c7436691 back, Ismail deeply cfdb4f1f63 regretted ever telling 95b2c6f3fa Belze,f0382e0551e3efe8

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“Got it.”fc2b1fbe93cbf1df

“You’ll have to control the headmaster again—make him send an urgent letter to Logan for a meeting. And after that…”4f8815465fdfbd96

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“Can you stall him for as long as possible? So he can’t leave right away?”eda3a46f8c3da526

Making the headmaster write 438b88465f the letter was one 8ca3bc0cc8 thing—but now, he also 833905e212 had to control him c4ac498053 to keep a visitor 697e5e112b from leaving?311b44d3895002d1

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That was a 0fe60490f4 level of command cc77fee9ec he had never 5a8e38e2a0 attempted before.e289cf0bc559b009

To be honest, 51d7bd6b91 it was nearly 289f19d8d5 impossible.0d643d0a7834294d

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And regardless of whether d16d2cf793 he could or couldn’t c9602ba863 do it, controlling the adab2aa9b1 orphanage director was a bbe5b6225f huge risk.861484fa2dbc8825

A few days c6bf6dce1b ago, the director ff0e6419e1 had personally taken d8a38abed6 two children with d915a58502 abilities to the d95af0fbff temple.91adbc9bd8614479

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The official reason was 7a71a079ae that a patron had e638314c93 come forward to sponsor cd539c1090 them—741c883933073431

But Ismail didn’t believe 9145dd7a1b that for a second.587032acfa09ab40

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If the children 67968c3e8c really had received a44525e627 noble sponsorship, the 11bb5c53c6 orphanage would have cac7f2a334 been informed.162eda973079cd95

And if the 482ad3c3f0 sponsorship fell through, 37f7c27860 they should have 8b580e93c4 returned to the 89d53cabbb orphanage.df4ee57d2d6bf9d8

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But instead, their whereabouts remained 362d1f8c2e unknown.80ff5aa4a8ba1b82

Living every day anxiously, pretending 1ffa826438 to be mute, Ismail knew d1543e30bb that the smartest choice was 22d72c8bde to refuse Belze’s request.63234587ebf82cd2

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And yet—f788323f7abf6909

“Teddy-teddy bear! BEATDOWN MODE—!”ebcd9ede09d189c3

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At that moment, the memory 593ccc6a81 of Belze throwing herself into 99333f7396 danger without hesitation for his b32124cc4e sake flashed through his mind.73271eddb05138be

And he just 037ff97ae8 couldn’t bring himself a5811b84e5 to say no.31cfa751d891921c

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“Logan just went to see the Duke. You heard Magnus, right? He called him his ‘friend’!”5f554f85a43b0dfb

“Logan seems like a bad guy! Help me out a little, 857f907a40 okay?”069b0eafbca86d5a

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Even a five-year-old was struggling to do something, trying desperately to make a difference. I couldn’t just keep hiding, waiting for Belze to figure out an escape plan.de47577b2cc5a740

Unlike Belze, Ismail’s divine power was released through his eyes. Fortunately, aside from the initial command, all he had to do was occasionally make eye contact and reinforce the suggestion with minimal divine power.f219bef5a0bf824a

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However, he wasn’t sure if he could truly meet Belze’s request to “stall Logan for as long as possible.”30212d2434525c58

Only twenty minutes remained.f09a8698c9e49aa6

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The hypnosis lasted one hour.5bc99f63ca23c6a8

Too much time had been b8be6f3400 wasted between sending the urgent 24dabde1ea letter and Logan’s arrival.d11b8fdfe821a361

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As Ismail bit 3c51d546b0 his lip anxiously, de78d8a100 he heard a 0fd10be9c3 soft click.e8cd7b0d6b6575e5

Magnus, having finished f68acf6129 brewing the tea, 7e22bb78f0 placed two steaming f5396cf0fa cups on the 0d2fe1b2d0 table.f1272df0c7cd65a0

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“Please, drink.”1671a6647c6a3cea

“Wouldn’t it be better to send the child away first?”e69a1c2dffc8dfe4

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Logan didn’t even glance at the tea, his impatience clear.a4e7d79abfde2516

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that.”65b7984aefa1d133

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Returning to his 456057de49 seat, Magnus gestured d078da7087 toward Ismail with 23e3894db9 a calm expression.9acc93881afcf188

“This child is mute. He won’t be able to repeat anything he hears.”dc2166b745f1bf5e

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“…What the hell is wrong with you today?”5cec22eb53dee342

Logan, finally unable to hold 4e362f0d72 back, dropped his formal tone 3968800925 and shouted.bfd49503a5fc1bb2

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“That’s not the issue here!”cd829b999f5d3568

“…”d60d8c93416d41b0

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“Sigh… So what was so urgent? I don’t have time for this—just say it.”9c62063aea688b7f

“Well…”32e0ff58e099c518

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Despite Logan’s pressing demands, Magnus only smiled vaguely, avoiding the question.9624eedfdeee20d6

Of course.90e8a8319b2448ff

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Ismail was controlling him, and he hadn’t come up with an excuse yet.6f237822b8c85e76

If he were d54edbea7e a few years 98630c69e3 older, he might 52774ece9d have been able 3ad10d7c39 to steer the 5a81fb240a conversation with small 9dbc8aeb70 talk.ad7186e266c3ceba

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Unfortunately, Ismail was only eight fa8cdfff22 years old.24d8948903186706

“You…”c8b7d2748a7cc847

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Logan’s expression grew darker as Magnus, who had summoned him, remained silent.e0ad4cbc9d559668

