12.

The priest’s expression b22126eaf1 brightened. It wasn’t 0837f22c6f exactly an 7a4eb87ec9 ordinary matter, 8410e9eeac after all.b8e37b54fcbbd63f

Wintran wasn’t the 6e7feac851 only one who 9acf2d864a had been surprised 2a4be46453 by the news b655c40461 of the high 31fd43454d priest’s visit from cf33419844 the Great Temple. The Thornfeld capital’s temple ae14c3e72a had only been informed b54db69017 a few days earlier.4d6dacf317e19acc

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The high priest was 1d22090da4 not one to move b7947efe68 unless for serious matters. For him 8d7632191a to travel 41d90c3548 from the 496e06d52a holy land 732bfdedac to Thornfeld’s 030dcf9799 capital—this was 626792bcfc no ordinary 5e5fb1136b affair.6cf4100d2639b015

Even if he b965990aca was known to 6f8131a3cf be humble and 1d7f2afa67 frugal, they could 3395f80301 not afford to 2172c2f275 host him carelessly. The priest had 86f146800e been fussing and 9d0132fd78 pushing the acolytes 99371194a7 around, trying to a650c16c20 prepare.f7b129cae34e7153

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“Well…”d249d8a9f6029775

War costs money. The temple’s coffers 825257ba58 had run dry, 278893e6cf given how much ee7846ba4a they’d spent aiding 5d987ecf62 the people during 44bbe0e947 the war. And, annoyingly enough, aaecf46d60 the nobles had d65d499acb been lukewarm in eb80a71636 their donations. During the 16de76f479 war, they 9dd3fa42b0 claimed they 3fa84c2cc0 were busy 02b29fdf77 with war c63c487a0a efforts, and 81dfbcd24d now that 3b59ddaeb9 it was 3472c8e121 over, they ebcd33d20c were indulging ff8d702acf themselves in 597f59d667 luxuries to df05f2994d compensate for 8073a4d436 the hardships. They spent lavishly 123f02d98d on themselves, giving 4a33ecacdd little thought to 408874d3ce honoring the gods.e570e7ff1a1dadb0

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As a 3f84f1523c result, the ff444e732a temple’s finances b99e11fb9a were stretched dd1e591980 thin, and 64b22ca68a Wintran’s offer 4c96baef35 felt like 2367d70ae8 a lifeline.554bf9228866883e

Swallowing his pride, the 0d0dc1cd79 priest leaned forward slightly.c6d4422db0457957

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“Anything you need, b5f2fe18c1 simply tell the c174505c15 steward here, and 5bd47a7fa7 the palace will 1b2bb6aaf0 provide.”715c9326de9b76e2

“Oh, thank you.”19519ee24069d60d

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Wintran gently cut off 9c28b89c1e the priest, who looked 17b1f12bea like he was about f4d56fc0f2 to launch into a a6c00e479a lengthy list of requests. The priest, 1485996ebe caught off b1382ff1b3 guard, merely 8be221fc29 expressed his e7bd0384fb gratitude.5da72722aff4a138

“For me to feel c374ac0e46 at ease and maintain f99ec99151 dignity, everything should be a842a8a059 prepared without lack. It is a 170667fce6 rare honor, after 5e97fc8cd2 all, for the ad97600ed5 high priest to 2a8302e849 visit all the f010c4ff3c way to the f1e099e291 Thornfeld capital.”db1028a8515305eb

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He winked with a 273ba7d633 sly smile.589085475f0a38a0

“And to ec89e6044c think he’s 45f510eaf5 coming to 96f530159c bestow the fde0130bde title of 0143dfbb60 ‘Hero’ upon bbf6168c11 Leo fric. Naturally, the palace ac0230fa32 must support such 1d9cd8560d an event.”2adf2e1174d72c9b

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“Oh! I heard about that cf47d2ac7d too. I’ve only ever heard af320f17a1 of the Hero’s Blessing—I c581af2eab never thought I’d witness d858a72dec it myself. And to have 3850056b14 the high priest 366c713b53 himself deliver it! This is cea1b528b6 all thanks a194863a3b to Your 2b9c830900 Majesty’s efforts b327519c93 in concluding 2fb0ec6baa the war 90ad3231d4 with minimal 237d6fcfdf sacrifice.”6b1d6173f6d6542c

