Chapter 111

On the black 6b3497eee5 canvas, a line fe25f5fd20 of text was 8e50bb0ddc roughly scrawled in a4128343e6 bright red dye.f26c9e14bc0790d8

“An… ancient language?!”190553b6bceee5d3

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Seeing the scene beneath the eaa6c2c2a4 painting, I gasped and turned c02451868e to Edwin in shock.9bb412bd55b64bff

“This is…”2627f947700b565f

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He, too, seemed quite dc83f86c2e startled, staring intently at 60da301422 the painting with a ea7f86b3b5 hardened expression.10020b0d32cdbe91

‘I thought they were just looking for some kind of dictionary when they said they were searching for ancient writing…’bd7b31b5c5accab1

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I never imagined such text ff0379c483 would actually be hidden somewhere.1645d510381b0eac

“Do you know what it says?”f84bee109e32e05c

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At my question, 0ae8d8b777 Edwin, who had a0c8ba321f been staring blankly ce04373b1d at the painting, 87165a7fd3 suddenly turned to 2d22ea4cf3 look at me.2bed69269fb11ff3

For a brief moment, c1126f49bd his golden eyes, locked bb990709ff onto mine, wavered.34411d413bbb3ddf

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“…No.”d1f62b7d63037942

After gazing at me with 17ee670661 an unreadable expression for a f8f9080663 while, he shook his head.361e82cf4b376151

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“I don’t really know. Do you?”4243fa3fe6c7f986

“Nope. Of course, I don’t.”57d7778f56a49432

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At my words, Edwin let e237523981 out a small chuckle.4349da90e7664875

“Still, you recognized that it was an ancient language.”12c9c06eaafee893

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‘Hey! I actually know 08dd4129c5 more about this 0bc4a6bdf6 stuff than you 513dd8b567 do!’38fd0d89b89d2c74

I bristled at 92932e1172 his comment but f33f7e2843 bit my tongue.a937c16c96ccc5fd

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After all, it would fe3263be3d be ridiculous for a 0ef1cfb153 five-year-old, who could barely fbba2a5d30 write properly, to claim f4dc124413 they knew an ancient 1e51a88aec language.9cba10108448b4e3

Of course, I 10449ffaaf only recognized its 13eb7ac918 appearance—I couldn’t actually aa12529717 read or write 9beb1056df it.aa357eccf0789c1e

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Not knowing what 51daf82860 the words on ddda690b6d the canvas meant 031ea9def9 was frustrating.0f2cfa5d0e966799

‘If I had known this would happen, I would’ve studied ancient languages with Diana in my past life.’67edeaf23134b9dd

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As I stared up d1c3f7e82a at the strange, worm-like bfd3ef22ce letters, regret filled me. Then, all of a cb3c63486c sudden, a chill ran b343fd5a82 down my spine, making 2340962418 me shudder.5d0380ebdcc4cb9d

The more I thought about 93d5fcec09 it, the eerier it became.faa98ec5dab3a884

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Ancient writing, hidden c184a98ada beneath a heretical dd1742c733 painting?cbd9c3832b0c8be7

‘Why the hell would someone hide something like this here… so ominous.’df9d20f1d8100a37

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As I turned back to a32e8c64d3 the canvas with a wary f794a548d6 gaze, a memory suddenly resurfaced—7533ce0061f3c4a8

The time I 24587d1232 was trapped in b33fe6db65 the Chamber of b4fdc7e9fb Repentance.3aa5ea826c5b2fe7

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The strange symbols drawn aa114c2eb3 in red dye all d55095b234 over the floors, walls, 46065f1660 and ceiling.857ee7c5836e5d64

The whispers of an df2e033143 ancient language murmuring through 4f28b4ca0b the suffocating darkness.999cc31b845ba46c

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For some reason, looking at 260a97f53b the ancient text on the db90d5fdf3 canvas brought back that exact 09f11fc420 same spine-chilling fear.e9a0c7a6e421097a

