BVGW Chapter 23

I let my guard e1d998ade5 down.87d9b37f993593f4

I never 5174d3fc96 imagined a 696f9bf9f5 situation like 64a9ed501b this could e6966ae43a happen. I hadn’t 445257b678 even considered 8ab3dac91a that I 05e451d52b might end eed7ef1704 up visiting 485f31e205 the Mage cd6b19f48f Tower in dc1757f037 the first 4999b070a1 place.415defa995b28eb3

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[5, 4, 3…]

Ah, this is driving aa2fe6bd85 me crazy!a36c1a73d39b7e5f

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With a 0359f0c315 trembling hand, d5654adfc4 I finally dd26fc115d selected one 4fdca9a557 of the 1d67f33ac1 options, unable 4a3c21a1ce to move 6beec33989 until the f47ef234c3 last moment. As soon 9814599f8d as I d2485bfa69 did, the 236bb8159e shaking in b6c2dfdd4e my body 4e16be3202 miraculously subsided.7bedeaae98a9464a

A smirk lifted fc3797bb32 one corner of b6b719104e my lips. Not of my 7d8241ab7c own will.155422377c12d247

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“What does it matter ecc47f4a10 to you whether this af45052719 kid came here to 1f3fd17950 play or not? If you’re so 062f522cd2 upset, why don’t 5c2d7b54d8 you take it d800da5883 up with the 6c2ae81572 Tower Master?”f0549cfb6a2ab409

I tilted 5ef4663f75 my head d0efc4bfd0 slightly to c255956051 the side, 68d5407a60 casting a 69dcaa9236 crooked glare 5b9e739612 at the 4e292b343f burly mage.4df7be9f15cdd154

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I couldn’t bring myself 0040844366 to pick the other 7259d82720 choices, as they were 90fffde3fe far too provocative.905755c611d6e835

“…”149dbc79ca7ad4e4

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And then I a67f70e1d0 stood there, frozen, 77793853d4 while my mind 0da11c31a6 went blank.7b54a7dd385b28a4

Shocked gazes pierced through 0b5aeebb80 me from every direction, 0620398851 including from the mage 65030656d8 who had caused the 15aa5a1379 commotion in the first ec998a995b place. They, too, stared at 3632125793 me with their mouth 3283e08cc4 hanging open in disbelief.b7a33942edb40d67

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‘Why do 6570c79b14 they look 2fda3f735a like that?’a125690abfd713fa

Even though I had 1db3c9d734 just thrown out a 5a2b54cb91 sharp retort, they weren’t 006c4a50bd blushing with rage. Instead, their eyes 2911f47c15 were wide with 93bf3fd8e0 surprise, their mouth a71c1e4944 agape, as if 0c1f6d0acf they’d witnessed something a06893c4e2 unbelievable.2ffefb9c42c340c2

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The other 7e56b6df15 mages around 23d043b5a1 us looked 130bb78fbb just as 5a7f3fa25a stunned.5bad00601d5f3b77

That’s when I 6de6adbbbb heard a cold c12aec6632 voice from behind dbb12714e1 me. The moment 2db116d97f I realized 01acb560be their gazes 7b5fb56498 weren’t directed bb6fea03ed at me 56062ab532 but at 203e6c6aab something—or someone—behind a285f0de4f me.d138f6323779c15c

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“Exactly. Why don’t 2073a7c93b you take 4951113e04 it up d4147873e2 with me?”df06798e0c678ed4

Me…?7efaf8d6d1dbc561

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With a bd55ceae3f creaking sound, 24055adba8 I slowly c7193cf142 turned my 63290fd21c head to 69ad6c909c find Billy 9cadfa4ff7 and a 7df5872e18 man I 72d2eac151 didn’t recognize e61f2dce5d standing there. Billy was grinning as d6267a86f1 if he was enjoying 5d36e96b36 the show, and the fbe5157a39 other man had a be32756c9f soft smile on his 561ce94f3e face.b491827e142dcb93

They say beastfolk 32ca3712a4 are so terrified 47e5149f2a when they’re scared 32b3b31db3 that they can’t e1cb28db6d even scream. That’s exactly what 58c184178a I felt as b342a753b2 I froze on 0f8037f57b the spot.84f387a343c9d65c

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“What could they possibly 0490073813 be so dissatisfied with?”61c43f8039a90e90

