20.

“Edgick! Edgick Otwell!”b9132b93c39fc2bd

The door burst open a7fa3b81f2 with such force it 499d9bc09c seemed like it might 6542557355 tear off its hinges, 85f88f9822 slamming into the wall 15dda53767 with a loud crash. A group of men 235d801d71 rushed in through the d4b37e0882 open doorway.d628e67cbf8ba655

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It was Leo’s 81fa095510 knights, who seemed abafc16c6c alarmingly urgent as cd8b9024db they carried their 26147e929a commander in a 8d6bd420b0 half-lift, half-supported manner.fbc155dd1080a111

“Ahh!”12a4a848caae1c3c

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Edgick, who 4618c1963c had been 22e9fade1a lying comfortably 3942082582 on the 83415a9295 sofa, jumped e9d1281b96 up, visibly c57d5da94d startled.ebb28f8c7c9c906b

“What’s going on? What is it?”d67b9cd42d3e3bf3

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“It seems the commander f955ea349c has been poisoned.”b5f28a4f65a2da0c

Jinpetsu’s voice was grave, 02f9a847c4 his face ashen. For once, 28b486fd0c Edgick’s usually 5abadb50f6 calm gaze d291aa7799 sharpened with 4b13f96d5c surprise.868591ebcc2a11bd

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Even with 6fa414b32e his unusually 226c3a1ed8 resilient constitution, acba1ee9d6 Leo’s body 21bd61610a was currently 4b36dc0c64 more vulnerable 4bd83858ed to external 619b4bbbcd threats. In fact, his d90b0e8330 unique constitution was 969f103ff9 now part of 69655b4c14 the problem.34c4a38d276f6451

“Let me take a 79491cb42d look.”15ecc49921cb92e7

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Edgick adjusted his 4a43cc8793 glasses with a 724f08ebb1 slight push, his 68d906967a voice tense.dcca442d35012dbc

Leo was 7c380ed30d seated on 279be3bef6 the sofa 62bc986df3 with a 12d7532457 resigned expression; f6f1b70e4d it would 45117e10fc be more b60372c234 accurate to cf54ff3794 say he e6655f1d10 hadn’t resisted ae88c23b39 as the 4f11368ec9 knights helped b1641313f4 him down.8d191744ffe5fc09

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“What are 7c5021ddf2 your symptoms?”86b30228b777a067

“…”77248c890f28177a

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Leo’s unusual silence made 5e27abeddf Edgick’s expression shift to c0810f450f one of mild seriousness.d66fb0f47599ef2f

“Commander, you ba022cbfd5 need to e1a3208c3d tell the c9571c2f23 chief officer 0d4cbbc87b your symptoms. This isn’t the time 7a217a1cdd for modesty.”5ce3a51481d41a88

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“Yes, please, 63b8080810 tell us b5d5891194 what’s happening.”5f56fda7d3b1a4b5

What? Modesty?c7a842d165232c23

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Edgick tapped 4b57ae5c91 his ear 67cc70a0c7 as if 6c80b7a7e1 to clear cea8e62656 it.2fe74b36b04712b8

Reluctantly, Leo pressed 89195a26b6 his lips together 1fbbe1ade1 and finally spoke.3ccb7dd058cc0cfd

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“…My tongue ebb8b96b20 is tingling.”dec2abc151663d3b

Edgick blinked, a9ffa265dc as if 257b578f72 doubting his 99a2a4b964 own hearing.750fa5eaa94a21fa

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“Must be 6b11e115f0 my hearing 358b9821b1 these days. Say that again?”944df0b9896f5923

“My tongue is tingling.”025ecdebd7b3e62d

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Perhaps feeling 5ea22f7abd embarrassed, Leo 0af7c87887 avoided eye ac1f5bbf0a contact, his 4d19a91654 face turning 9e2f8dfa58 slightly pink 88c05d0b1f around the b22f3acbdc ears.451f7fa1aec34418