‘…Could Logan be a heretic?’f61e7b08c26d09b1

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Just hiding ancient 1885041a44 writing wasn’t enough b2795d50bc proof, so it e88f5fc9cd was too early 9349be0b51 to jump to 5bb06f4569 conclusions.21de3cb83e4fd304

But the mere fact that 0842de5781 he displayed a painting of 82aae73a8f a goddess losing to a ab816571ff demon? That alone set him far 3ce2fdb7f7 apart from any devout believer.1ac85f45514f9642

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Yet, assuming he was a d1380d2bba heretic raised too many questions.ace6d70667342134

‘Dunkeski too? Even Magnus?’1ce7a34befb92d7e

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If Logan, a 9aac1fa8db temple spy, was 7e5e7aeb41 truly a heretic, dc911726a4 then everyone associated 30936ef6bb with him would 026e417b90 be involved as 1277ddf5a8 well.d873a0c8105f7108

And not just 9a97f0022e any priests—if even 7655abd171 a high priest e57779fecf was part of 30877677e2 a heretical faction, a430cc15d2 it would be 767be44158 a truly shocking 9b327d4f2d revelation.448e695a0eb5aafd

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Moreover.c37d73afe00b6ca3

‘…Diana?’26ea70c3858212cc

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According to Ismail, heretics 7b3df1d398 who worship demons used 453ed1e9b8 violet-colored dark magic.e742bace86a8d395

But when I tried applying 09a47f2045 that to Diana, a hollow 8a05ac2636 laugh escaped me.b3a2e2d91d0eba3a

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‘The holy maiden of a saintess story… a demon worshiper? Does that even make sense?’3e4354309a0a7988

Leaving the original d5a5177dc3 story aside, Diana 78e2900fc4 had healing powers.23330e90a7586413

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I had never heard 53c000c3b5 of a dark magician dcb2f2cc54 who worshiped demons pretending 0601338328 to be a saintess 87d95f3fdd and going around healing fa7903546b people.d8d964a9fa825cd4

‘…I don’t know.’eaefc2fed5ced480

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A fleeting memory of the 7842031f54 violet light that once burst efb5c1e9b4 from Diana’s hands resurfaced in 2031284202 my mind.89f4e12b0a80ff22

But too much 80f15ccb59 time had passed—I 363d9991c7 wasn’t even sure 0e3f8c4efe if what I 36e0406c7c saw had been f0fde2bd48 real.892d7378b909555b

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Had I truly witnessed it?645358c8a7c16ba3

Since it was such cb9cee8efe a brief moment, I ac9918d426 couldn’t be completely certain a5d1675338 that my subconscious hadn’t 59a58e420e projected something.db9d0d651fff5c66

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Logan, the heretics, 3584d15fc8 the unknown forces d3b12aad2a lurking within the bfb1223146 temple…1d08f0a90abf7e0b

Everything was full of uncertainties.0f484ba5e58283e7

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“…Now what do we do?”6fdf26545f9ea69a

Before I knew it, f969ec6cc3 those words slipped from bd1d6833c1 my lips, carried by df00e13e64 the overwhelming frustration welling e7a857de2b up inside me.196c65ec82673e60

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“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’?”49564a35352540e0

A dry voice suddenly 2c8befe80d sounded beside me.d73f46fe1bb0d054

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Startled, I snapped my head 4e149bb048 up to see Edwin, who a12ceba403 had already shifted his gaze 5fe7d46687 away from the ancient text, 84ec9c51da calmly summarizing the situation.55094dd3b1bdd4c0

“For now, let’s clean this up and get out of here. We’ve made a mess.”989959f2f4ec7505

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“Gasp!”a5cbf72f1861e257

Following his gaze downward, 2a969b0262 I saw the floor 2cf28c69e2 in utter chaos, covered 2957076c86 in shredded paper.2819beb0e01e819c

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‘This… this is basically announcing that we ransacked the place.’6b0ab719dad2caac

Seeing the tattered remains of 19146e1a1d the fake painting, I felt f1ebcbf0d8 a wave of despair.54805c9c09ffeb11