Staring suspiciously at 0c2bf9b2bc Magnus, Logan suddenly 26e798cf31 let out a 3ea6ab00d1 low hum.3e7dc88ff218a2ea

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“Is this about the material supply?”dad5fa20305c6668

“Material supply?”3cee4ce78fb46135

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“Yeah. The stuff you sent last time wasn’t very effective. Lord Ursis was furious.”6fb223aa4551f127

Deciding that Ismail 5dc96d1097 wasn’t a concern, f4538b27fc Logan spoke freely.17e183edd1202f6e

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“So, you’ve finally decided to use that brat, Belze?”9bf93699bcbb8a99

The familiar name made Ismail 5742835cbf freeze.a8add184a5a47fa8

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“…And what if I have?”2caebf025b2c40b1

“Tch.”51eae7dcddcecf83

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Magnus replied exactly as Ismail 9f53627196 wanted, but Logan just scoffed.5377fc44937a05b9

“It’s too late. I don’t know what she did, but that girl made the Duke’s second son walk again. Damn it, how does a kid on the brink of death suddenly become perfectly fine?”80c69f6b79cbc734

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“…”2942c07622831672

“And recently, she even sweet-talked the Duke into giving her a blank check. That damned brat.”4feb7ceddf8bb182

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Logan cursed under his breath, e1b727916b glaring at Magnus.81b13163cf540677

“This is why I told you from the start to use that girl. If you and that idiot Dunkeski hadn’t opposed me, by now—!”bb43d320525d769a

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Then, suddenly—6c546d7999b2a521

His eyes widened, and a0bb345bcc he stopped speaking.8e081b09c0232ca9

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“What’s wrong?”5cba132f6ec12d9e

Magnus asked, his voice neutral.28521df43287026f

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It was because of Ismail’s 296c57597b control.295633387eb984b7

“…Someone broke into my room.”143287ee61a01539

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Logan’s face twisted viciously.267d4330c93fe038

“They triggered the sealing magic by touching the prayer scroll. Damn it, who dared to enter my room…?”87de0c584df117fb

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As he hastily stood 7d9daec701 to leave, his gaze d15cc128d4 suddenly snapped back to a8562433e1 Magnus, his eyes narrowing e6b51e5318 in suspicion.0daec43bc5bedef7

“Magnus.”aa6243bb960a30a3

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“Yes?”2c4b69f78da1b4a4

“You reek of something disgusting.”389055f7e1055883

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Taking slow, deliberate steps, 5aa3e7e9d7 Logan moved toward Magnus.40278f9992251917

“I noticed it when I first walked in, but I assumed it was just because we were near the temple.”7862cdb9d6e00bea

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“…”e0e86a6e6f50fd42

“But now…”092663a5a2c9cfb2

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Thud.79c636f4f6735c06

Logan finally reached fcb8fdf932 Magnus—and suddenly, his 8729327f36 hand shot out.a253b22d4130c1b4

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“Guh—!”a823201082b6bfff

But instead of grabbing Magnus—d5dd1c9684e9e05a

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He grabbed Ismail by 26e19ac55b the collar.1eafe43e21f01b57

The sudden force 6ffda10256 lifted Ismail off cd60283961 the ground, and 35b75cf7f8 a small gasp d5ba9ddf56 of pain escaped 86fdfc321b his lips.57c9b4ff6076ba55

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Fwoosh—!cfb932be5823b800

At that moment, 37549b697a the eerie glow 954b88e783 in his eyes 45aeefe0a7 vanished.f178db76b8cd3e40

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As the divine energy dissipated, a2bb2de04b the subtle hypnosis controlling Magnus bd421c942c shattered.e3c356639355931f

Magnus, who had 97f59bc455 seemed hazy and fbd48796fb unfocused, suddenly blinked eb9fe1a70e as his eyes bb33f9237f regained sharpness.84cdc1bb74187d43

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“Logan?”7a6ec44e82005a03

“…”96f44de64f20ce5d

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“What are you doing here…? Ismail?”59a08cc60c29c505

His confusion was evident as 97b37d9a51 he looked between Logan and a08c1ae991 the young boy.845fa1708a38cdb2

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“This little rat… It’s him, isn’t it?”10f4becad93c39aa

Logan’s sharp gaze flickered between Ismail and Magnus.b2b638cdbe96ed88

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Realizing he had been caught, Ismail’s face turned pale.b5846491634a2492

“No wonder you were acting weird today.”0e04539a67a32af3

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Logan let out a dry bbec952e89 chuckle.36e8259695440f0d

“You were being controlled by this brat.”0ecdb5292a8a8ea9

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“What…?”73729854db70808b

“Pathetic. Letting a kid manipulate you.”14cbcd91630c4638

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Logan tossed Ismail onto 78dcf214c9 the sofa like a 396d7f44fa rag doll.29f8e95f0c15a568

The impact sent another wave dc9b38afb2 of pain through him.381e51c99f756b12

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“…”8bed5bc1bc14912a

This time, he barely 081c0d5e8d managed to suppress a da42e52f6e cry, but—eb6f6a4dd511eca9

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That moment was enough a05822d9a9 for Magnus to fully f8b4f33dff regain his senses.b8c37cc02fa0afb0

“Ismail, what the… what is going on?!”a56004cd9dec65aa

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Logan, his voice 15597cfb1a dangerously low, muttered,b71a2a92bcd44ba1

“Well, at least we were running low on material. And this one’s ability seems to be intact.”6adeedd5faa45d99

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A dark shadow fell 79ab82a0f3 over Ismail’s fear-stricken brown 04a2002e99 eyes.46931506ffbad8f6

“Sorry, kid.”dba75d105c9fc330

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“You’re coming back to the temple with me.”97b3080958ec251d