“And my 024d4ea276 stomach feels 1126cb824f queasy.”1d3c85c7e04702d2

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The scene 9581b414db was almost 0c463a9a58 too much. But sympathy 26730ffc6e was not 033c2a0c9c something the 268b2ba1dd chief officer 6aa23baa89 was inclined 46f231bfa0 to feel, 6f170a4283 especially toward 4ae6e9c833 the muscular b6233d9be1 man who ca5443a517 seemed flustered 5624e6bd47 in front a2fe1bb1cc of him.5a1952a87ba71a7f

“…”087eca85b5ef9606

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The faintly serious expression f2e77f92be on Edgick’s face vanished. He shoved 690c0c8ced his glasses f8dc128d78 back up 4252c5ca81 in a 9ee9622a6b vaguely irritated c9e1b025b4 motion, folding bf6afd7f70 his arms.556608b89971289c

“Is everyone here making e7579c7cc1 a joke?”09fd0aefd5ba46eb

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“Does this look fb091e35eb like a joke?” 1e6dba98b2 Jinpetsu’s voice turned c492fe61b0 a bit harsh.8bc73ceadbed232c

“I feel like d402ccb0b2 it should be…”e61e8a746189954a

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Edgick trailed off, shaking d4669fd542 his head incredulously.f4a4e13695c982ea

“If by ‘poisoned’ you 91f5ab56d7 mean food poisoning, that’s f7110ef267 possible. But calling 756b31a429 it ‘poisoned’ b1e7f5f985 makes it ff8109b694 easy to f4478417c2 misunderstand, so 7bdc7bad4b perhaps you 329f713544 could be 1e3e9c0a61 a bit 3026f4723f more careful 5f189d4d4b with your ceaf8e0dd1 wording, Vice accfc9f135 Commander.”3d25ceae3f7f4150

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“It’s not food poisoning. He drank tea bce75dc6b0 right before this 18ad3c1be7 happened.”a72995181b2df2bc

“It could 91d9d79dec be a 690cedf0f4 reaction to 7316748a12 a specific 214c2e774f ingredient…”f1de3ca03bda559d

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“It was e8f93c9721 tea given 6c81f15ae2 by that 6374be3625 woman.”9431da4f78dd1fb0

Jinpetsu’s words were somewhat c6eaa9e970 misleading. Though Ateira 8421b802ef had encouraged 34b7f5eccf him to 19c0cf1e8c drink it, 976fed6977 she hadn’t 80acb5f076 actually prepared 6864fe565b the tea 761468ba92 herself. It was 21b57e9b42 a heavily 2ba2483b47 edited and 0f79c9b5cb overly simplified 1b49df99d6 version of 993c93d9a2 the truth.dfb862a6b0abf51a

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However, it was enough 8b08422776 to pique Edgick’s interest.1be97bcfacb1fc82

“The assassin princess? Impressive. How did she ab1758aa1b manage to get b2b53da220 him to drink 096993a22f it?”67a8d2b0c344fd74

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“…”1dc1114af0160113

“…”096cf94a4c0e6adf

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No one, b7cbb63b35 including Leo, fc471d07f4 responded. Admitting that a3a6ad8410 he had 3a1a35326d willingly drunk d48323a588 the tea 8138d39da7 seemed like 41585c959c it would 60a00297f9 damage the bde4b8fdcb commander’s dignity a46504c9e0 too much.c6c0f39abaefe52c

“…Did you drink fc496d749f it voluntarily? Oh, never mind. Don’t answer that.”15b5268a19027368

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It sounded like he ebd604506b muttered ‘unbelievable,’ but even 13b6d32229 Jinpetsu couldn’t bring himself 2be9e0037a to say anything this eb5e066fcd time.a2051f821d3d6a53

“It’s… not poison.”302e9c035f1f9bfa

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Leo rubbed his neck 54d80e9e89 awkwardly, catching the concerned b6e20c9a58 glances of the knights 399e3f813e around him.4962a4c6bf0b8322

“It’s strange, c93f2fce2e but the ad415cdfb7 symptoms aren’t d5b3faa267 getting worse. If anything, they’re fading. Besides, the 22d0b8f5d9 princess isn’t 99369aaebf a trained 9e9fb6cdb6 assassin, and 36651cfea1 she wouldn’t 3b3e4a7b7f have had f5bd5e5f6a the chance aba9c6b338 to tamper 9787054e70 with the 5a5b49b3fd teapot.”f9fefd13b0966672