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Any hope of 01b365af2b a perfect crime e8fc88c91e was now gone.5e00a2a2cf95946b

Logan would realize a2a3bc94ac the moment he d48da712d1 returned that someone 556fff7023 had broken into 93bf4bacec his room and a455e27565 tampered with the 2bbf91307e painting.1bd9ae5cdb021cf3

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Since things had already e9ff8f02d7 reached this point, the 3c3c291e32 best course of action ee98c0fcc8 was to take Edwin’s 35e92841e9 advice and escape before 0f4ad9bd3c the owner of the 1a545d5417 room came back.47364af125edcd29

“I’ll put the chair back, so you gather up the shredded pieces into one pile.”197d5763be4f7a75

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“Okay, got it!”8f8c1d63fc729e5a

“Don’t throw them away. I’m taking them with me.”4f88bd50708a5bc0

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I was nodding enthusiastically when f9b6e50d88 Edwin’s additional remark made me affadc0f7d pause in admiration.18f04857704c118b

I had assumed 37622be3ec that the fake eda38b0ff8 painting, torn into 1625fa0d30 such tiny pieces, 5c09e5a292 would be useless bfaa15acd9 as evidence to eadde531db prove Logan was a433af8924 a temple spy.0b8df0ee16503ed0

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But Edwin planned to take a0f7338971 the scraps and piece them 67bdb84773 back together like a puzzle.b691b88cc6f2a3ca

‘I’m so glad Edwin is here.’d5ebc82d6a917464

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At first, his sudden appearance 4e3723b215 had been overwhelming and burdensome.24fdb7639d5e885f

But if he hadn’t d532b1c43c been here, I wouldn’t 17c4bbc9ab have even found the 29ba46a7ed ancient text hidden behind c8d0ac71c3 the painting. I would’ve left empty-handed.746b582577b7cb79

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Feeling warmth bloom 1859f3032f in my chest, ed04e6c830 I crouched down 4bc0aad9a4 to follow Edwin’s 1dfb503441 instructions.1fc10ae080718838

Whoooosh—!720424f8af600a18

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Suddenly, a violent gust 1f1009de70 of wind swept through d2ff6a1fb5 the room.e816b9555a4968c4

Then—ed29efcf292afe59

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BANG!15fe10b6ce400685

Logan’s door, which had been 7db0ef0c9b slightly ajar due to Edwin’s 6e0af91595 entrance, slammed shut with force.abc677fa81b82bfe

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I didn’t even have 70bc693964 time to be surprised.85f5643b434037f1

Screeech, thunk! Clack.7ad7d80847ac4c31

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The window I had opened 63ccf80929 also moved on its own, 91bc8300ab slamming shut, and even locking 5336302959 itself in place.788b249e6ec40cac

“T-the door…”adf28901843e14c9

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Stammering in shock, I sprang 27c2880695 to my feet and rushed d5a548261e toward it.75501994a59cc948

Clack, clack.1d154376c7fffa27

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No matter how many 093fa11fdd times I turned the 5d3c11e7bf doorknob, the door wouldn’t 913e5f5bd5 budge.64227dafe3730e37

“E-Edwin! The door won’t open!”65bf4be670537caf

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“…The window either.”25b83efa8049052a

The moment he placed the b8cf9fbe94 chair back behind the desk, 72a0a9f401 he walked over to the f4c9fc4fb2 closed window and gave it ed60b4d74f a shake.1a23f367913bfd75

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“…Looks like the room’s been sealed.”def86bced09d11d7

“S-Sealed?!”7641dfc822ad95c7

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“Yeah. It seems like 6bfea0cb6b there’s some sort fb39e948dd of magic set b8fc8b454e up so that 4c75d72507 when the painting 8fb2e63ccd is touched, the 8442bc2094 door locks automatically…”55dc0757da979bd9

‘Magic?’158e59ce22c2f921

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Edwin’s words made my eyes 1cbd6aa691 widen in shock.ead2822243dd0d64