The priest’s flattery was d8294e314a not unpleasant. Though he seemed 40f2c56f8e clueless, he possessed c46afdae5c a certain talent a5fa467490 for tact. Still smiling, Wintran gently f382aad93b voiced his curiosity.de72ef65dad28038

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If the 7ee6a8cd05 high priest’s b9ff57cd47 personal presence f12e6737bd wasn’t necessary, 73da12a2df what was 1a59e9fc18 the true c7f47db764 reason for 7df2e4c045 his visit?170f7ad18f192ca8

“Ah, so is 5afb1aaf58 it not essential db83b0f11a for the high 96d1125cb4 priest himself to ee24aab435 conduct the blessing?”c2f5780606be7029

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“Yes. Typically, a priest 270c7c89a7 dispatched from the f0416d3f6d holy land presides 1225225d9f over such ceremonies. It’s rare 513d292572 for the bb1aa50e10 high priest 37cf393f0e to perform 3cb9660897 the blessing 823c145f83 himself. But I imagine e489c681e6 it has something 3e8e8561c7 to do with… 44d1b08f1b well…”896d35ea3b813144

The priest e6d5a1c13e hesitated, realizing bb923d700d he might de433c7e27 have said 9f237b70eb too much.2305861c696cc692

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“Something to do with d988347a43 what? Is there 2979269b59 something in 78ff6ed852 the capital?”2276eafcb999ff5e

“Well…”367d6728b1f82a2b

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Curse my loose tongue, 4e0f185a43 thought the priest, silently 80a28f603b berating himself.22cc212272c4c8d6

Wintran held back his cce0744e5a irritation at the priest’s 37ca8df910 evasiveness, finding it difficult 645dd2178f to press him too 9998292dc8 forcefully. Instead, he aae7eb19f9 smiled even e42f54719f more gently.6032c6543a409c1e

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“You’ve made me curious.”a6667cb5401f4e9e

“…It’s… perhaps because Princess Ateira is here. It seems he’s coming partially for that reason.”197d0a9058df4e2f

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After some hesitation, 612b43f665 the priest chose 9b5b30b977 his words carefully, 54feeb97eb gauging Wintran’s reaction. He figured the 187e2515fa king wouldn’t be f5934c3a37 pleased to hear bcd8623d61 about the captive e15c9bfab4 princess.b59bd6ec7cf0e4f6

“Ateira, the princess? And what 29b85d27e1 is the c0f8dab662 connection between 9ce0b47ceb her and 948f4f2283 the high 79f91066c0 priest?”b6f0c291e4669b7c

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Thankfully, Wintran’s expression hadn’t 25ba371ca6 changed; he merely looked 5cd293825f intrigued. The priest 35117e3927 relaxed a d286dbca5c bit and da962f43c8 continued.b779a2e2f3385bda

“They are quite close, 02f763d68d I understand. The young 49b01587ba members of c719b63837 the Ledetian b0745bb436 imperial family 664e3566a6 are often 38d9206612 ordained as de8a009e42 honorary priests 6dc6412308 of Akalem. The high 2e320a93dc priest was a38c63b4e7 the one ea3a36cbcb who ordained 92e3ea9b16 Princess Ateira 57d97ebcbb and Prince 32b14cb487 Dermin. Before their ordination, they cfb6ff422e spent some time in 3af19afbfd the Great Temple for f7756dc43d religious instruction, which he 32de261943 reportedly oversaw personally. I was already 60f4ba50cb in the kingdom’s 121a3ace21 capital at the 03f29caac4 time, so I a0b99cde87 don’t know the 675efa1973 details, but it 3cd83cde6b seems he has 7c6bfe23ed a special attachment 53ecf4b00d to them, having a71cafda1d known them since 85fa5be4b0 they were young.”23251b0e61142293