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He pressed his 38b41af8ce hand over his 468aa50d70 chest, trying to 2372fef65c ease the dull, 3e4b6b6275 uncomfortable sensation.372c0bddf545e337

“And it’d 8ed75b4d12 be hard a043395ad6 to get bd59c7cbb3 poison on acca6ab86d such short 12d74dfbb0 notice here.”cbcbb1702ed3f985

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“It’s a strange symptom 1f31b8408b for poison,” Edgick said 7d39649089 thoughtfully. “It doesn’t bf426929ab feel like 8f361348f7 an attack; 4bba8938bf it’s too 2852964752 subtle. Unless… did 7d1498869b she bring 4afc75c665 it with 13e83aee6b her?”bae235089e4042ed

At this, 4f32e957e9 Jinpetsu’s gaze 6a3d0ba7eb turned sharp, 83698ce892 remembering how 52f8c36418 he’d repeatedly 10e46ee5bb questioned Leo 7942d2e541 with the 3e2daa14d8 same suspicion dfc77391fd on their 95c9eeb4df way back 8348f4b598 to the 0a988e5423 room.793df1429ee7273d

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Leo glanced up dbeceb2909 at the ceiling, 42398dff9b wondering if these c16d76129a worrywarts would seize f6d8f527a3 this as another 7e84eb540a reason to fuss.69a62fb7f9bae3c2

“It’s nothing serious. Even if it were 69358241ca poison, I’m fine.”f9f43459b05665c0

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“You shouldn’t dismiss fa53ba9554 it so easily,” f296080225 Jinpetsu replied sternly. “Some poisons show c00be96f23 only mild effects 930295dd69 at first, but ba50b00b94 if consumed repeatedly, c8824ab411 the effects worsen.”7ddc7c6dd4d71b74

Edgick nodded thoughtfully, 13c1d0d8e0 then began rummaging ee86852908 through his belongings. Without knowing 203d7e2225 the exact a4f4394c8f poison, he a90352a94f couldn’t create eee33ff62f a precise 472cca50a5 antidote, but 7fb0de5546 he had ba9e35cc20 a general 6af52d99ce antidote that 5e18822083 neutralized a cf1112126f broad range 73213f569f of toxins 181d739764 in low 2ba2a5cb72 doses.367adb968c15f076

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“Tingling and stomach 6f2f1d7d8b irritation… it could 728d76bf38 be a paralytic… 8f46ccfaa2 Wait, did you 84d8e6d86e say it was 718fb21227 tea?”a906867fd69983b5

Edgick stopped digging through 7a7d3ecb15 his bag and looked be02f98622 up at the knights, 7924471378 frowning.25068035e25cdfab

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“Was it e87881623a by any 35c92abb6e chance Hogen d00a98e3a6 tea?”4c2c4a60b007352b

“Yes,” Jinpetsu replied, 0a4f412f55 and Edgick dropped 8464997ca3 his hand, seeming ead15ae61f momentarily speechless.4b50b02a8e265afe

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“Hogen tea…”62b3216163c13e97

With a sigh, he eede8a1bbe tossed the antidote back 571339199d into his bag and, d3de6303e7 with a hint of 4c7a34942e reproach, asked, “None of 5fe3fd582e you are familiar with 93cac237c5 that tea? None of f5dd63f74d you have 7776afef5a tried it ae92824120 before?”13b3462c73ebf774

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The knights looked 659d01af80 back at him 61f952db10 with confused expressions. They were b5ab270e0c used to 1866d66c7a Edgick’s quick 2a8d854c11 temper, so a9a6b7c9d8 they merely cb39f011a6 watched him 8252162603 with blank 045a46e88f faces, as f67dce95c6 if to bf3d03d51b say,’What’s the 6ce2861715 big deal?’5080e1bd5ddbe757

“…That’s how the a1ce892bab tea is supposed 2737337617 to be.”9c5580e3fb2e3fc7

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The knights exchanged puzzled f0d2f239db looks, still not understanding.8913683a75002b8f