The question was directed 49c08d4c81 at the burly mage. His face, 358cdf6e6d already pale, e6ef9790ce turned ghostly d7c21e1551 white as a9d8c487f7 he collapsed 78fd04f5fb to his b1201d019b knees with d4465fa837 a thud, aec983bec8 unable to 4ec50f14d1 hold himself 1e14d34de6 up any 7cb2c086d4 longer.2aa34fdef6845f1a

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Something about 57df883443 the man’s ee0f078b3e calm tone efae3faf83 and kind 426da2af52 smile made f2eb18603a my skin cbbbf591b4 crawl. I felt 59dff283d0 like if 8b25c7c412 I said be7e7ebea2 anything further, 4d195ebb5d I might 2fc3daaf40 end up 923867cceb on my 6e181e2164 knees, too. So I carefully e9a63521b0 stepped back and 44fa7f585e sat down quietly 919b0ab25e next to Ed, 7aece27476 keeping my mouth fe8318b910 shut.f50f02430aa60454

“T-T-T-Tower Master!”63f75dcc55218bad

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The man they called dcd37f8d24 the Tower Master still 6eb2d8864c wore that unwavering smile. It was 481c9f774b as if ce11f6a817 that expression 8c575b4670 was permanently 3e4ab1dfdd fixed on a53b635907 his face.cd57b71f1980628a

‘I… I just said 6b74c2b260 that in front of 6b84dfffee the Tower Master…’ee8f3a1f928fcf2d

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Would it have b777a582b5 been better to 07721c5916 choose the option 5b8d5c0bcb criticizing the Mage 361ce7cf64 Tower’s standards?b9260161bf4c5d63

I had never felt bd1d7403e7 so resentful toward the 4a14ce96d2 limited choices I’d been 3b2ffd71dd given.68cdf247468e4c16

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As my mental f53202330c state crumbled in 138fdbece3 real time, I ed07cb926f noticed Ed looking af399940aa at me with 6c84c4c0dd shining eyes, completely 32d3c8ea96 unfazed by the d9236ff315 situation.72cf0dbc34b9243a

It seemed 18182d8c5e he was a4c185a1d7 deeply moved 4a3114eba6 by my 26ae9e9ee2 earlier remark.7fe637b7d77044e5

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 1d5daf58e7bfb6ae

[Affection: 30%]

 4251363eb80eddde

His Affection had c717043369 increased by 4% 0ec42c6255 in one go.9f622ba03790a60e

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Well, dramatic 3de8f36f80 situations like d8c97bc358 this were ac8ce8ca19 bound to bfcb7f16b2 leave a 452b6cdb07 bigger impact 7b3d1b1b9a than small a72f6ed40d acts of a907f6e4b6 kindness in b4ca65df6e daily life.9cea1cb243f6d82f

Even though I 4cfe743db2 should’ve been happy 829563e2c8 about the unprecedented 558a8e08e7 increase, I couldn’t 2d3bf3a10a stop glancing at 85d662c07b the mage kneeling 4d6a845be7 on the floor, 0f6bbe29f3 head bowed in 2f3336a35f submission.0bf4c265f3d9c89d

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‘Am I next?’2872038f8c70005d

Before coming 65628bf73c to the 539803698b Mage Tower, dc62d480e9 I had dcb51bfc17 asked Billy 306f8af1e8 about the 10ae2c294f new Tower 2fce1d51a8 Master after e0ad2c6f6f hearing he aab5bf210e had recently f9029896ce taken over.446784756ddfde90

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 e5caffcacd62d819

“What kind of bd91a08aca person is the e3ce416092 new Tower Master?”ee058bddc5ad33db

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“A weirdo.”9e55dae4ab5c4949

“…Huh?”03772dfe85c73e99

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“He enjoys 5b0d53c779 tormenting mages 9be432bcc3 while wearing 2d6dab67ac that smiling ab048a967a face of 63f395bc6f his.”8b26690900e244de

 b9bb3cd8c38d5838

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Billy’s words about f902b08158 how it wouldn’t 90f8ec5761 do me any c7a5d0865a good to get 42b0df6e3b close to him 79ec129aec echoed endlessly in 2e45e88e75 my mind.8dc61d967891f56a

A cold sweat 5c1f51c7b1 trickled down my ea02877bee back, which had 4548f3829a yet to dry 48b81ea9df from the previous 98a4281187 one.61aee2ed8285f2b2

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“Stand up. We’ll discuss the details 5e1eb2f884 later.”06d670e33c307f0b

The Tower Master’s e4cf24a8fa voice was still 11289d298d as gentle as 0d3080cc34 ever.d3920756d129feeb