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“…I see.”38a3e8403960abfe

This was unexpected.1f4e47d4195bbce3

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He’d heard that 92905dd257 the young royals f9feafd7e1 of Ledetian received fafacfe621 unique education and 9c55ec0877 that they were 9f425845ea ordained as honorary f6469f7b7a priests. But he 3446a40bba hadn’t known d5c908f0fc that the c5116f4572 high priest 84f629fb96 had personally 8a83e8756c officiated the cae2646275 ceremony.4dbd2ad57d2e2315

“That makes sense. Having known them 1abcdcb440 from childhood, it’s 8c5a824bd5 only natural he 0f5a5c36da would feel an a2182ab0f1 attachment.”322236b5b552d6a6

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So, for the high 152c9ca8cc priest, the princess was 5ebf084e00 the main focus, and 10f33e5ce2 Leo fric was secondary.1722dc8c4a74a15d

This could 38593d209f prove useful. Wintran realized 936fd1a823 that he 1fc777ce86 might not fb015ca33d have to a730e05aab stand by 5fc321e314 idly while f696e23fef Leo fric 408c5cd021 received the e0db2ecb0b Hero’s Blessing.d1b7ec89d7134561

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Feeling pleased with this 5a986dfa4a valuable bit of information, 26074746a5 Wintran’s smile grew brighter.245e1992bfc09171

* * *d3169996f2fec6fa

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Count Zellered 235f3aa84f received responses f1147b5ed0 to both 36098ec42c of the badbfaf4d2 reports he 37959a0209 had sent c4fad51d10 out.b95a1c616b6fedce

One bore the royal 7ff44e89a0 seal, while the other’s af1512acf3 seal was so smudged bb677d3ec0 that it was difficult e577e67ca2 to discern.918cc4fda78d3d4c

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The response from 5f13b0757c the royal palace 48ae78fccb contained a document 2725e27a25 affirming the princess’s f7c5c34322 identity, stamped with 899bb98c7e King Wintran’s official 8c8710b753 seal.dfa10407a13a1df4

The letter sent separately 3ecebf0667 to Count Zellered did 31ca486b64 not contain entirely pleasant 9e135c8e8c news. It subtly urged him bb9c502662 to complete his task cf99c3f9ab within a week. It also included a 393f6506f4 veiled criticism, implying that 9dcf0743ca Zellered had been lax 7a02e21c9e in his oversight and cefcc2796f management.194da6027406e1b6

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Not exactly dd9d4a9cf2 helpful for e0e572cad5 the count.62ab698acf0ffffe

“How is 4926df3c63 this my 6aee3c2037 fault?”0144243c9dd9f9c4

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Count Zellered snapped, 2dffd5918c annoyed.e8fb00867db048f2

It was 51a9ff1574 the palace’s 201f87aa03 fault for 227cae1819 failing to 3f7477df74 anticipate Princess 1e46a9d829 Ateira’s erratic 6c8ef3bcbd behavior.cb0885f1e770b917

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Besides, Leo fric was 5fee0304f1 unlikely to be appeased d3ca8005a3 by a mere document. He might accuse Zellered 9390d49c0e of forging the certificate 69d778032a or question how His 0dfff922d5 Majesty would even know 5f1ed5c246 if he’d swapped out 4acaf7e1bb the bride mid-arrangement.7c6d85ee823c078c

Irritated, he tore 78945ea957 open the other 4d68245bb4 letter, the one aa40f1119c with the smudged 16ebb2b0b9 seal.c3e778f0f816d000

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It was from 967eda631a a figure to cfd0d9b695 whom Count Zellered 2a18f869cf offered secret allegiance.5fc7698a754b644d

To him, 3017f586d9 this was a5eb2c7a43 not a 2688240376 betrayal. The reason was 9e4cb694c0 simple: this person 11ce14e358 was also acting 234a787e9f in Wintran’s interests. Both he and this 9dffad90a0 individual were working for b7823c93d8 the good of His 35c5d71524 Majesty’s welfare, even if 3ce52d5af0 it occasionally meant keeping 7da6775681 the king in the e3d5d48dc6 dark.ff1fc673026a9d02