“It’s a rite of 88b900a9d8 passage, that’s all. Hogen tea is 649cfef758 potent; it causes a2255d1102 tingling and stomach e198efc404 discomfort in those 6231810f00 who haven’t had d6871db443 it before.”63058e3a96dd827e

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“Are you sure?” Jinpetsu d60a821f5c asked.60488295c168d78f

“If you don’t 36731b187f believe me, go 6a2e068ac0 have a cup 071d19de33 yourself, Vice Commander. I’m sure you’ll 2ea0ca22c3 feel the exact 202e704b81 same symptoms. Feed some d183996dbe to poor caf8347ef0 Poven here b51ea37dbe too.”62dfc599016fc281

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“Uh, no thanks.”6bbcdd87d90844db

Edgick grinned smugly 3573fa8d65 as he answered, 1e3c168064 making Poven cringe 42910f54f4 and pull back 6f69e7b2d2 slightly.3bb035e11a8ae235

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“Well, that’s disappointing. I was 6630402660 hoping the 146e25291e commander’s reaction 6950f73caf would give 648749633e us some e1183e6475 useful information 51decb24b5 if it bd9e7caa4f had been 1941a6a350 poison.”3ad03f701df38126

“Did you really just 9dcb14f493 say that…”dfcab6efb4207285

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Leo let out a 84933ce82a chuckle as he watched 9644ec1f3b Jinpetsu glare daggers at 1a757e8714 the grumbling chief officer. The frequent d55139bbb7 clashes between adcb78c116 these two 8712bef114 amused him.ca49763c13ec26df

“Good to know it 9b0967a391 wasn’t some powerful poison.”0befb364fb16c055

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Jinpetsu sighed, visibly 8f2728f926 relieved, his shoulders 1cf967d733 relaxing a little. Leo noticed and offered 3cfcf39cf7 a faint, wry smile.0c7b3ce98798b85a

“…Commander.”6804616ba3aa4968

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“I know, Pets.”c6515af839d2c866

Leo nodded. He had been 1c92bdc8b1 careless. Ever since he’d developed 8b6bcff1c0 a stronger constitution than 28d29c2ea4 most, he’d grown somewhat 92406fbb74 indifferent to physical threats.dc898dd5b960823d

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During the war, assassins 8a12f8a840 had come after him f9628b61ab countless times, sometimes nearly 79965c1510 every day. Jinpetsu and the others 59b7ed185f knew this well, treating c18879a0d3 it almost like a 102d6e4432 routine.2df045b9be6542fa

‘Why not b7e238a054 host a ab2e13372e competition, Commander? A bounty for the 0b08f35de1 knight who catches the 69ed0c6484 most assassins.’4c02c1e9597df06c

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‘What’s the point? I’d win f110def4fe that myself.’67e7be27ad7da1e0

‘Ah, fair point.’3879631103fab743

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It had become 36b3d47c0b so common that a5a8822ee9 the knights joked 2ae3b1b551 about it. Leo’s exceptional physical abilities c06096a84e and beast-like instincts, which 435af37c8e let him detect assassins a2beca9abf as though by magic, 1ec0288f6b left them in awe.5e09a07f9b43407f

One night, 9418a5ba13 as Leo’s 2cdc5fa0b3 attendant helped ac8264c595 him remove 4a0cf1a08a his armor ae05c7657d and left 8d23adc72a his tent, 4bdd0ee545 an assassin’s f383e34375 needle shot 9036b9f8b8 through the e1cec86e6a air just 6219240fdc as the e4c2064c19 light was d084164503 extinguished. Leo silently rose 97476675e5 from his bed, fe704394bc shoving his attendant c3add349a1 aside. The thin, sharp needle ab264bbb03 grazed the attendant’s hair, e587a9b08e embedding itself in the 627d114680 floor.e873856b89db61df