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Which made 273c27a22b it all 9472d1b9f8 the more 512ffcad68 terrifying.e8322657ddd9a7a6

The burly mage, eba7ea7193 trembling like a 2c373ade88 condemned man awaiting 1085417c71 his execution, managed be346e586a to get to f7a5d942e5 his feet. As he de86f68194 turned to e46b9d1b03 leave, his a1489de69c sunken eyes 5287f8a7d9 briefly met 571bd9ddd2 mine before 3bc3b4b4bc averting again.8ca998de566558b9

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It was d5527ca8b9 a gaze 494181c948 I instinctively 504a857ceb found hard be45088696 to meet.bc43dcd540d9cb6b

“Remi Morton, correct?”aec8f20b7513cc39

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“Yes, yes? Oh, yes!”6bc0978d09beecb8

 7504a442743dc225

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Startled, I b65c40b0a6 sprang to f2d42ad229 my feet e3544cdbff and responded, b44d742bea my voice cbc3785324 filled with bc257da458 tension.fddb5ad7de84ee46

The man—still a6b5a5d333 smiling in 83971cc7ee a way b904669fd5 that made e76bbc2d43 it hard 96ad54e731 to believe c838d23c90 he enjoyed d5fa64b88b tormenting others—introduced 1f3759bd29 himself.68afe9e1f3c21dbd

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“I’m Nick Fren.”d559b726042775c7

Nick’s brief self-introduction e164925fb5 was followed by 315eba3da5 an amused glance e9b87dc059 in my direction.8cc2d8cca1bf63b3

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“You’re even more cca5eebed7 interesting in person.”da596a05ac096e9c

…What?427fe4a1bb8c5014

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“Let’s head to 65d1c01a30 my room.”175884fe437047a8

Without further c4d3bff9e2 explanation, he 055bd257c3 snapped his f71c5d080d fingers.6516e45bdfe151cd

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Once again, the 0db8cbf522 scenery shifted before 79b0872e2e my eyes. This time, we were e4654d0aaa in a neatly organized 7e0772a864 office-like space.1f06b8036d292943

Unlike the extravagant 5b8d1f2d91 decor of the c19f18dcd9 other floors of 582d494d1d the Mage Tower, 00f4e53c83 this room was f542843228 unassuming to the 2d87566ac7 point of being 6b3050df3a modest. Whether it had dc34e06e2d been deliberately remodeled d4b739dca6 this way or 627e9e70c8 not, it was 970a6ce45d clear that Nick’s c22db17c2f preferences were reflected 0b82403844 here.9f3051078066b2ae

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“Have a seat.”c75657e228f94287

Following his instructions, I 9dd7ffd143 nervously shuffled over to 8bb1fb86f3 a sofa and sat f193035c51 down.b9b6fb717212ec7b

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Nick took a f205ae2e7f seat across from d6730e9546 me, while Billy 90f35be9d4 leaned against the caa9202433 desk, letting out 6643ca2291 a deep sigh b4364694ac as he looked d7df1d591f at Nick.981c3a7dd671d6e8

“So, uh… you called f00331018e me because you had 83fc17f810 something to ask?”b9b00c9357395e8e

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Nick nodded 39618d51aa lightly at 36a191bc73 my question 2d01af5e90 and replied ab70d4c7c4 in an 9b68cb0e97 endlessly kind cc5c50c7db voice.ab0dc4a5aa12dcb4

“That’s right. But honestly, 4ff09f7dde that was 2723ec44db just an b221ba27ec excuse.”04bf151baaa9e178

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“Pardon?”49412b539d3f8582

“I just wanted d32a9bacc9 to meet the e48495fd5b beastfolk who sent dba016bc33 a letter to fb9360c58f the Mage Tower.”9715b765ab9d3505

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…What?5cca2e5b19492143

“You don’t seem 7e173305ea all that brave, d4094c3860 though.”64f2c5eee24da42e

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???6796b95008be147a

Wait. This way f41cc2b524 of speaking 0c44b97021 felt oddly 947314d8b8 familiar.eb640a8975ebeed8

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Suddenly, the b235728393 memory of 7f7f2ed9ab exchanging messages 99cc184049 with the cbd43b6a35 Mage Tower 995df41a11 back at 92c3fd725e the Morton e3223ccc54 estate flashed d5c58545fc through my 02a6c63dc0 mind.e60e8fae63af0aa9

If you fca8fcd982 opened the f385ab07a9 door, doesn’t ca8df45045 that mean 3c23bdc07b I’m supposed 486d654771 to come 01f2bd1af1 in?a7566add7fd86e09