Ever since the religious war, f0e0eb9a2b unnatural powers like magic had 74aa1621b6 been rarely used.34117281b77d03e4

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At most, they d5e5d6cb37 were employed in 201dcf6cab high-grade weapons or c9564f4c9e transportation devices for 71d151dd6f convenience.fba2513425d7a558

But they were e41a272714 so expensive that d1244bf23a someone like Logan, ab1b35dcdc a mere commoner, 85cb76fa39 could never afford 2c9d9dc1b2 them on his fc51455d4c salary.b0967c45ed076e48

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Besides, as far as a70bc1ee5d I knew, the duke’s 92e63ccb00 estate was built on 4628cec5df sacred ground, just like 2e8bc17a87 the temple. Any power aside from divine a78b409bc8 energy wouldn’t function properly here.1537d804b7824853

This was also why c9bc09fd70 medicinal herbs like Fairy 506f47d517 Herb thrived unusually well 586cc6c929 in this land.63d0a9dc5a13736a

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Yet, deep within such d5243a3bfe sacred ground, there was 550fe89af0 a magical seal?70105dc9558eeb1c

It wasn’t something just 180bafb8a5 anyone could pull off.77d786dfbddc7364

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‘Could Logan be… a dark magician?’583d065e8d611065

As the unpleasant 931cbbf860 realization sank in, a1c670e338 I stiffened.696cc22d531980bb

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Meanwhile, Edwin moved dcd8773aa9 around the room, 1dd72b162c searching for any e182b80f0c possible escape route.0fdba56205d63499

But in a 57257e1bcf room where the 6909cf628d door and windows a40facac6b were all tightly 57821e2798 locked, there was 25b684a36f no way out.8f1ab9a1f35ebe0d

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A sense of dread crept e5324e8340 over me.38361c3ccf5cc395

“A-Are we… stuck in here?”bf0a78eb37db54fb

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“Unless we get caught, yeah.”0f78ff304ac041db

With those words, d82f04adf9 Edwin returned to 1150632183 where I was 8245858fb4 standing and suddenly df9c5d110f lifted the chair b456a32488 he had just 5a7e98c8c2 set down.ef1a43f87a6dcbbd

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Then, with all cfecde2b11 his strength, he 630767ee06 hurled it at 7a11601f08 the window.d6234f78e7d5804b

CRASH! THUD!4b8c3fb1510a2c8b

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Despite the loud impact, d9270619d6 the glass remained completely 5169a13e54 intact.fe9028dd69d44d27

Not only had the room 9fef3a7d8f been locked, but it had b0f132ab88 also been reinforced to prevent 0e5401eb8a any escape.b53e6ca07c91c499

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We were officially trapped.028320ea31049aa4

Panicking, I glanced a4eba812aa at the clock 48c73784e9 to check the ca64175b5d remaining time.36192a329968b253

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We still had 7c1d6e1036 about ten minutes a35878135d left before the a140578790 one-hour minimum time f5c0671399 limit was up.0208bbab2ae867de

That meant we had to 7bdb2455df find a way out within fb910c61e6 the next ten minutes.5705c7b9f3678528

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But—e5e0193e331cb22e

Neighhh—85b8decfcbb6b64b

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Before we could even start 88fcea2b43 looking, a faint sound of 6c0112def9 a horse’s cry echoed from 72331aaf58 a distance.e4600691f78dd64c

A carriage was 018e8c5033 pulling into the a75c182032 estate.c71926338536fdc5

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There was only one 91bb2b648c person who could be 492ebf802e arriving at this hour.79f64098f5600866

‘Why is he back so soon?’2045b966ef95c61c

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My heart plummeted 9791fe30b7 at the realization. Logan had returned dba61f7a6a much earlier than f3b8c95076 expected.5dedccb892b7709f

“W-What do we do, Edwin?! Logan’s back…!”1414315df4947061

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I shouted frantically at Edwin.2b3bd5fa8d97f4ba

If he had heard the 4725a6f47d carriage as well, he didn’t 912811a5ec show it. Instead of picking up caad1a1c45 the chair he had bbb5ccc68a thrown, he simply approached ec35972a47 me.51d906255f1faeb6