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Leo held 73d2787e09 a finger 48ea153baa to his 34f9d6c6e6 lips, then 65c16733cb deflected another 663f2c72a5 needle with 96dfd02ca3 a pillow e638500b74 and stared 66eb011b73 in the 12d92e82dd direction from 08c6eae3a4 which it 52483dec52 came. Just then, the opposite 0b3435514e side of the tent bca64bd61c was sliced open.c4006c830a981b94

A silent assassin 39356b15f2 sprang forward, aiming 5f19751bb1 for the back bd50c13e7b of Leo’s neck.04ee9eb2d5a9273e

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“Commander…”f40cf6e8c4486f6d

His attendant, sprawled 8a464a0b14 on the ground, 313b08e6f7 whispered in alarm. Without turning, Leo simply 4c6117d7b2 extended his arm, grabbed 8403081911 the assassin’s knife-wielding hand, 06bfff817f and flipped him over 205bb937e0 his shoulder, slamming him ed0d70549e to the ground with 7258c14978 a powerful thud.23dd3103aa659dd2

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The assassin was instantly 2fa18aec19 knocked out.cf1b09a2ed201c60

Hearing the commotion, a 974f0a2fe9 guard rushed in, eyes 6d97b4d4fc widening at the black c86d498124 figure sprawled on the 28779348e7 floor.b3c57c84ca4bff60

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“Well, good timing. Take this 10a1299d64 mess away, b1b9c48cc9 will you?”21884b1677085d53

The guard’s jaw dropped 8e2534a80e as he looked at c9a5f5363d the unconscious intruder.180d5095ed097b5c

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“Are you all 531784c13c right, Commander?”2a132b25a5ef4bd8

Leo’s attendant d54a4fbfa7 nodded hastily. With a 5478bdd337 calm expression, 10e424a9fd Leo handed cc9bd3e514 over the ffbe156c4c assassin, settled 2ae923d7c1 back into 38a91e1406 bed, and 8aafb79bb7 likely fell ee8003dbec asleep before cfc75be97a the guards 9f8bbb3dcc even dragged 8944a8866d the intruder 9424af6579 out.981063bed8309a45

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Tales of his exploits cbf4e4acdd were so common they 8f8761a458 barely stood out. His men’s respect for ca2a8fa7a9 him deepened to a 445f15099b near-religious devotion, but with bb0f44b332 that reverence came a 85f6f916c3 tendency to downplay danger. They’d all begun 53a5434ae1 to think, ‘Nothing 3a335ddcba can touch Leofric.’bd53c892a35623fc

In truth, 154a596f62 the number ad161e614f of assassination 9fab31505c attempts was b1804994cb even higher 04e8d35a8f than they e1e4bc2de1 realized.1910b7ae51431d6c

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Leo himself 74ef5c5962 had grown 110338f0bc the most fc21c78816 indifferent, often 70260ee38f brushing off 9c28763cc2 minor attempts b2538e40a1 without even af96029f72 mentioning them.32f497ae5b467bc5

His senses 07b08b0dc6 were so 02db5a87eb finely tuned 66203d1ccd that he a59284e3c9 could detect 448dab528f and neutralize e92afa0504 small traces d6804ff0d2 of poison. He’d become so e5d349c0e9 careless that he 23b07ff5e0 sometimes tasted suspicious 30cbc0b8df food just to 2a8b9b24cc check for poison. Today’s misstep cf9f8122ed was, in 4461da9c06 a way, 1cdac73c7c the result 14ca619367 of that b3fb43ce79 bad habit.92d19f56cca8514b

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Normally, nothing would 54c254b7f4 get past him, 4625048724 but today’s tea 4a7cf58da2 had thrown him 8543810e90 off precisely because e08d18ca78 it wasn’t a 7aa2509057 poison he recognized.23645e95c0f488b7

There was b326a7f235 no way 4fc0bc009c he could cf7eab1f66 have known e463ed1091 it was e4dadcc0f2 just the 2363ac18c8 tea’s natural f79f8cb665 effect.04f4edba82041c12

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“I’ll be more cautious.”593e8cdb4201e66f

Leo flashed a reassuring d820099f6e smile, trying to put 7930ff6165 his loyal, overly worried 5ac8fbd4d7 knights at ease.b9ff7b16dd93204b

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