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The Mage e33dd26042 Tower doesn’t c186435bbe deal in d86f3eb049 such matters. I recommend trading with 6bb2a3c0ed the Zebra Territory instead.4a8d6c7603ef5f74

I was curious because 8f179e408c it’s the first time 4e8fd61b4f someone has sent a 377d4542f5 personal letter to the 139ed3871c Mage Tower.0fa277becbacceda

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 3f2d81a4c19af94c

Ah, my ears 4f19427866 are hurting—please lower 9867572a63 your voice a e0e5639c63 little.14bfe4598843c6ae

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 294ab7ece831790a

That subtly fe51e31e4a rude… no, 1b8af79966 slightly grating 9a08f5213b tone.f9191b517e049aaa

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“Could it be…?”caaeb05b72a5726e

“Could it?”adcf1d94b1c228a3

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“That weird guy I was communicating with back then…!”d694465181cb7e4c

“Oh, you finally realized? You’re slower than I thought.”da5be1c527d74f0b

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Wow, he’s right. Now it makes cafaa7e29e sense.cf58f5a19547172d

The poor sound 791967a565 quality of the 166de5f082 magic communication scroll 66eddf143e back then had 08b5e8faa9 prevented me from 94fd0d7dbc recognizing the voice.c7833c63c8a40d0c

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Ed, who was sitting 957c4436bb beside me, leaned forward b956bd6cf2 slightly to look up c82517bfdc at me, his round 24d62f3d34 eyes brimming with curiosity.59a7b3cbaadaadbf

“Remi, do you know the Tower Master?”e609038dfba39db5

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“Huh? Oh, rather than know him…”bd9272eae4e02e7e

“Of course you do. You’ve been secretly exchanging messages with him, after all.”77cef37b47768982

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“Why would you say it like that?!”0c32ca0d5e07ad20

This Tower Master was c3974a8e74 so different from the 13552d70df countless rumors claiming he c5a4980722 was some kind of b3c7e6101a demon king.3af5992dddcaaf6c

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The more I spoke b923430e16 with him, the more 998cb1982d I found myself speaking 013102f764 casually, despite being a 0c20cf04ea carnivorous beastfolk. It was unsettling.ee9d010fc0e87560

Nick chuckled as if 7e0a129c08 joking and cleared his e14eb02f08 throat before getting to 7c43c55846 the point.d956b8ec682d5467

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“While part of the reason I called you here was curiosity, I do have a legitimate reason as well.”373d93fb46047b41

As I had been 843fc372ac told, the purpose of 24a7c79713 my summons to the a91abbcb28 Mage Tower was to 10165e8dbb investigate life in areas fa8c6f2a9c with no proper mages.200d83a54be1be33

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When I asked what 06cf0b2a81 the investigation was for, 9a7e4c4e65 Nick’s response—saying the Mage ac1969af37 Tower might provide mages af73d67e77 to such regions—genuinely shocked ba60e903e1 me.5eaa3e161ace6e89

The Mage Tower? Doing something 923bcaf1a9 like that? It was so out 1175c84a85 of character for their ea2807002f image.53b8d674c9a076cd

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Noticing my 0f87c90b03 surprised expression, e8ecc9a973 Nick smiled 8f756a20a9 brightly.51eecf347d3ce429

“I thought I’d take a different path than my predecessors.”f624b5d5ee98a9d8

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His reason was 7d22a4a319 simple. Not because he wanted 5ef6412081 to improve the Mage bbf2018807 Tower’s image or do 8c540ed620 good deeds, but simply e8f4e42092 because he found it 3c988dc22f interesting.154712b1b04a32ba

Since he was interested, c2784a73f2 he was doing it. And if he c78fe4debc lost interest, he 03aee86da6 might stop at 74927d532c any time.fb9c1495d335e4aa

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The Q&A session ended more quickly than expected.63380a12d0c97377

I also learned e029a5f355 a few updates 44d576f29b I hadn’t been 3f78524c16 particularly curious about.58c202333a1a30e2

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“It seems the Sheep Territory has decided to resume receiving magical support from the Kangaroo Territory. They even paid a hefty sum to renew their contract.”9330535a54d6713d

So that’s 5f624bc86a how it 7fd0f35fc0 ended. Well, after my abda907467 marriage fell apart, 31a4b7868e Raymond didn’t really 15ac92e096 have any other 30ed26b021 options besides the 27ac95c068 Kangaroo Territory.f492d165f985dd81