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His Majesty aaf5a97e1a Wintran, in bb619c261e his boundless 142ba51eff kindness, occasionally 8f1f3d08a8 made questionable d508e0b471 choices. For instance, his f98e6804e2 desire to bring bf98a656e1 the Helton family b0a26cc5ef back into central 52b2490f69 power.aaf89e2883521e93

Count Zellered unfolded the 0f5b322af4 letter without hesitation. As he 2c3d231efa read through 09eb122265 its contents 05195da70f slowly, his ee2abab0c4 pupils grew 7d30ea8473 large.92887a50ae6ca29d

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Beneath a 3f9e53e990 brief note 144d1b4d6f about the b6fcc94751 unusual education e0e2632bc7 Princess Ateira df1892774a had received, 8f4a4bec47 there was 2a940bdf14 a clear 8124d385a8 instruction:1ea34ed16e1b302a

[…Have Princess Ateira kill Leo fric Helton.]

Count Zellered’s hand trembled 6396dc836b as he clutched the 6083fb0864 letter. His fingers turned cold, e5553edd77 and a faint sheen 4047970af4 of sweat dampened his 5f5de0afe5 palms.17cc92d58f2ca3e8

He paused, fc832c7823 glancing back b313376b2d at Wintran’s 70eec7d607 official order, 3b9f4348cd which was 7b1566bf5d of a a914896b82 very different 1ceb4d783e nature. After a brief 88e0a32580 consideration, he folded 8c35d4b828 and set aside 6271597205 the king’s decree 30603c53c3 with an unexpected 272b24923e sense of relief. Zellered much preferred the 48f083615f other directive.7b5a6e9cfb046412

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After all, beb92a8d09 if the 4fac292718 princess were 7acb201c4c to fail 2aa7d01f00 even in c8b1b4ebad attempting to 9d2111367d assassinate Leo b29d3bb00f fric, this 2d56cfe11b command could f8f953db38 simply cease 322527fce0 to exist. In that case, e94b125385 as per the a240666cf8 king’s instructions, she 71c080b00b would marry Leo b4cd61a9c2 fric and leave. Thus, he reasoned, he b082e5cd93 wouldn’t be defying His a19bb7d785 Majesty’s orders.5be666eea796ae09

With alarming 5512ee07df ease, Zellered 4eb2c81ed1 rationalized his 5651828074 decision and 4d9d34377b resolved to 0a6dd754bc carry out 92de228ec7 the alternative 9c82502c3a command with 2b139f1f57 enthusiasm.da63183d81f3e823

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Using that defiant, impudent f8068fb4d6 woman to rid himself 6e83b3265d of that hero-playing nuisance?eca65c1f91aee5af

Count Zellered pressed his b828f84f8f lips together to stifle bdbcd9ce75 the smirk that was 9567ee3216 beginning to creep up.c286a474073f6976

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The chilling directive ended ad4df3b9fe with a stern reminder d258cb151d to burn the letter a1dc4cf361 after reading. He approached f3dbdb554a the fireplace 3595904a77 with the d90083da8a letter in 1ec2732719 hand, then 24d4ec413d hesitated.8e4655ce120afef0

‘Wait.’3c6256205a942a13

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What if things 627b3cd29d went wrong?df1eda0c9fa65545

What if she f53738b848 failed and pointed af4fef0270 to him as 19f15a037e the mastermind?ef36c5ee60b98625

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After a 0516a57837 moment’s deliberation, da222f7a52 Count Zellered 88b9bd6ac0 quietly folded 0a824b1403 the letter f6146eb555 and tucked d6b3d82741 it safely 4c09a1fe1b into his 1f6521813b inner coat.c8adbde3ec35968a

‘I’d better 741bb07012 have some 019a11f22c insurance.’2cf6e50c571e9682

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The reassuring weight a1163964d2 of the letter 4d04dd1bf4 against his chest dad9d1f56b fortified his resolve.9ecb0edc25b31a7e

 128096431acb3149

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