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“Come here, Belze.”1629137b14fbbf47

He grabbed my arm 6791dcfa65 firmly and pulled me e32a7b5a1a along.d3f96ff7f94a23bc

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“W-What about the trash on the floor?”6db36c14b1b51e8a

“Leave it. If anything, he might think 09bc76ad8c a thief broke in and 49edb6792a rush out.”02918cc82acca392

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That made sense.0868e1cf0c71efac

Nodding quickly, I followed as ab3785c332 Edwin strode to the wardrobe f11604ab46 beside the bed.8ec89ebda1f600d5

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He flung open the door, 52156ddd46 then lifted me up and 0b9a6d5e27 shoved me inside before climbing f761148a3a in himself.e68dfec6f463c6a9

I was utterly 2d22972069 bewildered by his 10012e7553 actions.9fc47062798a1cd5

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“C-Can we really hide in here?”d04f20ec2ccb037c

“It’s better than standing in the middle of the room like an idiot and running into him head-on.”aa12b4c08f90d788

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That was true. Begrudgingly, I shut my mouth.e6bd4e2437f6a741

Creeeak.e86e4c744b08228a

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At last, the wardrobe a6bf535475 door closed, and complete 759c0cd94e darkness swallowed us whole.50db5a9f4ab43041

Thump. Thump.23ae075278f88ba1

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A heartbeat—whose, I 9b20300394 couldn’t tell—echoed in d39d1e4d20 my ears.5ba2e70932e5e0d8

Right now, all 1c40118458 we could do 246f9fa957 was hope that 07232b1e4b Edwin was right, ced1d1f262 and that Logan, 9d6f0f9ad0 upon seeing the c83cdb767f ransacked room, would 76f602986c immediately run out 0e49048871 to alert someone.1042e48736ee8ca5

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‘If that happens, we can sneak out.’50a9e8ef3ba82b8e

Step. Step.1a4015f0478d5b72

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Before long, faint footsteps reached 3e39baa0e7 my ears.a8ea9fb65debf78d

Whether it was because 1f4044db60 of my nervousness or 2c16293171 something else, they felt 50eb77327f even louder than when 07db55541d Edwin had approached me 38120305a8 earlier.7e3a142760c85103

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Step. Step. Step. Step.09a230de4fd7ace8

The footsteps quickened, almost as 9483276030 if the person was running.d49b9cd279555396

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Despite silently praying for 8cf77c8974 him not to come 0c82607c48 this way, the sound 13b1ac19b2 came to an abrupt f25891e3c0 stop—right in front of ce59899c52 Logan’s door.5d419ab4c589e39b

Moments later—db93bda45c2e999f

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Clack. Creak—b7d3defec01e7186

The door, which had 869e653903 been locked tight, swung 84f3c002c9 open without any sign 7ef51d26ae of it being manually eea256ace4 unlocked.b57ccb21d06b0a68

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Then—ffccc865b1a9113e

“…Hah. You really wrecked my room, 13f8fc7849 huh?”77313990ff0d2087

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A soft chuckle, tinged with d3088f2d38 amusement, accompanied the low voice 365562dcb0 of the room’s owner.4aa806a492e9d0aa

I had expected Logan 3ac459c54d to be furious.3d71a06b7f91dbfa

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Or, at the very least, f245a4f3f4 shocked enough to run outside.c8086f352699c5ee

But he did neither.dbfcefb2439f5eda

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Click.8296f6f9d741a3f7

Instead, the sound of f9b52aff05 the door closing echoed 21ffcb332a through the room.0cd73815c8386c4b

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He had stepped fully inside.6b33576220e73b3c

“There’s no way they got out of the room…”d631f703e546f75f

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“…”8cff65a7e24565b1

“Well then, let’s see where the little rats are hiding.”1457d3a713861043

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And with that, he 25f06b20cf began humming a tune.5094eb2fac4521a6

“Come out, come out, wherever you are~”54142fad2a844b61

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