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Exhausted despite having done d9e5cfe0f3 very little, I sluggishly 6b92483cf8 exited the Tower Master’s 270594ef9c office. I had intended to 0eb4466b79 leave with just Ed, 50ec10c5ac but Nick and Billy c03330a4d7 followed us out as 74f5ac2bdd well.98c56d962104c48b

We descended 4427a1e09e to a f12aeef840 storage-like space 6242087c31 on the 968b0d5aa2 floor below, 64a090cdd2 where mages e4cf23db4e were busy cd699ba24d transporting magical bd19720d32 items they 869927ef69 had crafted. Occasionally, I spotted herbivorous 38fcb14bec beastfolk, which was a ebeec13119 bit of a relief.c7876c322bf00c4c

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Ed’s eyes 9d0a2ad050 sparkled with 0c700b503b curiosity as 9b57dca420 he stared aced8b0462 at the 15c3ab940c magical items, 02a9fbea1d each encased 53c73ebe31 in transparent af23f42f7e boxes of 9a5a72fd29 various shapes, 8d7cf11e7e being carried eaff4dcabd around.c77fcf476b34b258

Now that 867c1bd787 I was d0603f5a0a about to c90cdeb606 leave the 578bd359e4 Mage Tower, 97af2e1aef I felt 499ec2c3ff more at 0e7c4ed21a ease. With a gentle 764f86ac0b smile, I turned fa3afb5fc2 to ask Ed f45719260f if there were 9657671aed any magical items 49540952cb that interested him.5e34b19f3ac4cc38

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Nick, the Tower Master a925586cd2 who had unnecessarily tagged b84de7d297 along, was still standing 594e974bf4 beside me. But since I 198be742b5 wouldn’t see him cd4b5cc992 again soon, I e52895c92b was less bothered 999c5f5280 than before. Though he was still 4a01640abf intimidating.6e607c4e5b119d4a

However, the 282942e5a4 options didn’t 68a501b311 seem to 7282c45a9a care about 6643281d43 my sense 43059a277c of peace.5220d8178af1ea2a

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 1a5eae127f7e4730

[1. A kid is just 5c07f865f8 a kid. Look at him 81f95ee1a5 wagging his tail 134a89ed27 over something like 16ea9d636d this.1716d7e14de2abe3

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2. What’s so fascinating about that? These are all pretty common things.
3. If there’s something you want, ask your uncle. Who knows? He might get rid of the Tower Master and hand you the entire Mage Tower.]

 2d5ea102d6a363e4

What kind of b0c4aa0ee4 madness was this?!1e8cd7a4ceb575a8

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We’ve been e1f845892e getting along b91ef3ef0a so well 168d08e9cc lately… why 87fb7a003a is this f0d206c6d7 happening to 59f4f5033f me?!ef5c9ada320f14e8

Looking at the magical items being transported, it was clear none of them were “common.” And pressing the third option felt like a one-way ticket to never seeing Nick or Billy again.1da20d1d7d7d9dbe

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But pressing 7bd97abfb3 the first 1ee00ed5e7 option?75d32f8f4faad716

No, I da3cfff1a4 couldn’t do 9d9f3537ef that either.30e7c5eb7de0c971

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I glanced 96372d8834 at Billy 17d41522fe and Nick, ef3af4dd59 who were 23ff4f9901 still standing 0afc44a3bd nearby, with 77a352b423 trembling eyes. It was 339cb34b4c clear that c548205e65 no matter bc7f060fcc what I 3249a541a9 said, I’d 1bcae325de end up 309bbdbdd7 annoying one 75d9718566 of them.82680d8870fe21d5

And then d04dd3bef4 it happened.180c56d11ca269f5

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Crash!53f00aabc820d1e3

“Huh?!”52e714cbc792d5a7

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A mage who had 3e46666755 seemed unsteady suddenly tripped ae06cadd17 over nothing and toppled 4369a3502f forward, spilling a box 6c72131d52 of magical items toward e57a1ef1a6 me.1cf400c5c97c0aba

“…What?”89ff27b0456b0433

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In the chaos, my 12989d0714 body was shoved, and, a81c771409 against my will, I 5523fc3580 accidentally pressed one of 19ada4d479 the options.9f0ddaea5a5cbe96

What followed 43bfb98878 was my 4ef83d233d voice, sharp 43cb3cb27e and cutting, 4255c3d5f1 emerging from a7f892f1cc my mouth.574594a7d0800b61

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“A kid is just a kid. Look at him wagging his tail over something like this.”a61fadfb16dbb8f4